Scan barcode
herphoenixloves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
siavoosh's review against another edition
5.0
I started this book thinking I'm not going to really care for it. I thought it was going to be weak and predictable and badly-written, and in the first couple of chapters, with all the unnecessary info dumping about the way characters looked or dressed, I thought that might had been a correct assumption.
It was not, though.
I never use words like 'the most', 'the best' etc. I always say 'one of the best', 'one of the most'. Today, I dare say that Felix was the most relatable character I have ever read. I felt his pain and joy and questioning, I felt his confusion, I felt his yearning to be something. It hit even harder than it would usually because recently, I have been been going through the same things Felix has been going through; I've been questioning my gender, my labels, my worth, what I'm gonna do with my life after school ends (or even before it ends), my talents, if I have them in th first place and how to use them and how to be confident of them, self love and acceptance, finding platonic and romantic love in life, maybe, at some point, getting to fucking understand the difference between those (and other) kinds of love, and finally, how to be a happy, sure, functional human being, I guess.
And so this book was kind of painful in that way: as if someone was making fun of me in front of me and I couldn't do anything. But it was also a bit reassuring, to see someone having an experience so close to mine, seeing them fuck up the way I would, and knowing that it's going to be ok for them, so it probably would, for me, too.
This story had many queer characters, but that did not mean everything was rainbow and butterflies and no prejudice was seen anywhere near anyone. Transphobia (and biphobia. And misogyny) in the queer community was addressed, and the complicated truth about how each and every queer person faces a different level of bigotry in their life, how all the experiences are valid and need to be talked about and at the same time, some face way more than others.
I loved how friendship was handled in this book, and loneliness in crowds, and family, and the awkwardness of meeting someone in real life for the first time after you've been texting practically 24/7 for some time now (which is an experience I think more people have now, because the pandemic didn't let us meet new people as much as we used to).
And since Felix's pain and embarrassment felt like mine, his joy felt like mine also. By the end of the book, I felt like I'm all glittery and gay myself (I am gay though), I felt like I'm in NYC pride march or something, screaming my throat out and laughing and crying and surrounded by music and people who accept each other.
And it was one hell of a feeling.
It was not, though.
I never use words like 'the most', 'the best' etc. I always say 'one of the best', 'one of the most'. Today, I dare say that Felix was the most relatable character I have ever read. I felt his pain and joy and questioning, I felt his confusion, I felt his yearning to be something. It hit even harder than it would usually because recently, I have been been going through the same things Felix has been going through; I've been questioning my gender, my labels, my worth, what I'm gonna do with my life after school ends (or even before it ends), my talents, if I have them in th first place and how to use them and how to be confident of them, self love and acceptance, finding platonic and romantic love in life, maybe, at some point, getting to fucking understand the difference between those (and other) kinds of love, and finally, how to be a happy, sure, functional human being, I guess.
And so this book was kind of painful in that way: as if someone was making fun of me in front of me and I couldn't do anything. But it was also a bit reassuring, to see someone having an experience so close to mine, seeing them fuck up the way I would, and knowing that it's going to be ok for them, so it probably would, for me, too.
This story had many queer characters, but that did not mean everything was rainbow and butterflies and no prejudice was seen anywhere near anyone. Transphobia (and biphobia. And misogyny) in the queer community was addressed, and the complicated truth about how each and every queer person faces a different level of bigotry in their life, how all the experiences are valid and need to be talked about and at the same time, some face way more than others.
I loved how friendship was handled in this book, and loneliness in crowds, and family, and the awkwardness of meeting someone in real life for the first time after you've been texting practically 24/7 for some time now (which is an experience I think more people have now, because the pandemic didn't let us meet new people as much as we used to).
And since Felix's pain and embarrassment felt like mine, his joy felt like mine also. By the end of the book, I felt like I'm all glittery and gay myself (I am gay though), I felt like I'm in NYC pride march or something, screaming my throat out and laughing and crying and surrounded by music and people who accept each other.
And it was one hell of a feeling.
annineamundsen's review against another edition
4.0
Warning: main character experiences quite a bit of transphobia.
