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halobear11's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
optimisticbooknerd's review
4.0
4 Stars ⭐
I loved Issac and Diego's dynamic in the story and I really enjoyed watching their relationship unfold. This is such a good friends to lovers story
I think I will have to check out more from this author in the future, I definitely reccomend this one if you need a good friends to lovers but not too YA
I loved Issac and Diego's dynamic in the story and I really enjoyed watching their relationship unfold. This is such a good friends to lovers story
I think I will have to check out more from this author in the future, I definitely reccomend this one if you need a good friends to lovers but not too YA
stjimmyjohns's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
The air has an aura of unpredictability to it. Magic exists beneath the orchid sky. You can break all the rules. A boring night could turn into a wild adventure. A star could fall to the earth.
Gosh where do I even begin??? This was such a beautifully authentic ode to navigating life at 18. The way I felt so much of what Isaac was feeling...it was just an incredible experience! The way some things were written hit hard. There were many moments that had me quite teary throughout...sometimes really touching things, sometimes really sad things.
Right Where I Left You gives us a bunch of things:
🦸🏿♂️ Best friends to lovers
🦸🏿♂️ The absolute purest friendship
🦸🏿♂️ Coping with a broken family
🦸🏿♂️ Worrying about the future
🦸🏿♂️ Beautiful LGBTQIA+ representation
🦸🏿♂️ Hilarious banter
🦸🏿♂️ Heartwarming to the max
I highly recommend this book!
katsweirdbookshelf's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? N/A
4.0
felissadee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-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
3.5
drphillgucci's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
anpanvero's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
captwinghead's review
4.0
Another great queer YA novel starring characters of color!
This was the most diverse YA novel I've read in quite some time. The main character, Isaac, is Afro-Latino, his best friend and love interest are Latino, and Isaac meets friends that are east Asian and Black. There's a variety of sexualities represented with varying degrees of focus: the MC is gay, his best friend and love interest are bi, he meets an Ace person and a non-binary person. There's a brief introduction of a pan character.
This story is a really well paced story about a young boy worried about going off to college and being alone. Isaac's best friend is taking a gap year and Isaac isn't great at making friends. There's a lot of representation of his family and Diego's family, issues and all. As this is a YA novel, you get your typical head-scratching, "I don't understand why they can't see what's right in front of them" moments. Isaac seems clueless about everyone's feelings and it's only made a bit more interesting by the character Alix (who I loved by the way) who lives on the fringes of his life and can always tell what he's doing wrong. I was expecting more explanation of why he had beef with her, but there really wasn't anything there aside from him thinking that she was cold (despite exhibiting the same behavior as her a few times).
This book covered coming out, biphobia, difficult parent/child dynamics, and also the sturggle with identity some kids feel when they're not fluent in the language their family speaks. Isaac's older brother and sister are fluent in Spanish, but Isaac is not. There are a couple of moments in the story where he's uncomfortable at not understanding things Diego's family or Abuelito say and how that discomfort with the language made him feel less close to his father's family.
Aside from Isaac being exactly the kind of comic fan I'd avoid, I think he felt like the kind of comic fan I've come across on twitter. The Gen Z kind, of course. I'm still not used to fanfiction and shipping being so publicly shared and supported. The millenial in me who's been reading and writing it since before gay marriage was legalized still can't believe how fandom has changed. When it comes to shipping and commenting on fanfics, Isaac was judgmental and demanding at times. I still don't get why he hates the stand in character for Deadpool. Who hates Deadpool? That need to prove others' opinions "wrong" and dampen the love someone has for fictional characters usually fades as these kinds of fans mature. Hopefully.
Anyway, while I would've probably blocked this kid eventually on Twitter, TikTok and Tumblr, I liked what this book had to say about representation. The idea of a comic ever having a relationship between 2 superheroes of color, especially queer superheroes of color, is not something I'd ever imagine in my lifetime! Especially 2 characters that appeared to be centered in the comic they're in. Every time a queer couple gets a bigger adaptation in western media, it's 2 white characters and queer BIPOC are told to be grateful for side characters like Tara/Darcy in Heartstopper. A south east Asian (iirc) male character and a Black male character being a couple in a comic would be groundbreaking. I love that this book doesn't shy away from talking about the desperation queer BIPOC feel to see ourselves represented.
So, I really enjoyed this. If you're a young queer comic book fan, especially a fan of color, I think you'll enjoy this. It's one of the best YA novels I've read in some time.
This was the most diverse YA novel I've read in quite some time. The main character, Isaac, is Afro-Latino, his best friend and love interest are Latino, and Isaac meets friends that are east Asian and Black. There's a variety of sexualities represented with varying degrees of focus: the MC is gay, his best friend and love interest are bi, he meets an Ace person and a non-binary person. There's a brief introduction of a pan character.
Spoiler
While I was hesitant at the usual BS representing bisexual people as promiscuous, I think the existence of Diego makes up for that. There's even a brief discussion of biphobia, which I think was cleverly inserted.This story is a really well paced story about a young boy worried about going off to college and being alone. Isaac's best friend is taking a gap year and Isaac isn't great at making friends. There's a lot of representation of his family and Diego's family, issues and all. As this is a YA novel, you get your typical head-scratching, "I don't understand why they can't see what's right in front of them" moments. Isaac seems clueless about everyone's feelings and it's only made a bit more interesting by the character Alix (who I loved by the way) who lives on the fringes of his life and can always tell what he's doing wrong. I was expecting more explanation of why he had beef with her, but there really wasn't anything there aside from him thinking that she was cold (despite exhibiting the same behavior as her a few times).
Spoiler
Point is, I saw what was coming with Davi from a mile away and I don't get why it took Bella telling Isaac what was incredibly obvious for him to look at Diego a different way. This is my usual beef with YA novels, though. I'm sure, for the intended audience, it was exciting regardless.This book covered coming out, biphobia, difficult parent/child dynamics, and also the sturggle with identity some kids feel when they're not fluent in the language their family speaks. Isaac's older brother and sister are fluent in Spanish, but Isaac is not. There are a couple of moments in the story where he's uncomfortable at not understanding things Diego's family or Abuelito say and how that discomfort with the language made him feel less close to his father's family.
Aside from Isaac being exactly the kind of comic fan I'd avoid, I think he felt like the kind of comic fan I've come across on twitter. The Gen Z kind, of course. I'm still not used to fanfiction and shipping being so publicly shared and supported. The millenial in me who's been reading and writing it since before gay marriage was legalized still can't believe how fandom has changed. When it comes to shipping and commenting on fanfics, Isaac was judgmental and demanding at times. I still don't get why he hates the stand in character for Deadpool. Who hates Deadpool? That need to prove others' opinions "wrong" and dampen the love someone has for fictional characters usually fades as these kinds of fans mature. Hopefully.
Anyway, while I would've probably blocked this kid eventually on Twitter, TikTok and Tumblr, I liked what this book had to say about representation. The idea of a comic ever having a relationship between 2 superheroes of color, especially queer superheroes of color, is not something I'd ever imagine in my lifetime! Especially 2 characters that appeared to be centered in the comic they're in. Every time a queer couple gets a bigger adaptation in western media, it's 2 white characters and queer BIPOC are told to be grateful for side characters like Tara/Darcy in Heartstopper. A south east Asian (iirc) male character and a Black male character being a couple in a comic would be groundbreaking. I love that this book doesn't shy away from talking about the desperation queer BIPOC feel to see ourselves represented.
So, I really enjoyed this. If you're a young queer comic book fan, especially a fan of color, I think you'll enjoy this. It's one of the best YA novels I've read in some time.
georgia_jaycee's review
5.0
I never thought the words ‘you are my Bruno Mars’ would make me sob but here we are.
This book hit something deep in me that I wasn’t expecting, I was ready for cute fluffy love story but ended up sobbing over broken families and how to navigate them. Obviously the cute romance is flawless and by the middle of the book I was ready to scream at them but something about the family just got to me. Also anything depicting happy pride stuff and unadulterated queer joy makes me sob but yanno. This book just was amazing, 10/10
This book hit something deep in me that I wasn’t expecting, I was ready for cute fluffy love story but ended up sobbing over broken families and how to navigate them. Obviously the cute romance is flawless and by the middle of the book I was ready to scream at them but something about the family just got to me. Also anything depicting happy pride stuff and unadulterated queer joy makes me sob but yanno. This book just was amazing, 10/10
ramintah's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25