Scan barcode
jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
When I tell y'all that I don't think I'll ever recover from the way The Feeling of Falling in Love wrecked me and restored me, I'm not lying. Mason Deaver beautifully weaves together the story of a messy, lonely, teenage trans boy who's terrified of falling in love. This is the sort of book that teenage Jenni would have devoured and felt so seen while doing it.
Deaver explores so many important themes throughout the book with kindness, care, and compassion. At it's heart, this is main character Neil's coming of age. It truly felt like a warm hug to read this book. It serves as a reminder that a person came feel lonely but not be alone. That lgbtq+ kids and teens are worthy of love, community, belonging, and so much more. I really think that everyone should read this. And a special thanks to @atmreads and @bookish.millennial for the amazing recommendation!!
Deaver explores so many important themes throughout the book with kindness, care, and compassion. At it's heart, this is main character Neil's coming of age. It truly felt like a warm hug to read this book. It serves as a reminder that a person came feel lonely but not be alone. That lgbtq+ kids and teens are worthy of love, community, belonging, and so much more. I really think that everyone should read this. And a special thanks to @atmreads and @bookish.millennial for the amazing recommendation!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Vomit, Medical content, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Outing
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
kashrae99's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Transphobia
Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Abandonment, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death, and Deadnaming
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This is ranking as one of my top five YA reads ever!!!!!!
When I talk about contemporary YA being inspiring and full of bravery and hope, this is what I’m talking about. Mason Deaver illustrated such an authentic, goofy, messy, and tender story of accountability, self-reflection, classism, privilege, gender & sexual identities, friendship & romance.
This is ranking as one of my top five YA reads ever!!!!!!
When I talk about contemporary YA being inspiring and full of bravery and hope, this is what I’m talking about. Mason Deaver illustrated such an authentic, goofy, messy, and tender story of accountability, self-reflection, classism, privilege, gender & sexual identities, friendship & romance.
Neil broke things off with his friend-with-benefits Josh, but Josh does not believe that Neil feels nothing romantically towards Josh.
Neil enacts the rule that Josh created, which states that if one of them becomes serious with someone else, they’ll stop hooking up. Neil pretends to date his roommate Wyatt and takes Wyatt home to Los Angeles for a family wedding to prove it!
While Neil navigates the transphobia of some family members, he also is encouraged to explore his feelings about the familial dynamics at play by Wyatt. Neil has spent most of his life feeling like his mom hasn’t paid too much attention to him, centering her high-profile career and amassing wealth instead. It was so incredibly relatable (and made me wince at the same because woof, it hurt) to hear Neil discuss how though he may be braver and confident with friends at the boarding academy, the boundaries & behavior he dismisses is different when he is around his family. He had this awareness of being able to expect more from those he felt truly in community with, like his friends, yet felt nervous and too exhausted to ask for more from his family members. Educating and being the only person who calls others in is a heavy burden, and I think MD illustrated this perfectly in Neil’s situation.
Meanwhile, Wyatt is introduced to a life of luxury that he simply never could have imagined, as his two moms work incredibly hard to buy him the second-hand clothes that Neil often obliviously pokes fun at. Wyatt bravely speaks up when he is uncomfortable, & I felt so proud of him for voicing valid concerns & forcing Neil to expand his perspective when it came to attitudes and behaviors around money. Most kids are well aware of how their family fits into a social class hierarchy, especially in the 21st century (it’s hard not to notice who is going on vacation, buying new clothes, gets the brand new iphone every year, versus who is *not* doing those things, especially at the height of social media) & Wyatt is not naive in the way others perceive him. I really appreciated this representation of different socioeconomic classes. Wyatt also explores his own gender identity & I adored how these two affirm each other in that journey.
Neil enacts the rule that Josh created, which states that if one of them becomes serious with someone else, they’ll stop hooking up. Neil pretends to date his roommate Wyatt and takes Wyatt home to Los Angeles for a family wedding to prove it!
