Scan barcode
glorytowers05's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
maxwell7373's review
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? It's complicated
1.0
I picked this book up randomly at a book store and had hoped for this to be good rep, but unfortunately it was a mess for me. The main character is very flawed and often is rude or acts like he knows better than others. I had hoped this would be brought up as a big negative of his actions, but nope. His mistakes and flaws really end up being glazed over, and he doesn’t learn much at the end. Most of the characters were a stereotype of some sort, some more in your face than others. The trans aspect was quite relatable for me, but the rest of it was disappointing and harmful. There is some good in there, but it’s grossly outweighed by the constant undertones of racial stereotypes and general (snootiness? self righteousness?) of the main character. I’m planning on painting over the book and turning it into a decorative box -because I don’t like wasting- and really, really don’t recommend it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Outing, and Alcohol
daycia's review
emotional
tense
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit
anniereads221's review
1.0
Dont read this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Outing, and Gaslighting
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to think of this book. For me, it was a pretty quick read and the premise is really interesting. However, there is A LOT going on in this book, and the author doesn't necessarily handle everything well. It almost felt like the author wanted to throw as many hot button topics as he could in this book, which mean that a lot of them (especially issues about race) fell through the cracks.
There are a lot of other reviews on here that talk about these issues better than I can, so definitely look them up! If you decide to pick this up, know going in that there's a lot of transphobia, racism, and homophobia. Proceed with caution!
There are a lot of other reviews on here that talk about these issues better than I can, so definitely look them up! If you decide to pick this up, know going in that there's a lot of transphobia, racism, and homophobia. Proceed with caution!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Vomit
perpetualpages's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.0
CWs: racism; some depictions of toxic relationships; gender dysphoria, misgendering, and transphobia; references to suicidal ideation; references to alcoholism; brief descriptions of vomit; and depictions of anxiety.
Both Sides Now is pitched as being a queer/trans achillean take on Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller, with plenty of banter for fans of John Green and Casey McQuiston to enjoy, and I think that's pretty spot on! This is a really enjoyable contemporary romance and coming of age story that is so easy to fly through. It's one of those books where you tell yourself you're going to read just one more chapter, and in no time at all you find yourself 100 pages further in than you planned.
As a trans person myself, I find myself grateful for stories like Both Sides Now that center trans characters with a focus on coming of age themes where realizing and/or articulating transness isn't necessarily the point of the story. When you hear that a contemporary YA story has a trans protagonist, a lot of readers will assume that the entire plotline is *about* coming out, because the idea that coming out is the most important or most interesting part of being trans has been reinforced to us through so much popular media. But in this case, Finch has already come into his transness before the story begins. He knows he's trans, and everyone around him knows that he's trans. That distinction matters, because trans readers, especially, deserve coming of age stories that celebrate characters who are still trying to figure out themselves or figure out what they want to do in life, and to have their transness already be a given in that equation.
Besides that, my favorite thing about this story is probably the characters and the relationship dynamics. All of the characters are distinctive, they have strong personalities and voices, and they're written with so much heart. The quippy banter is definitely a highlight for me in this story, because it flows well, it's genuinely funny, and it brings some much-needed levity to the narrative as well. There are definitely intense things happening throughout the story—transphobia, family issues, monetary insecurity, stressing about college—but those issues feel more approachable because they're offset by the wonderful found family and support system that Finch has around him.
I also appreciate the nuanced exploration of how Finch is coming to understand that gender and sexuality are two completely separate things that deserve to be explored in their own right. In Finch's experience, he had assumed that once he figured out his transness, his sexuality wouldn't even be a question. As a boy, he would be sexually and romantically interested in girls, "like all the other boys." And while straight trans men certainly exist and are valid, that isn't everyone's experience. Gender does not dictate nor define attraction and vice versa. There's no such thing as a sexuality being inherently and irrevocably tied to one set gender or gender expression. I appreciate the space this story gives Finch to not only challenge what is perhaps his internalized homophobia, but to expand how he understands himself and to name the barriers he's using to keep himself from being the person he truly is.
Again, it kind of ties back into how discovering transness isn't the be-all-end-all of our emotional and personal journeys. There are so many more ways that trans people can grow and change outside of their gender, and I appreciate that this story honors that.
