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ladygetslit 's review for:
I Wish You All the Best
by Mason Deaver
When Ben comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re kicked out of their home and forced to move in with their estranged older sister. As Ben starts at a new high school in a new city, they must come to terms with what happened while dealing with new friends and a potential love interest.
what worked:
• emotional intensity - I could feel Ben’s pain through the story
• getting to watch Ben come into their own as an artist through the support and encouragement of a kind teacher and their new friends
• the high emotional stakes - Ben develops feelings for Nathan, their new friend, but decides not to come out to their new friends; it was hard to watch Ben being constantly accidentally misgendered by people they care about
• the therapy scenes - Ben’s struggle with anxiety is completely understandable, but I loved watching them grow; recovery isn’t a linear process and I think this is dealt with really well
• Nathan’s super bubbly personality makes a nice contrast to the darkness that Ben’s dealing with internally
• the nuanced, realistic, flawed relationship between Ben and their older sister Hannah
• the heart-breaking depiction of what it’s like to have parents who not only refuse to see and accept who you are, but then kick you out
what didn’t work:
• at times the book felt too dark and I needed an emotional break; I understand the realism, but it definitely affected my ability to enjoy the book
• sometimes it felt like things were SO BAD that I couldn’t actually emotionally connect with Ben as a character
• I wanted to spend more time with the side characters who were supportive of Ben throughout the story, like their supportive art teacher
Overall, this book really struck an emotional chord with me. Whether you’re cis, trans, nonbinary, whatever, this book is important, and worth reading. I hope more books with nonbinary rep appear in the coming years, but for now, I’m happy that I’ve read this book and can recommend it to others.
what worked:
• emotional intensity - I could feel Ben’s pain through the story
• getting to watch Ben come into their own as an artist through the support and encouragement of a kind teacher and their new friends
• the high emotional stakes - Ben develops feelings for Nathan, their new friend, but decides not to come out to their new friends; it was hard to watch Ben being constantly accidentally misgendered by people they care about
• the therapy scenes - Ben’s struggle with anxiety is completely understandable, but I loved watching them grow; recovery isn’t a linear process and I think this is dealt with really well
• Nathan’s super bubbly personality makes a nice contrast to the darkness that Ben’s dealing with internally
• the nuanced, realistic, flawed relationship between Ben and their older sister Hannah
• the heart-breaking depiction of what it’s like to have parents who not only refuse to see and accept who you are, but then kick you out
Spoiler
only to beg you to move back in halfway through the book, smhwhat didn’t work:
• at times the book felt too dark and I needed an emotional break; I understand the realism, but it definitely affected my ability to enjoy the book
• sometimes it felt like things were SO BAD that I couldn’t actually emotionally connect with Ben as a character
• I wanted to spend more time with the side characters who were supportive of Ben throughout the story, like their supportive art teacher
Overall, this book really struck an emotional chord with me. Whether you’re cis, trans, nonbinary, whatever, this book is important, and worth reading. I hope more books with nonbinary rep appear in the coming years, but for now, I’m happy that I’ve read this book and can recommend it to others.