pelledorso's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Transphobia and Body shaming
Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, and Self harm
airclay3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.75
My brain started overthinking some of the magic realism in the middle and I was doubting if I could make it through. I loved the beginning third and the ending third! I loved considering the philosophy about life and love, and all the different things that A experienced in so many different bodies. A experiences breadth while Rhiannon experiences depth. This book is NOT lighthearted.
Spoiler
I almost didn’t catch the ending and that A ran away from Rhiannon and Reverend Poole to protect themselves and the bodies they inhabit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
nonidude's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
David Levithan's books always leave me thinking, and I enjoy that even if I don't always love or agree with the characters choices. They do feel like complete character choices though, not the author's.
There were problematic parts especially on behalf of Rhiannon with her fat-phobic comments, refusal to use the correct pronouns for the trans person and what felt like a refusal to understand A's own queerness...
The storyline was still brilliant though, and I think Rhiannon's character added depth and realness to the story in its own way, but I wish the author would've made it more blatantly written in the wrong with A disagreeing or correcting her more openly...
I did like the ending (with exception of Rhiannon's part in it), and I enjoyed that there were multiple twists along the way.
There were problematic parts especially on behalf of Rhiannon with her fat-phobic comments, refusal to use the correct pronouns for the trans person and what felt like a refusal to understand A's own queerness...
The storyline was still brilliant though, and I think Rhiannon's character added depth and realness to the story in its own way, but I wish the author would've made it more blatantly written in the wrong with A disagreeing or correcting her more openly...
I did like the ending (with exception of Rhiannon's part in it), and I enjoyed that there were multiple twists along the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Transphobia and Car accident
Minor: Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
hanniontherun's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Fatphobia
hannah_27_'s review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Addiction, Car accident, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Body shaming
ambaright's review
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
3.0
Part of what I like about this book is the every consuming presence of first love, and a unique twist on a bildungsroman story as A learns more about themself and the power love has on their existence. It’s a 2010s story at the heart, with some cliches splashed in here and there, but it was an easy story that proved to be a a thought-provoking reminder that love reaches beyond physical appearances or gender.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Homophobia
paperquilt's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Addiction, and Body shaming
Minor: Car accident, Violence, and Self harm
eijulia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Self harm, and Drug abuse
lydiasbooknook's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
I appreciate a book that focuses in one main concept and explores it in many different ways; what would waking up as a new person every day really mean? I feel like it could have gone even more in depth but I feel like the author struck a balance and didnt overstay their welcome. The concept as it was presented left me with more questions I could happily explore on my own. The love story and central plot felt secondary to my own enjoyment of it, but others might get more out if that aspect too. A book I could recommend most casual readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction
mariekejee's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.75
I'm a bit conflicted on this book - the magical realism part is quite nice, but I don't think I liked the romance part as much as I should've. Therefore, it sits at a solid 3,75 stars for me. As A is both and neither boy or girl, it is essentially a queer love story with a non-binary main character, which is commendable for a book from 2012.
As for the magical realism part: I liked getting to read through A living in a new body every day - I actually got excited about getting to meet the new person every chapter. The book poses a lot of questions about A's existence, and is not particularly interested in answering them. I can imagine this will turn some people off, but I didn't mind - this is, for all intents and purposes, more a YA romance novel than it is a book about body swapping, and that's fine.
As for the romance, it is filled with questionable tropes that I don't particularly care about. I'm not a big fan of the insta-love, I physically cringed at A's first description of Rhiannon (she is lost in the sadness, I'm the only one that notices her gentleness, and my favourite: she's pretty but she doesn't see it. Need I say more?!), the stalking,, . A thinks they're a good person, and can be pretty preachy with lines such as "we have 98 percent in common, but people like to focus on the 2 percent". In fact, Rhiannon and A both are described as compassionate, kind people but their whole affair is riddled with selfish acts, a lot of which have long lasting effects on those affected. It's actually a breath of fresh air when I got to read about the day A lives in the body of a girl who has a healthy, loving relationship with her girlfriend.
Sidenote: I kinda hate how every book about people inhabiting multiple bodies needs to include a fatphobic chapter where the person inhabits the body of a fat person. They're all the same; they wake up struggling to get up because every part of their body is heavy, everything about them is grotesque and gross (the sweat! so much sweat!) and the fat people themselves have no redeemable qualities (none at all! they are literally the worst because they are fat!). Please, thin writers, please stop talking about living in a fat body when you cannot disguise your disgust for them. This chapter wasn't as bad as the one I read in The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but reading it still felt like an unexpected cold shower.
In the end, the romance is kinda iffy but nice enough. I want to think this book would be better suited for me when I was in high school myself, but to be frank, given how serious I was about school I probably would've given myself an aneurysm reading about how casually A skips tests and important events. I liked the body swapping parts, and this has been one of the few books that have kept me hooked in a long time, so I'm grateful for that. Nevertheless, I don't think I would recommend this book to friends.
As for the magical realism part: I liked getting to read through A living in a new body every day - I actually got excited about getting to meet the new person every chapter. The book poses a lot of questions about A's existence, and is not particularly interested in answering them. I can imagine this will turn some people off, but I didn't mind - this is, for all intents and purposes, more a YA romance novel than it is a book about body swapping, and that's fine.
As for the romance, it is filled with questionable tropes that I don't particularly care about. I'm not a big fan of the insta-love, I physically cringed at A's first description of Rhiannon (she is lost in the sadness, I'm the only one that notices her gentleness, and my favourite: she's pretty but she doesn't see it. Need I say more?!), the stalking,
Spoiler
the way A fucks up people's life so they can see RhiannonSpoiler
the way Rhiannon properly cheated on her boyfriend and we're supposed to think that's okay because he's a jack-assSpoiler
And don't even start with the ending: A setting Rhiannon up with the body he's inhabiting without their consent. That's.. all types of fucked up. From a romantic standpoint, just because the person he's inhabiting is similar to them, doesn't mean Rhiannon would love him equally, and just sets their relationship up to fail. And again: the non-existent consent?!Sidenote: I kinda hate how every book about people inhabiting multiple bodies needs to include a fatphobic chapter where the person inhabits the body of a fat person. They're all the same; they wake up struggling to get up because every part of their body is heavy, everything about them is grotesque and gross (the sweat! so much sweat!) and the fat people themselves have no redeemable qualities (none at all! they are literally the worst because they are fat!). Please, thin writers, please stop talking about living in a fat body when you cannot disguise your disgust for them. This chapter wasn't as bad as the one I read in The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but reading it still felt like an unexpected cold shower.
In the end, the romance is kinda iffy but nice enough. I want to think this book would be better suited for me when I was in high school myself, but to be frank, given how serious I was about school I probably would've given myself an aneurysm reading about how casually A skips tests and important events. I liked the body swapping parts, and this has been one of the few books that have kept me hooked in a long time, so I'm grateful for that. Nevertheless, I don't think I would recommend this book to friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Transphobia