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782 reviews by:
cassianlamb
I received a free e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very blunt novella. It makes some aspects of the story more impactful, though I think later on it takes a bit from it as well. Despite that feeling I think the bluntness is important given the fact this book handles controversial and emotional topics.
I must say I really appreciate that this books addresses that (cis) women are not the only ones who are impacted by reproductive rights threats. Despite the fact it's something to be aware of, it is incredibly hard to have the energy to read things on it when they are so gendered. I think this book should be read even just to remind people of the realities of the people who may need such care.
Overall, this is a good novella and definitely worth a read.
This is a very blunt novella. It makes some aspects of the story more impactful, though I think later on it takes a bit from it as well. Despite that feeling I think the bluntness is important given the fact this book handles controversial and emotional topics.
I must say I really appreciate that this books addresses that (cis) women are not the only ones who are impacted by reproductive rights threats. Despite the fact it's something to be aware of, it is incredibly hard to have the energy to read things on it when they are so gendered. I think this book should be read even just to remind people of the realities of the people who may need such care.
Overall, this is a good novella and definitely worth a read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've read all of McQuiston's books so far, and this might be my favorite one. I have seen some reviews comment on the amount of food, wine, and such in this book, but I feel that it stands up to the summary of the book. The synopsis does say this is a good and wine tour, after all, and both main characters work within these industries. It's not exactly unexpected for these things to be in this book.
I can't speak for France or Spain, but having been to Italy some of these places do feel very familiar. This book even helped me rediscover a dessert I forgot about that I've missed since then (panna cotta if you're interested). Theo and Kit falling back in love felt just as real to me. Yes they're imperfect people, but they do learn and grow and try to get their lives together.
The only thing I think that should be mentioned for readers is some sort of misgendering of Theo at the beginning of Kit's POV. I say sort of because it's not intentional or malicious (though misgendering doesn't have to be these things), he doesn't know, and Theo says themself that they accept those pronouns sometimes from those who don't know. Even so, since I haven't seen it anywhere else, I feel readers should know in case this is a trigger for them. Edit to add Casey McQuinston has said that they don't consider this misgendering. It might technically not be, but I do think it's something readers should know about still.
I've read all of McQuiston's books so far, and this might be my favorite one. I have seen some reviews comment on the amount of food, wine, and such in this book, but I feel that it stands up to the summary of the book. The synopsis does say this is a good and wine tour, after all, and both main characters work within these industries. It's not exactly unexpected for these things to be in this book.
I can't speak for France or Spain, but having been to Italy some of these places do feel very familiar. This book even helped me rediscover a dessert I forgot about that I've missed since then (panna cotta if you're interested). Theo and Kit falling back in love felt just as real to me. Yes they're imperfect people, but they do learn and grow and try to get their lives together.
The only thing I think that should be mentioned for readers is some sort of misgendering of Theo at the beginning of Kit's POV. I say sort of because it's not intentional or malicious (though misgendering doesn't have to be these things), he doesn't know, and Theo says themself that they accept those pronouns sometimes from those who don't know. Even so, since I haven't seen it anywhere else, I feel readers should know in case this is a trigger for them. Edit to add Casey McQuinston has said that they don't consider this misgendering. It might technically not be, but I do think it's something readers should know about still.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Dysphoria
I received this free arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read this book but must admit it's quite disappointing. As a trans person, I was a bit hesitant when I saw it was written by a cis person, as in my experience cis people writing about trans people tend to not know as much as they think they do. Sadly, this book may be another example of that.
The author makes several errors, including explaining how a particular pronoun works and failing to follow his own advice mentioned towards the beginning of the book on how to use respectful language. While it is acknowledged and most of these incidents are quotes, there are ways of editing that would still remain true to source material and the message.
Furthermore, there are several places that misgender trans people. Whether due to lack of knowledge on the individual or poor editing, this is not something that can be ignored. This includes Ho’onani, who the book refers to with they/them, though her teacher refers to with she/her. Having heard of her before, I looked her up and confirmed that she uses she/her. If Ho’onani uses they/them this does not appear to be public information. I found this information at the provided links:
https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C2189496
https://aplaceinthemiddle.org/blog/details/14838/a-beautiful-look-into-hawaiian-culture-and-living-outside-the-gender-binary-afterellencom
There is also a section on eunuchs and castrati as nonbinary gender categories. To preface this, I am not any kind of historian, and cannot speak on if overall they count as genders, but the examples given for these categories often had no choice and were forced into this situation, and (again, as a trans person) it is pretty harmful to suggest that a person can be forced into a gender category. Quite honestly, I would go so far as to call these practices conversion therapy, given many of these subjects were essentially forced to change gender.
