Berls
Written on Apr 1, 2017
After how much I loved the first book, I'm sad to say I had to DNF this one. I probably could have pushed myself to finish it - it wasn't horrible (hence 2 stars despite my DNF), I just lost interest. It was in many ways a repeat plot - same story, different bad guys - and that just lost my interest.
I continue to be interested, however, in the way that Lila Bowen is writing the complexities of a transgender individual. On one hand, there's this marvelous point in this book where a mental shift happens and our main character is no longer thinking of themselves in the feminine - suddenly she isn't a woman struggling with wanting to be a man; now he is a man, trapped firmly in a man's body. I loved this moment, though I have no idea how the trans community would feel about it.
On the other hand, I disliked that with this change in thinking about himself he also seemed to have a kind of personality transplant - at least sexually. The person who was once awkward about sex now seems comfortable with sex and not in a "I'm finally comfortable in my head" kind of way but in a "I'm a man and men rut around" kind of way.
Anyway, I lost interest, but I could see it being worthy of continued reading.