Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lucysgoodfellow 's review for:
The Anti-Virginity Pact
by Katie Wismer
⭐1 Star⭐
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily