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3.5 stars -
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect and it had me on edge trying to guess whodunit. I was glad that the author didn’t make the culprit easy to discover. I definitely thought it was a different character and was surprised when it was revealed to be someone else. The mystery was written really well. However, the build up to the mystery is very slow and comes in at 147 pages.
I did have some issues with the characters age - which I’m wondering *if* it is purely for the sake that this book is targeted for children ages 7-12 - because she is a sixteen year old but sounds very childish and adults refer to her/treat her like a child.
The author includes messages about how Hollywood objectifies women and feminism which were done very well. Goldie is also a queer character and has a crush on a girl, Diane. I really enjoyed that she was crushing on a girl and it wouldn’t have mattered to me if there was no end game because it’s such a real part of a teenager’s life to be crushing on someone and have it not go anywhere.
I would recommend this for children to read!
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect and it had me on edge trying to guess whodunit. I was glad that the author didn’t make the culprit easy to discover. I definitely thought it was a different character and was surprised when it was revealed to be someone else. The mystery was written really well. However, the build up to the mystery is very slow and comes in at 147 pages.
I did have some issues with the characters age - which I’m wondering *if* it is purely for the sake that this book is targeted for children ages 7-12 - because she is a sixteen year old but sounds very childish and adults refer to her/treat her like a child.
The author includes messages about how Hollywood objectifies women and feminism which were done very well. Goldie is also a queer character and has a crush on a girl, Diane. I really enjoyed that she was crushing on a girl and it wouldn’t have mattered to me if there was no end game because it’s such a real part of a teenager’s life to be crushing on someone and have it not go anywhere.
I would recommend this for children to read!
Rating: 3.5/5
Trigger warning: stress, academic pressure & anxiety
Representation: Jewish, bisexual MC, Muslim side characters
This book is #ownvoices for Jewish representation.
This book was mediocre for me. I was torn between DNFing in the middle because I felt like this story needed more development. I also believe that I wasn't the target audience because I am a 25 year old in college and high school is behind me.
You Asked for Perfect follows Ariel in his senior year of high school as he tries to juggle his academics, extracurricular activities, volunteering at the local animal shelter, religion, family and friends. Ariel is the top of his class and eager to keep his title for Valedictorian and get into Harvard. Ariel is constantly stressed and anxious about his several AP classes and keeping up with playing violin for the orchestra at his school to get first chair. Ariel has a lot on his plate and struggles SO MUCH to try to get everything done for school and it starts to put a toll on him. I was never a student who wanted to be the best, I was an outcast, for sure. So, I couldn't relate to Ariel at all . I felt that he was super dramatic and just needed to chill out? His anxiety gave ME anxiety. But, I understand why Ariel's character was like this, he was pressured by everyone around him to be the best.
This book is pitched as a budding romance between two teen boys, one of which needs tutoring. So, basically a tutoring romance? But, I felt that the romance REALLY LACKED. I was super confused because it felt rushed, one day Ariel was flipping out and having an anxiety attack that he just leaves their first tutoring session being rude to Amir because he ONLY HAD A 97.5 IN CALCULUS AND THOUGHT BECAUSE HE BOMBED A TEST HE WOULD BE FAILING?? AND DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW HE WAS GETTING TUTORED??? WHAT?? CONFUSING. Then, about maybe 3 tutoring sessions in they are out to dinner and they go outside to the parking lot and have their first kiss?? There was no flirting or anything that I picked up on that seemed like they were both into each other. AND this is a short book, so this happened in the middle of the book! It was half way over. So, it took longer than it should've in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed this book for the diversity and having a bisexual male!! I thought the second half of the book was better than the first. I'm glad to have stuck through reading it all, but I didn't have much closure? I really needed an epilogue.
Trigger warning: stress, academic pressure & anxiety
Representation: Jewish, bisexual MC, Muslim side characters
This book is #ownvoices for Jewish representation.
This book was mediocre for me. I was torn between DNFing in the middle because I felt like this story needed more development. I also believe that I wasn't the target audience because I am a 25 year old in college and high school is behind me.
You Asked for Perfect follows Ariel in his senior year of high school as he tries to juggle his academics, extracurricular activities, volunteering at the local animal shelter, religion, family and friends. Ariel is the top of his class and eager to keep his title for Valedictorian and get into Harvard. Ariel is constantly stressed and anxious about his several AP classes and keeping up with playing violin for the orchestra at his school to get first chair. Ariel has a lot on his plate and struggles SO MUCH to try to get everything done for school and it starts to put a toll on him. I was never a student who wanted to be the best, I was an outcast, for sure. So, I couldn't relate to Ariel at all . I felt that he was super dramatic and just needed to chill out? His anxiety gave ME anxiety. But, I understand why Ariel's character was like this, he was pressured by everyone around him to be the best.