While Neil navigates the transphobia of some family members, he also is encouraged to explore his feelings about the familial dynamics at play by Wyatt. Neil has spent most of his life feeling like his mom hasn’t paid too much attention to him, centering her high-profile career and amassing wealth instead. It was so incredibly relatable (and made me wince at the same because woof, it hurt) to hear Neil discuss how though he may be braver and confident with friends at the boarding academy, the boundaries & behavior he dismisses is different when he is around his family. He had this awareness of being able to expect more from those he felt truly in community with, like his friends, yet felt nervous and too exhausted to ask for more from his family members. Educating and being the only person who calls others in is a heavy burden, and I think MD illustrated this perfectly in Neil’s situation.
Meanwhile, Wyatt is introduced to a life of luxury that he simply never could have imagined, as his two moms work incredibly hard to buy him the second-hand clothes that Neil often obliviously pokes fun at. Wyatt bravely speaks up when he is uncomfortable, & I felt so proud of him for voicing valid concerns & forcing Neil to expand his perspective when it came to attitudes and behaviors around money. Most kids are well aware of how their family fits into a social class hierarchy, especially in the 21st century (it’s hard not to notice who is going on vacation, buying new clothes, gets the brand new iphone every year, versus who is *not* doing those things, especially at the height of social media) & Wyatt is not naive in the way others perceive him. I really appreciated this representation of different socioeconomic classes. Wyatt also explores his own gender identity & I adored how these two affirm each other in that journey.
Neil and Wyatt navigate so much in this coming-of-age novel, and though Neil especially fumbles through a lot (obviously our third-act break up, but don’t worry, this *is* a romance lol), the fact that these teens took the time to examine the harm they caused, and moved forward with much more intention and mindfulness was so lovely.
No review I write will ever do this book justice so please read it! Thank you sm to @atmreads for the rec <3
No review I write will ever do this book justice so please read it! Thank you sm to @atmreads for the rec <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Vomit, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Alcoholism
Minor: Outing and Sexual content
fanboyriot's review against another edition
funny
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
5.0
Read For:
🏳️⚧️ t4t
😍 Fake Dating
🔑 Roommates
🛏️ Only One Bed
🩷 Grumpy x Sunshine
I think this just might be my favorite Mason Deaver book yet! I loved this book so much!
The plot was cute, the characters were amazing, and the romance was perfect. It was everything. Neil and Wyatt were both total dorks and I absolutely adore them.
I’m so happy this book exists. The trans rep, the wedding where dealing with family is a nightmare. There was so many moments in this book that were cute and funny but there were moments where it felt realistic and raw. That Neil was the way he was because of the people around him. Always running away and shoving his feelings down until they didn’t exist… at least until he fell face first for the least likely person he was expecting.
The only negative thing I have to say was that I didn’t read it sooner.
Release Date: 16, August 2022
POV: First Person
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (mentioned lightly, PG-13)
Rep: Transmasc Gay (MC), Transmasc Gay (SC), Bisexual Korean (SC), Black Bisexual (SC), Gay (SC), BIPOC Characters, LGBTQIA+ Characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Classism, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, Alcohol, Deadnaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Fatphobia
walrus420's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Transphobia and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Death, and Alcohol
stacy837's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Dysphoria
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Cursing, Deadnaming, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
lydvos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Overall I enjoyed this book. However, it didn’t really give “enemies to lovers”. It felt more like privileged to pitied, and I’m sorry but I didn’t really like Neil. He and his family are extremely classist and suddenly at the end of the book that’s not forgotten about because all along they had trauma?? No.
But I like Wyatt, Wyatt is awesome.
Also, I notice how Deaver purposefully made Neil fat. I am glad for the representation but it’s hardly ever mentioned and is always sort of subtle. Which I think doesn’t have to be a positive or negative thing, but a lot of fans seem to have interpreted Neil to be slim in fan art. So this isn’t really a comment on the book but the readers. Neil is a fat trans man, stop drawing tall skinny white boys with perfect features.
But I like Wyatt, Wyatt is awesome.
Also, I notice how Deaver purposefully made Neil fat. I am glad for the representation but it’s hardly ever mentioned and is always sort of subtle. Which I think doesn’t have to be a positive or negative thing, but a lot of fans seem to have interpreted Neil to be slim in fan art. So this isn’t really a comment on the book but the readers. Neil is a fat trans man, stop drawing tall skinny white boys with perfect features.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Dysphoria, and Transphobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Cursing
Minor: Deadnaming
cr_valentine's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Deadnaming
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Cursing, and Sexual content
imstephtacular's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, and Transphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
More...