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crackedspines_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
I really don’t know what to say about this one except that it genuinely changed my life and me as a person and it made me feel every single emotion ever and it made me cry and the ending wasn’t even an ending and I wanted a real ending so badly and I honestly think this might be my favorite book of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault
Moderate content about the HIV/AIDS epidemictranspinestwins's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
Paul is the most obnoxious person in your college’s queer social club—or he would be, if he weren’t too self-consciously cool to attend more than a few meetings.
Undeniably well written, and made me laugh as much as it made me cringe in recognition. Paul is deeply flawed but always compelling, and this balance generally worked for me—though sometimes it really didn’t. The degree to which his cruelty and selfishness are ignored by the narrative is frustrating.It never occurs to him that Tony Pinto’s calls might be about an AIDS diagnosis (despite this being painfully obvious to me, given the date and the tenor of the messages)—instead, he flatters himself that his old boyfriend is begging for him back. And why not? Everybody adores Paul, though nobody so much as Paul himself. It’s not a crime to be self-obsessed to the point of blindness towards other people’s feelings, but it does make our hero increasingly hard to love.
All that said, I can’t relate to most of the complaints I’ve seen about this book—I thought the sex scenes were great, hot and effective at what they were trying to invoke, be it pleasure or disgust. Similarly, I don’t mind the lack of explanation around the magic elements(though I wish we had seen/heard more about Diane’s powers) . Lawlor is clearly taking a magical realism approach here, with Paul’s ability to transform being more an extension of his personality than a physical reality. The “how” isn’t the point. I do agree that the ending felt weak, though it might have worked better for me if Derek had more of a presence outside of the last ~20 pages. He’s more of an archetype (a Christopher, or a Ruffles) than a fully realized person (a Diane or a Jane), and he didn’t mean enough to Paul to be the catalyst for Paul’s final moment of self-acceptance—ending a relationship on his own terms, rather than molding himself into what his partner wants him to be.
Undeniably well written, and made me laugh as much as it made me cringe in recognition. Paul is deeply flawed but always compelling, and this balance generally worked for me—though sometimes it really didn’t. The degree to which his cruelty and selfishness are ignored by the narrative is frustrating.
All that said, I can’t relate to most of the complaints I’ve seen about this book—I thought the sex scenes were great, hot and effective at what they were trying to invoke, be it pleasure or disgust. Similarly, I don’t mind the lack of explanation around the magic elements
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
clarkg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! At first blush, it's about shapeshifting, perception, queer life, and the refusal to be defined by any one thing--whether that be gender, genre, or subculture. Based on this premise alone, I worried that genderbending would be played for shock value, which would have been kind of tired as far as queer fiction goes. Lawlor's prose quickly burned away my misgivings and delivered a sharp, complicating, and tender tableau of queer desire and community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Abandonment
Minor: Hate crime and Cultural appropriation
thea_maarup's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
Very interesting for sure, though I had a bit of trouble getting through it. It is a very knowledgeable book and I liked the narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
pran's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautiful, nuanced, all-encompassing, Queer, fabulous. Would highly recommend to absolutely anyone. Be warned: lots of depictions of sex!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
joensign's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Transphobia
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, and Alcohol
aplpaca's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Classism
americattt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
“What was sex but newness? And sensation and conquest and intrigue and desire and fantasy, and specific people sometimes, sure, but not always.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
gnatroberts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
a_violentfemme's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
I can't believe I had this on my physical tbr for so long without picking it up! This book is delicious punk and queer and I loved every second of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content