I FINALLY READ FELIX EVER AFTER!

Note: Please read the full list of trigger warnings at this link before proceeding: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Felix_Ever_After_by_Kacen_Callender

Another popular book I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up liking!

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is about Felix Love--a transgender teenage guy who's never fallen in love, but really wants to. He also is stressed out about putting together a good art portfolio in order to get a scholarship into the prestigious art program at Brown University. He believes if he gets into the program, it will be a ticket for a better future for him and his struggling single father. Unfortunately, Felix is competing for the position with Declan Keene--who just so happens to be the rather toxic ex-boyfriend of his best friend, Ezra Patel. 

But one day, somebody in Felix's school finds pictures of Felix before he transitioned--and they put them up all over the school where everyone can see them. Whoever did it also deadnamed him. Felix assumes that is must have been Declan, so Felix hatches up a plan for revenge by pretending to befriend Declan on Instagram under an fake alias so he can dig up some dirt on him. But it turns out Declan was not the one who pulled the mean stunt! Felix also finds himself falling in love with Declan during the process, too, as Declan shows a softer side of him Felix never knew he had. While Felix and his friends Ezra and Leah keep trying to figure out  the mystery of who displayed Felix's pictures all over the school, Felix also deals with other problems like moving on from his harsh past and his continuous struggle with his gender identity.

I gave this book 4 stars because it has a lot of trigger warnings in it (did you see the link above?), which is why I was worried that I was not going to like it, but a lot of it is actually handled really well in this story! it was such a beautiful and emotional read. The cast of characters was so diverse and fleshed out, and I loved all of the nuance of discussions about being a queer person of color, healing from trauma, and the importance of community. I'm glad I gave this book a chance.