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Toronto Connections #2
Finding Your Feet
While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.
Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.
Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.
Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.
Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2017
10 people are currently reading
723 people want to read
About the author
Cass Lennox
5 books52 followersCass Lennox is a permanent expat who has lived in more countries than she cares to admit to and suffers from a chronic case of wanderlust as a result. She started writing stories at the tender age of eleven, but would be the first to say that the early years are best left forgotten and unread. A great believer in happy endings, she arrived at queer romance via fantasy, science fiction, literary fiction, and manga, and she can’t believe it took her that long. Her specialties are diverse characters, gooey happy ever afters, and brownies. She’s currently spinning in an Alpine meadow in Switzerland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 21, 2017
I have many issues with this book, both with the rep and on the story level. Which I’m sad about, because I was excited about this book, and really wanted to like it, wanted it to work for me.
Starting with the simple:
On a story level, it didn’t work for me. The central plot and characters and love story didn’t get enough focus or attention. This is primarily because a secondary romance plot took up so much airtime. This also meant that the dancing got less (not enough, in my opinion) attention and didn’t get a full arc, which was particularly disappointing for me, as it’s one of the main things I went into the book excited about. This was not satisfying as a dance story, for me. Also, the resolution of the central conflict was just not believable to me, especially as it was shunted off to the epilogue.
Onto the harder things:
The first thing that hit me was the casual persistent fatphobia, cuz it starts from the very beginning. There are two characters who continually say fatphobic things about (and to) the chubby main character: her mother, and Gigi (a character who used to be fat but is now thin and whose fatphobic comments are openly quite mean). They are basically never challenged on it. Not by other characters (including her love interest), and not textually. It just sits there, this continual barrage of fatphobic comments. Which I guess is supposed to contrast with the fact that the MC still wants the fat character, and make it look like he’s a good and accepting person...except he doesn't challenge his friend for saying fatphobic things about his love interest. (There’s maybe one half-hearted attempt that is not successful.) The other person saying fatphobic things is the MCs mother, and they are exhausting and food policing and made me sad.
This aspect of the text was just so toxic and unnecessary. Most contemporary dance focused stories engage with fatphobia on some level, but usually with more complexity and nuance and nods to body positivity or worry about eating disorders. This felt like the fatphobia was there carelessly, or to easily create a bitter cruel queen stereotype of a secondary character (complete with tragic backstory). It would be really nice, particularly in a fluffy romance centering a chubby character, if there wasn't this kind of unchallenged fatphobia.
Which brings me to the next core issue I had with this story. The secondary romance plot I mentioned that took up way too much room? That centers Gigi, the fatphobic character who is basically a stereotype of a bitter femme queer man, and who, as it turns out, (TW)
I generally love stories that center chosen family and friendship groups, but these friendships didn't give me warm fuzzies. They are cruel to each other, they don’t listen to each other, or respect each other’s wishes and consent. It made me sad to read about these platonic relationships.
I'm going to talk about triggering content related to abuse now, so I'm putting it under a spoiler warning. Unfortunately, to get my take on the trans representation in the book, you cannot avoid discussion of abuse, because of the way the trans character is represented. I will not share specific details.
In short, as a trans survivor of intimate partner violence, I found the trans rep and the trauma rep both quite harmful.
It is my understanding that this is ownvoices ace representation. I am not ace, and I have heard mixed things about the ace rep from ace readers. Gonna link to a couple reviews that discuss the ace rep.
Here is a review that suggests this might be more demisexual than asexual rep.
Here is another review that also suggests this.
Unfortunately, the issues in the book were so pervasive and hurtful that it made it hard for me to enjoy the bits I might have otherwise have loved, like the cute godzilla stuffed animal, the flirting, the dance scenes, and the internet friends meeting up excitement.
Trigger Warnings:
Starting with the simple:
On a story level, it didn’t work for me. The central plot and characters and love story didn’t get enough focus or attention. This is primarily because a secondary romance plot took up so much airtime. This also meant that the dancing got less (not enough, in my opinion) attention and didn’t get a full arc, which was particularly disappointing for me, as it’s one of the main things I went into the book excited about. This was not satisfying as a dance story, for me. Also, the resolution of the central conflict was just not believable to me, especially as it was shunted off to the epilogue.
Onto the harder things:
The first thing that hit me was the casual persistent fatphobia, cuz it starts from the very beginning. There are two characters who continually say fatphobic things about (and to) the chubby main character: her mother, and Gigi (a character who used to be fat but is now thin and whose fatphobic comments are openly quite mean). They are basically never challenged on it. Not by other characters (including her love interest), and not textually. It just sits there, this continual barrage of fatphobic comments. Which I guess is supposed to contrast with the fact that the MC still wants the fat character, and make it look like he’s a good and accepting person...except he doesn't challenge his friend for saying fatphobic things about his love interest. (There’s maybe one half-hearted attempt that is not successful.) The other person saying fatphobic things is the MCs mother, and they are exhausting and food policing and made me sad.
This aspect of the text was just so toxic and unnecessary. Most contemporary dance focused stories engage with fatphobia on some level, but usually with more complexity and nuance and nods to body positivity or worry about eating disorders. This felt like the fatphobia was there carelessly, or to easily create a bitter cruel queen stereotype of a secondary character (complete with tragic backstory). It would be really nice, particularly in a fluffy romance centering a chubby character, if there wasn't this kind of unchallenged fatphobia.
Which brings me to the next core issue I had with this story. The secondary romance plot I mentioned that took up way too much room? That centers Gigi, the fatphobic character who is basically a stereotype of a bitter femme queer man, and who, as it turns out, (TW)
I generally love stories that center chosen family and friendship groups, but these friendships didn't give me warm fuzzies. They are cruel to each other, they don’t listen to each other, or respect each other’s wishes and consent. It made me sad to read about these platonic relationships.
I'm going to talk about triggering content related to abuse now, so I'm putting it under a spoiler warning. Unfortunately, to get my take on the trans representation in the book, you cannot avoid discussion of abuse, because of the way the trans character is represented. I will not share specific details.
In short, as a trans survivor of intimate partner violence, I found the trans rep and the trauma rep both quite harmful.
It is my understanding that this is ownvoices ace representation. I am not ace, and I have heard mixed things about the ace rep from ace readers. Gonna link to a couple reviews that discuss the ace rep.
Here is a review that suggests this might be more demisexual than asexual rep.
Here is another review that also suggests this.
Unfortunately, the issues in the book were so pervasive and hurtful that it made it hard for me to enjoy the bits I might have otherwise have loved, like the cute godzilla stuffed animal, the flirting, the dance scenes, and the internet friends meeting up excitement.
Trigger Warnings:
December 17, 2016
Finding Your Feet is the second book in the Toronto Connections series. I have not read the first one in the series, but I never felt as if something was missing, so it reads perfectly fine as a standalone story. This is a well-written and interesting story full of diversity. The main characters are an asexual British woman and a biracial Canadian trans man. I really liked them, as well as a number of equally well-done secondary characters. The story is rounded and clear in its message, and I will continue to read books by this author.
4 stars
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
4 stars
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
May 23, 2017
I decided to try a book where there likely wouldn’t be much if any – likely no sex in it. So I tried a book where the main character was both asexual and aromantic. I relatively rapidly grew tired of that book so moved to another asexual lead character, but this time they are asexual bioromantic.
That’s one of those things to be reminded of immediately – asexual does not mean that the person never absolutely never has any type of relationships and that they live their lives happily alone. Though it can mean that, depending on the individual. Though even if they are asexual and aromantic, they might end up in some kind of relationship (which I mention because one of the ‘couples’ in this book does include someone who self-describes themselves as asexual and aromantic and yet are in some kind of relationship with someone who uses plural pronouns (referring here to Sarah and Bailey).
Evie, one of the two main characters, has had relationships in her past – and is asexual. She’s had relationships with both men and women (not at the same time . . . I think), hence calling herself biromantic. Biromantic instead of bisexual because she’s asexual, in her sexual orientation, and bi-in her romantic orientation. She’s also a perfect example of someone who is both asexual and has sex – and, for that matter, is sometimes even quite eager ‘for it’. Eager might be pushing it, but sometimes it seemed that way. In general vague sense there are two types of asexual –in column 1 we have those who are ‘sex-repulsed’; and in column 2 we have – ‘I’ve forgotten the term’ (oh, I think ‘sex-positive’ gets used). Sex-repulsed asexual, as might or might not be obvious, want nothing to do with sex – at all. Sex-positive asexual doesn’t particularly want sex . . . except in certain situations; either they are willing to have sex because their partner wants sex, but they themselves will ‘get nothing’ out of it; or they actually will ‘get something’ out of it because they fall into the ‘demisexual’ category – someone experiencing ‘sexual attraction’ because they have developed, first, an emotional connection/attachment to someone – a somewhat better definition is actually used in this book by Evie to describe herself. Yet she doesn’t actually use the phrase ‘demisexual’ (unless I missed it). But that is what Evie is – demisexual and biromantic.
Evie is from York England and is 26. Her job just suddenly poofed on her, due to the company closing (or something like that), and so she has to find something to do for the next few months – she had already set herself up to go get an advanced degree at a university in Toronto, but she can’t just go there early (Visa issues). She can, though, go over early to scope the place out on vacation, to then leave then come back on an education visa. Which she decides to do.
Strangely this book and the one I had started and stopped begin the same way – waiting next to a baggage carousel waiting for a suitcase to appear, and with some vague worries about whether it really will arrive, etc. etc. But it does arrive, and so Evie’s freed to exit and . . . see a sign and stuffed Godzilla for her. For she’s going to be staying in Toronto with her Tumblr friend – Sarah (who goes by ‘Greybeard’ on Tumblr, while Evie goes by Queen Evazilla). They found they had some mutual interests – namely . . . um . . . drawings? Manga? Well, that and asexual stuff. That’s one of the things Evie’s over for, well not specifically asexual things, but for Pride events in Toronto (and to meet up with some other asexuals).
Evie’s second or third day in Toronto finds her being talked into playing on a dance machine with Sarah – in competition with Sarah (since Bailey, Sarah’s roommate who appears to be vaguely more than that, doesn’t dance). Turns out that the dance machine ‘thingie’ was being used to audition people for a dance competition between two dance studios who would take ‘non-professional’ dancers, match them up with teachers, teach them for a week, then have a dance-off during Pride events. This is how we meet the other main character and main point of view – Tyler Davis.