To sum up, this story is about accepting yourself and not defining yourself by what others think. It's about love, and letting yourself both love and be loved. I really liked this book - especially how it deals with questioning your gender identity. Very relatable and authentically written. Plus basically all the characters are queer which is a bonus.
To sum up, this story is about accepting yourself and not defining yourself by what others think. It's about love, and letting yourself both love and be loved. I really liked this book - especially how it deals with questioning your gender identity. Very relatable and authentically written. Plus basically all the characters are queer which is a bonus.
bambhee's review against another edition
2.0
friends to lovers ruined this book for me, and i wish i was joking. also, i wish someone told me how this was going to turn out somehow so i didn't have to bother at all. it's not like i didn't enjoy “felix ever after” at least a little bit, because i did. but i also found it very... underwhelming. i don't know.
the way this book made me feel reminded me a lot of the headspace i was in while catching up with the wolves of mercy falls—what i mean by this is, this is so not my target anymore. felix is a pretty complicated character, and while i know that all his faults make him nothing but human... i really can't emphatize with teenagers anymore, i'm sorry.
the romance wasn't convincing either, the bit with declan because it was way too rushed and whatever the hell happened with ezra because it was oh–so predictable. i liked some aspects of the representation here, many of the passages and ideas portrayed in this book, but i also found it extremely triggering—and i'm not even trans!
for this and many more reasons, i'm not sure i would recommend “felix ever after” lightly to anyone.
the way this book made me feel reminded me a lot of the headspace i was in while catching up with the wolves of mercy falls—what i mean by this is, this is so not my target anymore. felix is a pretty complicated character, and while i know that all his faults make him nothing but human... i really can't emphatize with teenagers anymore, i'm sorry.
the romance wasn't convincing either, the bit with declan because it was way too rushed and whatever the hell happened with ezra because it was oh–so predictable. i liked some aspects of the representation here, many of the passages and ideas portrayed in this book, but i also found it extremely triggering—and i'm not even trans!
for this and many more reasons, i'm not sure i would recommend “felix ever after” lightly to anyone.
bookhoarder76's review against another edition
3.0
All my reader buddies loved this one! It was ok for me. Didn’t love it didn’t hate it.
multenis's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure about starting a new trans-centric story right after the disaster that was "May The Best Man Win", and I'm a little afraid that my rating could be a bit subjective exactly because the last book I read was so terrible, but...
This book felt like home should feel like. I'm honestly too overwhelmed with positive emotions, so forgive me for not being able to express exactly why this book is great, just trust me that it is.
I might have lucked out and stumbled on a book that understands me on a very personal level, and I understand that it definitely affects how I rate it, but that aside: I wholeheartedly suggest reading this to anybody who's questioning their identity, and struggling with love.
This might just be the hot-tea-and-a-warm-blanket of books that one might need in their life.
This book felt like home should feel like. I'm honestly too overwhelmed with positive emotions, so forgive me for not being able to express exactly why this book is great, just trust me that it is.
I might have lucked out and stumbled on a book that understands me on a very personal level, and I understand that it definitely affects how I rate it, but that aside: I wholeheartedly suggest reading this to anybody who's questioning their identity, and struggling with love.
This might just be the hot-tea-and-a-warm-blanket of books that one might need in their life.
jonesyp414's review against another edition
4.0
A really cute story that was insightful yet gripping. I also learned more about queer identities than expected and, as a queer adult, that is still appreciated!
bie's review against another edition
4.0
Some people say we shouldn’t need labels. That we’re trying to box ourselves in too much. But I don’t know. It feels good to me, to know I’m not alone. That someone else has felt the same way I’ve felt, experienced the same things I’ve experienced. It’s validating.
i–
i don't even know what to say
do you ever read a book so good that when you're done you read the author's note, the acknowledgements, the page about the author, and even the copyright page? just because you don't want it to be over? because you don't want to let go? yeah.
i've been screaming about this in my friend's dms and one of the things we've both been saying is how it answered questions we didn't even know we had. i've been questioning a bunch of things for so long and by questioning them, i sometimes ended up feeling like a fraud. like i'm never enough of this, or enough of that; that someone will grab my hand one day and tell me, “hey, you're not part of this community, get your shit together. or even better, get out.” it felt so, so good seeing this sort of representation on paper, someone who's still figuring all out. there are so many quotes i want to put here, i have a huge amount of this book highlighted in bright yellow, but i don't even know which one will do it justice.
