-Two aromantic and asexual main characters -Dual 1st person POV's -Young adult audience/takes place during their second semester of college -Lots of soci-Two aromantic and asexual main characters -Dual 1st person POV's -Young adult audience/takes place during their second semester of college -Lots of social media/texting format excerpts
I liked this! The premise is that Jo and Sophie are both first-year aro/ace college students who run anonymous advice social media accounts and become sort of rivals online, and then in real life they unknowingly meet and become really close friends.
Jo and Sophie are both likable characters, and I appreciated the ensemble of other queer characters from different backgrounds. There are lots of discussions about being aro/ace, having immigrant parents, societal expectations, and attending a historically women's college.
I do think that this book is longer than I felt was necessary; there's a lot of dialogue and randomly detailed description that could have been cut. And I think the tone of the narrative is very online and sometimes lacks a little nuance. But, overall, I love that this was a story about two people falling in love as friends and it's just great and heartwarming to read about!
In terms of content, I really appreciate that this was sort of light! The heaviest the subject matter ever got was fear of being eternally alone and some rude a-phobic comments online. There's some swearing, and allusions to hankypanky, but this book is overall very PG and upbeat!...more
I loooooooved this!! This is a coming-of-age middle grade novel about 14-year-old Lizzie realizing her asexual identity and learning how to assert herI loooooooved this!! This is a coming-of-age middle grade novel about 14-year-old Lizzie realizing her asexual identity and learning how to assert herself while connecting with others.
First, it feels like books with 14-year-old characters are so rare in publishing right now, so I super appreciate that. This book is not too heavy and feels mature yet appropriate for those in that 13-15 year old range.
The writing is really good! I loved the narrative voice, that it was told in first person and the main character is mature yet still confused about some things and grappling with the changes she witnesses in her peers. I liked that her assumptions about others had to contend with what they were really like (e.g., idolizing some unknown classmate just to realize that they're not at all like you thought they would be, and that sort of disappointment). I think there were multiple dynamic story threads moving throughout this. And oh--Lizzie is coping with her older brother leaving for college, and the ache that she feels missing him (that part made me cry).
I really love Lizzie and this book is special to me.
Contains these elements: -Older brother going to college -Instance with a neighbor crossing a boundary -Self-defense class -Moving to another house in the neighborhood -Friendship dynamics changing -School science project -Coming-of-age ceremony -School dance
Representation: -Most characters cue as white with some side characters cued as Asian and Black -Asexual MC with sapphic and non-binary side characters
Messages: -You don't have to prove to anyone your validity for you to be valid -Be who you are -Even if you are not in a romantic relationship doesn't mean your life is lonely or empty -All the connections and relationships you share with others are important
Content warnings: (view spoiler)[ elder neighbor who is confused/obsessed with Lizzie's mom and attempts to open front door, results in door knocking the mom in the head and causing bleeding, restraining order, at the end two friends go streaking, discussion of sex and questioning its appeal, discussion of periods, mentions of blood, simulated attacker situation during self-defense class, light bullying (kicking chair, tossing paper) (hide spoiler)]...more
What I did like about this was the queer and disability representation. The main character is panromantic ace with cerebral palsy, and there are severWhat I did like about this was the queer and disability representation. The main character is panromantic ace with cerebral palsy, and there are several other queer and disabled characters throughout the book. I also appreciated how short this was, as many YA books are just too long, and I valued that the author included content warnings at the beginning. I liked that Joy knows she is ace going into the book, so that's already established as part of her identity.
However, unfortunately there were many aspects of this I just didn't like as much. The writing is mostly okay, but I felt it was very surface-level. Characters just do things, and there is little emotional build-up. Some pretty dramatic things occur in this book, and it feels like they just... occur.