This book is pitched as a budding romance between two teen boys, one of which needs tutoring. So, basically a tutoring romance? But, I felt that the romance REALLY LACKED. I was super confused because it felt rushed, one day Ariel was flipping out and having an anxiety attack that he just leaves their first tutoring session being rude to Amir because he ONLY HAD A 97.5 IN CALCULUS AND THOUGHT BECAUSE HE BOMBED A TEST HE WOULD BE FAILING?? AND DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW HE WAS GETTING TUTORED??? WHAT?? CONFUSING. Then, about maybe 3 tutoring sessions in they are out to dinner and they go outside to the parking lot and have their first kiss?? There was no flirting or anything that I picked up on that seemed like they were both into each other. AND this is a short book, so this happened in the middle of the book! It was half way over. So, it took longer than it should've in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed this book for the diversity and having a bisexual male!! I thought the second half of the book was better than the first. I'm glad to have stuck through reading it all, but I didn't have much closure? I really needed an epilogue.
CW: internalized lesbophobia (gets resolved), homophobia, bullying, absent father, racism and microaggressions, toxic masculinity & misogynistic comments, recreational drug use, drinking, drugging, and subsequent memory loss.
I'm very torn on my rating for this. It's between a 3.5/4 star because I did really, really love the first half of the book but I felt some comments about transness could've been re-written. It's very important while writing a book about drag culture to include the difference between DRAG and being trans as they're vastly different. Also, to know (and research) about RuPaul's transphobia toward trans women.
There's a poem, Glitter Ball that says "Know that your audience makes assumptions about you, your gender presentation, and the gender you were assigned at birth" and that must have been an editing mistake because you're assigned your sex at birth, not your gender. There's also an instance where Michael says he's still getting used to using they/them pronouns which definitely could've been reworded though it wasn't meant with malice because Michael has had a lack of queer representation around him growing up and at university he meets more queer, trans and gender non-conforming people. The poem about trans men was really touching and I enjoyed that. Though, I wish that there was a larger discussion about trans women.
Nonetheless, I did thoroughly enjoy the rest of Michael's coming-of-age story though it is dark and not a happy go-lucky coming out story by any means. It is written in verse rather than traditional format which I did enjoy. But, I liked Michael's own poems more. They really stood out to me and told me how Michael was feeling. I also loved the meaning and symbolism of "The Black Flamingo", it really tied the story together. Would recommend, just be cautious if you're trans and/or gender non-conforming and are sensitive when transness is talked about.
I'm very torn on my rating for this. It's between a 3.5/4 star because I did really, really love the first half of the book but I felt some comments about transness could've been re-written. It's very important while writing a book about drag culture to include the difference between DRAG and being trans as they're vastly different. Also, to know (and research) about RuPaul's transphobia toward trans women.
There's a poem, Glitter Ball that says "Know that your audience makes assumptions about you, your gender presentation, and the gender you were assigned at birth" and that must have been an editing mistake because you're assigned your sex at birth, not your gender. There's also an instance where Michael says he's still getting used to using they/them pronouns which definitely could've been reworded though it wasn't meant with malice because Michael has had a lack of queer representation around him growing up and at university he meets more queer, trans and gender non-conforming people. The poem about trans men was really touching and I enjoyed that. Though, I wish that there was a larger discussion about trans women.
Nonetheless, I did thoroughly enjoy the rest of Michael's coming-of-age story though it is dark and not a happy go-lucky coming out story by any means. It is written in verse rather than traditional format which I did enjoy. But, I liked Michael's own poems more. They really stood out to me and told me how Michael was feeling. I also loved the meaning and symbolism of "The Black Flamingo", it really tied the story together. Would recommend, just be cautious if you're trans and/or gender non-conforming and are sensitive when transness is talked about.
CW: unsafe binding with duct tape, mention of death by suicide *not graphic*, transphobia, violence, fighting, deadnaming (name is not mentioned) and misgendering, outting, imposter syndrome, break-up, talk of hormones & testosterone, safe binding, unaccepting parent, feeling of body & social dysphoria on-page at 87%.
Dean Foster must be protected at all costs. I saw myself in Dean a lot as we both have a similar coming out story and are both skater boi's. Coming out after you're already out as a lesbian is an experience that I connect to and Dean's experience made me feel very comfortable and seen . He thought his coming out was over until he gets cast as Romeo in his high school's production of Romeo and Juliet and feelings of gender rise to the surface.
The feelings of dysphoria after realizing you're probably trans are SO REAL. Dean's experience of body dysphoria and imposter syndrome resonated with me and made me think back to my memories from the beginning of my transition. Between Perfect and Real is a great depiction of the trans male experience & coming of age story through the themes of Romeo and Juliet. Watching hours of YouTube and scrolling through trans Reddit pages are very real times in a trans man's life.
