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elliizzzabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Benji was definitely the stand out, especially in the audiobook where you get to hear his southern twang. It was also a very authentic look at the trans experience and made it a part of the plot without making it tragic or too sensationalised. Also the relationship was predictable but very cute.
I did have a few issues, mostly that there seemed to be some weird vendetta against the GSA, constantly saying it was 'only full of straight people' but never went to the GSA so how does he know? He says there are hardly any out gay people in the school but how do you know they are not only out to the GSA? I'm not American so maybe that's just a stereotype about them but it seemed a bit sort of gatekeep-y like saying they were the 'real queers'. Also annoyed that
But overall it was a very good read!
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Terminal illness and Dysphoria
imstephtacular's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Islamophobia, Outing, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
heytherekaity's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
**Themes**
On its surface, this book is about politics and queer kids. And while those are definitely big themes in *The [Un]Popular Vote*, I think it's arguably even **more** about privilege and intersectionality, about having faith in and hope for humanity.
**Characters**
My favorite character was Pablo! This will surprise absolutely no one when I tell you that Pablo is extremely laid back, asexual, biromantic, and fat. I also really loved Mark! He felt like a real person, and even when I didn't like what he was doing, I always understood it. Ralph was also adorable, and Nadia and Rachel and Jenny and Benji were all fantastic!
**All the Feels**
I laughed, I cried, at one point I wanted to straight up **MURDER** a fictional character. Basically, I felt ***ALL*** of the feels when I was reading this book. I think the best way to sum up how I feel about *The [Un]Popular Vote* is this quote from Ted Lasso's Dr. Sharon, ***"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."***
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Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, and Outing
alyshkalia's review
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
There is a LOT of deadnaming and transphobia from Mark's father.longlost's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't know. I barely know why I said it. I meant it as a schoolyard jibe. I didn't expect to have to back it up. But if there's anything I've learned about masculinity, it's that you have to show bravado even when you've got nothing to back it up.
So I smile at him. Bare my teeth. And say, "I'm going to stop you, Henry. I'm going to make sure you lose the election."
Another book where it's clear the author has so much affection for the characters he's created. Jasper Sanchez tells this story with so much power to the queer kids it's about, and as someone who was a closeted queer kid it just. It hits hard.
The book dealt with some heavy topics; the scenes involving Mark and his father's transphobia were hard to read, but they helped show who Mark was and what drove him to fight for a better school. The unwavering support from his mother helped cushion against the pain of Mark's unaccepting father, and the scene where
Sanchez states in the Acknowledgements that he "wrote the story [he] needed when [he] was fourteen" - and it shows. Despite its trials, the book and its characters encourage so much hope. The final scenes with
While I don't have much more to say about it, this book is definitely worth the read.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
GRAPHIC: Deadnaming: Mark's father repeatedly deadnames him. Emotional abuse / child abuse / domestic abuse: The way Mark's father treats him definitely qualifies as abuse. Homophobia / bullying / hate crime: The book's inciting incident is a fight that takes place between one of Mark's friends and a group of bullies that results in the friend's suspension because he fought back against homophobic taunts. Violence: Regarding the fight at the start of the book, andmaple_dove's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
bookshelvesandtea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
But *** says, “Okay.” Same tone. Same expression. No judgment.
My shoulders roll back, and my spine creaks into alignment. My body is light, buoyant. Giddy with relief and hope—but I can’t trust it.”
Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Things this book has: Trans author, transmasculine main character. Jewish author, Jewish side character that talks a lot about Jewish theology, identity, and intergenerational trauma. Main character with bipolar disorder, but it doesn’t come up much at all. Side character with an anxiety disorder. Depictions of panic attacks. The main character is Catholic. He isn’t very religious, but he used to go to Catholic school, and he had a super eloquent prayer scene towards the end of the book. Emotionally manipulative father. So many good quotes. Diverse cast. Basically all of the main side characters are queer. Some things felt kind of weird / token-y, but maybe I am overthinking it? I am not sure. Academic / extracurricular pressure. Competitive students. The audiobook narrator was really great and had a lot of emotion. They might have pronounced a few words. Either that or the words in question have alternative pronunciations that I am unaware of. Also, there was a bit of Hebrew and Yiddish in the book, but I can’t verify whether or not the narrator’s pronunciation of Hebrew and Yiddish words was good. I really liked this book.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia, Cancer, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, and Acephobia/Arophobia