A review by lulunyx
May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Conflicted as I like the premise and themes of the book I just didn't like a lot about it:
  • Really love the themes explored but some topics were brushed over and not handled well.  
  • The two leads are both dicks, and got worse. You can have unlikeable characters just don't try and pass them off as good.
  • They also have zero chemistry. Toxic as hell.
  • Writing style kind of bugged me
  • Plot was predictable 
On the plus side:
  • Side characters are better than the leads 
  • The way Meehan, Philip and the world treat Jeremy really struck me (I still want to punch many people in the face, especially Connor). 
  • Really important topics (even if some of the topics brought up are not fully explored) and has good diversity of characters.  
Media definitely needs more stories with trans, neurodivergent and non-white characters. The human race is diverse and amazing with so many views, media should reflect that. But this book, brushed over so many of the topics it brought up and didn't go into any real depth especially for Lukas' autism. My brother is trans and the way Jeremy is treated is realistic to what my brother has experienced, which made it difficult at times to read but also made me super mad at the reality the ignorance of some characters like Connor and Phillip shows. Overall, an important story to tell just wish it was done better.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings