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A review by sidneyellwood
The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne
2.0
The one thing I really gotta hand it to this is that it's very feel-good for LGBTQ+ individuals, even though the main character is straight. And - yes, this is an example of why straight allies should probably stay in their lane, but for a novel so focused on the issues that LGBTQ+ teens face there were some real glaring issues. What stood out most to me (as a queer ace) is the portrayal of asexuality. I felt like it was used as a joke throughout the entire novel, about how Daisy kept pretending to be ace and/or gay. And maybe I'm just touchy because there's been a lot of hostility surrounding asexuality (on the shithole that is Tumblr.com) lately, but it didn't ring well with me. Us aces don't have much representation in the first place, and to turn an entire sexuality into a joke - that really brought the book down for me. And yeah, Daisy does apologize to the ace community, but that doesn't excuse the author's choice to portray asexuality in such a manner. If Daisy had been a straight ace, that would have been fine with me, because then she would be, you know, LGBTQIA, but no, she's straight. Full stop.
I did like the variety of LGB characters (where's the T?) and their experiences, though. They were different; no one was really stereotyped. Bisexuality isn't talked about nearly enough and when it is it's hardly talked about well. I think this book did a decent job of portraying bi experiences. I have to say, this is the year that the portrayal of bisexuality is really turning around, especially in YA lit, and that makes me happy. There was just one point where a bi character was referred to as gay, which. Um. No. Also speaking as a queer Christian, I also liked that Christianity wasn't demonized and that there's a queer Christian character who can be involved both in his faith and sexuality. The talk about privilege was good too. This book was very politically focused, so sorry for having two entire paragraphs.
Onto character: Daisy had a good voice, but it frustrated me; she reads young and immature. Daisy herself acts very immature and selfish and it's pointed out several times throughout the novel. It can get annoying at points and she's on her way to being better, but just reading about how she fucked so much stuff up made me want to scream and tear myself apart. I was cringing for a lot of the book. I know Daisy is supposed to be unlikable to a point, but it was so, so, frustrating. All the other characters were fine, though.
I did find the plot a bit unrealistic because I'm not sure if things can really blow up that quickly, but suspension of disbelief and all.
I did like the variety of LGB characters (where's the T?) and their experiences, though. They were different; no one was really stereotyped. Bisexuality isn't talked about nearly enough and when it is it's hardly talked about well. I think this book did a decent job of portraying bi experiences. I have to say, this is the year that the portrayal of bisexuality is really turning around, especially in YA lit, and that makes me happy. There was just one point where a bi character was referred to as gay, which. Um. No. Also speaking as a queer Christian, I also liked that Christianity wasn't demonized and that there's a queer Christian character who can be involved both in his faith and sexuality. The talk about privilege was good too. This book was very politically focused, so sorry for having two entire paragraphs.
Onto character: Daisy had a good voice, but it frustrated me; she reads young and immature. Daisy herself acts very immature and selfish and it's pointed out several times throughout the novel. It can get annoying at points and she's on her way to being better, but just reading about how she fucked so much stuff up made me want to scream and tear myself apart. I was cringing for a lot of the book. I know Daisy is supposed to be unlikable to a point, but it was so, so, frustrating. All the other characters were fine, though.
I did find the plot a bit unrealistic because I'm not sure if things can really blow up that quickly, but suspension of disbelief and all.