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Lark Winters größter Traum ist es, Autor:in zu werden. Aber they erhält eine Absage nach der anderen. Zu jung, zu queer, zu emotional – niemand will die Relevanz der Geschichte für junge nichtbinäre Menschen wie Lark erkennen. Doch als Larks Tweet über unerwiderte Gefühle für jemanden, mit dem they vor langer Zeit aufgehört hat zu sprechen, viral geht, ist Larks Traum zum Greifen nah. Einziges Problem: Der Tweet stammt eigentlich von Larks ehemals bestem Freund Kasim, der nicht mehr mit Lark redet. Lark muss sich entscheiden: einen Traum leben, der auf einer Lüge basiert, oder herausfinden, was hinter Kasims Tweet steckt und was eigentlich vor einem Jahr mit ihrer Freundschaft passiert ist.
Eine Geschichte über die Suche nach der Wahrheit, die Macht der eigenen Gefühle, große Fehler und das unbeschreibliche Gefühl sich selbst dabei ein ganzes Stück nähergekommen zu sein!
"Felix' Geschichte ist so echt und herzzerreißend wie herzerwärmend und empowernd. Eine Liebeserklärung an die Buntheit des Lebens!" @DERUNBEKANNTEHELD über FELIX EVER AFTER
Lark Winters größter Traum ist es, Autor:in zu werden. Aber they erhält eine Absage nach der anderen. Zu jung, zu queer, zu emotional – niemand will die Relevanz der Geschichte für junge nichtbinäre Menschen wie Lark erkennen. Doch als Larks Tweet über unerwiderte Gefühle für jemanden, mit dem they vor langer Zeit aufgehört hat zu sprechen, viral geht, ist Larks Traum zum Greifen nah. Einziges Problem: Der Tweet stammt eigentlich von Larks ehemals bestem Freund Kasim, der nicht mehr mit Lark redet. Lark muss sich entscheiden: einen Traum leben, der auf einer Lüge basiert, oder herausfinden, was hinter Kasims Tweet steckt und was eigentlich vor einem Jahr mit ihrer Freundschaft passiert ist.
Eine Geschichte über die Suche nach der Wahrheit, die Macht der eigenen Gefühle, große Fehler und das unbeschreibliche Gefühl sich selbst dabei ein ganzes Stück nähergekommen zu sein!
"Felix' Geschichte ist so echt und herzzerreißend wie herzerwärmend und empowernd. Eine Liebeserklärung an die Buntheit des Lebens!" @DERUNBEKANNTEHELD über FELIX EVER AFTER
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 2022
87 people are currently reading
7374 people want to read
About the author
Kacen Callender
15 books2,583 followersKacen Callender is a Saint Thomian author of children's fiction and fantasy, best known for their Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award-winning middle grade debut Hurricane Child. Their fantasy novel, Queen of the Conquered, is the 2020 winner of the World Fantasy Award and King and the Dragonflies won the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Callender is Black, queer, trans, and uses they/them and he/him pronouns. Callender debuted their new name when announcing their next young adult novel Felix Ever After in May 2019.
Callender is Black, queer, trans, and uses they/them and he/him pronouns. Callender debuted their new name when announcing their next young adult novel Felix Ever After in May 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
July 11, 2023
Zapomniałam jej odznaczyć jako przeczytaną więc robię to teraz. Zrobiła rewolucję w mojej głowie i jestem jej za to wdzięczna.
June 18, 2022
Actual rating 3.5 stars, I think …
I’m conflicted. So conflicted. Felix Ever After was one of my most favorite reads in 2020 and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Kacen Callender’s next YA. So, I was over the moon when I got an ARC of Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution.
Don’t be fooled by my conflict. You definitely should read this story because it has so much to love. The representation, Lark, non-binary and neurodivergent, and Kasim, trans. So many other queer teens. The extremely vivid and blunt writing, and messy and flawed characters, the things that made Felix Ever After so incredible. Neurodivergent teens with so many chaotic thoughts. The social issues in this story, racism, loving yourself, allowing yourself to make mistakes, and even our COVID pandemic and what it did to social interactions between people, teens. And I especially cherished the part about the cancel culture on social media like Twitter and Goodreads.
I loved that Lark was neurodivergent and didn’t have a label. They could have ADHD, be on the autism spectrum, whatever. They just knew they were different.
