Reviews with content warning for Racism - Anything But Fine

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

14 reviews

fred17's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

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r_a's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

“The second it happens, I know my life is over. I feel the bones break. I literally hear them crack into pieces. As soon as my body hits the floor, my whole world falls apart. My future collapses - dream by dream, goal by goal - right before my eyes. One missed step and it's all over. It’s as simple as that. One missed step.”

I had so much fun with this book! And I may have also shed a tear or two…

When I first read the plot to Anything But Fine, I instantly thought Billy Elliot. I love both the film and musical adaptation of Billy Elliot and was really keen to start reading this book.

Another reason that it piqued my interest was the fact that its author, Tobias Madden, is Australian, and the story is set in Australia. I found it incredibly refreshing to delve into a work by an Australian author that didn't rely on the tropes of idyllic coastal towns or fantasy realms, which have dominated much of my reading. While I love C.S. Pacat and James Islington, who are both primarily fantasy writers, it was exciting to discover a new Aussie author who offered a different perspective.

One aspect of this book that I absolutely adored was its distinctly Australian flavour. The story is set in the city-country town of Ballarat, located in the state of Victoria. Having visited Ballarat numerous times myself, since my sister lived there for almost five years, I found it delightful to be able to envision the exact locations mentioned in the book. I love how Madden chose to set the story in his hometown, as it provides reader with a new perspective on Australian culture and lifestyle.

The Aussie slang featured in the book was an absolute delight. For the first time in a while, I felt a sense of familiarity while reading a novel, as I could instantly comprehend the colloquial language. As someone who frequently reads works by American authors or books published in the United States, it can be tiresome to constantly search up places or terminologies mentioned in the story. However, with this book, I was thrilled to read without interruption, without needing to constantly Google. Though I can see how some foreign readers may find certain terms or expressions confusing if they haven't visited or researched Australia previously. Some of these slang/places include: Woolies, Grill’d, Coles, Salvo’s and bogan (and Ocean Grove and Lorne are places along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria [P.S. Lorne is beautiful]).

“And without ballet, without [my friends], without my non-existent chances with Jordan… What the hell do I have?”

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this book, there were certain aspects that didn't fully resonate with me. Primarily, I found that the relationship between Luca and Jordan fell a bit short.

I found myself deeply invested in Luca's character. When he suffered his injury, I empathised with him and appreciated witnessing his journey of self-discovery outside of ballet dancing. Admittedly, like any teenager, he does make some missteps, but that's what makes him an authentic and relatable character. He's flawed in his ability to empathise and communicate at times, yet he's remarkably compassionate and creates a safe space for his friends. Luca is struggling not only to understand his own identity but also to navigate his relationships with his friends, father, and acceptance. His multifaceted nature is what made him so genuine and relatable to me.

While I enjoyed Jordan's character, I must admit that I found him a tad underwhelming. Though I appreciated him as a love interest for Luca, my attachment to him was mostly through Luca's eyes. While there were certainly cute and sweet moments between the two, I found them too infrequent to establish a deep connection to Jordan's character. With a few extra pages, Madden may have been able to further develop their bond, as I was hoping.

Overall, this book was a delightful, wholesome and fast-paced read. I adored the protagonist's perspective and the vivid setting, and the inclusion of Australian slang was a charming touch. However, while the romance between the characters was enjoyable, I personally desired more depth and development. Nevertheless, for anyone interested in reading stories and authors within the LGBTQIA+ community, this book would bring you joy and entertainment.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

Luca is prepared for his Australian Ballet School audition. One misstep is all it takes to dash his hopes… a broken foot, too. Jordan is Luca's new school's stunning rowing star and captain. Although everyone claims that he is straight, Luca isn't so sure… Luca begins to question, "Who is he without ballet?" as their strange friendship gets deeper. And is he putting himself on the hook for yet another breakup?

This one will appeal to you if you liked Heartstopper and The Passing Playbook. We watch as Luca's career comes to an end due to a fractured foot. And if you turned Charlie and Nick's narrative into prose, it reminded me so much of Heartstopper. Having saying that, I truly enjoyed the book. I only gave it 3.5 stars because I wanted to see more of Lucas' mother. That was really dismissed. When it comes to writing from the perspective of a teenager, Tobias Madden is exceptional.

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pey333's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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

5.0

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sarahmichelle30's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

Content Warnings

melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.25

Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for an ALC of this book.

When Luca has an accident that ruins his future career as a ballerina, he is forced to change schools and feels like he's starting his life over. Along comes Jordan, the pretty (probably straight) face that Luca is able to pin his hopes on.

