Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - As Far as You'll Take Me

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

As Far as You'll Take Me by Phil Stamper

82 reviews

unmistakablyphoenix's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was not written for me, so I didn’t connect with the main character almost at all. I liked some of the side characters, despised some of the others.
I enjoyed watching the main character figure out himself and become emotionally stronger, I did admire him for his self awareness.

I also enjoyed the focus on music and instruments, I seem to enjoy YA books that have a big focus on a hobby the character loves. I think it grounds the story very well.

I found it hard to get through the first half of the book, but about 70% of the way in it got really good and finished on a high note.
I enjoyed the writing style, though it did get overly detailed at some points. I’m not sure if that’s a character quirk or the author’s style, so I guess I’d have to read another of his books to find out.

Would recommend this for queer men with an anxiety disorder and love of playing music, the main character should be very relatable for you!

Content Warnings

worm_on_the_books's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

4.0

I’ve read a number of reviews about this book saying how they didn’t like/enjoy it due to the toxic relationships in it instead of a fluffy gay romance piece, like they thought it would be. It is also important to note that Marty is a somewhat unreliable narrator at times, which should be taken into account when reading this.
In my opinion I feel like this isn’t a romance book, it’s a book about healing and finding yourself within the larger world, and the toxic relationships come with that.
While I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, their complex character arcs made for an interesting read, exploring emotional connections and how people deal with life.
I also felt like Marty’s anxiety was written rather well, many of his thoughts and anxiety spirals often reminded me of my own thoughts.
The one thing that made me cringe slightly though was the way Stamper portrayed the instruments in the book, particularly the oboe.
As an oboist and flautist myself, some of his descriptions of sound and how to play certain instruments weren’t exactly correct, even if he does apparently have a bachelor of music.
Overall an interesting story exploring the lgbtq community, starting anew and relationships.

Content Warnings

ddrosche's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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sighclopss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective 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

2.5

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zellerpress's review against another edition

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emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this book, but it fell so flat. TW for disordered eating plot points and homophobia.

The character development for many of the big supporting characters is very meh. Even Marty’s character development is very one-note.

This will likely go into my pile of forgettable reads. Not sad I read it but wouldn’t recommend it or re-read in the future.

Content Warnings

ravi_dejong's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

3.75

This story is quite heavy, and deals with issues surrounding toxic friendships and relationships, eating disorders and outing. I feel that there were a lot of complex themes the author tried to check off, without really focusing upon any one of them in great detail. I enjoyed it anyway and preferred that it is focus on the mental health aspect.

Content Warnings