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rachelditty's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed this! I didn't know anything about it before reading; I only knew it was queer. I was surprised when the first half wasn't centered around anything LGBT+, and more focused on something strange happening to Mads' family circumstances. But as things unfolded and Mads' worldviews were dissected, I started liking the story more and more. Religion especially was used in a way I'd never really seen before--the main character interacts with members of the church who are bigoted, but still attends mass because she feels it's a place where she is part of a community and things can really feel safe for her. I thought the story was really well done, and even the more disrespectful aspects of the characters' views were portrayed super well and wrapped up neatly. So glad I read this, it was awesome.
Quotes I liked:
"Was it worse to leave him like that or to tell him he was ust part of a sciece experiment? A baking soda volcano, thrown together last minute, without thought. Without care." (p. 237)
"I could have pushed harder, gotten mom to let me stay home. But maybe I wanted to be judged. Maybe I knew the scale of 1 to 10 didn't even come close to being able to rank what I had done." (p. 244)
"Or I can just be myself, and tell people, 'Hey, I'm Amanda! And I happen to be gay!' Maybe even reverse it. 'Hey, I'm gay! And I happen to be Amanda!'" (p. 262).
"Dad was right. Always choose flying over invisibility." (p. 271).
"We don't get to choose who we love. But sometimes we get lucky and fall for someone wonderful." (p. 280).
"Kinda crazy that I had ever thought I was alone." (p. 291).
Quotes I liked:
"Was it worse to leave him like that or to tell him he was ust part of a sciece experiment? A baking soda volcano, thrown together last minute, without thought. Without care." (p. 237)
"I could have pushed harder, gotten mom to let me stay home. But maybe I wanted to be judged. Maybe I knew the scale of 1 to 10 didn't even come close to being able to rank what I had done." (p. 244)
"Or I can just be myself, and tell people, 'Hey, I'm Amanda! And I happen to be gay!' Maybe even reverse it. 'Hey, I'm gay! And I happen to be Amanda!'" (p. 262).
"Dad was right. Always choose flying over invisibility." (p. 271).
"We don't get to choose who we love. But sometimes we get lucky and fall for someone wonderful." (p. 280).
"Kinda crazy that I had ever thought I was alone." (p. 291).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Outing
vaniavela's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
I found the art charming and expressive. There is a lot of emotion in their body language and expressions, which brings the story to life, compensating for aspects of the plot that were not to my total liking.
There is a lot of relationship drama in this graphic novel, as well as strong themes of homophobia and transphobia.
I don't know how to rate it, but it was a decent read.
CW: Graphic=Transphobia, Homophobia, Religious bigotry. Moderate= Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Death of parent. Minor= Bullying, Child abuse, Death
There is a lot of relationship drama in this graphic novel, as well as strong themes of homophobia and transphobia.
I don't know how to rate it, but it was a decent read.
CW: Graphic=Transphobia, Homophobia, Religious bigotry. Moderate= Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Death of parent. Minor= Bullying, Child abuse, Death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Deadnaming, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death, Child abuse, and Bullying
wynterwonderland's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content
kaitlyn_ann's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this, but I found it quite slow in some parts, but found the ending to be incredibly rushed
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Deadnaming
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
4.0
On the whole, I really liked this graphic novel. It tackles a lot of topics that are incredibly difficult in a way that extends empathy to most everyone involved (except the terrible bigot grandparents, who can choke). And the art is lovely and compliments the story so well. I do agree with most people here that the cover for this does not really match the content within. The cover promises a kind of romcom kind of vibe, when it's a much more serious study of acceptance, homophobia, family, coming of age and coming out.
I would love to read a review by a trans reviewer to see how the trans subplot is handled since the character is dead named, and to the best of my knowledge, neither creators were trans. I deeply related to the queer girl at the center of the story and felt it was handled with grace. I would just like a deeper review of that. I also don't know how I feel abouthow quickly the dad is forgiven for ignoring his daughter for weeks after she's outed (though I did love her mom so very much). But everyone has their own journey I suppose.
I would love to read a review by a trans reviewer to see how the trans subplot is handled since the character is dead named, and to the best of my knowledge, neither creators were trans. I deeply related to the queer girl at the center of the story and felt it was handled with grace. I would just like a deeper review of that. I also don't know how I feel about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
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