Jeff Garvin

A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers. Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley's life. On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything. From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.

Symptoms of Being Human

August Stone

Ally

not an all-time favorite, but will remain to be one of the most influential. i really learned a lot from this and the biggest takeaway is: you do not need x, y, z, to view a human as valid.

Emelie

Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist * YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers * ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults List * 2017 Rainbow List A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers. Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley's life. On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything. From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be human.

Sven Test

I had seen this book around but never really paid attention to it until my lovely co-blogger Gaby reviewed it a while back (you may check her review here because it's awesome!). Her review definitely made me want to read this book so I was excited when I got the chance to review the audio-book. This was a ride! Since my co-blogger reviewed it and covered all of the aspects, I will keep this short.

Symptoms of Being Human opened my mind to something I was very closed off on, but listening to this story helped me understand the LGBTQ community. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I got a lot more than what I bargained for. The author never revealed if Riley was a boy or a girl. NEVER! There were times when I really thought Riley was a girl, and others when I thought Riley was a boy. The author didn't use pronouns when referring to Riley. I was so sure it was going to slip somewhere and I was so very attentive but nope! So kudos to the author for keeping me guessing because the writing process must have been tough.

This book deals with diversity, bullying, depression, and suicide. All of these topics combined are bound to make for a very memorable and eye-opening story.

AUDIOBOOK IMPRESSIONS: Tom Phelan was fantastic as Riley. His voice worked perfect and it was hard to identify the voice as either a girl or a boy because it could fit for both. He brought Riley to life.

Pixelot

Ella Evans

So I was deciding whether I should write a full fledged review or not because I have a lot to say about this book but am at a loss for words. To make it quick, this book is good. its great and I loved it. I could go over normal critiques of what I thought was boring or unnecessary or not written well yada yada yada but I really liked it. I like the way I feel understood while reading it and I didnt feel like just a reader, I felt like I was a part of it. I loved the book because its so close to real life. I finished this less than a minute ago and collecting my thoughts might take a while but for now this book is one of the best i've read this year. I don't know what else to say but if you're looking for a book that really shows someone what life is. this is the one (or if you just don't know who you are yet).

jess

I really liked this one. This is the second book about a non-binary character I've read, and my favorite so far. I'm delighted that more non-binary people are being written about. Riley was honest, and for a cis person, Jeff Garvin wrote the struggles of trans people quite well. This was also pretty diverse, which was nice; there wasn't just solely trans dudes (like *cough* other books about "non-binary" people), but trans girls as well, and more than one non-binary person. It was handled really well. I'm pleasantly surprised. The only criticism I have is it does sound clinical at times, but this is used to educate people. Garvin even points out that Riley is in a privileged situation compared to other transgender people, which is cool. And Riley's gender assigned at birth is never revealed. 

All of the characters were very endearing. This is a novel a lot of teens will relate to, trans or not, but for trans and non-binary teens, this is definitely one of the better ones out there. It discusses things in terms that teens see today, rather than outdated descriptions of "born in the wrong body" and all. It is heavy at points, but Riley has a sense of humor that keeps the narration going at a steady pace and doesn't make things too dark. This book is a success, and I'm glad it was written.

...The idea for this book is beautiful. The concept itself is fascinating and fills the gap in the literature in terms of genderqueer and genderfluid topics. 

The writing is meh, seeming more like an original story for Wattpad than a published book. Throughout the story, it's more of a "tell not show" kind of deal. The reader is told Riley is inspiring, that they are witty and just on the right side of sarcastic...that's true if you're reading this book at the age of 11. As someone who is 21, the "witty" moments are just cringe and, more often than not, Riley falls on the cruel/mean side of the line rather than the funny/sarcastic side. 

