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bookishmillennial's review
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I read this on the plane ride back home from my work trip and it was an absolute delight!
I adored the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Simone and Ray — they were equally hilarious and awkward, which made it especially entertaining for me as a third-party removed from the fictional situation hahaha. Not only that, but the found family dynamics tugged at my heart. I am still giddy over them (the entire crew) all giving each other nicknames teeheeeee
While their love story is slow but steady, I also appreciated the commentary on how workplaces can be per formative and only focus on optics and how harmful that is! I was stressed for Ray but I want to assure you there is indeed a happy ending here!
I actually have the ARC of Chef’s Choice on NetGalley so I’m excited to dive into that one next hehe.
I read this on the plane ride back home from my work trip and it was an absolute delight!
I adored the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Simone and Ray — they were equally hilarious and awkward, which made it especially entertaining for me as a third-party removed from the fictional situation hahaha. Not only that, but the found family dynamics tugged at my heart. I am still giddy over them (the entire crew) all giving each other nicknames teeheeeee
While their love story is slow but steady, I also appreciated the commentary on how workplaces can be per formative and only focus on optics and how harmful that is! I was stressed for Ray but I want to assure you there is indeed a happy ending here!
I actually have the ARC of Chef’s Choice on NetGalley so I’m excited to dive into that one next hehe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Child abuse
tmkutawrites's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Medical content, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Abandonment, Biphobia, and Child abuse
Minor: Ableism and Vomit
The romance was cute. Speaking as a nonbinary person, it was exhaustingnovella42's review
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Queer romance with an enby love interest, an autistic-coded protagonist, and tons of phenomenal food writing? Yes, please!
(For context, I'm a cis omnisexual woman with a partner of 11 years who came out as genderfluid three years ago. At this point I'm the only cis person in a polycule of five, so I made a lot of the same mistakes Simone made.)
I read this in two days. While I wish it had spent more time on the romance than the discrimination the characters went through, the discrimination was 100% believable and the author did a damn good job of telling the story they wanted to tell. The protagonist/audience gets a friendly and thorough primer in Trans 101, so if you're new to all of this or want practice learning about the transmasc and nonbinary queer experience, this would be a great place to start.
The food descriptions were my favorite part. Lines like "her patience was dissolving like salt in boiling water." Love this characterization, she is SUCH an Enneagram 5:
""Yes, but the kale craze is pretty much over by now," Simone pointed out. A few years before, it had been pomegranates, which Simone had hated passionately. They were the least logical fruit ever conceived. If something was that difficult to open up, it should be allowed to keep its secrets, was her opinion."
I really enjoyed how well Ray and Simone worked together once they warmed up to each other. I think that can sometimes fall by the wayside with the enemies-to-lovers trope, and seeing two people genuinely vibe well and complement each other was a pleasure. I just wanted more time with them!
(For context, I'm a cis omnisexual woman with a partner of 11 years who came out as genderfluid three years ago. At this point I'm the only cis person in a polycule of five, so I made a lot of the same mistakes Simone made.)
I read this in two days. While I wish it had spent more time on the romance than the discrimination the characters went through, the discrimination was 100% believable and the author did a damn good job of telling the story they wanted to tell. The protagonist/audience gets a friendly and thorough primer in Trans 101, so if you're new to all of this or want practice learning about the transmasc and nonbinary queer experience, this would be a great place to start.
The food descriptions were my favorite part. Lines like "her patience was dissolving like salt in boiling water." Love this characterization, she is SUCH an Enneagram 5:
""Yes, but the kale craze is pretty much over by now," Simone pointed out. A few years before, it had been pomegranates, which Simone had hated passionately. They were the least logical fruit ever conceived. If something was that difficult to open up, it should be allowed to keep its secrets, was her opinion."
I really enjoyed how well Ray and Simone worked together once they warmed up to each other. I think that can sometimes fall by the wayside with the enemies-to-lovers trope, and seeing two people genuinely vibe well and complement each other was a pleasure. I just wanted more time with them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Medical content and Blood
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
maeverose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
3.5
I was worried based on the synopsis that it would be overly cheesy but it’s really not. It is funny though, and the humor worked for me. You can tell a trans person wrote this book, they definitely understand trans issues and it’s reflected in the book. I loved the conversations about how trans people shouldn’t be expected to teach cis people everything about gender.
My only complaints are the misunderstanding trope and how long it takes for them to finally get together. I do like how everything played out in the end but it was mild torture having to read Simone constantly convince herself Ray didn’t like her. I just wanted them to make out already. But those are mild complaints, overall I had a good time.
I do want to note that there is a lot of misgendering of Ray throughout the story. For the first half everyone, including the main character uses she/her pronouns for them because they aren’t out yet, then once they do come out the antagonists of the book purposefully misgender them every time they interact, and it’s quite infuriating. So if that’s a trigger for you I’d be prepared for that.
I do want to note that there is a lot of misgendering of Ray throughout the story. For the first half everyone, including the main character uses she/her pronouns for them because they aren’t out yet, then once they do come out the antagonists of the book purposefully misgender them every time they interact, and it’s quite infuriating. So if that’s a trigger for you I’d be prepared for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Transphobia, Bullying, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Medical content, and Vomit
Minor: Blood, Excrement, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, and Cursing
Graphic: misgendering, handling of bodily fluids after surgeryauudrey's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Biphobia and Child abuse
beckbex's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Biphobia
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