Genre: YA/LGBTQ
Description:
“From the outside, Alex has a perfect life. She has a partner who
loves her, gets good grades in school, excels at most sports, and has a big
heart. From the inside, Alex’s life is anything but perfect. She hasn’t spoken
to her father in years. She’s hiding the fact that her once-best-friend
now-romantic-partner Theo is trans and nonbinary from her homophobic mother.
Bullies are harassing her and Theo at school, taunting and shoving. It’s all
becoming too much for Alex to bear.
Things take a surprising turn when Alex’s mother discovers her
relationship with Theo. After Alex is thrown out of her house and taken in by
Theo’s foster family, Alex can live honestly. For a while, things start to feel
manageable. Alex finds a new group of friends. She navigates what “family”
means beyond her mother and sister. She even considers forgiving her mother’s
past mistakes. But forgiveness requires honesty. Secrets Alex’s mother has been
keeping are surfacing, trying to bind Alex to misery. As Alex learns the full
truth of her mother’s past mistakes, she will need the love of her chosen
family and friends to gently bind her life into a shape that keeps her whole.”
Author:
“Phoenix Blackwood is an intersex nonbinary author and has published
short stories and the novel The Secrets That Kill Us. Through their
writing, Phoenix shines a light on the issues LGBTQIA+ youth face at home and
in school. Phoenix is a passionate advocate and wants all youth to feel as if
they have a place in the world.”
Appraisal:
I’ve felt for a long time that books with stories that allow readers
to put themselves in the position of someone not like them is one of the best
ways to help develop empathy and understanding for the struggles of others. In
the process the reader becomes a better, more well-rounded person and the world
benefits. The main characters in this story are in their late teens. Readers in
the same age range, especially those who are part of the LGBT community, should
find this tale appealing, but I think those this age range and up, regardless
of anything else, would benefit from reading the story.
The book’s description gives a pretty good idea of the overall story.
The characters are well drawn, the situations they find themselves in are
realistic, and the story feels like it could easily be true, even though it isn’t.
All of this pulled me in to the story as I wondered whether everything was
going to work out for Alex.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
The book contains the following note. Consider yourself warned:
“The Love that Binds Us deals with many difficult topics that
may be triggering for some readers. Drug use (explicit) Explicit language Child
abuse (non-sexual, explicit).”
Format/Typo
Issues:
Review is based on an ARC (advance reader copy), so I can’t gauge the
final product in this area.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words
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