While small in the relative scheme of the book, I must also take a moment to note the section on reproductive rights, and calling it “women’s right to choose.” This book is literally about trans people, and mentions people who are not women who are also capable of getting pregnant. This is not just a women’s rights issue, and considering the subject of this book I must admit it is incredibly hurtful that the author leaves everyone who is not a woman but could be impacted out of it.
Overall, I must wonder if the author included any trans people in the writing process. This feels strongly like a book on gender identity written by a cis person for other cis people.
I was excited to read this book but must admit it's quite disappointing. As a trans person, I was a bit hesitant when I saw it was written by a cis person, as in my experience cis people writing about trans people tend to not know as much as they think they do. Sadly, this book may be another example of that.
The author makes several errors, including explaining how a particular pronoun works and failing to follow his own advice mentioned towards the beginning of the book on how to use respectful language. While it is acknowledged and most of these incidents are quotes, there are ways of editing that would still remain true to source material and the message.
Furthermore, there are several places that misgender trans people. Whether due to lack of knowledge on the individual or poor editing, this is not something that can be ignored. This includes Ho’onani, who the book refers to with they/them, though her teacher refers to with she/her. Having heard of her before, I looked her up and confirmed that she uses she/her. If Ho’onani uses they/them this does not appear to be public information. I found this information at the provided links:
https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C2189496
https://aplaceinthemiddle.org/blog/details/14838/a-beautiful-look-into-hawaiian-culture-and-living-outside-the-gender-binary-afterellencom
There is also a section on eunuchs and castrati as nonbinary gender categories. To preface this, I am not any kind of historian, and cannot speak on if overall they count as genders, but the examples given for these categories often had no choice and were forced into this situation, and (again, as a trans person) it is pretty harmful to suggest that a person can be forced into a gender category. Quite honestly, I would go so far as to call these practices conversion therapy, given many of these subjects were essentially forced to change gender.
While small in the relative scheme of the book, I must also take a moment to note the section on reproductive rights, and calling it “women’s right to choose.” This book is literally about trans people, and mentions people who are not women who are also capable of getting pregnant. This is not just a women’s rights issue, and considering the subject of this book I must admit it is incredibly hurtful that the author leaves everyone who is not a woman but could be impacted out of it.
Overall, I must wonder if the author included any trans people in the writing process. This feels strongly like a book on gender identity written by a cis person for other cis people.
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I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book had a really strong opening. It felt quite a bit like trans Jewish Percy Jackson I thought, but this later changed.
While the synopsis does make it clear that transphobia is prominent in this book, I think as an adult it is too much for a middle grade book. I don't know how kids are on the internet these days, but I know I had hope for a good world when I was in the target audience for this book. Given that even I debated putting this book down and walking away because it got so traumatic, I'm not sure what to think. I stuck with it because I believed in the happy ending, a child dealing with similar issues to the main character may not, and end up feeling hopeless.
That being said, I did like the humor that came in it. I liked A sticking up for himself, and while the conclusion felt a little rushed with some realizations, I liked the ending.
If you are a trans person who is looking for a book to escape for a bit, I don't think this book is for you, because it hurts for a long while. But if you're a trans person looking for a story where we win, read this one to the end.
This book had a really strong opening. It felt quite a bit like trans Jewish Percy Jackson I thought, but this later changed.
While the synopsis does make it clear that transphobia is prominent in this book, I think as an adult it is too much for a middle grade book. I don't know how kids are on the internet these days, but I know I had hope for a good world when I was in the target audience for this book. Given that even I debated putting this book down and walking away because it got so traumatic, I'm not sure what to think. I stuck with it because I believed in the happy ending, a child dealing with similar issues to the main character may not, and end up feeling hopeless.
That being said, I did like the humor that came in it. I liked A sticking up for himself, and while the conclusion felt a little rushed with some realizations, I liked the ending.
If you are a trans person who is looking for a book to escape for a bit, I don't think this book is for you, because it hurts for a long while. But if you're a trans person looking for a story where we win, read this one to the end.