A review by erins_bookshelf_
Can't Take That Away by Steven Salvatore

emotional funny inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I've never read a book about a genderqueer character before so this was very interesting to me. I really liked it and it was really cool to see the point of view of a character like that, especially since it's an OwnVoices book. The storyline was really good and the representation of a couple other identities was really casual, but for a book like this that was definitely the best way to do it- showing that all identities are "normal". The drama was pretty good and the romance in this was sweet and soft, which is my favorite kind of romance to read because I''m not a fan of smutty stuff and they're just so fricking cute 🥰
I do kinda think the part when they arrest the transphobic/homophobic teacher (Johnson? Jackson? I can’t remember his name i wrote this review a little after I finished the book) that the sudden “hey wait he can’t teach he doesn’t have good credentials” wasn’t great since I’m not 100% sure how realistic that is…? I’m glad he got what he deserved but I think he would’ve gotten arrested for assaulting Carey in the human chain thing (idk maybe it’s more common to fake credentials than I thought).

I think this is definitely a good book to read if you're trying to read about more sexualities/identities of the LGBTQ+ community and if you're into reading about people coming together to make change. 
I got this from my local library so I'm definitely going to be buying it soon because I need to own this book :)

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