I also think the story does justice to the experience of being on a high school debate team. Personally, my high school didn't have a debate team and it's not something that I have personal experience with, but I appreciate that it's central part of the book and not just the hook for the premise. There are multiple debating scenes and a really great look at the preparation process, debate practices, how debates work, the rules of debating, and what goes in to making each case. As someone who has never had that experience, I feel like I'm walking away from this book knowing so much more about it and feeling confident in that knowledge, which is definitely a plus!
All that said, I did have a couple of minor problems with the story.
My first note is that I wish the story did a more consistent job of acknowledging privilege. As a white trans boy, Finch still holds some relative privilege, even though he is marginalized in his transness and his queerness and despite the fact that his family has money problems that he often has to take into consideration. There's still the privilege of Finch being a binary trans boy who passes almost 100% of the time and is consistently read as "male." There's the privilege of having access to medical transition—whether it be hormone blockers, testosterone, or surgery. There's even the privilege of being able to have the correct name and gender marker on his legal documents and in the school system. While the narration does occasionally give space to name the hardships Finch's friends are going through that he doesn't necessarily have to confront himself (racism, colorism, homophobia, etc.), I wish there was more self-awareness of Finch's privilege as a white trans boy who passes.
And that kind of ties into the main conflict of the story: Finch being forced to formally debate trans rights in a public forum for a national title. I think it's important to have the discussion about how politics are inherently personal and also how the academic debate system can actively harm or alienate marginalized participants by mandating that they argue against their own humanity—which could be an entire debate in and of itself. My problem with this specific conflict is that Finch has never given a second thought to how this very same moral conflict might effect other marginalized debaters until it effects him specifically. To its credit, the story mentions how queer debaters, for instance, may have had to debate marriage equality or queer rights in past, or how debaters who are immigrants may have had to debate humanitarian issues or xenophobic legislation in the past.
It is definitely a discussion worth having. There is a significant emotional and energetic toll that is taken on marginalized people, especially, when we claim that "anyone can have an opinion" on what are considered to be "public politic ideologies" when they're actually deeply personal facets of people's lives and experiences that require an enormous amount of nuance that the casual outsider cannot access. But again, Finch has had the privilege of not being bothered or impacted by any other topic he's had to debate in the past, even topics that may have bothered his debate partner, Jonah, who is a queer Filipino-American student, or other marginalized students. But now that the topic at hand pertains to him, specifically, then it's considered to be one step too far for him. Obviously, things that effect us personally can act as a catalyst to mobilize us, and again the story does briefly acknowledge how this problem might impact other marginalized students, but I think it ties back into how Finch's passing privilege and white privilege has previously kept him from being able to see engage with these issues.
Ultimately, I do think the story builds to an empowering ending and sends a positive message about establishing boundaries for yourself and discovering what you're willing to fight for. And I will say that I think Finch does a good job of levying his white privilege towards the end, but at the same time, it's never acknowledged that that is what he's actually doing.
So there were definitely some unaddressed issues in this story that I, personally, think kept it from being the absolute best it could be. To have a story that centers this topic (publicly debating trans/queer rights) is risky, and there a lot of implications to that discussion that could be easily overlooked, and in the end I do think there were some perspectives that were left on the table.
But with that said, I still really enjoyed the story and I respect what it's trying to accomplish. It's a well-rounded, feel-good story that comes to a satisfying and powerful confusion, with a really sweet queer romance on the side. Overall, I had a good reading experience with it and I would absolutely read forthcoming books from this author in a heartbeat!
Both Sides Now is pitched as being a queer/trans achillean take on Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller, with plenty of banter for fans of John Green and Casey McQuiston to enjoy, and I think that's pretty spot on! This is a really enjoyable contemporary romance and coming of age story that is so easy to fly through. It's one of those books where you tell yourself you're going to read just one more chapter, and in no time at all you find yourself 100 pages further in than you planned.
