fanboyriot's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Read For:
Rivals to Lovers
Second Chances
Homecoming King
Cheerleader x Football Player
Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Lovers
The only thing that comes to mind when I think of this book is: “I love it and hate it at the same time” and really I kind of do.
The queer kids in this book were amazing, everyone else just kinda sucked. The trans rep in this was so painfully well written. The things Jeremy thought and the way he described how he felt was as heartbreaking as it was relatable.
But wow, were these characters so toxic.
Naomi was such a horrible friend it was laughable. She was jealous constantly and she just goes and asks out her best friend’s ex, who had made it clear he didn’t like her like that?? Like why?? All because of some banters that were messed up, I get being petty but bro have a good reason.
Lukas was so toxic. One minute he was fine, going through a lot at home and having to always be the best at everything. He had to get into an amazing college, he had to win homecoming king because if he did that then he would get into a good school, then his family would care about him like they did his dead brother… yeah, because that's how it’s going to work. So he took his anger out on Jermey.
Jeremy was also toxic, just not as bad in my opinion. He was selfish and breaking up with his boyfriend when and how he did it was so incredibly messed up but people acted like he was the worst person ever. He literally had no one. His mom was so desperate to have a daughter she failed her son in the process. Jeremy might have been a mess but wouldn’t you be when everyone failed you and had no problem telling you that they hated you, he was bullied, harassed, and misgendered constantly.
The last few chapters were the best. Everything coming together, the person who got the crown, the drama being resolved finally, and the relationships being settled.
(Switching, First Person POV)
Spice: Lightly Mentioned
Rep: trans (ftm) MC, Autistic MC, Non-Binary SC, Latinx SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Bullying, Ableism, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Medical content, Racism, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Drug use, Blood, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
kaabtik's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
you know when you see your deepest fears and insecurities on paper and there's this feeling of dread? yeah, this is how i felt reading this book.
i found myself drawn to this book because jeremy was literally all i was—an ambitious overachiever with too much glib than necessary. down to the name and his romantic experience, he felt like someone i could relate to. and boy did i relate to him. that much i expected.
what i also expected was for things to be happy. for this fictional jeremy to have what i couldn't: a way out and a happy ending. i expected the rage, the self destruction, and the fear.
what i got, for better or for worse, was a mess.
first off, this is not a lighthearted book. this is not a romantic comedy about a gay transguy falling out of and into (again) with his rival turned boyfriend turned ex. this is about two very messy boys fumbling for a light switch in the dark that is high school.
i bought this book because i wanted that. i wanted that so bad and seeing my name !! my experience !! to be given something i couldn't have made me so excited. instead i had all the darkest parts of being trans constantly thrown into my face every other page.
both jeremy and lukas are terrible people—both as individuals and as a couple. whatever tension they had was completely overshadowed by the fact that they were crossing multiple lines instead of sitting down and having a conversation. and i get it. queer kids don't have to be kind and understanding. but lukas literally sent out a presentation with jeremy's pre-transition photos to the entire student body. jeremy sunk ben—a very good friend to both of them— nearly costing him his shot at university applications.
and i get it. i get what the author is trying to do: to lash out righteous anger at everything that went wrong when they were younger. to stop being the polite queer kid and throw metaphorical and literal knives at everyone who crossed them. i fantasized about this power more times than i could admit and i wanted to cheer for jeremy. i really did.
but i couldn't. not when they were trampling over every good person in their group. not when a lot of their issues were swept under the rug at the final act for them to be back as a couple. not when there was barely anyone in the group who put their foot down and stopped the nonsense they were doing.
there were a lot of other problematic elements that other reviews have covered, as well. and i just. i felt betrayed, because i bought this physically and wanted to enjoy it so bad. but i can't in good faith recommend this to anyone. especially to young trans guys. who also want a love story of being some boy kissin some boy.
i found myself drawn to this book because jeremy was literally all i was—an ambitious overachiever with too much glib than necessary. down to the name and his romantic experience, he felt like someone i could relate to. and boy did i relate to him. that much i expected.
what i also expected was for things to be happy. for this fictional jeremy to have what i couldn't: a way out and a happy ending. i expected the rage, the self destruction, and the fear.
what i got, for better or for worse, was a mess.
first off, this is not a lighthearted book. this is not a romantic comedy about a gay transguy falling out of and into (again) with his rival turned boyfriend turned ex. this is about two very messy boys fumbling for a light switch in the dark that is high school.
i bought this book because i wanted that. i wanted that so bad and seeing my name !! my experience !! to be given something i couldn't have made me so excited. instead i had all the darkest parts of being trans constantly thrown into my face every other page.
both jeremy and lukas are terrible people—both as individuals and as a couple. whatever tension they had was completely overshadowed by the fact that they were crossing multiple lines instead of sitting down and having a conversation. and i get it. queer kids don't have to be kind and understanding. but lukas literally sent out a presentation with jeremy's pre-transition photos to the entire student body. jeremy sunk ben—a very good friend to both of them— nearly costing him his shot at university applications.
