Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Detransition, Baby

A beautiful reflection of queerness in all its forms and one of the first fully queer books I’ve read, definitely the first trans book I read (despite being pan myself). I’m so glad it was my first!
I loved the imperfect characters and the development of Katrina. I learnt so much about trans culture, class and gender through this book - an unbiased lesson. It gives you unapologetic insight into what life is like as a trans person and lets you know the answers to questions you’ve never been able to ask.
The characters hooked me, and resonated with my own queer realisation - so much so that when I realised the last paragraph was indeed the last paragraph I cried out.
However, I was not a fan of the constant jumping back and forth into chapters that weren’t linked to the plot or clearly linked to understanding the characters. At times the language frustratingly descriptive and flowery - I wish bits of this were cut to make room for an ending that didn’t feel rushed, especially given the otherwise slow pace of the book. Perhaps a sequel will answer my burning question?

Content Warnings

jennabajuice's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Mostly a character study of three people that are very unique, interesting, chaotic, and of course beautifully queer. I loved that it incorporated deep political and reflective content through these characters and their experiences as opposed to just directly from a single protagonist or author (as in a memoir). A lot of queer literature I've read in the past focused on one character and one aspect of queerness (often sexuality) but this was much more detailed in that it explored many intersecting aspects of queerness and a variety of queer relationships in all their beauty and messiness.

Content Warnings

scruffie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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