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A review by drakoulis
Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan
4.0
I have a principle in my reviews: the final taste matters a lot in a book.
This book had me frustrated and a bit disappointed for large parts of it, but the final part was so cute and satisfying!
A problem with a lot of YA romances is that the author doesn't give space for the couple to be together in the end. Calum McSwiggan not only avoided this pitfall but made the final part of the book adorable and swoony!
So the rating is for sweet Oliver Cheng, for his chemistry with Max and for a really strong finale.
Saying that, the execution of what Calum wanted to do is lackluster.
The story revolves around Max, a quite effeminate gay teen who is grumpy about what he doesn't have and unfairly vents to his best friends Dean and Alicia wishing that he was straight.
And whoop, he wakes up in a sort of parallel timeline where he is straight! He has to find a way back and on the way he has to get to know himself better and value what he took for granted (or assumed) for other people. But:
- There's a lot of preaching and telling instead of showing (like racial privilege being mentioned without any storyline) when it comes to the messages, and a very American optic of them despite all the characters being British and the school being in England.
- There is a very stereotypical portrayal of the "feminine gay" (the crop top, the way if walking, the fashion and theater, the girlish nickname, all together is like googling decades old stereotypes for gay people). This was a big wince for me.
- There is a rather confusing message with the parallel timeline that being straight might not be as easy as being gay? I assume the intention was to show that you should always be happy to be yourself and not something else but it wasn't done well.
- Making the main character act like a jerk because he was missing memories of his past in the parallel timeline.
The book was still enjoyable despite these issues, and the romance was super cute!
This book had me frustrated and a bit disappointed for large parts of it, but the final part was so cute and satisfying!
A problem with a lot of YA romances is that the author doesn't give space for the couple to be together in the end. Calum McSwiggan not only avoided this pitfall but made the final part of the book adorable and swoony!
So the rating is for sweet Oliver Cheng, for his chemistry with Max and for a really strong finale.
Saying that, the execution of what Calum wanted to do is lackluster.
The story revolves around Max, a quite effeminate gay teen who is grumpy about what he doesn't have and unfairly vents to his best friends Dean and Alicia wishing that he was straight.
And whoop, he wakes up in a sort of parallel timeline where he is straight! He has to find a way back and on the way he has to get to know himself better and value what he took for granted (or assumed) for other people. But:
- There's a lot of preaching and telling instead of showing (like racial privilege being mentioned without any storyline) when it comes to the messages, and a very American optic of them despite all the characters being British and the school being in England.
- There is a very stereotypical portrayal of the "feminine gay" (the crop top, the way if walking, the fashion and theater, the girlish nickname, all together is like googling decades old stereotypes for gay people). This was a big wince for me.
- There is a rather confusing message with the parallel timeline that being straight might not be as easy as being gay? I assume the intention was to show that you should always be happy to be yourself and not something else but it wasn't done well.
- Making the main character act like a jerk because he was missing memories of his past in the parallel timeline.
The book was still enjoyable despite these issues, and the romance was super cute!