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sugarmountain's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
shit like this getting published is the best motivation tbh. firstly, this should have been an adult novel - wanted to tackle way too many complex subjects not suited for a short teen flick. turned into a very tropey thriller by the last 50 pages. so chock full of witty one-liners and chronically online references. also, the author seems to be living in the past - the comic con culture they describe is simply NOT accurate to how modern cons operate. these are the sorts of things you hear internet horror stories about. i go to cons as regularly as our protagonist and the book just makes them out to be cesspools of predatory obsessive geeks who don't understand social interaction. as an ex-catholic, i can't ignore all the startling misrepresentations of the church. i'm talking straight up 'that is not how church works'. i don't think the author ever attended a catholic mass.... or for that matter, went to confession. i have a LOT of problems w the catholic church (hence leaving the religion) but the 'priests who touch altar boys' thing is a tried and true joke that holds a lot less relevance now than it did in, idk, the 70s? like i said, outdated. i'd be remiss not to mention the clear depiction of several severe mental disorders that are labelled as the protagonist's gender identity. tldr: excellent concept, laughably bad execution and incompetent writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
rennegade's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I definitely have mixed thoughts on this book, but overall I enjoyed a lot of aspects of it.
The novel follows Aleks/Alexis, a bigender teen who moves in with their religious aunt and uncle after a traumatic event. They realize that they can hear the confessions from a vent in their bedroom, so they decide to help the people they overhear.
The things I liked: I always appreciate good LGBT representation, and this is the first book I've read with a bigender character. The distinct differences between Aleks and Alexis were clear, and it helped to really understand the character. This book tackles some delicate subjects, including homophobia/transphobia and sexual molestation in the Catholic church, and I feel it was done well. It was not a blanket condemnation of Catholicism, including some great characters who were diverse in terms of race and sexuality while still having that strong faith in God. There were also a lot of nerdy references, which I liked. More than once, I found myself Googling to see if the animes mentioned in the novel were real because they sounded like something I'd sit down and watch right now.
The things I didn't like so much: I had a really hard time suspending disbelief for several things in the story. I won't give away anything major in terms of later plot points, but the idea that a confessional would be so poorly designed that people could be heard clearly through an air vent in a connected house just seems highly unrealistic to me. Also, I am assuming that a lot of these things were only confessed to the priest. If that is the case, how did he not catch flak when things were happening because of Aleks/Alexis being Raziel? Surely at least one of the people would have connected the dots to their confession. The entire ending of the book was a bit lackluster for me. It felt so strange reading the book to see the main character suspecting the person they did when it was abundantly clear who the villain was from the very moment he appeared. I cannot tell if we as the readers were supposed to be surprised at that reveal, but I was just confused that Aleks/Alexis could have possibly suspected the other person.
All told, I still liked the book. It kept my attention and there were some good characters who made me want to keep reading. I liked the splashes of fandom (even the dark side of it that is brought up). I would definitely read more by this author.
I definitely have mixed thoughts on this book, but overall I enjoyed a lot of aspects of it.
The novel follows Aleks/Alexis, a bigender teen who moves in with their religious aunt and uncle after a traumatic event. They realize that they can hear the confessions from a vent in their bedroom, so they decide to help the people they overhear.
The things I liked: I always appreciate good LGBT representation, and this is the first book I've read with a bigender character. The distinct differences between Aleks and Alexis were clear, and it helped to really understand the character. This book tackles some delicate subjects, including homophobia/transphobia and sexual molestation in the Catholic church, and I feel it was done well. It was not a blanket condemnation of Catholicism, including some great characters who were diverse in terms of race and sexuality while still having that strong faith in God. There were also a lot of nerdy references, which I liked. More than once, I found myself Googling to see if the animes mentioned in the novel were real because they sounded like something I'd sit down and watch right now.
The things I didn't like so much: I had a really hard time suspending disbelief for several things in the story. I won't give away anything major in terms of later plot points, but the idea that a confessional would be so poorly designed that people could be heard clearly through an air vent in a connected house just seems highly unrealistic to me. Also, I am assuming that a lot of these things were only confessed to the priest. If that is the case, how did he not catch flak when things were happening because of Aleks/Alexis being Raziel? Surely at least one of the people would have connected the dots to their confession. The entire ending of the book was a bit lackluster for me. It felt so strange reading the book to see the main character suspecting the person they did when it was abundantly clear who the villain was from the very moment he appeared. I cannot tell if we as the readers were supposed to be surprised at that reveal, but I was just confused that Aleks/Alexis could have possibly suspected the other person.
