criticleytope - Tumblr blog

[criticleytope]

Openly Straight: A Review

Openly Straight was one of the first LGBTQ+ books I ever purchased, probably about three or four years ago. I always meant to read it, but it sat on my shelf until I decided to begin reading all the books I own and haven't read. All my owned titles have their names in a bowl, and I chose Openly Straight as my first book, out of 27.

Published in 2013 and written by Bill Konigsberg, Openly Straight tells the story of previously-openly-gay teenager Rafe who has decided he wants to attend boarding school across the country in order to escape being defined by his sexuality. He claims he won't outright lie about himself, but, well, being "one of the boys" instead of "the gay one" feels more important in the moment. As the school year progresses, so does Rafe's attraction to one of his teammates and his lie.

To be honest, I was slightly wary as I began Openly Straight because I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, given how differently things like sexuality were discussed back in 2013 (from my perspective, as someone who was quite young and lived in a conservative part of the country). I was surprised to find that, while some of the jokes or descriptions reflected 2013, the way the story was told and characters were explored was very thoughtful and didn't feel uninformed as I expected it would.

Openly Straight is a meaningful story with intriguing characters and a convincing yet misguided main character. I found the situation intriguing--as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I could see myself doing the same thing Rafe did if my sexuality became my identity. In fact, I already do present as straight in some circles simply because it'd be easier. But as I came to the end of the book, I understood the different perspectives around what deliberately presenting as straight can do to your opinion of yourself.

While the book itself wasn't perfect, the story was told compellingly and the different realizations that Rafe came to throughout were very impactful and meaningful. How does one keep themselves from being rehearsed? How do you realize the effects of your actions? What compels one to think they want something they don't, to live a life they don't truly want?

Although it may be tempting sometimes to clean your slate and become someone new constantly, especially as someone who is LGBTQ+ or figuring out their identity, sometimes what's most important is reconciling with yourself about how you feel about your identity. Food for thought, I guess.

[criticleytope]

Meet Cute Diary: A Review

I picked up Meet Cute Diary this Sunday during an impulsive trip to the bookstore, and as is made clear by the posting date (ahem, not even a week later), I really enjoyed it.

Meet Cute Diary, written by Emery Lee, centers around Noah, a trans male teen who writes meet cute stories to give other trans teenagers hope that love is real. Noah spends his summer with his brother Brian in Colorado as his family prepares to move from Florida to California. A few weeks in, Noah is confronted online by another blog that claims his stories are fake. So, Noah decides to begin fake dating a boy he recently met named Drew in order to a) save the Diary and b) get Drew to fall in love with him. Their relationship escalates as the blog drama escalates, and everything eventually comes crashing down.

Meet Cute Diary has an intriguing conflict and setup with a narrator that initially feels relatable. It has a juvenile tone to it, especially at the very beginning. As time passes and Noah becomes more stressed with everything that’s happening, though, Lee enhances Noah’s faults and makes it clear to the readers what Noah’s inevitable downfall with entail. As I was reading this section, I was unsure about whether this choice made the book too predictable and Noah too easy to dislike, but I’ve decided it was a good decision to make because it simplifies the story and makes it more clear-cut.

I enjoyed the tropes, themes, and diversity of Meet Cute Diary; it had meet cutes, lovers to enemies (a twist!), fake dating, healthy platonic relationships,  healthy family dynamics, trans rep, neopronoun usage, and a triracial main character! The pacing was good, especially for the novel’s length, and the overall tone and feel was lighthearted and hopeful.

3.75 / 5 stars.

[criticleytope]

Hi! I’m ley (pronounced lay or lee) and I wanted to keep track of my reading and movie watching, review them, and maybe meet some friends who have similar taste!

favorite books include: anything by Alice Oseman, Calypso, All the Light We Cannot See, and I Wish You All the Best

favorite movies include:  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and anything with Taron Egerton in it