A review by noriboo
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

An interesting contemporary coming of age story with a transgender main character.

Felix has trouble with coming into his own. His creative vision, but also his gender identity. All he knows for sure is that he's He definitely not a girl, but can he choose to also not be a boy? Does that make his transition less valid? These are questions that Felix is grappling with. All while trying to figure out who the person is that stole old pictures from his private social media account and outed his former appearance and dead name at his school. 

The author hit the nail on the head with the tone and manner of speech of the group of teenagers in this group. Are they obnoxious at times? Confidently wrong? Ignorant to the hardships of others? Yes. But, a lot of teenagers are like that at times. Sometimes, it is hard to be empathetic to others' plight when you're going through your own trauma. 
Felix doesn't believe he's worthy of love, and he believes this so deeply that he genuinely feels that no one could love him or fall in love with him. As a result, he's blind to the love he does receive from others around him. As a reader, it made me so sad to realise all the small and big ways in which the people around him showed him that they loved him and that he wasn't aware of them. By no means are they perfect, but neither is Felix. It was nice to see him come the realisation that the world isn't black and white and that he sometimes needed to extend others the same grace that they give him.