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nickoliver's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was a bit disappointed, tbh. I appreciated being able to read a book about a trans character without also having to deal with severe transphobia (there was transphobia in this, too, but it didn't feel as heavy as in some other books I'd read), but the main character Noah made a lot of my reading hard. It was refreshing to have a character who was quite self-confident about the way they looked, but he was also very entitled and self-absorbed (though the latter was challenged later in the book). Plus, his views on romance were confusing, and he moved way too quickly.
Moreover, the whole thing about the Diary made little sense to me. First of all, the way the meet cutes were written was very juvenile, sometimes over the top cheesy, and it always amazed me that people even believed him that they happened? They were also all very clearly written by the same person, tbh. Honestly, I didn't understand why he even did that Diary in the first place. Like, I get wanting trans people to have hope that there was love waiting for them too, but by publishing stories he invented, wasn't he making it seem like it was actually hopeless?
Secondly, I didn't quite understand how pretending to be in love with a boy would prove that he didn't write all the meet cutes himself? Just because he himself had (supposedly) a happy ending didn't mean that everything that was ever published on his blog couldn't be complete hogwash, and it was weird to me how everyone just believed him about himself and Drew, even though it couldn't have been more obviously fake (the timing, the way he wrote about it, etc.). I also found all the Tumblr asks Noah got very annoying, because they usually all said more or less the same thing (usually, they asked him to post more about himself and Drew and mentioned that he didn't answer asks a lot anymore) and just made it seem like Noah didn't care at all about his blog, which obviously portrayed all his desperate tries to save it in a ridiculous light. I felt like the whole story line around the Diary wasn't developed enough; there was too much left in the dark.
What I did like about the book was Devin, specifically the way eir struggle with eir gender was explored. E changed eir pronouns several times, and I kinda liked that? It did happen very fast - I would've preferred it a bit more spaced out, tbh -, but I loved the way Devin and Noah talked about it, and how supportive Noah was. I haven't read many books yet with characters who use neopronouns, so this was nice. Devin was generally a great character, though e also kind of didn't feel as fleshed out as I wanted em to be? It was obvious e were going to be Noah's endgame, but I always felt like there was something missing there. The same goes for Becca. Both she and Devin were present in the story but often seemed to disappear behind Noah a little.
It took me a while to finish this - longer than I expected -, but that had less to do with the book and more to do with my current obsession of Our Flag Means Death that made me want to read more about queer middle-aged people in love and less about teenagers. So it's possible the reason I couldn't get quite as immersed in this as I'd wanted was because of that. Though I would've had the issues mentioned above nonetheless.
Moreover, the whole thing about the Diary made little sense to me. First of all, the way the meet cutes were written was very juvenile, sometimes over the top cheesy, and it always amazed me that people even believed him that they happened? They were also all very clearly written by the same person, tbh. Honestly, I didn't understand why he even did that Diary in the first place. Like, I get wanting trans people to have hope that there was love waiting for them too, but by publishing stories he invented, wasn't he making it seem like it was actually hopeless?
Secondly, I didn't quite understand how pretending to be in love with a boy would prove that he didn't write all the meet cutes himself? Just because he himself had (supposedly) a happy ending didn't mean that everything that was ever published on his blog couldn't be complete hogwash, and it was weird to me how everyone just believed him about himself and Drew, even though it couldn't have been more obviously fake (the timing, the way he wrote about it, etc.). I also found all the Tumblr asks Noah got very annoying, because they usually all said more or less the same thing (usually, they asked him to post more about himself and Drew and mentioned that he didn't answer asks a lot anymore) and just made it seem like Noah didn't care at all about his blog, which obviously portrayed all his desperate tries to save it in a ridiculous light. I felt like the whole story line around the Diary wasn't developed enough; there was too much left in the dark.
What I did like about the book was Devin, specifically the way eir struggle with eir gender was explored. E changed eir pronouns several times, and I kinda liked that? It did happen very fast - I would've preferred it a bit more spaced out, tbh -, but I loved the way Devin and Noah talked about it, and how supportive Noah was. I haven't read many books yet with characters who use neopronouns, so this was nice. Devin was generally a great character, though e also kind of didn't feel as fleshed out as I wanted em to be? It was obvious e were going to be Noah's endgame, but I always felt like there was something missing there. The same goes for Becca. Both she and Devin were present in the story but often seemed to disappear behind Noah a little.
It took me a while to finish this - longer than I expected -, but that had less to do with the book and more to do with my current obsession of Our Flag Means Death that made me want to read more about queer middle-aged people in love and less about teenagers. So it's possible the reason I couldn't get quite as immersed in this as I'd wanted was because of that. Though I would've had the issues mentioned above nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt and Bullying
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
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
3.75
A formulaec, cute teen queer romance. Loved the trans, BIPOC, nonbinary/genderqueer/agender, and ace rep. The drama levels got out of hand a little at time to the point I was just rolling my eyes. Overall, though, it was really fun to watch Noah struggle with idealized thoughts of how romance works and watching him grow throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Minor: Dysphoria and Transphobia
Manipulative dialogue, controlling partnertheinvisiblelifeofmars's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I got into this book thinking it was a cute trans fake dating love story and didn’t see the plot coming tbh
The mc (Noah) pissed me off and I got sm second hand embarrassment and I can’t understand how he had no idea of life ?!? He pissed everyone (including me) off ughh and I feel like he was mean to his brother when his brother was so sweet ?!?!
Also Becca: I could relate to her because these “selfish” friends
I loved devin tho e should have been the mc and as a nb person I could relate to em too I also liked the use of neopronouns and overall devin was like an angel e deserves the world
But one positive aspect is again now I will try to be a better friend and not like Noah because I can’t stand him.Some things that devin said also like teached me about friendships
I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t got to find out who exposed Noah with writing the storys himself like I expected it to be someone close to him that would have made a great plot
The mc (Noah) pissed me off and I got sm second hand embarrassment and I can’t understand how he had no idea of life ?!? He pissed everyone (including me) off ughh and I feel like he was mean to his brother when his brother was so sweet ?!?!
Also Becca: I could relate to her because these “selfish” friends
I loved devin tho e should have been the mc and as a nb person I could relate to em too I also liked the use of neopronouns and overall devin was like an angel e deserves the world
But one positive aspect is again now I will try to be a better friend and not like Noah because I can’t stand him.Some things that devin said also like teached me about friendships
I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t got to find out who exposed Noah with writing the storys himself like I expected it to be someone close to him that would have made a great plot
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Transphobia
aus10england's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I’m so mad I put this one off for so long!
What a cute story, really loved the characters and the exploration of identity. I’m so happy for queer kids who can see themselves reflected in media and might help them understand themselves a bit better. :)
What a cute story, really loved the characters and the exploration of identity. I’m so happy for queer kids who can see themselves reflected in media and might help them understand themselves a bit better. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Vomit
radiocryptid's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
2.0
Cute with good trans rep but I found the main character annoying, even though he is sixteen and is obviously going to be somewhat annoying. Felt like a book for middle grade readers more than YA
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia and Suicide attempt
rayne_1906's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Audiobook - 3 hours 30 minutes - I adored this book. The character's were loveable and mostly realistic, and the book didn't seem repetitive and overly drawn-out like a lot of books in the genre can sometimes be. I love reading from trans perspectives, and it was especially interesting to read about a character using gender neutral pronouns other than they/them, considering I think I've only read those a couple of times in the first place. I think it was interesting to see how the main character's views on relationships changed as he grew and experienced more things - I could relate to a lot of that. Being blinded by your first proper relationship, thinking it is perfect when in fact it is incredibly toxic and manipulative, and I think this character was cleverly written so we learned this alongside the main character, rather than it being obvious from the start and mentally screaming at the character for not seeing the frankly obvious red flags. I'm weak for LGBTQ books with happy endings and this did not disappoint.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Drug use
montyalmoro's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
booksargram's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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
tw: transphobia, bigotry, past off page suicide attempt, vomit, panic attack, cyber bullying
cool facts: lgbt+ (trans, gay, nb, lesbian, ace!) lgbt+ author, BIPOC author, my first book by them, no steam (level 1), medium length chapters, cute illustrations, pop culture references, partly takes place in a bookstore, fake dating trope, imposter syndrome, CONSENTTTTT 😍, this is the first book i’ve read where a character uses the e/em/eir pronouns, flawed but lovable characters, good writing.
tldr summary: after moving to a new city, our main character, noah, who is trans, is called out for posting untrue meet cute stories on his tumblr blog about trans people meeting and falling in love. noah quickly meets a boy he’s attracted to and they stage a relationship specifically for the blog.
vibes: tense, romantic, funny, cute, a little secondhand embarrassment, light with some darker themes, frustrating, millennial slander! “(they’re all 40 and married by now)” i will have noah know that i am only 32 and single tyvm (lol 😭), brotherly love 🥺🤗, my heart 🥰😭, hea, squeal! ❤️❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
prehistoricpotatoes's review against another edition
hopeful
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt and Transphobia
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- 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
4.5
This was really wonderful! This is a sweet, trope-ey YA that manages to balance in quite a few important themes and capturing specific nuances that I don't often see in other stories. This whole story is about Noah, who is in love with love and runs a blog all about trans meet cutes. When someone tries to expose his for fabricating stories, someone from a real meet cute offers to help -- but love turns out to be much more than a sweet first moment. As the story goes on, we see quite a few topics addressed relating to the trans community, being multiracial in a predomenantly white space, communication, mental health, friendship, and (of course) love. Noah is messy and brash, but really learns throughout the story. I really like the turn that this took plot-wise and what it did for the theme.
In general, I really loved the nuance that is put into this. There are a lot of details and experiences that aren't often explored, like trying new pronouns. But also, I think the blog itself is easy to overlook as maybe even a heavy-handed plot device, however I think a lot of that speaks to a broader experience of many trans people as well. Obviously it's about media representation (and the not-trans-specific experience of reactionaries on the Internet, particuarly Tumblr-brand reactionaries) but it goes beyond that. I feel like I could write an essay integrating the trans experience of existing and exploting in digital space (particularly the specific space of tumblr) and the way this peice of that story taps into that. So I won't go into all of that here. Suffice it to say, I think the auther put in a lot of nuance here.
Also, I didn't see the comparison to <i>Felix Ever After</i> in the blurb until I was done reading it, but even so I found myself thinking back to that book as I read. They're both trans characters who make brash (poor) descisions and wind up in a love triange -- but more than that, they act largely from a place of not understanding how to accept love (or not knowing what love even is). They do have quite different approaches and end up looking at different kinds of misunderstandings of love. But even so, those messy lessons were done well. I was tickled to see that it was compared to FEE when I was thinking about their similarities/differences near the end of the book.
Also, I didn't see the comparison to <i>Felix Ever After</i> in the blurb until I was done reading it, but even so I found myself thinking back to that book as I read. They're both trans characters who make brash (poor) descisions and wind up in a love triange -- but more than that, they act largely from a place of not understanding how to accept love (or not knowing what love even is). They do have quite different approaches and end up looking at different kinds of misunderstandings of love. But even so, those messy lessons were done well. I was tickled to see that it was compared to FEE when I was thinking about their similarities/differences near the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicide attempt and Vomit