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shutupiamreading's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
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? No
4.5
I’m so happy that these books exist for today’s young adults. This book was such a thoughtful and deep exploration of so many things that teenagers struggle with, from gender identity to sexuality to consent to racism to social media fame. I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and their reflections on all of these topics, and I know that this will help so many people out there with reflecting on their own identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Gun violence, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts
wintah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
ich fand das buch echt toll, die charaktere waren super interessant und haben im verlaufe des buches verschiedene entwicklungen vollzogen. die verwendung von geschlechtsneutraler sprache war super angenehm und hat überhaupt nicht gestört und zu sehen, dass so viele charaktere neopronomen benutzen war super validierent. allgemein war es total schön, so einen diversen und queeren cast (?) zu sehen. die deutsche übersetzung fand ich auch echt gelungen, besonders da sie wohl noch eine der ersten dieser art ist. <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Mental illness, Hate crime, Sexism, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Transphobia, and Bullying
mx_sunshine's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
What a beautiful story! I loved this the more I read it. The characters felt real. I loved how honesty prevailed discomfort, making way for genuine connections. I loved that the novel created space for so many perspectives and voices. It felt authentic to read the conversations from opposing characters with conflicting viewpoints with neither of them being judged. This was really lovely. I loved reading such a supportive book.
I love Lark and Kasim and Sable and Asha and Jamal and Micha and Patcha and Mr S and Eli and Taye and Lark’s Mum…
Every character had such a unique impact and influence on Lark and on each other. It felt really special to experience their growth.
I loved Birdie and all they represented and meant to Lark.
I’m so grateful to live in this world at this time where authors like Kacen Callender can share their stories and hopes.
I feel like there is so much to learn from Kacen and from this novel. It is definitely one I’d love to revisit.
I love Lark and Kasim and Sable and Asha and Jamal and Micha and Patcha and Mr S and Eli and Taye and Lark’s Mum…
Every character had such a unique impact and influence on Lark and on each other. It felt really special to experience their growth.
I loved Birdie and all they represented and meant to Lark.
I’m so grateful to live in this world at this time where authors like Kacen Callender can share their stories and hopes.
I feel like there is so much to learn from Kacen and from this novel. It is definitely one I’d love to revisit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Racism, Ableism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
Main character has experienced traumatic bullying in their past. Two panic attacks are described. In both instances they end up safe. Cannabis is used in this novel. All experiences are positive and with friend/s. Depression and anxiety are discussed. Racism, ableism, and transphobia is discussed at length in relation to the character’s identity. Social commentary is also given on these issues.dcypher_83's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Racism
dododenise's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
I went through this book thinking I wouldn’t be able to express what I think of it. But now that I’m here, I feel like it deserves me to at least try.
I think this book can be summarised as being about nuance. Especially in a world where there seems no space for nuance, the book tried.
This was surprising to see, as this book would probably be considered “woke bullshit” by conservatives. It very much is gen z through and through. It deals with the beautiful pain that is twitter. It deals with activism. Racism. Transphobia. Homophobia. Bullying. A lot of it is basically what it means to be a teenager in this day and age.
I saw a lot of myself in Lark. Although, Lark is a million times better at communicating their thoughts compared to me. And of course, there’s the very big aspect that I am white, and they are black, which, you know, creates very different experiences in and of itself. Still, our personalities are very similar. Add to that our queerness, both nonbinary and maybe probably neurodivergent, and I got a character which mirrored a lot of myself. It feels like a combination of me with 17 and me now. You can definitely some sprinkles of Kasim in there, who brought different perspectives in there and added to the question I ask(ed) myself.
There were so many deep conversations in this book. Maybe they can get a bit much at times, feel a bit tacky and pseudo deep. Idk. But really, I enjoyed all of them. A lot of the thoughts I have were talked about in this book and that was so interesting. Yet, they were still all teenagers and stuck in their heads. But who isn’t?
