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kaikai1618's review
2.0
***************SPOILER REVIEW**********
My thoughts:
Hoped for nice representation but got a wild mess instead. Weird pacing. A love interest with no chemistry and a questionable age gap. Okay father-daughter relationship. I liked Gordon’s plot line but it was too rushed and wasn’t explored much. Immature and annoying MC I’m trying not to criticize too much because I know she’s supposed to be flawed. Many loose ends. Luke warm writing. Uncomfortable scenes with drinking that aren’t addressed. Side character friends and love interest disappear for large sections of the book.
It was okay but it didn’t hit me or make me feel anything. It was hard to connect with any of the characters and the main character was difficult to read about since she made many many cringy mistakes. There was a rushed climax with Nina’s mom showing up that was never resolved and glossed over. Gordon’s gender plot line was mentioned then we only got slight glimpses of it. Nima very conveniently is able to stay over at places without supervision or invites a grown woman to her house who she just met. It’s weird parenting. She also has said woman who is a stranger pick her up. The way their relationship was formed seemed convenient and forced to advance the plot. Her relationship with Winnow didn’t make sense. They had some chemistry in their first conversation and then they barley spoke besides at the most uncomfortable party where Nima tried to be someone else and threw up. They Nima kissed another girl, apologized and they were fine. Still, they never talked after that and their attraction to each other was described but never shown.
There were good aspects in representation and a lot of self discovery but Nima’s character felt very young to me. She also cried practically every two pages and the dumb things she did were clearly made to create drama rather than only show her flaws as a person. It didn’t feel authentic.
My thoughts:
Hoped for nice representation but got a wild mess instead. Weird pacing. A love interest with no chemistry and a questionable age gap. Okay father-daughter relationship. I liked Gordon’s plot line but it was too rushed and wasn’t explored much. Immature and annoying MC I’m trying not to criticize too much because I know she’s supposed to be flawed. Many loose ends. Luke warm writing. Uncomfortable scenes with drinking that aren’t addressed. Side character friends and love interest disappear for large sections of the book.
It was okay but it didn’t hit me or make me feel anything. It was hard to connect with any of the characters and the main character was difficult to read about since she made many many cringy mistakes. There was a rushed climax with Nina’s mom showing up that was never resolved and glossed over. Gordon’s gender plot line was mentioned then we only got slight glimpses of it. Nima very conveniently is able to stay over at places without supervision or invites a grown woman to her house who she just met. It’s weird parenting. She also has said woman who is a stranger pick her up. The way their relationship was formed seemed convenient and forced to advance the plot. Her relationship with Winnow didn’t make sense. They had some chemistry in their first conversation and then they barley spoke besides at the most uncomfortable party where Nima tried to be someone else and threw up. They Nima kissed another girl, apologized and they were fine. Still, they never talked after that and their attraction to each other was described but never shown.
There were good aspects in representation and a lot of self discovery but Nima’s character felt very young to me. She also cried practically every two pages and the dumb things she did were clearly made to create drama rather than only show her flaws as a person. It didn’t feel authentic.
kdahlo's review
3.0
I liked this book and my foster daughter really liked it. My only reservation with it is that it portrays a lot of drinking as normal for teenagers. I thought it was a little much compared with my own experience, maybe it was in line with the experience of the author. But with a main character who is supposed to be uncool I thought it kind of stuck out. Overall a really great book with some themes I think a lot of queer kids, and especially queer kids of color could relate to.
leafblade's review
DNF @ 50 pages. It took me three days to get here and the book has over 300 pages. I'm sad for what must be the fun part (aka the drag scene) but I just can't concentrate with this writing style.
ruth24's review
4.0
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC copy of [b:Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|42202063|Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|Tanya Boteju|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1555269913s/42202063.jpg|58368657] in exchange for an honest review.
RuPaul's Drag Race introduced me to the world of drag queens, but my experience of drag kings is much more limited, which is partly why I was intrigued when I saw [b:Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|42202063|Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|Tanya Boteju|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1555269913s/42202063.jpg|58368657]. I've never seen a book about the drag community before, let alone read one.
17-year-old Nima feels like she's boring and wonders if that's the reason why her mom abandoned her and her dad almost a year ago. The summer seems to stretch before her, but when she stumbles upon the mystical and magical world of drag and a host of welcoming and charming characters, Nima begins to let loose and discover a whole new side of herself.
