Felix Ever After

What?! I feel cheated, If it was ever was a poly couple this was it. Ezra-Declan-Felix

Details that make me an insomniac: Does Declan get the Brown Scholarship?
Does hacking works tha way?

I guess that if I got feels about a story, its a good one. I cryed and laughed while living this one.
Wanted to slap people around, included Ezra, but I guess it's YA and adolescent people get a pass on grandiose stupid shit.

DNF - PG 21

Okay, this was quick. Look, I already hated Felix in short order. I mean, his grand introduction is getting into an argument that seems to stem from past issues that we have no knowledge about, and I don't automatically assume that the protagonist is in the right.

Then, Felix is so concerned about getting into a good college (Brown, specifically) - but he still stays up until three am every morning and smokes weed. Yeah, really concerned.

I also know that top surgery isn't exactly cheep and that most insurance companies don't pay for it - so I was already wondering about the dichotomy between Felix being able to get top surgery and having to go into debt - or get a scholarship - to afford college before I met his dad. But after? There's no way this man, who dead names Felix, uses the wrong pronouns and does not correct himself.

Felix's dad also ‘[...]some nights, when he's had a little too much whiskey or beer, he'll tell me that I'll always be his daughter, his little girl.' ... This father payed for FTM top surgery? Really? The man who ‘still has a hard time saying my name' and ‘doesn't like saying the name Felix out loud'? This man? (There's a review here that breaks the price and the horrifying implications of finding a doctor that would complete top surgery on a minor down: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3531946150?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)

I just... No. Cannot suspend disbelief thanks to the terrible person I'm stuck in the head of.

What a beautiful book. Thank you, Cole. Thank you.

I wish I could give this book 6, heck 50 stars. I enjoyed every minute of it. There were parts that had me smiling, laughing, crying, aching, relating....i absolutely loved everything about it.

As someone who is apart of the transgender community I can't begin to express how important this representation is in media like this. There needs to be more stories like this.

Felix's character and the struggles that he went through this book made me quickly become attached to him. It's so refreshing to see trans issues being represented in correct and non harmful ways.

It's so refreshing to see characters that are so diverse and real. There was a character that every reader could see themselves in.

“You don't get to use my pain to make your point.”

I think this is something that needs to be highlighted and more importantly be said.

The MCU and stucky being mentioned in this somehow just made this ten times better for me.

This made me feel so hopeful for the future. This is an absolute comfort read.

i think poly ending would've saved them

Wow ein so tolles und wichtiges Buch – ich liebe Felix und die anderen Protagonisten. Dieses Buch hat mich emotional mitgenommen und an einigen Stelle auch sehr wütend gemacht. Es war eine Achterbahnfahrt und einfach nur toll. Die Entwicklung von Felix und das finde zu sich selbst ist wunderbar beschreiben und lässt ihn noch mehr in mein Herz
Bin sehr traurig das es vorbei ist

4,5*

This book brought me back to high school again. The teenage drama was almost too well done. Wonderfully written book on one persons struggles as he navigates living in a world as a black transgender. The inner turmoil with the main characters gender identity even after starting the transition was a good addition to drive home the fact that so many people struggle tor longer than one mat expect

i actually related to this book so much. i love the way it talked about gender identity, sexual orientation, and racism. i think it really showed how some queer people can still be homophobic to others in the community and that is something that needs more awareness. white cis gay men spitting on the whole fucking community for what ??? i also loved the way felix discovered love and different types of love. this book was just so educative and so beautiful and ezra is my new comfort character

4,5⭐️
Very good❤️

I loved this book so, so much.
you could tell that the author knew what they were talking about, and it felt like it was really coming from the heart.
lots of times i was saying “wow, this perfectly describes how i feel about my gender” and i think many people can agree
anyways, without the personal stuff, still loved the sorry and the fun little plot twists.
one negative thing, i despise love triangles

3.5
Decided to round down the rating after thinking about it for a bit. Strongly disliked the love story here for some reason. Everything else was very wholesome.

“For trans and nonbinary youth. You're beautiful. You're important. You're valid. You're perfect.” I knew I was going to love Felix Ever After by the dedication alone.

I don't read a lot of character-driven narratives but this was a good one. Felix questioning his identity really struck a cord with me– his internal dilemmas and anxieties on how he should feel, his pain and who he is felt real.

I was so happy that he was able to embrace love and himself in the end.

It was sad. It was funny. It was hopeful.

