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lidz_2tc's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death of parent
auteaandtales's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.0
This was such a powerful story! I really enjoyed it, for the most part. It was very raw and emotional, yet somehow still quite funny in parts. As a white person myself, it was insightful in the life of a gay black man who grew up in a highly religious and abusive family, and what it was like to be a sex worker in the 2000’s. I believe this is Paul’s true story, told through Jesse, and I always find true (even semi-true) books hard to review, like reviewing someone’s personal life, but it was well written.
My negatives though that I feel need to be said is that I found it odd how someone who is clearly intelligent, well read and educated and heavily left wing could still be fatphobic. It wasn’t frequent but it was frequent enough, and I expected it to be addressed or something at some point but it never was. He mentioned when someone was thin once as a positive, but all the occasions he mentioned someone was fat it was done negatively.
I also didn’t like that it kept bouncing between timelines, by the end of the book it wasn’t as hard to follow but especially to begin with it was hard to know where we were in Jesse’s life and when.
Definitely one to read for those interested! A solid four star read for me, I think.
My negatives though that I feel need to be said is that I found it odd how someone who is clearly intelligent, well read and educated and heavily left wing could still be fatphobic. It wasn’t frequent but it was frequent enough, and I expected it to be addressed or something at some point but it never was. He mentioned when someone was thin once as a positive, but all the occasions he mentioned someone was fat it was done negatively.
I also didn’t like that it kept bouncing between timelines, by the end of the book it wasn’t as hard to follow but especially to begin with it was hard to know where we were in Jesse’s life and when.
Definitely one to read for those interested! A solid four star read for me, I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Dementia, and Pregnancy
biblioleah's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Loved this book and thought parts of it were viscerally powerful; Mendez writes so wonderfully and with such insight about love, sex, desire, bodies and trauma. The feeling of longing springs off the page as you progress through the novel. However, the structure for me felt a little disappointing. I wish both Norman and Jesse's stories were given equal weight, as Norman's felt so promising but was ultimately short and underdeveloped - almost like it could have been incorporated into Jesse's narrative without a separate section.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Fatphobia and Abandonment