After proving 'too gay' for the only other gay guy at school, seventeen-year-old Mark Davis has given up on love. Thankfully, his older brother Eric always knows just what to say: A good relationship makes you wanna be more of yourself. Not less.
And as things start looking up for Mark—in the form of Ezra Ambrose—Mark starts to see signs that his wise older brother might have problems of his own...
When tragedy capsizes the Davis family, the source of Mark’s strength suddenly becomes the source of his greatest pain. Desperate for an escape—to briefly live a different life—Mark slips into a purple, puff-sleeved princess dress. His sequined escape, however, becomes an unexpected outlet for his grief and an opportunity to see others as fully as he wants to be seen.
Before I read this, I figured it would be sort of a generic "oh, I like feeling pretty, dresses, yay!" kind of story. And at first, it seemed like exactly that. But as I got a few chapters in, Mark and his circle of people grew on me, their characters' depths reaching farther than I'd expected. I found that the depictions of self doubt, love, and worry (as well as many other feelings I don't want to expand upon because spoilers) were beautifully depicted and explored. Mark's relationship with Ezra and his friends felt real in a very raw and painful way, and his connection - or lack thereof - with his family throughout the story was similarly true and hard.
The narrator, too, was fantastic. FANTASTIC. I don't know that I would have connected with this story as well and as much as I did without his voice acting.
Basically, I'm going to get this book in my library and suggest it to so many kids, because its portrayal of high school and all it's glorified difficulty will absolutely resonate with them.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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29 March, 2023:
Finished reading
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29 March, 2023:
Reviewed