Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Felix Ever After

This book is officially my new favourite book of 2021. I've just finished it and I'm at a loss of what to say; it just means so much to me. I loved the conversations it held, such those about pronouns and transphobic "feminists", but also ones about love and what this feels like and looks like and how you are deserving of it. Felix was an incredible main character. He had so much confusion and hope and I felt so caught up in his journey of self discovery and acceptance. He is a character that is going to stay with me for a long time.

However, this book deserves 5 stars not just because of how meaningful it was to me, but also because it was just GOOD. The pacing was fantastic; I read it in two sittings. The romance was gorgeous and done so, so well. The book was also just so poetic. I've highlighted so many places, and the ending was perfect. I genuinely love this book so much.

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greenisthecolorofkale's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

the ending was great!!! felix went through a lot of shit and i like how it was mostly about self discovery and self improvement.

not sure why it's marketed as a romance though. it does have romance bits in it, but the main theme is about felix finding himself.

the book went really fucking fast - so much happened in such little time holy shit?? especially declan and felix's very short relationship it went flying past and then it suddenly stopped. i really don't understand why they would add their relationship in there, it was kind of unnecessary. felix developing a crush on declan made sense but a relationship definitely did not.

remember when i said this book wasn’t realistic? sorry i take that back... i genuinely love felix’s character development because i hated him at the start. he was kind of a little shit in the beginning, just constantly looking for someone to villanize and dump his problems on, and ezra was always just going along with it because he knew felix would get pissed at him if he didn’t. and at the end, he figured his shit out. i like that it’s very cool. realistic too.

i love the problematic people too!!!

..sorry that was worded weirdly but i mean i like how the people who did bad shit to felix wasn’t just “transphobia transphobe” they were real characters with real problems and their reasons behind giving felix shit about his identity were explained. of course not justified but explained well. like marisol and austin. also. i really hate marisol that whole "you're a misogynist because you transitioned" bit was never explained i would very much like an explanation on that.

representation was amazing!! i love the little discoveries felix make like that one scene where he realizes he shouldn’t assume stranger’s identities and pronouns !!!! yes felix go felix
and i love his discovery as a demiboy!! that scene was nice too:)

the dialogue wasn’t great in the beginning of the book but it got so much better as i kept reading. the whole book got better as i kept reading honestly. great read:-) the representation is so gratifying.

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leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

I'm going to start off by saying that I know I am in the vast minority of readers regarding my thoughts/rating of this book. I do believe that there are plenty of people who will read it and really enjoy it. I just wasn't one of those people.

My biggest issue: Felix was an unlikable main character. I thought he was selfish, arrogant, and pretentious. While I can completely understand and sympathize with his struggles as a minority, it just seemed like he never had anything positive to say. Rather than trying to make the best of his situation, he preferred to tear others down. I did not like that he was perfectly fine hurting someone else who had hurt him. I know that revenge is a common storyline - and normally it doesn't bother me - but the execution on this one was just so blatantly mean that I couldn't get on-board with his line of thinking.

Once Felix found out that Declan wasn't behind the gallery and therefore no longer wanted revenge on him, the character became somewhat more palatable. Even so, my opinion of him didn't start changing until about halfway through the book, and by that point the damage had been done.

While I never came around to liking Felix, there were redeeming qualities to the book. The discussion of privilege was a big one. Characters were varied in race, ethnicity, and SES, which sparked several discussions about privilege and how it affects individuals, both positively and negatively. There were also multiple conversations surrounding gender identity and how it can change even after you think you have it all figured out, which I think is so important.

Overall thoughts: Although I didn't enjoy this book, I can definitely see how others do. I would consider recommending it in certain circumstances but generally would not go out of my way to do so.

Rep: black trans MC, biracial (black, Indian) gay SC, black/Puerto Rican SC, bisexual SC, lesbian SC

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hazel_t23's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

4.25

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alouette's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

0.25 stars off but only because i wasn't really on board with the writing style in the first few chapters, and the introduction confused me because it threw the reader right in. other than that? amazing, show-stopping, awe-inspiring, etc.

seriously, this is a very important and very good novel. the characters felt very real- honest and messy and full of depth and wonderfully queer. i especially loved the dialogue on how labels can feel restraining, but can also lead you to the validation of being able to put an experience that connects you with a whole group of people into words. the character interaction dialogue in general was very flirty and funny as well :)

and that ending was so incredibly cute. loved it. idc if it's cheesy queer people deserve happy endings too. also best friends to lovers trope better than enemies to lovers trope, confirmed? hehe

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loandbeholdx's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

3.0

The cast of characters in this book is so diverse, and it's so refreshing to see transgender, non-binary, and people of colour as main characters. The journey that the main character goes on to try and discover their identity was what made this book. I felt the discussions and topics raised about gender identity and sexuality were dealt with well, and could be very helpful and relatable to anyone going through a similar struggle trying to work out their identity.
However, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, and I didn't fall in love with any of the characters personalities.

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