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A review by prose_mortem
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
5.0
Wow. Can I say thank you to the author for writing such excellent characters?
I am so appreciative of the fact that the MC is a realistic human. SPOILER ALERT: They do not forgive their parents for their mistakes, they do not go back to their abusive parents who hurt them, and they do not even fully know if they love their parents in the end. I am so thankful for that representation because, I, as a nonbinary, autistic person who grew up in fundamentalist purity culture with hyper-abusive, religious parents felt seen. I get so tired of books where queer, LGBTQIAP+ people, or just abused people, in general, are always written with forgiveness or reconnection with their abuser(s) as the central theme. It's okay to not go back to dangerous people. It's okay to burn bridges. Thank you, Mason Deaver, for being an ambassador for these truths. The abusive characters were not villanized-- they were described and portrayed so well. Hate exists, and it does not always deserve a second chance. I know I'm babbling, but it is so rare for me to see books where the bad is bad, and that's that. No excuses, no pressure to put on the rose-tinted glasses, no coercive manipulation to make people feel guilty for walking away from things that hurt them.
My heart goes out to Hannah (the older sister) because she represents the elder sibling. The one who had to figure it all out on their own... The one(s) who did not receive TLC or support or love until they could create the means to provide it for themselves in adulthood. The scene where Hannah's and Ben's parents show up uninvited to the art show and their father nearly hits Hannah had my heart in my throat. The implication of violence really took me back to my own upbringing and made me think about how we (the eldests) often have to "go it" alone... and how it can be years until our stories are told to the people who love us. I just want to give Hannah a hug and let her know she is loved and that her anger is so very justified.
My point is that this book is incredible, and the only bad thing is that it ended haha. My heart soared when I saw the #1 next to the book title!! I hope the author writes more. They will be automatic buys/reads for me. This was amazing. People who want to feel validated, and who don't want the toxicity that many forgiveness messages carry with them should read this book. Nonbinary people (I think) will feel very seen by this, even if it's just through the lenses of coming to terms with who they are and finding community. This deserves 10 stars!
I am so appreciative of the fact that the MC is a realistic human. SPOILER ALERT: They do not forgive their parents for their mistakes, they do not go back to their abusive parents who hurt them, and they do not even fully know if they love their parents in the end. I am so thankful for that representation because, I, as a nonbinary, autistic person who grew up in fundamentalist purity culture with hyper-abusive, religious parents felt seen. I get so tired of books where queer, LGBTQIAP+ people, or just abused people, in general, are always written with forgiveness or reconnection with their abuser(s) as the central theme. It's okay to not go back to dangerous people. It's okay to burn bridges. Thank you, Mason Deaver, for being an ambassador for these truths. The abusive characters were not villanized-- they were described and portrayed so well. Hate exists, and it does not always deserve a second chance. I know I'm babbling, but it is so rare for me to see books where the bad is bad, and that's that. No excuses, no pressure to put on the rose-tinted glasses, no coercive manipulation to make people feel guilty for walking away from things that hurt them.
My heart goes out to Hannah (the older sister) because she represents the elder sibling. The one who had to figure it all out on their own... The one(s) who did not receive TLC or support or love until they could create the means to provide it for themselves in adulthood. The scene where Hannah's and Ben's parents show up uninvited to the art show and their father nearly hits Hannah had my heart in my throat. The implication of violence really took me back to my own upbringing and made me think about how we (the eldests) often have to "go it" alone... and how it can be years until our stories are told to the people who love us. I just want to give Hannah a hug and let her know she is loved and that her anger is so very justified.
My point is that this book is incredible, and the only bad thing is that it ended haha. My heart soared when I saw the #1 next to the book title!! I hope the author writes more. They will be automatic buys/reads for me. This was amazing. People who want to feel validated, and who don't want the toxicity that many forgiveness messages carry with them should read this book. Nonbinary people (I think) will feel very seen by this, even if it's just through the lenses of coming to terms with who they are and finding community. This deserves 10 stars!