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zed_dog's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Add this to the queer canon! Very funny; unexpectedly moving. Gay professional with cerebral palsy tears down his picture-perfect life, struggles with addiction, and tries to figure out what to build in its place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
eslsilver's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
lesenilpferd's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
orireading's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I would say the first two thirds of the book were a 3.5-4 for me and then the last third was a 5+. Truly funny, but also beautiful and vulnerable and hopeful. I do think that the pop culture references make the book very of-the-moment so like, read it asap if it’s on your TBR.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
george_tte's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I couldn't put this book down! It was funny, insightful, raw, and not afraid of taking things too far and showcasing messy as messy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual harassment
martinelecorff's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
schnurln's review
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
alylentz's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is one of those books that is genuinely funny and then will hit you with something so emotional and insightful and few lines later. It was also great to read from a disabled perspective and still experience a really flawed, messy character. Highly recommend the audiobook as well--it's read by the author and adds a lot to the narrative voice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Alcohol
kirklandprosecco's review
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
First, let's start by saying this book is very funny and very sexually graphic. If you have trouble with graphic sex scenes, you won't be able to avoid those in this book. I have no such hangups (so I thought) but even I found myself blushing sometimes. The best parts about this book were about the author's / narrator’s disability and how it affected his sexual and overall confidence. As a woman of a certain age, I know something about society's messaging about bodies and sex, but this was from a whole other perspective on a whole other level and I appreciated it. The sweetest parts were about his relationship with his father. Although the book was very funny, I felt that a some of the humor deflected from the narrator’s "inner work" and the one-liners were used a bit defensively. As a memoir / novel (honestly it was hard to tell how much of this was or wasn’t biographical, it hit all the beats, but I actually wanted it to get more serious and delve more deeply into the feelings. That said, it is definitely worth a read or listen, and it left me wanting to read a memoir or informational book about CP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
mmccombs's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
So I didn’t think I was going to finish this one, but I got through the initial hump and am glad I finished it! O’Connell has a very funny and honest writing style, though I did find it to get annoying and kind of cringey over time. I’m also unsure how well this will last over time, a lot of the jokes are of the moment, stuff I’d giggle at on Twitter now but be confused about in approximately one year. I enjoyed reading his perspective on disability and internalized ableism, and the ultimate love interest turned out to be so sweet. I thought this was a very rich cis white dude perspective, so I could see that being a turn off for some folks. I don’t necessarily think this will be a story that sticks with me for too long, but it was enjoyable to read and I’ll keep my eye out for more stuff he writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Alcohol