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honeycupreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying and Outing
Minor: Deadnaming, Drug abuse, and Hate crime
mabellene'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying and Outing
Minor: Ableism, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, and Racism
its_vendetta'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
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Outing, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
ravenk28'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? No
5.0
This book was so sweet in ways that as a trans man moved me to tears. The progression of Spencer as a character was beautiful but also Justice’s growth in an extremely religious family was inspiring.
This book tells the story that so many of use experience.
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Deadnaming, Death, and Drug abuse
shorelinepages'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, and Drug abuse
fanboyriot'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Outing
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deadnaming and Dysphoria
rockythefreak'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Mass/school shootings, and Outing
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Outing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Deadnaming, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
emily_mh'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Abortion
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: menstruation, chronic pain, loss of a loved one (child)bookswithbront'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: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Bullying
victinerary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
My first finish for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023: what a beautiful start!
This book addresses so much. First and foremost we get a look inside the mind of Spencer, a trans high school soccer star, as he navigates a new school, complicated family life, and his first crush. Those would be a lot of things to deal with for any kid... but Spencer also has to deal with the daily challenges of existing in a society that can be everything from dismissive to downright dangerous for a boy like him.
We get to see daily choices and actions made by Spencer, his family, and his friends and how differently the reality of those choices and actions effect Spencer. Everything from being able to pass as a boy at school to the challenges of navigating gendered bathrooms and locker rooms, it was definitely eye opening to see the thought behind so many situations most people would just take for granted as being easy.
While this could have just been a book about a trans kid navigating "normal" high school challenges (which would be difficult enough!), the author did a beautiful job of adding so many layers to Spencer's story to help illustrate the additional multi-faceted challenges that so many trans kids face. From growing up in a multi-racial household to having a sibling on the autistic spectrum, we learn how difficult and sometimes invalidating it can feel to interact with loved ones, even in an "accepting" family.
Then we meet Justice, Spencer's crush and fellow soccer teammate. They bond over a shared love of the beautiful game, but Justice comes from a very conservative, religious family who see the LGBT community as sinful. Through Justice and interactions with his family and church, we see how difficult it is for Spencer to separate Justice and his (more open-minded) beliefs from the hateful rhetoric most of his family believes in. Justice is on his own journey of self discovery and acceptance, and the connection between these two is beautiful, and also important to their individual and collective growth.
But don't worry, this isn't all intense emotional journey stuff. Shout out to great side characters like the soccer coach, the school GSA (gay-straight alliance) club, Spencer's rocker best friend, and of course, the boys on the soccer team. They all provide some endearing scenes, and the comic relief.
I hope this book can find it's way into the hands of trans and other lgbt youth across the country because it gives a voice, and a validation, to so many diverse aspects of the queer experience and how challenging it can be, especially in your teenage years. This is a beautiful story about community, love, and acceptance overcoming bigotry. I can't recommend it enough.
Some notes & TWs:
❤️ 🏳️⚧️ Trans MC
🧡 Gay MC
💛 Multi-racial family
💚 Autism rep (family member)
💙 Non-binary side character
💜 Little bit of side character bisexual rep
- TW: un-accepting church culture
- TW: drug use & death (discussion of past event / not current characters)
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Deadnaming, Death, and Drug use
Deadnaming - only past descriptions of it happening, not current Drug use / death - character related to a side character, story told about them but the events do not happen in the book.