Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Paul Takes the Form of A Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

4 reviews

clarkg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! At first blush, it's about shapeshifting, perception, queer life, and the refusal to be defined by any one thing--whether that be gender, genre, or subculture. Based on this premise alone, I worried that genderbending would be played for shock value, which would have been kind of tired as far as queer fiction goes. Lawlor's prose quickly burned away my misgivings and delivered a sharp, complicating, and tender tableau of queer desire and community. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Abandonment

Minor: Hate crime and Cultural appropriation

laurataylor's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

emmersnicole's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

iheartm4m's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book has a lot of potential but Lawlor takes gender identity and sexuality to a literal and physical form that feels necessary for some of the plot but not all. the book pointed to understanding the world through different lenses (girl, woman, man, beta, alpha, lesbian, bisexual) and how a person that has flowed through the gender/sexuality spectrum can and will expirience these situations portrayed in the book throughout their younger years. 
This can be eye opening for those who are are cis/het/certain in their sexuality/gender, but for those who have always fell through the cracks when it comes to identity, this book is a bit obvious. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment