Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

13 reviews

its_vendetta's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

3.75

Loved the conversation about how fan culture treats celebrities, especially younger kids and adults, in the spotlight. The discussion on how that further affects queer people and people of color was amazing and needs to be said more. 
However the plot felt a little all over the place sometimes, and the inclusion of so many side characters felt overwhelming. 
Maybe if the book was dual POV so we could see how Hunter handled being criticized and then switched to Kaivan so he could discuss the struggles that he faces. It felt very competitive whenever Hunter had his meltdown, like a “who has it worse” contest. I wish the book was longer or gave more space to work through all the very serious topics Hunter, Kaivan, and the other band members were dealing with; instead of rushing through the ending in Hunters POV.

Overall, loved how flawed Hunter is as a character. It felt very realistic. However, I wished the side characters were more developed and the plot and struggles they go through were looked at more closely instead of just brushing by them. I also wish that the romance was more developed as well. My enjoyment with this book was about 4.5 stars, but with all my notes and the problems i’d put it at a 3.25. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

donttellmomwhatimreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

Hunter’s life is a mess. He’s on his first North American tour with his bandmates/friends, recently out of a relationship with his best friend’s twin brother, and said ex just leaked text about their sex life. So having the whole world know details about his sex life isn’t great, but the label trying to market him as “a bottom” means a look that doesn’t feel like himself and constant questions about being queer. Kaivan Is the drummer for their opener and being with him feels great, he’s determined not to make the same mistakes from his prior relationship, unfortunately he’s 17 and has an immense amount of pressure on him that he refuses to share. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ginkansas's review

Go to review page

emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

parasolcrafter's review

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

this book SUCKED you guys dont even know how glad i am to be finished with it. my god.

the characters are underdeveloped and some hinge solely on stereotypes, a couple are barely there (like why were owen and especially ian there so scarcely??? makes no sense!!!) despite the fact that the book focuses on a boy band who are all, seemingly, best friends, and overall none of them are all that likeable. hunter is a self-obsessed boy who seems to think the world revolves around the fact that hes a bottom (did the author think if he didnt mention the fact that hunter is a bottom in every chapter that we'd forget??? made me so mad. shut up about it.), kaivan is okay but has almost no personality, aidan is the stereotypical bitter ex, and ashton is just...there. nothing of note really happens in the book either...? like it doesnt break any ground. doesnt do anything new. doesnt really pose any questions about society. it was all so shallow
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

love_bookswillbetheendofme's review

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hunter is a fairly self absorbed character, but that isn't unexpected considering he's 17 and has spent the last few years in the spotlight. I feel that a lot of the news articles consistently forgot the fact that he's still a child. That said, I do feel like he was able to grow up a bit during this story.

Kaivan didn't seem to do as much growing, but I felt that his relationship with Hunter was genuine and sweet.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookhoarderbea's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny reflective 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

anil's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

there I go trying to read something non hockey related and then it's a book about a former hockey player who's had a career ending injury. AGAIN.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wrensandroses's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

obscurepages's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.5

 
This book just confirmed something for me: Adib Khorram is now one of my favorite authors! This book, just like his other works I’ve read and loved (Darius the Great books), is beautifully done. It’s a whole new different writing style, but the purpose and the meaning are evident and it is wonderful.

This book might seem simple, but it was anything but. Kiss & Tell tackled romance and boy bands, racism and privilege, the pressure towards queer people in the limelight. As well as the way people think they can dissect or stereotype celebrities and their lives, especially queer and people of color, and the way some people equate being gay to being promiscuous (it’s not), and then thinking sexual promiscuity is bad (it’s not). Even the unfair treatment of boy band fans and reducing them to teenage girls was briefly mentioned (as another fangirl and a part of the BTS ARMY, I know full well how this is). I was actually so surprised when I realized how much social issues this book highlighted, whether it be in a small or big way. It was poignant and relatable and thought-provoking in its own.

I also remember feeling so frustrated while reading this book. Not because it was bad (the total opposite), but because it showed perfectly how some people have a lot of ideas on the “proper” way to be gay and if you don’t meet that idea in their heads, you’re the horrible kind of gay and you’re now setting up a bad example for others. It was frustrating, yes, but it was an important discussion and I was so glad the author chose to point this out in the book.

Hunter, as a main character was both relatable and compelling for me. He is a character in the limelight, who has so much pressure and judgment on his shoulders, who still tries to do more in the best of his ability. I couldn’t help but feel for him and everything he went through, and everything he wants and aspires to be.

I also loved the way the author’s storytelling in Kiss & Tell. Not only did we have Hunter’s perspective, but the story can also be followed through the media articles and gossips, emails exchanged between music label executives, the social media reactions from both fans and the general public. This, for me, offered various other perspectives that added much more to the story. It provoked readers to think so critically, especially on how people think and act because of their own biases and prejudice.

As for the romance, I wasn’t completely sold yet with Hunter’s love interest, Kaivan. I wanted to see more moments with the two of them and see their relationship fully bloom. Still, they were cute, and Hunter deserves another shot at love.

Overall, Kiss & Tell is a beautifully written YA novel meant to capture hearts and make people think. It’s a well-thought out book and it deserves a lot of love. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review

Go to review page

emotional 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

While very different in style from Khorram's previous books, there's still the same heart and emotion pulsing behind this story. Apparently I've been on kind of a boy band kick lately, and I'm happy to say this book didn't disappoint. From the beginning, I didn't want to put this book down!

One of the things that works so well for this book is the news articles, blog posts, email chains, and text conversations between chapters. Not only does it help provide context for Kiss and Tell's success as a band, but it also provides the reader with what's happening in the broader pop culture elements of their world. We also get character growth in these articles, and they're just so clever.

And the characters! If there's one thing that Khorram excels at it's writing characters. Yes, Hunter is messy and a bit self-centered and a boy who thinks he has to take everything on by himself. The dynamic he has with Kaivan evolves and it's quite adorable, honestly. They had great chemistry as a couple.

Underneath the boy band drama of the book, Khorram also touches on important issues, like society's expectations for gay people in the spotlight, racism in the music industry, and the tolls of a public persona. While I do wish that some of the race stuff was explored a little more, Hunter does grow a lot in this aspect. By the end, I do feel like he realizes he has privilege in ways that his band members do not. 

I do wish that there were maybe like 30 more pages in the story? I just wanted a bit more resolution at the end, to see a little more after all that goes down with Hunter and the band. Plus, I wanted to see Hunter and Kaivan's relationship expand a little more there at the end.

All in all, this is a fantastic addition to Khorram's already fantastic books, and I can't wait to see what he does next!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings