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[–][deleted] [score hidden] stickied comment (2 children)

Summary of the book (in case people don't want to click):

A Stonewall Honor Book

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

"Felix is attending an ultracompetitive arts summer program to have a better shot at a full scholarship to Brown when someone posts Felix’s dead name beside photos of him, pre-transition, in the school’s lobby. Felix’s plot to get revenge throws him onto the path of love and self-discovery." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List"

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 11 insightful - 8 fun11 insightful - 7 fun12 insightful - 8 fun -  (1 child)

What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

Oh my! Where do I start?

Let's see:

  1. This shit is rape by deception, which makes the protagonist a literal criminal. Nice.
  2. The plot structure of this book is lifted page-by-page from YA novels written from women to women, see Twilight: a girl, excuse me, boy who has nothing special to offer to anyone is somehow being fawn over by two men, who like her him for literally no reason at all.
  3. This brings up an interesting and hilarious problem for the narrative: even though the book is supposed to have a male lead, if you give it for anyone to read, they're going to instantly identify the protagonist as female, no exception. The narrative voice and perspective is 100% feminine, there's no mistaking it.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

Formulaic YA crap is a better way to describe this book. There's nothing innovative about it.

Take Twilight, make Bella a FtM and sprinkle some TRA taking points and you'll have this book.

And you'll know what's hilarious about his? I could deduce all of this without even reading the book and there's a 90% chance that I'm completely right.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

there’s a 90% chance I’m completely right.

Bruh, you are.

I hadn’t thought about it, but I’ve never encountered a YA book aimed at boys where two hot guys/girls are fighting over the guy. That only exists in books marketed to girls. Try as the author might, they’ve only reinforced that Felix is a girl with that trope.