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rachelwalexander's review against another edition
3.0
Oh man. This book was adorable and also so implausible and I love it and I'm mad about it. Like, it's gay romance with a side note of Occupy Wall Street and some hilariously unrealistic dialogue but still sweet. Idk y'all.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free ARC of Frenemy of the People from Bold Strokes Books Inc. via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
This is a very refreshing story, about two girls who seemingly have nothing in common, but who fall in love anyway.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
This is a very refreshing story, about two girls who seemingly have nothing in common, but who fall in love anyway.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
readinggrrl's review against another edition
4.0
I could try to pick this book apart like some other reviews but lets face it this book is geared toward a younger crowd then me and to be honest I don't really have much negative to say. I loved Lexie. I thought she was great. The story seemed to center more on Clarissa and her family and one complaint might be that I wish I would have known more about Lexie's family, but then again I think maybe Lexie would have liked to have known them better too. Clarissa's family was a mess but seemed to really pull it together in the end. I think it may have been harder in reality for someone to handle all that they were going through but sometimes we need happy endings.
There are pieces of the story that definitely were more of a wish then a reality but how many books don't have something like that in them...and doesn't that make it more fun to think you can do something and get away with it?
There were many different themes touched on in this book as well it doesn't just center around lgbt. It hit on standing up for yourself, mental health, siblings, teens who are differently challenged, the mortgage crisis, and a few others I may have missed. I just felt that overall it was well written, entertaining, and even a little bit informative.
There are pieces of the story that definitely were more of a wish then a reality but how many books don't have something like that in them...and doesn't that make it more fun to think you can do something and get away with it?
There were many different themes touched on in this book as well it doesn't just center around lgbt. It hit on standing up for yourself, mental health, siblings, teens who are differently challenged, the mortgage crisis, and a few others I may have missed. I just felt that overall it was well written, entertaining, and even a little bit informative.
james7634's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Good YA novel with inclusive characters. Endearing coming of age but not compelling.
fangirljeanne's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger Warning: This book uses the r-word (ableist slur for people with intellectual disabilities and/or Down syndrome). Details on its use are in the review.
In many ways, Frenemy of the People reminds me a lot of various books and movies I loved as a kid with the notable difference of the leads in this love story are a lesbian and bisexual girl. As a preteen and teen, I longed for a story featuring to girls in love. I wanted something, books or movies, to mirror the kinds of relationships I was having at the time. This book does that so realistically that at times I was laughing with second hand embarrassment.
The story is told in 1st person, the narrative switches between Clarissa and Lexie’s POV. This not only provides insight into the characters, but also into how they misunderstand and misjudge each other. Resulting in some of the most authentic and rarely seen teen voices I’ve ever read.
Clarissa and Lexie are spoiled, entitled, and often not likable at times. They think they know it all, jump to conclusion and make a lot of mistakes, just as we all do when we’re young, and even as adults. While they’re slips ups and stumbles are cringe worthy they are also realistic and true to the kind of teens we rarely see in media. They aren’t quirky, fast talking over-educated avatars for adult nostalgia. They put their are misinformed, inexperienced, and often put their foot in their mouths. These flaws are not trivial or token, but rather are tied to who they are and how they were raised.
Lexie is self righteous, rude, insensitive and disaffected. She embodies the militant, vegan, punk lesbian cliche, complete with straight edge tattoo and blue hair. If that was all we knew of Lexie that’s all she would be, a stereotype. Luckily, we get to know Lexie, and her home life, and see there is real pain and reasons for what she does. Her parents’ emotional neglect plays a huge part in why Lexie acts out and clings to stark views of right and wrong. The story provides insight both through Lexie’s narrative, and Clarissa’s POV into a sensitive and deeply wounded girl, who wants desperately to be seen as good and worthy of love.
Clarissa could also be dismissed as a cliche, though a whole different one. She is the spoiled popular girl, complete with a gaggle of friends and trophies for horseback riding. Add onto this her sudden realization, at the beginning of the story, that she is bisexual and Clarissa could be the poster child for the “faux bi girl” stereotype. However, like Lexie, Clarissa proves to be complex, intelligent and surprisingly mature.Part of this maturity stems from growing up with a sister with Down syndrome, but some of it also comes form having flighty, fiscally somewhat parents.Clarissa is compassionate and determined, strengths that are all to often discouraged in girls her age, but here they give her the foundation she needs to weather some sizable adversity that has nothing to do with her sexual orientation.
Let me take a break to talk about my favorite character in the story, Desi. She is Clarissa’s older sister, and she has Down syndrome. A character like Desi could easily be a token or plot device, Desi is neither. She is a teenage girl with a boyfriend and the same dreams many teenage girls have. Desi is blunt and unapologetic, and doesn’t let her disability or people's ignorance about it stop her from getting whatever she wants. She is very aware of how people treat her differently, and even uses it to her advantage. While I wish there were a few more disabled characters with as much of a presence in the story as she has, she does have several scenes with characters other than her sister and parents where she’s treated as an equal. One of my favorites moments in the book is a scene where she’s playing a game with Lexie and another character, Slobberin’ Rob, where she shows she’s a clever little smartass. Desi is everything I LOVE to see in a female character, and wish I saw more in fiction, it’s even more awesome that she is all this and has Down Syndrome.
Lexie and Clarissa are also refreshing female characters in how they’re allowed to not be perfect, or idealized versions of what adults wish teens were like. They both make mistakes and say the wrong things at the worst possible moments, much like we all do. Despite their imperfections and missteps they grow and learn from each other and their experiences.
A great demonstration of one of these mistakes is linked to the Trigger Warning. Early on in the story, Lexie uses the r-word in reference to Desi, in a comment about how the concept of a Homecoming queen is a joke. Clarissa immediately calls out Lexie and explains that the word is a slur.
It is a important moment for both girls, and their relationship. Lexie is forced to deal with the consequences of what she says, and that she is not as socially conscious and knowledgable as she believed. She also sees Clarissa in a new light, and is forced to reevaluate her view of a girl she’d written off as shallow and ignorant.
Other stories would either not even use this word, or would give this huge misstep to a villainous character. By giving it to Lexie it not only allows her to be flawed, but to also demonstrate her capacity to learn, while providing a similar opportunity to unknowable readers. It shows the error doesn’t make her a bad person. In fact, her ability to apologize and grow shows her heart is in the right place. Clarissa has similar moments of growing awareness. Both girls go through significant character growth that is grounded in realistic situations. Part of becoming an adult is realizing their you’re not always right, and neither are your parents.
Speaking of parents, there is a refreshing abundance of parental figures present and deeply involved in the story. While the girls parents are source of stress and emotional pain, they also are sources of love and support. I loved how the parents felt like real, deeply flawed, people too. They had lives outside of the girls, and very realistic dialogue.
All these layers, and thoughtfully constructed characters come together to weave a profoundly enjoyable and surprising emotional read for me. I was transported back to my own youth, and reflected on my own mistakes and turbulent love life with a forgiving eye. That part strikes me the most.
Women are rarely allowed to forgive themselves for mistakes, even when they are understandable and a natural part of growing up. We are taught, from a very young age, to judge ourselves and other women harshly. I often seen this judgement extend to fiction depiction of women. Where fictional teenage girls are held to unrealistically high standard. They are judged to be shallow, cliche and unimportant simply for not being an idealize version of what adults think teens should be. That is not only unfair, it’s damaging.
Real teen readers should be able to see a wide range of teenagers and teenage experiences. Fantasy and wish fulfillment are great, but not all teen character have to embody ideals that are often unachievable for real teens. We should have a diverse rage of experiences and characters for readers of all ages and all sexual orientations to identify with, especially teenage girls who often are only give a singular, homogenous image of themselves in media.
Showing teens that they can make mistakes, not be perfect, and of course not be straight and still be good people, who find love is profoundly important to the health and well being of LGBTQ teens. Not liking or relating to Clarissa or Lexie shouldn’t be a value judgment on them, just as it shouldn’t be on any young girl. They are not poster girls for lesbian and bisexual teens, they're just two teenage girls in love.
Frenemy of the People is an honest, earnest view of the messy, imperfection of teenage life and young love. It shows how girls are capable, intellect and worthy of love, but most of all it shows how the experience of young love is a universally uplifting, hilarious and even cringe worth at times.
Trigger Warning: This book uses the r-word (ableist slur for people with intellectual disabilities and/or Down syndrome). Details on its use are in the review.
In many ways, Frenemy of the People reminds me a lot of various books and movies I loved as a kid with the notable difference of the leads in this love story are a lesbian and bisexual girl. As a preteen and teen, I longed for a story featuring to girls in love. I wanted something, books or movies, to mirror the kinds of relationships I was having at the time. This book does that so realistically that at times I was laughing with second hand embarrassment.
