Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Call Me By Your Name

I like a lot of the prose and have definitely tabbed some of it.
But the two major things that put me off in this book outside of the obvious problem are what feels like the author's own personal kinks slipping in and Elio being the most pretentious 17 year old in the world.

Content Warnings

mimielizabeth14's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

caitlin_123a's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

zouubugz's review against another edition

Go to review page

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No

1.5

Dnfed halfway through, I just couldn't bring myself to care.

I'm not the biggest fan of the writing, it goes so slow and at the same time it hops from one event to another so fast. It's basically just elio's full thoughts, which I didn't really liked. The writing was just weird to me and I had second hand embarassment multiple times.
I don't really like Elio, I did not enjoy reading his point of vue at all and as much as I tried to I just did not care what would happen. Homeboy is OBSESSED with Oliver to a point where I would have been concerned if I liked him.

I'll probably give the book another chance next year, but right now it's a no for me.

Update:
I FINALLY FINISHED IT
Guess what ? I hated it.
I have so many things to say, I don't know where to start.

The characters)
Elio is so annoying and I hated being in his head as he OBSESSES over Oliver, thinking he's in love when he just wants to fuck something. But I could get behind a horny teenage boy hyperfixating on an adult ig.
Oliver is a lunatic who's leading on a 17yo boy.
At some point Oliver goes in Elio's room while he's asleep and just LAY DOWN FULLY ON TOP OF HIM. SIR THAT IS A SLEEPING 17YO.
At one point they're fully making out but then Oliver says "we can't do this. I know myself. So far we've behaved, we've been good, neither of us has done anything to feel ashamed of. Let's keep it that way. I want to be good." WELL TOO FUCKING LATE? YOU PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF IT BEFORE GROOMING A 17YO??? BRING BACK SHAME.
And then right over dinner Oliver caresses Elio's feet with HIS TOES ???? King of mixed signals fr.

The dynamic)
Oliver calls Elio "kid". I'm not kidding. He calls him kid right after telling him he thought about them romantically and proceeds to kiss him right after. WEIRD.
Also, when they're alone in Elio's room, Elio thinks "I felt like a child left alone for the first time with his home-school teacher" and I'm supposed to be happy when they have sex ?

The hyper sexualisation)
Am I the only one weirded out that a 50+yo man wrote about a 17yo being so sexual ? Also, that same man said that "12yo girls are attractive".
Elio has one thought and it's fucking anything. And I'm all for sexual freedom but it was just too much and TOO WEIRD COMING FROM AN OLD MAN.

The issue with consent)
Both Oliver and Elio have an issue with consent. Elio thinks with his dick and decides that he would cum on Oliver's bed even if he refuses to have sex with him. Thankfully it didn't actually happened but what the actual fuck. And Oliver doesn't realise the power dynamic he has over Elio

The feet fetish)
Why are their toes always brought up?
I need to bring a quote from the book for this cause showing is better than telling:

With my toes I reached over to his toes and touched them. Then, without thinking, I slipped my big toe in between his big toe and his second toe. He did not recoil, he did not respond. I wanted to touch each toe with my own.

Last night I kissed his foot and sucked his toes.

And I could go on and on about it.

THE FUCKING PEACH SCENE (pun intended)
Elio daydreams that someone is making him fuck a peach so he then decides to fuck a peach (it's way too graphic) and then leaved the "cum-filled peach" on his desk (he also compares the peach to a rape victim) and then Oliver comes and EAT THE FREAKING PEACH.
No words. I have no words.

The bathroom scene)
Oliver poops and then this scene happens:

"Don't flush. I want to look." What I saw brought out strains of compassion, for him, for his body, for his life. "Our bodies won't have secrets now." I said as I took my turn and sat down. He had hopped into the bathtub and was just about to turn on the shower. "I want you to see mine." I said. He did more. He stepped out, kissed me on the mouth, and, pressing and massaging my tummy with the flat of his palm, watched the whole thing happen.

Do I need to even say more ?
And they say romance is dead ig

Content Warnings

voxnts's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

lu8cia's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Unrequited love, unbearable. Heart break and romanticized heart break.

Content Warnings

More...