Another spot on novel by Sophie Gonzales!
When I first read Sophie Gonzales' novel Only Mostly Devastated I was absolutely blown away. It still reigns supreme as one of the best LGBTQ YA novels I have ever read. While this one didn't give me the exact same high, I still absolutely loved it. It had me thinking and smiling for days, even though it only took me a few hours to finish it. That's a lasting imprint. There was only one little thing that marred this book for me - it seemed insignificant, but it actually really bothered me... But this is still a 5 star book for me, because of the emotional impact it had on me.
🧡 What I Loved 🧡
Darcy and Brougham: I fell instantly in love with Darcy and Brougham's friendship. It was so electric, had so much chemistry and felt so genuine that it practically leapt off the page. I liked how they supported and complemented each other. They just worked together, it was so obvious right from the start. And the way their relationship evolved was just perfection on paper.
Emotions: For me, the mark of a good book is how often it truly makes me feel something. This book truly did that. I laughed - out loud - several times. And I even cried, too. This book touched me in so many ways and stayed with me for days after I had finished it.
Bi-phobia: Darcy, our main protagonist, is Bi and throughout this book is experiences some internalized bi-phobia, something that is a really real problem but which is also only too rarely handled in any way. Bi-phobia is characterized as an aversion towards bisexuals. Often, the person displaying this aversion either just doesn't accept bisexuality as a true sexual orientation or holds some negative stereotypes about bisexuals, such as the belief that they are promiscuous and unable to be satisfied, which explains their need to pursue both sexes. Internalized bi-phobia is for example when a bisexual person feels like he or she betrays the LGBTQ community if they fall for someone of the opposite sex. It's important to address these issues that this book did that beautifully.
👎 The One Teeny-Tiny Thing I Disliked 👎
Brooke: Honestly, Brooke was being a really lousy friend to Darcy when she was dating Ray. I really felt like Brooke have apologized to Darcy for her behaviour in stead of just putting all the blame on Darcy... Yes, Darcy did something bad to Brooke. But Brooke was definitely not innocent.
