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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 rounded up to 5/5
This review will contain minor spoilers because in order to talk about my completely honest feelings I need to talk about both of the love interests and their relationships with Noah.
I only have one issue with this book and it has nothing to do with the quality of this amazing novel, just my own personal triggers related to gaslighting and manipulation. The scenes with Drew were very difficult for me to read due to a personal history of dealing with gaslighting so those sections were a challenge to get through and almost made me DNF the book. So if you are someone with similar triggers, that is something to be aware of when picking up this book.
While this book was a challenge for me, I’m happy there is this representation of manipulative relationships in a YA book that are portrayed as unhealthy. This is a relationship I needed to see as a teen, to know how sometimes what you think is what you dream of is actually hurting you more.
Now, when I tell you all of it was worth it for Devin, oh my god it was worth it. The second we got to see more of em I was in this to the end. I adore Devin as a character so much. E’s such wonderful representation in gender discovery and this book feels so safe to be any kind of trans because of em and Noah.
It’s funny that this book contained one of the hardest characters and relationships for me to read as well as one of the best. Devin is the enby representation that young queer kids need and the message of love and trans love of this book is such a light. Also the diversity and representation? Stellar. The story goes in a different direction than originally expected but that is for the better because the story we do get and the message we receive is everything we need our teens and even our adults to read.
This review will contain minor spoilers because in order to talk about my completely honest feelings I need to talk about both of the love interests and their relationships with Noah.
I only have one issue with this book and it has nothing to do with the quality of this amazing novel, just my own personal triggers related to gaslighting and manipulation. The scenes with Drew were very difficult for me to read due to a personal history of dealing with gaslighting so those sections were a challenge to get through and almost made me DNF the book. So if you are someone with similar triggers, that is something to be aware of when picking up this book.
While this book was a challenge for me, I’m happy there is this representation of manipulative relationships in a YA book that are portrayed as unhealthy. This is a relationship I needed to see as a teen, to know how sometimes what you think is what you dream of is actually hurting you more.
Now, when I tell you all of it was worth it for Devin, oh my god it was worth it. The second we got to see more of em I was in this to the end. I adore Devin as a character so much. E’s such wonderful representation in gender discovery and this book feels so safe to be any kind of trans because of em and Noah.
It’s funny that this book contained one of the hardest characters and relationships for me to read as well as one of the best. Devin is the enby representation that young queer kids need and the message of love and trans love of this book is such a light. Also the diversity and representation? Stellar. The story goes in a different direction than originally expected but that is for the better because the story we do get and the message we receive is everything we need our teens and even our adults to read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Transphobia, Suicide attempt
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:
Yes
I'm going to be really honest here, I absolutely didn't like this book. I'm not usually one to give bad reviews, and I always try to see the good things in a story, even when it might not be to my taste. But with this one, I really struggled to connect with the characters. The story started out great. The blurb seemed really interesting and I was so excited to read this book. But I hated the main character. He was so self-centered. At no point did I root for him. And I was close to DNF it several times.
I kept going, because I liked some of the other characters, and I hoped Noah would get better. But it was hard. I know this book is YA, and I might not be the audience anymore, but I still read a lot of YA and still love a lot of them. I keep recommending them too. But this one was a hard pass.
Now, I absolutely loved the representation in this book, I think it's the first time I've read a book with a character using e/em pronouns. And I would love a story with Devin, becaus e seems like the best character. And a story about Becca, because she deserves her own book for dealing with Noah this long.
Now, back to what I hated. Heads up, there might be a lot of spoilers. The Main character. Noah is self-centered, he only cares about himself and how others can help him get what he wants. He is mean to Devin, mean to Becca, mean to Brian and his girlfriend. And sure, the girlfriend ended up being a jerk, but before that, he had no reason to hate her. Becca was having a difficult time and he called her out because she didn't answer his phone call. Devin got sick on him, and he only cared about his pants. He barely worked even though his brother got him a job. He got mad at his parents because they blocked his card, even though he spent hundreds of dollars in a week.
I was super excited to read this book. It felt like it was lacking something to keep me coming back to it.
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
very cute and i love the representation. it felt very teenage like
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
this was a cute book but the mc was kinda annoying/childish. i do get it considering he's 16 but still. but also i guess that's part of the reason I don't really read YA/teen aged books much anymore.