Scan barcode
kbidd505's review against another edition
4.0
This book cut deep with the themes; transphobia, identity, self-love and it was sooo relatable ok bye
ctoca's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really great book, and as a middle school teacher I think it’s a really valuable read. I got a copy from the library and was bothered by the amount of mentions of Harry Potter in a book with a trans protagonist, but I found that the author is having the book reprinted and removing mentions of Harry Potter as well as instances of mislabeling a character’s ethnicity based on their last name. If you are going to pick this up, I would recommend looking into whether any of the reprint copies are available!
sofia_santana's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
2.0
1 1/2 stars.
Not for me, and I know that I am in the minority on this one. I was annoyed by the characters and hated the direction that the plot took. That extra star is only for the representation and important topics that the book brought up. Review to come.
Not for me, and I know that I am in the minority on this one. I was annoyed by the characters and hated the direction that the plot took. That extra star is only for the representation and important topics that the book brought up. Review to come.
jbiz93's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
cagedsky's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
snipinfool's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book for the Trans Rights Readathon last month. This was a coming-of-age story about seventeen-year-old Felix finding comfort in his identity, choosing a path for the next stage of his life, and hoping to fall in love for the first time. Being black, transgender, and gay sometimes made life harder for him, but those things would not stop him from trying to find a way to his goal. Felix was a gifted artist who attended a summer program for rising senior talented art students. His goal was to get a scholarship to Brown University and a dual degree with the Rhode Island School of Design. Felix faced stiff competition from another student, Declan, who didn’t seem to like him. One morning, the students arrived at the program to find posters of old pre transition photos of Felix marked with his deadname around the school. He suspected Declan, but had no idea why someone would do such a horrendous thing. Felix had feelings of being unworthy and unlovable from other relationships in his life. His mother left the family when he was young and had no contact with him or his father. Felix’s father still had difficulty using Felix’s preferred pronouns and sometimes referred to him as his daughter when he had been drinking. Felix himself had started to wonder if being male was an exact fit for him as well. Felix’s best friend, Ezra, was supportive and offered Felix another place to hang out when he needed a place to escape. Felix’s summer was extremely tumultuous, but by the end, he was able to get a better idea how to solve some of the questions before him and to find love.
This is an Own Voices story by Kacen Callender. Callender did an excellent job of writing Felix’s character. It was easy to develop strong empathy for Felix and I was heartbroken during many parts of his story. A good book will have a character that will make you feel and Felix Ever After fits that category perfectly.
This is an Own Voices story by Kacen Callender. Callender did an excellent job of writing Felix’s character. It was easy to develop strong empathy for Felix and I was heartbroken during many parts of his story. A good book will have a character that will make you feel and Felix Ever After fits that category perfectly.
maddynd06's review against another edition
2.0
2/5
By no means did I dislike this book, but I wouldn’t say I liked it either. My main issue with the book was the pacing. Everything felt like it moved too fast, leaving me feeling a bit cheated. In my opinion, the pacing took away from the emotional aspect of the book. It felt very underdeveloped, which made it difficult for me to feel as connected to the characters. I may be cynical, but I personally cannot understand Declan claiming he loved Lucky after like a week and maybe 4 conversations. One of the main themes of the novel was love, so it was frustrating to me that the act of falling in love felt rushed and almost brushed over. I think the development with Ezra was much better, but I still feel like it was severely lacking in depth. I think the author tried to throw in too many plot points for such a short book. I would have preferred if less things were going on and for them to be given more attention and development. I felt like we got a bunch of underdeveloped plot points that had the potential to be well fleshed out, but they ended up falling short for me.
Also, I think this book fits very well into the young adult genre. The maturity level of the characters feels congruent with their age. I did want to mention the attempted bits of humor throughout. Typically, in young adult novels, I feel like the humor falls flat when authors try to relate to younger generations. For example, lines such as calling Starbucks “the ultimate sign of gentrification,” didn’t add to the voice of the narrator. I personally do not think that way of relating to teens is effective in young adult genres. On this note, I liked the idea of social media as a plot device, especially due to its prevalence in current society. However, I think if social media is going to be used, it needs to feel authentic. Specifically in this book, I felt there were a lot of plot holes due to the use of Instagram. The way the characters interacted with each other through Instagram felt unnatural. It made the characters feel very fabricated and less real to me.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and I loved the perspective. I just had issues with the smaller details included in the book because I felt like it made it more difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the novel. Also, I have to say I HATE when authors do the whole last name thing. It just irritated me to my core every time Felix referred to his last name being Love. I felt like the narration would have been so much more effective without that.
By no means did I dislike this book, but I wouldn’t say I liked it either. My main issue with the book was the pacing. Everything felt like it moved too fast, leaving me feeling a bit cheated. In my opinion, the pacing took away from the emotional aspect of the book. It felt very underdeveloped, which made it difficult for me to feel as connected to the characters. I may be cynical, but I personally cannot understand Declan claiming he loved Lucky after like a week and maybe 4 conversations. One of the main themes of the novel was love, so it was frustrating to me that the act of falling in love felt rushed and almost brushed over. I think the development with Ezra was much better, but I still feel like it was severely lacking in depth. I think the author tried to throw in too many plot points for such a short book. I would have preferred if less things were going on and for them to be given more attention and development. I felt like we got a bunch of underdeveloped plot points that had the potential to be well fleshed out, but they ended up falling short for me.
Also, I think this book fits very well into the young adult genre. The maturity level of the characters feels congruent with their age. I did want to mention the attempted bits of humor throughout. Typically, in young adult novels, I feel like the humor falls flat when authors try to relate to younger generations. For example, lines such as calling Starbucks “the ultimate sign of gentrification,” didn’t add to the voice of the narrator. I personally do not think that way of relating to teens is effective in young adult genres. On this note, I liked the idea of social media as a plot device, especially due to its prevalence in current society. However, I think if social media is going to be used, it needs to feel authentic. Specifically in this book, I felt there were a lot of plot holes due to the use of Instagram. The way the characters interacted with each other through Instagram felt unnatural. It made the characters feel very fabricated and less real to me.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and I loved the perspective. I just had issues with the smaller details included in the book because I felt like it made it more difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the novel. Also, I have to say I HATE when authors do the whole last name thing. It just irritated me to my core every time Felix referred to his last name being Love. I felt like the narration would have been so much more effective without that.
amrreading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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