Some characters are very villainous and it threw me out of the story. For example, (view spoiler)[ Nathaniel's parents are really extreme. When he tells them that he wants to study gynecology and obstetrics, they respond with immense disappointment and refuse to pay for his college. Are doctor families really like this? And when they find out he is pansexual, they immediately kick him out of the house. Also, he and none of his siblings have ever had birthday parties. While I know there are some pretty ridiculous people out there with drastically prejudiced stances, this all just felt out of left field? His parents are largely absent from the story and when they do come into the picture, they're so cold and unfeeling. But, I know it is sadly common for queer kids to be unhoused because of prejudiced parents so this is almost more believable to me than the tuition thing. Nathaniel also has a gay older brother who lives nearby, and he proposed to his fiancé publicly at a bar, and I just feel like if he had been keeping it a secret from his parents for all these years, he might have been a little more discreet about it? But good for him, and I love to see him happy.
And Luca. I really did not understand Luca. At the beginning, he acts like a really sweet friend. And then, out of nowhere, he starts to reveal an outlandishly evil side. It didn't feel genuine to me that he would be best friends with Joy for a decade and not reveal any red flags during that time, but the second she decides to go to college out of state and has a crush on the Caldwell Cupid, he transforms into a menace, hacking into peoples' emails, outing them, and ruining lives. (hide spoiler)]
Joy also felt very passive and not very well characterized for me. Nathaniel definitely has more backstory and development. I hated that (view spoiler)[ both Nathaniel and Luca kissed Joy without even asking, as though they could just assert themselves physically upon her. The only different was that Nathaniel kissed her on the cheek and she liked it, and Luca gave her a sloppy kiss on the mouth and she hated it. Both of them should have asked her first. I didn't like that they both crossed that physical line without her consent. It wasn't until the end when Nathaniel finally asked her. (hide spoiler)]
Also, Valentina and Yasmine come around, but in the beginning they're a bit insufferable to me. In one conversation, Joy literally announces she has something to say, and then they guess what it is and talk over her, never returning to what Joy had mentioned, which was annoying to me. In the end though, they are better to her, which I liked, but my goodness it's like as soon as they started dating in the beginning they were all over each other.
I did really like Nathaniel's older siblings, though.
So, overall, I wanted to love this but was disappointed. I read through it pretty quickly, but it felt surface-level to me and the romance was cute but not enough. :C...more
Overall, this is a pretty solid young adult novel!
Ace rep: biromantic asexual-spectrum main character
The sole reason I read this book is for its asexuOverall, this is a pretty solid young adult novel!
Ace rep: biromantic asexual-spectrum main character
The sole reason I read this book is for its asexual representation, so I’ll discuss this first. I appreciated that Felicity was established in her identity, so rather than a coming-of-age exploration of her identity, this dealt with considering how her asexuality would impact a romantic relationship with an allosexual partner. The narrator also offers an explanation of asexuality for readers who are unfamiliar, but I am concerned that the notion of “attraction does not equal action” was absent. At one point, Felicity meditates, “Was I asexual? No, I didn’t think so, because sometimes when I read those romance novels, I did like the sex scenes” (p. 59). Later in that paragraph, she settles on “ace-spectrum,” but I think it’s important to note that being asexual just means an absence of experiencing sexual attraction—-which means someone can not be sexually attracted to others but still like and want sex. Despite this one sentence, I feel that the rest of the novel was an excellent portrayal of an ace experience (just one of the infinite varieties of ace experiences). Overall, I value that Felicity is firm in her identity, and while she does question if she would be a fulfilling partner for Nancy, it’s less of a commentary on her own shortcomings and more so a logistical thought experiment.
This is good, it's fine. Indeed, it is small and brief.
This provides most of the information one would want to know about asexuality. I think it couldThis is good, it's fine. Indeed, it is small and brief.
This provides most of the information one would want to know about asexuality. I think it could have benefitted from defining some of the more granular terms and elaborating more on the split attraction models and what comprises them, but overall it's a good introduction.
The narrators are corny... but respectful. (It begins with them talking and then turning to the "reader" and going, "Oh! Didn't see you there! We were just talking about asexuality!"...) The illustrations being black and white are fine as well, but I also would have liked at least some shades of purple to give it more of a pop. It's suitable for a young adult audience....more
Informative, intersectional, and empowering. Very academic and a bit dense, but so necessary. I appreciate how each section is preceded by content warInformative, intersectional, and empowering. Very academic and a bit dense, but so necessary. I appreciate how each section is preceded by content warnings.
