//TW: transphobia, drugs//
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
I cannot express in words how beautiful, representative, and breathtaking this novel is. I would have finished Felix Ever After in a day had I not had other things to do, this novel is just excellent. Felix Ever After voiced so many issues that I’m sure many people have struggled with also. Felix Ever After is a magnificent example of finding and loving yourself, even when the world says you should do otherwise.
~Other Information~
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 354 pages
~Book Description (via Goodreads)~
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
~Characters~
Felix is a queer, black, and trans male trying to navigate his way through the confusion of relationships,
questioning one’s identity, and transphobia. Personally, I found Felix very relatable and found it comforting that the issues he struggles with throughout the novel are also issues that I struggle with. A large portion of the novel is focused on Felix’s parents and how accepting they are of his identity. Felix struggles to understand why his father won’t use his name, but also helped pay for top surgery, etc. Unaccepting parents is a huge thing within the LGBTQIA+ community, as is transphobia and homophobia within our own community. Felix Ever After tackles this topic as well, and Felix has to try and filter through who he really is friends with based upon how they treat him and others. Besides this, Felix is lonely. He wants to fall in love and have a connection with someone (who doesn’t?) The problem for Felix is that he feels unlovable because of his gender, sexuality, race, etc. This idea of being unlovable fuels Felix to try and find self-love, and to find that special someone who will love him.
Ezra, Felix’s best friend (and potential love interest, no spoilers I promise!), was very likable throughout the novel. I rooted for Felix and Ezra every single chapter they had together, and the slow-burn, ah! Ezra comes from a wealthy (but kind of rough) family. As Felix’s best friend, Ezra takes every chance he gets to protect him from the transphobic people at St. Cat’s, their school.
Other characters in the novel include:
- Declan – a jerk of the highest order, but Felix is starting to wonder… could he be something more?
- Marisol – Felix’s ex, a feminist yet a transphobe… also a jerk.
- Leah – absolute sweetheart of a friend who sticks by Felix’s side at his worst.
- Austin – Leah’s cousin who has a crush on Ezra, but is also secretly a piece of wet cabbage who I’d gladly throw in the trash.
~Writing and Setting~
Callender tackles some difficult and hefty, yet very important topics in this novel. Discussions of transphobia, homophobia, racism, and privilege are prominent and well represented throughout the novel. Besides this, Callender’s writing is just perfect for the feel of Felix Ever After; it gives the book a raw, emotional feel to it that brought me to tears in a few parts.
Felix Ever After takes place in New York during modern times, and all of the characters listed go to St. Catherine’s.
~Plot~
I loved the flow and feel of this book. It was chaotic and it was beautiful. The chaos of the plot perfectly reflects Felix’s feelings about himself, his relationships, and the world. When you don’t know how you feel about yourself and your identity, the world feels like it’s crashing down around you – this is the feel you get as you read the novel.
~Overall Review~
Felix Ever After touched my heart and holds a special place among the books I’ve read. It’s just so raw, and full of emotion, life, anger, pain, love, sadness, and happiness that you cannot miss reading this novel.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Maya’s Reviews. I still cannot believe it’s been that long. Thank you to everyone following me and reading my reviews, I could not do this without you! Reading is so important to me, so to be able to share my thoughts on books I’ve read with fellow readers is such a blessing. Thank you so much, and happy reading! – Maya
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