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novella42'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
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