Reviews - Kiss Number 8 | The StoryGraph

751 reviews for:

Kiss Number 8

Colleen AF Venable

3.92 AVERAGE

lhmccar's review against another edition

4.5

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

coneja_divina's review against another edition

5.0

Kiss Number 8 is a difficult story to read, but one I found quite engaging and relevant. Despite what the cover would suggest, the story is about Amanda, a Catholic girl growing up in an insulated community (Catholic school, church, and circle of friends) and her road to discovering the story of one of her grandparents, as well as deciphering her own sexuality. It tackles religion, familial dynamics, sexuality, and gender identity, all set around 2004.

Here's the thing: this book seems to be getting a lot of negative reviews due to the deeply transphobic and homophobic things said by characters throughout the book. It's jarring, to be sure, but it made the story feel so much more authentic. Back in 2004, it was common for jokes to be made about someone being gay; it was a regular punchline in television and in movies. I personally attended a religious school in 2004 and can attest to the vitriol being spewed towards anyone who was different; I had friends who were closeted and still suffered merciless bullying for being marked as different. The things said in this story were no different than the things I heard at my school. As for transphobia, I don't know that the concept even existed for me back then. Any person who dressed in a way that wasn't gender normative was seen as morally corrupt (except, of course, if it happened to be a football player dressed as a cheerleader, which was somehow deemed okay by my school staff despite their generally stringent beliefs). Hell, RuPaul's Drag Race premiered in 2009, and the early seasons are filled with transphobic and fathphobic comments, as well as comments perpetuating toxic-masculinity and reeking of internalized homophobia. That's 5 years later than the setting of this story.

All of this is to say, this story feels deeply authentic because of all of the negative comments. It would have been strange and fake to me if this person in this deeply religious community didn't suffer some sort of push-back. There would be no conflict and no story. Part of why Amanda's story is compelling is because it wasn't so outrageously unique to be unbelievable. Amanda realizes her sexuality isn't what she thought it was when she understands her feelings for Cat, her best friend (side note: Cat was the actual worst, and I wanted to slap her the entire time). Amanda loses friends after being outed, which happens to a lot of people. Amanda's grandfather's story is used as a punchline and a joke by the people she loves. Amanda's family is strained in the fallout of the revelations. Amanda's family grows and changes as new friends and family members are added. And honestly, my favorite part of the story was that Amanda's own sexuality is fluid. It changes over time, and it isn't rigidly defined like her religion would have educated her it was supposed to be.

Overall, this book is difficult to read. It's not a romantic comedy. It's sad and layered and real. However, that doesn't negate its value as a story. I'd recommend it to anyone.