Course Evie and Tyler’s first meeting is a classic ‘meet bad’. The two heads of the dance studios are congratulating Evie on her ‘top score’, inviting her to join the event, and then arguing about who she would join. Evie begins to tell them that she didn’t realize that it was a competition, an audition, (well tell a third person who stepped up while the dance studio heads fought each other over her), when some man stepped up and said she’d do it.
Heh – I didn’t mean to quote all that, I did because it included a description of the other main character. Well, meet badly, as I said. Though she agrees to do the competition, though she didn’t immediately realize she was agreeing to dance with the arrogant self-entitled man. But with the fun looking gay man who was also there. Since Tyler, who is also Sarah’s friend, sounded ‘fun’ in Sarah’s descriptions.
Tyler Davis, meanwhile, is a 100% straight black (biracial) man of 25. Why is he working at a Queer Studios? Well, he is also transgender. He is FtM.
The book was interesting and fun. Deeper and more mature than expected.
One bit of annoyance - Evie has something of a . . . difficult relationship with her mother and there's a moment that occurs, via email
Rating: 4.80
May 23 2017
That’s one of those things to be reminded of immediately – asexual does not mean that the person never absolutely never has any type of relationships and that they live their lives happily alone. Though it can mean that, depending on the individual. Though even if they are asexual and aromantic, they might end up in some kind of relationship (which I mention because one of the ‘couples’ in this book does include someone who self-describes themselves as asexual and aromantic and yet are in some kind of relationship with someone who uses plural pronouns (referring here to Sarah and Bailey).
Evie, one of the two main characters, has had relationships in her past – and is asexual. She’s had relationships with both men and women (not at the same time . . . I think), hence calling herself biromantic. Biromantic instead of bisexual because she’s asexual, in her sexual orientation, and bi-in her romantic orientation. She’s also a perfect example of someone who is both asexual and has sex – and, for that matter, is sometimes even quite eager ‘for it’. Eager might be pushing it, but sometimes it seemed that way. In general vague sense there are two types of asexual –in column 1 we have those who are ‘sex-repulsed’; and in column 2 we have – ‘I’ve forgotten the term’ (oh, I think ‘sex-positive’ gets used). Sex-repulsed asexual, as might or might not be obvious, want nothing to do with sex – at all. Sex-positive asexual doesn’t particularly want sex . . . except in certain situations; either they are willing to have sex because their partner wants sex, but they themselves will ‘get nothing’ out of it; or they actually will ‘get something’ out of it because they fall into the ‘demisexual’ category – someone experiencing ‘sexual attraction’ because they have developed, first, an emotional connection/attachment to someone – a somewhat better definition is actually used in this book by Evie to describe herself. Yet she doesn’t actually use the phrase ‘demisexual’ (unless I missed it). But that is what Evie is – demisexual and biromantic.
Evie is from York England and is 26. Her job just suddenly poofed on her, due to the company closing (or something like that), and so she has to find something to do for the next few months – she had already set herself up to go get an advanced degree at a university in Toronto, but she can’t just go there early (Visa issues). She can, though, go over early to scope the place out on vacation, to then leave then come back on an education visa. Which she decides to do.
Strangely this book and the one I had started and stopped begin the same way – waiting next to a baggage carousel waiting for a suitcase to appear, and with some vague worries about whether it really will arrive, etc. etc. But it does arrive, and so Evie’s freed to exit and . . . see a sign and stuffed Godzilla for her. For she’s going to be staying in Toronto with her Tumblr friend – Sarah (who goes by ‘Greybeard’ on Tumblr, while Evie goes by Queen Evazilla). They found they had some mutual interests – namely . . . um . . . drawings? Manga? Well, that and asexual stuff. That’s one of the things Evie’s over for, well not specifically asexual things, but for Pride events in Toronto (and to meet up with some other asexuals).
Evie’s second or third day in Toronto finds her being talked into playing on a dance machine with Sarah – in competition with Sarah (since Bailey, Sarah’s roommate who appears to be vaguely more than that, doesn’t dance). Turns out that the dance machine ‘thingie’ was being used to audition people for a dance competition between two dance studios who would take ‘non-professional’ dancers, match them up with teachers, teach them for a week, then have a dance-off during Pride events. This is how we meet the other main character and main point of view – Tyler Davis.
Course Evie and Tyler’s first meeting is a classic ‘meet bad’. The two heads of the dance studios are congratulating Evie on her ‘top score’, inviting her to join the event, and then arguing about who she would join. Evie begins to tell them that she didn’t realize that it was a competition, an audition, (well tell a third person who stepped up while the dance studio heads fought each other over her), when some man stepped up and said she’d do it.
”I’m very sorry,” she started, “I didn’t really know about-“
“She’ll do it.”
Startled, she looked over to see the lean, grumpy dancer at her side. When did he get there? He was her height, with dark curly hair and light-brown skin, and he glared at her as though she were some kind of idiot. But he had to be one of the most gorgeous men Evie had ever found abruptly standing next to her-not that she was an expert on the matter.
And like all vaguely good looking men, he came with entitlement and an apparent inability to mind his own business. Or perhaps he was just as rude as his boss.
Time to end this nonsense.
“She can speak for herself,” she said, crisply enunciating every syllable.
His eyebrows raised. “Sorry.”
Heh – I didn’t mean to quote all that, I did because it included a description of the other main character. Well, meet badly, as I said. Though she agrees to do the competition, though she didn’t immediately realize she was agreeing to dance with the arrogant self-entitled man. But with the fun looking gay man who was also there. Since Tyler, who is also Sarah’s friend, sounded ‘fun’ in Sarah’s descriptions.
Tyler Davis, meanwhile, is a 100% straight black (biracial) man of 25. Why is he working at a Queer Studios? Well, he is also transgender. He is FtM.
The book was interesting and fun. Deeper and more mature than expected.
One bit of annoyance - Evie has something of a . . . difficult relationship with her mother and there's a moment that occurs, via email
Rating: 4.80
May 23 2017
December 15, 2016
I requested this book because of the diversity the author presented in the book. The writing was nice and the story was different...a dance contest. The main characters in the story are thrown together as a dance instructor and a beginner that have to put together a dance routine in a week. One is asexual and one is trans. What struck me most was that this was like a wonderful combination for this story. The characters really are perfect for each other. Evie is asexual...so Tyler's hang ups about sex are not a big deal. Evie's attraction is described in wonderful non-sexual ways. I am a reader that really looks forward to those sex scenes in my lesfic....buy I honestly didn't miss it in this read.The emotional connection was nice and well developed for the reader. The secondary characters provided the comic relief.
It was a nice solid read. I gave extra points for the wonderful diversity and the glimpses into what some of our brothers and sisters deal with on a daily basis-even from their own community.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Net galley in exchange for an honest review.
It was a nice solid read. I gave extra points for the wonderful diversity and the glimpses into what some of our brothers and sisters deal with on a daily basis-even from their own community.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Net galley in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2017
3.5 Stars
This is a sweet romance that has a New Adult feel to it even though the leads are in their mid twenties.
The cast of characters is lovely and the idea of being together for a dance competition is cool.
The hero's past relationship haunts him a bit and heroine is struggling to become fully herself. They are super cut. I love how they represent a new generation widening the orientation, gender, and sexuality perceptions. The way the writer handles this facets of the hero and heroine as just facets is refreshing.
There is unneeded drama towards the end the cuts into couple time along with lack of communication (which is why this book feeling more New Adult than it actually is) that drags on the romance but overall a good read.
I am excited to read other books in this series.
This is a sweet romance that has a New Adult feel to it even though the leads are in their mid twenties.
The cast of characters is lovely and the idea of being together for a dance competition is cool.
The hero's past relationship haunts him a bit and heroine is struggling to become fully herself. They are super cut. I love how they represent a new generation widening the orientation, gender, and sexuality perceptions. The way the writer handles this facets of the hero and heroine as just facets is refreshing.
There is unneeded drama towards the end the cuts into couple time along with lack of communication (which is why this book feeling more New Adult than it actually is) that drags on the romance but overall a good read.
I am excited to read other books in this series.
February 26, 2017
I didn't pick up on a lot of the problematic things in this book when I read it, and I want to apologize for that. I am lowering my rating, and I won't be recommending this book anymore.
If you want to know more about this book's problems, I'd recommend you reading the the top review on Goodreads.
-
Before I start this review I want to say 2 things. 1) I got a copy of Finding Your Feet for free through Netgalley, and while I’m incredibly grateful for this, it won’t affect my review in any way. 2) I am not trans, nor am I asexual, so I can’t comment on the representation in this book. Here you can find a review by someone who identifies as asexual, and here is a review of someone who identifies as gray-asexual.
Finding Your Feet is about an asexual girl named Evie, a tourist from the UK who is roped into a dancing competition for Toronto’s Pride event. It’s also about Tyler, Evie’s biracial and trans dancing partner in the competition, who is still very much affected by his last abusive relationship.
Evie and Tyler hit it off right away, but there are a few things in the way of their blossoming romance: the camera crew that’s filming a documentary about the dancing competition, meddling friends, and their rough pasts.
One of this books strongest points were it’s characters. Our main characters, Evie and Tyler, had very strong personalities, and they’re definitely characters that’ll be stuck with me for quite a long time. The side characters were a lot of fun too, and they all formed a very dynamic and supportive friend group that I wish I could be apart of. Also, almost all of the characters in this book belong to the LGBT+ community, which is something that I very much appreciated.
However, the writing wasn’t great. Sure, I had a lot of fun reading it, and it was a very easy read, but it was too simplistic. It was that kind of writing where the author tells you what a character is feeling instead of showing you, and I’m not a big fan of that.
I adored the romance between Evie and Tyler. I had a big smile on my face whenever I read a scene with them together, because they were so perfect for each other. It was also very hard-hitting at times, when it came clear how much Tyler was still affected by his abused relationship, and how they both still struggled with the way some other people reacted to their identity.
Something I want to add to this review, is how much I loved the fact that Evie was staying with her amazing Tumblr friend Sarah while in Toronto. I used to be on Tumblr a lot and I made some pretty great friends there, and seeing that talked about in a book made me incredibly happy.
Overall, Finding Your Feet was a very cute and touching read, which I’ll be sure to recommend to a lot of friends.
