Felix Ever After is a story that needs to be heard, a story that needs to be amplified. It’s honest and raw, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

tw: bullying/harassment, misgendering, deadnaming, forced outing, transphobia, racism

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This book is just so good from start to finish. The writing style is great and there’s something poetic and mellow about it that provokes emotion and thoughts out of the reader.

I loved the characters, especially Felix! He's so precious and talented and passionate, but he's insecure and confused about a lot of things. And though we seem him make mistakes, we also see him go through everything and learn and grow. I liked Ezra and his friendship with Felix. And in a weird way, I liked Declan, too. However, Leah has got to be my favorite. She is the absolute best and I’m so glad Felix has a friend like her.

The plot is relatively simple, and I almost thought it was going to be predictable. However, I have to applaud the author as they did a really good job telling the story. There were little details and plot twists that really managed to get through me (and the fact that I never saw them coming is just so great!). As a whole, it was also a journey of self-discovery, of self-love, and learning to realize and accept that you deserve something good as well. I loved that.

I also loved how family is a big part of the story, and that it talked about exploring and questioning one’s gender identity and/or sexuality (so awesome and wholesome!). I also particularly loved how Felix and Leah cuts off a few toxic “friends” out of their lives, because this is how it should be.

Callender also said in the Author’s Note that this book is very personal to them. And I can see it, I can feel it all throughout the book. It’s so heartfelt and deeply moving (and if I cried in some parts of the book, no one needs to know). This is the story of many Black trans and queer youth out there, and we need to listen to them and support them, rather than bring them down and make them think they’re not a real person.

Overall, Felix Ever After is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. Now I’m going to need someone to turn it into a movie (please) because this is a masterpiece.

(This review was first published on Enthralled Bookworm.)