“I’m not sure what transgender is yet, but I found a website that’s going to explain it to me.”
The story is told in 1st person, the narrative switches between Clarissa and Lexie’s POV. This not only provides insight into the characters, but also into how they misunderstand and misjudge each other. Resulting in some of the most authentic and rarely seen teen voices I’ve ever read.
Clarissa and Lexie are spoiled, entitled, and often not likable at times. They think they know it all, jump to conclusion and make a lot of mistakes, just as we all do when we’re young, and even as adults. While they’re slips ups and stumbles are cringe worthy they are also realistic and true to the kind of teens we rarely see in media. They aren’t quirky, fast talking over-educated avatars for adult nostalgia. They put their are misinformed, inexperienced, and often put their foot in their mouths. These flaws are not trivial or token, but rather are tied to who they are and how they were raised.
“The word man doesn’t mean human,” I said. “We already have the word human, which means human. This is totally sexist.”
Lexie is self righteous, rude, insensitive and disaffected. She embodies the militant, vegan, punk lesbian cliche, complete with straight edge tattoo and blue hair. If that was all we knew of Lexie that’s all she would be, a stereotype. Luckily, we get to know Lexie, and her home life, and see there is real pain and reasons for what she does. Her parents’ emotional neglect plays a huge part in why Lexie acts out and clings to stark views of right and wrong. The story provides insight both through Lexie’s narrative, and Clarissa’s POV into a sensitive and deeply wounded girl, who wants desperately to be seen as good and worthy of love.
I was disheveled, smelly, and full of hate. They should fear me.
Clarissa could also be dismissed as a cliche, though a whole different one. She is the spoiled popular girl, complete with a gaggle of friends and trophies for horseback riding. Add onto this her sudden realization, at the beginning of the story, that she is bisexual and Clarissa could be the poster child for the “faux bi girl” stereotype. However, like Lexie, Clarissa proves to be complex, intelligent and surprisingly mature.Part of this maturity stems from growing up with a sister with Down syndrome, but some of it also comes form having flighty, fiscally somewhat parents.Clarissa is compassionate and determined, strengths that are all to often discouraged in girls her age, but here they give her the foundation she needs to weather some sizable adversity that has nothing to do with her sexual orientation.
“Brains, beauty and pizza.”
Let me take a break to talk about my favorite character in the story, Desi. She is Clarissa’s older sister, and she has Down syndrome. A character like Desi could easily be a token or plot device, Desi is neither. She is a teenage girl with a boyfriend and the same dreams many teenage girls have. Desi is blunt and unapologetic, and doesn’t let her disability or people's ignorance about it stop her from getting whatever she wants. She is very aware of how people treat her differently, and even uses it to her advantage. While I wish there were a few more disabled characters with as much of a presence in the story as she has, she does have several scenes with characters other than her sister and parents where she’s treated as an equal. One of my favorites moments in the book is a scene where she’s playing a game with Lexie and another character, Slobberin’ Rob, where she shows she’s a clever little smartass. Desi is everything I LOVE to see in a female character, and wish I saw more in fiction, it’s even more awesome that she is all this and has Down Syndrome.
Lexie and Clarissa are also refreshing female characters in how they’re allowed to not be perfect, or idealized versions of what adults wish teens were like. They both make mistakes and say the wrong things at the worst possible moments, much like we all do. Despite their imperfections and missteps they grow and learn from each other and their experiences.
A great demonstration of one of these mistakes is linked to the Trigger Warning. Early on in the story, Lexie uses the r-word in reference to Desi, in a comment about how the concept of a Homecoming queen is a joke. Clarissa immediately calls out Lexie and explains that the word is a slur.
It is a important moment for both girls, and their relationship. Lexie is forced to deal with the consequences of what she says, and that she is not as socially conscious and knowledgable as she believed. She also sees Clarissa in a new light, and is forced to reevaluate her view of a girl she’d written off as shallow and ignorant.
Other stories would either not even use this word, or would give this huge misstep to a villainous character. By giving it to Lexie it not only allows her to be flawed, but to also demonstrate her capacity to learn, while providing a similar opportunity to unknowable readers. It shows the error doesn’t make her a bad person. In fact, her ability to apologize and grow shows her heart is in the right place. Clarissa has similar moments of growing awareness. Both girls go through significant character growth that is grounded in realistic situations. Part of becoming an adult is realizing their you’re not always right, and neither are your parents.
