lyd41's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Very glad I found this book to show me a unique queer experience. Provokes a lot of thought. Definitely read content warnings.
Graphic: Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Outing, Sexism, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cancer, Lesbophobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Police brutality, Mental illness, Cursing, Grief, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Violence, and Drug abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Trafficking, Deadnaming, and Vomit
silverrose187's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence
b_robinson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
2.75
"If You Could Be Mine" explored quite a few things that I previously wasn't very knowledgeable about, so it was nice to read an interesting story and learn stuff from it.
My main subject of learning was the queer community in Iran, but also some perspectives of the main faith tradition there (Islam, I think). It was actually kinda fascinating exploring the perception of trans people - referred to as "transsexuals" in the book - with the comparison of other queer identities. It felt so different from how other societies in the world go about accommodating (or not accommodating) trans people, and so this was an aspect I really enjoyed.
I didn't really like any of the characters that much, but I could definitely appreciate their journeys, and I liked that I couldn't really predict the ending, which gave it some intrigue.
My main subject of learning was the queer community in Iran, but also some perspectives of the main faith tradition there (Islam, I think). It was actually kinda fascinating exploring the perception of trans people - referred to as "transsexuals" in the book - with the comparison of other queer identities. It felt so different from how other societies in the world go about accommodating (or not accommodating) trans people, and so this was an aspect I really enjoyed.
I didn't really like any of the characters that much, but I could definitely appreciate their journeys, and I liked that I couldn't really predict the ending, which gave it some intrigue.
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexism, and Torture
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