Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
hopeful
informative
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:
Complicated
Alright, I'm finally done with another book and I have completed my reading goal for this year. Awesome, right?
This book was definitely a rollercoaster and although I wish I could give it a higher rating, it's gonna be 4.25 stars from me. Here are things I liked and didn't liked:
What I liked:
- I learned a lot from this book.
While reading this book, there have been a couple of times where it made me think of my own gender identity and/or sexuality. It made me realize some things about myself, as well as understand more on the topic of gender, LGBT, etc. I'm glad I read it, as I have learned quite a couple of things.
- The characters are nicely written.
I'm not a big fan of YA novels because I feel like the characters tend to be pretty simple, generic and boring in these types of books. But, this book had pretty decent characters. They were not perfect and were flawed, made mistakes and some even realized what they have done. I like that! The character development was also okay (sometimes, more on that later)!!
- Some tiny details and throwbacks.
Finding out why the title of this book is "Felix Ever After" in the very last chapter, or the times when a character or a thing from way back from the start of the story would show up, even for a brief second, almost near the end of the book, was amazing. I really love it when writers do that, so that was super enjoyable.
What I didn't like..
- A bit too specific at times.
Telling the reader that the characters are listening to *insert the title of the song here* song while going to *insert the name of the place/city here* by taking the *insert the name of the train here* bothered me a lot. I know it's a very nitpicky thing, but when you don't know the song or have never been to America so all these titles and names mean nothing to you, you feel like you are missing out on something, left out, I supposed. Why does it need to be so specific?
- The resolution to the big mystery was meh (in my opinion)
I don't want to touch on this too much so I wouldn't spoil anything, but if you read the book a little bit or at least read the description, you will know that in the story there is someone being extremely transphobic towards MC and does some fucked up shit to him, like sharing pictures of him before he transitioned, etc. but they are anonymous. Finding out who it was and why they did this left me kinda disappointed and unsatisfied? If that makes sense? I just didn't care about this character (and low-key completely forgot about them) enough to be upset or shocked, and plus their explanation for doing so was kinda weird and didn't really make much sense to me. I was really unhappy about this plot twist.
- The ending..
Like, the last 5 or so chapters of the book made me kinda upset. It felt rushed and I was not big fan of it. I guess I am kinda biased, cause a character I liked didn't get the ending I was hoping for would get, but at the same time, many things just left me disappointed. Felix's character development felt rushed and sudden, and him realizing who he loves and some other things, again, felt too sudden in my opinion. Like, there was not enough build up to him realizing some of this stuff. Again, I won't go too into it to avoid spoilers, but I was really not happy with the ending, and I would have preferred it if the book was even 200 pages longer than it is now if it meant that there would be more build up to the ending and that some things didn't feel as rushed, like the resolution to the love triangle (which bothered me a lot cause I felt like it has been resolved kinda poorly) and Felix suddenly gaining so much
confidence out of nowhere.
Final thoughts:
In conclusion,
the book is worth reading. I would suggest it to anyone who wishes to learn more about this topic and/or is questioning their own identity. The romance could have been done better and story as it is is okay, but I think it's worth the read cause you get to learn some new things and the middle part of the book was pretty enjoyable. I did have fun reading it, and as I said, the characters are really great, which is always a major plus for me. Just wish the ending was done a bit better..
This book was definitely a rollercoaster and although I wish I could give it a higher rating, it's gonna be 4.25 stars from me. Here are things I liked and didn't liked:
What I liked:
- I learned a lot from this book.
While reading this book, there have been a couple of times where it made me think of my own gender identity and/or sexuality. It made me realize some things about myself, as well as understand more on the topic of gender, LGBT, etc. I'm glad I read it, as I have learned quite a couple of things.
- The characters are nicely written.
I'm not a big fan of YA novels because I feel like the characters tend to be pretty simple, generic and boring in these types of books. But, this book had pretty decent characters. They were not perfect and were flawed, made mistakes and some even realized what they have done. I like that! The character development was also okay (sometimes, more on that later)!!
- Some tiny details and throwbacks.
Finding out why the title of this book is "Felix Ever After" in the very last chapter, or the times when a character or a thing from way back from the start of the story would show up, even for a brief second, almost near the end of the book, was amazing. I really love it when writers do that, so that was super enjoyable.
What I didn't like..
- A bit too specific at times.
Telling the reader that the characters are listening to *insert the title of the song here* song while going to *insert the name of the place/city here* by taking the *insert the name of the train here* bothered me a lot. I know it's a very nitpicky thing, but when you don't know the song or have never been to America so all these titles and names mean nothing to you, you feel like you are missing out on something, left out, I supposed. Why does it need to be so specific?
- The resolution to the big mystery was meh (in my opinion)
I don't want to touch on this too much so I wouldn't spoil anything, but if you read the book a little bit or at least read the description, you will know that in the story there is someone being extremely transphobic towards MC and does some fucked up shit to him, like sharing pictures of him before he transitioned, etc. but they are anonymous. Finding out who it was and why they did this left me kinda disappointed and unsatisfied? If that makes sense? I just didn't care about this character (and low-key completely forgot about them) enough to be upset or shocked, and plus their explanation for doing so was kinda weird and didn't really make much sense to me. I was really unhappy about this plot twist.
- The ending..
Like, the last 5 or so chapters of the book made me kinda upset. It felt rushed and I was not big fan of it. I guess I am kinda biased, cause a character I liked didn't get the ending I was hoping for would get, but at the same time, many things just left me disappointed. Felix's character development felt rushed and sudden, and him realizing who he loves and some other things, again, felt too sudden in my opinion. Like, there was not enough build up to him realizing some of this stuff. Again, I won't go too into it to avoid spoilers, but I was really not happy with the ending, and I would have preferred it if the book was even 200 pages longer than it is now if it meant that there would be more build up to the ending and that some things didn't feel as rushed, like the resolution to the love triangle (which bothered me a lot cause I felt like it has been resolved kinda poorly) and Felix suddenly gaining so much
confidence out of nowhere.
Final thoughts:
In conclusion,
the book is worth reading. I would suggest it to anyone who wishes to learn more about this topic and/or is questioning their own identity. The romance could have been done better and story as it is is okay, but I think it's worth the read cause you get to learn some new things and the middle part of the book was pretty enjoyable. I did have fun reading it, and as I said, the characters are really great, which is always a major plus for me. Just wish the ending was done a bit better..
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Outing
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Dysphoria
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I am unable to articulate my thoughts about this book; I'm still processing, still sitting with how much I loved this. Just know that it is absolutely beautiful, earnest, and tender. This is a truly special work and I cannot believe it's taken me so long to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Transphobia, Outing, Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug use, Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Alcohol
emotional
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Outing, Abandonment
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Classism
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Outing
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria
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
Firstly: I knew this was going somewhere when it referenced Avatar The Last Airbender, Mulan and BTS on the same page.
Secondly, I loved this. The characters are vibrant (please protect Ezra and Leah at all costs) and their development is amazing, the plot is tense and fun and heartwarming and unexpected and most importantly it covers so many important topics with such an exceptional sensibility.
Secondly, I loved this. The characters are vibrant (please protect Ezra and Leah at all costs) and their development is amazing, the plot is tense and fun and heartwarming and unexpected and most importantly it covers so many important topics with such an exceptional sensibility.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing. That's it. I finally saw all my complicated feelings about being trans and queer. But also the complicated relationship that can form with your parents surrounding being trans. Knowing they love you but also getting called the wrong name and them not understanding is a weird combo. And don't even get me started on not feeling worthy of love ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜. This book felt very personal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Transphobia, Alcohol