Felix Ever After

Felix is a trans boy, who has a lot going on. His father has a hard time getting used to his new name, but supports him in every possible way. Pays for his therapy, paid for his mastectomy, everything. He even calls him "kid", even though it's hard for him, which is understandable. Parents build up future plans for their kids and then the kid comes out as trans and everything they imagined falls apart. Of course they need some time to come to terms with that. But Felix just doesn't get that. He gets upset like "My father doesn't support me. He doesn't even try to understand. Why does he support me on paper, but not in real life? He could just tell me that he doesn't love me". Additionally someone hung up pre-transition pictures of him in the school lobby. Which is bad. Really bad. I, as a trans guy myself, get that. And I wouldn't want it to happen to me, too. But the first thing he does is he suspects the ex of his best friend to be the bad guy who did it. "Because he is mean and hates me and I hate him. He has to be the one." So he sets up a plan to destroy him. And guess what - while texting with him (of course with a fake Instagram profile) he falls in love with him. Anyways, he wouldn't want a relationship with him because that "would never work" so he realizes that he's been in love with someone else for a long time. Guess who. I mentioned him before. This whole book is just such a mess like it's pulled right out of a pretty ignorant teenager's head.

Felix is trans. He´s known for quite some time now but there is that niggling, that something still doesn´t fit. We accompany felix on his journey and I have to say that no other book felt so welcoming and open. Felix is a very wellwritten character and I fell in love with him in no time. We watch him as he grows and get more confident in who he is and what he wants. A heartbreaking story of selfdiscovery, friendship, heartbreak and love! A must-read!!!

"Felix Ever After" ist eine herzzerreißend-emotionale Geschichte rund um das Queersein, Liebe, Identität und Selbstfindung - aber auch Mobbing, Rassismus und Transfeindlichkeit. Kacen Callenders Schreibsstil ist atmosphärisch und leicht zu verstehen, die Protagonisten wirken unfassbar nah und lebendig. Dabei hat die Autor:in unfassbar gute und diverse Repräsentation erschaffen. Alles in allem ist "Felix Ever After" ein gelungener, rührender Jugendroman, dem ich jeder queeren Person - aber auch nicht-queeren Personen, die ihre Mitmenschen einfach nur ein wenig besser verstehen wollen - ans Herz legen kann!

Eine schöne Geschichte, sehr realitätsnah. Man begleitet den 17 jährigen Felix Love durch Identitätsfindung und Liebesdreieck. Dabei spielt vor allem die Coming-of-age Thematik in Verbindung mit seinem Trans-sein eine Rolle. Mir hat vor allem die Art gefallen, wie Autor Callender die Jugendsprache mit einbindet!

Dieses Buch, vor allem die englische Variante, ist unglaublich gut geschrieben, die Story ist tröstend und nervenaufreibend zugleich und die Höhen und Tiefen sind sehr mitreißend geschrieben, wodurch das lesen einer Gefühlsachterbach gleicht. Allein schon die Widmung an 'nonbinary and trans youth' gibt der Story das gewisse etwas, ein wichtiges Thema mit guter (!!!) Representation und es werden so viele wichtige Punkte im Bezug auf gender (identity) angesprochen, es ist ein Buch das alle einmal gelesen haben sollten. Neben Felix' Selbstfindung und seiner Suche nach einem passenden Label, der Beziehung mit seinem Vater und der Dynamik in der Klasse kommt auch seine Lovestory nicht zu kurz.