“These younger generations,” Tom echoes. “I envy them. There’s so much more space to explore who they are now. To explore and celebrate themselves. I could never have imagined seeing a transgender man on TV or in the movies when I was younger. And now?” He looks at me. “I look at you and wish I could be a teenager again. I know that things aren’t perfect,” he says, nodding, “and there are still hardships, but don’t forget to enjoy these years. Live. Live them for the people who didn’t get to enjoy being a teenager. For the people who never lived past being a teenager.”
it took me 2 or 3 chapters to really stop scrunching my nose and roll my eyes and at that point i thought i will not like it (a thought that terrified me cause i knew all my friends who read it Loved it) but when i finally got into it, i was truly in. the amount of times i told myself while reading “oh, i thought about that” or “i Said that” or “i felt that”... similar to how i felt about legendborn, this was another book i've been waiting for (for different reasons, of course) so i'm so extremely grateful to have read it. i keep wondering how different things would've been if i had it a few years ago... a few months ago... fuck, even a few weeks ago when i was spiralling about gender and sexuality and everything. well, better late than never, as they say.
too much rambling. just read it, you'll love it.
source: trust me, dude.
---
trigger warnings: alcohol (underage drinking), bullying, catfishing, cyberbullying, deadnaming, disownment, homophobia, injections, misgendering, outing, parental abuse/neglect (talked about, not shown), racism, surgery & scars (mentioned), transphobia, weed.
i–
i don't even know what to say
do you ever read a book so good that when you're done you read the author's note, the acknowledgements, the page about the author, and even the copyright page? just because you don't want it to be over? because you don't want to let go? yeah.
i've been screaming about this in my friend's dms and one of the things we've both been saying is how it answered questions we didn't even know we had. i've been questioning a bunch of things for so long and by questioning them, i sometimes ended up feeling like a fraud. like i'm never enough of this, or enough of that; that someone will grab my hand one day and tell me, “hey, you're not part of this community, get your shit together. or even better, get out.” it felt so, so good seeing this sort of representation on paper, someone who's still figuring all out. there are so many quotes i want to put here, i have a huge amount of this book highlighted in bright yellow, but i don't even know which one will do it justice.
“These younger generations,” Tom echoes. “I envy them. There’s so much more space to explore who they are now. To explore and celebrate themselves. I could never have imagined seeing a transgender man on TV or in the movies when I was younger. And now?” He looks at me. “I look at you and wish I could be a teenager again. I know that things aren’t perfect,” he says, nodding, “and there are still hardships, but don’t forget to enjoy these years. Live. Live them for the people who didn’t get to enjoy being a teenager. For the people who never lived past being a teenager.”
it took me 2 or 3 chapters to really stop scrunching my nose and roll my eyes and at that point i thought i will not like it (a thought that terrified me cause i knew all my friends who read it Loved it) but when i finally got into it, i was truly in. the amount of times i told myself while reading “oh, i thought about that” or “i Said that” or “i felt that”... similar to how i felt about legendborn, this was another book i've been waiting for (for different reasons, of course) so i'm so extremely grateful to have read it. i keep wondering how different things would've been if i had it a few years ago... a few months ago... fuck, even a few weeks ago when i was spiralling about gender and sexuality and everything. well, better late than never, as they say.
too much rambling. just read it, you'll love it.
source: trust me, dude.
---
trigger warnings: alcohol (underage drinking), bullying, catfishing, cyberbullying, deadnaming, disownment, homophobia, injections, misgendering, outing, parental abuse/neglect (talked about, not shown), racism, surgery & scars (mentioned), transphobia, weed.