Review: Beast by Brie Spangler

Title: Beast
Author: Brie Spangler
Genre: YA Contemporary / Retelling
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: October 11th 2016
Page Number: 336
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn’t look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans the two things that let him hide, his hat and his long hair, Dylan goes up on his roof, only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken leg—and a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers.

Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out during therapy—until he meets Jamie. She’s funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She’s also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his superficiality. As Jamie’s humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan doesn’t know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he wasn’t listening. Something that shouldn’t change a thing. She is who she’s always been—an amazing photographer, a true romantic hidden inside a realist, and a devoted friend, who is also transgender. Will Dylan’s hang-ups about himself cause him to lose the best girl he’s ever known?

REVIEW

 

I've had my eye on Beast for quite some time now and when I finally sat down to read it I was left feeling a little deflated. My goal for 2017 is to read more books that feature diversity. Whether that be in sexuality, religion, ethnicity. I just want to be more open minded that I am. I was hoping Beast was going to educate myself and other people on what it means to be transgender and transgender issues in regards to dating, however, I felt like the way the author portrayed the issues was in a way that felt under valued and not all there.

 

At least it did to me.

 

Dylan and Jamie should be seen as a guy and girl in love but it's continuously brought up, even by Dylan that she's just a girl with a penis and it left me feeling uncomfortable. I wanted to see acceptance even though I know not everyone is. I just thought Dylan would have had a more positive attitude towards it even after he accepted it the first time. Two steps forward and a hundred steps back is how you'd describe their relationship. So naïve.

 

However, what I really enjoyed about the book was the loving support from Dylan's mother. She embraced it, knowing all the hardship Dylan would go through and went and educated herself on gender and sexual identity. That warmed my hard as I know so few LGBT people get that in their life times. I also really loved how passionate Jamie was about life. She never let anything get in her way, she stood open and proud, which paired with Dylan's strong personality despite his insecurities really endearing.

 

I know my review is slightly negative but I'm trying to get the point out there that transgender issues are so important to portray correctly. I'm passionate about gender identity, always will be. I want people out there who want to educate themselves a little by reading fictional works to be a little educated with each book they read.

 

 

 

 

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Majorly Disappointing Books of 2016

So we're coming to the last month of 2016, and therefore, that means many book bloggers will be posting about their favourite books of the year, their favourite authors, book covers, etc. And I've decided to start it off with my least favourite reads of 2016. This list will be completely honest, especially since two of these books were some of my most anticipated. If you're willing to share your most disappointing books of 2016 with me then please publish the link to your post in the comment section of this post.

Now let's get this started...


IF I WAS YOUR GIRL BY MEREDITH RUSSO

If I Was Your Girl was one of my most anticipated releases of 2016. The author herself is a Transgender woman and knowing the main character of the book is a newly outed Transgender girl called Amanda Hardy I thought she would have represented something stripped back, honest and heart-breaking. She did neither. What she represented was a passable girl with good feminine looks, soft voice and a girl who can get all the guys; if she wanted, that is. Meredith also doesn't have the writing and storytelling skills to have produced the book in the best way. It was short and choppy, leaving no room for Amanda to be liked. She had no personality. However, I did like that Meredith kept it very realistic on the scale of hormones as some books about Transgender characters have left that out.


IT ENDS WITH US BY COLLEEN HOOVER

I never expected a book by one of my all time favourite authors to be on this list but Colleen Hoovers release this year really left me feeling heart-broken. And not in a good way. I honestly just did not like the book. The main character, Lily was so conflicting and I could not connect to her at all. And while I appreciate what Colleen was doing with the taboo subject of mental and physical abuse, I just thought it got over shadowed by the awful love triangle in the book. I actually really liked Atlas, especially getting to know him through those letters Lily wrote to Ellen but Ryle's reasoning for the abuse was just utter bullshit and I think Colleen knows that as well.


THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER BY JENNIFER L ARMENTROUT

I was sent this book to review from the publishers. I've previously read and enjoyed books by Jennifer, so I was excited to read this one especially because I know how well Jennifer writes romance. But I was just so disappointed by every page. The characters only got worse as the book went along and the romance/relationship just did not sit well with me. I understood that Rider protected her when she was a child but the fact that they both love each other when they first see each other after like 4 years? Not at all realistic, or good to read about.




