Hell Followed with Us

Out of all 40+ books on my TBR for 2024 ‘Hell Followed With Us' was perhaps my most anticipated read. It was for sure in the top five! I had seen mentions of it on social media, I saw the author's accounts.

But oh God, I hated it.

Before this review is condemned as one of an alt-right cisgender white straight man (out of all these I am white and somewhat a man), I want to address the progressive aspects of the book.
It's terrible. I am sorry but that is the truth. It reads like the author going through a checklist to make sure that he's included everyone. I love that Benji ends up in an LGBTQ+ Youth Center; it allows for a cast of very diverse characters to exist naturally.
The book makes it unnatural. It just reads strange. It reads like Tweets, not like actual narration or dialogue.

“So yeah, nice to finally meet you. Xe/xem pronouns.”

I go through the rest of the set: xe, xem, xyr, xemself. I read about neopronouns in a book Dad smuggled from the burn pile of confiscated items at New Nazareth.

Said I was making a mockery of the trans movement for using ‘fake pronouns,' and I nearly strangled him.

the plot