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A review by mehsi
Jack of Hearts by L.C. Rosen
5.0
Meet Jack, he is famous (or is it infamous) in school for the exploits he supposedly does and he is now writing a sex advice column... and oh yes there is a creepy stalker.
I have been meaning to read this book since it came out but never had the chance until now! One of my libraries had it and I was so excited that I finally had it in my hands. Yay!
Jack! Ah, my boy Jack! I loved the guy from the start. He was fun, he was fabulous, and I loved how open he was about various things, especially when that thing was sex. I was cheering when he got the option to do a column about sex and love and that he took it (even though he wasn't too eager about it in the beginning). But from the start I saw that this was just a match made in heaven, he was clear on explaining how and what, but also put in a personal story to let people know that he also had a situation like that or something similar. I just loved reading these columns. They were fun, personal and I learned a few things as well. :)
I loved how fabulous he was with clothing and make-up, I could just imagine him vividly thanks to the descriptions. And yes, my image was pretty much Freddy Mercury with a dash of Prince. :P
I loved how this book didn't shy away from sex. We have plenty of sexy things happening. Dick pics, tons of sex, kisses, and swoony moments.
Can I just say that I love how honest Jack was towards his partners? He was clear that this was just sex, nothing more. That he wasn't ready for commitment. That he was now more into sex than getting stuck with someone. That he wanted to explore more. Be free to do things he wanted to do. I think it was really adult of him to say that, it is one of the few times that I have seen this happen in a YA book, so I was delighted.
Though there were a few things I wasn't too happy with and something I noticed in other LGBT books as well, especially in the newer YA/LGBT books. I get that people who are straight aren't always OK and some are downright hateful, but to just treat all straights as if they are evil/bad... no. Just a big fat no. It also just seems quite silly. The characters want to be accepted by everyone, but in the mean time they are not that very accepting to others.
Yes, the question about the bottoms was a bit eh given the reasons they asked it, HOWEVER, it is a sex advice column, and I can imagine that people are curious about how that kind of stuff works. As for the you don't ask how straights have sex, well, yes, you do ask. :P There are so many ways, and seriously, at that age? I didn't even know 90% of them/it, even now I am still clueless on many things. Yes, I am being 100% honest here. Curious is the way to learn. And if you have to ask someone, go for it, if it is anonymous or mostly anonymous, yes! So I wasn't amused with Jack's answer. It was just too much, too over the top, and I frankly found it pretty rude and harmful. Again, yes, I can imagine he was pissed given the reasons of the girls, I would probably be pissed as well if I was Jack, but I would have handled it more tactfully. Less bashing.
Then there was the plot thing with Pinky which ended up pretty WTH, I just felt that it wasn't a good ending. Yes, I hadn't expected it to be THAT character, but it just weird and off. I am not sure how to explain better but it felt like an afterthought in the end.
At times I wasn't happy with how Jack handled things, I wished he had gone to the police, but then again, I can also see his reasoning to not go. Still, it was very hard to see him get so down and even depressed and giving up. His friends did try to help him, but I can imagine that he didn't want to ask them too much. I know the exact feeling. They also have their lives, and just like Jack I wouldn't want to interfere too much, ask too much. While yes, I do know that my friends are there for me and don't mind it if I need their help.
I was so happy with Ben x Ben, I just loved them together. I do hope that Ben (Jack's friend) is gaining more confidence, but I am sure that will go fine given how that relationship progressed.
I also loved seeing the relationship between Jack and his mom. It was quite awkward at times, but I am glad that despite that she wasn't around much she was fully supporting of her son. Though of course she doesn't need to know all he does. :P
All in all, with the exception of a few things, I had plenty of fun reading this one. There are some exciting parts, some scary parts, some very hot moments, and I just adored Jack. I would recommend this one.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I have been meaning to read this book since it came out but never had the chance until now! One of my libraries had it and I was so excited that I finally had it in my hands. Yay!
Jack! Ah, my boy Jack! I loved the guy from the start. He was fun, he was fabulous, and I loved how open he was about various things, especially when that thing was sex. I was cheering when he got the option to do a column about sex and love and that he took it (even though he wasn't too eager about it in the beginning). But from the start I saw that this was just a match made in heaven, he was clear on explaining how and what, but also put in a personal story to let people know that he also had a situation like that or something similar. I just loved reading these columns. They were fun, personal and I learned a few things as well. :)
I loved how fabulous he was with clothing and make-up, I could just imagine him vividly thanks to the descriptions. And yes, my image was pretty much Freddy Mercury with a dash of Prince. :P
I loved how this book didn't shy away from sex. We have plenty of sexy things happening. Dick pics, tons of sex, kisses, and swoony moments.
Can I just say that I love how honest Jack was towards his partners? He was clear that this was just sex, nothing more. That he wasn't ready for commitment. That he was now more into sex than getting stuck with someone. That he wanted to explore more. Be free to do things he wanted to do. I think it was really adult of him to say that, it is one of the few times that I have seen this happen in a YA book, so I was delighted.
Though there were a few things I wasn't too happy with and something I noticed in other LGBT books as well, especially in the newer YA/LGBT books. I get that people who are straight aren't always OK and some are downright hateful, but to just treat all straights as if they are evil/bad... no. Just a big fat no. It also just seems quite silly. The characters want to be accepted by everyone, but in the mean time they are not that very accepting to others.
Yes, the question about the bottoms was a bit eh given the reasons they asked it, HOWEVER, it is a sex advice column, and I can imagine that people are curious about how that kind of stuff works. As for the you don't ask how straights have sex, well, yes, you do ask. :P There are so many ways, and seriously, at that age? I didn't even know 90% of them/it, even now I am still clueless on many things. Yes, I am being 100% honest here. Curious is the way to learn. And if you have to ask someone, go for it, if it is anonymous or mostly anonymous, yes! So I wasn't amused with Jack's answer. It was just too much, too over the top, and I frankly found it pretty rude and harmful. Again, yes, I can imagine he was pissed given the reasons of the girls, I would probably be pissed as well if I was Jack, but I would have handled it more tactfully. Less bashing.
Then there was the plot thing with Pinky which ended up pretty WTH, I just felt that it wasn't a good ending. Yes, I hadn't expected it to be THAT character, but it just weird and off. I am not sure how to explain better but it felt like an afterthought in the end.
At times I wasn't happy with how Jack handled things, I wished he had gone to the police, but then again, I can also see his reasoning to not go. Still, it was very hard to see him get so down and even depressed and giving up. His friends did try to help him, but I can imagine that he didn't want to ask them too much. I know the exact feeling. They also have their lives, and just like Jack I wouldn't want to interfere too much, ask too much. While yes, I do know that my friends are there for me and don't mind it if I need their help.
I was so happy with Ben x Ben, I just loved them together. I do hope that Ben (Jack's friend) is gaining more confidence, but I am sure that will go fine given how that relationship progressed.
I also loved seeing the relationship between Jack and his mom. It was quite awkward at times, but I am glad that despite that she wasn't around much she was fully supporting of her son. Though of course she doesn't need to know all he does. :P
All in all, with the exception of a few things, I had plenty of fun reading this one. There are some exciting parts, some scary parts, some very hot moments, and I just adored Jack. I would recommend this one.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/