And of course, I enjoyed the diversity. A black cast of characters. The mc being black, nonbinary, neurodivergent and polyamorous. The love interests being black, trans and poly too. This was the first time I read about polyamory this openly and I really enjoyed it!
Overall, there was a lot of honesty and thoughtfulness in this book. I am glad I read this in on my break so I had the energy to let myself be pulled along by all those thoughts.
I think this book can be summarised as being about nuance. Especially in a world where there seems no space for nuance, the book tried.
This was surprising to see, as this book would probably be considered “woke bullshit” by conservatives. It very much is gen z through and through. It deals with the beautiful pain that is twitter. It deals with activism. Racism. Transphobia. Homophobia. Bullying. A lot of it is basically what it means to be a teenager in this day and age.
I saw a lot of myself in Lark. Although, Lark is a million times better at communicating their thoughts compared to me. And of course, there’s the very big aspect that I am white, and they are black, which, you know, creates very different experiences in and of itself. Still, our personalities are very similar. Add to that our queerness, both nonbinary and maybe probably neurodivergent, and I got a character which mirrored a lot of myself. It feels like a combination of me with 17 and me now. You can definitely some sprinkles of Kasim in there, who brought different perspectives in there and added to the question I ask(ed) myself.
There were so many deep conversations in this book. Maybe they can get a bit much at times, feel a bit tacky and pseudo deep. Idk. But really, I enjoyed all of them. A lot of the thoughts I have were talked about in this book and that was so interesting. Yet, they were still all teenagers and stuck in their heads. But who isn’t?
And of course, I enjoyed the diversity. A black cast of characters. The mc being black, nonbinary, neurodivergent and polyamorous. The love interests being black, trans and poly too. This was the first time I read about polyamory this openly and I really enjoyed it!
Overall, there was a lot of honesty and thoughtfulness in this book. I am glad I read this in on my break so I had the energy to let myself be pulled along by all those thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Police brutality
astarlia's review
challenging
emotional
funny
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
I love this. The character is impulsive and naive in such a relatable way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Bullying
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Racism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
claracafetot1's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Drug use, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol
rainbowpridepin's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism and Mental illness
melaniereadsbooks's review
reflective
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
4.25
Thank you to Amulet Books and Netgalley for an earc of this one!
Lark is trying to get her twitter followers up so they can sell a book, and they miss their best friend and wish that they didn't always fight with Kasim now. But when he accidentally posts a status about unrequited love to Lark's twitter instead of his own, the post goes viral and Lark decides to lie and say it was their story. The lie spirals and things don't turn out the way they hoped.
This was so good! I love Kacen Callender so much. This is super introspective and the writing style was really different from usual YA contemporaries. I think it really worked, especially as coming from Lark's pov and the way they described their own writing. Lark is a super interesting character and I really loved the way they saw and explained the world. I definitely think this different writing style worked within its context.
Okay I love Kasim. He is such a good side character/love interest and I really liked the way he acted as a foil for Lark. And Sable was amazing!
There is so much love for the societal "other" in this book. Queerness and Blackness and Neurodivergence. So good!
Lark is trying to get her twitter followers up so they can sell a book, and they miss their best friend and wish that they didn't always fight with Kasim now. But when he accidentally posts a status about unrequited love to Lark's twitter instead of his own, the post goes viral and Lark decides to lie and say it was their story. The lie spirals and things don't turn out the way they hoped.
This was so good! I love Kacen Callender so much. This is super introspective and the writing style was really different from usual YA contemporaries. I think it really worked, especially as coming from Lark's pov and the way they described their own writing. Lark is a super interesting character and I really loved the way they saw and explained the world. I definitely think this different writing style worked within its context.
Okay I love Kasim. He is such a good side character/love interest and I really liked the way he acted as a foil for Lark. And Sable was amazing!
There is so much love for the societal "other" in this book. Queerness and Blackness and Neurodivergence. So good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts