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joannalouise's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
jarku's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Still trying to calibrate my ratings on the scale of "how did I feel about this book" rather than "should this book exist." It has no competition in constellating my adolescence into fiction. This is probably not useful to anyone else on this social network. Sometimes you just need a novel to remind you that, given any choice of adolescences, the one you'd fantasize about would have still seen you flounder. Unrelatably--for which I should remember to be grateful--Idlewild is also about ruining your whole life instead of allowing yourself to transition .
As far as trans stuff goes, I wouldn't have thought I had much in common with James Frankie Thomas. He has spoken of his moment of revelation coming to him as an "I'm like you," for instance; I had no such role models. But I did write slash and "queer theory" under an online identity meant to convince the one other man in the fandom--a cis gay graduate student--that I was one too. Idlewild showed me that these are kind of the same thing, two flavours of this soul-shredding mess I know innately and have never seen in writing before.
I don't get the sense that Thomas meant to write a YA novel (though I'm sure it would be very appreciated by a young reader with the kind of precocity shared by the characters), but if he were, I'd hold my breath for a sequel about Christopher. Off the cuff, I am immensely disappointed by Theo's flatness (-0.5 stars).
As far as trans stuff goes, I wouldn't have thought I had much in common with James Frankie Thomas. He has spoken of his moment of revelation coming to him as an "I'm like you," for instance; I had no such role models. But I did write slash and "queer theory" under an online identity meant to convince the one other man in the fandom--a cis gay graduate student--that I was one too. Idlewild showed me that these are kind of the same thing, two flavours of this soul-shredding mess I know innately and have never seen in writing before.
I don't get the sense that Thomas meant to write a YA novel (though I'm sure it would be very appreciated by a young reader with the kind of precocity shared by the characters), but if he were, I'd hold my breath for a sequel about Christopher. Off the cuff, I am immensely disappointed by Theo's flatness (-0.5 stars).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Racism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Mass/school shootings
an_a_list_alias's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Id like to first start off by saying that I did enjoy how the author used 2nd person to show how close the main character's friendships was. However, this book was frankly disappointing. It rambled on and on about nothing in particular while pretending to have some deep meaning behind everything. Adding 'queer' and 'gay' into almost every sentence not automatically make them say something profound about that community or even just about society in general. The 9/11 aspects seemed disjointed in the overall narrative. The big 'plot twist' (if you could even call it that) wasnt shocking at all and was quickly patched up unsatisfyingly. And while I love endings that leave the rest of the story up to the reader, this one felt sloppy and rushed. So overall painfully boring in some parts and boringly painful in others, would not recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
eacrunden's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Really well written and an absolute trauma flashback if you’ve been in the trenches of AFAB friendship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Toxic relationship, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
duzzle's review
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thomas's writing was so disgustingly relatable. It shocked me how well he was able to articulate and dredge up feelings I hadn't thought about since my own teenage-queer-friend-obsession fraught with exploratory RPs, insomnia-inducing anxiety, and being a little SHIT. Idlewild does a wonderful job exploring the many different ways teens can be fucking awful, and I'm so here for it. Don't come expecting a fuzzy-feel-good story.
The only gripe I'd have is with a certain scarecrow-esque figure in the book who isn't really given much humanity (but at the same time, we all know a person like them, so I feel like the author knew what he was doing there).
The only gripe I'd have is with a certain scarecrow-esque figure in the book who isn't really given much humanity (but at the same time, we all know a person like them, so I feel like the author knew what he was doing there).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Mental illness, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia
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