If you want to know more about this book's problems, I'd recommend you reading the the top review on Goodreads.
-
Before I start this review I want to say 2 things. 1) I got a copy of Finding Your Feet for free through Netgalley, and while I’m incredibly grateful for this, it won’t affect my review in any way. 2) I am not trans, nor am I asexual, so I can’t comment on the representation in this book. Here you can find a review by someone who identifies as asexual, and here is a review of someone who identifies as gray-asexual.
Finding Your Feet is about an asexual girl named Evie, a tourist from the UK who is roped into a dancing competition for Toronto’s Pride event. It’s also about Tyler, Evie’s biracial and trans dancing partner in the competition, who is still very much affected by his last abusive relationship.
Evie and Tyler hit it off right away, but there are a few things in the way of their blossoming romance: the camera crew that’s filming a documentary about the dancing competition, meddling friends, and their rough pasts.
One of this books strongest points were it’s characters. Our main characters, Evie and Tyler, had very strong personalities, and they’re definitely characters that’ll be stuck with me for quite a long time. The side characters were a lot of fun too, and they all formed a very dynamic and supportive friend group that I wish I could be apart of. Also, almost all of the characters in this book belong to the LGBT+ community, which is something that I very much appreciated.
However, the writing wasn’t great. Sure, I had a lot of fun reading it, and it was a very easy read, but it was too simplistic. It was that kind of writing where the author tells you what a character is feeling instead of showing you, and I’m not a big fan of that.
I adored the romance between Evie and Tyler. I had a big smile on my face whenever I read a scene with them together, because they were so perfect for each other. It was also very hard-hitting at times, when it came clear how much Tyler was still affected by his abused relationship, and how they both still struggled with the way some other people reacted to their identity.
Something I want to add to this review, is how much I loved the fact that Evie was staying with her amazing Tumblr friend Sarah while in Toronto. I used to be on Tumblr a lot and I made some pretty great friends there, and seeing that talked about in a book made me incredibly happy.
Overall, Finding Your Feet was a very cute and touching read, which I’ll be sure to recommend to a lot of friends.
February 6, 2017
Caught in a three month gap between her old job making her redundant and her start of schooling, Evie isn’t sure what to do. She could stay in England and get a crappy short term job to tide her over before she has to fly to Toronto to start school…but that sounds a bit like voluntarily walking thru the gates of retail-hell. Then one of her best online friends offers to put her up for a couple weeks in Toronto so they can hang, go to Pride, and give Evie a chance to check out her new home before she moves over permanently for school. Getting a job is by far the most sensible option, but offered the chance to see the city and finally meet one of her closest friends in person…it really isn’t a hard decision to make.
She never planned on falling into an amateur dance competition between two of the city’s dance schools, or falling for her dance partner, Tyler. Being Ace has left her a bit wary of relationships, but that is nothing to how gunshy Tyler is. And the two may hit it off on all levels, but what makes them great on the dance floor might not translate well into real life. Especially when Tyler thinks Evie is only going to be around for a couple weeks.
Gods, but it has been forever since I’ve read a book with a cis-female main character. It took a bit getting used to, but I found Evie–aka Eviezzla, aka Godzilla–to be very relatable. I tend to shy away from female main characters because I have female-body issues that can sometimes flare up at the oddest times (usually around sex scenes in books) but with Evie being Ace I was pretty sure that I could read this without accidentally tripping over any triggers. Some books with Ace MCs do have sex scenes but luckily for me this one does not, and while I get that some people may see this as a drawback, for me it let me read the book without having to worry about what was on the next page. I do wish this wasn’t such a big deal for me, because it kinda narrows down all the great books I can read, but I have to deal with what I got. So, yeah, that fact that Evie was Ace was really great. It gave me confidence to read this book, and to add to my ever-growing pile of queer books not strictly confined to gay romance.
Finding a book with a black trans-masculine main character was also really cool. In fact, a lot of things about this book really had me excited. I like book about dancers, and queer characters, and Canadians (don’t ask me why, but I think part of me thinks of them as our mythical hocking-bringing maple syrup moose-whispers to the north and will not be swayed). Add in a character who is English, and you have a tri(quad?)-fecta of awesome.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as book one, but it was certainly still really enjoyable. I liked the geekiness and the fun that these characters (both main and secondary) brought to this story. And despite the fact that dance really is something that is best enjoyed in visual form, the author did a good job of translating some of the action and flow into a written format. I like stories about dancers (and musicians) but sometimes trying to get parts of those stories to work in print instead of visually or auditorily just doesn’t mesh well. Here, by focusing more on the dancers instead of trying to transcribe large portions of the dance, the author was able to get a feel of the scene without boring me to tears with descriptions of dance moves and techniques that I really wouldn’t have got anyway.
My main issue with it mostly came from the fact that a lot of the angst in this book would have been sorted out a hell of a lot earlier if someone, anyone, would have made it clear to Tyler that Evie was actually moving to Toronto in a couple months. I get that he didn’t get it originally, but as the book went on and he kept not understanding, I started to lose my patience. I think if the book had spent less time on this, and more time on Tyler’s relationship issues, I would have enjoyed it a bit more. Because Tyler’s issues were real and I got them and could sympathize…the whole misunderstanding aspect of the plot just kinda annoyed me by the end.
Other than that, though, this book worked really well. The characters did a good job of catching my attention and holding it. And the little side relationships going on (including a small cameo from the boys in book one) didn’t distract from the overall story, but instead did a great job of adding to the atmosphere and plot. It may not be something I am used to reading, but I have to give it my recommendation. It is nice to step out of the box sometimes and see what else it out there. You might be surprised. Can’t wait to see what Cass Lennox has in store for us in book three.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
She never planned on falling into an amateur dance competition between two of the city’s dance schools, or falling for her dance partner, Tyler. Being Ace has left her a bit wary of relationships, but that is nothing to how gunshy Tyler is. And the two may hit it off on all levels, but what makes them great on the dance floor might not translate well into real life. Especially when Tyler thinks Evie is only going to be around for a couple weeks.
Gods, but it has been forever since I’ve read a book with a cis-female main character. It took a bit getting used to, but I found Evie–aka Eviezzla, aka Godzilla–to be very relatable. I tend to shy away from female main characters because I have female-body issues that can sometimes flare up at the oddest times (usually around sex scenes in books) but with Evie being Ace I was pretty sure that I could read this without accidentally tripping over any triggers. Some books with Ace MCs do have sex scenes but luckily for me this one does not, and while I get that some people may see this as a drawback, for me it let me read the book without having to worry about what was on the next page. I do wish this wasn’t such a big deal for me, because it kinda narrows down all the great books I can read, but I have to deal with what I got. So, yeah, that fact that Evie was Ace was really great. It gave me confidence to read this book, and to add to my ever-growing pile of queer books not strictly confined to gay romance.
Finding a book with a black trans-masculine main character was also really cool. In fact, a lot of things about this book really had me excited. I like book about dancers, and queer characters, and Canadians (don’t ask me why, but I think part of me thinks of them as our mythical hocking-bringing maple syrup moose-whispers to the north and will not be swayed). Add in a character who is English, and you have a tri(quad?)-fecta of awesome.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as book one, but it was certainly still really enjoyable. I liked the geekiness and the fun that these characters (both main and secondary) brought to this story. And despite the fact that dance really is something that is best enjoyed in visual form, the author did a good job of translating some of the action and flow into a written format. I like stories about dancers (and musicians) but sometimes trying to get parts of those stories to work in print instead of visually or auditorily just doesn’t mesh well. Here, by focusing more on the dancers instead of trying to transcribe large portions of the dance, the author was able to get a feel of the scene without boring me to tears with descriptions of dance moves and techniques that I really wouldn’t have got anyway.
My main issue with it mostly came from the fact that a lot of the angst in this book would have been sorted out a hell of a lot earlier if someone, anyone, would have made it clear to Tyler that Evie was actually moving to Toronto in a couple months. I get that he didn’t get it originally, but as the book went on and he kept not understanding, I started to lose my patience. I think if the book had spent less time on this, and more time on Tyler’s relationship issues, I would have enjoyed it a bit more. Because Tyler’s issues were real and I got them and could sympathize…the whole misunderstanding aspect of the plot just kinda annoyed me by the end.
Other than that, though, this book worked really well. The characters did a good job of catching my attention and holding it. And the little side relationships going on (including a small cameo from the boys in book one) didn’t distract from the overall story, but instead did a great job of adding to the atmosphere and plot. It may not be something I am used to reading, but I have to give it my recommendation. It is nice to step out of the box sometimes and see what else it out there. You might be surprised. Can’t wait to see what Cass Lennox has in store for us in book three.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 4, 2017
When Evie takes a Toronto vacation ahead of her move there for grad school, she finds herself tossed into a dance competition for Toronto Pride, the non-dancer paired with a professional to compete for the win. In one week, dancer Tyler has to choreograph a routine for the two of them and teach her the moves. Evie and Tyler have an immediate connection, but both of them are relationship wary, Tyler because of a previous tumultuous, emotionally abusive relationship, and Evie because she is asexual and her former partners have been exasperated with her indifference to sex. But as their dance practices draw them closer together, they have trouble fighting their attraction...and do they really want to keep fighting?
This was a sweet romance repping the A and T in LGBTQIA, which I enjoyed, since trans and ace representation in literature is negligible, and trans and ace representation in romance is practically unheard of (especially ace--does anyone know of other ace romances? I would be very interested in them!).
I immediately jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of this book because I identify as gray-asexual, so I was super excited to read a romance featuring an ace protagonist. While I appreciate why some ace people may have been disappointed in this portrayal (Evie is pretty far toward the "sexual" end of the spectrum for someone who identifies as ace), I personally enjoyed that Cass Lennox chose to explore a more non-traditional aspect of asexuality--Evie is someone who has had sex and can enjoy it, but finds it overall pretty unimportant and doesn't really experience sexual attraction (at least not often).
The writing here wasn't that great though. It read like, well, a decently good fanfiction. If I'd stumbled on this story on Tumblr, I probably would have loved it, but I hold published works to a higher standard, and this unfortunately doesn't really stand up against the writing quality of other books in its genre. It was fairly juvenile, and felt like an early work from a writer who has talent but needs a few years and maybe a few writing classes to really develop her craft. I kind of doubt it would have found a home at a publishing house, even a small LGBT house like Riptide, if it hadn't filled a niche in that otherwise totally empty "ace romance" category.
