Yvon
One of the most confusing books I've ever read.
The good: i liked the art style. Cricket (side-character with way too little impact on the story) was my favorite because she was a genuinely cool, funny and considerate person and i wish more would have happened with her. I also liked how diverse the characters were (bipoc and queer) (and even a romanian character which probably no one cares about but i do cuz hey that's me). I also liked how passionate Dylan was, about Leighton and about becoming an astronaut.
The bad: this book has dual POV (Leighton and Dylan) and the scenes would way too often switch from present to past which made it hard for me to understand what's going on. I also felt like some of the flashbacks were unnecessary and weren't 100% chronological. The ages of the characters make no sense. All the action happened before they got in highschool which makes them 14 at most. They were sent to a summer camp for troubled kids because they had a car accident after Dylan stole a car because they ran away after they pushed Mandy (the bully) into the pool who hit her head and lost consciousness temporarily. Besides that, Dylan (who's supposed to be the poor kid) got a permanent tattoo of a rocket on their hand. Also, Leighton being rich feels like such a random trait because it doesn't influence her that much.
The worse: In the present we're shown how Leighton is playing hot and cold with Dylan. In the past, we are shown how they were best friends and how BOTH of them caught feelings for each other. Leighton initiated the first kiss with Dylan. Later on, Leighton takes a picture of them kissing. And suddenly, Leighton ghosts Dylan and goes to a school dance with a random guy she has no feelings for. And now Leighton is asexual. Asexuality is NOT the same as aromanticism. If she truly became aromantic we don't know how and why. And if she truly was asexual, that shouldn't have been a problem for someone who is still in middle school.
The cherry on top: remember Mandy? Stereotypical long blonde haired, blue eyed, pink dress girl bully? The story ends with her in the first day of high school looking very badass (half shaved head, black dress) and being genuinely nice to Dylan for no reason.
This book is great for anyone (young) and new to the LGBT+ community. Its great for the starters because this book is specifically made to make you question the traditional view of gender. (Added “young” because this book is targeted for 7-12 kids, and that can be noticed through the use of language).
Even for me though, a more experienced queer, i could find new information, and im talking about the prominent representation of queer activists and role models.
This book can be picked up by anyone who feels lonely or isolated from the queer community. The author has a way with their words which makes you feel like you're listening to a caring parental figure, and that was oddly affirming.
Only 2 complaints: 1. I felt like the subject of “time” was being unnecessarily repeated in more than one chapter. And 2. I would've appreciated a short mention of how polyamory can be a queer identity and how that's an equally valid type of relationship some people engage in.
4.5/5 (rounded to 4)
TL;DR: Good emotional support book for young and lonely questioning queers.
Thank you netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
6.3% into this book and I'm afraid I'll stop here (DNF). The book started off with scenes of pregnancy/birth + complications. Those are major triggers i have which make me feel too uncomfortable to keep reading. And by the looks of it, the book has long chapters and long paragraphs which make it even harder for me to continue.