As a trans person myself, I find myself grateful for stories like Both Sides Now that center trans characters with a focus on coming of age themes where realizing and/or articulating transness isn't necessarily the point of the story. When you hear that a contemporary YA story has a trans protagonist, a lot of readers will assume that the entire plotline is *about* coming out, because the idea that coming out is the most important or most interesting part of being trans has been reinforced to us through so much popular media. But in this case, Finch has already come into his transness before the story begins. He knows he's trans, and everyone around him knows that he's trans. That distinction matters, because trans readers, especially, deserve coming of age stories that celebrate characters who are still trying to figure out themselves or figure out what they want to do in life, and to have their transness already be a given in that equation.
Besides that, my favorite thing about this story is probably the characters and the relationship dynamics. All of the characters are distinctive, they have strong personalities and voices, and they're written with so much heart. The quippy banter is definitely a highlight for me in this story, because it flows well, it's genuinely funny, and it brings some much-needed levity to the narrative as well. There are definitely intense things happening throughout the story—transphobia, family issues, monetary insecurity, stressing about college—but those issues feel more approachable because they're offset by the wonderful found family and support system that Finch has around him.
I also appreciate the nuanced exploration of how Finch is coming to understand that gender and sexuality are two completely separate things that deserve to be explored in their own right. In Finch's experience, he had assumed that once he figured out his transness, his sexuality wouldn't even be a question. As a boy, he would be sexually and romantically interested in girls, "like all the other boys." And while straight trans men certainly exist and are valid, that isn't everyone's experience. Gender does not dictate nor define attraction and vice versa. There's no such thing as a sexuality being inherently and irrevocably tied to one set gender or gender expression. I appreciate the space this story gives Finch to not only challenge what is perhaps his internalized homophobia, but to expand how he understands himself and to name the barriers he's using to keep himself from being the person he truly is.
Again, it kind of ties back into how discovering transness isn't the be-all-end-all of our emotional and personal journeys. There are so many more ways that trans people can grow and change outside of their gender, and I appreciate that this story honors that.
I also think the story does justice to the experience of being on a high school debate team. Personally, my high school didn't have a debate team and it's not something that I have personal experience with, but I appreciate that it's central part of the book and not just the hook for the premise. There are multiple debating scenes and a really great look at the preparation process, debate practices, how debates work, the rules of debating, and what goes in to making each case. As someone who has never had that experience, I feel like I'm walking away from this book knowing so much more about it and feeling confident in that knowledge, which is definitely a plus!
All that said, I did have a couple of minor problems with the story.
My first note is that I wish the story did a more consistent job of acknowledging privilege. As a white trans boy, Finch still holds some relative privilege, even though he is marginalized in his transness and his queerness and despite the fact that his family has money problems that he often has to take into consideration. There's still the privilege of Finch being a binary trans boy who passes almost 100% of the time and is consistently read as "male." There's the privilege of having access to medical transition—whether it be hormone blockers, testosterone, or surgery. There's even the privilege of being able to have the correct name and gender marker on his legal documents and in the school system. While the narration does occasionally give space to name the hardships Finch's friends are going through that he doesn't necessarily have to confront himself (racism, colorism, homophobia, etc.), I wish there was more self-awareness of Finch's privilege as a white trans boy who passes.
And that kind of ties into the main conflict of the story: Finch being forced to formally debate trans rights in a public forum for a national title. I think it's important to have the discussion about how politics are inherently personal and also how the academic debate system can actively harm or alienate marginalized participants by mandating that they argue against their own humanity—which could be an entire debate in and of itself. My problem with this specific conflict is that Finch has never given a second thought to how this very same moral conflict might effect other marginalized debaters until it effects him specifically. To its credit, the story mentions how queer debaters, for instance, may have had to debate marriage equality or queer rights in past, or how debaters who are immigrants may have had to debate humanitarian issues or xenophobic legislation in the past.
It is definitely a discussion worth having. There is a significant emotional and energetic toll that is taken on marginalized people, especially, when we claim that "anyone can have an opinion" on what are considered to be "public politic ideologies" when they're actually deeply personal facets of people's lives and experiences that require an enormous amount of nuance that the casual outsider cannot access. But again, Finch has had the privilege of not being bothered or impacted by any other topic he's had to debate in the past, even topics that may have bothered his debate partner, Jonah, who is a queer Filipino-American student, or other marginalized students. But now that the topic at hand pertains to him, specifically, then it's considered to be one step too far for him. Obviously, things that effect us personally can act as a catalyst to mobilize us, and again the story does briefly acknowledge how this problem might impact other marginalized students, but I think it ties back into how Finch's passing privilege and white privilege has previously kept him from being able to see engage with these issues.
