Reviews

Romance in books often seems forced to me, but this was sweet and actually made me feel things. It's a good journey of self discovery and realizing who you are while also tackling the challenges faced by those who fall into numerous marginalized groups. I liked the discussion around using labels. The actions of some characters were very over-the-top and unrealistic, and the plot/problems got resolved too easily, but overall, this is an important book and I'm glad it exists.

ay_angie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

seullywillikers's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

So I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this story. I like Ezra, but I felt that the characters all felt a little shallow, a little 2-dimensional. At one point one character points out how they love Felix's dry sense of humor, but there's no real examples in the book of Felix using dry or sarcastic humor. I thought the premise was great, and I really wanted to love this story, but it was so much telling, and so little showing, that it felt spoon-fed and just given to the reader, without having to critically examine the text. That said, I really like Felix, and the themes of questioning identity and finding out who your friends are will resonate especially with YA readers. Also, I didn't care for the casual drug and alcohol use of the main characters, which is never examined or questioned or explored, beyond that it is just cool for 17 year olds to drink while they're skipping school. Now, I'm the least curmudgeonly person when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and as a 16 year old exchange student in Germany, I did my fair share of youthful drinking. That said, these characters skip school to use fake ids to buy alcohol and grow weed and none of that is ever questioned, examined, or explored in a way that is healthy and important for young people. Representation is so so important, and I'm so glad there's more literature than ever before featuring black, queer, and trans people, but I'm not sure that this book is one I'd recommend. And that breaks my heart because I had such high expectations.

lea_pleiades's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

erikagibson126's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

luciepop's review against another edition

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5.0

4,5 god i loved this so much. it was quite literally a revolution. loved the discussions about love and identities !!!

roeckitcody's review against another edition

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5.0

This is quite possibly the most important book I've ever read, for multiple reasons. Especially in regards to my own identity. I'm sobbing. Like, legitimately. Thank you, Kacen. Thank you so freaking much.

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