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A review by soupwitch86
Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable
3.0
This really gets a 3.5 but can't select half stars.
I'm slowly getting into graphic novels, specifically one's centering and written by LGBTQ+ folx. I REALLY liked the illustrations of the characters, their style and body language were done SO well.
The writing and language of the kids was also done well, especially for 2004. It felt very real. Spoilers ahead.
Things that I liked/loved: Amanda's friendship with Cat and Laura - so realistic how she loves them both but has such a different relationship with them. Amanda's relationship with her parents - it closely mirrored my relationship with my parents at that age, I saw my dad as a friend and couldn't stand my mom and was awful to her. The fact that Amanda wanted nothing to do with Adam, LOL. That with the kids, there were Black and brown characters, fat characters, gay, characters, trans characters, slutty characters. YES.
Things that I didn't like as much: How much focus was spent on Adam being obsessed with Amanda, I GET IT HE LIKES HER,they could have cut a lot of that out and focus more on the other character's storylines. The casual misgendering and transphobia by the adults that was never dealt with (this is a YA book and it would have been great if someone called out the adults when they did this). Amanda's move from one friend group to the other felt sudden and thrown together at the end, would have loved to see more development there, especially because Jess and her crew WERE THE BEST.
Should also note that this book gives a feel that it will be about a girl realizing she is in love with one of her best girlfriends and it's not really that. She winds up being bi/pan (WOO!) but also isn't accepted by her friends, and finds a new group of friends. There is also a sub-plot of her finding out one of her grandparents is a trans man and the family's secret keeping of it. She lives in a small Catholic town and religion plays a prevalent role in the book which I didn't mind because I think it's great to show queer characters that aren't all big city and atheist and stuff, and so I understand the reactions to everything, but their reactions could have still been challenges and pushed back on, if for nothing than for the young trans kids reading this.
I'm slowly getting into graphic novels, specifically one's centering and written by LGBTQ+ folx. I REALLY liked the illustrations of the characters, their style and body language were done SO well.
The writing and language of the kids was also done well, especially for 2004. It felt very real. Spoilers ahead.
Things that I liked/loved: Amanda's friendship with Cat and Laura - so realistic how she loves them both but has such a different relationship with them. Amanda's relationship with her parents - it closely mirrored my relationship with my parents at that age, I saw my dad as a friend and couldn't stand my mom and was awful to her. The fact that Amanda wanted nothing to do with Adam, LOL. That with the kids, there were Black and brown characters, fat characters, gay, characters, trans characters, slutty characters. YES.
Things that I didn't like as much: How much focus was spent on Adam being obsessed with Amanda, I GET IT HE LIKES HER,they could have cut a lot of that out and focus more on the other character's storylines. The casual misgendering and transphobia by the adults that was never dealt with (this is a YA book and it would have been great if someone called out the adults when they did this). Amanda's move from one friend group to the other felt sudden and thrown together at the end, would have loved to see more development there, especially because Jess and her crew WERE THE BEST.
Should also note that this book gives a feel that it will be about a girl realizing she is in love with one of her best girlfriends and it's not really that. She winds up being bi/pan (WOO!) but also isn't accepted by her friends, and finds a new group of friends. There is also a sub-plot of her finding out one of her grandparents is a trans man and the family's secret keeping of it. She lives in a small Catholic town and religion plays a prevalent role in the book which I didn't mind because I think it's great to show queer characters that aren't all big city and atheist and stuff, and so I understand the reactions to everything, but their reactions could have still been challenges and pushed back on, if for nothing than for the young trans kids reading this.