I basically read this in one sitting

Read this in one sitting also audiobook and physical so both loved it sooo much.....might read more of this author sooo favorite book of the month ik that for sure

What a wonderful story about figuring out who you are. I smiled, I laughed, I cried. Such a powerful book for our time. I absolutely adored this book and would recommend everyone read this book. I can't wait to read more from this author.

tw: transphobia, targeted harassment

as a mari i don't claim the mari in this book, we are TERF free over here

more thoughts to come

what i loved so much about this book is the insight it gives. as a cisgender girl, who's never struggled with problems related to my gender identity, reading from felix's perspective helped me a lot to learn & understand how crucial and meaningful a process of self-discovery in this regard can be.

Felix Ever After is as beautiful a story as its cover. Felix is a trans artist who lives in New York City. More than anything, he wants to get into Brown. But deep down he worries that he isn't good enough. And not just for Brown; for a lot of things. Fundamentally, Felix feels undeserving. He's unsure of his talent, unsure of his worth, and more and more, unsure of his identity. Right after he thought he finally had it figured out. This book is as relatable as it is unique. Blessedly, and this is rarer in YA than you might think, the characters talk how young people talk. The pop culture references aren't grating or obtrusive. The funny parts are funny without the author having to identify them as such. Callender describes complex topics in an enlightening way without being too formal or preachy. Instead of Felix teaching the reader, we learn and grow with him. Here's a handful of points Callender makes:-Sometimes parents let their kids down when they need them most-Transphobia can fester even in the most “liberal” and “diverse” environments-Trauma can both impulsively fling you into conflict and make you immediately crumble-A disconnect can form between what you believe in general or for everyone else, and the grace and advocacy you apply to yourself-Wealth determines how easy it is to escape consequences for your actions, but coming from wealth does not guarantee support, material or otherwise-When you're unsure of your identity and self-worth, nothing is more jarring than someone so confident and absolute in their declaration of your wrongness-Sometimes when people are hateful towards you, you feel the shame that belongs to them. You shoulder the weight of what they did, and they count on that. As long as you stay down, they escape accountability-Stories about queerness are not always about shifting from one identity to another and then planting there forever. In Felix's case, transitioning itself is not resolution. Queerness includes questioning, fluidity, and being able to change your mind (or never make it up). You don't have to be sure of yourself to accept yourself.Try Felix Ever After if you like [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 19547856 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1) Becky Albertalli https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402915678l/19547856.SY75.jpg 27679579], [b:Radio Silence 30653843 Radio Silence Alice Oseman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1467051579l/30653843.SY75.jpg 45055773], [b:Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487.SY75.jpg 61657690], or [b:Eliza and Her Monsters 31931941 Eliza and Her Monsters Francesca Zappia https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476994065l/31931941.SY75.jpg 52586056].

I loved so much of this #ownvoices book about a trans demiboy figuring out his gender identity, and how to accept the love he deserves.

This book is so obviously written as a love letter to trans teens, and I'm so so happy it exists. As a teenager, I couldn't have even imagined walking into a bookstore and seeing a visibly trans person (with top surgery scars!) on a book cover, especially not in the YA section. We still have a long way to go with representation, but books like this are making such a big difference.

Despite the transphobia in this book, I really appreciate the nuance and delicacy with which it was handled. There are some tough scenes and moments to get through, but it's so clear that the author put so much care into writing them—the kind of care that I think can only come from an LGBTQ+ author. Since everything is from Felix's POV, he is the one controlling the narrative, and the way we see everything. Even when he is deadnamed, we don't actually see his deadname used. We don't need to know the name to know that it happened, it hurts him, and why.

The only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is because the romance(s) kind of went off the rails, and didn't really play out in a way that felt natural to me. But I might just be too old now to remember what it's like to try to navigate romance and love as a teenager

What a great book about some very prescient issues we are facing right now.

Felix is figuring out his identity and along the way he has to navigate so many road blocks to finding love of himself and love of someone else.

I loved how quickly you are dropped into the action of this book. You get to know the characters instantly and there's no hand wringing about how it introduce the supporting cast. It's a fully explored and vibrant world of these teenage artists.

I also really loved the conversations about art and how it's important to them and they want to create something meaningful and interesting while balancing their own personal interests.

These characters are intensely worried about their future while also trying to live and love in the now. This is a book I wish I had as a teenager.

So many wonderful characters and a mystery at the center that's engaging and interesting. I love a coming of age novel and a queer novel. I hope trans kids can read this and find themselves in Felix.

4/5 stars

This book was so sweet and cute but also a mess just like every teenager ever and I loved it.

TW: transphobia, being outed, cyberbullying, blackmail

it's 2:50am and i'm ugly crying

i read this in one evening, couldnt put down the book for more than 10 minutes

its so good !!!