Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

ALSO HOLY FUCK THERE IS SOMETHING INCREDIBLE & HOT ABOUT FALLING IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHERS WORDS. also HOLY SHIT THE SEX SCENE!!!!!!!!!! absolutely magnificent.

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fran's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

1.0

This is the first book by Alexis Hall I truly neither liked nor enjoyed, which hurts my heart.
It was very long, the pacing was odd and soooo much was happening. The connection between Viola and Gracewood just wasn’t there for me.
I did like the queerness and the historical aspect but that’s about it, unfortunately.
However, the narration of the audiobook wasn’t for me either.

Additional TW/CW: PTSD and flashbacks

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lisacanteven's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is really more of a 3.5 read without rounding up, but I think because of the wonderful representation in a genre like this it deserves rounding up to a 4.

Here's where it didn't work for me: Almost 400 pages were telling a beautiful story with lovely writing and great character development. Then it took a hard left turn somewhere just south of page 400, and we were taken on a totally different ride on a trip I did not sign up for. It wasn't a bad trip, but it wasn't the one I wanted to be on. Maybe another time I would have enjoyed the trip, but I was ready for the trip I already had to be finished. Ya getting me?

Then for a few pages just north of page 400 the story got a little patriarchal outta nowhere. I didn't really expect that one person to just excuse the other person's behavior like they used the wrong fork at fancy dinner. If you read it, think about it. How did they just get away with it, but that is kinda how it usually happens because patriarchy.

Just as I was building my case against the villain's terrible redemption arc, the ending came together in a way that did satisfy me. I mean no one took down patriarchy in this book, but maybe that wasn't the point.

Here's what did work for me: The trans representation was really nice and sweet. I thought it was the perfect blend of trans joy and trans realness. You do have to suspend your disbelief and let yourself enjoy the relationship, but experiencing the trans joy through the story is worth it. For that alone this book was worth the read despite its flaws.

TL;DR- The first 400 pages will seem very laborious, but the last 50 pages will flash before your eyes like you're fast forwarding a movie. Both these parts of the story are enjoyable in their own right, but when put together they make a confusing tale. The queer, specifically trans, representation only gave the story more depth and attachment. For that achievement this story has earned its place among must-read romance books.

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kato_goldacker's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Friends to lovers slow-burn with good Trans Representation.

Recommend for Bridgerton Fans
(go to end for conclusion)

Loved it. When I found this one I knew I had to read it simply because it is exactly what I wanted.
Alexis Hall has some really beautiful writing and ways of describing things, as well as the ability to spark inspiration or thought with the way he puts things. This had a lot of inspiring, beautiful lines and romantic, soft, yearning moments that I really enjoyed, I marked a lot of parts in this book. Hall did a great job with writing a relatable trans character, too.

I did feel that, overall in its execution it’s not a masterpiece of a book, as I still felt like some things were perhaps missing or too simple. I also wasn’t always entirely sure about the pace of the book, I would call it a slow-burn romance, which I liked, but it did change pace a bit later. I don’t think it’s extraordinary story-writing or anything -generally I felt like there were things missing for me to make it a GREAT book, but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was. Depth, the feeling of a more detailedly thought-through plot / story, most likely.

Still, I loved it, and I’m so happy there’s a book with this story.
The characters were lovely and the playful, intimate and teasing interactions and the yearning and pining between Gracewood and Viola were really fun to read.
I’m also really happy we got a bit of spicy/intimate scenes, which I think is great seeing trans characters nicely represented in.

I don’t think you always need an absolutely great story with a unique plot that wasn’t ever written before. Popular tropes can still be enjoyable, and I don’t think it’s necessary to have an entirely period-accurate representation in every LGBTQIA+ novel, especially since -some people argue- it can be nice for us to have something simple, cheesy and stereotypical for once too, just like there’s tons of (non-LGBTQIA+) straight fiction like that.

Conclusion
So I’d say, if you’re not looking for a terribly original storyline but for a happy, hopelessly romantic, historical friends to lovers slow-burn, featuring good and positive trans representation, you will really like this.

About Triggers
I put all from this list I think are (briefly) in the book,
Of course it is for yourself to know but I just need to say I didn’t find this much triggering, even though I am quite sensitive to a lot of those. If drug use is really triggering for you it might be a different thing, for me it is mainly violence related as well as any sexual abuse or transphobia related ones, but I was mostly fine reading this and, despite containing all of those listed triggers, I found this was book that still felt light.

Content Warnings