The protagonist’s name is Felix Love and he’s never been in love… 🤔 can you see where this is going?
But the story really isn’t about his senior year romance, it’s about him grappling with his feelings of being unworthy of love and about discovering his identity while facing anonymous online harrassment from a classmate. Over the course of the book, Felix learns how to express his identity through his art and to take his life into his own hands to go after what— or who— he really wants.
TLDR: “What’s bad for the heart is good for art”
To be honest, I had an extremely difficult time deciding on a rating for this book— I was actually waffling between 4 and 2 🤭 but 3 didn’t feel right either. Ultimately, I decided on giving it a 4 violet rating because the quality of the representation and themes really hard-carried the book. It was clear that this was an own-voices story, and Felix’s character was thought out with a lot of care. 💌 However, the reason I considered giving this book a 2 was mainly because of the romanticism of co-dependent relationships and the lack of resolution for Felix’s insecurities and traumas. In this case, a 3 didn’t feel right because 3’s are usually stories I don’t feel that strongly about, and with Felix Ever After, I felt strongly about how good the rep was and also how bad the model for romance was, especially for readers who strongly resonate with Felix’s experience.
Even though the book had a lot of flaws, I still really liked it because in a lot of ways it felt like a warm hug from the author. This book emphasizes that it’s okay to have mixed emotions about a lot of things surrounding our identities and to continue questioning our identities— it highlights the long journey of discovering and being comfortable with yourself. ⛅ And of course, I’m a sucker for wholesome happy endings :”).
Things I liked ✅
Things I disliked ❌
FACTS.
“I’m not flaunting anything. I’m just existing. This is me. I can’t hide myself. I can’t disappear. And even if I could, I don’t fucking want to. I have the same right to be here. I have the same right to exist.”
Made me reflect on all of the straight-girl and comphet crushes I’ve ever had.
“It can be easier, sometimes, to choose to love someone you know won't return your feelings. At least you know how that will end. It's easier to accept hurt and pain, sometimes, than love and acceptance. It's the real, loving relationships that can be the scariest.”
Me too 👁️ 👄 👁️.