Speaking of parents, there is a refreshing abundance of parental figures present and deeply involved in the story. While the girls parents are source of stress and emotional pain, they also are sources of love and support. I loved how the parents felt like real, deeply flawed, people too. They had lives outside of the girls, and very realistic dialogue.
All these layers, and thoughtfully constructed characters come together to weave a profoundly enjoyable and surprising emotional read for me. I was transported back to my own youth, and reflected on my own mistakes and turbulent love life with a forgiving eye. That part strikes me the most.
Women are rarely allowed to forgive themselves for mistakes, even when they are understandable and a natural part of growing up. We are taught, from a very young age, to judge ourselves and other women harshly. I often seen this judgement extend to fiction depiction of women. Where fictional teenage girls are held to unrealistically high standard. They are judged to be shallow, cliche and unimportant simply for not being an idealize version of what adults think teens should be. That is not only unfair, it’s damaging.
Real teen readers should be able to see a wide range of teenagers and teenage experiences. Fantasy and wish fulfillment are great, but not all teen character have to embody ideals that are often unachievable for real teens. We should have a diverse rage of experiences and characters for readers of all ages and all sexual orientations to identify with, especially teenage girls who often are only give a singular, homogenous image of themselves in media.
Showing teens that they can make mistakes, not be perfect, and of course not be straight and still be good people, who find love is profoundly important to the health and well being of LGBTQ teens. Not liking or relating to Clarissa or Lexie shouldn’t be a value judgment on them, just as it shouldn’t be on any young girl. They are not poster girls for lesbian and bisexual teens, they're just two teenage girls in love.
Frenemy of the People is an honest, earnest view of the messy, imperfection of teenage life and young love. It shows how girls are capable, intellect and worthy of love, but most of all it shows how the experience of young love is a universally uplifting, hilarious and even cringe worth at times.
kasss's review against another edition
2.0
I'm torn over this book. I didn't absolutely hate it but it wasn't spectacular.
My main issue with this book is that I was missing a lot of depth. Beginning with Clarissa's realisation she's bisexual, which happened within the first few pages. This was a rather simplistic "I like boys and girls, I am bisexual!" type of realisation... literally. Her coming out, her setting up the GSA. It was all rather hurried, no background, nothing. Same with Lexie, a vegan punk lesbian. Give me background! And then apparently the two girls have known each other for years and. That's it. We never find out more.
Which is sad, because honestly. Despite being rather stereotypical, both Lexie and Clarissa COULD BE surprisingly likeable, believable characters with believable problems. Could be. But now they are just stereotypical and nothing more (and it's making a lot of people cringe...).
So it's all the more sad that many of the more serious topics raised in the book only seem to scratch the surface and the plot was weak. The coming out/sexuality bit was too simplistic, same with the foreclosure.
The simplicity is what makes it a light hearted novel I suppose, a nice quick read. It didn't blow me away, yet I still wanted to keep reading. At the same time I feel there are so many YA+LGBT books out there that make me feel this way, but still manage to treat serious topics with a bit more depth. This book had so much potential but for me didn't live up to it...
Anyway, no, I don't love it but I definitely don't hate it! If you enjoy YA+LGBT, and perhaps need a break from all the heavy books, it doesn't hurt reading this.
FTC disclosure: I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My main issue with this book is that I was missing a lot of depth. Beginning with Clarissa's realisation she's bisexual, which happened within the first few pages. This was a rather simplistic "I like boys and girls, I am bisexual!" type of realisation... literally. Her coming out, her setting up the GSA. It was all rather hurried, no background, nothing. Same with Lexie, a vegan punk lesbian. Give me background! And then apparently the two girls have known each other for years and. That's it. We never find out more.
Which is sad, because honestly. Despite being rather stereotypical, both Lexie and Clarissa COULD BE surprisingly likeable, believable characters with believable problems. Could be. But now they are just stereotypical and nothing more (and it's making a lot of people cringe...).
So it's all the more sad that many of the more serious topics raised in the book only seem to scratch the surface and the plot was weak. The coming out/sexuality bit was too simplistic, same with the foreclosure.
