A review by jencolumb0
Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

First and foremost, read the content warnings and proceed accordingly. However, like Alexis Hall’s heavier works (I’m looking at you, Glitterland), Callender takes on such heavy, traumatic material with compassionate, thoughtful humanity that allows the reader to rewire their more common, stereotypical, and generally thoughtless approach to the topics covered. 

Make no mistake: this is not a frothy beach romp. Nonetheless, for the (larger than we’d all like to imagine) population who has wrangled with these issues, the representation is critical. Further, the depiction of a character like Logan finding safety, and even love;  Mattie learning how to set boundaries; and the two of them finding the freedom and confidence to choose each other for decades is, undoubtedly, quite powerful for those who relate to these characters - an incredibly insightful read for the right person. It also gets a lot of points for the layers of commentary challenging the treatment of *humans* as consumable resources in late-stage capitalism. I’m glad I picked this one up.
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