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hodges_wt's review
3.0
This book promised great things. It didn't quite deliver.
First off: It doesn't use quotation marks. There's no reason to not use them (even if you're Cormac McCarthy, and especially if you're the little-known Rafi Mittlefehldt). Maybe this works for some people, though.
Second: The style was a bit...weird for me. It's hard to write a first-person narrative, and this book read like it needed another round or two of edits. But again, maybe that works for some people.
Other than that, there wasn't really anything wrong with the book. The storyline was good (though the handle of the was disappointing and a bit frustrating in my opinion, but that's fine.)
3.5/5. Rounded down just because the book didn't click with me.
First off: It doesn't use quotation marks. There's no reason to not use them (even if you're Cormac McCarthy, and especially if you're the little-known Rafi Mittlefehldt). Maybe this works for some people, though.
Second: The style was a bit...weird for me. It's hard to write a first-person narrative, and this book read like it needed another round or two of edits. But again, maybe that works for some people.
Other than that, there wasn't really anything wrong with the book. The storyline was good (though the handle of the
Spoiler
conversion therapy camp3.5/5. Rounded down just because the book didn't click with me.
kylejsnowden's review
5.0
Spoiler
This is the first book I have ever reviewed. Mostly because it has broken my heart so many time in the 3 hours that it took me to finish it. This is one of the only books i’ve read in so long that has actually made me such genuine empathy for the characters because of how real the experience felt. There isn’t a happy ending, and in real life there usually isn’t, this book captures that perfectly. These characters felt so real to me maybe because I could relate to some of their experiences, not all or even the majority, but some were very shockingly real. The most difficult part was the the experience I related to were the most mundane of the narrators. They weren’t the ones that defined the book, but rather the experiences of his that seeped into the day to day normality of his life and affected how he thought and acted.hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
14-year old Mike’s family moves to a small town in Virginia and Mike settles in at his new school where his friendship with Sean becomes something more. This is a moving, if somewhat melodramatic, coming out story that has power in its quiet understatement. See my full review here.
theangrystackrat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
kyoselflove's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given it more stars but I really can't stand when dialogue isn't in quotations. It made me struggle to finish it but the story still made me cry so 3 stars.
cowboyugly's review against another edition
2.0
good book for queer adults looking for a representation of their reality, not a good book for queer teens looking for a representation of hope, joy, or pride
libreroaming's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a love story.
I want to make this pretty clear because knowing what kind of book it is changes how you approach it, who you would give it to, how you would talk about it. It is not a love story. It's one of those stories that a lot of people wish LGBT literature would move away from, with a conflicted protagonist who faces prejudice and. Some people get frustrated that these stories still occupy a space in queer lit, I'm more of the opinion that I'm frustrated it needs to be written about. But it does, and some people need to read it, but it should not be conflated with the happy stories.
Mike is a young freshman starting at a new school and meets Sean. Things happen, things go wrong. One thing is the choice of narration to remain in first person POV and present tense. Dialogue looks like this:
It is not the most conventional format, and there aren't a lot of positives for the choice instead of the standard, 'He said, "Why not?"' kind of descriptions readers are used to. But I found the simplistic and repetitive narration seemed to get more out of Mike's passive nature. And he is infuriatingly tight lipped, withdrawn in his repression, so that much of the story happens to him in ways that would frustrate readers who valued action over emotion. But it lends a kind of authenticity for teens who prefer to say what the other person wants, so often they lose track of what they actually want.
Of course, Mike and Sean are found out. And complications ensue, with the usual reactions of classmates bullying them, parents being various degrees of disapproving or oblivious, and a conversion therapy session that Mike runs away from after a while. The real focus of the novel is the explosion after that, in the last third of the book, and the various reactions of the people surrounding Mike as he finds his voice in the fallout. I would say it was equal parts other characters being taught a lesson but also writing ways for Mike to articulate his feelings when he wouldn't naturally have the means.
It's a good story, tragic and some might say past the date when really necessary. But it has a heart, it speaks to dealing with repression and self-hatred, offering the suggestion of hope at the end. If someone wanted to read another YA queer lit story that deals with conversion camps, I would suggest "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" that manages to be less tragic and more nuanced. "It Looks Like This" is an accurate picture for the time and place, but not a wide palette of experiences.