The simplicity is what makes it a light hearted novel I suppose, a nice quick read. It didn't blow me away, yet I still wanted to keep reading. At the same time I feel there are so many YA+LGBT books out there that make me feel this way, but still manage to treat serious topics with a bit more depth. This book had so much potential but for me didn't live up to it...
Anyway, no, I don't love it but I definitely don't hate it! If you enjoy YA+LGBT, and perhaps need a break from all the heavy books, it doesn't hurt reading this.
FTC disclosure: I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
jessicabeckett's review against another edition
2.0
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I did find myself annoyed with a lot of things with this novel, therefore my review will probably be somewhat short and to the point. I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and was very excited to read what looked to be a fun and honest love story between two girls and the apparent theme that opposites do attract.
It took me quite a while to get past the first few pages as I didn't really like the way it was written but it did grow on me quickly.
Pros of the story: a girl/girl romantic relationship. Literature needs to see more of that and less of the variation in which females who date one another are dehumanized or over sexualized for male audience. Thankfully, this was not the case in this novel. And to make it even better: one of our leads is bisexual, which is also often misrepresented or neglected.
I found the novel entertaining once I got to a certain point and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. There needs to be much more books with LGBT themes within on the market and this is definitely a nice start to your collection.
I did find myself annoyed with a lot of things with this novel, therefore my review will probably be somewhat short and to the point. I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and was very excited to read what looked to be a fun and honest love story between two girls and the apparent theme that opposites do attract.
It took me quite a while to get past the first few pages as I didn't really like the way it was written but it did grow on me quickly.
Pros of the story: a girl/girl romantic relationship. Literature needs to see more of that and less of the variation in which females who date one another are dehumanized or over sexualized for male audience. Thankfully, this was not the case in this novel. And to make it even better: one of our leads is bisexual, which is also often misrepresented or neglected.
I found the novel entertaining once I got to a certain point and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. There needs to be much more books with LGBT themes within on the market and this is definitely a nice start to your collection.
saturndoo's review against another edition
2.0
HMMMMMMMMM......this wasn't a horrible book BUT it wasn't a great book either. I had such high hopes for it as I feel like there is a need for more F/F books.There are tons and tons of M/M books out there which a lot of them are really good. So when you pick a F/F book you expect the same but for some reason the F/F books just are NOT that great which is really sad. Is it harder to write a f/f book?
I was disappointed in the execution of this one. The way the MC(Clarissa) "came out" was horrible. I thought she would have come out of the closet throwing hangers.Instead it was just "I am bisexual" now move on. WTH...THAT'S IT SMH.....ok whatever.After the announcement she had to Prove to herself that she was bisexual by kissing a complete stranger that she knew was a lesbian. UNBELIEVABLY STUPID Whatever....moving on. The romance......well it was basically Clarissa and Lexie were together/dated 30 mins and it was over because of a horse. Once again....STUPID Got back together and THE END OF THE BOOK. EXCUSE ME but Lexie, well let's just say I don't know any teenager who could possibly understand or know as much as she did about mortgages and the legalities of owning a house as she did. There are adults who have to seek professional help because they don't know. So that was just totally unbelievable. Desi with her side story, was probably the only believable and best part of this book.
Lots and lots of info dumping going on in this quick read. Therefore, it had a very shallow plot. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless you just need a LGBT book that you can read rather quickly.
I was disappointed in the execution of this one. The way the MC(Clarissa) "came out" was horrible. I thought she would have come out of the closet throwing hangers.Instead it was just "I am bisexual" now move on. WTH...THAT'S IT SMH.....ok whatever.After the announcement she had to Prove to herself that she was bisexual by kissing a complete stranger that she knew was a lesbian. UNBELIEVABLY STUPID Whatever....moving on. The romance......well it was basically Clarissa and Lexie were together/dated 30 mins and it was over because of a horse.
Lots and lots of info dumping going on in this quick read. Therefore, it had a very shallow plot. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless you just need a LGBT book that you can read rather quickly.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
*I received a free ARC of Frenemy of the People from Bold Strokes Books Inc. via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
This is a very refreshing story, about two girls who seemingly have nothing in common, but who fall in love anyway.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
This is a very refreshing story, about two girls who seemingly have nothing in common, but who fall in love anyway.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
alexfallgren's review
2.0
Too much tell and not enough show. The dialogue doesn't sound authentic at all. But the two main characters are fun, and points for a real bi-sexual and a girl with a disability who is presented as a real, whole person. Great in concept, not so great in execution.
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