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thejadedhippy's review
5.0
This story could have been me in another life. If I was gayer and more brave, and had had truly fucked up, unsupportive parents. And if I wasn't so afraid of everything (thanks Mom).
The story really got me and held on. At one point I had to remind myself this wasn't a memory of a life I lived in another dimension or déjà vu or some weird star trek parallel universe. For that it gets five stars.
If I'm honest though the writing is clunky sometimes, and so mechanically it's more of a four star for me.
So, overall 4.5 stars, which I decided to round up.
The story really got me and held on. At one point I had to remind myself this wasn't a memory of a life I lived in another dimension or déjà vu or some weird star trek parallel universe. For that it gets five stars.
If I'm honest though the writing is clunky sometimes, and so mechanically it's more of a four star for me.
So, overall 4.5 stars, which I decided to round up.
mconant's review
3.0
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, conversion therapy, drugs, psychiatric hospital, suicide, single parent families, running away, coming out, repressing sexual identity
Lo’s story really tugged at my heart. Many LGBTQ+ teens struggle with their identities, especially when they are in unsupportive families. I don’t know what to share without spoiling the story but Lo lived through a lot of really difficult things.
It is important that the average, privileged person hears stories like this. Discriminatory legislation impacts minorities more than we realize, and we need to be advocates for people to be treated as humans.
There is a lot of drug and alcohol use in the book. Maybe that is the reality for some people and when coping with Lo’s life, I get it.
I just want people to know the there are healthier coping skills than self-medication and organizations like the Trevor Project out there that focus on helping LGBT youth.
Lo’s story really tugged at my heart. Many LGBTQ+ teens struggle with their identities, especially when they are in unsupportive families. I don’t know what to share without spoiling the story but Lo lived through a lot of really difficult things.
It is important that the average, privileged person hears stories like this. Discriminatory legislation impacts minorities more than we realize, and we need to be advocates for people to be treated as humans.
There is a lot of drug and alcohol use in the book. Maybe that is the reality for some people and when coping with Lo’s life, I get it.
I just want people to know the there are healthier coping skills than self-medication and organizations like the Trevor Project out there that focus on helping LGBT youth.
neurodivengeance's review
4.0
THIS WAS GREAT. The writing was really moreish and relatable and the story was sad and exciting and important. I felt a lot for Lo and all her abandonment/escapism stuff, attention focussed on other, more visibly disabled sibling, abusive/absent parent, religious abuse etc. On the minus side I imagined her looking like one of my assbag exes (the description of her was really like this ex and I tried really hard not to see her that way but it was too late by the time I noticed it) so that was a bit weird BUT Lo has many traits that my ex lacks (empathy, thoughtfulness, non-destructive creativity) so that helped. She was a well-realised character, I thought.
I do have a srs critique though: while I loved the analogic value of her getting with someone who wasn't a dick AND who looked like her (self-acceptance in the face of adversity woo) I couldn't help but feel like the narrative was horribly familiar in that her butch partner was loving and supportive and her fem(me) partner was flighty, unreliable, "vain," etc. I am really worried this critique reads as anti butch4butch because that really isn't an agenda I wanna push; I just feel that the narrative exists in a context where femmephobia is a thing and we are often represented, in literature and elsewhere, as untrustworthy temptresses, and the narrative kinda supported that trope. It's not a big enough of a deal that I wouldn't recommend this book to others - I loved reading it and I got so much out of it. But it didn't totally sit right with me.
Overall, though, ACE BOOK and I wanna read more of Rhiannon Argo's stuff!
I do have a srs critique though: while I loved the analogic value of her getting with someone who wasn't a dick AND who looked like her (self-acceptance in the face of adversity woo) I couldn't help but feel like the narrative was horribly familiar in that her butch partner was loving and supportive and her fem(me) partner was flighty, unreliable, "vain," etc. I am really worried this critique reads as anti butch4butch because that really isn't an agenda I wanna push; I just feel that the narrative exists in a context where femmephobia is a thing and we are often represented, in literature and elsewhere, as untrustworthy temptresses, and the narrative kinda supported that trope. It's not a big enough of a deal that I wouldn't recommend this book to others - I loved reading it and I got so much out of it. But it didn't totally sit right with me.
Overall, though, ACE BOOK and I wanna read more of Rhiannon Argo's stuff!
natyosch's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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