Changers Book 4: Forever - T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper

My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"When we left Kim Cruz in Changers Book 3, she'd just come out to her best friend. In Changers Book 4: Forever, Kim discovers that this is only one small part of understanding who she is and where she belongs. Soon enough, she changes again, into the body and social status of her dreams. What she does with her newfound power will come to haunt her. In this final installment of the provocative Changers series, our hero learns what it means to be the person everybody loves without actually being known at all; what it's like to be given the benefit of the doubt when you don't deserve it; and how easily opportunity comes when you look the part. Changers Book 4 explores what it means to find yourself--even as your self keeps changing--and how in the end we become the person whose story we want to finish."

When this series first came to my attention, I was like uhh, yes, obviously I will be reading these books. The first book did not disappoint...it was fascinating to read a book like this, about someone coming to terms with their changing identity, seeing Drew struggle with social dynamics at school and learn about herself along the way. I've been putting off writing this review though, because while I was impressed with and drawn into the first book, the second and third were not quite as enjoyable, and as much as I wanted to be able to gush about the series, this fourth book...I didn't like it.

Where the strength of book 1 lies is in examining social expectations and dynamics. That was a central point in Drew's story, and if that focus had remained consistent through the last three books this would have been a stronger series. It went off the rails, though, throwing in the drama of the Abiders, kidnapping, murder, etc. This just didn't work for me. There were several separate storylines, each more ridiculous than the last, and none of them were incorporated into the others, which was jarring. Also, whether it be a traditional three-act or something else, I need some kind of structure, and this book didn't have one. Every chapter was up and down, back and forth. Kyle's emotions shift so quickly, and for reasons difficult to understand, that it was exhausting reading about him. One page Audrey hates him, the next she loves him, then she hates him again...honestly, this fourth book reads like a rough draft, like the goal was "get everything on the page, and then we'll go back, edit, and move some stuff around"...except that second part never happened. Not great.

Perhaps I could have tried to look past the rough quality of the writing itself, but the nail in the coffin for me was the very casual inclusion of suicide. Maybe that wasn't the authors' intention, but the way it was thrown in, as though it was an unimportant side story, really bothered me. Kim wakes up as Kyle and, next page, apropos of nothing, he's on a bridge attempting suicide. Now, I suppose to their credit, this chapter does end with the woman who stopped him reminding him, "be mindful...that you don't pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem." That doesn't do much to make up for such offhand use of suicide as a plot device, though, particularly when later they casually throw in during a fit of angst later the thought that he "can't stay. Can't leave. Can't kill [himself]. Can't build an Alien sleeping capsule and seal the door for nine months." Just...no.

I'm sad I didn't love this series. I really wanted to. But ultimately the plot was all over the place, with too many ideas crammed into one series, and while the handling of topics like racism and gender identity were done well, others, like mental health, were treated too lightly. It was too unbalanced for my taste.

Quiver - Julia Watts

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Libby is the oldest child of six, going on seven, in a family that adheres to the "quiverfull" lifestyle: strict evangelical Christians who believe that they should have as many children as God allows because children are like arrows in the quiver of "God's righteous warriors." Like the other families who adhere to this philosophy, Libby's family regards the father as the "Christian patriarch" and leader and the mother as the "helpmeet" who gives birth to, cares for, and homeschools the children. 

Meanwhile, Zo is the gender fluid offspring of Libby's new neighbors who have moved to the country from Knoxville in hopes of living a slower-paced, more natural life. 

Zo and hir family are as far to the left ideologically as Libby's family is to the right, and yet Libby and Zo, who are the same age, feel a connection that leads them to friendship—a friendship that seems doomed from the start because of their families' differences."

Libby Hazlett and Zo Forrester meet when Zo and hir family move to the farm next door to Libby's after the property had been empty for more than a year. The Hazlett family is fairly sheltered, primarily spending time with each other and with members of their church congregation, so right away Libby finds herself intrigued by the new family and, in particular, Zo. 

