Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Felix Ever After

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

64 reviews

jessidk's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective tense fast-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: Yes

Content Warnings

cmtraynor's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

amy_reading_23's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

Kacen Callender is just an amazing author!!! I really love their writing style, it's so beautiful, and also so affirming. I've wanted to read "Felix Ever After" for years and I'm glad I got around to it!

One of the things I like about Kacen's writing is that their characters are always complex and two-dimensional - like human beings, they make mistakes. And yes Felix does make some pretty big mistakes in this, but he also learns from it and takes accountability and grows. I love so many of the messages at the end, and I think that's what tipped it over to five stars for me, the messages of self love and acceptance and not chasing people's love who only hurt you.

I will say that this book is also sadder than I thought it would be! Felix goes through some really tough things, including horrible transphobia and bullying. I found that a bit hard sometimes, but I promise the end is worth it.

I also liked that Felix is questioning his identity throughout the book, as this is not something that is frequently talked about, but is something I've experienced and I know many others have to. A lot of this book as really relatable. The guilt, the confusion, the trying his best. It's just really well done.

I also loved Ezra and Felix's dynamic. Ezra was just such a good ally to felix and always so ready to defend him and celebrate his trans identity. I loved this!

I also thought the sub-plot with his mom was interesting. As someone who has some family in my life that I no longer talk to/no longer talk to me, I know how hard it is, and how much of a hole it rips into your being. I thought this was handled sensitively.

The discussions on privilege were also interesting, particular in relation to Ezra who is super- rich but has neglectful parents.

Overall it's just a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA/romance and wants to learn more about trans issues 🏳️‍⚧️❤️

Also, about who the transphobe is:

I am putting this here as I am the kind of neurodivergent where sometimes I need to know a spoiler to help me get through something, which was the case here; after I was about halfway through I skipped ahead to find out who it was as it was killing me, so if you're like me and would like to know, then the answer is: Austin

Content Warnings

ifreyley's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A bold and open story about identity, prejudice, understanding, and learning to focus on yourself. A really cool look at the lesser-know areas of transness (figuring yourself out as nonbinary and coming out for a second time) alongside some messy relationship drama and a hopeful look at art as self-expression. Definitely more towards the upper end of YA (evident from the first chapter, though not necessarily from the cover and blurb), but an important coming of age story.

Content Warnings

gorgeousdreamerreads's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

A profound exploration of self-discovery, self-awareness, and personal growth, this book delves into the complexities of gender identity, privilege in the context of race, sexuality, and gender expression. It addresses the experiences of individuals both within and outside the LGBTQ+ community, examining the impact of societal judgments, transphobia, and disrespect towards pronouns. This multifaceted and multicultural narrative offers valuable insights into the challenges of self-discovery, the weight of making life choices, and the struggles of family acceptance and acknowledgment.

Content Warnings

claire_not_rebecca's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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 fun, and cute, and sweet. I found myself pretty annoyed by Feix's behavior sometimes, I felt like he had some really definitive character flaws that he never really ended up getting over it.

Content Warnings

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

5.0

challenging 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

An amazing, beautiful, heartbreaking, and uplifting book about Felix, an 18-year-old trans male who doesn’t feel that 'trans' accurately represents his identity. This story follows Felix as he finds his voice, discovers love, pursues his passion, and encounters true friendship.

Be sure to check the content warnings before opening this book.

Content Warnings

alhead32's review against another edition

5.0

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: Yes

The second half of this blew me away. Omg I was listening to this on a walk in the park and my legs almost gave out. I tried to listen in the car and had to turn it off because I didn’t trust my self to focus enough on driving. I screamed, I cried, I paced, I curled up into a ball. I felt so many emotions listen to this book and all the different ideas on how people in the queer community interact with each other and how to find the right labels, if you need to, how to support all aspects of the community you are a part of, that having different opinions on expression are okay but making someone feel like they don’t belong because their opinion is different than yours is not. I wish i could have had this in high school because there is nothing that explored and so perfectly captured from a high school point of view that felt like a teenager was sharing their life that has made me feel as seen as this book.

Felix finally letting himself have love in his friendships and letting himself experience healthy love made me cry. The growth of Felix and Leah’s friendship may have been my favorite part of the book.

the tropes are stereotypical but as it feels like such a real story and the truth behind them was so well done, who cares. These are the most raw intrinsic feelings I’ve had for a book in years, maybe ever. I’ve never let myself feel as deeply as these characters, especially in front of others, and honestly I am inspired.

Content Warnings

readandfindout's review against another edition

3.75

emotional medium-paced

Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars

Content Warnings

erikagibson126's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

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