I loved Ronnie and Jared. Ronnie was a really great friend to Dean and he was someone I wished I had when I had first come out. I loved Ronnie, Jared, and Dean's dynamic toward the end of the novel and how they all hung out at a skatepark!! Dean is a SKATER BOI!
I also liked how transphobia was handled and challenged. Dean did not take any fucks from anyone including those closest to him. I also loved the support group aspect of the novel and how Dean made trans and gender non-conforming friends. Another aspect I could really relate to, seriously Dean's story was so similar to my own.
If I hadn't read an ARC copy, I would share some quotes that I loved because there were so many of them that I loved. There's a robot analogy that was SO GOOD and depicted the disassociation parts of dysphoria where you feel like a robot version of yourself.
The only minor flaw I have is that I never read a scene where Dean takes off his binder (unless I missed it?). I'm just a little wary about whether he was sleeping in it or not - which is dangerous and forbidden.
Overall, I really cherished Dean's story and it's definitely one of my favorites. As a theater fan, I really loved seeing a trans character be the star of the show and have an amazing teacher, Mr. Harrsion to come to when things hit the fan. Would recommend!
Dean Foster must be protected at all costs. I saw myself in Dean a lot as we both have a similar coming out story and are both skater boi's. Coming out after you're already out as a lesbian is an experience that I connect to and Dean's experience made me feel very comfortable and seen . He thought his coming out was over until he gets cast as Romeo in his high school's production of Romeo and Juliet and feelings of gender rise to the surface.
The feelings of dysphoria after realizing you're probably trans are SO REAL. Dean's experience of body dysphoria and imposter syndrome resonated with me and made me think back to my memories from the beginning of my transition. Between Perfect and Real is a great depiction of the trans male experience & coming of age story through the themes of Romeo and Juliet. Watching hours of YouTube and scrolling through trans Reddit pages are very real times in a trans man's life.
I loved Ronnie and Jared. Ronnie was a really great friend to Dean and he was someone I wished I had when I had first come out. I loved Ronnie, Jared, and Dean's dynamic toward the end of the novel and how they all hung out at a skatepark!! Dean is a SKATER BOI!
I also liked how transphobia was handled and challenged. Dean did not take any fucks from anyone including those closest to him. I also loved the support group aspect of the novel and how Dean made trans and gender non-conforming friends. Another aspect I could really relate to, seriously Dean's story was so similar to my own.
If I hadn't read an ARC copy, I would share some quotes that I loved because there were so many of them that I loved. There's a robot analogy that was SO GOOD and depicted the disassociation parts of dysphoria where you feel like a robot version of yourself.
The only minor flaw I have is that I never read a scene where Dean takes off his binder (unless I missed it?). I'm just a little wary about whether he was sleeping in it or not - which is dangerous and forbidden.
Overall, I really cherished Dean's story and it's definitely one of my favorites. As a theater fan, I really loved seeing a trans character be the star of the show and have an amazing teacher, Mr. Harrsion to come to when things hit the fan. Would recommend!
Point at policies, not people.
Nothing disripts racism more than when we confess the racist ideas that we sometimes express.
Nothing disripts racism more than when we confess the racist ideas that we sometimes express.
3.5 stars
I enjoyed getting back into the Simonverse and resisting the characters as they begin their first year of college. However, the novella is told in email and I think it could've been spread out because you're only getting a glimpse of what's happening from the characters emailing each other. Also, as a Philadelphian, Simon keeps referring to living in Philly when he's just in Haverford which is a suburb of PA, not Philly which is something only a Philadelphian could point out. Simon!! You're not in Philly, my guy. Also, there are excessive Harry Potter references and it's draining. I rolled my eyes constantly. There's also mentions of characters from The Gentleman's Guide for Vice and Virtue and I had to Google the characters because I had no idea who they were referencing. Simon, you could do better and read books by authors who aren't problematic.
This novella definitely sets you up to watch the Hulu series, Love, Victor. Not sure if that's on purpose or not, but I did like how the novella wrapped up.
I enjoyed getting back into the Simonverse and resisting the characters as they begin their first year of college. However, the novella is told in email and I think it could've been spread out because you're only getting a glimpse of what's happening from the characters emailing each other. Also, as a Philadelphian, Simon keeps referring to living in Philly when he's just in Haverford which is a suburb of PA, not Philly which is something only a Philadelphian could point out. Simon!! You're not in Philly, my guy. Also, there are excessive Harry Potter references and it's draining. I rolled my eyes constantly. There's also mentions of characters from The Gentleman's Guide for Vice and Virtue and I had to Google the characters because I had no idea who they were referencing. Simon, you could do better and read books by authors who aren't problematic.
This novella definitely sets you up to watch the Hulu series, Love, Victor. Not sure if that's on purpose or not, but I did like how the novella wrapped up.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief
Home Birth (page 165), Premature baby, sexual assault - page 176, stalking