The main character - Riley - is simply unlikable. Despite being genderfluid and deeply offended at anyone who presumes their gender, often they themselves gender the people they meet, putting them into binary boxes. Also, Riley comes off as the stereotypical "I'm not like other girls" character. In terms of side characters, they are far more likable. Bec, who ironically gives of more genderfluid vibes than the main character, has so much depth and is generally more likeable, being portrayed as accepting, chill, and true to herself. Solo is the goofy side character but is also someone who you know would stay in your corner no matter what. However, the majority of the supporting characters are, unfortunately, very stereotypical and shallow, fulfilling their roles and nothing else. 

The pacing and tone of the book is also slightly off and inconsistent. There are moments where the characters are having a peaceful, for the lack of a better word, moment which is suddenly broken up by a very dramatic few paragraphs, which are then followed by a peaceful moment again as if nothing happened. Characters reacted to things in ways I did not expect just because my previous interactions with them gave me a complete different vibes. 

A personal gripe I have with the book is that, for a book about genderfluidity, the author is repeatedly stereotypical. For example, Riley is feeling more masculine therefore says "that's right" instead of "that's sweet"... like certain phrases are not limited by gender. Or, and I quote, "I'm feeling super guyish, so I didn't really bother to put myself together this morning"... what exactly are you implying here? 

Another pet peeve, and this one is purely personal and subjective, is that any time the LGBTQ+ acronym is mentioned the author doesn't put the plus sign at the end, it's always LGBTQ. Objectively, this is nothing. But I'm part of that + and, for a book that's supposed to be aimed at that community, it grates a tiny bit. Also, in the acknowledgement section at the back, the author thanks J. K. Rowling. And I know, I know this book was published it 2016 and everything hadn't happened yet, but that certainly did not age well, and truthly, neither did most of this book. 

So, in conclusion, good idea but very bad execution. 

P.S. I wasn't aware of this when I began reading cause absolutely no where mentions this so just a warning - there is s.a. in this book - not too descriptive or graphic but enough where I can see someone becoming uncomfortable. 

...The idea for this book is beautiful. The concept itself is fascinating and fills the gap in the literature in terms of genderqueer and genderfluid topics. 

However, the book itself is just bad. 

The writing is meh, seeming more like an original story for Wattpad than a published book. Throughout the story, it's more of a "tell not show" kind of deal. The reader is told Riley is inspiring, that they are witty and just on the right side of sarcastic...that's true if you're reading this book at the age of 11. As someone who is 21, the "witty" moments are just cringe and, more often than not, Riley falls on the cruel/mean side of the line rather than the funny/sarcastic side. 

The main character - Riley - is simply unlikable. Despite being genderfluid and deeply offended at anyone who presumes their gender, often they themselves gender the people they meet, putting them into binary boxes. Also, Riley comes off as the stereotypical "I'm not like other girls" character. In terms of side characters, they are far more likable. Bec, who ironically gives of more genderfluid vibes than the main character, has so much depth and is generally more likeable, being portrayed as accepting, chill, and true to herself. Solo is the goofy side character but is also someone who you know would stay in your corner no matter what. However, the majority of the supporting characters are, unfortunately, very stereotypical and shallow, fulfilling their roles and nothing else. 

The pacing and tone of the book is also slightly off and inconsistent. There are moments where the characters are having a peaceful, for the lack of a better word, moment which is suddenly broken up by a very dramatic few paragraphs, which are then followed by a peaceful moment again as if nothing happened. Characters reacted to things in ways I did not expect just because my previous interactions with them gave me a complete different vibes. 

A personal gripe I have with the book is that, for a book about genderfluidity, the author is repeatedly stereotypical. For example, Riley is feeling more masculine therefore says "that's right" instead of "that's sweet"... like certain phrases are not limited by gender. Or, and I quote, "I'm feeling super guyish, so I didn't really bother to put myself together this morning"... what exactly are you implying here? 

Another pet peeve, and this one is purely personal and subjective, is that any time the LGBTQ+ acronym is mentioned the author doesn't put the plus sign at the end, it's always LGBTQ. Objectively, this is nothing. But I'm part of that + and, for a book that's supposed to be aimed at that community, it grates a tiny bit. Also, in the acknowledgement section at the back, the author thanks J. K. Rowling. And I know, I know this book was published it 2016 and everything hadn't happened yet, but that certainly did not age well, and truthly, neither did most of this book. 

