madelinemaddy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
zzwmm's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
ghee's review
3.0
I thought it was a good high school lovers to enemies to friends to lovers story with a trans twist. I think they handled transphobia and dead names really cleverly and the balance of Jermey's personality vs his dysphoria causing friction in his relationships was interesting. A lot of his problems come from him being a drama king vs his friends having issues with him being trans.
It did drag a bit towards the end of the 2nd act and the rivalry seemed unnecessarily aggressive and cut throat although the author tried their best to make the stakes high... but in the end it's who gets crowned homecoming king soooo the stakes can only be so high. But overall it was a cute and easy read. If you like a queer high school romance this definitely is up your ally.
It did drag a bit towards the end of the 2nd act and the rivalry seemed unnecessarily aggressive and cut throat although the author tried their best to make the stakes high... but in the end it's who gets crowned homecoming king soooo the stakes can only be so high. But overall it was a cute and easy read. If you like a queer high school romance this definitely is up your ally.
babytloves2read's review against another edition
DNF @ 23%. Jeremy is one of the most insufferable main characters I’ve ever read. God, he is so egotistical and literally does not give a fuck about anyone but himself. Quite frankly, Lukas deserves better.
nicolerenae96's review against another edition
2.75
I wish we could’ve seen more of Jeremy and Lucas together when they weren’t feuding because we hardly got to see them together and getting along. Jeremy was extremely annoying and selfish and didn’t really have any growth. Lots of little side plots that could’ve/should’ve played a bigger part but just got swiped over
voidstar's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, I thought it was so fun! We've got two characters with a history going through their own problems, and they are both so, so messy about it. I have to say, I enjoyed watching Jeremy struggle to be a good friend to the people in his life, and to watch Lukas slowly realize he can't do right by someone else when he's hung up on Jeremy. They are very about each other.
But I think what makes this book for me is that there's a lot of other things happening, too. Jeremy dealing with internal and external transphobia. Lukas dealing with grief over the loss of his brother, and his family's ableism towards him. The injustice of school regulations regarding hate. Lukas' complicated childhood crush on his brother's friend who used to join in on bullying him.
There's also a fantastic cast of side characters that pull this together. Sol was made for me, honestly, but I think Terry might be my favorite character because of the weird place he fits in Lukas' life, the triangulation he serves between Lukas' brother's death and Lukas' sexuality, and the last interaction they have together.
It was very good. I liked it. And this book isn't for you if you can't handle imperfect characters whose behavior while they're going through a difficult time in their lives hurts other people. For me? I love that kind of thing. That's life. And that's the kind of stories I enjoy reading.
But I think what makes this book for me is that there's a lot of other things happening, too. Jeremy dealing with internal and external transphobia. Lukas dealing with grief over the loss of his brother, and his family's ableism towards him. The injustice of school regulations regarding hate. Lukas' complicated childhood crush on his brother's friend who used to join in on bullying him.
There's also a fantastic cast of side characters that pull this together. Sol was made for me, honestly, but I think Terry might be my favorite character because of the weird place he fits in Lukas' life, the triangulation he serves between Lukas' brother's death and Lukas' sexuality, and the last interaction they have together.
It was very good. I liked it. And this book isn't for you if you can't handle imperfect characters whose behavior while they're going through a difficult time in their lives hurts other people. For me? I love that kind of thing. That's life. And that's the kind of stories I enjoy reading.
milo_elliot11's review against another edition
it was cringe and that's coming from a trans person i thought jeremy sucked idk like he just seemed really unlikable.
lady_matellanes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.75