I like this! A blurb on the cover says "Girl, Interrupted meets Grimm's Fairy Tales" and I'd say that's pretty accurate in terms of the vibe.
Every HeaI like this! A blurb on the cover says "Girl, Interrupted meets Grimm's Fairy Tales" and I'd say that's pretty accurate in terms of the vibe.
Every Heart a Doorway introduces us to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Children have long found portals to mystical lands in unexpected places: from Alice and the rabbit-hole or looking-glass, to Dorothy and the tornado, and so on. But what happens when those children, whether purposely or not, return to this reality? Their journeys often change these children in inexplicable ways, and when parents arrive at their wit's end, they send their ever-altered children to Eleanor West.
Nancy is our protagonist in this novella, and she is one such example. Having visited the Hall of the Dead, she is no longer accustomed to the restlessness of this Earth, the bright lights and colors that now plague her.
However, after she arrives at Eleanor West's, she not only has to acclimate to her new environment and all of its tenants, who speak of Nonsense worlds and Logic worlds, but she finds herself amidst a murder mystery which leaves a grotesque trail.
The asexual representation in this was a welcome surprise! The main character, Nancy, is romantic asexual, and she actually explicitly states this. She has kind of a passive personality, having spent time as essentially a statue for the Lord of the Dead.
The narrative style is a bit over-stated, which seems to have drawn inspiration from fairy tale tradition. I wasn't sure that I particularly liked this at first, but after I got used to it and reflected a bit, I concluded that this helps promote the particular mood and ambiance of this setting.
I liked that there was trans representation, but the characters who expressed transphobic remarks didn't really feel that necessary to me; I wish Kade could have just been Kade.
This was a little darker than I realized it would be, and certainly embraces fantasy and horror. I think this could be suitable for older teen readers who are okay with gore, as there are several descriptions of dead bodies.
The killer was not a big plot twist to me, but still the world-building intrigued me.
Overall, I think this was for the most part pretty successful! I'm already reading the second book, Down Among the Sticks and Bones....more
For me, this was SO MUCH better than the first volume. I finally got the answers I was looking for! Why did they need to marry? How did they know eachFor me, this was SO MUCH better than the first volume. I finally got the answers I was looking for! Why did they need to marry? How did they know each other? What's up with how this manga's creator is defining asexuality? This volume really delves into the relationship between Yuriko and Gaku and I LOVED it, they are so absolutely precious together. Moreover, this one also addresses Yuriko's obsession with Boys Love in a great way. I was really happy with this one and I am too excited to read more from this series! I want to reread this!...more
This is really sweet. It begins with Yuriko and Gakurouta as they are married and moving in to their new estate together. Quickly we are told that YurThis is really sweet. It begins with Yuriko and Gakurouta as they are married and moving in to their new estate together. Quickly we are told that Yuriko is asexual and obsessed with Boy Love stories and Gaku is gay and has a crush on his childhood friend. While I am intrigued by this premise and the manga is quite wholesome, the framing of the story does a bit of a disservice to the plot. For example, we do not learn how Yuriko and Gaku met, and we do not learn why Yuriko and Gaku must be married, which are fairly important to the story's stakes. Also, the manga conflates asexuality and aromanticism, referring to asexual as a person who does not fall in love, so Yuriko is actually aro-ace, which the book does not address. Additionally, I was a little apprehensive about her obsession with Boy Love... But ultimately she does kind of explain why she is so preoccupied with it. What I do appreciate about this is how it explores the loneliness of being aro-ace, the ache of unrequited love, and the special bond that can exist between two caring friends. I will continue with this series and have hopes that the second volume will be better....more
This is the first adult novel I've read with an ace protagonist who isn't trying to figure out their asexuality but is already established in their idThis is the first adult novel I've read with an ace protagonist who isn't trying to figure out their asexuality but is already established in their identity, so this one was special for me....more
The first ace memoir I’ve found! Loved it! Fun illustrations, well-done narration, and inclusion of a few educational points on asexuality. Author disThe first ace memoir I’ve found! Loved it! Fun illustrations, well-done narration, and inclusion of a few educational points on asexuality. Author discusses her experience of having OCD as well. Sweet and amazing to read!...more
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