Kacen Callender

Felix Love, a transgender seventeen-year-old, attempts to get revenge by catfishing his anonymous bully, but lands in a quasi-love triangle with his former enemy and his best friend.


Felix Ever After

Jana

Aber statt Begeisterung erfasst mich bei dem Gedanken daran, dass ich alles tun könnte, was ich will, plötzlich Nervosität. Es sind einfach zu viele Möglichkeiten, zu viele Entscheidungen.

hugo

Once I start screaming, I can't stop. I scream so hard my throat feels raw and my heart pounds. I'm screaming with joy. I'm screaming with pain. I'm screaming with the awe that I'm here, that we're all here, and that welre here because of the people before us, the people who couldnt be here, ang I'm screaming for myself, too. Screaming and cheering and a little bit of crying.

I cannot being to explain how many times I’ve wanted to say this

‘I think it's really brave of you,’ Leah says.

‘I mean, I guess? I'm just being myself. There's nothing brave about that.'

'Morality, at its essence, defines what is human, I say. Keeping questions of morality out of art suggests keeping humanity out of art itself.

Maybe this is fucked-up, I don't know. . . but somehow, it's his approval Ineed most, even more than anyone else's. I need his validation. His understanding, not just acceptance, that he has a son.

‘Listen’, he says, 'it isn't easy to just suddenly switch my idea of who you are in my head. For twelve years, you were my baby g-‘ 

I cut him off before he can say it. ‘That's never who lI was. That's who you assumed I was.'

I feel like I've been physically attacked. Like someone took control of who I am. Took that contror away tro me.

Two gay guys cuddling in the heart of Brooklyn shouldn't feel this revolutionary, but suddenly, it does. 

Felix Love has never been in love - and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it's like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What's worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalisation too many - Black, queer and transgender - to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages - after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned - Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn't count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle . . . But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself. Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognising the love you deserve.

Alexa B. 

This Books has been on my TBR list for a while, and it took a Buddy read with a friend to give me the push to finally pick this one up!

Seventeen-year-old Felix Love is a trans, biracial high school senior at an expensive private art academy in Brooklyn, New York. He's taking a summer program to try and build up his painting portfolio to apply to Brown in the coming year. Felix is shaken and horrified when someone posts up a whole gallery of photos of himself pre-transition, labelled with his deadname, in his school's lobby. He jumps to the conclusion that it was his rival, and the story goes from here.

Whilst I did enjoy the storyline of Felix's continued exploration of his identity and his growing self-confidence in artmaking. But what I found grinding and annoying throughout the story was Felix’s rather negative attitude and just seeing the negative in everything; I can see that with what he has gone through this is properly to be expected.

This book is important, and I really learnt about the struggles of trans & queer people. Which is something I need to read more about since I am not trans but want to understand more. Felix helped me with that.

Ian Brakspear

This Books has been on my TBR list for a while, and it took a Buddy read with a friend to give me the push to finally pick this one up!

 

Seventeen-year-old Felix Love is a trans, biracial high school senior at an expensive private art academy in Brooklyn, New York. He's taking a summer program to try and build up his painting portfolio to apply to Brown in the coming year. Felix is shaken and horrified when someone posts up a whole gallery of photos of himself pre-transition, labelled with his deadname, in his school's lobby. He jumps to the conclusion that it was his rival, and the story goes from here.

 

Whilst I did enjoy the storyline of Felix's continued exploration of his identity and his growing self-confidence in artmaking. But what I found grinding and annoying throughout the story was Felix’s rather negative attitude and just seeing the negative in everything; I can see that with what he has gone through this is properly to be expected.

 

This book is important, and I really learnt about the struggles of trans & queer people. Which is something I need to read more about since I am not trans but want to understand more. Felix helped me with that.

I love this book. I think I can recognize myself in a lot of things that Felix went through which is why I love this book so much. I think its a good book for someone whos questioning their gender identity :) 

Laura

Bria

** spoiler alert **
           Stoppp I really thought he wasn’t gonna give Ez a chance 😭😭

clau☁️

** spoiler alert **
           You guys, this book! This was so heartwarming. It made me angry, sad, upset and most of all SO happy.
I read it for The Nerd Daily Book Club and I could not stop.
I loved Felix with all my heart. He made many mistakes, yes. But his growth during the book was beautiful. Where he starts and where he ends is just amazing to see.
And the characters felt so real that I just wanted to hug them.

Ezra was the best person from the beginning. I loved how he cared about Felix. The way he wanted to protect him at al costs and would do anything for him to be confident and happy. I was totally team Ezra and you could really see how the match in the best way possible. I loved this friend to lovers and how it is not totally clear from the beginning. Also I think they have the best relationship. Being best friends and lovers at the same time is how it should always be.

Let’s talk Declan! I absolutely adore this character and I want for him nothing but the best. I have a soft spot for him for some reason. I think he starts as the villain for speaking his mind and bing himself and I was sure (or hoping very very hard) that he wasn’t grandequeen69
I love the character arc and I thought the ending with Felix and him was a bit harsh in some way. I would’ve liked for them to end up a bit (just a bit) more close. Meaning I would’ve liked to see them get to the point where they can have friendly conversations even if it’s just at school.
I also would’ve loved to see him get the scholarship cause I thought that would’ve been a fair ending for him. I feel he ends up with nothing but hope.
I am a fan of the line where he says he is sure he can fall in love again, I loved that moment and made me really happy and at the same time it made my heart ache.

And Felix, I adore him. I got mad at him sometimes, but never stopped loving him. I just thought of him as somehow someone I know and care about and I could be upset one moment and don’t mind the other because I knew he was just learning along.
Man the last few chapters when he finds out who he is and he stopped being afraid of being happy and strong. Just wonderful. Heartwarming. Beautiful.
The last conversation with his dad... I cried. How he finally calls him by his name and apologizes. Yes please.
Overall I think Felix is an amazing and very real character and I am really happy we got to know his story. 

So yes this were basically some of my MANY thoughts that I could put into words.

So many more things I could say about this book, but I’m just gonna say that everyone needs to read it. Because it contains many truths about the LGBT community in general that I think should be considered by everyone.
It shows that there’s still a lot to learn from each other and that an opinion based on hate shouldn’t be respected.
I think the most awesome part of this read is all you learn with it. And the coolest: it is own voices!

ephe

THE BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS TROPE‼️‼️‼️
2,5⭐️

Sarah Sammis

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is set in New York, primarily on Manhattan island. Felix Love has never been in love. He's too focused on his art and getting into Brown. He needs a killer portfolio but now his efforts are being sabotaged by someone at school who has deadnamed him and hung pre-surgery photos from his locked Instagram account.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...

330000 couple city subway

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
source: https://www.harpercollins.ca/9780062820273/felix-ever-after/

AHNA

4.5 🌟

I think it's been a while since I've had a rollercoaster of emotions. At first, I was listening to the audiobook and I think around 30% into the book, I decided to read it because I knew I would want to highlight lots of parts in this book. Maybe even dip it into a bucket of paint. Because there's so many moments that touches me, so many scenes that is so personal and beautifully raw, I can't just not marked it down.

This book teaches me about not only seeing one side of story, but also make rooms to understand the other side. A lot of times I feel like this book giving me Sex Education vibes. The author did a great job on delivering the complex characters.

It's YA so I guess the plot was kinda expected, but once I get into the characters I'm no longer care for any of it and just enjoying the rides. Trigger warning for several mentioned of HP references.

Stefan R. Schmid

Ich fand das Buch stellenweise unplausibel oder zu flach und war dann überrascht davon, wie stark der Sog dieser Story war und tief in verschiedene Themen eingestiegen wird. Und dann wiederum gab es einige Stellen, die dem Rest des Buches nicht gerechnet wurden - was super schade ist, weil dieses Buch ziemlich viel Potenzial hatte, mein Lieblings-queer-YA-Roman zu werden. Ich freue mich auf jeden Fall auf die Serie zum Buch, denn dieses Buch ist ein enorm guter Startpunkt für mehr.

Tatiana

Felix Ever After: 4/5


  “I’m not flaunting anything. I’m just existing. This is me. I can’t hide myself. I can’t disappear. And even if I could, I don’t fucking want to. I have the same right to be here. I have the same right to exist.”

Premise:
Felix Ever After is a coming of age story following a transgender boy named Felix, and all he wants is to be loved and to feel love. One day, an anonymous student starts sending bigoted messages to Felix and publicly posting pictures of Felix before his transition and his dead name. Felix hatches a plot for revenge but inadvertently a love triangle instead. As Felix navigates his new confusing love life, he starts to question his own identity as well.

Felix Ever After is such a sweet story about self-discovery and finding the love you deserve.


  “Even if a creator made a character to be straight, they put those characters out into the world. So those characters are mine now. And I say that Steve and Bucky are gay as hell.”

Writing & Plot:
The writing is pretty standard and easy to follow with good length chapters. This is an easy and fun read, especially for pride month. I think this caters to a slightly older audience because it regularly talks of drugs, alcohol, and abuse, so make sure to look up trigger warnings before reading it.

I enjoyed the plot as well; I think the characters were very true to their age which I also appreciated. The one part of the plot I didn't love was the kind of "insta-love" trope we see between Felix and Ezra. I thought this could have been explored more thoroughly on Felix's side. Furthermore, the love triangle portion, I don't think, was for me. I was not a huge fan of how Felix treated Declan. 

