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A review by lyravt
Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
I have literally never felt the need to write a review for a book before so I hope this is a preface for how much I love this book.
I'd like to start off mentioning that this book has very good disability representation as well as a POC main character!
Something I liked a lot about this book that I don't see at all in the books I read is how the side characters weren't shallow at all.
I didn't realize how much I loved that until this book, but each character, not just the MC'S, have a story to them and you even get a POV chapter from a few of them.
It honestly makes me hope they'll one day have their own stories too!
There is a lot of development in multiple different characters' ways of thinking and coping throughout the book.
It also all felt very real, something that I find a lot even in non-fantasy books is that the actions and behaviors are so far fetched and out of the blue, not at all like how I would see someone reacting in the real world. Don't get me wrong, I love escaping to fictional worlds different from our own, but when someone isn't at all realistic, and conversations seem very forced just so that the author can get their point across, I tend to find it sort of off-putting.
There's also a lot of depth I'm the plot, I didn't notice any little plot holes anywhere. I was also super blindsided by one of Alex's claims further on, it was entirely unexpected but when I thought back I noticed all the hints. I actually cannot recall a time when a book did that so well before.
I think this might be my favourite book so far, it's so so so amazing.
I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading books with queer relationships and experiences, personally being lgbtq, I think that issues of homophobia, as well as internalized, or things that don't sound problematic until pointed out, was all handled so well and it even made me think back a little on how I've handled situations of my own like that before.
Also I just want to make a small note that there isn't any genuine sexual content in this book, I don't find that a deal breaker at all but I couldn't find any reviews mentioning it so I wasn't sure whether or not to expect any :)
happy reading!
I'd like to start off mentioning that this book has very good disability representation as well as a POC main character!
Something I liked a lot about this book that I don't see at all in the books I read is how the side characters weren't shallow at all.
I didn't realize how much I loved that until this book, but each character, not just the MC'S, have a story to them and you even get a POV chapter from a few of them.
It honestly makes me hope they'll one day have their own stories too!
There is a lot of development in multiple different characters' ways of thinking and coping throughout the book.
It also all felt very real, something that I find a lot even in non-fantasy books is that the actions and behaviors are so far fetched and out of the blue, not at all like how I would see someone reacting in the real world. Don't get me wrong, I love escaping to fictional worlds different from our own, but when someone isn't at all realistic, and conversations seem very forced just so that the author can get their point across, I tend to find it sort of off-putting.
There's also a lot of depth I'm the plot, I didn't notice any little plot holes anywhere. I was also super blindsided by one of Alex's claims further on, it was entirely unexpected but when I thought back I noticed all the hints. I actually cannot recall a time when a book did that so well before.
I think this might be my favourite book so far, it's so so so amazing.
I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading books with queer relationships and experiences, personally being lgbtq, I think that issues of homophobia, as well as internalized, or things that don't sound problematic until pointed out, was all handled so well and it even made me think back a little on how I've handled situations of my own like that before.
Also I just want to make a small note that there isn't any genuine sexual content in this book, I don't find that a deal breaker at all but I couldn't find any reviews mentioning it so I wasn't sure whether or not to expect any :)
happy reading!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Car accident