Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Faux Ho Ho by 'Nathan Burgoine

4 reviews

jakegray's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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qace90's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This is an adorable and fun fake dating set up. When Silas’ Very Conservative parents try to harangue him into coming home for Thanksgiving, his friend/roommate Dino says he can’t because they’re spending their first thanksgiving as a couple with his family. When Silas’ sister sends wedding invitations, suddenly he and Dino have to continue the charade a little longer so he doesn’t ruin his favorite family member’s wedding day. I love the way the story is told in a mix of flashbacks of Dino and Silas’ developing friendship and present day Christmas hijinks. This is very firmly putting ‘Nathan Burgoine in favorite comfort authors!
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wardenred's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I feel like a character I made on a first play-through of a new game, and I didn't understand what would be needed, so now I've got all the wrong abilities unlocked in all the wrong skill trees and dating is a boss immune to everything I learned how to do. Oh, and I can't start over, and I think I'm over encumbered.

Such a lovely read! ❤️️ Literally the only reason it doesn't get a complete 5-star rating from me is that the book could really use an extra editing pass or two. There were quite a few typos, missed words, and such—nothing at all that stood in the way of my enjoyment of the story, but it sometimes interrupted my immersion because I had to take a step back and figure out what actual word should have been there instead of a typo or the like. Maybe it's an ESL thing.

That's literally the only bad thing I can say about this book, though. It's a lovely, lovely romance with some important social commentary. So many beautifully executed romance tropes here: They were roommates! Friends to lovers! Fake dating! Only one bed! Mutual pining! "OMG, so I've been pining all along???" It was just magical and heartwarming all around.

I loved how the story was told in dual timelines: the one about the fake dating leading to romance and the one leading up to that, exploring how Silas and Dino met and clicked and how their friendship evolved. Even though the "past" timeline focuses on the two leads first and foremost, the world around them feels so alive and vibrant—it's clear that they're part of a big, warm queer community and have great support networks. There's a big contrast between that and the "present" scenes with Silas's Conservative family who, with the exception of his sister, diligently tolerate him in this special alienating way that certain families just have.

Silas was one of the most relatable characters I've read about in a while—so many things about him just resonated with me on a deep level. His geekiness, how he uses videogame and D&D terminology to explain the places he's in mentally, his background anxieties about himself, the way he does his best to stay kind and open-hearted, certain aspects of his relationship to his family, how he's out of practice of being the Silas they know and tolerate. I rooted for him and his happy ever after all the way through. Dino's an amazing character, as well: so fun and kind and generous, impulsively stepping in to solve problems, which just might (*cough* certainly will *cough*) create more problems for him to solve down the line. These two are perfect together.

Also, I certainly feel for how everyone's here addicted to coffee. 😂 And now I kind of want some beet hummus...
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eicart_reads's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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