Still, it was a sweet, light read, and I really appreciated reading about an ace woman and a trans man finding happiness together.
Thanks to NetGalley and Riptide for providing a review copy.
This was a sweet romance repping the A and T in LGBTQIA, which I enjoyed, since trans and ace representation in literature is negligible, and trans and ace representation in romance is practically unheard of (especially ace--does anyone know of other ace romances? I would be very interested in them!).
I immediately jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of this book because I identify as gray-asexual, so I was super excited to read a romance featuring an ace protagonist. While I appreciate why some ace people may have been disappointed in this portrayal (Evie is pretty far toward the "sexual" end of the spectrum for someone who identifies as ace), I personally enjoyed that Cass Lennox chose to explore a more non-traditional aspect of asexuality--Evie is someone who has had sex and can enjoy it, but finds it overall pretty unimportant and doesn't really experience sexual attraction (at least not often).
The writing here wasn't that great though. It read like, well, a decently good fanfiction. If I'd stumbled on this story on Tumblr, I probably would have loved it, but I hold published works to a higher standard, and this unfortunately doesn't really stand up against the writing quality of other books in its genre. It was fairly juvenile, and felt like an early work from a writer who has talent but needs a few years and maybe a few writing classes to really develop her craft. I kind of doubt it would have found a home at a publishing house, even a small LGBT house like Riptide, if it hadn't filled a niche in that otherwise totally empty "ace romance" category.
Still, it was a sweet, light read, and I really appreciated reading about an ace woman and a trans man finding happiness together.
Thanks to NetGalley and Riptide for providing a review copy.
November 29, 2016
Disclaimer: I requested this ARC because I myself am asexual and I nearly exploded with excitement when I came across a romance featuring a fellow ace. Because of my higher expectations, the development halfway through the novel which wasn't consistent with my experience of asexuality lessened my enjoyment factor, but that's just due to my own baggage. This novel will definitely please those who are interested in reading a cute romance with a wonderfully diverse range of characters.
There's a lot to love about Finding Your Feet - the dazzling diversity for starters! I love how modern day literature is starting to catch on that all members of society should be represented, and that's the case here in no small measure! We have an asexual heroine paired with a trans biracial hero, and the supporting cast of characters are mainly drawn from the LGBT+ community as well. :D
I appreciated how the author shed some light on the struggles queer people face without becoming overly preachy about it or turning this into the dreaded 'after-school special'. There isn't any exaggerated over-the-top drama or angst piled on top of angst to drive home just how much grief the LGBT+ community can face - there are several stories out there about characters being thrown out of home or abused, etc. when they've come out, but I feel like it's important to also focus on the less obvious microaggressions that go unnoticed because they're not as openly vicious and bigoted.
Evie recounts her attempts at revealing that she's asexual to her family, who don't bother to acknowledge this fact or try to understand her and simply write her off as 'confused' and 'figuring herself out'. It might not be as huge a deal as someone being disowned by their family for being gay, but we're not playing the Oppression Olympics here, things can be crappy for someone even if it's not the end of the world and their pain at not being accepted still matters. I totally identify with Evie on this front - when I first tried to talk to my mother about being asexual, she made a crack about 'so do you photosynthesize?' which she thought was HILARIOUS. :/ Because words don't evolve over time to have different meanings, oh no, just because the commonly known context is in relation to 'asexual reproduction', that is the only meaning it can ever have!
I also thought it was interesting that the author brought up how the LGBT+ community isn't always as accepting and free of prejudice as one might expect. Sadly, humans are humans, regardless of orientation - there is sometimes a little judgment from gays towards bisexuals for not 'choosing a side' or for 'passing' when they're with a partner of the opposite sex. And Evie finds herself having to go on the defensive when she has dinner with fellow aces, one of whom turns out to be a militant activist who expects every single queer person to be out to their friends and family, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whether it's safe for them or if they're ready. PSA: it's up to you to make the decision for yourself when you're ready to come out, nobody gets to choose for you. It's not cowardly or letting anyone down if you don't feel able to come out, you have to be prepared to take that step.
Aside from that, I love that Evie stays with a friend she met over Tumblr, gaybeard-the-great aka Sarah. This is the first time I've come across a representation of internet friendships struck over mutual fandoms and it made me flail a little because I was friends with woodchoc_magnum via livejournal for a few years before I flew interstate to spend Easter with her! I shared Evie's mild panic over agreeing to staying with someone she only knew from online and spinning out over whether it was a huge mistake or not, that felt so real to me. As well as how rewarding and fulfilling it ended up being meeting her online friend in real life at last! ^_^
The romance was very sweet and fluffy - reading about Evie's developing feelings for Tyler was a whole new experience for me. Usually novels focus on physical signs of sexual attraction (the 'taut nipples' and 'moistness' or 'damp heat' in one's genital region, per my trashy romance novels), but I loved how relatable this was to me as an ace when I read about Evie inwardly gushing over Tyler:
'...the way he moved with her, the way his face lit up and his hands waved when he was inspired, the way he touched her like she had substance and presence and-'
YES. \o/
I wasn't a fan of the initial personality conflict between Evie and Tyler - it seemed like it was a pretty flimsy pretext just for the purpose of giving them something to overcome. But once they became friends during their dance rehearsals and their bond strengthened, the growing trust and affection between them was lovely! :)
My main criticism of this book would be that in my view, Evie came off as demisexual, rather than ace. I had to try not to let that color my enjoyment too much - when I first sensed the demi vibes, I put this down out of frustration and turned to another book for a while.It's not that I'm prejudiced against demis, I promise you I'm not! It's just that I was excited how for the first time ever, I was going to be reading about a character whose orientation matched my own - I read a lot of romances and simply skim past the sex scenes, so the idea of not having to deal with the protagonist's sexual attraction to the love interest for a change was so refreshing. I am certainly capable of relating to characters with whom I have little in common (I read books about teenage boys, serial killers, paranormal creatures, etc.) but because I'd been primed to view Evie as asexual and had the expectation of how this would reflect my experiences, it was disappointing that turned out not to be the case.
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC free from Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There's a lot to love about Finding Your Feet - the dazzling diversity for starters! I love how modern day literature is starting to catch on that all members of society should be represented, and that's the case here in no small measure! We have an asexual heroine paired with a trans biracial hero, and the supporting cast of characters are mainly drawn from the LGBT+ community as well. :D
I appreciated how the author shed some light on the struggles queer people face without becoming overly preachy about it or turning this into the dreaded 'after-school special'. There isn't any exaggerated over-the-top drama or angst piled on top of angst to drive home just how much grief the LGBT+ community can face - there are several stories out there about characters being thrown out of home or abused, etc. when they've come out, but I feel like it's important to also focus on the less obvious microaggressions that go unnoticed because they're not as openly vicious and bigoted.
Evie recounts her attempts at revealing that she's asexual to her family, who don't bother to acknowledge this fact or try to understand her and simply write her off as 'confused' and 'figuring herself out'. It might not be as huge a deal as someone being disowned by their family for being gay, but we're not playing the Oppression Olympics here, things can be crappy for someone even if it's not the end of the world and their pain at not being accepted still matters. I totally identify with Evie on this front - when I first tried to talk to my mother about being asexual, she made a crack about 'so do you photosynthesize?' which she thought was HILARIOUS. :/ Because words don't evolve over time to have different meanings, oh no, just because the commonly known context is in relation to 'asexual reproduction', that is the only meaning it can ever have!
I also thought it was interesting that the author brought up how the LGBT+ community isn't always as accepting and free of prejudice as one might expect. Sadly, humans are humans, regardless of orientation - there is sometimes a little judgment from gays towards bisexuals for not 'choosing a side' or for 'passing' when they're with a partner of the opposite sex. And Evie finds herself having to go on the defensive when she has dinner with fellow aces, one of whom turns out to be a militant activist who expects every single queer person to be out to their friends and family, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whether it's safe for them or if they're ready. PSA: it's up to you to make the decision for yourself when you're ready to come out, nobody gets to choose for you. It's not cowardly or letting anyone down if you don't feel able to come out, you have to be prepared to take that step.
Aside from that, I love that Evie stays with a friend she met over Tumblr, gaybeard-the-great aka Sarah. This is the first time I've come across a representation of internet friendships struck over mutual fandoms and it made me flail a little because I was friends with woodchoc_magnum via livejournal for a few years before I flew interstate to spend Easter with her! I shared Evie's mild panic over agreeing to staying with someone she only knew from online and spinning out over whether it was a huge mistake or not, that felt so real to me. As well as how rewarding and fulfilling it ended up being meeting her online friend in real life at last! ^_^
The romance was very sweet and fluffy - reading about Evie's developing feelings for Tyler was a whole new experience for me. Usually novels focus on physical signs of sexual attraction (the 'taut nipples' and 'moistness' or 'damp heat' in one's genital region, per my trashy romance novels), but I loved how relatable this was to me as an ace when I read about Evie inwardly gushing over Tyler:
'...the way he moved with her, the way his face lit up and his hands waved when he was inspired, the way he touched her like she had substance and presence and-'
YES. \o/
I wasn't a fan of the initial personality conflict between Evie and Tyler - it seemed like it was a pretty flimsy pretext just for the purpose of giving them something to overcome. But once they became friends during their dance rehearsals and their bond strengthened, the growing trust and affection between them was lovely! :)
My main criticism of this book would be that in my view, Evie came off as demisexual, rather than ace. I had to try not to let that color my enjoyment too much - when I first sensed the demi vibes, I put this down out of frustration and turned to another book for a while.It's not that I'm prejudiced against demis, I promise you I'm not! It's just that I was excited how for the first time ever, I was going to be reading about a character whose orientation matched my own - I read a lot of romances and simply skim past the sex scenes, so the idea of not having to deal with the protagonist's sexual attraction to the love interest for a change was so refreshing. I am certainly capable of relating to characters with whom I have little in common (I read books about teenage boys, serial killers, paranormal creatures, etc.) but because I'd been primed to view Evie as asexual and had the expectation of how this would reflect my experiences, it was disappointing that turned out not to be the case.
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC free from Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2017
Book 2 in the Toronto Connections series
Evie is looking to move away from the UK to get away from her life there and her frankly overbearing mother who thinks that Evie's asexuality is just a phase and basically makes no attempt whatsoever to understand or support her. Tyler has the familial support but has just come out of a very abusive relationship with a woman who demeaned him for being transgender and used it as a weapon in their relationship which has left him very mistrustful of everyone and has haunted him ever since.
