Reviews tagging 'Racism'

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

16 reviews

ezwolf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

I’ve had this sitting on my to read shelf for a while. It’s one of the first books I bought when I was getting back in to reading and it was all because the model on the cover has posted a TikTok about it and the opportunity to depict a plus size K-pop performer. 

This isn’t my first read by Lyla Lee and I wish I had actually read this sooner. I loved the fat representation and how Skye is so unapologetic about her fatness. 

My only real negative was the Harry Potter references :/ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Racism and Outing

lilybear3's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This is the fluffy, happily-ever-after, YA romance that I crave every now and then.  I loved this book and it made me smile reading it.  I liked that this book dealt with fatphobia and beauty standards in Korean and American culture.  It also dealt with strained parent/child relationship, LGBTQ+ issues, and bullying.  I loved that Skye had support from friends and others, but she was ultimately her own source of encouragement.  She believed in herself and gave herself confidence, even if it meant battling the voices in her head.  There is a good amount of queer characters and I am happy that there is bi representation!  Lots of pop culture references and, of course, K-pop songs and references!  I will be thinking about Henry for a very long time because he is simply perfect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Minor: Toxic relationship

calamityin's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Biphobia, Racism, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Minor: Eating disorder and Outing

v_neptune's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Eating disorder and Racism

sapphicreaderlucy's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

 I totally loved this book! It was a joy to read. I feel totally inspired by Skye and Henry, their story was so warm and fun. Lyla Lee did a fantastic job of illustrating Skye's struggles so they were both relatable and insightful. She really emphasized the importance of queer community throughout the book, highlighting how much Skye is empowered by her friends in the competition. I learned so much more about Korean American culture through this book also, which was so interesting! This book gave so much insight into intersectional experiences of Korean American queer girls with fat bodies. It was a beautifully done story that championed body positivity in a way that was current and refreshing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a story where queer youth are the ones who WIN! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Racism

modernmatilda's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.0

 This book is as sunshiny as the cover! A soft, no stress YA contemporary with an easy-to-root-for protagonist, a sweet romance, and some great queer rep. I loved the excuse to jump into the world of K-Pop and I loved the standing-up-for-yourself-taking-up-space theme. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

kaneli's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship

nitya's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

This book!!!!!!!!!!!! I have too many emotions 😭😭😭🥰🥰😭😭

As a plus size Asian (YES WE EXIST), I loved Skye's strength and self-love journey. It was both affirming and cathartic. Also the female friendships/solidarity!!! And Henry being soft and supportive 🥺

Content warning: fatphobia/body shaming, bullying, emotional abuse, queerphobia, homophobia, racism (microaggressions), Harry Potter references (this was written in 2018 though)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.0

I don't always love fluffy romances, but I adored this book. the author really does a great job of setting the stage for Sky, and crafting loveable characters. The romance plotline can reduce my enjoyment of a story, but it didn't in this case. I absolutely loved this feel-good story from start to finish. 

📘The Gist 📘: Sky enters a K-pop reality TV show competition for don't and dance. She's determined to be her own hero, showing off her incredible song and dance skills and not compromising on her weight. Unexpectedly, she finds a little romance along the way! 

📒Representation📒: fat mc, m-spec mc, bisexual mc, Korean American mc, wlw sc

💕 For readers looking for 💕: fluffy feel good stories, confident characters, drama, K-pop, celebrity romance

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Biphobia, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Body shaming from a parent, cyber bullying

mandkips's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? N/A

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, and Racism