Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

38 reviews

someonelikeblue's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Blood, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Transphobia

buttermellow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Child death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Minor: Transphobia

ocean's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Car accident, Child death, and Death

Minor: Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

rachael03's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia

aftgray's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Mason Deaver creates characters like no other author I have read, but especially within The Ghosts We Keep. Liam is bitter and angry and devastated and selfless and guilty and thoughtful all at once in a wonderful, painful, truthful way. They are flawed just like everyone else, but that does not take away from the goodness of their character and their heart. 
Liam’s relationship with their parents is incredibly accurate for a lot of teenagers, and the way they respond to their grief and their tumultuous emotions is as well. Their relationships with their friends successfully represents a lot of  friendships and consequent fall-outs — no one is quite in the right, but no one is quite in the wrong either. They all made bad choices, as does every character in this book.
This is not a love story. It’s not an amazingly happy ending, and it’s not some grand “everything will be okay” tale. Liam’s journey shows you that grief never leaves you, and that it is okay to not be okay. It is okay to struggle. It is okay to not have a cinematic, wonderful happy ending. Most people don’t. But, as Liam finds, that does not make life less worthwhile.
I cannot rave about Mason Deaver’s writing style enough. They’re talented beyond belief.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Transphobia

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This was an amazing story of grief and love. While the twist was pretty easy to pick up from context clues I think that it was delivered beautifully. I knew it would be sad but my gosh the last two chapters I bawled my eyes out. Genuinely think this was one of the best YA books I’ve read in a long time. I got hit really hard by the friendship dynamics and it caused anxiety for me (just how toxic they were) but I’m really glad that it was addressed in a realistic but hopeful manor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Grief, Death, Mental illness, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Transphobia

kfisher2024's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Death

Minor: Transphobia

bash5617's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Self harm, Death, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Transphobia

alylentz's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

This is such a memorable book. I don't think I've ever read a book that gets at the heart of the complexity and messiness of grief the way this one does, while still having so much to say on gender, friendship, queerness, and more. I will definitely recommend this to readers who are looking for hard-hitting YA contemporaries. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Self harm

Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

1quillb's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

4.1/5

I really enjoyed this. I couldn’t relate to everything, as I’ve never had anyone close to me die before, but it was really insightful/powerful and I liked the characters. It was also really sad (I think I cried at one point). So I’d recommend anyone read this, however, use your best judgement. If you’re dealing with a death in the family or something similar, and you think reading about it would make it worse, maybe don’t read this, because it does get really deep. 

(This would be longer but I read it a while ago sorry!)

TW’s for the book: death of a close family member, suicidal thoughts/actions, depression/anxiety, misgendering, homophobia/transphobia

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

Minor: Car accident