All told, I still liked the book. It kept my attention and there were some good characters who made me want to keep reading. I liked the splashes of fandom (even the dark side of it that is brought up). I would definitely read more by this author.
whatchareadingheather's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As someone who grew up Catholic, I think this book is an extremely important one to exist as I haven’t really see much fiction focused on sexual abuse in the church (if y’all have recs please send them my way because I’ve seen more nonfiction on this particular topic). I also think that the inclusion of harassment and assault in the cosplay convention setting is not only timely and relevant, but also works into the plot smoothly. I feel like the ending was slightly on the rushed side, but overall I think the buildup to the conclusion was well done enough that I can give it a pass.
kappareads's review against another edition
3.0
*ARC from Netgalley
Real rating: 3.5 stars
Read my full review and other reviews on my blog!
TW: homophobia (internalized as well), transphobia (internalized as well), misgendering, pedophilia (off page, talked about), sexual assault (off page, talked about)
SOMEBODY TOLD ME is more than anything, a story of abuse and survival. Due to events that happened with Aleks/Alexis’ friends, they live with their Catholic aunt and uncle for the summer. Their uncle is a Catholic priest and Aleks/Alexis soon realizes their room is right next to the confessional booth. They overhear something they weren’t supposed to hear in the Confessional, and after being disappointed with their uncle’s response, they must find the confessor and bring them to justice.
Aleks/Alexis is bigender and queer, an aspect that often comes into conflict with their conservative aunt and uncle. Their trauma is tied to their being trans, which makes their experience with gender very messy, which I appreciate. Nonbinary identities are rarely mentioned in books, and I’m glad this book and show that nonbinary identities aren’t so cut and dry. Their experience with gender is more in depth than one day he’s Aleks and one day she’s Alexis.
More than anything, this book is about trauma and survival, even more so than the confessional booth part. This book is about the trauma the Catholic church has inflicted on people as well as the trauma Alexis/Aleks endured at the hands of their friends. It’s messy, but important, especially as Aleks/Alexis’ trauma is related to convention/cosplay culture, something I feel like often goes unsaid.
My main issue was the book was the pacing felt off in the beginning and the plot regarding the mystery confession hinged on a lot of miscommunication and assumptions. It's just a trope I'm not a fan of, even if I recognize it was a part of Aleks/Alexis' growth.
I feel like I may end up rereading this in the future, but it was overall enjoyable, even if the subject matter could be hard to handle.
Real rating: 3.5 stars
Read my full review and other reviews on my blog!
TW: homophobia (internalized as well), transphobia (internalized as well), misgendering, pedophilia (off page, talked about), sexual assault (off page, talked about)
SOMEBODY TOLD ME is more than anything, a story of abuse and survival. Due to events that happened with Aleks/Alexis’ friends, they live with their Catholic aunt and uncle for the summer. Their uncle is a Catholic priest and Aleks/Alexis soon realizes their room is right next to the confessional booth. They overhear something they weren’t supposed to hear in the Confessional, and after being disappointed with their uncle’s response, they must find the confessor and bring them to justice.
Aleks/Alexis is bigender and queer, an aspect that often comes into conflict with their conservative aunt and uncle. Their trauma is tied to their being trans, which makes their experience with gender very messy, which I appreciate. Nonbinary identities are rarely mentioned in books, and I’m glad this book and show that nonbinary identities aren’t so cut and dry. Their experience with gender is more in depth than one day he’s Aleks and one day she’s Alexis.
More than anything, this book is about trauma and survival, even more so than the confessional booth part. This book is about the trauma the Catholic church has inflicted on people as well as the trauma Alexis/Aleks endured at the hands of their friends. It’s messy, but important, especially as Aleks/Alexis’ trauma is related to convention/cosplay culture, something I feel like often goes unsaid.
My main issue was the book was the pacing felt off in the beginning and the plot regarding the mystery confession hinged on a lot of miscommunication and assumptions. It's just a trope I'm not a fan of, even if I recognize it was a part of Aleks/Alexis' growth.
I feel like I may end up rereading this in the future, but it was overall enjoyable, even if the subject matter could be hard to handle.
perpetually_reading_'s review
4.0
I received this book as an arc from Net Galley and offer my honest review.
Book Details: After an assault, bigender seventeen-year-old Aleks/Alexis is looking for a fresh start―so they voluntarily move in with their uncle, a Catholic priest. In their new bedroom, Aleks/Alexis discovers they can overhear parishioners in the church confessional. Moved by the struggles of these "sinners," Aleks/Alexis decides to anonymously help them, finding solace in their secret identity: a guardian angel instead of a victim.
But then Aleks/Alexis overhears a confession of another priest admitting to sexually abusing a parishioner. As they try to uncover the priest's identity before he hurts anyone again, Aleks/Alexis is also forced to confront their own abuser and come to terms with their past trauma.
I’ve only my just finished this book and still feel shook from everything within it. I’m not a religious person but have been impacted by the stories of sexual assault survivors from the Catholic Faith. I appreciate the author for being able to offer up a story that allows readers to understand the shame, guilt and embarrassment that survivors carry with them daily for something that isn’t their fault. The way that the hyper vigilance, flashbacks and anxiousness that’s portrayed by Aleks/Alexis Is textbook PTSD and done authentically which I appreciated. As readers we are also submerged into the life of an individual who identifies outside “culture norms” as bigender and educated us in a non-threatening way on how we can do better.