The two families have radically different ideologies--Libby's father is a strict disciplinarian, unwavering in his ultra conservative principles, while Zo's parents are liberal and much more relaxed in their parenting style. As it turns out, though, they also have a lot in common, and everyone seems to hit it off...until, that is, their fathers getting into an argument at an ice cream party and Mr. Hazlett decides that his family will no longer associate with the Forresters. 

Alas, the damage Mr. Hazlett fears has already been done. Spending time with Zo has gotten Libby thinking, and it turns out she may not be as content with her life as she previously convinced herself. Will she risk angering her father and turning her back on the God she is supposed to believe in to continue her friendship with Zo, or will she bend to her father's will and allow things to return to how they used to be?

This book is like nothing I have ever read. Coming from a family who, while not evangelical Christians, were close enough for some of Libby's experiences to hit close to home made this a difficult read, but seeing Libby and Zo learn more about each other, grow closer, and take the time to understand the other's perspective was worth the discomfort. I felt connected to both of them right away, and watching them grow throughout the book warmed my heart. Not only that, but I found myself unexpectedly tugged into the friendship between their two mothers, rooting for Mrs. Hazlett's happiness as she struggled through a difficult pregnancy and, after their husbands' fight, losing her new friend. Julia Watts did a remarkable job bringing the Hazlett and Forrester families to life, and if you're looking for a book that allows you to experience worlds you aren't familiar with, I can't recommend Quiver strongly enough.

Honestly Ben - Bill Konigsberg

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover: "Ben Carver is back to normal. He’s getting all As in his classes at the Natick School. He was just elected captain of the baseball team. He’s even won a big scholarship for college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg last semester is over now, and he just needs to be a Carver, work hard, and stay focused.

Except…There’s Hannah, a gorgeous girl who attracts him and distracts him. There’s his mother, whose quiet unhappiness he’s noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there’s Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else…and maybe the real normal that Ben needs."


I loved Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, so I was excited to finally have time to read the sequel, Honestly Ben. Ben is a man after my own heart, a pusher and an over-achiever for whom no accomplishment ever feels truly like it's enough, and for the most part I loved his story. It pulled at my heart strings reading about him struggling to decide how he felt, whether he was gay, bi, or...something else? And I empathized with him pushing back against people who tried to label him. Being able to put someone in a neat little labeled box may make it easier for you to feel like you understand them, but not all labels fit so neatly, and sometimes telling yourself you understand someone when you don't causes more harm than good. Kudos to Ben for resisting the labels people wanted to slap on him and being true to himself.

That being said, I did have issues with a couple of things in the book.

First, Hannah. Were we supposed to like her? It seemed like we were, but my god...I did not find her endearing. I particularly didn't love her reaction after the dance. I get the frustration, but dude. Romantic history aside, Rafe and Ben are best friends and Rafe just got dumped. Roles reversed, Hannah wouldn't have wanted to be there for her friend? Not only that, but if she wasn't cool with going home early, she should have said so. It seemed like Hannah was meant to be this evolved, high-thinking woman, but she came off as incredibly childish and obnoxious. No thanks.

Second, Ben's dad. Um...are we just not going to address how abusive his behavior is? I was really hoping for some ending closure where his mom separated from him and told him he needed to sort himself out if he wanted them to be a family. But no...instead we get a letter to him from Ben and...nothing. As someone who grew up with a similar father, it was difficult to read about all the crappy things his dad did/said and then not see any resolution. I know there were a lot of important issues already being addressed, so throwing one more into the mix is tough, but good god, of all the things to gloss over, an emotionally abusive, controlling father/husband is not it. Gah.

Anyway...those two characters aside, this book was great. I love Ben and his friends, and Konigsberg did an awesome job of balancing emotions. There were parts that tugged at my heart strings and made me tear up, and then there were sections where I was laughing out loud ("is my life force shit?" was a big one). Fantastic read.