So, in conclusion, good idea but very bad execution. 

P.S. I wasn't aware of this when I began reading cause absolutely no where mentions this so just a warning - there is s.a. in this book - not too descriptive or graphic but enough where I can see someone becoming uncomfortable. 

A lovely writing style accompanied by a fairly straightforward story, I only wish I had read this when my perspective on the surrounding world was more similar to the one this story takes. The most compelling part of this book to me is how strongly the characterization of Riley's experience in gender-fluidity hit me. I don't know whether saying it resonated with me or was mildly triggering to me is more accurate, but the writing in these short sections was intensely raw and heartfelt.

sharkie

Archer

My Thoughts:

Amazing.

Pros:

diverse
I could actually feel Riley’s feelings and anxiety
I actually became Riley in some scenes
amazing
window book
deals with:
suicide
gender
sexuality
coming out
anxiety
body dysmorphia
 

Cons:

doesn’t cover the topic of pronouns

Full Review

a ray

I've never had such an emotional response reading a book before. V good def recommend.

Charlotte Rayfield

Book killed me. RIP me. Never read a book as raw and real as this. I blame the story squad.

Emily Perkovich

This book was a relief. The last three lgbtq+ books I read were disappointing on the passionate rawness end. This lacked none.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Lena Saalfrank

This Book is so important to me. Ist describes exactly how i feel, the only difference is, that I can‘t put it into words. No description seemed to fit my Situation and then this lovely book came and I know I will read it again and again.

Nia C

3.5 stars for this one and a C. 

Review first posted on booksfeelsandtears.wordpress.com

-I received a free e-ARC of this book from Edelweiss but this did not affect the review in any way-

Hey guys,

Back in October, I had requested Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin as my first ARC from Edelweiss, and amazingly, they approved my request. I read the book early in Feb, right around the time it released (goddamn exams for screwing with my schedules) and now this review is a part of the Sunday Street Team for Symptoms of Being Human.

Here’s the blurb for the book:

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, and a cause to believe in— or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

This is a very good, diverse, representative novel. In fact, this is one of the first 2016 reads that has made me think over things I had assumed to be fact and understand that there are several layers to every person.

SOBH is told through Riley’s perspective – Riley is a high school student and a genderfluid blogger. Riley hasn’t come out to her parents yet, or to anyone other than her therapist. A secret blog is started as a means of expression, which is a huge hit among the LGBTQ+ community. As a character, Riley is fairly complex and kept me interested in the life affairs throughout the novel.

Positives:

The novel deals with and brings to the forefront a very good representation of genderfluidity. While I’d heard of the term before, this was the first novel I picked up with an LGBTQ+ character as a protagonist, which is also a bildungsroman of sorts. I really enjoyed learning about the several types of gender identities, the way people choose to express their identities and the sheer number of sacrifices they have to make to feel at home with who they are. I have a much better understanding of genderfluidity and how it shapes an individual, much like my own gender identity.

The book is written every well – the words have been carefully chosen and beautifully constructed into sentences. There were some meaningful sentences I really thought over. One important factor of the book is how Garvin does not use any pronouns in the novel for Riley. Even as I write this review, I’m struggling not to use ‘she’ for Riley because of something that caught my attention in the novel, which means writing a full length novel without any gender pronouns, from the protagonist or from outsiders is quite an impressive feat.

Where the writing is concerned, this book is pretty damn good. It manages to convey the emotions Riley feels, the conflict between acceptance and rejection and there are some pretty neat scenes in the book that will open your eyes to the reality of the intolerant world that we live in.

Negatives:

While there are several positives, the book also contains several flaws. The non-use of pronouns, for instance, is definitely impressive, it is also confusing. I did not know which pronoun to employ for Riley and I can’t keep writing the name over and over again, which is very cumbersome to say the least. The use and the dictation of proper pronouns, of ones Riley wanted to be used with respect to (can’t use a pronoun see?) Riley’s identity should’ve been mentioned.

