Comment

May 24, 2021liljables rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Not to brag, but I know some pretty great teenagers (okay, I am bragging), and they really do talk and act like Felix and his friends; I assumed that the author was in their early 20s based on how real these characters felt, but Kacen Callender is a 30-something like myself, so I tip my hat to them. Of course, when I say "real" I always mean deeply and wonderfully flawed, and that's very true here. There were multiple times when I was so stressed out by Felix's decision to speak without thinking that I yelled "FELIX, NO" and scared the cat. But, despite his questionable choices and messy, complicated relationships, I was always rooting for Felix, and I think that's the mark of a great protagonist. Callender has also done a wonderful job of including tough conversations about Felix's trans identity within the fabric of the narrative. These don't feel forced (like, how-to-tell-your-dad-you're-trans 101), but instead read as natural, matter-of-course chapters in Felix's exploration of his identity. The author is a trans person of colour, and has likely had versions of these conversations in their own life, and the authenticity really shows.