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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
Ok, if I had actually paid attention to what this was about I absolutely would not have picked it up, but I'm so glad I didn't notice because this is my exact favorite flavor of quirkyweird writing!!
The art is cute, the story is interesting, I feel for the characters - the commentary on Christian schools is relatable, and the quirky writing is great. I could do without the content being bootlegged being hentai, but the book is never actually graphic, so it wasn't that big a deal.
Have I mentioned quirky yet?? It's so quirky. Loved it.
The art is cute, the story is interesting, I feel for the characters - the commentary on Christian schools is relatable, and the quirky writing is great. I could do without the content being bootlegged being hentai, but the book is never actually graphic, so it wasn't that big a deal.
Have I mentioned quirky yet?? It's so quirky. Loved it.
adventurous
funny
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:
Yes
Dave Barker and Nicole Goux have a very specific mood they put in their stories, which is front and center in their work as well. I hope that there will be more stories about these characters in the future. Great read if you're into angsty teens who are poor judges of emotions, not only to themselves but the people around them.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Originally, I thought this book was good, but just not for me. Then I read the author's note and reread the synopsis and decided that it was not just me.
FHBS attempts to address the question: "Is this feeling of being lost something that will follow them forever? Or is this just...high school?" However, the ending makes it clear that it is not actually answering that question; firstly, because they are still in high school in the "where are they now" epilogue, and secondly, because everyone is worse-off and stuck in a depressive spiral. The ending felt incomplete. It felt like the author was going for an artsy, sad ending, but there isn't any emotional resonance to make that satisfying. It is especially disappointing because there are several asides throughout the book that make it clear that certain of them will never achieve their dreams or change in a positive way.
The author's note claimed that this book was intended to provide solace for queers in similar situations. But is it solace to provide a mirror image of shitty situations and environments without any glimmer of hope? Is it solace to have your experience reflected and see the characters remain stuck in that situation? Honestly, this book might have had a more satisfying ending without the epilogue. At least, it would have been more open-ended. This book seems to, against its aims, push a narrative that people can't change for the better.
As a nit-picky aside, the art does something common in graphic novels, where the black characters have lips and no one else does. It has been pointed out to me that this is, however unintentionally, a holdover of racist caricatures of black people. If you want to make black characters' lips look fuller, draw lips on other characters, too.
Spoiler
FHBS attempts to address the question: "Is this feeling of being lost something that will follow them forever? Or is this just...high school?" However, the ending makes it clear that it is not actually answering that question; firstly, because they are still in high school in the "where are they now" epilogue, and secondly, because everyone is worse-off and stuck in a depressive spiral. The ending felt incomplete. It felt like the author was going for an artsy, sad ending, but there isn't any emotional resonance to make that satisfying. It is especially disappointing because there are several asides throughout the book that make it clear that certain of them will never achieve their dreams or change in a positive way.
The author's note claimed that this book was intended to provide solace for queers in similar situations. But is it solace to provide a mirror image of shitty situations and environments without any glimmer of hope? Is it solace to have your experience reflected and see the characters remain stuck in that situation? Honestly, this book might have had a more satisfying ending without the epilogue. At least, it would have been more open-ended. This book seems to, against its aims, push a narrative that people can't change for the better.
As a nit-picky aside, the art does something common in graphic novels, where the black characters have lips and no one else does. It has been pointed out to me that this is, however unintentionally, a holdover of racist caricatures of black people. If you want to make black characters' lips look fuller, draw lips on other characters, too.