Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

32 reviews

imaginaryisobel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Vomit, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Minor: Classism and Racism

artstitute's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was slow, quiet, and reflective, and I was happy to settle back and be along for the ride. Paul's kind of a dick, but I have a soft spot for him anyway. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness

Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, and Stalking

The AIDS epidemic is referenced and discussed.

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This is such an interesting book and definitely one to reread at some point.

I truly feel like it defies categorisation - it's slice of life but action-packed but just vibes but completely alien but mundane.

Paul as a character is obnoxious and self-obsessed but in a way that is so obviously because he feels lost within the world and within himself that you can't help but love him. The book follows about a year of his life in the early 90's, and while I wasn't around back then to confirm, the time and place felt so vibrantly captured. 

It's a very compelling book, though slow at times and I think either a bit more plot or a bit more character development would have given it a higher rating from me.

Also as a warning, it's one of those books with a lot of sex but none of it is particularly pleasant to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Vomit and Death

addie's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Drug use

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death

gwarren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

An interesting take on gender, sexuality and fluidity. Lots of parts I enjoyed, others I felt I was losing a connection with the character more than how it was suggested I should be... 

Liked the ambiguity of the ending and the chaos Paul/Polly's life seemed to follow throughout the narrative and appreciated the sex positive, non-binary, shape-shifting protagonist.

Also want to mention how grounded the setting of the story was. There were so many references to 90's pop culture, the LGBT+ community, the AIDS crisis (and it's after effects) and similarities between today's queer youth to then. 

Overall, an enjoyable story with lots to sink your teeth into. May read again in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Transphobia

packedjam's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

i think this book was very good at what it set out to do. unfortunately for me, what it set out to do drove me up the wall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Cursing, Homophobia, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Transphobia

lhodgson26's review

dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I just really couldn't vibe with this book which is disappointing as I was intrigued to read it. I feel like we never really got to understand Paul and the first half mainly focused on him exploring sex and then he fell in love with Diane who could speak with bears which I think lost me. I liked his relationship with Tony and it was sad when he died but there seemed to be so many different cities, characters and jumps in time it was difficult to follow the plot. I found Paul and Jayne very self centred characters and I feel like a lot more could have been done with the actual story and some bits were quite uncomfortable to read like when Polly was assaulted. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual assault

emmersnicole's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty

mateoj's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

4.0

honestly, I think I partially stuck with this one because I loved reading about early-90s gay culture and was kind of enthralled by it—the writing is not fantastic (not horrible, either) and the plot dragged on occasion, but the setting and "set dressing" more than made up for that to me. this could be, objectively speaking, much better than it is, but I'll take the parts I liked and leave the rest. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Infidelity

levtitticus's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Drug use

Moderate: Grief, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Medical content, Mental illness, Outing, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence