Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

33 reviews

themiscyra_anna's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Outing, Deadnaming, and Bullying

Moderate: Alcohol and Classism

Deadnaming happens but the name isn’t written out; transmisic parents refusing contact with their trans child

bookswithca's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Transphobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Classism

stacy837's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Transphobia, Cursing, and Outing

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Deadnaming, and Grief

Minor: Racism, Gaslighting, Classism, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

sophie42's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Transphobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Homophobia, Classism, Sexism, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcohol, Racism, and Misogyny

gwarren's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

Beautiful and insightful, definitely worth reading.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Classism, Homophobia, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

gilnean's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Miscarriage, Outing, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Drug use, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Cursing, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Stalking, Child abuse, Classism, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Infidelity

mobymaize's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

At first, I did not enjoy Felix Ever After. But as I read, I slowly became more attached to the characters, more interested in the plot and the mystery, more excited by the set pieces and the characters. By the end of the book, I was crying. God, I really enjoyed this book. Also, I really like the descriptions of the city, not just the physical descriptions of the city, but the people who live in NYC and how they interact with the city and how it makes a bunch of streets and businesses and crazy people a city.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Police brutality

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Outing, Deadnaming, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Dysphoria, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit, Violence, Racism, Homophobia, Medical content, and Misogyny

Online catfishing is a major plot point in the novel.

The controversial term beginning with "q" is used frequently to refer to LGBTQIA+ folk, which I believe is still controversial among that community.

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

inspiring 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

5.0

If you have ever been unsure of who you are or what love feels like, Felix Ever After is the book for you. If you’ve ever been bullied, felt like your parents didn’t understand you, said the wrong thing that did (or almost did) cost you a dear friend… you’ll find something to relate to in Felix Ever After. If you are anywhere in the LGBTQIAP+ community, Felix Ever After will make you feel seen. This book received a lot of hype when it was published in 2020. It deserved every bit of it.

I loved Felix Ever After because it made me cry. It dug into my heart. I loved Felix. I loved the complexity of the assembled cast. I loved the truth. And I loved the love. Kacen Callender built a collection of robust characters in this book that surprised you in ever scene. Many of the surprises were good… and many, many were disappointing, horrifying. Callender did an amazing job capturing the complexity of the human experience and conflict in the psyche while raising injustices and prejudices faced by the LGBTQIAP+ community. From outside and inside the community.

This book is about identity and learning to love yourself. It’s difficult – very difficult – when there are people telling you that you are not worth loving because of your identity. Felix faces this throughout his summer program at St. Catherine’s in New York. From an emotional perspective, Callender had me from the first chapter. I can’t emphasize enough how impactful this book is. From a technical perspective, I think Callender did an amazing job reflecting our world. There is joy and love, but there is also so much grief and self-hate and doubt. About so many things – not just identity. There are amazing conversations and horrible behavior is called out.

Which brings me to the warnings.

The protagonist is deadnamed publicly and by family. It is addressed in different ways through the book – transphobia and addressing it is a major theme. There’s transphobic bullying, conversations about invasion of privacy, cyberbullying, encouraging illegal activities (phone hacking), manipulation, disowning, abandonment, divorce, and I’m sure other triggers I missed. This book is filled with sensitive content and while there is so much good in it, readers should tread carefully.

Outside these warnings, Felix Ever After is a book I’d enthusiastically recommend to anyone. It has representation and messages that are so important, particularly for those still exploring their own identity – which is many adults who didn’t have the language when they were younger, as well as young adults. I wouldn’t recommend it to children because of the reading level … but everyone else. Everyone else. This book should be a library staple.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Body shaming, and Cursing

Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Gaslighting, and Homophobia

Minor: Child abuse and Lesbophobia

thedisabledreader's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Abandonment, Bullying, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Classism, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Toxic relationship