⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Can’t Take That Away is a novel about a genderqueer teen, Carey, who finds the courage to start singing again by auditioning for the Spring musical, while at the same time struggling with the discrimination he faces for who he is.

“Less discrimination is not acceptable. There needs to be zero discrimination.”

This novel is another one of those books I got gifted at a time I didn’t feel like it was the right moment to read it, so it has been on my shelves for a few months. After finishing some fantasy novels, I really felt this book calling to me so I picked it up.

This book was such a wonderful, messy contemporary story! I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and finished it in one sitting! I fell in love with the cast of characters and felt strongly about what they were fighting for! The way they went about the activism, protesting and fighting for what they believed in and were their rights, was really well done. It was really realistic and believable how it was portrayed.

The representation is really well done and in a way that is really believable. The characters struggle with problems I know friends of mine have struggled with. The same with some struggles I know are present at different schools, which really shouldn’t be! I loved the strong believe in equality for everybody and how school should always be a save place for everybody.

Carey is such a sweet bean that should be protected at all costs, but should also shine as bright as the diva he is meant to be! I fell in love with Carey from the very first page. So intriguing, strong, courageous all at once. You can’t help but root for Carey from the very moment you start reading this book! The other characters as well, Joey, Monroe, Cris, Mr. Kelly, Blanca and Phoebe, were really fleshed out and really added to everything. I also loved how different aged-characters were present who felt the same discrimination and other adults who stood up for the kids.

The romance was really sweetly done, but didn’t feel very necessary to tell the story that needed to be told. I really liked Carey and Cris together, but the tension in the second half sometimes took away a bit of the attention to the main plot. It wasn’t really an issue though to enjoy the book to its fullest.

Overall, it was an amazing book with a strong message about how school should be a save place and how discrimination should never, in any circumstance, be accepted. It had wonderful characters and if you are a Mariah Carey fan, there are lots of references hahaha.