purechaos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Drug use, Homophobia, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
bookswithlauren's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Outing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Body shaming, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, and Homophobia
alex_johnson_2021's review
emotional
informative
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
2.5
As a character, Felix got on my nerves. He's mad with Declan messing with him and Ezra, but Declan makes good points about him not taking things seriously. He doesn't pay attention in school or takes things seriously, yet he wants to get into Brown, just because his portfolio is good. He constantly criticizes his father, who has probably been the most supportive person in his life, minus Ezra and Leah. He decides to keep talking to Declan, knowing that Ezra and him had a serious relationship and just doesn't give a fuck. He wants people to take what he's going through into consideration, but won't give that same grace to others. The pacing wasn't all the way there because by the time we got to the love triangle, we were 2/3rds done with the book and that felt rushed. The mother who abandons him gets more grace than the father who has been by his side. It just doesn't make sense. The only reason why this book is getting 2.5 stars is because twist of who did the gallery was good, and the parts of him going to the clinic and focusing on himself were the best parts of the book. I don't feel like Ezra or Declan need Felix in their lives and they can do without him, because Felix was so insufferable. I have read other YA books where it makes sense, but this was too much for me personally.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Transphobia, Outing, and Deadnaming
oceanebooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
I don't really know where I should start, so I'll begin with the language.
It's informal, sometimes very informal but at the same time very realistically how people and especially young adults/teenagers speak. I liked that Kacen Kallender were able to capture that so well, even though that meant a lot of "fuck"s and "shit"s. Meanwhile, I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrating style per se, the choice of words just wasn't very poetic but realistic, but this isn't really a critique because we all know I have a bias for poetic language and expression.
Onto the plot: I was surprised how the author was able to cover so many different topics in one book (like yeah, it had 350 pages but still...) and execute them all so well. With Felix, they created a very unique personality, whose thoughts and feelings the reader gets to experience very detailed and non-filtered. The whole thing with the struggle of (gender-)identity was something I personally could really relate to even though I'm not trans. But this kind of questioning yourself and wanting to find out who you are and if you even want to label yourself was beautifully portrayed.
But: Sometimes it was also hard to understand Felix, just because he's so different (from his personality) than I am and therefore acted sometimes like the complete opposite of what I would have done. Kacen Kallender keeps him a very human and realistic character and clearly shows everyone else's flaws, too, so you have to accept their misbehaviour and mistakes in order to love them unconditionally. And again, I loved the realistic aspect of that, especially the conflict between Felix and his father (just because of the portrayal).
I have just one thing to criticise and that is that the ending almost felt too good. Everyone ends up with the person they want to be with, the whole identity struggle is pretty much solved and also the family and school conflicts, too, so yeah - that was the only less realistic aspect maybe. But again this is not entirely negative because of course the book has to bring an end to all these topics when it ends, too.
"Felix ever after" is a book that made me think, that gave me comfort and at the same time discomfort, made me laugh and made me sad - it was a book I sacrificed my sleep for. So yeah, it was pretty good.
It's informal, sometimes very informal but at the same time very realistically how people and especially young adults/teenagers speak. I liked that Kacen Kallender were able to capture that so well, even though that meant a lot of "fuck"s and "shit"s. Meanwhile, I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrating style per se, the choice of words just wasn't very poetic but realistic, but this isn't really a critique because we all know I have a bias for poetic language and expression.
Onto the plot: I was surprised how the author was able to cover so many different topics in one book (like yeah, it had 350 pages but still...) and execute them all so well. With Felix, they created a very unique personality, whose thoughts and feelings the reader gets to experience very detailed and non-filtered. The whole thing with the struggle of (gender-)identity was something I personally could really relate to even though I'm not trans. But this kind of questioning yourself and wanting to find out who you are and if you even want to label yourself was beautifully portrayed.
But: Sometimes it was also hard to understand Felix, just because he's so different (from his personality) than I am and therefore acted sometimes like the complete opposite of what I would have done. Kacen Kallender keeps him a very human and realistic character and clearly shows everyone else's flaws, too, so you have to accept their misbehaviour and mistakes in order to love them unconditionally. And again, I loved the realistic aspect of that, especially the conflict between Felix and his father (just because of the portrayal).
I have just one thing to criticise and that is that the ending almost felt too good. Everyone ends up with the person they want to be with, the whole identity struggle is pretty much solved and also the family and school conflicts, too, so yeah - that was the only less realistic aspect maybe. But again this is not entirely negative because of course the book has to bring an end to all these topics when it ends, too.
"Felix ever after" is a book that made me think, that gave me comfort and at the same time discomfort, made me laugh and made me sad - it was a book I sacrificed my sleep for. So yeah, it was pretty good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Deadnaming, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.0
Felix Love, 17, black, queer and trans. Just one of those things makes him marginalized and he wonders if that is why he can't seem to find love. He's thinking about his gender identity and starts to question who he really is. At the same time he gets humiliated by a public display of his old photos - before transforming - and he receives several homophobic messages. Now all Felix can think about is finding out who's doing this to him, and get revenge.
This is a really good story about identity, self-discovery, friendship and love. As a teenager most have problems with self esteem, and thoughts about who you are. I can hardly imagine how much more difficult it must be if you're marginalized. To question something is usually healthy, even if it's yourself you question. Felix's best friend Ezra don't like to compartmentalize himself and I truly wish we weren't so focused on that. But we think it's easier to put people in different compartments, so that's what we do.
When Felix begins to receive homophobic messages I get annoyed when he answers them. I understand the feeling of standing up for oneself, but experience shows that it's playing the bully's game. If you don't react there's no reason for the bully to continue. I also think it's a bit uneasy how focused Felix is on revenge, and I don't sympathize with his way of getting the culprit to expose himself. Sure, it's a teenager with an identity crisis, but it bothers me, none the less.
As a hetrosexual white woman I can't say I have any experience with all of this, and despite trying to keep myself updated and informed, I think it's hard to know what all the terms involve. It was kind of a relief to hear that even those who identify within the LBTQIA+ community have the same problem, simply because there's so many of them. If I say the wrong thing it's never out of disrespect, to me it's obvious that you can love whoever you want, as well as it's up to you how you want to be addressed and what you identify yourself as.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Abandonment, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
axel_p's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Biphobia, Body shaming, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Drug use
finn_merchant's review
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Misogyny
ecnolte's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Very sweet but also so heavy and difficult at times
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, Classism, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Medical content, Drug use, and Outing
pickupthebook's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
This was a sweet, messy, complicated, and endearing coming-of-age story. It was frustrating for me to read at times, not only for the scenes of prejudice and transphobia, but also for some of the immature decisions the characters made. However - this felt honest and true to the teenage experience, and I'm so happy to see such diverse representation in a YA novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, and Outing
Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Abandonment
ecster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, and Dysphoria
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use