Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Second Chances in New Port Stephen

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

39 reviews

jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was my first romance by TJ Alexander, and I absolutely loved it. I don't read as much contemporary romance these days, and I was honestly so relieved to have the comfort and familiarity of third-person POV (I struggle with the shift to first-person POV in contemporaries!). This centers main characters in their late thirties/nearing forty (!), with a trans main character returning to his ultra-conservative Floridian hometown during a career crisis and a newly single dad navigating life post-divorce with his four year-old. These two have a long history with one another, having grown up as inseparable childhood friends before becoming more in high school, and the nuanced balance between deep familiarity and rediscovery was so well done. Each is making significant assumptions about the other and what they want (relatable and realistic, sigh), and each is navigating particularly thorny personal and family conflicts on the side. I deeply appreciate how each character has an independent conflict to resolve before negotiating a relationship, and that even when they could veer into codependency, they ultimately lean on a larger network of support (fantastic parents, caring and supportive exes, great BFFs, and even new friends). This feels like a love letter to elder millennials and queer folks discovering themselves later in life (Nick!!), and I highly recommend.

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brookey8888's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

I really enjoyed this especially Nick and his relationship with his daughter and father. Also just him being so accepting. Eli did get on my nerves, I just felt like everything was poor him and he just made stupid decisions. I loved his family though. The relationship was cute. I also don’t love how it ended, I get it’s real life, but it just made me sad that Nick was losing so much of his daughter in my opinion.

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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

I am lowkey shocked that I waited this long to read a TJ Alexander book. I loved literally everything about it. It's set in Florida and whew it's really set IN FLORIDA. The main characters are childhood best friends and former high school sweethearts. Eli has come back to Florida to spend time with his parents for Christmas (and after his life in NYC kinda imploding) and hasn't seen Nick in years (before he transitioned). Nick is a divorced dad, and perhaps the sweetest man on earth. There is SO MUCH to love about this book including complicated and realistic family relationships and the absolute scorching beauty of queer love.

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aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I'm sad it took me so long to pick up this book, but I'm so glad I did! It is the perfect holiday read. It is full of trans/queer joy, in spite of living in a transphobic/queerphobic environment. Eli is a trans guy. I liked how his story didn't fit the typical trans narrative. He didn't realize he was trans until he was in his 30s, when everything just clicked. So often we read stories about trans people who always knew they were trans (which is great! We need those stories too), so it's refreshing to read about someone who didn't always have it all figured out but is no less trans than the trans people who did. Nick is also experiences a "late" in life queer awakening, and we love that for him.

One nitpicky thing is that the MCs are 39 years old, and the narrator keeps mentioning how high school graduation was 25 years ago. More like 21, LOL. In any case, I did appreciate the inclusion of slightly older characters (adult romances rarely feature MCs over like 35, and if they do, it's only one MC and the other is in their 20s, you know?). It was heartwarming how Eli and Nick (not Nicholas) found their way back to each other.

This is my favorite TJ Alexander book (I've only read one other though, haha)!

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