I want to make this pretty clear because knowing what kind of book it is changes how you approach it, who you would give it to, how you would talk about it. It is not a love story. It's one of those stories that a lot of people wish LGBT literature would move away from, with a conflicted protagonist who faces prejudice and
Spoiler
a gay character dies to Teach Others a Lesson in ToleranceMike is a young freshman starting at a new school and meets Sean. Things happen, things go wrong. One thing is the choice of narration to remain in first person POV and present tense. Dialogue looks like this:
Jared says, Who's that other guy they're sitting with?
I say, Sean
kind of blurting it out.
Then I say, He's in my French class. He's okay.
Jared says, He looks older.
I look at my pizza and nod.
It is not the most conventional format, and there aren't a lot of positives for the choice instead of the standard, 'He said, "Why not?"' kind of descriptions readers are used to. But I found the simplistic and repetitive narration seemed to get more out of Mike's passive nature. And he is infuriatingly tight lipped, withdrawn in his repression, so that much of the story happens to him in ways that would frustrate readers who valued action over emotion. But it lends a kind of authenticity for teens who prefer to say what the other person wants, so often they lose track of what they actually want.
Of course, Mike and Sean are found out. And complications ensue, with the usual reactions of classmates bullying them, parents being various degrees of disapproving or oblivious, and a conversion therapy session that Mike runs away from after a while. The real focus of the novel is the explosion after that, in the last third of the book, and the various reactions of the people surrounding Mike as he finds his voice in the fallout. I would say it was equal parts other characters being taught a lesson but also writing ways for Mike to articulate his feelings when he wouldn't naturally have the means.
It's a good story, tragic and some might say past the date when really necessary. But it has a heart, it speaks to dealing with repression and self-hatred, offering the suggestion of hope at the end. If someone wanted to read another YA queer lit story that deals with conversion camps, I would suggest "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" that manages to be less tragic and more nuanced. "It Looks Like This" is an accurate picture for the time and place, but not a wide palette of experiences.
astoms's review against another edition
3.0
Quick YA read. Shines a light on adolescent LGBTQIA issues.
sfujii's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was incredible.
Channeling my past nerdy reader self - I read it in just over 24 hours. I couldn't put it down.
Mike was a beautifully written character. The relationship that developed between he and Sean was so simple, and easy - nothing about this book was overwritten, like so many YA novels are (looking at you John Green).
I had tears rolling down my cheeks while reading. The fate of these characters was both expected, and devastatingly unexpected. The dynamic between Mike's religious parents, and him, was so aggravating. From the clear disapproval of who his son was, to his sending Mike to "camp" to the very end. I wanted to punch him.
This book was one of the best YA books I've read in a LONG time. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
That said, this book does offer some disturbing messaging. After reading a few other reviews, I would agree that the content is very sad and dark for LGBTQ kids. The acceptance from Mike's parents comes after tragedy, and not before. The bully seems to get redemption after initiating the domino fall of horrific events.
But I did feel that Mike came into his own in the end of the book, standing up for himself, and finding his voice. The fact that it took tragedy and loss for that to happen is the hard part because it shouldn't have to be that way.
Channeling my past nerdy reader self - I read it in just over 24 hours. I couldn't put it down.
Mike was a beautifully written character. The relationship that developed between he and Sean was so simple, and easy - nothing about this book was overwritten, like so many YA novels are (looking at you John Green).
I had tears rolling down my cheeks while reading. The fate of these characters was both expected, and devastatingly unexpected. The dynamic between Mike's religious parents, and him, was so aggravating. From the clear disapproval of who his son was, to his sending Mike to "camp" to the very end. I wanted to punch him.
This book was one of the best YA books I've read in a LONG time. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
That said, this book does offer some disturbing messaging. After reading a few other reviews, I would agree that the content is very sad and dark for LGBTQ kids. The acceptance from Mike's parents comes after tragedy, and not before. The bully seems to get redemption after initiating the domino fall of horrific events.
But I did feel that Mike came into his own in the end of the book, standing up for himself, and finding his voice. The fact that it took tragedy and loss for that to happen is the hard part because it shouldn't have to be that way.