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markwillnevercry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
- The constant use of the word transgender. At some point I actually had to look at whether or not the author is trans themselves, because it felt like such a weird usage of sanitised language.
- Trans representation. This book was published in 2021 and it feels like it was written for cis audience. The main premise is that Spencer wants to pass and keep passing. There are reasons that are given for this type of behaviour, like previous trauma, but when you write something it is important to ask yourself what you are trying to bring to the table and how you are trying to bring it.
At the end of the story, Spencer comes out in order to “stand up for those who cannot”, without any conversation about how previously that caused his trauma. For the book that kept focusing on the “ugly” sides of being trans, his coming out goes great and there are no issues, which feels like this part was written for some other book. I did not grow up trans, I came out when I felt like it would make sense and I never even tried to pass, so I guess it makes sense that this book made me feel extremely uncomfortable, but I am not reviewing this while thinking what would a passing person review it as. Our literature should stop portraying either dystopia or utopia, there should be more focus on what is real and how there is no single experience of being trans. - The romance? It was not good. I am a proud hater of romance books, but I will be honest, I was basically against the main couple actually being a couple. I saw them as friends, as buddies, as literally anything but a couple due to the lack of chemistry between them.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
elenushka8's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Transphobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
its_vendetta's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Outing, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Outing
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deadnaming and Dysphoria
rockythefreak's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Mass/school shootings, and Outing
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Outing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Deadnaming, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Abortion
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: menstruation, chronic pain, loss of a loved one (child)vlmollylv's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
ana_the_frog's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug abuse, Medical content, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
megelizabeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed and adored this book. The main character, Spencer, is interesting and feels very real, and I loved getting to explore his relationships and to see him grow as a person. The developments in his relationships with his parents and with new friend/maybe more, Justice, are done well, and I also really loved the friendships he forms with his team members and how wonderfully and non-stereotypically these teenage male friendships are presented.
This isn't an easy read; Spencer and other characters have to deal with a lot of difficult and just awful things, and there are a lot of conversations about such things and about the often unfortunate experiences of trans people and people of colour. I found these themes to be addressed well, though please bear in mind that I'm talking as a white, cis person - I'd definitely recommend checking out own-voices reviews. For me, I found there to be a perfect amount of angst, tension, and drama, coupled with enough hope not to finish the book feeling entirely soul-destroyed and instead to finish it with feelings of bittersweetness and subtle hope.
My only real criticism of this book is that it feels like it's set over too short a span of time. I have no concept of what constitutes a football season, but I got the sense that it's supposed to be set over the course of one, and while that makes sense, to me it meant that everything feels like it's developing a bit too quickly, and I think setting it over the course of a school year would've made things seem more natural. There's also one thing that's alluded to but is never really addressed, and it bugged me that we never get clarification.
All that being said, though, I still absolutely loved this book, and would highly, highly recommend it.
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, and Suicide
a_libra_library's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Outing, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism