"You know when life is just about as confusing as it can possibly be? And then you think to yourself 'Well at least it can't get any worse than this.' Then life is like, 'Huh, really, you think so? Huh?' And then just to prove you wrong it gets even more freaking confusing than it was before."

Felix is a seventeen-year-old queer trans virgin with brown skin. He's worried he's just too much for other people to take. Or perhaps its his fear of rejection that's keeping him from putting himself out there, his fear of getting hurt. As he embarks on one last high-school summer session, hoping to win a scholarship to Brown, life opens up in a multitude of ways and forces him to confront things about both himself and others that will forever shape his world.

Ahh, the pain of adolescence is so real! Callender did an excellent job of sucking me back into the insecurities of youth and the struggle to understand oneself. Felix is searching to find a comfortableness in his own skin, understand where he fits in, seeking the experience of loving and being loved. All normal stuff every kid goes through, and he's got a bucket of extra challenges sitting on top. I felt for Felix and was rooting for him the entire time. Callendar's depiction of the trans experience was refreshing and clear and revealing and important. I appreciated the deep glimpse into a life I simply don't live, as well as the similarities shared by all who survive the human condition. Felix Ever After expanded not only my heart but my mind in a heartwarming and informative way.

That being said, I absolutely hated the end. It got a bit too soapbox and wrapped up a little too neat.