Watching these two get together was lovely and I've been enjoying this series very much. The secondary characters in this story were just as much fun as the main characters and I just adored Gigi who got his own HEA too. More please :)
*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Evie is looking to move away from the UK to get away from her life there and her frankly overbearing mother who thinks that Evie's asexuality is just a phase and basically makes no attempt whatsoever to understand or support her. Tyler has the familial support but has just come out of a very abusive relationship with a woman who demeaned him for being transgender and used it as a weapon in their relationship which has left him very mistrustful of everyone and has haunted him ever since.
Watching these two get together was lovely and I've been enjoying this series very much. The secondary characters in this story were just as much fun as the main characters and I just adored Gigi who got his own HEA too. More please :)
*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
February 10, 2017
I have some mixed feelings about this book. There are some super positive, awesome things happening in this book and the characters are great. However, there were things with the plot that weren’t really for me, I guess? This is book two in the Toronto Connections universe, the first being Blank Spaces. It’s a very different story. Finding Your Feet is about asexual Evie Whitmore, traveling from the United Kingdom and accidentally getting roped into a dancing competition for Toronto’s Pride event. The other main character is Tyler Davis, a biracial trans man who is still deeply affected by his last toxic relationship, and is Evie’s professional dance partner for the competition.
I like that this series of books is diverse and tells a story filled with characters that I don’t seem to see in books very often (or I’m just not looking in the right places). The characters’ struggles are something they’re getting through and we can see that Evie and Tyler are still dealing with the pain brought on by their past relationships. This story is a really sweet one as we see how Evie and Tyler grow closer in their interactions and become more and more comfortable with one another.
Finding Your Feet does touch on the struggles LGBTQIAP+ members face with their family, friends, and how it can affect relationships. I don’t think it got too preachy in the text, but it definitely helped me get a better understanding of where Evie and Tyler are coming from when they’re confronted by their growing feelings for one another.
So, my main criticism with this book is the plot. It’s just…an entire plot that focuses on dancing doesn’t really interest me all that much. I know. This is a personal preference and some people will probably love reading it. I just found myself skimming through most of the dance practice scenes and the reason why it’s taken me a week to finish this book. There’s a lot of terms used about dancing that’s not really explained, so…I don’t know, the dancing scenes just wasn’t my thing. For the most part, the writing is totally engaging, but I almost stopped reading when this book used Evie’s dying dog as a way to push Evie and Tyler closer together. I am so not here for using dying pets as a plot device. So, be warned that this does happen.
The supporting characters we’re introduced to were pretty interesting. I’m excited that Gigi and Brock have their own book together next because I’m not entirely sold on their relationship. I feel a lot of angst is going to be in the next book, considering their history together? But, I’m just not sure how I feel about them at this point. There’s several cameos of Vaughn and Jonah from Blank Spaces. I love how everyone keeps misinterpreting rich boy, boat shoes Vaughn, so that was entertaining to read.
Overall, this book was just okay for me. I enjoyed the first book more, but I also think this was an important read too. It was a cute read seeing Evie and Tyler’s interactions with one another and I look forward to reading book three in the Toronto Connections series.
***Thanks to Riptide Publishing for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***
I like that this series of books is diverse and tells a story filled with characters that I don’t seem to see in books very often (or I’m just not looking in the right places). The characters’ struggles are something they’re getting through and we can see that Evie and Tyler are still dealing with the pain brought on by their past relationships. This story is a really sweet one as we see how Evie and Tyler grow closer in their interactions and become more and more comfortable with one another.
Finding Your Feet does touch on the struggles LGBTQIAP+ members face with their family, friends, and how it can affect relationships. I don’t think it got too preachy in the text, but it definitely helped me get a better understanding of where Evie and Tyler are coming from when they’re confronted by their growing feelings for one another.
So, my main criticism with this book is the plot. It’s just…an entire plot that focuses on dancing doesn’t really interest me all that much. I know. This is a personal preference and some people will probably love reading it. I just found myself skimming through most of the dance practice scenes and the reason why it’s taken me a week to finish this book. There’s a lot of terms used about dancing that’s not really explained, so…I don’t know, the dancing scenes just wasn’t my thing. For the most part, the writing is totally engaging, but I almost stopped reading when this book used Evie’s dying dog as a way to push Evie and Tyler closer together. I am so not here for using dying pets as a plot device. So, be warned that this does happen.
The supporting characters we’re introduced to were pretty interesting. I’m excited that Gigi and Brock have their own book together next because I’m not entirely sold on their relationship. I feel a lot of angst is going to be in the next book, considering their history together? But, I’m just not sure how I feel about them at this point. There’s several cameos of Vaughn and Jonah from Blank Spaces. I love how everyone keeps misinterpreting rich boy, boat shoes Vaughn, so that was entertaining to read.
Overall, this book was just okay for me. I enjoyed the first book more, but I also think this was an important read too. It was a cute read seeing Evie and Tyler’s interactions with one another and I look forward to reading book three in the Toronto Connections series.
***Thanks to Riptide Publishing for providing me an ARC through NetGalley***
February 4, 2017
"In his experience, there was one consistent thing about being queer no matter what shape it took: sometimes just existing was exhausting."
*I received an ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Trigger warnings for transphobia and emotional trauma and some body shaming comments. All of these things were challenged in this book.
If you want a cute romance book to spend your time reading swooning and shipping characters but also wanting to shake them to see what's in front of them and without too much drama particularly involving the lgbtq+ issues, this is definitely the book for you. I can't really talk about the accurate representation because the main characters are a trans man of colour and a girl in the asexual spectrum and I'm neither of those things but I can tell that the way this author talks about bisexuality (which I am) is gorgeous and accurate at least with my life. The girl, who is in the asexual spectrum but not strictly asexual (she seemed demisexual to me but she never described herself as that but I know people went into this thinking she's asexual so just a heads up) is also biromantic or bisexual and her family thinks she's going through a face. They are not directly rejecting her but she definitely doesn't feel validated and they are really not going to understand her asexuality. The guy, Tyler, is dealing with the trauma of an verbally abusive relationship and that affects his new one with Evie. But she is supportive and comprehensive, giving him time to heal and figure things out and they are so sweet together I almost got a tooth ache.
This is like a modern version of Dirty Dancing and I adore when people fall in love with the passion of the other person. You can see them admiring each other and even finding out that they are attracted to the other person when they talk about what they love to do or how strong they are. Did I mention that the girl MC's profession is in STEM? Badass. Both of them have trust issues but Evie is a fan of talking through things which makes this book not as frustrating as a lot of romance books are where there is miscommunication. I mean, Tyler still had to work through his communication skills but she makes him talk and be clear with what he wants but like I said, she also gives him time to figure his things out and that was lovely to read.
I also adored that it told other stories of other queer people and their experiences. There was a gay couple that was going through their own drama and a relationship between two of their friends who were nonbinary (used they/them pronouns) and another asexual girl and everything was so positive and beautiful and it just gives you butterflies in your stomach all the time. It's just fantastic to see so many people with so many different backgrounds coming together and finding their own happy endings. But I also thought it was so interesting that the author decided to include the prejudice and pressure that other queer people can put on you within your same community.
May 15, 2017
This is actually the first time we need our 0/10 stars shelf. Because that's what both reviewers gave this book. No stars at all.
"In queer terms, I am The Audience for this book. And it is a hotbed of transphobia, and micro-aggressions. I don’t even have room to address the numerous issues outside of the trans things (and boy were there many) [...]." - Matt
"When I talked about this book with a friend and tried to explain my feelings, he said something that stuck with me. “Oh, so he’s a diversity bingo character. No thanks.” You know what? That sums it up perfectly." - Maria
Find both full reviews on our blog here.
"In queer terms, I am The Audience for this book. And it is a hotbed of transphobia, and micro-aggressions. I don’t even have room to address the numerous issues outside of the trans things (and boy were there many) [...]." - Matt
"When I talked about this book with a friend and tried to explain my feelings, he said something that stuck with me. “Oh, so he’s a diversity bingo character. No thanks.” You know what? That sums it up perfectly." - Maria
Find both full reviews on our blog here.
November 5, 2016
This book was so different to what I was expecting. Cass had said to expect a very different kind of story than what we got in Blank Spaces, and she was right. She'd know, of course, being the author and all.
Once again, we are given an asexual spectrum protagonist paired with someone who's not. Unlike last time, the second protagonist is a trans male. But, to my incredible relief, this is not a "trans story".
Tyler is a dancer for a queer dance group. When he's basically enlisted to do a piece for the Toronto Pride event, he fights against it initially until he meets Evie, the friend of his friend, Sarah.
Evie has come across to Toronto from England just before her studies are due to begin to get a scope of the lay of the land and meet the friend she's only known on Tumblr before now. I actually loved this little bit as the backstory for these two, as it's so relevant but under represented in new releases.
Evie only accidentally ends up in the auditions because Sarah doesn't quite mention it when she pulls her up for the sake of her friend Tyler, so in a way Evie is roped into the event with dubious consent just like Tyler.
Despite the synopsis, I didn't find Tyler to be an overly grumpy. There were good reasons given in the narrative why he was a bit standoffish and cautious, and as someone who has experienced emotional abuse in a past relationship, I found his behaviour convincing.
Perhaps it was because of that similarity that I found myself more aligning with Tyler than Evie in this book. Evie's asexuality is well written, of course, as I was expecting after having read the previous book in the series, but unlike the previous character of Vaughn, Evie read more as demi sexual. Although that particular label was never used in the text, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a demi romance.
Unlike the previous book in the series, I actually really loved this epilogue that was set three months after the rest of the book. It suited perfectly given the time that Evie had allotted to going back home to England to tie up her affairs before returning to her life in Toronto.
December 31, 2016
I received an ARC through NetGalley.
Finding Your Feet was another super cute romance in this series! It's kind of like a queer Dirty Dancing! Evie is currently on vacation in Toronto, meeting her online BFF, and scoping out the city she hopes to call home come Fall. Then she accidentally enters a dance competition and gets paired up with the gorgeous but cranky, Tyler. Tyler just wants to get this dance over with after being burned by a dance partner before, but there's something about Evie. She's not at all like his ex, but she's also leaving in a week. Is she worth the risk?
