Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Real Life

I have never been so unsure how to rate or review a book but I have a lot of thoughts and found this to be very engaging and our protagonist very nuanced so it’ll get something good.

Just label the whole review as a spoiler at this point.

I found the first 20%-25% to be difficult to get into and I almost DNFd it, but I’m glad I didn’t. I found the later chunk to be deeply engaging. I listened via audio and did not want to stop.

I found every single person in this novel to be insufferable, confusing, or both. Most of the side characters only existed to be horrible to our protagonist, Wallace.
Wallace’s entire friend group is awful. His whole education department is awful. His advisor is awful. Everyone is awful!
I so desperately wanted better for Wallace. He basically NEVER said anything he was thinking throughout this entire novel. I understand that in many instances he would be seen as the problem in the situation for making something (ie: someone being horribly racist to him) a “big deal”, but oftentimes this was also just during general conversations with those he calls his friends (god knows why)

Wallace early on develops a relationship with Miller. He then spends the rest of the book being entirely inconsiderate of the way his actions will make Miller feel. He even continuously goes out of his way to poke and poke and poke Miller to get under his skin. I CANNOT understand this more than any other thing in this book. He takes no consideration for Miller’s feeling unless it’s so that he can irritate him. WHY?!

That all being said, Wallace was easily the best and most fleshed out character in this book. I felt so deeply for him and wanted for him to be able to express himself or stand up for himself without being met with immediate backlash. I was so angry in so many instances throughout this book at the things said/done to him. And for his “friends” to just sit by while horrible things are said to him was truly heartbreaking. Wallace deserved better from EVERY single person in this book.

Additionally, don’t think I liked miller’s ass because of what I said earlier. This man seemingly directly assaulted Wallace and we just moved on from it. What??? They just…continue the relationship.

I really, really wish Brandon Taylor would have addressed this and some of the other deeply problematic things done/said to Wallace a bit more. I also really wish we got to see Wallace stand up for himself more towards the end of this book. But hey, that’s real life.

Content Warnings

amandalorianxo's review

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

So I think my feelings about this book are complex. While I appreciate the story of a black gay man who is navigating getting his master’s in STEM and trying to not fall prey to the angry black man stereotype, I think the white people in this book got away with too much. The microagressions, blatant racist comments and even the sexual assault made me feel pained for Wallace. He didn’t deserve that not ask for it. Why put him through this when his childhood was already troubling? Miller disgusted me. Sometimes the prose got to be a little too much and sometimes I didn’t want to sift through a sentence when something simple could be substituted. I do have hope about Brandon’s other novels and would definitely read more from him.

Content Warnings

kiahsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Content Warnings

ashleyj_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This gets very intense at some parts, but it’s so good. Wallace’s story is gut-wrenching in the best and worst ways. Some pieces are very relatable for me too. The reflection that comes from reading this (as a white woman) is exceptionally deep.
I recommend this book for everyone who can handle the content!

Content Warnings

ejanephillips's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

2.75

Content Warnings

mywayorthehemingway's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

ktkate's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

Content Warnings

megpotter's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I have never read a book quite like this. Taylor's prose is beautiful and visceral, and I feel like this will be a classic in the not to far off future.

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