and i get it. i get what the author is trying to do: to lash out righteous anger at everything that went wrong when they were younger. to stop being the polite queer kid and throw metaphorical and literal knives at everyone who crossed them. i fantasized about this power more times than i could admit and i wanted to cheer for jeremy. i really did.
but i couldn't. not when they were trampling over every good person in their group. not when a lot of their issues were swept under the rug at the final act for them to be back as a couple. not when there was barely anyone in the group who put their foot down and stopped the nonsense they were doing.
there were a lot of other problematic elements that other reviews have covered, as well. and i just. i felt betrayed, because i bought this physically and wanted to enjoy it so bad. but i can't in good faith recommend this to anyone. especially to young trans guys. who also want a love story of being some boy kissin some boy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Bullying, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Alcohol, and Death
Minor: Lesbophobia
melissamarie's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
paskendus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am very glad I went into this book knowing that both main characters are a bit annoying. I guess one can expect that from teenagers.
It was an interesting read in a way, especially seeing teenagers showing anger and even being spiteful as a self preservation technique, but my oh my how they did not communicate. With each other or the adults. And the adults were... passive at best, so all around people just trying to survive on assumptions.
The writing felt repetitive at times and overly dramatic for my taste. I also did not feel a lot while reading the book, I got what the author wanted me to feel, but I just didn't. Characters made correct, good conclusions after something happening but I just did not see how they got there, that may be on me and lack of investment. I also think it was preachy and very on the nose at times.
And honestly I did not like the ending after all the messy things that happened everyone should have gotten some therapy to work through at least some of their personal stuff before being all lovie dovie. Or I at least would have loved to see the resolving their problems more.
It was an interesting read in a way, especially seeing teenagers showing anger and even being spiteful as a self preservation technique, but my oh my how they did not communicate. With each other or the adults. And the adults were... passive at best, so all around people just trying to survive on assumptions.
The writing felt repetitive at times and overly dramatic for my taste. I also did not feel a lot while reading the book, I got what the author wanted me to feel, but I just didn't. Characters made correct, good conclusions after something happening but I just did not see how they got there, that may be on me and lack of investment. I also think it was preachy and very on the nose at times.
And honestly I did not like the ending after all the messy things that happened everyone should have gotten some therapy to work through at least some of their personal stuff before being all lovie dovie. Or I at least would have loved to see the resolving their problems more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Ableism, Homophobia, Grief, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Alcohol, and Lesbophobia
thanmayi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Buckle down folks because this is a mini-rant disguised as a review. This book has A lot to unpack!
Do not go into it wanting a cute romantic fairytale based on the cover! This book explores pretty dark themes and subjects and isn't really rainbows and sunshine. If you're looking for a cute queer book to read right now, this is not that I promise you.
Review:
Let’s start with the good part, this book had a lot of representation with a trans-MC, Autistic MC, a nonbinary character, and a bunch of more queer kids. It actually made me happy seeing this much rep first. The plot was okay and I did get through the book pretty quickly.
I think the book did a pretty good job at highlighting the trans issues in school and how teachers usually don’t pay as much attention to them as they should be and the issues with many school codes that do not include people in the binary.
Now to the not great bits…right after I put the book down I thought I liked it and it was going to be a 4 star read but after going through the notes I found a lot of issues both with the writing, the characters, and the plot.
The writing wasn’t great, I loved the first few pages of the book but when it comes to the scenes there was a lot of telling and no showing. The relationship between Jeremy and Lukas Felt off, their emotions could have been portrayed better given that the book was in dual POV.
I've got mixed feelings about Jeremy, he's self depricating with a god complex and is selfish almost completely throughout the book. There was 0 character development for him whatsoever. Yeah, I get that trans/gay person but showing them in such a negative light wasn't the way to go about it. I do get where he's coming from tho his anger and pain and all his issues were valid but his actions really had no justifications.
I liked Lukas’s character at the start and he’s really sweet and supportive for most of the book but towards the end, his character had the opposite of development. I think that the autism rep through the character was good as well, he felt more well-rounded than Jeremy.
The issues surrounding intersectionality was something that I think was the most problematic point of this book, I don’t think that the author did it any justice and a few parts actually felt like an attack on the lesbian and gay community instead of it being a conversation on the issue of why the trans youth are made to feel like imposters in the community when they are trans and gay.
A few situations and dialogues felt unrealistic and overdramatized and towards the end, the book felt like a drag.
So this brings me to my conclusion, is this book worth the read…it's worth a one-time read for sure. It does a good job at showing trans issues but lacks in other matters. Yeah, the characters are diverse but they also felt like plot points to advance the main characters and make them look better.
What you need to keep in mind is that this isn't supposed to be a fairytale and these are teenagers who make teenager-like mistakes. It’s not a bad book but it isn’t the best one out there if you want to see queerness represented.
Do not go into it wanting a cute romantic fairytale based on the cover! This book explores pretty dark themes and subjects and isn't really rainbows and sunshine. If you're looking for a cute queer book to read right now, this is not that I promise you.
Review:
Let’s start with the good part, this book had a lot of representation with a trans-MC, Autistic MC, a nonbinary character, and a bunch of more queer kids. It actually made me happy seeing this much rep first. The plot was okay and I did get through the book pretty quickly.
I think the book did a pretty good job at highlighting the trans issues in school and how teachers usually don’t pay as much attention to them as they should be and the issues with many school codes that do not include people in the binary.
Now to the not great bits…right after I put the book down I thought I liked it and it was going to be a 4 star read but after going through the notes I found a lot of issues both with the writing, the characters, and the plot.
The writing wasn’t great, I loved the first few pages of the book but when it comes to the scenes there was a lot of telling and no showing. The relationship between Jeremy and Lukas Felt off, their emotions could have been portrayed better given that the book was in dual POV.
I've got mixed feelings about Jeremy, he's self depricating with a god complex and is selfish almost completely throughout the book. There was 0 character development for him whatsoever. Yeah, I get that trans/gay person but showing them in such a negative light wasn't the way to go about it. I do get where he's coming from tho his anger and pain and all his issues were valid but his actions really had no justifications.
I liked Lukas’s character at the start and he’s really sweet and supportive for most of the book but towards the end, his character had the opposite of development. I think that the autism rep through the character was good as well, he felt more well-rounded than Jeremy.
The issues surrounding intersectionality was something that I think was the most problematic point of this book, I don’t think that the author did it any justice and a few parts actually felt like an attack on the lesbian and gay community instead of it being a conversation on the issue of why the trans youth are made to feel like imposters in the community when they are trans and gay.
A few situations and dialogues felt unrealistic and overdramatized and towards the end, the book felt like a drag.
So this brings me to my conclusion, is this book worth the read…it's worth a one-time read for sure. It does a good job at showing trans issues but lacks in other matters. Yeah, the characters are diverse but they also felt like plot points to advance the main characters and make them look better.
What you need to keep in mind is that this isn't supposed to be a fairytale and these are teenagers who make teenager-like mistakes. It’s not a bad book but it isn’t the best one out there if you want to see queerness represented.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Toxic friendship, and Homophobia
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Ableism, and Dysphoria
Minor: Deadnaming and Death
peachpit_gabe's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
lish_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“I need to be bigger than my anger, but I’m only five foot two.”
This book is messy, imperfect, complicated, and important.
Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, publicly announced his transition before the school year started and wants to take his senior year by storm, school administration and transphobic bullies be damned. Lukas Rivers, Jeremey’s ex, wants to be crowned Homecoming King, get accepted to an Ivy League, and heal the rift his older brother’s death left in his family.
As the two go head-to-head competing for their prestigious private school’s Homecoming Court, tempers flare, and our two main characters and their friends are, well, teenagers, grappling for a place in a world that expects something specific of each and every one of them, no matter their own desires or opinions on the matter. Jeremy, Lukas, their friends, rivals, and enemies, are all figuring out how to be themselves in the wake of what society, their school, and their families expect of them, and at times these expectations are suffocating. The ways these characters choose to fight back against injustice (actual or perceived) aren’t always the best choices available to them, but each choice is authentically made by the character in question. This book is not a cute rom-com, despite the effervescent cover and synopsis, though I was rooting for Jeremy and Lukas’s possible reconciliation, even when I wanted to sit them down and shake some sense into them both, older-sister style.
In addition to their battle for a Homecoming crown, Jeremy struggles transphobia amongst his peers and the adults in his life, as well as with his masculinity and what American society dictates as acceptable forms of masculinity. Lukas, secretly living with an autism diagnosis he’s only ever told Jeremy about, struggles to pass his AP Bio class in the face of an ableist teacher, and the student body struggles with a Cresswell administration that cares more for appearances of progressiveness than actual change. There’s a lot of social commentary packed into this book, and some of it is handled better than the rest. But I think Ellor’s main goal — to show that trans characters don’t have to be perfect paragons of virtue, but can be real and imperfect and flawed — was met. I felt for Jeremy in every single sentence, even when he was being an asshole and hurting people he was supposed to care about, and especially when he knew he was making a bad choice and just didn’t know how to make a better one. These characters are only 14-18 and all very privileged, struggling with gaining real-life experience and dealing with the consequences of their actions for possibly the first times in their lives — they’re going to make a wrong decision sometimes, and even experience whole seasons of their lives defined by their bad choices.
I do wish there was a little more resolution in the end — some of the plot points were wrapped up quickly and without the attention I thought they deserved, and I thought a few characters got off a little too easily for my taste — but I enjoyed the place we leave both Jeremy and Lukas.
All in all, I think MAY THE BEST MAN WIN is a strong debut in the queer contemporary YA genre. If you get the chance, give the audiobook a try — narrator Avi Roque brought distinct voices and layers of personality to each and every character, making the audiobook a joy to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Ableism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia, Misogyny, Death, Blood, Alcohol, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault
rainbcwboy's review against another edition
There was an unnecessary, unaddressed throwaway line on page 182 calling lesbians TERFs
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Lesbophobia
readingguy's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Lesbophobia