Once again, the author has written an adorable Romance involving an ace character! Evie is out as bisexual, but not fully out as asexual. She's out to her friends but not her family, as she doesn't think they'd understand. But entering a dance competition at a Pride event, is sure to get back to them. I loved how open and straightforward she was with Tyler once it's clear that feelings are developing. She puts it all out there. He does as well. Tyler is transgender and had a horrible experience with his ex-girlfriend. He's worried that it'll happen again, and after some bumps in the road, he opens up to Evie. Hooray for communication!
The dancing part of Finding Your Feet was also really fun. Dance is Tyler's passion despite his hesitance about this competition. He doesn't want to work with Evie at first, but she's a natural, even though she's not a professional dancer. I adored their scenes together! Tyler is patient with her, and Evie is a hard worker. And you can tell they were having so much fun once they settled into their lessons. Of course, their dancing has to turn from awkward and fun to awkward and tense!
Overall, I really enjoyed Finding Your Feet. I do wish there had been a bit more about Evie coming out to her family, which she does in a big way! She pulls this big stunt, and then nothing afterward. I also want to know what Evie "likes" as I'm sure Tyler does as well!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
Finding Your Feet was another super cute romance in this series! It's kind of like a queer Dirty Dancing! Evie is currently on vacation in Toronto, meeting her online BFF, and scoping out the city she hopes to call home come Fall. Then she accidentally enters a dance competition and gets paired up with the gorgeous but cranky, Tyler. Tyler just wants to get this dance over with after being burned by a dance partner before, but there's something about Evie. She's not at all like his ex, but she's also leaving in a week. Is she worth the risk?
Once again, the author has written an adorable Romance involving an ace character! Evie is out as bisexual, but not fully out as asexual. She's out to her friends but not her family, as she doesn't think they'd understand. But entering a dance competition at a Pride event, is sure to get back to them. I loved how open and straightforward she was with Tyler once it's clear that feelings are developing. She puts it all out there. He does as well. Tyler is transgender and had a horrible experience with his ex-girlfriend. He's worried that it'll happen again, and after some bumps in the road, he opens up to Evie. Hooray for communication!
The dancing part of Finding Your Feet was also really fun. Dance is Tyler's passion despite his hesitance about this competition. He doesn't want to work with Evie at first, but she's a natural, even though she's not a professional dancer. I adored their scenes together! Tyler is patient with her, and Evie is a hard worker. And you can tell they were having so much fun once they settled into their lessons. Of course, their dancing has to turn from awkward and fun to awkward and tense!
Overall, I really enjoyed Finding Your Feet. I do wish there had been a bit more about Evie coming out to her family, which she does in a big way! She pulls this big stunt, and then nothing afterward. I also want to know what Evie "likes" as I'm sure Tyler does as well!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
February 6, 2017
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley and I'm freely giving my honest review.*
I liked this story and Tyler and Evie is a sweet couple. I loved the way Evie took Tyler's baggage and insecurities even though she didn't know the reasons for it. Tyler didn't feel ready for a relationship but the feelings between him and Evie couldn't be ignored.
If this story is anything similar to the real life and challenges transgender persons have I admire their courage and pride.
I didn't feel like the subject of gender was the main topic but it was a underlying topic in the story and I think the author made a good job of not making the characters victims but real people that knows how it is to try living a good life in a world where we're all suppose to be "normal" (whatever that means)
The writing style of this author is easygoing and filled with dialogues so reading this is joyful and fast. And my favourite is as always; no unnecessary descriptions of surroundings!
The connection between Evie and Tyler is very good described and I fell in love with them because they seemed so real but it missed something to make them my favourites.
I'm a little indecisive about stars here and I can't give a very good reason but I liked the first book in this series better so I think this is a good 4 star read.
I look forward to reading the story of some of the secondary characters.
I liked this story and Tyler and Evie is a sweet couple. I loved the way Evie took Tyler's baggage and insecurities even though she didn't know the reasons for it. Tyler didn't feel ready for a relationship but the feelings between him and Evie couldn't be ignored.
If this story is anything similar to the real life and challenges transgender persons have I admire their courage and pride.
I didn't feel like the subject of gender was the main topic but it was a underlying topic in the story and I think the author made a good job of not making the characters victims but real people that knows how it is to try living a good life in a world where we're all suppose to be "normal" (whatever that means)
The writing style of this author is easygoing and filled with dialogues so reading this is joyful and fast. And my favourite is as always; no unnecessary descriptions of surroundings!
The connection between Evie and Tyler is very good described and I fell in love with them because they seemed so real but it missed something to make them my favourites.
I'm a little indecisive about stars here and I can't give a very good reason but I liked the first book in this series better so I think this is a good 4 star read.
I look forward to reading the story of some of the secondary characters.
December 28, 2016
Review soon. :)
October 30, 2017
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3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
As is hinted at in the blurb, trigger warnings for descriptions of emotional/transphobic abuse and the aftermath. Not being trans, nor having experienced emotional abuse, I cannot speak to how that is handled. From an outsider perspective, I thought it was fine, but I've seen reviews from abuse survivors that suggest otherwise, so perhaps read those and decide for yourself.
I was attracted to this book for several reasons. First, it's a cornucopia of diversity...and not only that, but it has LGBT+ characters of the lesser explored variety, so I was intrigued. Especially with Evie, as I identify on the gray spectrum. I even chose to read it this month because one of my diversity challenge themes is intersectionality, and since Tyler is trans and biracial it totally fits. Second, and this cannot be understated enough, I LOVE dance books. I'm not a dancer myself, I'm just constantly in awe of the dance community, which I feel is the perfect marriage between athletics and art...both of which I do not excel in. :P And third, it's set in Canada!! I love reading books set in my country, so that definitely played a factor. And honestly, on the whole I was fulfilled! I wasn't blown away or anything, but it satisfied my desire for diversity, dance, and Canadianism!
Like I said, I cannot speak to the realistic representation of Tyler as a trans character, but I felt like the author explored some of the challenges of being a transgendered man, and the horrible experience of transphobic/emotional abuse. I will admit that while I appreciated some of the observations Tyler had in his journey, this was not a great example of someone healing from an abusive relationship. It was kind of glossed over and shallow, so if that's what you're looking for, you're in the wrong place. This book was more about the relationship between Tyler and Evie, with Tyler's fears used mostly as a roadblock to that relationship. So more heavy on the romance, less on depth of an emotional journey. That was fine for me, but may not work for everyone. In general I liked Tyler, but I felt like his character could be a bit inconsistent. And since we didn't really get to see in depth healing, the constant roadblock from the aftermath of his ex became a bit overused without satisfying growth and change.
I really loved Evie's character, and her representation for the gray spectrum. I realize not everyone will appreciate it if they're looking for the quintessential asexual character, which she is not. But as someone elsewhere on the spectrum, I was super excited to see a character very much like me represented, as the gray spectrum really is vast. We got to see her fall in love with different things about Tyler that had nothing to do with sexual attraction. Ace stuff aside, I thought she was really funny, forthright, and a good mix of sweet and sass.
I loved that we got a good amount of dancing as well...it satisfied my wannabe dancer's heart. And watching Tyler and Evie crush and flirt with each other while dancing was the highlight of this book for me.
On the not so good side of things, there were a lot of little threads left hanging and not dealt with...I don't understand why an author would introduce something and leave it unresolved. The biggest was Evie's relationship with her mother. It was constantly in the background through emails, and quite frankly it was kind of toxic. But we never see the resolution in that relationship. Perhaps if we were told she had a bad relationship, that she couldn't come out to her family, but left it at that, I would have been OK having it glossed over at the end. But to see the quietly toxic relationship consistently in the background, complete with fat-shaming remarks, and to then see no resolution was unsatisfying.
I was also really unimpressed with Gigi in this story...he made fat-shaming remarks of his own that made me uncomfortable, and he was really allowed to be fairly mean throughout the story without consequences. And I wasn't impressed with his side story, especially if he's going to get a book of his own. I would have liked more Tyler/Evie time.
And quite frankly, none of the friendships were super awesome. They could have good qualities, but there was a level of care missing at times...just a lot of meddling without thinking of consequences.
There were a lot of terms used in this book that went unexplained...from the tumblr things Evie and Sarah connected with, to dance terms, to whatever fujoshi is (still need to Google that). And it took me a bit to figure out that Bailey is nonbinary, and that when the author used they/them they were just talking about Bailey, and not Bailey and Sarah or something. I liked having another lesser explored LGBT+ character represented, but it was too bad that it took me so long to understand that.
So yeah. Like I said, not blown away, but still enjoyed myself (rounding up for the dance aspect alone). It wasn't a book I gobbled up, but it did have some great aspects that I personally really enjoyed! As an aside, am I the only Canadian that doesn't actually consume a lot of maple syrup?
3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
As is hinted at in the blurb, trigger warnings for descriptions of emotional/transphobic abuse and the aftermath. Not being trans, nor having experienced emotional abuse, I cannot speak to how that is handled. From an outsider perspective, I thought it was fine, but I've seen reviews from abuse survivors that suggest otherwise, so perhaps read those and decide for yourself.
I was attracted to this book for several reasons. First, it's a cornucopia of diversity...and not only that, but it has LGBT+ characters of the lesser explored variety, so I was intrigued. Especially with Evie, as I identify on the gray spectrum. I even chose to read it this month because one of my diversity challenge themes is intersectionality, and since Tyler is trans and biracial it totally fits. Second, and this cannot be understated enough, I LOVE dance books. I'm not a dancer myself, I'm just constantly in awe of the dance community, which I feel is the perfect marriage between athletics and art...both of which I do not excel in. :P And third, it's set in Canada!! I love reading books set in my country, so that definitely played a factor. And honestly, on the whole I was fulfilled! I wasn't blown away or anything, but it satisfied my desire for diversity, dance, and Canadianism!
Like I said, I cannot speak to the realistic representation of Tyler as a trans character, but I felt like the author explored some of the challenges of being a transgendered man, and the horrible experience of transphobic/emotional abuse. I will admit that while I appreciated some of the observations Tyler had in his journey, this was not a great example of someone healing from an abusive relationship. It was kind of glossed over and shallow, so if that's what you're looking for, you're in the wrong place. This book was more about the relationship between Tyler and Evie, with Tyler's fears used mostly as a roadblock to that relationship. So more heavy on the romance, less on depth of an emotional journey. That was fine for me, but may not work for everyone. In general I liked Tyler, but I felt like his character could be a bit inconsistent. And since we didn't really get to see in depth healing, the constant roadblock from the aftermath of his ex became a bit overused without satisfying growth and change.
I really loved Evie's character, and her representation for the gray spectrum. I realize not everyone will appreciate it if they're looking for the quintessential asexual character, which she is not. But as someone elsewhere on the spectrum, I was super excited to see a character very much like me represented, as the gray spectrum really is vast. We got to see her fall in love with different things about Tyler that had nothing to do with sexual attraction. Ace stuff aside, I thought she was really funny, forthright, and a good mix of sweet and sass.
I loved that we got a good amount of dancing as well...it satisfied my wannabe dancer's heart. And watching Tyler and Evie crush and flirt with each other while dancing was the highlight of this book for me.
On the not so good side of things, there were a lot of little threads left hanging and not dealt with...I don't understand why an author would introduce something and leave it unresolved. The biggest was Evie's relationship with her mother. It was constantly in the background through emails, and quite frankly it was kind of toxic. But we never see the resolution in that relationship. Perhaps if we were told she had a bad relationship, that she couldn't come out to her family, but left it at that, I would have been OK having it glossed over at the end. But to see the quietly toxic relationship consistently in the background, complete with fat-shaming remarks, and to then see no resolution was unsatisfying.
I was also really unimpressed with Gigi in this story...he made fat-shaming remarks of his own that made me uncomfortable, and he was really allowed to be fairly mean throughout the story without consequences. And I wasn't impressed with his side story, especially if he's going to get a book of his own. I would have liked more Tyler/Evie time.
And quite frankly, none of the friendships were super awesome. They could have good qualities, but there was a level of care missing at times...just a lot of meddling without thinking of consequences.
There were a lot of terms used in this book that went unexplained...from the tumblr things Evie and Sarah connected with, to dance terms, to whatever fujoshi is (still need to Google that). And it took me a bit to figure out that Bailey is nonbinary, and that when the author used they/them they were just talking about Bailey, and not Bailey and Sarah or something. I liked having another lesser explored LGBT+ character represented, but it was too bad that it took me so long to understand that.
So yeah. Like I said, not blown away, but still enjoyed myself (rounding up for the dance aspect alone). It wasn't a book I gobbled up, but it did have some great aspects that I personally really enjoyed! As an aside, am I the only Canadian that doesn't actually consume a lot of maple syrup?
June 14, 2019
I'm not usually a romance reader and there was a lot of drama going on, but it was really sweet with great representation! Also made me wanna dance :)
Want to read
December 2, 2019brb crying
Read
February 28, 2023DNF @ 26%. Not really enjoying these pretty specific characters or interested in the dance contest plot (which lol as it turns out means I wasn’t really enjoying the book).
March 19, 2017
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story was nice. I liked it. Featuring a romance between a straight black transman and an English biromantic ace girl, this story is quite diverse. There's also a nonbinary side-character who uses they/them pronouns and a gay side-character.
Evie is excited to fly to Canada and visit her friend Sarah, who she met on tumblr. They plan to go to pride together and to meet some other aces. Before Evie knows it she has signed up for a dance competition, that is supposed to happen during pride. While their start is bumpy due to misunderstandings, Evie and Tyler, her dancing partner, soon realize that they fit together as more than just good dancers. This, however, brings up some demons from Tyler's past, who had an emotionally abusive & transphobic relationship with another dancing partner in the past.
Warnings for those of you who expect Evie to be not interested in sex like I did. She is a sex-positive ace, maybe demisexual, has had sex in the past and does some sexual teasing with Tyler, but there's no sex scene in the book. Now being a sex-positive ace or demisexual is not a bad thing, but it's not what I was expecting and I would have loved if there had been a bit more explenation how sexual attraction differs for many aces. There is some great ace pride in the book though, which I really liked.
However, there's also some stuff that bothers me. There's a lot of fatphobic comments in this book. Some are directed towards a guy who used to be fat in an attempt to say that being fat and gay and bullied for that couldn't ever be as hard as being black and having gender dysphoria. Neither is easy and I disliked that this was never brought up afterward. What I found way worse however, is the way Evie's mom constantly comments on her daughter's weight. In the story, we are told that Evie is thin enough for her dance partner to easily lift her, but trained enough to lift him as well. She does a lot of sports. And even if she didn't, she's a grown up and her mother has no right to say that stuff. It is never discussed, at all and this really bothered me. I also hated how one of the characters is supposed to forgive his high-school bully bc ~he changed~ and now truly loves him. Everybody pressures him into it and doesn't seem to realize how much the character is hurting. This really made me uncomfortable. (and not to mention the fact that Evie self-describes herself as fujoshi and has some fangirl attacks about shipping slash and/or fetishizing gay/bi men, which was kind of gross).
I also found the writing to be underwhelming and there is some conflict that feels really contrived. Not to mention the fact that they fall in love in less than a week. Ugh, I know they don't have much time, but I hate insta-love. Other than that the story was really sweet and I liked it.
This story was nice. I liked it. Featuring a romance between a straight black transman and an English biromantic ace girl, this story is quite diverse. There's also a nonbinary side-character who uses they/them pronouns and a gay side-character.
Evie is excited to fly to Canada and visit her friend Sarah, who she met on tumblr. They plan to go to pride together and to meet some other aces. Before Evie knows it she has signed up for a dance competition, that is supposed to happen during pride. While their start is bumpy due to misunderstandings, Evie and Tyler, her dancing partner, soon realize that they fit together as more than just good dancers. This, however, brings up some demons from Tyler's past, who had an emotionally abusive & transphobic relationship with another dancing partner in the past.
Warnings for those of you who expect Evie to be not interested in sex like I did. She is a sex-positive ace, maybe demisexual, has had sex in the past and does some sexual teasing with Tyler, but there's no sex scene in the book. Now being a sex-positive ace or demisexual is not a bad thing, but it's not what I was expecting and I would have loved if there had been a bit more explenation how sexual attraction differs for many aces. There is some great ace pride in the book though, which I really liked.
However, there's also some stuff that bothers me. There's a lot of fatphobic comments in this book. Some are directed towards a guy who used to be fat in an attempt to say that being fat and gay and bullied for that couldn't ever be as hard as being black and having gender dysphoria. Neither is easy and I disliked that this was never brought up afterward. What I found way worse however, is the way Evie's mom constantly comments on her daughter's weight. In the story, we are told that Evie is thin enough for her dance partner to easily lift her, but trained enough to lift him as well. She does a lot of sports. And even if she didn't, she's a grown up and her mother has no right to say that stuff. It is never discussed, at all and this really bothered me. I also hated how one of the characters is supposed to forgive his high-school bully bc ~he changed~ and now truly loves him. Everybody pressures him into it and doesn't seem to realize how much the character is hurting. This really made me uncomfortable. (and not to mention the fact that Evie self-describes herself as fujoshi and has some fangirl attacks about shipping slash and/or fetishizing gay/bi men, which was kind of gross).
I also found the writing to be underwhelming and there is some conflict that feels really contrived. Not to mention the fact that they fall in love in less than a week. Ugh, I know they don't have much time, but I hate insta-love. Other than that the story was really sweet and I liked it.
January 17, 2017
In this book we meet Evie, an ace-spectrum woman, paired with Tyler, a trans biracial man, who have to work together in a dance competition for Pride. So for me it feels like a queer, modern version of Dirty Dancing, which I love beyond limits <3
Evie has gone through a lot of sh*t in her attempted relationships for being asexual, and Tyler is still getting over his abusive ex-girlfriend, so they both have trust issues. However, the connection they have when they dance together is amazing, and it's beautiful how they make things work.
Even though the book focuses on Evie and Tyler, it also tells other stories, and it's very interesting how it talks about different struggles queer people face (without being angsty or super dramatic), how similar individuals can have different experiences or make different choices, and also how labels can affect you.
"Finding your feet" is the second book in the "Toronto Connections" series, but you can read it perfectly fine as a standalone. However, I recommend to read each one of the books in this series because the diverse range of characters os fantastic.
*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
EDIT: I've realized that I should include some trigger warnings in my review, because one of the MC has suffered transphobia and emotional abuse. Furthermore, there are fatphobic comments that are rarely challenged, and there's a secondary character who was bullied in high school and is now reunited with his former bully.
Evie has gone through a lot of sh*t in her attempted relationships for being asexual, and Tyler is still getting over his abusive ex-girlfriend, so they both have trust issues. However, the connection they have when they dance together is amazing, and it's beautiful how they make things work.
Even though the book focuses on Evie and Tyler, it also tells other stories, and it's very interesting how it talks about different struggles queer people face (without being angsty or super dramatic), how similar individuals can have different experiences or make different choices, and also how labels can affect you.
"Finding your feet" is the second book in the "Toronto Connections" series, but you can read it perfectly fine as a standalone. However, I recommend to read each one of the books in this series because the diverse range of characters os fantastic.
*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
EDIT: I've realized that I should include some trigger warnings in my review, because one of the MC has suffered transphobia and emotional abuse. Furthermore, there are fatphobic comments that are rarely challenged, and there's a secondary character who was bullied in high school and is now reunited with his former bully.
December 20, 2021
Trigger warnings: aphobia, mentions of transphobia, animal death, shitty parenting, abusive relationship (in the past), miscommunication.
3.75 stars.
There was something generally delightful about how inclusive this was. There's all kinds of queer rep. There's racial diversity. If I remember correctly, there's at least one disabled character?? And there's a queer-platonic relationship between two of the secondary characters, which was great. Add in a Toronto setting and plenty of dancing, and I was here for this.
And yet, there was something about the awfulness of Evie's family that just didn't work for me. I totally understand her not being out, because asexuality requires explanation every damn time and sometimes it's just easier to...not. But they were SO aggressively awful that I honestly didn't know why she hadn't cut herself off from them completely.
So all in all, this was lovely but there was something about it that held me at arm's length.
3.75 stars.
There was something generally delightful about how inclusive this was. There's all kinds of queer rep. There's racial diversity. If I remember correctly, there's at least one disabled character?? And there's a queer-platonic relationship between two of the secondary characters, which was great. Add in a Toronto setting and plenty of dancing, and I was here for this.
