rickjones's Reviews (1.66k)

This was a sweet story that was engaging and easy to read even when I felt distracted or worn out. It didn't really go in the direction I was expecting though, so the ending wasn't as rewarding as I had wanted. 

Dodie is overwhelming the character with the most personality in this story. She has somewhat of a savior complex, but even when selfish, her perspective is easy to empathize with. All the other characters feel like puzzle pieces shaped to fit into her narrative. None of them are really given space to stand on their own, and come in and out of the story to serve a purpose for Dodie. Chatsworth seemed like a wonderful place to live though, and I enjoyed imagining the town and visiting Dodie's beloved lending library.

People who really love books, and romance stories specifically, may get more out of this story than I did. There were pieces of it I enjoyed, but ultimately it wasn't what I hoped.

To begin with, this book isn't a fluffy romantic comedy. If that's the type of story you're set on reading you may not be able to appreciate it. This was a difficult book to read at times, yet as a trans autistic man, I felt like I saw myself in both Jeremy and Lukas' perspectives and experiences. 

Both boys could be horrible throughout the story. I spent most of it angry with Jeremy in particular. However, I did see my own angry, terrified, newly transitioning teenage self reflected in his rage and self destructive views. Anger is a key theme throughout the book; Jeremy takes it out on others, while Lukas turns it against himself. 

It's not exactly rewarding to see the ugliest parts of transitioning into a boy transcribed into words, but I do feel it's important. It's rare to find stories that tackle the grief and the rage that trying to find yourself again as a self-made man can inspire. Walking the line between rejecting toxic masculinity from your personhood and protecting yourself from the wrath those who embrace it feel towards you can feel like an everlosing war, especially when trapped in environments with hateful men who are never held accountable. At the same time, we risk losing formerly close relationships with cisgender women who struggle to understand us as both a male and as someone who's experienced similar gender-based violence all our lives. Finding community again in these circumstances can be rough, but it is possible once we learn to let our anger evaporate and trust that our loved ones will protect us once we part with the armor that rage provides. I feel relieved to find a story that embraces these difficult issues as a part of it while still reminding the reader that our lives aren't as hopeless as they can sometimes feel.

I was also excited to find out that Lukas was autistic. His own struggles with wanting to control how people viewed him felt really relatable to me too. Yet I didn't feel he was able to have his tangled emotions and self-hatred resolved as much as Jeremy did, which was disappointing.

It would have been nice to see him find community with more neurodivergent people the way Jeremy eventually did with other queer students.

I wouldn't have minded reading a much longer book for this to have happened. I really loved Lukas and following his journey of self discovery. 

Overall, this story was one I really loved. It presents itself less as puzzle piece that fits exactly in place to validate the reader and more like a series of ever-shifting mechanisms that shy away from snapping together so simply. I don't think that's necessarily a flaw. These characters hold a lot of meaning for me and I expect them to stick with me for a long time. If their author ever wants to continue their story, I would be delighted to re-enter their world.

This was such a rewarding book to read. I loved following Spencer's story and his goals, and moving forward with him from feelings of fear to those of courage. This book is tied together with moments of bravery and of love, reminding us that both are intertwined. 

It's always a struggle for me to read books that have plots containing LGBTphobia, since they can unleash flashbacks. However, this story handled those topics with sensitivity and displayed to the reader that even in seemingly hopeless circumstances, there will always be someone willing to support you and to fight for you. I felt some of my own fears fade away as Spencer learned this for himself. 

My only issue with this book was the way Theo was written. As an autistic reader, it definitely gets tiring to see autistic characters presented more like problems than people. However, as the book went on I started to feel that Theo was given enough quirks and expression to resemble a full personality. Spencer and his family clearly love Theo and are very patient and understanding towards him, which I appreciated. Yet I would understand if other autistic readers leave the novel still feeling upset by the way he's portrayed.  

Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable book. The romance and friendships were sweet and exciting, and I loved how Spencer's parents were presented as imperfect people who loved their children enough to do better by them. I was also grateful that the subject of religiously bigoted families was approached with sensitivity for the vulnerable LGBT+ youth who are raised by them. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. Even if stories about sports teams and romance aren't really your thing, you're likely to find something that pulls you into this book and makes you love it too. 

Each story in this anthology is inviting, rich with meaning, and wholly original from the others surrounding it. There's modern romance, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, coming of age and more. 

I could see pieces of my own experiences in most of these stories. Their diversity gave space for the multitude of emotions people feel surrounding their own disability to be described in various ways. Some stories were explicit in highlighting how disability is a part of the protagonist's life, while others use allegories or dance around the subject to mirror the character's denial. 

The stories I enjoyed reading the most were 'The Leap and the Fall' by Kody Keplinger, 'Found Objects' by William Alexander, 'The Day the Dragon Came' by Marieke Nijkamp, 'Captain, My Captain' by Francisco X. Stork and 'A Curse, A Kindness' by Corinne Duyvis.

I'd recommend this anthology for every reader. With each story being so different you're almost guaranteed to find one that pulls you in and makes you feel unbroken.