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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? 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
Premise:
I adored this young adult contemporary coming of age story about Shay, who is competing for the full-ride Brockton Scholarship, which would help her attend the university of her dreams! She is one of a few nonwhite kids at their high school, but her main competition for this scholarship is fellow nonwhite (I'm forgetting her ethnicity, forgive me!) student Ana Álvarez, who she can't stand! Mr. B, the "cool" drama teacher, encourages Shay to join the school musical to fluff up her resume for the scholarship; and Shay finds herself within close proximity to Ana for the entirety of rehearsals! Can you say sapphic academic rivals to lovers?! *swoon*
Mr. B is also the head of the scholarship committee, so Shay is hyper-aware of how he perceives her, and with too much uncomfortable, unwanted attention from him, Shay ruminates on if she can really be her authentic self in front of him. Shay is Black, lesbian, but not fully out as gay to everyone yet; and as she reflects on Mr.B's behavior and what this could mean for her scholarship, Shay is ultimately torn between choices she should not have to make!
Thoughts:
I really appreciated the representation of Ana versus Shay's perceptions of each other as some of the few Black and brown kids at this predominantly white school in Florida. During their conversation about this, it felt so authentic to the way we let our insecurities and dominant narratives about a zero sum game interfere with building an actual friendship.
Ana saw them as potential friends, and even crushed on Shay, while Shay saw Ana as competition because that is the messaging that their school (and society at large! This is such a commonly shared sentiment that there is not room for all of us, and that we must compete for a limited amount of seats at the table, especially if you are from a historically marginalized group!) instilled into their perspectives, especially by placing such a large focus on awarding the scholarship to a "diverse" student this year. That puts a magnifying glass on the nonwhite kids at school even further, and posits them as competition. I loved the realization from Shay regarding her view of Ana's behavior, and recognized how she framed Ana as a rival, which didn't really give them a chance to begin with.
Mr. B, Mr. B, Mr. B... where do I begin? My goodness, it was so hard to read about an inappropriate teacher/student relationship, because it's so damn common and so beyond fucked up to abuse the power dynamic you have over kids, especially over those who see you as mentors in a space like drama/theatre. It's incredibly uncomfortable and disheartening, and I am so glad it was highlighted in this book, in this way! AB did an excellent job of illustrating the nuance of the situation from Shay's perspective, (let's be clear, FUCK Mr. B's perspective, he's wrong from all angles, no ifs, ands, or buts!) and how Shay should have never been placed into that conundrum in the first place. Shay is a child, and the corner Mr. B backed her into was inexcusable! AB framed Shay's thoughts and actions as a kid who felt she had little choice, and easily could have swept aside or justified what was going on, and yet still tried to do the brave thing, no matter the cost.
My heart broke when Shay accidentally outed herself to Mr. B, -who did not know she was a lesbian, and obviously had been making advances on her- and then reaped the consequences of his sunshine moving away from her. This was an excellent example of how "just being honest" or "being yourself" is not always the sunshine and rainbows that ww girlboss feminism tells you it is. Shay was scared of being herself in front of Mr. B exactly for this reason, because she had so much riding on his affection and care, even though it innately felt wrong for her. She is not to blame for a teacher emotionally manipulating and gaslighting her as a child, to perform for his love and for rewards, like this scholarship. He groomed this behavior out of her, and ensured she knew there were tangible consequences for "disappointing" him.
I also think Brittany's arc was incredibly authentic and heartbreaking too.The way that many young girls will have crushes on their younger, "cool" teachers is not unique! I'm sure we have all had them! I had a crush on my 12th grade English teacher-she was the coolest and all I wanted was for her to think I was cool too! I can't blame anyone for a schoolgirl crush. However, AB is so clever in showing how harmful these attitudes could be too. Everyone noticed that Shay was Mr. B's favorite, and the moment his light didn't shine on her, they noticed that too! When Mr. B again favors Shay, the drama class and all of the students who have crushes on him begin to make up rumors that Mr. B and Shay hooked up in their closed-door meeting, and that's so damaging to hear! Not only was Shay having to deny a part of herself to make Mr. B happy again; she felt sick that girls would be jealous of that if it were true! She recognizes it is illegal, and she only puts up with the attention from him because of the scholarship. She can't fathom people actually wanting to engage in an illegal, pedophilic relationship. Brittany's final conversation with Shay is so devastating, because she refuses to see Mr. B for who he is, and she instead wants to protect him. She sees nothing wrong with what he's done, only with what she has done! After Shay catches them "sharing magic," which in their world, means the person has an emotional hold on you, Brittany can't confront the fact that Mr. B is indeed manipulating her and able to control her! UGH! Brittany being a shitty kid does not mean she deserves to be used like that by anyone, especially an adult, and it's a really hard part to reckon with.