I really liked this book. Luca and Jordan's relationship very much gave me Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper vibes. Luca's journey is very interesting. He is not a super likable character, but he does experience a lot of character growth and develops into more of his own person throughout the book. The discussion of what it means to lose your perceived future is really good, and I also liked the discussions around coming out.

I really liked the narration in this and definitely recommend the audio! Luca's new friend Amina is truly the MVP of this book!

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snowydaze's review against another edition

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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

I received a copy of the Audiobook Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed listening to this book for the most part. However, at times I found Luca to get a little annoying, mostly due to how repetitive he seemed to get throughout the book. Furthermore, I found the solutions to some of the relationship problems that came up through the book to be a tad wrong or resulting in glazing over the problem or miscommunication that occurred. I would have enjoyed the book a bit more if they communicated a bit more about their problems.

On the other hand, I did like how varying Matthew Backer’s narration was, as he truly embodied the characters throughout the story. Additionally, most of the characters seemed to grow a bit throughout the novel. With that being said, there was a diverse cast of characters, I would however, suggest looking up trigger warnings before reading this book.

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tiredcath's review against another edition

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funny 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

3.5

Pretty Good.

There's a whole lot that I liked about Anything But Fine. A ballet dancer suffering from an identity crisis after a career fatal injury that also forces him to lose everything- that premise alone is so intriguing. A huge theme of friendships and acceptance. But there was a lot I wish was different.

I expected the central aspect of it was identity and recovery after discovering Luca couldn't do the thing he wanted to do his entire life. There are moments it's touched on but not enough. I expected this to be about Luca and ballet with a romance b-plot- it very much isn't that. I didn't care for the romance. Luca and Jordan had decent chemistry as friends but they as a couple did not work for me. Their relationship didn't have a natural flow to me.

Too much of the plot relied on the romance aspect, too much on the romance relied on Luca's attraction.

I really hate how much Luca was seeing Jordan cry and thinking about how great his arms look. Are you kidding?

I wanted to see more of Luca outside of Jordan. Especially with Luca's relationship with his father.

I saw a lot of potential storylines this could've gone. Mostly, I wished for more introspection, more connection to family, and reevaluation. Prepare for more of openly gay character gets into a "relationship" with closeted character- a trope I'm somewhat done it as it always ends the same.

Still, I did love Luca's and Amina's friendship. I really loved Luca's dad, I wish we had more time with him and explored their relationship a lot better. It's a nice read if you want something easy. There are homophobic moments thrown around, and racism against Muslims as well.

About the audio: Matthew Backer has good inflection in his voice and good comedic timing. He gives every character a realistic voice. There are some bits you can tell were rerecorded as they didn't match the same pitch as the previous sentence which was a bit jarring to listen to.

All in all, decent good, could've been spectacular if the author's priorities were different. Or maybe I just expected a different book entirely.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this audiobook book in exchange for my honest review.

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m_riaelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

5.0

My expressions while listening to this were hilarious. Did I smile repeatedly? Yes. Did I laugh? Yes. Did I gasp? Yes. Did I gasp and laugh altogether? Yes. Did I feel secondhand embarrassment? Also yes. Did I bump my knees so hard on my mini table that it has scraped? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes, worth as 'tights.' Did I just find myself another favourite Achillean book? Yes. Was it sad? There are parts it is, especially when you relate to it. Do I recommend this? 100%

I can't help but see Luca as Alex from Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The difference is Alex would have said those flirty, sexual 'passion' that's going on in Luca's mind that had me laughing and gasping altogether without any hesitance and shame. XD

I was waiting for Luca's ex-friends to have character development, but there are really some friends you have to let go of and aren't worth it. I wasn't disappointed that it's not shown or what happened. I'm satisfied that only one of them can grow and be ready to show that to Luca and be friends with him and Amina because she was the only one who really cared from the bottom of her heart.

I love how transferring to another school made Luca at least has a distraction from a single miss-step that happened. It didn't end there because every choice made has consequences. It seems as though he kept falling and never got back on his feet until he took action to do so.

The narrator's way of voicing out the story is outstanding. The way it's narrated made me more entertained, which I'm looking for in audiobooks, and Anything But Fine is done right! I commend Matthew Backer!

TW: De*th of Parent, Grief, H*moph*bia, H*moph*bic Slurs, Anxiety, Racism, Racial Slurs, Islam*ph*bia, Outing, T*xic Friendship, H*te Crime, and Sexu*l Content (search it up for more specifics or correct TW as mine is what I thought is TW while I read it)

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booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.5

Content Warnings

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