One thing that I didn’t like, a bit of a pet peeve, is that while Aleks/Alexis wants people to accept them for who they are without question or assumptions; Aleks/Alexis is constantly making assumptions about Dima, Bernie, Joey and even their Aunt. I can see how that played into the story line, but it also felt too defensive and harmful.
Book Details: After an assault, bigender seventeen-year-old Aleks/Alexis is looking for a fresh start―so they voluntarily move in with their uncle, a Catholic priest. In their new bedroom, Aleks/Alexis discovers they can overhear parishioners in the church confessional. Moved by the struggles of these "sinners," Aleks/Alexis decides to anonymously help them, finding solace in their secret identity: a guardian angel instead of a victim.
But then Aleks/Alexis overhears a confession of another priest admitting to sexually abusing a parishioner. As they try to uncover the priest's identity before he hurts anyone again, Aleks/Alexis is also forced to confront their own abuser and come to terms with their past trauma.
I’ve only my just finished this book and still feel shook from everything within it. I’m not a religious person but have been impacted by the stories of sexual assault survivors from the Catholic Faith. I appreciate the author for being able to offer up a story that allows readers to understand the shame, guilt and embarrassment that survivors carry with them daily for something that isn’t their fault. The way that the hyper vigilance, flashbacks and anxiousness that’s portrayed by Aleks/Alexis Is textbook PTSD and done authentically which I appreciated. As readers we are also submerged into the life of an individual who identifies outside “culture norms” as bigender and educated us in a non-threatening way on how we can do better.
One thing that I didn’t like, a bit of a pet peeve, is that while Aleks/Alexis wants people to accept them for who they are without question or assumptions; Aleks/Alexis is constantly making assumptions about Dima, Bernie, Joey and even their Aunt. I can see how that played into the story line, but it also felt too defensive and harmful.
abbyobert77's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
rebeccadupont's review
3.0
It took me while to get into this book, but Siegert is good at adding more turns and keeping a plot moving fast. I am not a big reader of young adult fiction so some behaviors and thoughts of our protagonist annoyed me, assuming wrong things, jumping to conclusions etc. but that was part of their journey and I liked seeing them change and improve. I was not a fan of the voice in the head portion, it felt unnecessary. Oddly my favorite characters were our nun Bernie and Deacon Joey.
A lot of the plot line was predictable but it was told from a new POV and brought a stripe of the LGBTQ+ rainbow to the forefront that is rarely seen. I enjoyed the ideas about what God means to a person in particular and how that is not the same as a church. I also enjoyed the final growth of coming to terms with and understanding one's own identity then learning to love that.
A lot of the plot line was predictable but it was told from a new POV and brought a stripe of the LGBTQ+ rainbow to the forefront that is rarely seen. I enjoyed the ideas about what God means to a person in particular and how that is not the same as a church. I also enjoyed the final growth of coming to terms with and understanding one's own identity then learning to love that.
azaleas_bouquet's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Cursing, Body shaming, and Deadnaming
justmeandmybooks_'s review
4.0
4.5 stars
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
It's been almost a month since I finished this book, and I still have no idea how to review it. I think this is for two reasons. (1) reading Somebody Told Me was honestly such a surreal experience and I don't entirely know what to make of it, and (2) this book focused so heavily on extremely personal experiences that I quite frankly cannot speak on
That said, this book was utterly fantastic, so while I'm going to keep this short I'm going to list a few things that I loved about it:
- Aleks/Alexis's voice was so strong and absolutely carried the book. I've rarely read any book with this strong a voice, and it utterly blew me away
- The discussions on religion and abuse of religious power it had, without villainizing religion in any way
- The side characters were so wonderfully fleshed out and alive
- The discussions on fandom and how it can be toxic sometimes
- I also thought the character growth we see in Aleks/Alexis was so powerful and beautifully written
TWs:
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
It's been almost a month since I finished this book, and I still have no idea how to review it. I think this is for two reasons. (1) reading Somebody Told Me was honestly such a surreal experience and I don't entirely know what to make of it, and (2) this book focused so heavily on extremely personal experiences that I quite frankly cannot speak on
That said, this book was utterly fantastic, so while I'm going to keep this short I'm going to list a few things that I loved about it:
- Aleks/Alexis's voice was so strong and absolutely carried the book. I've rarely read any book with this strong a voice, and it utterly blew me away
- The discussions on religion and abuse of religious power it had, without villainizing religion in any way
- The side characters were so wonderfully fleshed out and alive
- The discussions on fandom and how it can be toxic sometimes
- I also thought the character growth we see in Aleks/Alexis was so powerful and beautifully written
TWs:
Spoiler
sexual assault, child sexual abuse, mention of grooming, mention of conversion therapy, homophobia, transphobia, internalized homophobia and transphobia, murder and attempted murder, misgenderingfandomjaxxox's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0