Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - As You Walk On By

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

As You Walk On By by Julian Winters

29 reviews

chrisb913's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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

5.0

I was not expecting the emotional rollercoaster this book sent me on. I really loved our group of individuals from the party and was so enamored with the unique voice Julian was able to give to so many of these characters. It was incredible to see such a large number of troubles/issues teens have to face on a regular basis, but even more so being able to see them from the perspective of POC and/or LGBTQIA+. While reading I did find the beginning to be a little slow to setup, but after you reach a certain point, I did feel like the setup was necessary and served the story well. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely want to check out more books by Julian Winters.

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samchase112's review

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hopeful reflective medium-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

4.5

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

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sglance9's review

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challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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corkspork's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

4.75

A delightful read. Plus, a light-hearted way to examine my own actions in similar situations and do better in the future.

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margaret_rose_reads123's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

As You Walk on By gives the Breakfast Club just before Prom Night… but make it queer!! This YA novel hits the nostalgia for high school crush jitters, and the pressures to fit in. As a 26 year old bisexual girl, I can remember EXACTLY what it felt like to want to take a girl to prom, but to completely crumble under the social pressure to not “look gay” to everyone. As You Walk on By has all the tough conversations I never got to have with my friends. I did a lot of inner healing reading along and rooting for all the characters. I especially appreciate the POV of a Black and gay main character to really provide a safe space for the high schoolers who feel under represented and unaccepted.

Besides all that, the subplot of rebuilding friendships and learning how to make meaningful apologies is something that really made my heart sing!

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tinysierra's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The kind of diversity I wish The Breakfast Club had.

A book about the weight of societal and familial expectations, the difficulty of natigating high school friendships, and the importance of following your own path.

Funny, charming, cheesy, emotional, real.

TW: Car Crash fatality mentioned

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jencolumb0's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-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

I picked this up, initially, because I heard Mr. Winters speak on a panel held by a local bookstore and liked what I heard. This is a super solid coming-of-age story about integrity that also has central lessons about inequalities that Black - and, particularly queer Black people - continue to face in the US, that pretty much every white and/or hetero person in the country could stand to read. The last 100 pages or so reminded me of Netflix’s Heartstopper, so plenty of warm-fuzzies to go along with the stuff everyone needs to hear. (And points for the solid bi rep.)

The drug/alcohol elements in this book struck me as somewhat unrealistic for modern day (and could possibly serve as a sticking point for some parents). However, upon further inspection, this element could actually be a low-key homage to early aughts teen sleaze to accompany the low-key love letter to 90s Black TV and film that’s baked into this book as well. While I don’t think it adds anything substantive to the book, it also doesn’t lend much (other than demonstrating responsibility through unwavering use of DDs . . . which is not the only avenue to the Driving While Black teaching moment for the reader) . . . which is why I bring it up as an unnecessarily polarizing element in a book that needs to get in as many white and/or hetero hands as possible.

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mel_muses's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

"Maybe we have room to share our real selves with more than one person. Maybe not every friendship is The One. When things don't end the way we hoped, maybe shutting ourselves off isn't the answer?

This was my first Julian Winters book, and I think I can confidently say I'm going to have so much fun exploring his backlist. I loved the explorations of friendships, and relationships in general. There's something so special about watching someone recognize their worth and surround themselves with their true found family.

As You Walk On By follows Theo Wright, a gay Black teen who has two best friends: Jay and Darren. They're everything to him — they even have a name: The Nameless Trio. But when their weekly daring tradition leads to Jay daring Theo having to prompose to his long-time crush, things get a little... messy. Theo wants it all: to make his father proud by excelling in school and at track, to remain tight with TNT, and to finally get the prom he deserves — the type of prom his well-off (white heterosexual) friends take for granted.

There were some things about Theo that annoyed me (namely, his disregard for some of his relationships), but I also felt that everything he did wrong was such a normal thing to do wrong. I've definitely been there, reevaluating relationships and making decisions that I later realized were insensitive and sometimes just plain wrong. And because this is such a normal part of being a teenager, being a human, it's something that felt so right to read about. Give me more imperfect relationships! More people owning up to their bullshit! More people deciding for themselves what they deserve in a friend!

I also loved Theo's dynamic with his dad (who is bi, by the way!). Their relationship, even when strained, really shined. The way they talked and joked to each other, as well as the ways they argued, indicated such a developed relationship. Usually in YA, the parents are barely developed and more of an idea than a person, but in AYWOB, I felt like I really knew his dad almost as well as I knew Theo.

I really appreciated the constant recognition of the privilege (in terms of wealth, race, and sexuality) that set Theo apart from his friends, new and old. I can't speak too much to this, as a white reader, but I will say that it felt to me like it grounded the book, making it feel more real and part of the world as we know it.

The romance had such a natural progression and although it was predictable, it was really everything I expected and wanted. And overall, this was such an easy read, too. I had no trouble falling into Theo's mind, especially when he was forming new connections with people he'd just met, or rekindling a relationship with people he'd known for years.

I can't wait to dive into more of Julian Winters' books and meet all his other geeky queer protagonists!

Trigger Warnings: public humiliation, past grandparent death, racism, homophobia, microaggressions associated with both, sexism and misogyny, slut shaming of a side character, sexual harassment of a side character, past death of a teen friend in a car accident

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20sidedbi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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