I think this book is the first one I ever read that includes a depiction of a queer-platonic relationship and I loved it. Having this kind of representation and having in general a depicition of an understanding of relationships that doesn't value some more than others (e. g. romantic relationships more than friendships) was incredibly wholesome for me as an aromantic person. Especially since this book deals with different kinds of relations a lot, focusing on arising conflicts and challenges, new developments, showing how you can care a lot for different people in different ways without having to favor one single person. Winnie is a great protagonist, having flaws but also so many strengths and lovable characteristics, caring so much about others but also trying to stand up for herself. Her inner conflicts, her growth, and her unapologetic acceptance for who she is and what she wants as well as her insecurities, wants, and struggles take up most of the space of this book in a good way. I really liked how important communication and consent are to her, how she knows who she is, and how she cares. I just sometimes wished that she would be more angry or hurt because sometimes, she had every right to be. People are not perfect and unhealthy and hurtful behavior is one of the main topics and while it made me want to scream at certain characters, this story also discusses a lot how people should treat those they love, what can be apologized and where boundaries should be drawn. I have to admit that I was a bit sad to realize that Kara, the girl Winnie has a queer-platonic relationship with, is one of the characters I sometimes want to scream at (and who is definetly not my favorite character of the story) but then again I also found her reasons to be important struggles in this constellation and I actually liked that this story discusses them. It doesn't make her behavior easily forgivable but I nevertheless found it to be based upon realistic fears and flaws and I only wished that these would have been addressed a bit more in the end, also in terms of how to overcome them. The romance was quite cute. Apart from that, I loved the relationship between Winnie and her brother (maybe my favorite character of this book) and it was great that this one received quite some attention. I was a bit annoyed by her cousin Sam and I couldn't really grasp her until the end which was a bit sad. In general, I felt like most of the characters apart from Winnie could have been developed a bit more - you don't even really learn a lot about Kara. Winnie is a queer, Black, fat girl and it was great to have this representation that I have honestly barely seen so far (which maybe also says something about the books I chose). Migroaggressions around being Black, fat and in a non-normative relationship are addressed in several ways, adding to the depth of this story. Kara is also implied to be aromantic-asexual so yay, aspec representation. Overall, it was a fun and easy read with many wholesome moments, some where I wanted to scream at characters, and actually interesting conflicts. Just be aware that there are unfortunately some Harry Potter references.
31. Jan.Jan 31, 2024
If it Makes You Happyby Claire KannSwoon Reads

