Reviews

Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas

gethenians's review

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1.0

3.99 star average rating? are you kidding me? are you people actually fucking kidding me?

kublakat's review

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3.0

love is real, bitches!!!!!

yourbestietif's review

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emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

jack_the_reader's review

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1.25

I had been reading this book on and off during visits to the library when I was dropped off early to work. I finally decided to borrow the book through Libby, and honestly? as I read the amount that I enjoyed listening to Finch plummeted. I could tell where the book was going, and much of its ~300 pages left me feeling bored as I waited for the outcome I knew would happen to come true. 
How Finch felt about the final debate is something I can understand and often grapple with as a closeted transgender person myself who is in a place where arguing for the eradication of transgender people would cause my peers to treat me with more respect, but a few paragraphs that have a good point won't change one star to three, and his speech at the end didn't feel like this huge statement of power, just him having a spine and refusing to talk about it like I do.

Midway through reading, I did come across some people who talked about racist undertones that can be found throughout the book, and while I don't think that I can properly discern whether or not there is racism in this book based on how little I was educated on racism as a child and that I'm only now beginning to seek out books and resources to actively learn more about the issue, I trust that other people can sniff these things out better than I could, and after reading a couple of reviews expressing those concerns, I did start to have a general "ick" towards the way certain characters were portrayed within the book. 
edit: I was reading more reviews with spoilers in them and I completely forgot that at one point Nasir (who is not black) drops the N-word???? What The Fuck?? I knew he was a piece of shit, but I had forgotten about him being this big of a shit. I'm beginning to think I purposefully stopped reading after that, then when I came back to the library months later I was looking for something to read and that awful incident skipped my mind. I'm beginning to think this book might have originally been written with less poc, then reworked much closer to the deadline to appear much more diverse. 

matilynkay1's review

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4.0

This is such a fun, thoughtful, and touching coming of age story’s I love the characters and their world. Spending time with them is fun. I devoured the book and can’t wait to read more by Peyton!

smalltownbookmom's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this YA trans romance so much!! Finch is a transgender boy who loves being on the debate team and is hoping to win at a national competition. When his team gets assigned to argue against trans rights he struggles with his personal convictions and his desire to win. Throw in some first love with his gay teammate and this was such a sweet and heartfelt story that I absolutely loved! Highly recommended for fans of books like The (un)popular vote by Jasper Sanchez or Always the almost by Edward Underhill.

notinjersey's review

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3.0

Both Sides Now features a trans boy who is on the school debate team. When he has to argue trans rights in a debate tournament, he wonders whether arguing for his own humanity is worth the college scholarship he is hoping for. I had this book on Net Galley and listened to it on audio from the library. A good judge of an audio book for me is whether it holds my attention, and I did find myself zoning out on this one. Plus, I tend to agree with some of the lower ratings on Good Reads as it seems the characters of color and the main antagonist – who is Jewish – are described in stereotypical ways.

notinjersey's review against another edition

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3.0

Both Sides Now features a trans boy who is on the school debate team. When he has to argue trans rights in a debate tournament, he wonders whether arguing for his own humanity is worth the college scholarship he is hoping for. I had this book on Net Galley and listened to it on audio from the library. A good judge of an audio book for me is whether it holds my attention, and I did find myself zoning out on this one. Plus, I tend to agree with some of the lower ratings on Good Reads as it seems the characters of color and the main antagonist – who is Jewish – are described in stereotypical ways.

aelbergan's review

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3.0

I wanted to like this. I really did. I read this in one day–it was compelling and kept me interested. I did appreciate the perspective of a trans author, and the POV of a trans high schooler. I have been trying to read more diverse perspectives, so I did feel like Finch's perspective was thought-provoking, and addressed what it means to have privilege as a trans person (i.e. his financial struggle for surgery).
However, I also feel like it's relevant to note that after I read some reviews, some key points came to my perspective:
- Peyton Thomas has a questionable background, with multiple allegations of harrassment and other problematic behavior. I didn't know this about him, but with that context the tone of this book does feel a little off.
- I had no idea that this was full of South Park references–I don't have a ton of pop culture knowledge, so this isn't surprising to me
What I will say is that a lot of the complexities of identities weren't well-addressed, except for Finch. Any other characters with marginalized identities were glossed over or touched on lightly. I think this book could have gained a lot from a deeper dive into other marginalized identities.

lightqueer's review against another edition

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4.0

i have been anticipating this book for a while now and it did not disappoint! i loved seeing the many relationship dynamics at play throughout the novel and i loved finch's journey with all my heart. i did leave one star off because i felt that his family problems were a little too unresolved rather than left open-ended which i would have found to be more satisfactory. instead, they were wholly passed over once the final debate had ended even though his family had been watching his speech just as lucy and alice brady had been. i thought of jonah as a wonderful character as well, and adwoa too. overall a great read.