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nico_60's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Violence
jennw2ns's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An engaging debut novel overall. The writing is strong, even though I’m not sure how to feel about the story. Kim Fu is the first agender author I’ve read (that I know of, at least), and I look forward to reading more of their work.
I was frustrated at a few points when reading this - there were several moments when I felt transness was reduced to being born in the wrong body.This dissipated towards the end of the book.
I was frustrated at a few points when reading this - there were several moments when I felt transness was reduced to being born in the wrong body.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Death of parent
aserra's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
With an unapologetically forthright portrayal of this aggressively queer-unfriendly world and xenophobia's generational echoes in North America, Kim Fu stuns with her debut novel.
If one is (very fairly and understandably) looking for a more joyful story (along the lines of If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo), that is not this book (though the ending is happy) . If one can contend with the emotional challenges and portrayals of queerphobia, I highly recommend this novel. To me, it read as a trans, bildungsroman story prioritizing elucidation and a cogent appeal to compassion of cis readers. This entails certain pros and cons, of course, but I think it feels appropriate considering the author's individual standpoint.
Support a queer author and their incredible debut novel!
If one is (very fairly and understandably) looking for a more joyful story (along the lines of If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo), that is not this book
Support a queer author and their incredible debut novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Author pronouns: he/she/theyafoga's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Hate crime
lady_bountiful's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Death of parent
raynatuina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fu’s writing style was beautiful, ditching linear, western storytelling. As a child of an immigrant parent, the tensions and nuances Fu explored as an ethnic minority really hit home. I was all in all, near ready to exalt my love for this novel. I thought my high 4-rating was locked-in until I finished and felt tricked.
Audrey’s trauma was laid out in detail throughout the book’s entirety, yet her actualisation was crudely skimmed over in a singular paragraph. Her joy, autonomy, and truth never given the space to be celebrated. This felt extremely unbalanced and a silencing of Audrey.
Secondly, my heart sank when discovering Fu did not consult, or engage, ANY trans folks while penning Audrey’s life as a trans woman. Although agender and part of the gender-expansive/diverse community, I felt Fu (she/he/they) fell short on elevating the trans community’s autonomy over their own story. I perhaps would have cut Fu more slack if their interviews didn’t also deadname Audrey constantly. A review/criticism, far more valid at capturing this point, can be found here https://kara.reviews/for-today-i-am-a-boy/
Lastly, I am still perplexed by Fu’s inclusion of a horrific sexual assault of a minor. Not only was it abruptly and violently inserted within the opening chapter, but to the best of my knowledge, it served NO purpose to the storyline and was absolutely unnecessary.
Audrey’s trauma was laid out in detail throughout the book’s entirety, yet her actualisation was crudely skimmed over in a singular paragraph. Her joy, autonomy, and truth never given the space to be celebrated. This felt extremely unbalanced and a silencing of Audrey.
Secondly, my heart sank when discovering Fu did not consult, or engage, ANY trans folks while penning Audrey’s life as a trans woman. Although agender and part of the gender-expansive/diverse community, I felt Fu (she/he/they) fell short on elevating the trans community’s autonomy over their own story. I perhaps would have cut Fu more slack if their interviews didn’t also deadname Audrey constantly. A review/criticism, far more valid at capturing this point, can be found here https://kara.reviews/for-today-i-am-a-boy/
Lastly, I am still perplexed by Fu’s inclusion of a horrific sexual assault of a minor. Not only was it abruptly and violently inserted within the opening chapter, but to the best of my knowledge, it served NO purpose to the storyline and was absolutely unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
zoe_archambault's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Randomly picked this one out at the library and I am beyond grateful I did. Really good pacing and prose, it was really hard not to underline so many lines (because it was a library book after all) but this book broke my heart in a million pieces and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, and Outing
painausten314's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Transphobia
aptenodytes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia