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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:
Complicated
Very sweet but also so heavy and difficult at times
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Classism
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
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Medical content, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Acephobia/Arophobia
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Lesbophobia
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I really wanted to love this more than I did. It had some good tropes - love triangle, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, coming of age. But I just didn’t really enjoy the love triangle or who Felix ended up with. I just never really fell for Ezra. But I appreciate that this book focuses on and tried to analyze different types of love. Although that attempt at analysis felt a little much and preachy at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Dysphoria
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Classism
Moderate: Death, Grief
Minor: Police brutality
emotional
hopeful
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
I was reading A Discovery of Witches but I needed to take a break from it and read something a bit more sugar sweet. Felix Ever After definitely fit the bill! I've always been a sucker for a good coming of age story and this one was absolutely what I needed. We originally got this book from our local library for my school's GSA. They have very kindly allowed us to borrow copies of LGBTQ+ young adult literature to read together and discuss and I am so glad that this was the first one we read!
The novel itself centers around a transgender man named Felix Love who is trying to navigate the perilous waters between the shallows of childhood and the uncharted seas of young adulthood. More than anything else, Felix wants to fall in love but feels deep down that he is undeserving of the experience. Sure, he has his best friend, but he is looking for a deeper connection. However, just as he is getting into the swing of things, his deadname and his old pictures pre-transition are posted up as a gallery without his permission by an anonymous bigot. On top of that, the creator of the gallery starts to send him transphobic messages on Instagram. Believing that he has found the perpetrator, he begins a quest for revenge that inadvertently lands him in a love triangle. Layered on top of this is Felix's quest inward, as well, as he questions his own identity both as an artist as well as in terms of his gender.
The novel itself was extremely sweet. I definitely had a huge grin on my face by the end! The characters were well thought out and the main characters had a good deal of depth. It was a privilege to see Felix grow as a person and begin to open up and allow himself to let go and truly be himself. Watching him peel off insecurity after insecurity and transform into a strong and confident demiboy was beautiful. I also absolutely loved that we, as the reader, never ever ever hear or discover Felix's deadname or hear about what he looked like pre-transition. I feel like that is something many trans individuals need to go through. People are always asking them about their deadnames or their lives pre-transition. They don't realize that a deadname is called a deadname for a reason. It's dead and gone. It's no longer in use. Knowing it is not necessary to knowing the individual. While I may not be a part of the trans community, a lot of my students are. Seeing them represented so honestly and beautifully was amazing!
At first, I was a little sad that we never got a resolution to the question of Felix's mother. She existed like a ghost. However, after finishing the book and truly reflecting on it, I realized that that was how it was meant to be. Not every thread of a story can be resolved. In life, there are many threads you just need to cut off and cast into the wind. The section where Felix deleted all the emails, he said "Something I'd been holding in my chest, anger and hurt and pain, starts to fade away. It wasn't anger and hurt and pain I'd had for my mom. Though I've got plenty of that, too, this was anger an dhurt and pain I'd had for myself, for writing all those fucking emails in the first place--for refusing to let go" (327). This catharsis of letting go, shedding dead weight, and making room for the things that matter was what this novel was building up to. The finale of him rushing off the pride to find Ezra and truly feeling for the first time unadulterated joy and acceptance and love was one of the most beautiful endings I have read in a while.
Whoever you are, wherever you are in your own journey, I believe that this should be read by everyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Outing, Abandonment
Minor: Gaslighting, Alcohol
emotional
funny
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
I totally understand why this book is so hyped and praised and recommended everywhere. This is a wonderful book about a wonderful boy (also problematic at times but what teenager isn't) who just wants to be loved. This book is about relationships but not only romantic ones, it's about love between friends, a love between a grandpa and his gay grandson, love between a dad and his trans kid. It's about the problems they face. And it's about accetance. Accepting yourself and loving yourself for who you are. Not backing down, but being proud and standing tall.
I cannot stress enough how good this book is. I have no words to even explain in how many ways this book touched me. It was like reading my own thoughts — the queer thoughts, love thoughts, life thoughts... I felt like I was reading about myself for the first time in my life. I'm not a trans man, but I am queer and I never felt connected with a character as I did with Felix.
Now, why I said Felix is problematic... C'mon, what he did to Declan was really shit. I understan pain and anger, but in my opinion Felix had absolutely no right to lead on Declan like he did. I'm glad he was aware of how shitty it was at least. I also think he treatet Ezra unfairly several times through the book. Ezra, however, wasn't any better. I do ship them though, quite alot! I've been rooting for them from the very first page.
This books is probably one of my favorite reads ever. The ultimate five star. Callender has a really easy to read wiriting style, the book was quite gripping and I couldn't put it down. I'm really happy with how they showed a life of a trans boy from the struggles with their identity, to struggles with his friends and family, school and love life. It felt so real and raw.
I hightly recomment this book to absolutely everyone. To the queers for obvious reason, and to the non queers to learn a thing or two.
One more thing I would like to say. The thing that made me want to lower my rating to 4 but it also seemed unfair. The constant HP references. This book was published in 2020, and all the JKR drama started way before that... I just don't understand why would a book that celebrates trans people have any HP references. It's very funny considering how Felix makes a whole speech how art created by problematic artists is also problematic because it's a piece of their soul. Absolutely hilarious. I am aware there are queer people that still love HP no matter what and that's all great, but alot of queer people find the mention of it triggering. Especially trans people. So why would you put this in a trans book? Anyway, I just wanted to point it out as a little TW/CW for everyone who's not comfortable reading that.
I cannot stress enough how good this book is. I have no words to even explain in how many ways this book touched me. It was like reading my own thoughts — the queer thoughts, love thoughts, life thoughts... I felt like I was reading about myself for the first time in my life. I'm not a trans man, but I am queer and I never felt connected with a character as I did with Felix.
Now, why I said Felix is problematic... C'mon, what he did to Declan was really shit. I understan pain and anger, but in my opinion Felix had absolutely no right to lead on Declan like he did. I'm glad he was aware of how shitty it was at least. I also think he treatet Ezra unfairly several times through the book. Ezra, however, wasn't any better. I do ship them though, quite alot! I've been rooting for them from the very first page.
This books is probably one of my favorite reads ever. The ultimate five star. Callender has a really easy to read wiriting style, the book was quite gripping and I couldn't put it down. I'm really happy with how they showed a life of a trans boy from the struggles with their identity, to struggles with his friends and family, school and love life. It felt so real and raw.
I hightly recomment this book to absolutely everyone. To the queers for obvious reason, and to the non queers to learn a thing or two.
One more thing I would like to say. The thing that made me want to lower my rating to 4 but it also seemed unfair. The constant HP references. This book was published in 2020, and all the JKR drama started way before that... I just don't understand why would a book that celebrates trans people have any HP references. It's very funny considering how Felix makes a whole speech how art created by problematic artists is also problematic because it's a piece of their soul. Absolutely hilarious. I am aware there are queer people that still love HP no matter what and that's all great, but alot of queer people find the mention of it triggering. Especially trans people. So why would you put this in a trans book? Anyway, I just wanted to point it out as a little TW/CW for everyone who's not comfortable reading that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria
Lots of H*rry P*tter references
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
a story abt love, identity, friendship that's insightful, important and refreshingly queer. i wish i liked it more, but the writing and some parts of the story just didnt click w/ me.
there were abt a thousand 'i guess'-es in this book; it was annoying as hell and actually put me on edge lol.. and the teen characters all had the same voice, they didnt sound very distinct from one another. i also didnt feel like the declan-lucky subplot have a lot of plausibility; for someone supposedly very on guard, he was surprisingly--almost unrealistically--trusting of a random stranger on ig.
those were my two qualms, but felix ever after also had a plethora of positives: great depiction of the messiness of ppl's feelings and relationships; insightful and layered exploration of the issues around and w/in the lgbtqiap+ community esp in regards to the intersectionality of class, race, and gender, reinforcing that they're not a monolith; ezraaaa who's hands down my fav character--he was just so supportive and sweet but also complex; and ofc, prolly the best rep for a trans character ive ever read. felix's struggles were surprisingly relatable, and his questioning and inner thoughts were so insightful and revealing; i learned a lottt abt ftm trans folks from this book.
felix ever after might not have totally clicked w/ me, but it's a surpremely important book--esp an #ownvoices one--that i cant wait to reread for all the hints and clues.
there were abt a thousand 'i guess'-es in this book; it was annoying as hell and actually put me on edge lol.. and the teen characters all had the same voice, they didnt sound very distinct from one another. i also didnt feel like the declan-lucky subplot have a lot of plausibility; for someone supposedly very on guard, he was surprisingly--almost unrealistically--trusting of a random stranger on ig.
those were my two qualms, but felix ever after also had a plethora of positives: great depiction of the messiness of ppl's feelings and relationships; insightful and layered exploration of the issues around and w/in the lgbtqiap+ community esp in regards to the intersectionality of class, race, and gender, reinforcing that they're not a monolith; ezraaaa who's hands down my fav character--he was just so supportive and sweet but also complex; and ofc, prolly the best rep for a trans character ive ever read. felix's struggles were surprisingly relatable, and his questioning and inner thoughts were so insightful and revealing; i learned a lottt abt ftm trans folks from this book.
felix ever after might not have totally clicked w/ me, but it's a surpremely important book--esp an #ownvoices one--that i cant wait to reread for all the hints and clues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Racism, Toxic friendship