4.5 stars. This is a great YA contemporary that takes on the topics of self-awareness, identity, bullying, racism, bigotry, homophobia...I'm pretty sure you could add another handful of items here. This is a hard-hitting novel presented in a comfortable way.

I had a hard time settling into this narrative at first. The main character (Felix) is very accessible, but the writing style rubbed me the wrong way for a bit. I'm not exactly sure what the issue was, but the voice just felt a bit grating for parts of the novel. Also, I don't necessarily consider myself a prude, but the use of profanity felt excessive as did the references to substance use in teens. I'm not naive enough to assume that these things are not realistic, it just seemed to be too in your face and pulled me out of the narrative a bit. However, this really was a minor issue overall and I was able to move past it for the most part.

The pacing for the book is a little slow, but it worked and allowed me to really get to know Felix and his thoughts and feelings. Understanding the questioning of identity is something unfamiliar to me, so this was a good exposure to the experiences of others different from me and really had me thinking about the possibilities of identity and how it affects individuals in their day to day lives. I think I am a product of my age and this book was eye opening, but would have definitely been even more impactful had I read this as a teenager. I could identify with the pieces about trying to find out where you belong, and understanding and becoming comfortable with expressing more intimate emotions. Basically, all that to say that this is a great coming-of-age story that would be helpful in the hands of young adult readers.

The diversity of the characters is done incredibly well and I appreciated the ability to really consider Felix's peer group as a mixed whole. This was nicely realistic and also allowed the narrative to address several different points of view, evaluating common prejudices and tearing them down.

This is a difficult story to read from an emotional standpoint, but it is well worth the pain. It is beautiful and moving, but also just heart-wrenching. It's a good lesson in the golden rule...treat others in the way you would like to be treated. Kacen Callender gives the reader a lot to learn here and I am glad that I was able to experience it.