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A review by caitlindee
Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
TW: transphobia, homophobia, lesbophobia, deadnaming, misgendering (purposeful), hate crime/graphic physical assault, suicidal thoughts (graphic), bullying, slurs, self-harm, public outing/forced outing, pressure to come out from a close friend.
Okay, please please PLEASE be mindful of these trigger warnings before going into the book. I didn't look into them before starting (this is my own fault 100%) and I was incredibly caught off guard by what happens in about the last third of the book. This is not changing my rating of the book in any way, just please be mindful and take care of yourselves. I couldn't stop reading this book; it was emotional, funny, relatable, heartbreaking, hopeful, devastating, and inspiring. I thought the pressure Pony was receiving to come out by a close friend was unfair, but it definitely feels realistic to how some people are pressured to come out before they're ready, especially when those people are in a dangerous situation that others don't believe is a dangerous situation (if that makes sense?). I appreciated the author having this character change their tune at the end of the book and the conversation they had with Pony. Should it have taken a severe physical assault for this conversation to happen? No, but unfortunately, that's how things play out a lot of the time. Overall, this was a really great read and I am definitely going to be reading Tobly McSmith's next book!
Okay, please please PLEASE be mindful of these trigger warnings before going into the book. I didn't look into them before starting (this is my own fault 100%) and I was incredibly caught off guard by what happens in about the last third of the book. This is not changing my rating of the book in any way, just please be mindful and take care of yourselves. I couldn't stop reading this book; it was emotional, funny, relatable, heartbreaking, hopeful, devastating, and inspiring. I thought the pressure Pony was receiving to come out by a close friend was unfair, but it definitely feels realistic to how some people are pressured to come out before they're ready, especially when those people are in a dangerous situation that others don't believe is a dangerous situation (if that makes sense?). I appreciated the author having this character change their tune at the end of the book and the conversation they had with Pony. Should it have taken a severe physical assault for this conversation to happen? No, but unfortunately, that's how things play out a lot of the time. Overall, this was a really great read and I am definitely going to be reading Tobly McSmith's next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Bullying
Minor: Self harm