Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

16 reviews

golpesar818's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

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

4.0

my only critique would be the interludes and random short stories unrelated to the plot scattered throughout the book, in my opinion, didn’t do much to advance the story, so i found them a bit distracting. i loved the writing, except the parts that went into literary-academic speak territory, and at times it was too referential (and i say this because a lot of it i wasn’t familiar with!). but the humor, heat, and heartbreak, the subtle magical realism and realness, and the journey through queer history and underground was sublime. oddly, i find myself thinking of paul’s character constantly and his silent judgments of our social world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Drug use

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

In one word? Masterful.

Paul/Polly’s character is so well crafted she/he could walk off the page and I wouldn’t know they weren’t real.

This is a book of personal journey, perfect for those who love a flawed protagonist. We drift with Paul/Polly as they tackle passion, grief, guilt, loss, gratitude. We are afloat in the heady haze of existence with them, learning (or not learning) about themselves along the way.

Change is omnipresent for Paul/Polly, most significantly in their gender fluidity but also in friendships, living situations, identity, jobs, relationships, music, and bars.

The short stories that were placed throughout the text were so enticing. They reminded me a lot of Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’; the reader is left wondering whether there is something a little more we were meant to get from the tale, another moral left to find, an extra metaphor left to uncover.

All in all, this book is a stunning and unreserved tribute to community, to finding ourselves, to being aware of ourselves, to queer theory and queer love and queer freedom.

((definitely an 18+ read!))

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Drug use

artstitute's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was slow, quiet, and reflective, and I was happy to settle back and be along for the ride. Paul's kind of a dick, but I have a soft spot for him anyway. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness

Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, and Stalking

The AIDS epidemic is referenced and discussed.

addie's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Drug use

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death

gwarren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-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

3.0

An interesting take on gender, sexuality and fluidity. Lots of parts I enjoyed, others I felt I was losing a connection with the character more than how it was suggested I should be... 

Liked the ambiguity of the ending and the chaos Paul/Polly's life seemed to follow throughout the narrative and appreciated the sex positive, non-binary, shape-shifting protagonist.

Also want to mention how grounded the setting of the story was. There were so many references to 90's pop culture, the LGBT+ community, the AIDS crisis (and it's after effects) and similarities between today's queer youth to then. 

Overall, an enjoyable story with lots to sink your teeth into. May read again in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Transphobia

pkc's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

I think any book that gives me so much frustration around the central protagonist will always be annoying and I’ll find it challenging. The premise was wild and the prose was funny in places, but there was little to no character development so I’d say that’s something to bear in mind as you undertake this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use

packedjam's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

i think this book was very good at what it set out to do. unfortunately for me, what it set out to do drove me up the wall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Cursing, Homophobia, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Transphobia

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

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Content Warnings

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

mosswood's review against another edition

challenging funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

This book I mainly loved for its complete uniqueness, I’ve never read a book like it. It is so gender explorative and exciting in the way it perceives me gender. I loved the descriptions of queer life in the 90’s. However, I found the writing difficult, and struggled to connect with any of the characters, though I do believe that’s the point it made me struggle to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

levtitticus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Drug use

Moderate: Grief, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Medical content, Mental illness, Outing, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence