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A review by annas_sweets_and_stories
All of My Friends Are Rich by Michael Sarais
4.0
3.5
Alright, I've been procrastinating hard on writing my review for this one because I have such complicated feelings about it. This book follows Leo as he struggles to figure out his place in life when all of his friends have loads of money and are getting married or together and all of them seem to have their lives figured out while Leo drowns. Leo's husband broke up with him after he was diagnosed as bipolar and while he finally had answers for his depressive episodes and hypomania, he no longer had a relationship and is struggling hard.
When Leo's best friend Sara gets engaged and asks Leo to be best man, he takes a hard look at his finances and realizes he can't afford the same lifestyle as his friends. This leads to him making a lot of poor decisions and going down a rabbit hole of escorting through Grindr. Men pay him for sex and companionship as he spirals into hypomania.
As a whole I can appreciate this book and the mental health rep. I also loved that this book wasn't written in a way that portrays queerness as idealized and palatable to straight readers. Leo's escapades are messy and sometimes dangerous and realistically awkward and uncomfortable for him. They aren't romanticized and neither is his mental health.
Mild spoilers ahead:
Where I struggled the most with this book was how it was so clearly trying so hard to be inclusive, yet fell short many many times. Lets talk about the fatphobia first. There's multiple comments about body size that portray fat bodies as evil and negative, yet there's a scene where Leo is paid by a fat client, a morbidly obese client as stated in the book, and Leo makes a point of saying how he couldn't feel bad about his own body in the presence of such a huge man. ugh. it was rough. But then he goes on to have sex with the fat character and gets off so obviously it cant be fatphobic *insert eye roll*
Next lets chat about prostitution and sex work. Sex work is a valid form of employment and I was really put off by the intense shaming of sex workers that happens in this. Not only from Leo's friends once they find out he has been escorting and selling himself, but from Leo himself. It's constantly described as shameful and something to be hidden. While I understand this for Leo himself, since he didn't really want to do it and did it only for money, there were so many conversations about sex work in general that were negative and off putting.
Lastly, we've got to talk about how shitty Leo is to his friends and how his friends constantly and instantaneously forgive him. this just seems iffy and I can't actually imagine that it wouldn't take a little groveling to make up for his terrible behavior.
There's also the fact that everything just casually solves itself for Leo in the end. He is miraculously without any STIs after months of having unprotected sex. He somehow doesn't get fired or arrested for stealing a multi-thousand dollar suit and he's just all good at the end. He has one therapy appointment and I wouldn't loved to see more on page therapy and medication rep at the end.
Mental health is messy and unforgiving and can be dangerous and traumatic. To see everything wrapped up nicely in a bow was weird for me. I know that it wasn't that easy for Leo as it seemed, but the way this book ends is the issue, not necessarily the mental health rep itself.
Somehow, with all of my criticism, I would still recommend this book, because it does have redeeming qualities and I do appreciate the effort. As a whole, this book is messy but in a way that works. as long as you're aware of the CWs, I'd absolutely rec this one, especially for mental health rep.
rep: gay man.
Alright, I've been procrastinating hard on writing my review for this one because I have such complicated feelings about it. This book follows Leo as he struggles to figure out his place in life when all of his friends have loads of money and are getting married or together and all of them seem to have their lives figured out while Leo drowns. Leo's husband broke up with him after he was diagnosed as bipolar and while he finally had answers for his depressive episodes and hypomania, he no longer had a relationship and is struggling hard.
When Leo's best friend Sara gets engaged and asks Leo to be best man, he takes a hard look at his finances and realizes he can't afford the same lifestyle as his friends. This leads to him making a lot of poor decisions and going down a rabbit hole of escorting through Grindr. Men pay him for sex and companionship as he spirals into hypomania.
As a whole I can appreciate this book and the mental health rep. I also loved that this book wasn't written in a way that portrays queerness as idealized and palatable to straight readers. Leo's escapades are messy and sometimes dangerous and realistically awkward and uncomfortable for him. They aren't romanticized and neither is his mental health.
Mild spoilers ahead:
Where I struggled the most with this book was how it was so clearly trying so hard to be inclusive, yet fell short many many times. Lets talk about the fatphobia first. There's multiple comments about body size that portray fat bodies as evil and negative, yet there's a scene where Leo is paid by a fat client, a morbidly obese client as stated in the book, and Leo makes a point of saying how he couldn't feel bad about his own body in the presence of such a huge man. ugh. it was rough. But then he goes on to have sex with the fat character and gets off so obviously it cant be fatphobic *insert eye roll*
Next lets chat about prostitution and sex work. Sex work is a valid form of employment and I was really put off by the intense shaming of sex workers that happens in this. Not only from Leo's friends once they find out he has been escorting and selling himself, but from Leo himself. It's constantly described as shameful and something to be hidden. While I understand this for Leo himself, since he didn't really want to do it and did it only for money, there were so many conversations about sex work in general that were negative and off putting.
Lastly, we've got to talk about how shitty Leo is to his friends and how his friends constantly and instantaneously forgive him. this just seems iffy and I can't actually imagine that it wouldn't take a little groveling to make up for his terrible behavior.
There's also the fact that everything just casually solves itself for Leo in the end. He is miraculously without any STIs after months of having unprotected sex. He somehow doesn't get fired or arrested for stealing a multi-thousand dollar suit and he's just all good at the end. He has one therapy appointment and I wouldn't loved to see more on page therapy and medication rep at the end.
Mental health is messy and unforgiving and can be dangerous and traumatic. To see everything wrapped up nicely in a bow was weird for me. I know that it wasn't that easy for Leo as it seemed, but the way this book ends is the issue, not necessarily the mental health rep itself.
Somehow, with all of my criticism, I would still recommend this book, because it does have redeeming qualities and I do appreciate the effort. As a whole, this book is messy but in a way that works. as long as you're aware of the CWs, I'd absolutely rec this one, especially for mental health rep.
rep: gay man.