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A review by marisacarpico
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Frankly devastated that I didn't like this. The concept sounded fun and the trans representation is really exciting for this genre, but the execution didn't work for me on almost any level.
Going to join the chorus of voices saying that Noah is a tough character. I half jokingly called Alex from Red, White and Royal Blue a sociopath, but this character has no empathy and is self-centered in a way that's truly astounding. I guess a lot of teenagers are self-centered and judgmental (I certainly was the latter at least), but Noah's lack of empathy is astounding. Granted, Noah's evolution and deepening is part of the narrative, but it's odd to have a person so desperate for empathy from other people to have zero empathy for others—both those they claim to love and not.
On some level, I find it compellingly risky for Lee to center a romance around a person who is so flawed, but there's an assumption of reader affection or sympathy here that the the book doesn't earn. We are never given a reason to like or root for Noah and he ends up coming off as a bit of a toxic user as a result. His friends and family do absolutely everything to make him happy and he consistently treats them like dog shit based on his whims. There is an attempt near the end to make them a better friend, romantic partner and sibling as time goes on, but because Lee doesn't actually fill us in about Becca's struggles or Brian's desires or even terribly much about who Devin outside of eir relationship to Noah, the attempt feels shallow. Like why have Noah acknowledge he needs to be better and then take no steps to improve his relationships and stop de-centering himself? Just so many missed opportunities here, particularly one that feels tossed off regarding Brian's girlfriend.
This is slightly more minor, but the blog aspect also doesn't feel terribly credible. The dynamics feel like Tumblr 10 years ago and the Diary as motivator and compelling plot thread is so forgotten/left in stasis for so much of the film's middle that the sudden refocusing at the end feels out of place and unearned. The understanding and engagement with online culture feels very surface.
This is a lot of negativity so I do want to end this by saying that the general representation aspects of this book really worked for me. Not making Noah's story specifically about his trans awakening feels necessary even if it's bungled. The discussions of pronouns and confusion about gender expression on Devin's part felt quietly revolutionary and will probably speak to a lot of kids just coming to know themselves. It's great that this exists and I'm sure it will speak to someone, that someone is just not me.
Going to join the chorus of voices saying that Noah is a tough character. I half jokingly called Alex from Red, White and Royal Blue a sociopath, but this character has no empathy and is self-centered in a way that's truly astounding. I guess a lot of teenagers are self-centered and judgmental (I certainly was the latter at least), but Noah's lack of empathy is astounding. Granted, Noah's evolution and deepening is part of the narrative, but it's odd to have a person so desperate for empathy from other people to have zero empathy for others—both those they claim to love and not.
On some level, I find it compellingly risky for Lee to center a romance around a person who is so flawed, but there's an assumption of reader affection or sympathy here that the the book doesn't earn. We are never given a reason to like or root for Noah and he ends up coming off as a bit of a toxic user as a result. His friends and family do absolutely everything to make him happy and he consistently treats them like dog shit based on his whims. There is an attempt near the end to make them a better friend, romantic partner and sibling as time goes on, but because Lee doesn't actually fill us in about Becca's struggles or Brian's desires or even terribly much about who Devin outside of eir relationship to Noah, the attempt feels shallow. Like why have Noah acknowledge he needs to be better and then take no steps to improve his relationships and stop de-centering himself? Just so many missed opportunities here, particularly one that feels tossed off regarding Brian's girlfriend.
This is slightly more minor, but the blog aspect also doesn't feel terribly credible. The dynamics feel like Tumblr 10 years ago and the Diary as motivator and compelling plot thread is so forgotten/left in stasis for so much of the film's middle that the sudden refocusing at the end feels out of place and unearned. The understanding and engagement with online culture feels very surface.
This is a lot of negativity so I do want to end this by saying that the general representation aspects of this book really worked for me. Not making Noah's story specifically about his trans awakening feels necessary even if it's bungled. The discussions of pronouns and confusion about gender expression on Devin's part felt quietly revolutionary and will probably speak to a lot of kids just coming to know themselves. It's great that this exists and I'm sure it will speak to someone, that someone is just not me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse