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betweentheshelves's review
- 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
But! I do think this is an important story. River is not the most likeable main character, especially at the beginning. They're very sarcastic, guarded, and have definitely taken on the beliefs of their small town in Ohio. Like, at times, it's painful to read their inner thoughts and how they interact with other people. But I also think this was kind of the point? There are a lot of trans people who do grow up in these situations, and McCarthy gives them a voice in this.
My favorite aspect of this was probably the core relationship, which wasn't always healthy but still felt realisitc. You're rooting for River and Indy, and you get to see how they both evolve throughout the book. By the end, I had come to love them both, and the book was difficult to put down.
Despite my mixed feelings about the pacing and the voice, I get why this one is getting buzz. If you're looking for an unflinching, a bit dark look at a trans experience, I'd recommend picking this one up.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Deadnaming
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Sexual content
courtneyclouts's review
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Deadnaming
kayladaila's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Acephobia/Arophobia, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Outing, Pregnancy, Racism, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Hate crime, Eating disorder, and Medical content
caseythereader's review
- 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
- I love the depiction here of River coming out as lesbian and then realizing that label doesn't quite fit, and starting over again.
- I also appreciated the way this book shows how sometimes a family isn't understanding or supportive of queerness, but also doesn't kick their child out. I feel like teen coming out stories are often binary: a fully supporting family or immediate disownment, when realities are often messier than that.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Pregnancy and Drug use
bookcrushin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Bullying, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism, Deadnaming, and Injury/Injury detail
grimdark_dad's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Transphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Cancer, Dysphoria, Outing, and Sexual content
melaniereadsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
River is like a man-o-war: trapped in a tank they can't survive in, accidentally stings. They are on the swim team and loving the water, but have extreme body dysphoria and are struggling to survive. When they cross paths with Indy, River is able to see parts of themself they've never noticed before.
This book is an absolutely amazing exploration about discovering who you are and the pain and trauma it can cause when you don't feel like you fit. River is such a complex character--they're vicious and soft and hating and loving. I feel like River's character really shows the way people can change as they grow and understand themselves more.
Some of the moments with River's mom and coach really hurt to read about. They have some toxic people in their life, but also some amazing people that really help them through.
I adooooooore the relationship arc in this book. Cory does such a great job of writing a relationship that is so many different things and showing the way people can grow next to each other and apart. It shows the way someone else can hold a mirror up so you can really understand yourself better, but be able to form that way on your own. It is... poignant, and heart-breaking, and I loved it.
This book does time jumps which I usually don't like, but I didn't have a problem with it here. I thought it did such a good job representing the dysphoria that River goes through and hitting on the important things but still moving the story along. What I was nervous about at first ended up being a great narrative tool that made the story that much better.
I love love love this book and hope you all get it when it comes out in May.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Transphobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Racism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Deadnaming, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, and Outing
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
foreverinastory's review
- 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
5.0
After reading their spouse's book The Heartbreak Bakery I thought there couldn't be another book that would speak to my own tangled relationship with gender identity and then I read this book. I am in tears up to my soul after reading this. I am in pieces but so full of love and hope for the future. I didn't know how much I needed this book.
I haven't completely read all of Cory's backlog, but I know without a doubt that this is their best work yet. Man O'War is full of reflection and questioning. It was not an easy book, but it was one I desperately needed. I'll be singing it's praises all through next year. I loved River's character and their journey into queer identity. There's no single one way to be queer and that point is made many times in this book. We see River, Indy and other characters grow. They change and make mistakes, but they're continuing to learn the whole time.
This review isn't going to be completely coherent because I am still INCREDIBLY emotional about this book. I loved it so much and I truly don't have enough words to tell y'all about it. Books like these are the reason I read contemporary books. This was everything. I can't wait to physically have this book in my hands and cry over it.
Rep: questioning pansexual nonbinary white presenting Lebanese-Irish MC with anxiety and depression, bisexual agender love interest, Lebanese-Irish asexual male side character, Asian lesbian female side character in a WLW relationship, white lesbian female side character, Black cishet male side character, white queer demiboy side character, trans male side character, achillean BIPOC side character.
CWs: Acephobia/acemisia, alcohol consumption, biphobia/bimisia, bullying, deadnaming/misgendering, dysphoria, homophobia/homomisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, mental illness (anxiety and depression), outing, transphobia/transmisia. Brief: sexual content.
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Outing, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content