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lovelymisanthrope's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"The Knockout Queen" is a dark comedy about two unlikely friends: Bunny and Michael. Bunny is the queen of North Shore. She is pretty, the star of the volleyball team, and her father is extremely wealthy. Michael is a gay teenager who lives with his aunt because his mom went to prison for stabbing his father. Michael starts to date an older man, and when someone from school finds out, there is a very violent encounter that completely changes both Bunny's and Michael's lives.
Rufi Thorpe's writing style reminded me a lot of Grady Hendrix's dark comedic style of writing. This type of writing can be very off putting for a lot of people, and I do not think everyone will appreciate this story.
Michael's and Bunny's friendship felt so raw, flawed, and authentic. They both made poor decisions regarding one another throughout the duration of their friendship, but at the end of the day they both cared deeply for one another, and truly only wanted what was best for each other. I thought this representation was wonderfully done, and very true of friendships that are made in high school. People are always growing and evolving, but the people that stand by you through it all, are the ones that are meant to stay.
I think both Bunny and Michael are great examples of trying to create an identity that feels right. Michael is an outcast, and he is gay, but not necessarily "out". He does not know exactly who he is, and it is really difficult for him to cope with this. Bunny's father has really controlled her future, but she loves her father more than anything and does not see that. He has his own interests on the fore front of his mind, and all Bunny wants to do is please him.
This story made me laugh, made me sad, and made me question my own identity and who I have allowed to influence that identity.
This was an amusing story, that I might recommend to a certain type of reader.
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Homophobia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Gore, Blood, Hate crime, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Death, Bullying, and Medical content
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Outing, Sexual content, and Violence
lilyaugust's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide
cantfindmybookmark's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Child abuse, and Rape
cheye13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"What were you supposed to do with pain but polish it until it became something pointy and pretty?"
This book ruined me, a little bit. In these characters, I saw such visceral glimpses of myself and those I love most – the ways we love, the ways we laugh, the ways we hurt ourselves and each other. This is not a pleasant read, this is not a fun read. But it is so excellently crafted that it blooms into catharsis rather than wilting into misery.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Medical content, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
There is an instance of a traumatic brain injury causing memory problems. There is a lot of reference to prison and the experience of being a prisoner. The rape is conveyed secondhand, through dialogue; it is date rape involving blacking out/lack of memory. It may also be worth noting that Michael lies about his age, so the men he sees aren't aware that he is under legal age.rozhin's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
⭐⭐⭐⭐-4 stars
Some thoughts are just too expensive to have
This book was amazing , I literally went from hating Michael to gradually loving and understanding him .
At first half of the book I kind of hated him , hated this book , hated Ray and I just wasnt interested enough to keep reading , it took me long to get the story , to find myself lost in Michael thoughts and then It was fast .. and it went from a DNF to a really great read, I'm happy I kept reading .
Moderate: Child abuse