by
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
DNF @ 20%
If I have to read one more time about how something is ‘such an Ari thing to say’ or how much Ari loves Dante (and can’t stop thinking about him) or any other insecure (yet mushy at the same time) comment between these two boys I’m going to gag.
I know there’s probably some big conflict that happens and will make me love the boys as I did in book 1. But at 600+ pages I have no patience to get there.
I’m already tired by the self deprecating rhetoric the boys have for themselves as gay men. Their parents are only marginally better. I mean who decides to only love someone because they are your son and not love ALL of them. If you can’t love someone for who and what they are then please don’t pretend it’s acceptable to ignore it. This is the kind of thing my own parents did to my sister and I (both bisexual women) and I absolutely hate it. As though ignoring the elephant in the room is going to make it be okay or disappear? My answer is no.
Sorry but I don’t need anymore queer literature that tries to set-up the premise that members of our community are trash before it builds us back up.
The timeframe of the 80s AIDS epidemic really wasn’t doing it for me. Could be because I just watched the amazing show ‘Pose’… but I felt these two young boys couldn’t understand or even begin to grasp the magnitude of what was happening in their (new to them) community.
I’d rather read a book about older gay men that can give some context and insight into the crisis. I don’t need to see it from a child’s perspective.
Sorry, I know many will be mad about me for this review and for giving up on this book. I’ve just got so many books to get to and knew exactly how this would play out for another 400+ pages. So I say no thanks, and move on. Which is probably for the best because if I read 600+ pages of this type of writing from the first 20% I’d have a very mean and likely ranting review to post. So I’ll save you all that experience and leave it as is.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 1 of 5 stars
DNF @ 20%
If I have to read one more time about how something is ‘such an Ari thing to say’ or how much Ari loves Dante (and can’t stop thinking about him) or any other insecure (yet mushy at the same time) comment between these two boys I’m going to gag.
I know there’s probably some big conflict that happens and will make me love the boys as I did in book 1. But at 600+ pages I have no patience to get there.
I’m already tired by the self deprecating rhetoric the boys have for themselves as gay men. Their parents are only marginally better. I mean who decides to only love someone because they are your son and not love ALL of them. If you can’t love someone for who and what they are then please don’t pretend it’s acceptable to ignore it. This is the kind of thing my own parents did to my sister and I (both bisexual women) and I absolutely hate it. As though ignoring the elephant in the room is going to make it be okay or disappear? My answer is no.
Sorry but I don’t need anymore queer literature that tries to set-up the premise that members of our community are trash before it builds us back up.
The timeframe of the 80s AIDS epidemic really wasn’t doing it for me. Could be because I just watched the amazing show ‘Pose’… but I felt these two young boys couldn’t understand or even begin to grasp the magnitude of what was happening in their (new to them) community.
I’d rather read a book about older gay men that can give some context and insight into the crisis. I don’t need to see it from a child’s perspective.
Sorry, I know many will be mad about me for this review and for giving up on this book. I’ve just got so many books to get to and knew exactly how this would play out for another 400+ pages. So I say no thanks, and move on. Which is probably for the best because if I read 600+ pages of this type of writing from the first 20% I’d have a very mean and likely ranting review to post. So I’ll save you all that experience and leave it as is.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
1 comment:
I really admire your ability to put a book down when you realize you are not enjoying it. I always stick it out and regret it later!
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