Ultimately, I do think the story builds to an empowering ending and sends a positive message about establishing boundaries for yourself and discovering what you're willing to fight for. And I will say that I think Finch does a good job of levying his white privilege towards the end, but at the same time, it's never acknowledged that that is what he's actually doing.
So there were definitely some unaddressed issues in this story that I, personally, think kept it from being the absolute best it could be. To have a story that centers this topic (publicly debating trans/queer rights) is risky, and there a lot of implications to that discussion that could be easily overlooked, and in the end I do think there were some perspectives that were left on the table.
But with that said, I still really enjoyed the story and I respect what it's trying to accomplish. It's a well-rounded, feel-good story that comes to a satisfying and powerful confusion, with a really sweet queer romance on the side. Overall, I had a good reading experience with it and I would absolutely read forthcoming books from this author in a heartbeat!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Dysphoria
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
sarahmreads's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? Yes
4.75
EVERYONE NEEDS TO SHUT UP AND GO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I HAVE LOVED A BOOK SO MUCH RECENTLY!
I received a physical copy of this novel as an ARC from Penguin Teen, so thank you Penguin Teen! Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finch Kelly is a trans student at his school, being heavily involved in his school's debate team with teammate Jonah, and aims to be the first transgender congressman in the United States. However, as the National debate competition looms over their heads, it gets revealed that the topic of debate this year is the right for transgender students to use the proper bathroom of their gender. Will Finch fall under the pressure of debating against his own right to pee? Or will his slight crush on his debate mate get in the way?
I would like to preface this by saying that this story covers some pretty heavy themes, as hinted at with just the plot alone. Peyton Thomas covers everything from the HIV pandemic in the 90s to poverty and home issues and transphobia and toxic relationships. It's a lot. But I feel like the author included just enough at the right times that it didn't feel too overwhelming in specific parts, and adding enough wholesome moments between Jonah and Finch that it allows for a breather before diving into the next heavy topic. It's so well done.
One of my favorite aspects of this story was the discussion of toxic relationships. This story showed the gradual progression of realizing how bad a relationship is and how exactly to get out of it. But it also shows the negative impact on the person who gets victimized and pushed down because of the toxic individual, which I related to so much.
That being said, I absolutely loved the blooming romance between Jonah and Finch as the story progresses. It was the friends to lovers I have always wanted to read, and comes along with it's own message of growth and supporting one another. It also delves into discussions of what falling in love with a transgender person really means, and how to get past the fear and push back one may receive for loving a transgender person, and tackling stigmatization on the issue. This conversation does happen much later in the story, but it was important to be included. However, even though Jonah is still kind of coping for reasons I won't get into cause spoilers, I can't really determine if the lovey dovey ending could have been more of a promise of taking things slow instead of already vowing the "I Love You's."
Every single character in this book was one I loved. Ruby, Finch's sister, had such a believable sibling dynamic, and I loved her as an individual. I will absolutely die for Jonah. Adwoa was so supportive and I love her with all my heart. Although Jonah was my favorite of the bunch, I do think Finch has a slight edge. You love him for his passion, his commitment, his caring personality. But he does have his flaws in the book that he seeks to have a conversation about and wants to grow from it. Example, a beautifully done discussion about white people speaking over BIPOC voices when it comes to matters that specifically impact BIPOC voices, like racism. Even with his flaws and the fact Finch isn't perfect, you still love him. That, to me, is the definition of a great main character.
The ending was open-ended but in the best way that makes you think that everything will be okay. And I don't think it was really shoved in your face, either, especially when it comes to Finch's family. Regardless, it makes you really believe that Finch and Jonah will get through this okay.
Both Sides Now is probably one of the most important LGBTQ+ books out there today, with writing that will have you crying and laughing on the same page and characters that will steal your heart. Please pre-order this book!
I received a physical copy of this novel as an ARC from Penguin Teen, so thank you Penguin Teen! Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finch Kelly is a trans student at his school, being heavily involved in his school's debate team with teammate Jonah, and aims to be the first transgender congressman in the United States. However, as the National debate competition looms over their heads, it gets revealed that the topic of debate this year is the right for transgender students to use the proper bathroom of their gender. Will Finch fall under the pressure of debating against his own right to pee? Or will his slight crush on his debate mate get in the way?
I would like to preface this by saying that this story covers some pretty heavy themes, as hinted at with just the plot alone. Peyton Thomas covers everything from the HIV pandemic in the 90s to poverty and home issues and transphobia and toxic relationships. It's a lot. But I feel like the author included just enough at the right times that it didn't feel too overwhelming in specific parts, and adding enough wholesome moments between Jonah and Finch that it allows for a breather before diving into the next heavy topic. It's so well done.
One of my favorite aspects of this story was the discussion of toxic relationships. This story showed the gradual progression of realizing how bad a relationship is and how exactly to get out of it. But it also shows the negative impact on the person who gets victimized and pushed down because of the toxic individual, which I related to so much.
That being said, I absolutely loved the blooming romance between Jonah and Finch as the story progresses. It was the friends to lovers I have always wanted to read, and comes along with it's own message of growth and supporting one another. It also delves into discussions of what falling in love with a transgender person really means, and how to get past the fear and push back one may receive for loving a transgender person, and tackling stigmatization on the issue. This conversation does happen much later in the story, but it was important to be included. However, even though Jonah is still kind of coping for reasons I won't get into cause spoilers, I can't really determine if the lovey dovey ending could have been more of a promise of taking things slow instead of already vowing the "I Love You's."
Every single character in this book was one I loved. Ruby, Finch's sister, had such a believable sibling dynamic, and I loved her as an individual. I will absolutely die for Jonah. Adwoa was so supportive and I love her with all my heart. Although Jonah was my favorite of the bunch, I do think Finch has a slight edge. You love him for his passion, his commitment, his caring personality. But he does have his flaws in the book that he seeks to have a conversation about and wants to grow from it. Example, a beautifully done discussion about white people speaking over BIPOC voices when it comes to matters that specifically impact BIPOC voices, like racism. Even with his flaws and the fact Finch isn't perfect, you still love him. That, to me, is the definition of a great main character.
The ending was open-ended but in the best way that makes you think that everything will be okay. And I don't think it was really shoved in your face, either, especially when it comes to Finch's family. Regardless, it makes you really believe that Finch and Jonah will get through this okay.
Both Sides Now is probably one of the most important LGBTQ+ books out there today, with writing that will have you crying and laughing on the same page and characters that will steal your heart. Please pre-order this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Transphobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Religious bigotry
melaniereadsbooks's review
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
4.5
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.
Finch has one goal--get to Washington DC. This breaks down into a lot of smaller goals, like getting off Georgetown's deferment list and winning the National Debate Tournament. But when the topic for the debate is about the right of transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice, Finch is faced with a choice: give up all his previous goals, or argue against his own rights.
I loved this book from start to finish! I truly wish that it was longer because I loved watching Finch discover himself and truly come into his own throughout this book. Jonah was also an amazing part of this book and I loved him! I loved the parts where they were debating, and seeing the thoughts that Finch had, and how he dealt with everything! It was so cute and happy and I loved it so much!
Pub Date: August 24, 2021
Finch has one goal--get to Washington DC. This breaks down into a lot of smaller goals, like getting off Georgetown's deferment list and winning the National Debate Tournament. But when the topic for the debate is about the right of transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice, Finch is faced with a choice: give up all his previous goals, or argue against his own rights.
I loved this book from start to finish! I truly wish that it was longer because I loved watching Finch discover himself and truly come into his own throughout this book. Jonah was also an amazing part of this book and I loved him! I loved the parts where they were debating, and seeing the thoughts that Finch had, and how he dealt with everything! It was so cute and happy and I loved it so much!
Pub Date: August 24, 2021
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Minor: Emotional abuse
More...