Scan barcode
jenny_librarian's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I will protect Carey Parker with my life. That kid is so precious. From the very first chapter I was 100% rooting for them.
While the beginning is pretty cute, it’s not an easy read. There’s a lot of queer pain and queerphobia in this book, which made it a bit harder for me to get through. I am very much a reader of queer joy and – while the ending was worth it – it was rough getting there.
I’m not a Mariah fan, but I recognize the fangirling (term used as genderneutral here) and obsession of a specific artist that you feel understands you better than you sometimes understand yourself.
There is one mention of HP that completely took me out the story, and that I find extremely disappointing, especially coming from a genderqueer author who has to know how harmful that woman is. It was a tiny thing, a single word used as a comparison, and I wish it had been changed before publishing.
As a whole, it is a hard but inspiring story of standing up for yourself, of friends having your back and of fighting for those who can’t use their voice yet.
While the beginning is pretty cute, it’s not an easy read. There’s a lot of queer pain and queerphobia in this book, which made it a bit harder for me to get through. I am very much a reader of queer joy and – while the ending was worth it – it was rough getting there.
I’m not a Mariah fan, but I recognize the fangirling (term used as genderneutral here) and obsession of a specific artist that you feel understands you better than you sometimes understand yourself.
There is one mention of HP that completely took me out the story, and that I find extremely disappointing, especially coming from a genderqueer author who has to know how harmful that woman is. It was a tiny thing, a single word used as a comparison, and I wish it had been changed before publishing.
As a whole, it is a hard but inspiring story of standing up for yourself, of friends having your back and of fighting for those who can’t use their voice yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Biphobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, Hate crime, Terminal illness, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
bookswtheo's review
hopeful
informative
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief
theboywithallthekeys's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
erins_bookshelf_'s review
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I've never read a book about a genderqueer character before so this was very interesting to me. I really liked it and it was really cool to see the point of view of a character like that, especially since it's an OwnVoices book. The storyline was really good and the representation of a couple other identities was really casual, but for a book like this that was definitely the best way to do it- showing that all identities are "normal". The drama was pretty good and the romance in this was sweet and soft, which is my favorite kind of romance to read because I''m not a fan of smutty stuff and they're just so fricking cute 🥰
I do kinda think the part when they arrest the transphobic/homophobic teacher (Johnson? Jackson? I can’t remember his name i wrote this review a little after I finished the book) that the sudden “hey wait he can’t teach he doesn’t have good credentials” wasn’t great since I’m not 100% sure how realistic that is…? I’m glad he got what he deserved but I think he would’ve gotten arrested for assaulting Carey in the human chain thing (idk maybe it’s more common to fake credentials than I thought).
I think this is definitely a good book to read if you're trying to read about more sexualities/identities of the LGBTQ+ community and if you're into reading about people coming together to make change.
I got this from my local library so I'm definitely going to be buying it soon because I need to own this book :)
I think this is definitely a good book to read if you're trying to read about more sexualities/identities of the LGBTQ+ community and if you're into reading about people coming together to make change.
I got this from my local library so I'm definitely going to be buying it soon because I need to own this book :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
lettuce_read's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Homophobia
bennispizza's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
averyconfusedhomosapiensbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
slow-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
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia and Physical abuse
merlesstorys's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
My first introduction to a genderqueer person outside of the Hollywood biz as I don’t know one irl (at least as I know of) and it was really good.
I liked the writing style of Steven Salvatore as their depiction of queer youth today resonates with stuff I’ve experienced so far and they take a deep look at the feelings of their main character, Carey as well as the ones of their friends.
Which brings me to the characters in this book and I honestly love them all so much, it’s indescribable. Carey with their love for music and musicals, Cris with his unbelievable Charme, Monroe with her amazing fashion taste, Joey just for being a good ally, and Phoebe with -again- her love for musicals. They all get their peaks throughout the book and that is just amazing - and the most important thing in “Can’t take that away” is the friendship, not the ‘boo-friend’… I love it.
Next to the starting situation: it’s such a good idea, to show the main character in their natural habitat aka music/als with their ambition to become Elphaba, and just as well as her, defy gravity. Pun very much intended.
The only critic I have is that the ending is a bit too much for me. (Not the actual ending, but what happens after Carey and Cris are reunited. I don’t want to spoil more)
This small section means unfortunately a quarter star down from five stars, but that’s literally the only thing I didn’t like.
Also, can we please talk about the hardcover artwork? It’s insanely gorgeous (please insert the Gaga meme here about being amazing etc. :D)
I liked the writing style of Steven Salvatore as their depiction of queer youth today resonates with stuff I’ve experienced so far and they take a deep look at the feelings of their main character, Carey as well as the ones of their friends.
Which brings me to the characters in this book and I honestly love them all so much, it’s indescribable. Carey with their love for music and musicals, Cris with his unbelievable Charme, Monroe with her amazing fashion taste, Joey just for being a good ally, and Phoebe with -again- her love for musicals. They all get their peaks throughout the book and that is just amazing - and the most important thing in “Can’t take that away” is the friendship, not the ‘boo-friend’… I love it.
Next to the starting situation: it’s such a good idea, to show the main character in their natural habitat aka music/als with their ambition to become Elphaba, and just as well as her, defy gravity. Pun very much intended.
The only critic I have is that the ending is a bit too much for me. (Not the actual ending, but what happens after Carey and Cris are reunited. I don’t want to spoil more)
This small section means unfortunately a quarter star down from five stars, but that’s literally the only thing I didn’t like.
Also, can we please talk about the hardcover artwork? It’s insanely gorgeous (please insert the Gaga meme here about being amazing etc. :D)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Dementia, Biphobia, Physical abuse, and Sexism
misssleepless's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Dementia, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Vomit
melaniereadsbooks's review
challenging
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? It's complicated
3.75
This book is a heavy-hitting YA contemp about a genderqueer teen dealing with extreme homophobia from classmates, teachers, and school board members. Throughout it all, Carey manages to stay hopeful and strong and surrounded by a few people that make their life better. I was so angry at the school. As someone who works for a small school district, I 100% know the likelihood a similar queer-phobic incident occurring, and the saddest part about that is most of the time things don't get changed like they did in this book. I'm glad for the hope of that, and I loved seeing Carey grow throughout the novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Dementia, Gaslighting, Death, and Hate crime