Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

167 reviews

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative 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

4.0

Felix Love, 17, black, queer and trans. Just one of those things makes him marginalized and he wonders if that is why he can't seem to find love. He's thinking about his gender identity and starts to question who he really is. At the same time he gets humiliated by a public display of his old photos - before transforming - and he receives several homophobic messages. Now all Felix can think about is finding out who's doing this to him, and get revenge. 

This is a really good story about identity, self-discovery, friendship and love. As a teenager most have problems with self esteem, and thoughts about who you are. I can hardly imagine how much more difficult it must be if you're marginalized. To question something is usually healthy, even if it's yourself you question. Felix's best friend Ezra don't like to compartmentalize himself and I truly wish we weren't so focused on that. But we think it's easier to put people in different compartments, so that's what we do.

When Felix begins to receive homophobic messages I get annoyed when he answers them. I understand the feeling of standing up for oneself, but experience shows that it's playing the bully's game. If you don't react there's no reason for the bully to continue. I also think it's a bit uneasy how focused Felix is on revenge, and I don't sympathize with his way of getting the culprit to expose himself. Sure, it's a teenager with an identity crisis, but it bothers me, none the less.

As a hetrosexual white woman I can't say I have any experience with all of this, and despite trying to keep myself updated and informed, I think it's hard to know what all the terms involve. It was kind of a relief to hear that even those who identify within the LBTQIA+ community have the same problem, simply because there's so many of them. If I say the wrong thing it's never out of disrespect, to me it's obvious that you can love whoever you want, as well as it's up to you how you want to be addressed and what you identify yourself as.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Abandonment, and Transphobia

Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use

axel_p's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Biphobia, Body shaming, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Drug use

ecn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Very sweet but also so heavy and difficult at times

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, Classism, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Medical content, Drug use, and Outing

ecster's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming

Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, and Dysphoria

Minor: Alcohol and Drug use

lololovesthings's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

4.5 stars!

I am so, so happy I get to live at a time when "Felix Ever After" by Kacen Callender exists. This book is so important, so emotional, so powerful! I laughed, I cried, I felt so many things reading this story. Loved the characters, so many iconic lines, enjoyed the setting and the conversations it will spark. Please read this book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming

Moderate: Drug use

michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

⚠️ CW: drug use, transphobia, dead naming, bullying, homophobia and classism ⚠️ If you're looking for an emotional but beautiful read that will have you sobbing one minute and getting lost in pure queer joy and love the next then this book is for you! Felix Love has never been in love. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone else but him. What's worse is that even though he is proud of his identity he also secretly fears that he's one marginalisation too many as a black, queer and transgender person in NYC just looking for his own happily ever after. Until one day an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages after publicly posting his dead name and photos of him before he transitioned. And this is when Felix decides to come up with a plan for revenge, however what he didn't count on was his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle. But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine how he feels about himself. This book is absolute perfection and I could rave about it all day. It's the perfect story of identity, falling in love and recognising your worth but it is written in a way that is so real and raw. My favourite thing is how it shows that journey's of self-discovery aren't linear and even though it can be messy it doesn't make it any less beautiful. Overall, this book really got me in the feels and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Bullying, Homophobia, and Classism

bookishrey's review against another edition

emotional fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Minor: Drug use

captainoliimar's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

This book was quite an interesting read. I enjoyed the way it tackled identity and the ways that different identities interact and how you can be marginalised in some ways while also being discriminatory to those who are marginalised in different ways to you. I feel like I could recognise some of these characters in the people I knew when I was 17 like them. I enjoyed the exploration into identity, and the way that people with differing opinions on identity can coexist within the same community and how understanding your own identity doesn't always mean you get it right first time.

Characters - 7.5/10
Atmosphere/Setting - 7.25/10
Writing - 7.25/10
Plot - 8.75/10
Intrigue - 7.75/10
Logic - 8.5/10
Enjoyment - 7.75/10

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Sexism, Transphobia, Sexual content, Outing, Drug use, Deadnaming, Classism, Bullying, Alcohol, Racism, Abandonment, and Cursing

Moderate: Biphobia, Medical content, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Minor: Police brutality, Acephobia/Arophobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Medical content, and Addiction

oddlyghoul's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Biphobia, Classism, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Cursing, Transphobia, Bullying, Abandonment, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Outing

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

maverique's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Outing, Transphobia, Homophobia, Drug use, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Deadnaming, Stalking, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Gaslighting and Medical content