Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This was delightful and silly! 16 year old me would have given this a 5/5 so adult me is leaving the rating at a 4. It’s very cute, dramatic, and has angsty teen plots that aren’t just “homophobic jock is homophobic” which is such a nice change of pace for queer YA.
PS. to all the other adults complaining that the MC is annoying - I’m begging you to remember that this is a teen character and a YA book
PS. to all the other adults complaining that the MC is annoying - I’m begging you to remember that this is a teen character and a YA book
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
I so very much enjoyed this queer YA contemporary, coming-of-age trans romance with an academic setting. This story centres around Charlie—a young trans kid trying to hide his identity at an all boys school. Though, when Charlie arrives he realises he’s been mistakenly paired with a roommate—Jasper Grimes—who just so happens to be the same boy who broke his heart two years ago at summer camp. Jasper convinces Charlie to help him write love letters for their classmates; with the promise of ensuring Charlie will get the single room he was supposed to have. Charlie’s adamant to take on everything, whatever it takes to rank in the top 5 and keep his place at Valentine Academy.
Charlie’s character is a complex one. I’ll admit in the beginning I was annoyed with him a few times but that quickly morphed into understanding. Plus, who likes a clean-cut perfect main character anyway? That’d be no fun. Charlie really tries to take everything in his shoulders and he does, it’s not that he fails it’s just that no one person can do everything without also exhausting themselves out, which is a very real expectation people put on themselves—Charlie embodies that. At first Charlie comes across as cynical when it comes to love, he’s allowed his heartbreak to affect how he sees it. So, it’s such a lovely thing to see in his character development. I feel like it was most noticeable in his love letter writing.
Jasper and Charlie as a duo made for an interesting read as they are such opposites to the other which is probably why they gel well together too. I really liked Jasper’s character he’s an enigma. We never get his POV in the book which I think would have been a great addition, I would have loved to be inside his head because while he does come across as odd and uncaring at times that only one of those things is untrue.
The side characters were amazing, so fun and full of life. Each one of them added to the found family vibes. The book had its serious moments and its unserious moments, which the side characters definitely had a play in. It made for a very fun campy read.
Overall, a great read I’d recommend to anyone wanting a bit of fun. If you’re looking for a romance heavy book then maybe this might not be for you as it’s definitely more of a character drive story with the romance being a subplot—Charlie and Jasper’s story is definitely a slow-burn for sure! Though for me that did not take away from my enjoyment of the book in the slightest.
funny
lighthearted
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
the writing was very cheesy and there were a lot of easily avoidable situations but i still enjoyed it and it was cute :)
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
I loved the premise of the book but I honestly don't understand what Charlie sees in Jasper. It's a fun and fast read and I enjoyed the trans rep but I don't think this book was for me and that's okay.
If I had a nickel for every time I read a queer YA title about two people falling in love at a same-sex boarding school this summer, I'd have two nickels - which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
This was a nice, fluffy read with lighthearted humor. I'm not a fan of books where life just BENDS itself to make plot points possible, but again, this was just a light YA read.
This was a nice, fluffy read with lighthearted humor. I'm not a fan of books where life just BENDS itself to make plot points possible, but again, this was just a light YA read.