Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Stay Gold, by Tobly McSmith

11 reviews

luz_reads_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Violence

Minor: Vomit

nerdysread's review

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-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

3.0

A really good book about a trans teen who wants to who wants to live a « normal » Life. But then he falls in love and he starts questioning himself and ignore has to tell the girl he loves if he’s trans. 

Also his friend wants him to come out. Not hide himself and live his true self. 

So Pony has to navigate a new life trying to be a new Him, without loosing himself. 

But seriously some things really felt problematic. Like Georgia feeling betrayed because Pony didn’t tell her he’s trans. Like??? It’s dangerous. Max pressuring Pony to come out. But for this I kinda of get both of their pov on the question. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Vomit

anniereads221's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Vomit, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Bullying, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Violence

Misgendering HP references

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This is your typical boy meets girl out of his league but she's tired of the social roles she plays anyway type stories, but make one of them trans. The characters are fun and their exploration of themselves is typical but rewarding. I was a little surprised that one character never has a learning moment about how trans people don't owe you a sex reveal, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Bullying, Transphobia, Homophobia, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Outing, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, Hate crime, Infidelity, Body shaming, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Grief and Dysphoria

ohnoits_arcturus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Death and Self harm

Minor: Vomit

seawarrior's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I really wasn't into this book... and at points I just wanted to quit reading. Pony and Georgia weren't interesting people to me, they both seemed shallow and self-absorbed, so I had a difficult time feeling invested in their motivations, much less their love story. Pony kinda skates along acting toxically masculine throughout the book and isn't given opportunity to truly grow out of that mindset or denounce it. I was honestly really appalled by how he was behaving and how remorseless he felt about it. I transitioned at the same age he did, at the same point in time that he did, and never felt pressured to act as he did, and have known plenty of other trans masculine people who would never dream of behaving so offensively just to pass. It's not a requirement, even around hyper-masculine guys, to go around being misogynistic and LGBTphobic just to be stealth, and I'm sick and tired of young trans boys being convinced otherwise. Pony slightly redeems himself at the end, but I really wasn't satisfied with his character progression, and I still left the story with a sour taste in my mouth. 

Ironically I enjoyed listening to Georgia's voice more, though she also behaves LGBTphobically for immature and downright ridiculous reasons. Her act of redemption is more solid and purposeful by the end. My favorite character in the story was probably Ted London, and I was disappointed that he mostly seemed used as a plot device. I didn't feel satisfied with his development either. 

My other main issue was how there was never really a balance that Pony and Max found between accepting that some people need to be stealth for their own physical and mental safety, and that they can still stick up for other LGBT+ people at the same time. By the end this story read almost like a cautionary tale regarding both their perspectives, but they never even opened a dialogue about it. 

I think the high points of this story are the messages that life continues after being outed, life continues after assault, life continues when binding becomes too dangerous to repeat, life continues when you have to wait for gender affirming medical interventions, life continues after being rejected or mocked for your gender and it continues even when you wish you weren't living it. Trans youth have so much more strength and grit than they usually give themselves credit for. And they're often surrounded by so much more love than they know. I was happy that these ideas were reflected in the book, but mostly at the very end, and only very briefly in comparison with the previous pages. I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to others. It's not totally terrible, but I had a lot of issues with the characters and with the narrative that went unresolved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Outing, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

bookrmysoulmate's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 

I feel so sorry for Pony. He did not deserve this. He’s a sweet, kind, and brave boy who’s fallen head over heels in love with the cheerleader. He just wants to be a normal boy and let his transition not become his defining feature/fact. 

Spoiler

I CANNOT TOLERATE GEORGIA!! I understand the 'girls shouldn't put other girls down shit' but she is the exact kind of girl I can't tolerate! she pretends to be good, thoughtful, caring, and 'not transphobic' but her actions portray the complete opposite! 

She likes Pony and wants him in her life but cannot date him because 'she doesn't wanna ruin her IMAGE!'  

I thought Jake would be your standard jock but I guess he was one of the very few okay ones.  

It's not exactly rainbows and sunshine, rather the opposite of it. It has some very dark scenes, the plot and esp. the characters are very insensitive and can be gravely triggering for many. I won't recommend this to a person who's looking for a book to be seen in, but if you do pick this one up please go through the content warnings once.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

xoodlebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexism

Disordered eating patterns

nonbinaryreading's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism

Minor: Death and Vomit

lexa's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

Beautiful ownvoices trans coming of age story about being true to yourself. While heavy at times, the author did a great job at threading in facts and information about being a transgender youth and the challenges faced without it feeling like a fact sheet. I only wish it didn’t wrap up quite so quickly; I would’ve liked another couple chapters about the changes of heart that took place and how they came to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Violence

Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, and Body shaming