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A review by crackedspines_
Somebody Told Me by Mia Siegert
5.0
OVERALL RATING: 5/5 stars! This is one of those books where I could point out a hundred flaws (as you'll see), and I probably wouldn't recommend it, but for some inexplicable reason I still love it. The format is unique, the storyline is really interesting, and I loved the inclusion of a bigender protagonist.
PLOT: 5/5 stars. Everything was ordered nicely, it flowed well, and the stakes were high. It was a bit strange at times but I liked it.
STRUCTURE: 4/5 stars. I like the uncommon format, but it did take some getting used to. I also didn't love the emails that were between some of the chapters.
SETTING: 3/5 stars. The setting was mostly good, but it was difficult to picture (although that might just be a personal problem) and it wasn't overly well developed.
THEME: 4/5 stars. I love the various themes and topics covered in this book - the book manages to cover trauma, gender identity, sexual assault, and Catholicism in a delicate but honest manner. My only complaint is how quickly things went from 0 to 100 towards the end.
CHARACTERS: 3/5 stars. I absolutely loved Aleks/Alexis; they were a wonderfully developed character and it was really cool to see a character who uses alternating pronouns and names in a YA novel. Dima was also a great character. But Deacon Jameson and Sister Bernadette were very flat. Bernadette especially seemed to be used mostly as a device to further things for Aleks/Alexis. Lastly, I couldn't help but wish that Aleks/Alexis' mom was a more prominent character. It seems unrealistic that a teenager would move away from their mother, yet talk to her that infrequently.
DIALOGUE: 3/5 stars. Some of the dialogue was a bit choppy and forced, but overall it was decent. I liked the confession dialogue most.
PLOT: 5/5 stars. Everything was ordered nicely, it flowed well, and the stakes were high. It was a bit strange at times but I liked it.
STRUCTURE: 4/5 stars. I like the uncommon format, but it did take some getting used to. I also didn't love the emails that were between some of the chapters.
SETTING: 3/5 stars. The setting was mostly good, but it was difficult to picture (although that might just be a personal problem) and it wasn't overly well developed.
THEME: 4/5 stars. I love the various themes and topics covered in this book - the book manages to cover trauma, gender identity, sexual assault, and Catholicism in a delicate but honest manner. My only complaint is how quickly things went from 0 to 100 towards the end.
CHARACTERS: 3/5 stars. I absolutely loved Aleks/Alexis; they were a wonderfully developed character and it was really cool to see a character who uses alternating pronouns and names in a YA novel. Dima was also a great character. But Deacon Jameson and Sister Bernadette were very flat. Bernadette especially seemed to be used mostly as a device to further things for Aleks/Alexis. Lastly, I couldn't help but wish that Aleks/Alexis' mom was a more prominent character. It seems unrealistic that a teenager would move away from their mother, yet talk to her that infrequently.
DIALOGUE: 3/5 stars. Some of the dialogue was a bit choppy and forced, but overall it was decent. I liked the confession dialogue most.