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A review by amberunmasked
Bad Boy Boogie by Thomas Pluck
5.0
Definitely approach this book with severe TWs or CNs re: sexual assault.
Each character has a story and readers get to know them well. Whenever Jay thinks he knows something and has the right information, it’s all toppled upside-down. Jay’s journey is a fluid wushu style fight of his flexible willingness to break the law and the smoothness of transitions from present time, his prison time, teen age years, and childhood flashbacks. The scene breaks dance with grace moving readers through Jay’s tormented life.
Though it’s filled with examples of toxic masculinity, Pluck uses realistic character diversity such as two transwomen (one from Jay’s time in prison that he protected), Brendan who is openly gay, several male figures who are closeted gay/pansexual; ciswomen who range from loving to abusive to manipulative. The abuse of transwomen of color in the prison system is as graphic in detail as the rest of the rape and sex scenes. Yet, Pluck takes that low and brightens the subject of transgender lives to show a transwoman named Raina; Jay doesn’t balk at the transition of someone he knew pre-op.
There’s complete clarity in how Pluck lays out steamy, erotic sex scenes compared to the vicious assault scenes. The loving sex between teenage Jay and Ramona and their grown up selves, shows two people absorbed into each other. Unfortunately, Jay loves her more than she ever loved him.
BAD BOY BOOGIE mostly delves into male-on-male assault, but even Ramona has a history of older men preying upon her. First, she feels her sense of victimization. Then she shrugs it off as attention and believes she wanted to do those things.
While I will say, read with caution because of the content, Thomas Pluck treats the subject matter of sexual abuse respectfully. BAD BOY BOOGIE earns the highest marks for technical effort too because of the constant flashbacks transitioned perfectly between scenes.
Full review: http://www.amberunmasked.com/review-badboyboogie/
Each character has a story and readers get to know them well. Whenever Jay thinks he knows something and has the right information, it’s all toppled upside-down. Jay’s journey is a fluid wushu style fight of his flexible willingness to break the law and the smoothness of transitions from present time, his prison time, teen age years, and childhood flashbacks. The scene breaks dance with grace moving readers through Jay’s tormented life.
Though it’s filled with examples of toxic masculinity, Pluck uses realistic character diversity such as two transwomen (one from Jay’s time in prison that he protected), Brendan who is openly gay, several male figures who are closeted gay/pansexual; ciswomen who range from loving to abusive to manipulative. The abuse of transwomen of color in the prison system is as graphic in detail as the rest of the rape and sex scenes. Yet, Pluck takes that low and brightens the subject of transgender lives to show a transwoman named Raina; Jay doesn’t balk at the transition of someone he knew pre-op.
There’s complete clarity in how Pluck lays out steamy, erotic sex scenes compared to the vicious assault scenes. The loving sex between teenage Jay and Ramona and their grown up selves, shows two people absorbed into each other. Unfortunately, Jay loves her more than she ever loved him.
BAD BOY BOOGIE mostly delves into male-on-male assault, but even Ramona has a history of older men preying upon her. First, she feels her sense of victimization. Then she shrugs it off as attention and believes she wanted to do those things.
While I will say, read with caution because of the content, Thomas Pluck treats the subject matter of sexual abuse respectfully. BAD BOY BOOGIE earns the highest marks for technical effort too because of the constant flashbacks transitioned perfectly between scenes.
Full review: http://www.amberunmasked.com/review-badboyboogie/