12 Books in 12 Months – Book 2

Hi everyone! How are you? 😀

Today I want to make a book recommendation. For each month I will recommend one book and I will try to include a little review of the book.

The book I recommend for February is Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.

If you use my link you will have two free months and I will have one free month for every person.

Title: Felix Ever After
Author: Kacen Callender
Genre: fiction, contemporary, young adult, lgbtquia+
Trigger warnings: transphobia, deadnaming, bullying, homophobia, outing, hate crime, drug use, racism, emotional abuse, gaslighting, body shaming, mental illness…

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.

REVIEW – When I saw this book around the book community and was recommended by people that have a similar taste to books as me I knew that I would love this book and that it would be a 5 star read and I was right. Even though I have been in a reading slump, I read this book in three days.

I didn’t expect to see so much of myself in Felix and I think that was one of the things that made me like this story so much. I don’t think I ever connected so much with a character before I read this book.

Felix has never been in love and never has been in a relationship with anyone and that made him think that he wasn’t good enough to have someone fall in love with him and that is how I connected so much with Felix.

For a long time I also thought that I was not good enough, pretty, or interesting because I never have a boyfriend and someone that would love me the same way that I can love someone and that is really terrifying to think that I will be alone when everybody around me has that someone.

Until one day I realise that I am good enough, pretty, interesting and intelligent and that I should have never doubted my worth just because I have never had a boyfriend. I was really happy that he also realises that your worth shouldn’t be valued at what age you have your first kiss, your first boyfriend, etc.

For the other things in this story, I really liked the friendship between Felix and Ezra and how funny they were together.

I wasn’t surprised with a “hate to love” kinda situation with one of the characters but I was really happy that it wasn’t like the “end game” because I’m more of a fan of friendship to lovers trope (I’m trying not to give spoilers).

For the entire book I have no idea who was behind the gallery and the messages and when it was revealed I was surprised but it didn’t blow my mind if you know what I mean.

I really liked the ending but I still want and need to know if Felix was accepted for the scholarship to Brown University. 

“I mean, I WANT to be in love. That’s something I’ve always wanted to feel. What’s it like, to be in love and have that other person love you, too? Is it another level of friendship? Another level of trust, vulnerability, always telling that person your thoughts and feelings, sharing every little thing with them so that you’re so in sync that it’s like you’re one person? Is it like every time you see them, your heart goes wild, and you can’t think because you’re so effing happy? Is it like whenever they’re away, you feel like you’re missing a piece of yourself? Does knowing someone loves you fill you with confidence, because you know you’re the type of person who deserves love? And what’s it like to break up with someone you love? What’s it like to decide to try again, and let yourself fall in love with someone else? To decide to take that chance you might get hurt, but still want to try? I don’t know. But I want to.”