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lauralintunen's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Dysphoria
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Deadnaming, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Homophobia
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Like what we were trying to do here was great and im probably being too harsh but there was wayy too much describing what was happening in the game and in the show for me
‘At what point does loving something stop being enough to carry on?’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Homophobia
lexnicole's review
2.75
I don’t like the way this book talks about lesbians and it very much just says they can only be butch which I disagree with as a femme lesbian. Other people have also left reviews on why the book is lesbophobic. I just felt like the book wasn’t very good or for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
Moderate: Dysphoria, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Sexism, and Homophobia
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Lily Ashton found fame by playing Morgantha on the popular TV show, Galaxy Spark. She loves the show for the queer representation it has, but when she learns that the showrunners plan on killing off her on-screen love interest, she decides to do something about it. So, she arranges a fake dating scheme with her co-star in hopes to drum up support for their relationship.
Though Lily plays a queer girl on screen, she recently has starting struggling with her gender identity and whether the term "girl" really applies to her. Through her online gaming community, she's able to find her true identity. And if she's lucky, she maybe will even find love.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of this book to review! I was intrigued by the premise, but unfortunately the actual book fell a little flat. I think it's partially because there are a lot of characters and things going on in this book that it was difficult for the author to develop any one aspect of the story well.
Before reading this, I didn't know about the author's problematic comments about the lesbian community, but I unfortunately thing they also come out in this book. It's like the author thinks that there's just one way of being queer, and if you don't fit that mold, you can't be a part of that community. There's one moment where, after being dressed up in a gown for an event, the main character says "You can't see a trace of queer on me." While that may be true for Frey, implying that being dressed super feminine somehow makes you less queer is....not great. It's little moments like that peppered throughout the book that really made me inwardly cringe.
However, there is ace representation and I did appreciate the conversations about sex not proving your identity. Those are important in the context of the LGBTQ community, I just wish it hadn't sort of brought down other people who may identify as a part of that community.
All in all, there was potential, but much of this book fell flat. There's lots of other LGBTQ+ YA that I'd recommend instead.
Though Lily plays a queer girl on screen, she recently has starting struggling with her gender identity and whether the term "girl" really applies to her. Through her online gaming community, she's able to find her true identity. And if she's lucky, she maybe will even find love.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of this book to review! I was intrigued by the premise, but unfortunately the actual book fell a little flat. I think it's partially because there are a lot of characters and things going on in this book that it was difficult for the author to develop any one aspect of the story well.
Before reading this, I didn't know about the author's problematic comments about the lesbian community, but I unfortunately thing they also come out in this book. It's like the author thinks that there's just one way of being queer, and if you don't fit that mold, you can't be a part of that community. There's one moment where, after being dressed up in a gown for an event, the main character says "You can't see a trace of queer on me." While that may be true for Frey, implying that being dressed super feminine somehow makes you less queer is....not great. It's little moments like that peppered throughout the book that really made me inwardly cringe.
However, there is ace representation and I did appreciate the conversations about sex not proving your identity. Those are important in the context of the LGBTQ community, I just wish it hadn't sort of brought down other people who may identify as a part of that community.
All in all, there was potential, but much of this book fell flat. There's lots of other LGBTQ+ YA that I'd recommend instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Deadnaming
Minor: Drug use, Cancer, and Homophobia
ezwolf's review
emotional
hopeful
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
3.0
Lily Ashton is an actor born to an acting family playing the part of the fierce warrior Morgantha. Lily is out and proud queer and is angry to learn the writers intend to kill off Morgantha's on-screen love interest Alietta, played by uptight, perfect Greta. So a plan is hatched to try and save Morganetta and Greta's acting career and along the way discover more than just a simple "bury your gays" trope alive and well.
Having any nonbinary/transmasculine characters is so refreshing to me when I think I read maybe one book with a gay character in it growing up, so to see the kind of progress that's being made is wonderful. And also to have an asexual character, which are even rarer to come across! Lily (Frey's, I don't want to deadname them but I'm not sure how to go about it in a review without causing confusion if people haven't read the book) struggle with gender and dysphoria, even in such a public setting, was something I could relate to.
There was great commentary on how "bury your gays" is still so prominent in media (see Killing Eve) and how harmful it is to have actors of color act out story lines that play into stereotypes (like a black man killing the white love interest) as well as how being out and queer can still hinder an actor's career.
But also have pop culture references always been so popular in YA? I know I read a lot when I was younger and I've been reading more again, but I feel like a lot of what I've read recently has had an over the top amount. There was also an odd shift between current references like "Catradora" but then having the characters use Pinterest to share fandom content, which seems outdated.
There was also at least twice where Lily (Frey) mention either eating or hugging a cactus and that was just an odd bit that stood out to me.
The story itself had a lot of potential and I was interested in seeing how Frey would manage to turn the tide on having the white male writers change Alietta's death, but I honestly didn't see any chemistry between them and Greta. I know a lot of it was meant to come from "Aida", but when your characters spend most of the book not knowing the real person they're talking to, it takes away from any rapport that's been built.
Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!
Having any nonbinary/transmasculine characters is so refreshing to me when I think I read maybe one book with a gay character in it growing up, so to see the kind of progress that's being made is wonderful. And also to have an asexual character, which are even rarer to come across! Lily (Frey's, I don't want to deadname them but I'm not sure how to go about it in a review without causing confusion if people haven't read the book) struggle with gender and dysphoria, even in such a public setting, was something I could relate to.
There was great commentary on how "bury your gays" is still so prominent in media (see Killing Eve) and how harmful it is to have actors of color act out story lines that play into stereotypes (like a black man killing the white love interest) as well as how being out and queer can still hinder an actor's career.
But also have pop culture references always been so popular in YA? I know I read a lot when I was younger and I've been reading more again, but I feel like a lot of what I've read recently has had an over the top amount. There was also an odd shift between current references like "Catradora" but then having the characters use Pinterest to share fandom content, which seems outdated.
There was also at least twice where Lily (Frey) mention either eating or hugging a cactus and that was just an odd bit that stood out to me.
The story itself had a lot of potential and I was interested in seeing how Frey would manage to turn the tide on having the white male writers change Alietta's death, but I honestly didn't see any chemistry between them and Greta. I know a lot of it was meant to come from "Aida", but when your characters spend most of the book not knowing the real person they're talking to, it takes away from any rapport that's been built.
Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming, Classism, Racism, Sexism, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Homophobia, Drug use, and Cancer
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