Reviews with content warning for Outing - Felix Ever After

Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

205 reviews

lucyeanderson's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-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? Yes

3.75

while ya isn’t the main genre i read anymore (which is a weird realisation to come to), i enjoyed this book still! it speaks on a lot of really important topics, and i think had i read this as a teen it would have been even better and relatable - i seriously think this should be required reading in schools as it can be analysed and discussed so deeply. i loved the cast of characters, especially leah and ezra <3 - the diversity is unmatched, with so many different races, ethnicities, social backgrounds and life experiences! i did. find some of felixs reactions and choices frustrating to read - but again probably because i’m reading as a logical adult and this is definitely aimed at the teen thought process. but i thought the book was such a good introduction to queer issues and a personal perspective of a young trans guy! i liked that it spoke on issues such as deadnaming but didn’t include felixs actual deadname - this is where first hand experience and writing from trans authors themselves is literally unmatched and can’t be replicated! i thought the book also discussed well parents who are supportive but still struggling - it made me feel empathy towards felixs father whilst also totally understanding felixs frustrated reaction. overall, though i didn’t vibe with things such as the first person present writing style (just honestly not my thing), i thought this was a wonderful book that would 100% be a lifeline for young queer kids, and should be encouraged if not mandatory reading for sure! 3.75 stars!

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alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

As a character, Felix got on my nerves. He's mad with Declan messing with him and Ezra, but Declan makes good points about him not taking things seriously. He doesn't pay attention in school or takes things seriously, yet he wants to get into Brown, just because his portfolio is good. He constantly criticizes his father, who has probably been the most supportive person in his life, minus Ezra and Leah. He decides to keep talking to Declan, knowing that Ezra and him had a serious relationship and just doesn't give a fuck. He wants people to take what he's going through into consideration, but won't give that same grace to others. The pacing wasn't all the way there because by the time we got to the love triangle, we were 2/3rds done with the book and that felt rushed. The mother who abandons him gets more grace than the father who has been by his side. It just doesn't make sense. The only reason why this book is getting 2.5 stars is because twist of who did the gallery was good, and the parts of him going to the clinic and focusing on himself were the best parts of the book. I don't feel like Ezra or Declan need Felix in their lives and they can do without him, because Felix was so insufferable. I have read other YA books where it makes sense, but this was too much for me personally.

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kerryem's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

This was such a heartwarming story. I picked up this book from a queer library as a way of promoting banned books, and I’m so glad I picked this one.

But this book was an absolute joy to read. The writing style was simple yet addicting, I found myself saying “just one more chapter” many times. I highly recommend to any queer book lovers of any age but especially to young queer teens of color who are struggling to figure themselves out and where they see themselves in the world.

Beautiful story and a great book to end pride month with.

-*small spoilers?*-

My only reason for not giving it five stars is just because I’m not a personal fan of the ‘catfishing’ trope and just the general YA trend of main characters not being very good friends. It’s not bad at all, as it is the main character’s story and it’s fitting for a young character like Felix to go through this journey to understand who’s important to him. Just my own personal nit-picky opinion with a trend I’ve seen in YA books. Side characters can easily feel like they’ve been written just to further the main characters plot which isn’t necessarily bad, there’s just an extra depth to a story when you can see these side characters and imagine they have their own little life outside the book. But again, not a huge deal, I still completely fell in love with Leah and Ezra.

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fluffyfox's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

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pawprintedpages's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

3.5

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archiveofrasa's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

this started off as a 3 star read and got better along the way. it was a really easy read and I think it got me out of a reading slump. I stayed for the progression of themes and events as they are much more unique than I've ever read, but then again it might be because there are hardly any ever books centred around being trans. this story is a lot more curious into the themes of queerness than other YA books have been, which I really appreciate. it allowed for other perspectives to be demonstrated and challenged upon appropriately. sometimes I did feel like I was on Twitter but in book form, but I still have the app for a reason so I can't really complain. I was content with who Felix ended up with, maybe it's because of my personal bias towards the trope, but

I do agree that Ezra was the better choice haha. enemies to lovers need time to heal from the initial pain for me to like them, sorry Declan

<33

Felix's relationship with his dad sent me to tears near the end, particularly when he finally said his real name. I still go by the name I was given, but there is something about that acknowledgement that I can empathise with. I also liked the ties with his mother

how event wise, nothing came out of it and instead lead to Felix moving on and deleting the rest of his emails to her. was expecting something different, but I was glad it took this turn,

and the new friendships Felix developed. the reveal of who set up the gallery was less satisfying than I thought it would be but I do believe that was the point given how Felix ended up reacting to it.

again, I sound like a broken record, but the way YA prose is written has grown away from me, but some books are better than others. for the most part, I appreciated the difference here. there were still moments I was a little iffy on, e.g. how self-aware Felix was in his own head near the beginning. I'm not sure if that was what intentional at all, but I think I just wasn't a fan of the execution. and boy, the romance. I think the only reason I preferred one boy over the other was because their relationship was more established. I didn't really believe either of them when they said they were falling for/in love with Felix, but one I believed more than the other.

literally when Declan said he was falling for Lucky, I was like sure... and judging by how we concluded that he liked the idea of Lucky and not Felix, it made sense. I just wished Felix's interest in Declan was built on further than the personal details. I want to see them talk about nothing! Bond over nothing directly (but metaphorically) related!

I'm glad this story exists though. us trans people deserve our YA stories too.

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mappyboi431's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

This is such a special book, and it really encapsulated a lot of the feelings I have about being trans. Hurt my heart in a good way and 100% worth the read.

I think that Felix being in love with Ezra could have been better foreshadowed, I didn’t really see his attraction until after Ezra confessed.

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