Riley as a character was simply too hard for me to connect to – that was another major problem I faced while reading the novel. I kept wondering why Riley didn’t come out to the parents, because they honestly seemed like nice people to me. And I get that it takes time for people to adjust to the idea, because hell, it took me a while to get a hang of the concept. I found Riley to simply make mountains out of molehills?

I can’t go into deeper detail, because that may giveaway crucial spoilers, but in my opinion, simply being honest with her parents earlier would have done the trick. It would’ve taken time, sure, but every big change does. Genderfluidity is a relatively new concept and it does take time to understand.

Controversially, I also think Riley invited trouble sometimes. I don’t know how to explain this, because this is a deeply personal opinion, but I think Riley behaved like a spoilt brat a lot of time and did judge everyone around as being bigots & as people who won’t ever understand –they weren’t even given the chance.

As for the blog, it was informative as hell, which also made it a bit of an info-dump. As I said earlier, I wanted to read about Riley, to see the character develop – only what I got was a blog that told me exactly how I should view genderfluditiy which I found very hypocritical. I was being asked to accept something without question, and when someone did dare to ask a question, they were given a public sarcastic smack down. To be honest, I had that question myself.

Conclusion:

Symptoms of Being Human is a very diverse novel, with bold characters like Bec & Solo, and occasionally Riley too. It educates you about genderfluidity. It is a brilliant representation of the LGBTQ+ community and how badly they can be treated in the society that we live in. If you are into books that kinda shake your world around (but in a good way) and expose you to things you haven’t thought of before, then this is book for you. But if you dislike obstinate characters, then may be try it out before you go all the way.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

4.5 stars!

Riley, as a character, is awesome. Straight-up awesome! The kind of character that you will IMMEDIATELY fall for and want nothing but the best in the coming chapters. I wasn't a huge fan or a lot of the other characters in the book, but Riley really stuck out for me. If I was standing by Riley through this story, let's just say tackle hugs would be in order.
 


I was also pleasantly surprised by how well Riley's parents, despite their completely lack of knowledge, dealt with the concerning issues that presented themselves. (Sorry so vague, but that's just how I roll. #antispoilers) 

This is such an important book, and not just for teens. Even though I'm in my thirties, I honestly had never heard of Gender Fluid until reading a book about it last year. It's something that exists in our world, yet it isn't discussed as much as it should be. Too many times this type of issue is overlooked simply because of lack of knowledge, and I love that there are books like this available for teens as well as adults alike. Yay for diversity!

(Thanks to Harper Audio & Balzer + Bray for the review copies!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Laura

I feel like I have to tread lightly when discussing this book, and I’m not going to talk about politics or anything that I personally believe, because we’re keeping it book related here. Nothing is going to stop me from hating this book. I hated the main character. I thought Reilly was the most stereotypically Tumblr main character ever. I hated how Reilly had no flaws and the constant self-victimization. Honestly, Reilly reminded me of every whiny, self-entitled millennial I know. Nothing could be said in fault of Reilly, although I almost stood up and applauded when Chewie took Reilly down a few pegs. Even if he did apologize later in the book. I could guess who the bad guy was right from the very beginning, and of course it was a jock, because who else is the enemy of the Tumblr folk but jocks. But above all, my main problem with this book was that Reilly constantly got praise for the blog and how Reilly wrote and everything and how funny Reilly was, but whenever we got samples of the writing or the supposed “roasting” it wasn’t that funny. I think one “joke” was just Reilly correcting the grammar of a “hater”. That’s not funny, that’s just pedantic, and I can be pretty pedantic, believe me. The only thing I kinda liked was that the Ramones and and few other old school punk bands were mentioned. But yeah, overall thumbs down on this one.

Read more like this review on my blog, http://www.bookwormbasics.blogspot.com

Symptoms of Being Human

Reviews

Highlights