pucksandpaperbacks's reviews
642 reviews

I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

CW: Transphobia and bullying

Joy is a twelve-year-old transgender girl living stealth in Texas who loves cheer. During the summer, she and her friends practice their cheerleading moves in preparation for tryouts. When tryouts come and Joy makes the team, she is ecstatic! Cheer is all she can think about. But, things take a turn for the worst when she is informed that under Texas state law, she cannot be on the team due to a parent complaint leading her to have to now use the nurse's bathroom and is forbidden from using the girl's locker room.

Joy is utterly devastated. All she wants to do is cheer with friends! Throughout the course of the book tries to fight the school's decision. Along the way, she learns more about being an activist. I thought this book was FANTASTIC. It hits every note about trans kids fighting for their lives and especially how trans girls are being banned from participating in sports. I highly recommend this book for everyone especially parents wanting to have this conversation with their children.

As we read from Joy's perspective, you get learn about how these decisions are actually affecting trans kids in real-time. Bunker incorporates diary entries throughout the book where Joy gets intimate about 
her feelings toward everything going on in her life. I also enjoyed the inclusion of faith in Joy's character. She is religious and attends mass at an LGBTQ+ friendly church every Sunday. Plus, in her diary entries, she always ends them with "God bless" specfici people. For example, her, her brother, Will and her Mom. Then, the list gets longer as she meets new people along the way.

With Kai Shappley, a young transgender girl & activist being a co-writer on this book, you get a glimpse into a trans girl's life in the height of her activism. There are nods to Shappley's activism through Joy's discovery of her and Shappley is a character in the book, as well.

This book was very refreshing as it wasn't the typical coming out story. I liked getting to read a middle grade book about a trans kid who already knows themself and has an accepting family. There are instances of transphobia in this book as it does deal with discrimination and transphobia. For instance,
there are moments as Joy's story is gaining traffic on social media where Joy's mother is letting her read comments (but monitors her screen time to protect her, which I appreciated a lot) and a scene where they attend a board meeting and angry transphobic parents are yelling at her. The adults in this book are admirable and I loved how much they all protected Joy. Plus, there are the general scenes where the superintendent is spewing hateful rhetoric and there are some kids from the cheer team whose parents are bigoted and they are mirroring their bigoted language. However, it is moderate, please proceed with caution if any of this causes you any distress!   

Joy, to the World is perfect for fans of A.J. Sass and Alex Gino. 

This sapphic retelling of It's a Wonderful Life set during a small town's Winter Festival was so cute! Following Bailey George and her childhood friend, Maria, this rekindled romance was so swoonworthy but it doesn't steer away from hitting hard topics like being responsible for your family's legacy and grieving the loss of a parent.

If you're a Gilmore Girls fan, you'll love the small town vibes, Lulu the Dog and the commentary on family and being in your 30s.  And the best part? The angels are drag queens!

"Every time a bell rings, a drag queen gets their wings"

My only critique is it could've been shorter and I wish we had gotten an epilogue. 

I'm not an experienced manga reader. I've only read two in my life, including this one.  But, I liked this! It was recommended for fans of Heartstopper, so I decided to give it a chance. This volume was just an introduction, so I would like to continue in the series to see if I enjoy the whole story. So far, I do enjoy Toma as a character. 

CW: Sexism, death of a parent, misogyny

I thought this was fine. But I struggle with stories where a cis woman is cosplaying as man because for me, as a trans man, I'm not "pretending". Though, I understand why the trope was implemented due to the royalty aspect of the book. However, the book is set in modern-day opposed to a historical fiction setting and you see Feta playing on a Nintendo Switch.

i just think the conflict and plot as a whole could've been more fleshed out. The book felt very rushed that it was difficult to get attached to Brie and Cam. As for Brie, she felt toxic and unlikeable.  Through the miscommunication,  she does't just talk to Cam about what she discovered. She flat out stops talking to her and ignoring her then gaslit her to think she's not mad even though she was. I struggle being happy for a couple at the end of a romance (especially when they are going to get married at the end) when their communication sucks.  I just wasn't vibing with their relationship at all. The book moved too quickly that i felt like I didn't have time to get attached to them. I felt more chemistry between Feta and Cam. However, I did enjoy the puns and nods to cheese. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese l is incredibly cheesy! 

CW: Forced outing, death from allergic reaction, homophobia,  homophobic slur (on page). 

Using sexuality as a plot twist (forced outing) and villainizing mentally ill characters (and killing off a disabled character) is disgusting and I am so tired of reading mysteries where the mentally ill characters are villainized. 

CW: Biphobia, homophobia, forced-outting 

Phenomenal. I hope every queer kid gets to read this. This is a book that many bi/pan people will be able to relate to, even any queer or trans person. I related to a lot of it as a straight trans man. This is going to heal so many bi/pan/queer people's inner child. Becky poured her heart into this book and it deserves ALL of the praise. 

CW: References to homophobia, fear of being outed, a character with a head injury, a pregnant secondary character and mild concern related to the character's well being, references to neglect of a child and on-page sex. (Content Warnings pulled from the books content notes)

Cat Sebastian is an author I've grown to love since reading "The Queer Principles of Kit Webb."  I immediately picked up this novella once it was announced. A queer historical baseball romances with no plot, just vibes? A total score!

Luke and Billy Finally Get A Clue was a cute novella about queer baseball players in the 1950s who play for the Philadelphia Phillies. I enjoyed that it didn't hesitate to talk about sports injuries as Luke becomes disabled due to getting hit in the head by a pitch. It was a great slice of life novella that was a joy to read. If you enjoy reading about grumpy characters, you'll love Luke and Billy. Their romance was a slow,  friends to lovers and I just loved how much Billy cared about him :)