And yet, there was something about the awfulness of Evie's family that just didn't work for me. I totally understand her not being out, because asexuality requires explanation every damn time and sometimes it's just easier to...not. But they were SO aggressively awful that I honestly didn't know why she hadn't cut herself off from them completely.
So all in all, this was lovely but there was something about it that held me at arm's length.
August 12, 2017
It was fine. An interesting story, a diverse and fun cast of characters, two leads whose primary obstacle in the course of true love was their inability to communicate (that part I didn't like, but what the hell, it's there); this book has everything you would expect from a new adult romance. Up to and including a lot of sex (and kink) talk and fondling, which is tame by NA standards, but more than I expected from a book with an asexual MC. Anyway; it was fine.
June 26, 2022
Yoo why is this book so underrated it's got queers and pocs and dance and emotional growth what more do you want
Edit: I read through some of the reviews and have to admit that I didn't catch the major problematic parts everyone else names (e.g. fatphobia and bully-romance). Let me explain.
I noticed the mother's fatphobia but she generally sucks so I didn't expect there to be any more of a fight than there is. I didn't see Gigi being fatphobic, especially not toward Evie (to himself as he was at one point in his life, okay, but this too I took as being internalized and technically already worked through).
Bully-romance: People keep saying that the bullied character was pressured into it by his friends. I disagree. There are several sentences in there that say that he was technically on board, just didn't have enough courage to walk up to the other. At any point he could have said no, could have walked out but he chose not to. I don't support bully-romances. This, IMO, is growth on both sides. They both know what they can give a relationship and what they want from it. They're consenting adults, no longer the high school kids they were ten years ago. Nobody excuses the bully's actions.
And to all the people who want to complain about this not being ace rep but demi rep: kindly shut up. Yes, I agree that this sounds like demisexuality but 1. Evie specifically says she's "asexual. Well, ace spectrum." and 2. even if she didn't say that who are you to judge her orientation. We don't actually know if she really feels sexually attracted to Tyler once they're close or if that's just the point at which she decides that he's a good person to live her libido out with (yes, asexual people may still want to have sex.)
I understand the criticism but I just didn't notice much of it. This book could have been longer to work out more of the characters (especially the resolution could have been different) but I really like it.
Edit: I read through some of the reviews and have to admit that I didn't catch the major problematic parts everyone else names (e.g. fatphobia and bully-romance). Let me explain.
I noticed the mother's fatphobia but she generally sucks so I didn't expect there to be any more of a fight than there is. I didn't see Gigi being fatphobic, especially not toward Evie (to himself as he was at one point in his life, okay, but this too I took as being internalized and technically already worked through).
Bully-romance: People keep saying that the bullied character was pressured into it by his friends. I disagree. There are several sentences in there that say that he was technically on board, just didn't have enough courage to walk up to the other. At any point he could have said no, could have walked out but he chose not to. I don't support bully-romances. This, IMO, is growth on both sides. They both know what they can give a relationship and what they want from it. They're consenting adults, no longer the high school kids they were ten years ago. Nobody excuses the bully's actions.
And to all the people who want to complain about this not being ace rep but demi rep: kindly shut up. Yes, I agree that this sounds like demisexuality but 1. Evie specifically says she's "asexual. Well, ace spectrum." and 2. even if she didn't say that who are you to judge her orientation. We don't actually know if she really feels sexually attracted to Tyler once they're close or if that's just the point at which she decides that he's a good person to live her libido out with (yes, asexual people may still want to have sex.)
I understand the criticism but I just didn't notice much of it. This book could have been longer to work out more of the characters (especially the resolution could have been different) but I really like it.
September 5, 2017
[*reviewer is asexual and enby]
Really delightful to watch Evazilla and Tyler grow their connection. I'm really thrilled at getting such a nuanced portrayal of asexuality and relationship negotiations. Evie's knowledge of herself and her identity is presented with such directness and honesty without ever seeming to me like and infodump. (Something I struggle with in my own life!) I also appreciate that Tyler's trans-ness is acknowledged as a significant lifelong influence but in terms of the story doesn't require sitting down to educate the reader on How To Be Trans. That said, Tyler's characterization is HUGELY influenced by his transphobic, abusive ex. Heads up to my trans* fam, those bits are somewhat trigger happy. The little nuggets of life with asexuality made me feel like the book had been written just for me: the cake jokes, tumblr, AVEN, each had me grinning somewhat manically at the page.
Representation aside, I LOVED the dance storyline. Descriptions of what the physicality of embodying dance means for the two protagonists, and the way they use that non-verbal language to extraordinary effect. Beautiful. I'm a sucker for this type of story: the romantic pairing growing from/despite of somewhat of a meet-ugly. Queer fam is my jam.
I personally wasn't fond of the persistent fatphobia woven through the entire book. That shit is really insidious and a few feeble comments from one character in defense of Evie's body shape is not enough, in my book, to make it clear that body-policing is unacceptable. Nor was I super delighted that so much of the book was devoted to the secondary romantic pairing, with a result of less focus on dancing and ace fam than I'd've liked.
This is the first book of the Toronto Connections series that I read, but in the last day and a half I've already blown through most of the rest of them.
Really delightful to watch Evazilla and Tyler grow their connection. I'm really thrilled at getting such a nuanced portrayal of asexuality and relationship negotiations. Evie's knowledge of herself and her identity is presented with such directness and honesty without ever seeming to me like and infodump. (Something I struggle with in my own life!) I also appreciate that Tyler's trans-ness is acknowledged as a significant lifelong influence but in terms of the story doesn't require sitting down to educate the reader on How To Be Trans. That said, Tyler's characterization is HUGELY influenced by his transphobic, abusive ex. Heads up to my trans* fam, those bits are somewhat trigger happy. The little nuggets of life with asexuality made me feel like the book had been written just for me: the cake jokes, tumblr, AVEN, each had me grinning somewhat manically at the page.
Representation aside, I LOVED the dance storyline. Descriptions of what the physicality of embodying dance means for the two protagonists, and the way they use that non-verbal language to extraordinary effect. Beautiful. I'm a sucker for this type of story: the romantic pairing growing from/despite of somewhat of a meet-ugly. Queer fam is my jam.
I personally wasn't fond of the persistent fatphobia woven through the entire book. That shit is really insidious and a few feeble comments from one character in defense of Evie's body shape is not enough, in my book, to make it clear that body-policing is unacceptable. Nor was I super delighted that so much of the book was devoted to the secondary romantic pairing, with a result of less focus on dancing and ace fam than I'd've liked.
This is the first book of the Toronto Connections series that I read, but in the last day and a half I've already blown through most of the rest of them.
January 31, 2019
Not a sweet book but an interesting one with a lot of fun and slightly zany insight into the world of local, professional dance (in Canada.) This was my first time reading a romance featuring a trans POC character and my second time reading about an asexual person. I appreciated the realness and how each protagonist and all the supporting characters had unique voices and each person's desires (or non-desires) were made clear to the reader. I found the usual romance back and forth tiring but, hey that's the genre! At least, in this pragmatic book, there's a chance of people getting therapy or reaching out for help --which is leaps and bounds beyond any of that nonsense I read in the 90s.
EDIT: I read another review here on Goodreads that carefully critiques elements of this novel that struck me as odd, but that I didn't explicitly name for myself. This includes unexamined cultural bias against fat people, the lack of other trans people, problematic attitudes about what it looks like to recover from psychological abuse, and some questions about whether one character is ace or actually demi-sexual. Fair points.
EDIT: I read another review here on Goodreads that carefully critiques elements of this novel that struck me as odd, but that I didn't explicitly name for myself. This includes unexamined cultural bias against fat people, the lack of other trans people, problematic attitudes about what it looks like to recover from psychological abuse, and some questions about whether one character is ace or actually demi-sexual. Fair points.
December 18, 2017
This review is really difficult, because on the one hand it gave me the most perfect, shimmering, kind portrayal of an asexual (although potentially greysexual but w/e) main character... but on the other hand, multiple trans readers have said the trans representation is lacking at best and harmful at worst.
But reading this book felt like a hug, felt like being seen, felt like being cherished... Hence the difficulty.
Ingesting media means, by definition, engaging with problematic texts, with works simultaneously positive and negative. This book is not perfect, but I cannot discount the great good it did for me, the great kindness it sheds on an underserved and underrepresented segment of the queer population.
So. I guess ultimately this book made me feel warm and safe and good, and so I can't help but want to read it again and again. It's not perfect, and anyone particularly sensitive to transphobic emotional abuse may want to steer clear. But damn if this didn't hit all my sweet spots all the same.
But reading this book felt like a hug, felt like being seen, felt like being cherished... Hence the difficulty.
Ingesting media means, by definition, engaging with problematic texts, with works simultaneously positive and negative. This book is not perfect, but I cannot discount the great good it did for me, the great kindness it sheds on an underserved and underrepresented segment of the queer population.
So. I guess ultimately this book made me feel warm and safe and good, and so I can't help but want to read it again and again. It's not perfect, and anyone particularly sensitive to transphobic emotional abuse may want to steer clear. But damn if this didn't hit all my sweet spots all the same.
February 12, 2018
Well, I loved this book. It was fun and sweet and heart-warming, with some sad and frustrating moments. That frustration comes mostly from a character struggling with trauma so even that I can apreciate. The characters are charming and adorable and their romance is super cute, beautiful and believable. The dancing is there, it's great, it plays in the story, but it's not overwhelming.
Also, I really liked the way the main characters' gender identity and sexual orientation respectively (and all the issues, pain, abuse, and insecurities that may come with them) were treated. It seemed all pretty realistic to me. Done with care and respect.
My one problem is the excesive focus on a secondary romance that will be the center of the next book. I don't like how that was handled. Either take it to the front, give these characters voice as well, make it so there are two romantic subplots with equal importance instead of one, or just hint at it and develop it properly some other time. That's just my opinion.
Also, I really liked the way the main characters' gender identity and sexual orientation respectively (and all the issues, pain, abuse, and insecurities that may come with them) were treated. It seemed all pretty realistic to me. Done with care and respect.
My one problem is the excesive focus on a secondary romance that will be the center of the next book. I don't like how that was handled. Either take it to the front, give these characters voice as well, make it so there are two romantic subplots with equal importance instead of one, or just hint at it and develop it properly some other time. That's just my opinion.
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