Lastly, I wish the ending was explained a bit more and gave more of a conclusion. There are quite a few plot points left untouched, and I wish the ending tied up more loose ends.

Characters:
I always am a fan of books where characters realistically act their age. There is frequent use of drugs and alcohol in Felix Ever After but I think it added to the overall atmosphere. I enjoyed that the teenagers acted like Gen Z teenagers, and nothing was sugarcoated. For a book so short, I think the characters were very dynamic, and all had an important role to play. 


  “It's easier to accept hurt and pain, sometimes, than love and acceptance.”

Conclusion:
This book is a great quick read that will get you out of any reading slump, and I enjoyed the characters and plot quite a bit. I think a few pieces could have been done better or were not for me, but overall, this is a fantastic book that is all about self-love and acceptance.

Jule

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All the stars for this book 😭😭😭😭😭

Don’t ever come at and me and say I generally do not like YA because this book was SUCH A GEM ... I want this book to get an even bigger audience, so could it get translated into German please thank you

Joy Bush

Wow this book ended up being phenomenal!! Everyone should read it.

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️4

This was a very enjoyable book to read. Throughout the book, diversity and representation were seamlessly integrated without feeling forced. A very strong cast of teen characters, messy and flawed at times, some downright ignorant and unlikeable, but genuine and real; especially the main character Felix. With Felix's story of growing up Black, transgender, and queer while facing microaggressions and abuse that come with being all those things, I had the biggest soft spot for him, and yet he demonstrated bravery in existing in his truth and being his authentic self, not allowing others to define who he is.

A number of significant messages were in this book that everyone can take away and cherish, especially since it explores topics such as self-concept and the ever-evolving notion of identity and labels, as well as love, specifically being worthy of being loved, as well as self-acceptance, self-love, friendship and family.

In general, this is a wonderful book that radiates warmth, hope, and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ youth. Furthermore, the cover is stunning.

I highly recommend this book. This is yet another example of why YA books are superior.

Victoria

2.5

Full thoughts: https://veespages.wordpress.com/2022/...

I want so much to like this book; after all, I actually love these types of stories. I want books with characters that I can relate to as a lesbian POC. However, the attitude of Felix really quite pissed me off. (Mild spoilers ahead.)

(view spoiler)[The way he treated his father – the person who paid and pays for his shots and top surgery – is just beyond me. Maybe it's some kind of cultural difference (me being an Asian who was born and raised and still lives here) but I just can't wrap my head around that. Why is it so difficult for Felix – or anyone else, for that matter – to understand that parents, regardless of how understanding and accepting they are, will always take a long time to let go of the idea of their child that they had in their head for the first how many ever years of their lives? It's especially difficult for these parents to let go of the name that they gave their child cause what if there's a sentiment behind it? It's just annoying how Felix just completely disregarded all that and just immediately wanted his Dad to be 100% okay and accepting with everything. Not cool. (hide spoiler)]

Bottomline, I just think he's a spoiled brat and I can't get behind that. But I did love the discussions in this book. Those were definitely worth reading.

--------------

Currently reading:
Just barely 50% through this book and I’m hating this MC so much. The spoiled brat thing is not cute. I’m hoping for some character growth here soon!

great way of showing struggles in teen youth 

Fern

Maga P

“Once I start screaming, I can’t stop. I scream so hard my throat feels raw and my heart pounds. I’m screaming with joy. I’m screaming with pain. I’m screaming with the awe that I’m here, that we’re all here, and that we’re here because of the people before us, the people who couldn’t be here, and I’m screaming for myself, too.”
I just finished it and I'm a Disaster but wow. Kacen Callender's writing is so good— not only in its descriptions and vivid imagery or its characters but also in its plotting, the parallels it draws within the same narrative, the way it barrels into its themes, the level of emotionality in it. 

It was gripping, reading it was a joy, i was intrigued, hooked, and i was pretty happy with the payoff and resolution (something that happens very rarely to me, so I'm glad it didn't fall flat in that aspect).

Definitely recommend, it left me bawling and feeling very tender.

menna

this is so fucking beautiful??? im in love with everything about it

nads 

i absolutely adored this book! i could not put it down once i started page one. it was fun, heartwarming, personal, and just an all around great story. i teared up quite a bit because i could see parts of myself in Felix Love and his story. i highly recommend this book to anyone who is apart of the LGBTQ+ community, allies, or people who are just generally interested in stories like Felix Love.

First Read [July 2020]: ☆☆☆☆☆
Second Read [June 2021]: ☆☆☆☆☆

I don't think there is anything about this book that I don't love. The characters were amazing and it had some great discussion about many things.