The romance that develops between Shay and Ana is more of a subplot in this story, but that doesn't make it less swoon worthy or sweet! I literally squealed during their more vulnerable moments, and was so happy they found each other amidst all this darkness in the drama club.
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
Premise:
I adored this young adult contemporary coming of age story about Shay, who is competing for the full-ride Brockton Scholarship, which would help her attend the university of her dreams! She is one of a few nonwhite kids at their high school, but her main competition for this scholarship is fellow nonwhite (I'm forgetting her ethnicity, forgive me!) student Ana Álvarez, who she can't stand! Mr. B, the "cool" drama teacher, encourages Shay to join the school musical to fluff up her resume for the scholarship; and Shay finds herself within close proximity to Ana for the entirety of rehearsals! Can you say sapphic academic rivals to lovers?! *swoon*
Mr. B is also the head of the scholarship committee, so Shay is hyper-aware of how he perceives her, and with too much uncomfortable, unwanted attention from him, Shay ruminates on if she can really be her authentic self in front of him. Shay is Black, lesbian, but not fully out as gay to everyone yet; and as she reflects on Mr.B's behavior and what this could mean for her scholarship, Shay is ultimately torn between choices she should not have to make!
Thoughts:
I really appreciated the representation of Ana versus Shay's perceptions of each other as some of the few Black and brown kids at this predominantly white school in Florida. During their conversation about this, it felt so authentic to the way we let our insecurities and dominant narratives about a zero sum game interfere with building an actual friendship.
Mr. B, Mr. B, Mr. B... where do I begin? My goodness, it was so hard to read about an inappropriate teacher/student relationship, because it's so damn common and so beyond fucked up to abuse the power dynamic you have over kids, especially over those who see you as mentors in a space like drama/theatre. It's incredibly uncomfortable and disheartening, and I am so glad it was highlighted in this book, in this way! AB did an excellent job of illustrating the nuance of the situation from Shay's perspective, (let's be clear, FUCK Mr. B's perspective, he's wrong from all angles, no ifs, ands, or buts!) and how Shay should have never been placed into that conundrum in the first place. Shay is a child, and the corner Mr. B backed her into was inexcusable! AB framed Shay's thoughts and actions as a kid who felt she had little choice, and easily could have swept aside or justified what was going on, and yet still tried to do the brave thing, no matter the cost.
I also think Brittany's arc was incredibly authentic and heartbreaking too.
The romance that develops between Shay and Ana is more of a subplot in this story, but that doesn't make it less swoon worthy or sweet! I literally squealed during their more vulnerable moments, and was so happy they found each other amidst all this darkness in the drama club.
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
aurora4847's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, and Emotional abuse
The main conflict of the book (that is revealed early on) centers around a white, male teacher manipulating and taking advantage of female students. His racism is frequently called out, but very present. Many characters hold classist beliefs about college educations specifically.paigereitz's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.25
This is a decent story - and a good exploration of themes of power dynamics and sexual assault. The magical world is a thin veneer over the real world, but it provides a backdrop for the story. It allows exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality dynamics in high school, and between children and adults. It was fun to read, but I'd have loved to see more magic world fleshing out - or setting the whole story in the "real world."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Outing, Bullying, Classism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
hopeful
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
5.0
A wonderful YA witchy book about finding yourself, finding your people, standing up for what you want, standing up for what’s right, and standing against those who wish you ill. Laced with high school drama and magic throughout, this was a wonderful book to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Cursing, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use
dominicangirl's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
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