Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Small Town Pride

There are parts of this story that I found very difficult to get through. I respect that books aimed at a middle grade audience use a different conflict pattern than those aimed at adults, but I really struggled to get through some of the sections. Particularly because the viewpoint character is a middle grade gay kid who gets a startling amount of homophobic backlash when the idea of a Pride Festival is raised, but the story is kind of downplaying the impact. Which is important -- this is a way for kids to experience some of these topics, and one doesn't want a queer kid to pick this up and then despair. But it was awful, and potentially triggering for people who have been on the receiving end of similar nastiness. (In particular, there is reference to unpleasantness on social media, and another kid who is afraid of the consequences if they come out to their family)

The secondary plot, about friendship and what romance can look like at that age, and about how allyship works, worked really well for me. There were no real surprises in the main plot (there was going to be an issue, it was going to resolve, somehow), so all the narrative surprises were woven through here, and they were delightful.

Content Warnings

imstephtacular's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

More...