UP IN FLAME BY ABBI GLINES

This was the last book in the Seabreeze series and I was super excited as this was about Nannette who's known as the bitch in the series. However, what I got was a waste of time. If anything I don't think Abbi Glines had a clear plot for the story but just wanted to add one in for Nannette. Major (he's a character by the way) just did not need to be involved in the story and this whole mafia type thing between Major and Gannon was awful. A story of just Nan and Gannon would have suited me just fine.





Before I started writing this post I did believe I had more than 4 books that left me feeling disappointed, however, it turns out that some books I didn't have a high standard about before reading. Now while I did not enjoy these books that does not mean that you will feel the same. We're all different in regards to what we read and all views I've expressed are my own. There's no need to be getting salty over them.

Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Title: The Art of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Genre: YA Contemporary / LGBT
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Published: January 7th 2016 (Paperback edition)
Page Number: 357
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Two Outsiders. Two secrets.

David longs to be a girl.

Leo wants to be invisible.

When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

REVIEW

One of my blogger friends, Kayleigh recommended The Art of Being Normal to me. I knew the premise was something I was certainly interested but due to it being out in hardback I had to wait until the paperback release. And Kayleigh was right.

This book was so good.

Gender Identity is super important for me, I don't class myself as either male or female because I don't feel like I honestly am. I'm just myself. So it was really refreshing seeing a book deal with Gender Identity so well. Not only that but The Art of Being Normal is one of the most important books of our time. A lot of people could learn from this, not just children or teenagers. But parents and grandparents alike.

For a YA Contemporary book I was super happy that it was set in the UK, mainly because it was refreshing as most are set in the US on beach costal towns, which is fun sometimes, but sometimes I just want a good book set in the UK. Being completely honest though, The Art of Being Normal was also nostalgic for me, it took me back to the times when I was 9 and 10 years old strutting my stuff around the house in my self-made dress constructed out of my bed sheets, scarves and towels.

Right now I just want to raid a bookstore and hand everyone a copy of this beautiful, brilliant novel. Just. Pick. It. Up!

 

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🎧: U Wear it Well by RuPaul

ARC Review: George by Alex Gino

Title: George
Author: Alex Gino
Genre: Middle Grade / LGBT
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: August 25th 2015
Page Number: 240
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

BE WHO YOU ARE.

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

REVIEW

So remember when I said that HIM was my favourite book of 2015? It was only in my last review, so I'm going to guess that you do. Well, now it's not. Because George came right in and slapped it out of that position.

I will kick off and say that reading Middle Grade books is a huge thing for me, so huge in fact because I never seem to connect, relate to any of them. But George is a book that I knew I had to read, not because I received it to review but because it's on a subject that I value so close to my heart. I have friends who are Transgender. I also questioned my gender when I was 14.

George may be a Middle Grade book but the topic is so important. And when a book is on that topic you have to be very careful that it doesn't come across as "preachy". But Alex Gino has mastered it well and wrote a simple story of a girl who was born in a boys body. A girl so different to everyone else that she just wanted to be who she truly was.

This book screams acceptance. In fact I cried so much because of the amount of acceptance there was, from George's best friend Kelly, who stood by her side constantly. To her head teacher, who let me tell you, completely surprised me. It was truly a beautiful thing to read about. The story does deal with the whole confusion from family but it was so well done that it was completely realistic.

After finishing the book in a few hours the words out of my mouth were "This book needs to be on the school curriculum. There's so many lessons that children could learn from this." And I stand by what I say. A lot of people don't understand that children understand a lot more than they think and it's honestly one of those 'Oh, okay.' things when they're young.

I'm not aware of Charlotte's Web. I've heard of it but never watched the movie and read the book. But I found myself loving how the book intertwined the play into it. It was the main centre of the book and honestly the best moments happened during their performances. I loved every page, every sentence, every word. George is a novel so important. It will save lives.

 

'A Copy of the book was sent for a honest review.'

 

 

 

 

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