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roannasylver's review
5.0
This is an important book for a lot of reasons, and one that will stay close to my heart. Young Adult novels with queer and trans main characters are incredibly necessary for kids growing up not seeing themselves represented in the vast majority of stories, and characters with disabilities are just as important for the same reason. Make Much Of Me has all of this, along with a full cast of strong, kind, true-ringing girls readers will identify with.
I've read Kayla Bashe's writing before and loved it, so I was eager to help when she asked me to read over Make Much of Me and give feedback and advice - mostly from a chronic illness standpoint. In reading it (both for this purpose and enjoyment) I kept an eye open for things to suggest for her main-character spoonie. (A "Spoonie" being somebody with a chronic illness or pain who operates on a limited amount of energy or "spoons" - Google "spoon theory," it's a helpful metaphor!) But there wasn't much for me to do. The book was so well-written and spoonie-sensitive that I didn't have a single critique!
The story's main concept is a familiar one, a group of girls growing up together at a boarding school and navigating the perils of adolescence (and abusive situations), finding themselves and coming together to form strong bonds. I liked the classic story - and even better were the twists, in this case giving representation to girls who need so much more. There are asexual and aromantic characters as well as nonbinary and lesbian, and the diversity here is refreshing and just great to see.
The characters are distinctive and easy to grow very fond of - and it's a good thing the book is a pretty quick read, because I found it hard to stop reading, and ripped right through it in a day. If you like YA fiction but find it too heteronormative or repetitive, give Make Much of Me a try. It's heartfelt and real and ultimately uplifting and sweet, about overcoming abuse and disenfranchisement and finding something wonderful at the journey's end - and within oneself.
I've read Kayla Bashe's writing before and loved it, so I was eager to help when she asked me to read over Make Much of Me and give feedback and advice - mostly from a chronic illness standpoint. In reading it (both for this purpose and enjoyment) I kept an eye open for things to suggest for her main-character spoonie. (A "Spoonie" being somebody with a chronic illness or pain who operates on a limited amount of energy or "spoons" - Google "spoon theory," it's a helpful metaphor!) But there wasn't much for me to do. The book was so well-written and spoonie-sensitive that I didn't have a single critique!
The story's main concept is a familiar one, a group of girls growing up together at a boarding school and navigating the perils of adolescence (and abusive situations), finding themselves and coming together to form strong bonds. I liked the classic story - and even better were the twists, in this case giving representation to girls who need so much more. There are asexual and aromantic characters as well as nonbinary and lesbian, and the diversity here is refreshing and just great to see.
The characters are distinctive and easy to grow very fond of - and it's a good thing the book is a pretty quick read, because I found it hard to stop reading, and ripped right through it in a day. If you like YA fiction but find it too heteronormative or repetitive, give Make Much of Me a try. It's heartfelt and real and ultimately uplifting and sweet, about overcoming abuse and disenfranchisement and finding something wonderful at the journey's end - and within oneself.
lovely_'s review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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