Reviews

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

lit_laugh_luv's review against another edition

2.0

[2.5 stars] Giving this an extra 0.5 for the necessary and accurate representation of transitioning and its difficulty. It's always good to see this in literature and see trans authors of color being widely read!

Unfortunately, beyond the great representation, I didn't care for this book at all. I found both Tom and Ming to be extraordinarily flat narrators, and it felt very drawn out with no real emotional pull for me. The time and setting jumps broke a lot of the immersion and made me disinterested in the broader narrative. I struggled to pick this up and kept hoping it would draw me in, but it unfortunately never did.

I'm clearly in the minority here, so if you're interested in this - don't let me discourage you! I don't think the writing or execution were terrible by any means, but it is not a story that resonated with me.

eweaver1028's review against another edition

5.0

Wow I loved this book so much! It definitely snuck up on me while I was reading. The characters felt so realistic. The different ways Ming and Tom developed both separately and together were described so beautifully. I thought the end was really impactful in showing how tragedy can bring people back together. I also really appreciated the rich friendships that were centered in the story. I really hope Nicola Dinan writes more books because I will definitely be reading them.

meg_rj's review

emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

taylorpower's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

I really loved this! I thought it was such a loving and generous perspective of the emotions at play across the relationships of a person transitioning. I thought the characters were all believably flawed and loveable at the same time. The writing was direct and clear which made it a very straightforward read as well 

agalvan18's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

oceanelle's review

Wanted to like this because it seems like everyone else does, but the writing style wasn't for me, and I found the protagonist a bit irritating.

jennal13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

b00kw0rm4l1f3's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

e_od's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.5

jane_reads_books's review

emotional funny sad 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

4.5