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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
YES!! Yes, to everything in this book. This perfectly captures the struggle of dealing with your sexuality and the high school culture of the early 2000's. It also does a great job of showcasing the type of homophobia and transphobia during that period of time. Also, I love how the illustrator and writer display how people obfuscate the truth to fit their own narrative. Although the book doesn't describe where this is taking place, it had a very Mid-Western feel to me. However, it could just me projecting. The ending gave me goosebumps! This book truly resonated with me.
**There is a character Gertie who is makes me so happy and although she is barely in the story, she is unforgettable.
**There is a character Gertie who is makes me so happy and although she is barely in the story, she is unforgettable.
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
challenging
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Outing
Moderate: Religious bigotry
3.5
I liked this one, but something just didn't sit well with me. I think that after such a long struggle with religion, homophobia, and transphobia, the resolutions and acceptance in characters came too easily at the end.
I liked this one, but something just didn't sit well with me. I think that after such a long struggle with religion, homophobia, and transphobia, the resolutions and acceptance in characters came too easily at the end.
Kiss Number 8 is a sensitive coming of age story that deals with some pretty heavy emotions. On one hand, Mads attends a Catholic High School and spends time with her dad attending minor league baseball games and watching their favorite tv show. On the other hand, Mads is struggling with her relationship with her mom and is getting into an increasing amount of trouble with her bad-girl best friend Cat. Mads also can't decide if her attraction to Cat is out of awe or something more romantic. In typical teenager fashion, Mads makes many mistakes. She doesn't always make the right decision and she isn't always likable, but her development from her missteps make for a sympathetic character for sure.
There are several side stories that unwind from the central story, but overall this is about Mads and her own self awareness. And that was the story I cared most about in the end. To that end, I wish there had been less of the side stories, and a tighter focus on Mads. Her father is given an excuse to be homophobic, and that felt like cheating. This graphic novel is long, certainly not a one-sitting book and the pacing is deliberate, moving slowly through several months.
There are several red flags, including homophobia, transphobia, underage drinking, and discussions of sexuality.
There are several side stories that unwind from the central story, but overall this is about Mads and her own self awareness. And that was the story I cared most about in the end. To that end, I wish there had been less of the side stories, and a tighter focus on Mads. Her father is given an excuse to be homophobic, and that felt like cheating. This graphic novel is long, certainly not a one-sitting book and the pacing is deliberate, moving slowly through several months.
There are several red flags, including homophobia, transphobia, underage drinking, and discussions of sexuality.
The drama of Catholicism and gay teenagers is a lot. The whole book was soo good though. Especially the stuff with her grandfather and how that like affected her relationship with both her parents and the way that all ended was just very sweet. Also I hated the grandma but that’s to be expected she was the worst. She did have some funny line though, like “androgyny is a dangerous line to walk” so that’s was fun. The whole book was just like fun and also just a little bit serious. The friend was an idiot at the end and that was disappointing but the other people were cool and it was just so great that even after all that she ended up with a guy for a bit and ugh it was just wonderful bi representation that I loved. The ending was just so good and I’m so glad the main character’s happy.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The main problem was that this book was not only set in 2004, it also felt like a stressful "being gay is awful until you find your small tribe of gay-straight alliance people" book from 2004. I think I am kind of passed these types of LGBTQ books. They were fine back in the day, I understand that people are homophobic and transphobic and all of that, I am just personally tired of reading this story. Also there was a lot of anger in this book, the characters weren't likable, and it was too long and complicated.