Midori Kobayashi

4.5/5stars

It’s like every identity I have . . . the more different I am from everyone else . . . the less interested people are. The less . . . lovable I feel, I guess. The love interests in books, or in movies or TV shows, are always white, cis, straight, blond hair, blue eyes. Chris Evans, Jennifer Lawrence. It becomes a little hard, I guess, to convince myself I deserve the kind of love you see on movie screens.


I am personally not so big on love triangles, but I could totally look past that here just because this book has so much more to offer. A flawed main character trying to figure themselves out, and end up hurting people in the process- it is a very REAL portrayal. and while i absolutely hate Felix for (view spoiler)[breaking Declan's heart like that and leading him on despite knowing what would happen (hide spoiler)] I think I do like him. I see myself in him and not only because of all the confusion and questioning and identity crisis but also because i am not perfect. no human being is. and well, while what happened was sad for some, I was overall very very satisfied with the ending. 
Def. regret not reading this one sooner. Gay vibes and actual real representation, and things to relate to. Loved it! 10/10 would recc. 

I’m not flaunting anything. I’m just existing. This is me. I can’t hide myself. I can’t disappear. And even if I could, I don’t fucking want to. I have the same right to be here. I have the same right to exist.


  Book Trigger Warnings- Bullying, Catfishing, Cyberbullying, Deadnaming, Disownment, Homophobia, Injections, Misgendering, Outing, Parental abuse/neglect, Racism, Surgery/scars (mentioned), Transphobia, Weed, Alcohol (underage drinking), Drugs

Shareca

Felix Ever After
Kacen Callender
★★★★

translife.org

In ‘Felix Ever After,’ Callender explores issues related to identity, pre-and-post-transgender struggles, family dynamics, and discovering love for the first time. In high school, I had no idea what being any other sexuality or identity was like, much like Felix and his friends. Being at an age when sexuality was changing, but not dramatically in 2008, it was challenging to experience both at the same time. Even being Black was strange, let alone wanting someone of a different gender altogether. Felix shows us what it means to be seen in terms of gender, individuality, and cultural and ethnic diversity 🥺😌

Callender creates a wonderfully compelling character in Felix as well as Declan and Ezra (and many others), who I enjoyed. The story of Felix is both poignant and subtle as well as emotional and sweet; each of the characters is well-rounded, and they all contribute to Felix's development in an engaging way. Callender uses Felix to inform as well as understand; being in high school is tough, but understanding one's own identity is even harder. This novel left me with a lot to think about and my mind feels empowered.

Felix is this more 'grown up' version of YA that I appreciate; the prose is easy to read and the language is 'hip.' In this high school world, they smoke weed, drink alcohol, and live as adults; it gives the impression that high school is, in fact, the gap that separates teenage years from your upcoming adult life. Usually, it isn't shown this way and I enjoyed it. Some of the characters' decisions were 'childish', but they were accurately depicted. All of the characters' actions matched their ages.

For classroom discussion of identity, how to know, why it's okay to not know, and how to navigate the experiences of who you are, who you might be, and where you might be, this would be an excellent choice. As it explains so much in a way that is comforting, you feel understood or, at the very least, seen.

tina

love how i read this book during pride month! i loved it so much. it was so cute and wholesome while at the same time it also had lots of in depth discussions about gender identity, race, and privilege. it’s a short book but you get so much out of it once you finish reading.

As someone who is apart of the transgender community I can’t begin to express how important this representation is in media like this. There needs to be more stories like this.

Felix’s character and the struggles that he went through this book made me quickly become attached to him. It’s so refreshing to see trans issues being represented in correct and non harmful ways.

It’s so refreshing to see characters that are so diverse and real. There was a character that every reader could see themselves in.

“You don’t get to use my pain to make your point.”

I think this is something that needs to be highlighted and more importantly be said.

The MCU and stucky being mentioned in this somehow just made this ten times better for me.

This made me feel so hopeful for the future. This is an absolute comfort read.

Yasmin H

** spoiler alert **
           Felix Ever After is a very important book as its portrayal of what it's like to be black, queer and transgender is very accurate. 

Felix Love, who lives in Brooklyn, is trying to find love. He's desperate to find out what love really feels like, and why everyone but him can find someone. But being black, queer and transgender makes him worry he will never be able to. 

After a fellow student at St. Catherines displays pictures of Felix before he transitioned along with his deadname, Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. Shortly after the pictures were displayed, Felix starts to receive transphobic messages. 

Felix's revenge plan against the person putting him through transphobic abuse, leaves him finding out his first suspect did not display the pictures or send any transphobic messages, but has caught feelings for Felix...

I would highly recommend this book as it is very fast paced and interesting. This book is very informative about some of the challenges people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community go through.

Felix Ever After

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