This was GREAT - i obviously flew through it in 1 day (which i think is the best way to read a Shusterman book tbh). 4/5stars
Shusterman strikes again!
This was GREAT - i obviously flew through it in 1 day (which i think is the best way to read a Shusterman book tbh). I just love how Neal talks about SUCH important topics in such unique and interesting ways through his books, and this conversation about climate change was definitely hard hitting in today's society and with the fires that were happening in California only a short time ago.
*I AM A DEMISEXUAL/ACE-SPECTRUM FEMALE REVIEWING THIS BOOK. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW BEFORE COMMENTING ON IT*
4/5stars
Okay, I picked this book u *I AM A DEMISEXUAL/ACE-SPECTRUM FEMALE REVIEWING THIS BOOK. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW BEFORE COMMENTING ON IT*
4/5stars
Okay, I picked this book up because I heard it was about a teen struggling with their identity as an asexual person, and it was told in verse. After I added it to my "want to read" shelf I heard many things about this book about the aphobia and problematic themes of it, which definitely had me concerned, but I decided to give the book a full chance - and I think people need to read the ENTIRE book before discussing it.
This BOOK is not aphobic - the CHARACTERS are for sure, but there's a very big distinction in that. Billy Merrell, to ME, represented a very realistic asexual character in high school, and I was able to relate 100% to our character Vanilla, but, I also do see the problematic nature of this book especially at the beginning of the book.
Our main character's boyfriend, Hunter, is definitely aphobic. He's constantly trying to push Vanilla into sex, convince him and guilt him into having sex with him, sending him nudes, getting him naked, etc. even when Vanilla is always saying he's not ready or not interested. Our "gang" of gay boys at their school are also aphobic, definitely, at the beginning of this book.
But, by the end of it, when Vanilla has come to understand his sexuality and is able to come out as such and explain it to everyone - some people definitely react in a very aphobic way, but people begin to understand it by the end of the book.
We also get a gender fluid/non-binary character by the end which I thought was WONDERFUL.
But this story was horrifyingly similar to my own. I have honestly always hated my asexuality - I tell people I'm pansexual way before I admit to being on the ace-spectrum BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE REACT THE WAY THESE CHARACTERS DID TO VANILLA. The amount of boys who I liked or dated and immediately didn't like me anymore, didn't understand, or simply didnt CARE when i explained my asexuality is almost every single one of them. I had always been someone whose incredibly uncomfortable with my asexuality, and always been someone who, like Vanilla, tries to shove it down and shove past it to make the people I'm with happy. Vanilla was a character I related to on a level I've never experienced before in a fictional novel.
That being said, I ENJOYED seeing this part of my story - the shitty, aphobic part of being asexual - represented in this book. BUT if YOU are an asexual person who doesn't want to be reminded of this and just wants a cute asexual relationship YOU AREN'T GOING TO LIKE THIS.
but the majority of the reviews I've seen hating this book DNFed it - because this book takes almost the entire time for Vanilla to come to terms with his asexuality and explain it to others, and for those others to understand it. I was over 230 pages into the book that we actually get the word "ASEXUAL." but, again, to me, this made it realistic since most people dont know what asexuality is - and at least for me and several of my asexual friends, it takes AGES to firstly hear the word, and then even longer to finally come to terms with that being your sexuality.
To me this book was wonderful simply because I personally related to it with MY own personal story - my story of boyfriends being assholes about me being on the ace-spectrum, friends never understanding it, and always feeling alone and hating myself because of my sexuality. Other people who haven't experienced that or don't want to re-experience it, aren't going to like this book.
but that is personally how I felt about this book. not all asexual people are going to feel this way, and I'm not speaking for all asexual people, but this is how //I// felt about this book....more
I literally knew the end of this and it still hit SO damn hard.
Especially that last line: "Of course all this happened a very long time ago and4/5stars
I literally knew the end of this and it still hit SO damn hard.
Especially that last line: "Of course all this happened a very long time ago and nothing like this could ever happen again. Not in this day and age." cause in this day and age, 12 years after the publication of this book, another holocaust of a minority group doesn't sound that crazy with how the world is going currently. ...more
SO heart warming and cute. Ove reminds me so much of my own grandfather. this story was honestly just a joy to read. Fredrik Backman is slowly4/5stars
SO heart warming and cute. Ove reminds me so much of my own grandfather. this story was honestly just a joy to read. Fredrik Backman is slowly becoming a favorite author book by book!...more
I think this might be a story that you really can only 100% love if you were as close to your Grandmother as Elsa was 4.75/5stars
I flippin LOVED this.
I think this might be a story that you really can only 100% love if you were as close to your Grandmother as Elsa was with hers. I saw SO MUCH of myself and my Gramma in this story - especially how close they were and the wonderful secrets and stories they shared together. I also saw and still see so much of myself in Elsa in her mourning - the section of Elsa talking about how ANGRY she was with her Grandmother for dying and leaving her alone really brought a tear to my eye cause I felt that too when my Gramma passed away.
I also adored the magical (realism??) elements of this book SO much. It really took a pretty normal story to the next level - there are plenty of books about this same idea (example; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) but I think Backman made it so much better with the magic.
super fast, super fun, super unique for a YA/NA?? fantasy
but, i'm not gonna lie, based on the ending i HIGHLY doubt I'll enjoy the next book o4/5stars
super fast, super fun, super unique for a YA/NA?? fantasy
but, i'm not gonna lie, based on the ending i HIGHLY doubt I'll enjoy the next book or the rest of the series since (view spoiler)[ i hate politics and wars in fantasy books oOPS (hide spoiler)] so i'll see about picking up the next one or not when it comes!...more
well this was infinitely better than most other poetry i've read in my life. but its still poetry lol i was lost for about 50% of it and every4/5stars
well this was infinitely better than most other poetry i've read in my life. but its still poetry lol i was lost for about 50% of it and everything went super over my head. BUT. stuff i DID understand, i quite liked. Excited to chat with Prof Vuong about his poetry this week!...more
This was pretty good - a bit draggy and pretty long for such a basic mystery aspect. But i really enjoyed all the different types of people3.75/5stars
This was pretty good - a bit draggy and pretty long for such a basic mystery aspect. But i really enjoyed all the different types of people were met, getting a lesbian japanese woman as a MC and the characters were quite interesting!...more
listen i know you can be like oH THIS BOOK WAS TRYING TO MAKE A COMMENTARY ON TOXIC MASCULINITY AND HOW MEN ARE EXPECTED TO ACT IN TODAY'S CUL2/5stars
listen i know you can be like oH THIS BOOK WAS TRYING TO MAKE A COMMENTARY ON TOXIC MASCULINITY AND HOW MEN ARE EXPECTED TO ACT IN TODAY'S CULTURE AND SOCIETY.
i still don't like reading about a main protagonist who cheats on women he "loves" and insists hes not a "bad guy" and just puts down every woman he comes across. i'm good....more
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