Boteju really nailed what it's like to be an awkward, unsure teenager. Nima bumbles through social interactions with sweaty hands and a trembling lip. She feels inadequate next to others, not exciting enough to be liked, and in an effort to seem cool, she often ends up making things worse for herself. I really liked her as a character because I could see her heart and how hard she was trying. She makes you want to be the Deirdre in her life and take her under your wing. Deirdre was my second favourite character, after Nima. I would love if she had her own book, a companion to this one.
I think the story between Nima and her mom needed more time/needed to be fleshed out more. It didn't get enough attention in my opinion. It felt kind of secondary and it definitely felt unfinished. Maybe Boteju wanted us to feel that way and/or maybe there's a sequel in the works. Either way, I want to know more!
RuPaul's Drag Race introduced me to the world of drag queens, but my experience of drag kings is much more limited, which is partly why I was intrigued when I saw [b:Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|42202063|Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens|Tanya Boteju|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1555269913s/42202063.jpg|58368657]. I've never seen a book about the drag community before, let alone read one.
17-year-old Nima feels like she's boring and wonders if that's the reason why her mom abandoned her and her dad almost a year ago. The summer seems to stretch before her, but when she stumbles upon the mystical and magical world of drag and a host of welcoming and charming characters, Nima begins to let loose and discover a whole new side of herself.
Boteju really nailed what it's like to be an awkward, unsure teenager. Nima bumbles through social interactions with sweaty hands and a trembling lip. She feels inadequate next to others, not exciting enough to be liked, and in an effort to seem cool, she often ends up making things worse for herself. I really liked her as a character because I could see her heart and how hard she was trying. She makes you want to be the Deirdre in her life and take her under your wing. Deirdre was my second favourite character, after Nima. I would love if she had her own book, a companion to this one.
I think the story between Nima and her mom needed more time/needed to be fleshed out more. It didn't get enough attention in my opinion. It felt kind of secondary and it definitely felt unfinished. Maybe Boteju wanted us to feel that way and/or maybe there's a sequel in the works. Either way, I want to know more!
skyeshark1's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Hate crime, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Violence, Transphobia, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
aliena_jackson's review
2.0
Now, you guys know that normally I’m all about LGBT books. I love them! I think that they’re great! But...I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, in case you hadn’t noticed, and I really needed some brand new books to pull me out of it. I was hoping that this book would be one of them, but I thought that the plot was all over the place, the writing was ehh, and the characters were just not that compelling. Yes, I enjoyed the drag, but I almost wanted more. It felt like the authors was just trying to cram as much drama into the book as possible, and at times, it really felt like a fanfiction, especially during the “big” plot twist (which I saw coming from a mile away). Honestly, this wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but it wasn’t the best. It’s probably gonna sit there on my Read shelf, sad and alone, and I’m gonna forget about it. On to the next book I guess. I need to go to the library. And hey, who knows, maybe this is one of those books that gets better with every read?
brittanymorgan52's review
funny
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
3.0
I wanted to love this book so much but it just missed the mark for me. The beginning was slow but then it picked up and I was really into it. There were some super cringey moments where I had to put the book down. And then the ending just stopped. Another chapter would’ve been nice. Or even an epilogue.
abbyandthejets's review
4.0
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I love that it was written by a Canadian, I love that it showcased queer mentorship, I love that it featured a character who made many mistakes, I LOVE that the main character was queer throughout.
Vague Spoiler:
I do wish that a certain parental subplot had been dealt with in more nuanced ways, same with the over/underage relationships. Also, they/them pronouns were only used a few times and there were no non binary character in the book. Anyway, those are nit picky, I am mostly just so thrilled to see such celebratory queer relationships in YA that I actually like! Yay yay yay!
Vague Spoiler:
I do wish that a certain parental subplot had been dealt with in more nuanced ways, same with the over/underage relationships. Also, they/them pronouns were only used a few times and there were no non binary character in the book. Anyway, those are nit picky, I am mostly just so thrilled to see such celebratory queer relationships in YA that I actually like! Yay yay yay!
kevinmccarrick's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
thereadingchallengechallenge's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
This is so queer and unique and fun and I don't know why more people haven't read it??? If you've ever wanted to read a book about a baby drag king, find yourself a copy of this!
There's a disaster lesbian, a questioning trans girl, the fiercest and friendliest of drag queens and great things to hear about the complexities of friendship, family and forgiveness. And a really cute dog.
There's a disaster lesbian, a questioning trans girl, the fiercest and friendliest of drag queens and great things to hear about the complexities of friendship, family and forgiveness. And a really cute dog.