Reviews

It Looks Like This by Rafi Mittlefehldt

deedeethebumblebee's review against another edition

3.0

3.5. i liked the unique writing style; it was easier to adjust to than i expected. while the story was not earth-shatteringly unique or anything, i personally thing stories like this are worth telling. it was definitely sad, but i reject the notion that all queer stories must only have happy endings and i really dislike that it’s become a talking point in discussions of media related to queerness. overall i probably wouldn’t read this again, but i’m glad i did, and i would definitely pick up another book from this author.

megatsunami's review against another edition

3.0

At first the narrative voice seemed overly simple, but as I kept reading, I actually felt like it was a more accurate portrayal of a 14-year-old boy's inner life (vs some YA teenage protagonists who seem to have the sophisticated vocabulary and concepts of older young adults). I liked the two main characters a lot and the romance was very sweet. I was kind of bothered by the tragic turn of the story, as other reviewers have commented - did we need another book with this type of events? Still, it's a real thing that many young people do go through

Spoiler

family rejection, religious shaming, turning to alcohol to cope, which can all have terrible consequences

.

crystal_reading's review against another edition

The story is compelling, but I would not want to put it in the hands of a gay teen. Bury Your Gays is a trope I have seen a few too many times.

alifromkc1907's review against another edition

4.0

Gut Instinct Rating: 5
Characters: 5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 3
Excitement Factor: 4
Story Line: 4.5
Title Relevance: 3
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.34

littlefoot10's review against another edition

3.0

I would give this book a 3.25 stars out of 5. This cover is simple yet stunning. I enjoyed the basis of this book... a boy that is struggling to find himself while growing up in a strict family household, but I will say this book made me so sad while reading it.
This is the second book I've read recently that has a main character that is discovering who he is, realizing he is into the same sex, trying to make it through high school while coming to terms with everything going on in his life... and both books were incredibly sad...and beyond tragic. It's like these characters can't be happy.. they can't end up together while facing the world together. It just seems strange to me, I wanted both of these characters to stand up for who they are, and I just feel like this book could have had more of an impact if the accident was serious, but not life ending. If maybe after he got back from the camp he saw messages from Sean on Facebook about what he was going through while Mike was away at the camp. I feel like an opportunity was missed by the author for these characters to rise above all the bullshit in their lifes', and could have been happy in the end. Maybe I'm just biased because I wanted Sean and Mike to both be able to get to the other side and see that if gets better, and live happily ever after together. Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic.

ginnikin's review against another edition

I really enjoyed the writing style. I was spare and simple, and it worked really well to illustrate Mike's constrained life. However, -2 stars for

Spoiler

fridging Sean.

There are better ways to tell a story, and I'm tired of this.

mackenna_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

okay first the lack of quotation marks threw me off but i actually got used to it pretty quickly. i was really hoping this book was going to have a happy ending but oh my god sweet sean i felt horrible for him. the writing style was interesting and i feel like mike’s relationship with his dad, however horrible, was written really well. i loved seeing the moms step up, i only wish they had done it sooner for the boys. ronald’s mom deserves the world she was so sweet for telling mike he didn’t do anything wrong. and it was so so good getting to see mike stand up for himself and tell his dad that it was always going to hurt him more! a great book i just wish we could’ve gotten more of sean and mike

demonsreadtoo's review against another edition

4.0

This little book held me hostage. I went from loving it to wanting to strangle it and break free. With tears threatening my eyes, I read this book during my lunch breaks this week, surprised by how many emotions it managed to bring out of me. Mike’s story, while tragic, gave a refreshing (and angering) view into what it’s like growing up gay in a religious family. I don’t know if I would have wanted to read this back when I was figuring things out in my teens, but I could handle it now.

Read the full review on my blog, Demons Read Too

bestdressedbookworm's review

3.0

Enjoyed it, hit a few points really well, basic story line executed well.
It's not a book I would re-read however.

millercarly94's review against another edition

4.0

As the main character, Mike is easy to like. But the other characters have very narrow, unfleshed out personalities that make it hard to connect with. The characters seemed to just suit the stereotypical role they’re meant to fit. This was most frustrating with Sean because I really wanted to know more about him.

Sometimes the pace was torturously slow- how many times can I read about Mike walking Charlie? (But also that somehow made me understand Mike better in a weird way?)

An impactful story that moved me so much that I can overlook it’s faults and give it 4 stars.