Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor

4 reviews

fanboyriot's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.0

Read For:

Rivals to Lovers 

Second Chances

Homecoming King

Cheerleader x Football Player

Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Lovers

The only thing that comes to mind when I think of this book is: “I love it and hate it at the same time” and really I kind of do.

The queer kids in this book were amazing, everyone else just kinda sucked.  The trans rep in this was so painfully well written.  The things Jeremy thought and the way he described how he felt was as heartbreaking as it was relatable.

But wow, were these characters so toxic.

Naomi was such a horrible friend it was laughable.  She was jealous constantly and she just goes and asks out her best friend’s ex, who had made it clear he didn’t like her like that??  Like why??  All because of some banters that were messed up, I get being petty but bro have a good reason.

Lukas was so toxic.  One minute he was fine, going through a lot at home and having to always be the best at everything.  He had to get into an amazing college, he had to win homecoming king because if he did that then he would get into a good school, then his family would care about him like they did his dead brother… yeah, because that's how it’s going to work.  So he took his anger out on Jermey.

Jeremy was also toxic, just not as bad in my opinion.  He was selfish and breaking up with his boyfriend when and how he did it was so incredibly messed up but people acted like he was the worst person ever.  He literally had no one.  His mom was so desperate to have a daughter she failed her son in the process.  Jeremy might have been a mess but wouldn’t you be when everyone failed you and had no problem telling you that they hated you, he was bullied, harassed, and misgendered constantly.

The last few chapters were the best.  Everything coming together, the person who got the crown, the drama being resolved finally, and the relationships being settled.

(Switching, First Person POV)

Spice: Lightly Mentioned

Rep: trans (ftm) MC, Autistic MC, Non-Binary SC, Latinx SC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Bullying, Ableism, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Medical content, Racism, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Drug use, Blood, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

longlost's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense 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

2.0

This. This sure was a book.

I really wanted to like this book. Autistic rep AND queer rep ?? All I want in life. Unfortunately I just could not vibe with the book or its characters. 

Lukas and Jeremy's relationship was not enjoyable to read about during most points of the book. It came off as TOO mean-spirited so so often and I genuinely don't see why

they ended up getting back together.

Jeremy treated Lukas like shit, and while I understand that

Jeremy was hurt by Lukas's comment on the day they broke up he also uses it as an excuse to vilify Lukas when like. There is no reasonable way he could have known how to respond to Jeremy at that point. Also he KNOWS Lukas is autistic and therefore has trouble w/ social shit, and yet it never occurs to him to say "hey, I broke up with you because of that comment you made, not because you somehow did a bunch of things wrong in our three years of dating" which we see Lukas is worried about from the chapters in his POV.

Naomi and Sol were fun however. I liked them. 

I DID enjoy the queer power message in this book, and while I didn't enjoy the shitty school system it also reflects reality unfortunately so. I wish I could have liked this book more because I'm 100% behind Jeremy's fight to change the Code so that the harassment he's facing is Actually Acknowledged but I couldn't stand the main plot of fighting over the Homecoming crown even if I could sympathize with both character's motivations. The actions they took against each other just felt too mean-spirited. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Bullying, Ableism, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Grief, Dysphoria, Cursing, Misogyny, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Blood, Death, Racism, and Alcohol

Minor: Car accident, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

alyshkalia's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, and Ableism

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, and Medical content

Minor: Death, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Racism, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts

xoodlebooks's review

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Hate crime, Bullying, Ableism, Violence, Sexism, and Self harm

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Cursing, and Biphobia

Minor: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Racism, Cancer, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse