I was recommended this book via a tiktok video talking about how it benefitted the OP as an autistic person and I GET IT! There's so much i don't understand about neurotypical communication and this book has helped me get to the root of it using some very helpful diagrams and analogies. The analogies also discuss some serious social issues at times to understand where they come from and the different types of reactions that occur.
I had an understanding of grey areas in logic and social issues before but definitely not to the extent Cheng takes it to.
This book is hard for me to describe. I do personally align with the main character fitting into that complex grey area of butch masculinity, that was a primary reason why I liked it so much.
Even though i've tagged this as butch love I think it's more infatuation than love, exploring how it can be fun and bad at the same time, how relationships built on infatuation can damage communication and create something unhealthy despite enjoying each other. Despite that the language was really romantic, i adored it.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I won't bash it if this flavour of mystery/thriller is your thing. If you like Agathe Christie style stuff you'll probably have a better time with it that i did.
It just wasn't for me personally. It went so slowly for the very little that happened in such a small set of locations, and the characters are a bit mid, I guess I prefer my mc to be a bit more unhinged.
Listened to the audiobook and got through it all during a single shift, I swear if a guest saw the faces I was making they'd think I was insane.
This is dark, really dark but funny and sincere and my heart goes out to McCurdy for sharing this and for having the courage to narrate the audiobook.
I got to experience this after Quiet On Set was released, so if you're reading the book for McCurdy's story working at Nick then you might be a bit disappointed.
Rich world building, queer cast of characters, people being outright terrible and weird. All stuff I love.
I got really into the world and all the parallels used to discuss themes of autonomy, control and isolation. The language was a bit of a stumbling block for me but I adapted to it.
I really enjoyed the first half, it's an interesting, morally dark concept but it should have been left there. The second half turned it into a very plain 'catch the bad guys' action and it fell off and got pretty boring.
the relationship between Rachel and Pete felt unnecessary, like it only happened because they were the two opposite sex protagonists. They should have kept the love platonic. Also the villian being the only character (to my knowledge) mentioned as queer didn't sit quite right.
Because I only enjoyed the first half I'm giving it the first half of 5 stars.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Definitely want to get a physical copy, I listened to the whole book over the course of a shift and I think that was the best thing to do. It's one of those books you need to read in one sitting.
This is a classic weird girl book. I'm still not entirely sure what was going on beneath the plot.
Loved the Devotion to the northern accents and colloquialisms, it's nice to hear my own voice being represented. This book is complicated and i love that about it. It's hard not to read it through a feminist lens, Devon is given the ability to question her rights and privileges, we can see her perspective and tone shift each time she moves and gains more access to knowledge and understanding, eventually giving herself the vocabulary to criticise it.
I wish I got to see more of Salem though. I though she was largely forgotten about after Kai until her mention a the very end. It felt like a loose tie.
I felt so much more engaged in this book than any other romance I've read currently, representation was definitely the reason. It felt so nice to read a trans romance for once because we're taught so much that we're undeserving of love because of our bodies and over the years part of you starts to believe it.