I can fully get that Lark’s mind was chaotic and unstructured. I can get their trains of thoughts. I love blunt writing. I don’t mind if it’s frantic or feverish. I even think this kind of writing is really fitting to the story. But what I’ve always learned is that neurodivergent people benefit from structure, and that’s where I got conflicted. To be honest, even though I treasured so many things, I found the book exhausting at times. At those moments, it was a character-driven train that ran faster and faster and faster, and never slowed down for a stop. Although I don’t have a label, I might be neurodivergent myself (DCD runs in the family). I need structure and moments where I can go back to first or second gear to unload my train of thoughts. It was impossible to do for me while reading this book. And am I allowed to say that I didn’t like Birdy …?
I rounded my rating up instead of down because this is probably an it’s me, not you thing, and I definitely don’t want to discourage people from reading Lark & Kasim’s story. On the contrary, like I said before, this book has so much to offer that I think you should read it!
I received an ARC from Faber and Faber Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I’m conflicted. So conflicted. Felix Ever After was one of my most favorite reads in 2020 and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Kacen Callender’s next YA. So, I was over the moon when I got an ARC of Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution.
Don’t be fooled by my conflict. You definitely should read this story because it has so much to love. The representation, Lark, non-binary and neurodivergent, and Kasim, trans. So many other queer teens. The extremely vivid and blunt writing, and messy and flawed characters, the things that made Felix Ever After so incredible. Neurodivergent teens with so many chaotic thoughts. The social issues in this story, racism, loving yourself, allowing yourself to make mistakes, and even our COVID pandemic and what it did to social interactions between people, teens. And I especially cherished the part about the cancel culture on social media like Twitter and Goodreads.
I loved that Lark was neurodivergent and didn’t have a label. They could have ADHD, be on the autism spectrum, whatever. They just knew they were different.
I can fully get that Lark’s mind was chaotic and unstructured. I can get their trains of thoughts. I love blunt writing. I don’t mind if it’s frantic or feverish. I even think this kind of writing is really fitting to the story. But what I’ve always learned is that neurodivergent people benefit from structure, and that’s where I got conflicted. To be honest, even though I treasured so many things, I found the book exhausting at times. At those moments, it was a character-driven train that ran faster and faster and faster, and never slowed down for a stop. Although I don’t have a label, I might be neurodivergent myself (DCD runs in the family). I need structure and moments where I can go back to first or second gear to unload my train of thoughts. It was impossible to do for me while reading this book. And am I allowed to say that I didn’t like Birdy …?
I rounded my rating up instead of down because this is probably an it’s me, not you thing, and I definitely don’t want to discourage people from reading Lark & Kasim’s story. On the contrary, like I said before, this book has so much to offer that I think you should read it!
I received an ARC from Faber and Faber Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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August 19, 2021i think we all won with this I personally read "nonbinary neurodivergent aspiring writer" and ascended
September 18, 2022
Felix Ever After is one of my all time favourite LGBTQ+ books, and so when I heard that Kacen Callender was releasing a new book, I just had to read it. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint.
The writing was engaging and excellently reflected the thought processes of a neurodivergent person. As a neurodivergent person myself, this is some of the best ND representation I've ever read!
I love how Callender doesn't hold back from creating characters that are messy and real, that make mistakes and do the wrong thing, but that grow, change and are still lovable. That is exactly who Lark is, and I loved them as a main character.
The representation in this book is also fantastic, specifically Lark, who is Black, non-binary, queer and neurodivergent. I enjoyed how Kacen Callender explored the intersectionality of Lark's identities.
Overall a great YA contemporary and one of my favourite reads so far this year!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC and the publisher for proving me with a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The writing was engaging and excellently reflected the thought processes of a neurodivergent person. As a neurodivergent person myself, this is some of the best ND representation I've ever read!
I love how Callender doesn't hold back from creating characters that are messy and real, that make mistakes and do the wrong thing, but that grow, change and are still lovable. That is exactly who Lark is, and I loved them as a main character.
The representation in this book is also fantastic, specifically Lark, who is Black, non-binary, queer and neurodivergent. I enjoyed how Kacen Callender explored the intersectionality of Lark's identities.
Overall a great YA contemporary and one of my favourite reads so far this year!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC and the publisher for proving me with a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2022
My experience with Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution was mixed. I enjoyed the characters, rooted for them, but also felt exhausted by them—sounds just like a stereotypical old person responding to teens, doesn't it?
I am, however, not the intended audience for this book. It's written for and about a community of nonbinary teens, most of them POC. That's a community that is hugely underrepresented (times infinity) in current publishing. I will be recommending Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution to my students, buying copies of it to share, and looking forward to future titles from this author.
If you enjoy YA literature and/or want more depictions of nonbinary, POC youth, grab this book. Read it, then pass on your copy to someone who needs it. We all have people who fit that description in our lives.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
I am, however, not the intended audience for this book. It's written for and about a community of nonbinary teens, most of them POC. That's a community that is hugely underrepresented (times infinity) in current publishing. I will be recommending Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution to my students, buying copies of it to share, and looking forward to future titles from this author.
If you enjoy YA literature and/or want more depictions of nonbinary, POC youth, grab this book. Read it, then pass on your copy to someone who needs it. We all have people who fit that description in our lives.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
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November 8, 2025
„Małe dziecko nie patrzy na inną istotę ludzką, jakby sądziło, że jest od niego gorsza i niewarta miłości, ani jakby rozważało zranienie czy zrujnowanie jej życia. Uczy się nas, jak ranić innych, prawda? Myślę, że ludzie rodzą się pełni miłości i jednym z naszych życiowych zadań jest wymyślenie, jak wrócić do tego punktu wyjściowego, i że niektórzy…Tak, są szkodliwi, bardziej szkodliwi niż inni, ale to ich nie definiuje. Wszyscy wciąż jesteśmy zdolni do miłości.”
Q1:Jak myślicie, co kształtuje rozumienie tego, jak dochodzimy do pewnych konwenansów, w których funkcjonujemy i co wpływa na postrzeganie społeczeństwa i na to, jak kształtuje się człowieczeństwo i jego elastyczność w obliczu wszelkich doznań?
Q2: Jaka książka według was jest najbardziej autentyczna, jeśli chodzi o przekaz ludzkości i jego postrzegania w stosunku do reprezentacji grup społecznych i ukazania im swojego głosu?
Muszę wam powiedzieć, że dość ciężko mi jest tę recenzje napisać z kilku powodów. Pierwszy jest taki, że bardzo oscylujące wokół mnie rejony i przemyślenia, ale w zupełnie inny sposób i w innym świetle. A drugi i przede wszystkim kluczowy jest taki, że w życiu, całym swoim życiu nie miałem do czynienia z tak wielotorową i uniwersalną, wspólną dla naszego człowieczeństwa, rozwoju, świadomości i w jaki sposób zmierzamy i rozumiemy to zmierzanie w kontekście odkrywania siebie książką. Naprawdę to, jakie wrażenie we mnie wzmogła i wywarła ta książka, jest ponad wszelki przekaz, który mógłbym z siebie wydobyć. Mimo, że mam sporo do powiedzenia , to mam wrażenie, że żadne słowa nie oddadzą tego, o czym jest rzeczywiście ta powieść. Mowa tutaj o tej wspaniałej książce, czyli „Lark i Kasim Czas na rewolucje” – osoby autorskiej niebinarnej Kacen Callender
TW: Myśli samobójcze, bullying, skłonności depresyjne, klasizm, rasizm, ableizm, zaburzenia lękowe
Książka ma oznaczenie wiekowe od 14+ lat w nakładzie wydawnictwa we need ya
Myślę, że każdy z nas czytelników trafił i wiedzą, że są takie książki, które w pewnym sensie głęboko sięgają nie tylko w warstwy tematyczne i tego, jakie jest ich podłoże, ale też próbują wejść o krok dalej i wchodzą w ich głębie, jaka się kształtuje i co powoduje pewnego rodzaju zjawiska wokół tych kwestii, jak je rozumiemy w naszej głowie i tego, jak próbujemy pewne rzeczy rozumieć. Do tego stwierdzenia mógłbym sprowadzić książkę „Lark i Kasim Czas na rewolucje”, ale i tak uważam, że to by nie oddało w pełni tego, co ta książka ma nam do zaoferowania. Powieść ta generalnie przedstawia nam historie Larka Wintersa, który marzy o tym, żeby wydać książkę i zaciekle dąży po trupach do celu, żeby spełnić to marzenie, jakim jest wydanie książki. Niestety wydawcy nieprzychylnie i nieraz w taki mało urealnionym jakimkolwiek powodem sposób odrzucają jego tekst rzucając mu tak naprawdę proste ogólniki nie dając mu nawet szansy i jakiegokolwiek pola manewru do poczynienia kroków ulepszenia jego tekstu. Dostaje różne ogólniki, choćby takie jak:”zbyt nastolatkowy”, „Zbyt głębokie jak na nastolatka”, „zbyt mało wiarygodnie”, „Zbyt emocjonalne”, „Za głębokie”. Nie dają mu możliwości rozgryzienia podłoża i samorozwoju w kontekście pisarskim.
Jednak Lark w pewnym momencie zostaje zauważony na twitterze przez internautów i użytkowników tej platformy przez jego tweeta o miłości, z którą się kryje i nie wie, jak ma ją ukazać, czy chce to robić i w jaki sposób to uwypuklić. Jednak to nie był jego tweet, a jego dawnego przyjaciela, czyli Kasima, z którym dziś wyłącznie tam okazjonalnie i spontanicznie szorstko rozmawia. Konsekwencją czego Lark dochodzi do pewnych rozważań i przemyśleń i zastanawia go, co począć z tym faktem. Czy wykorzystać to, co się wydarzyło w imię swoich celów i w pewnym sensie sprawić, by ten tweet był jego pompką dającą mu pewność siebie w konteście odkrywania siebie. Czy jednak dojść do innych konkluzji, konsensusów i dowiedzieć się, co tak naprawdę stoi za tym tweedem Kasima i na jakim etapie stoi ich relacja.
W gruncie rzeczy opowiedziałem wam mniej więcej zarys fabuły i to, co musicie wiedzieć. Mimo to odnoszę wrażenie, że to tak naprawdę nie oddaje i mało co jest w stanie oddać wyjątkowości tej historii. W sumie tak naprawdę to coś więcej niż historia, która może rezonować z wieloma czytelnikami. To jest tak naprawdę kompendium dochodzenia do tego, jak dochodzimy do tego, co jest dla nas ważne, co nas kształtuje i tego jak elastyczne i nieelastyczne to jest. Jak tak naprawdę docieramy do tego co nas kształtuje, jak rozumiemy tożsamość płciową i seksualną. I to jest wspólny element mam wrażenie dla takich rozdzierających i ważnych książek, jaką jest przykładowo „Girl in pieces” i dlatego uważam ją za tak wyjątkową, choć to jest zupełnie inny kaliber, dlatego też nie chce jej do tej książki zupełnie Larka i Kasima porównywać, bo to są dwa inne bieguny.
Jednak przy tym uważam, że są tak samo istotne, a przede wszystkim książka osoby autorskiej Kacen Callender opowiada o rzeczach wspólnych dla nas wszystkich i jest nie tylko do bólu szczera, ale też czuła, wyrozumiała, spokojna, ostrożna, ale też autentyczna w swoim przekazie. W istocie nie owija w bawełnę, ale pokazuje szeroki zbiór elementarnych różnic na świecie, ale i elementów wspólnych, które ze sobą konspirują i współgrają w naszym świecie. Idealnie detalicznie i treściwie przedstawia fakt tego, jak ludzie są rozbudowani i nieoczywiści, ale też w pewnym sensie równi sobie. Pokazując to z perspektywy Larka - czyli głównej osoby bohaterskiej w tym tytule, oddaje w pewien sposób to, do jakich perypetii i wniosków rozgryzamy i tego, co o nich myśli, dlaczego tak myśli oraz w jakich okolicznościach to dostrzega, co miało wpływ na te czynniki i jak całe składowisko różnych podpór i trzonów, które są współodpowiedzialne i grają przeogromną rolę w samorozwoju i postrzeganiu człowieczeństwa, jakie to tak naprawdę ma oblicze.
Wszystko dlatego, że owocem tej książki tak naprawdę nie są poszczególne wydarzenia z całą pewnością. Owszem są, jak najbardziej, ale to nie jest to, co oddaje unikatowość i wyjątkowość tej powieści. W tej książce liczy się to, jak Lark i ogólnie inni bohaterowie poprzez różne zmienne otoczenia, środowiska, zjawiska, które ich otaczają, dochodzą do pewnych emocji. Ale emocje swoją drogą, ważne w tym wszystkim jest to, co myślą o tych emocjach, jak dochodzą do tego, z czego wynikają pewne sprawy i przemyślenia i czy sposób, w który dochodzą jest adekwatny z ich komfortem. Z całą książką też idealnie tutaj współgra styl, narracja, kreacja i właśnie tematyka, ponieważ w tych wszystkich refleksjach i różnych konkluzjach, w których się obracamy gra też tematyka, o której bohaterowie otwarcie rozmawiają i mimo obaw dochodzą do pewnych wniosków. Ruszają z pewnymi kwestiami tak jak opowiadałem, nie tylko wchodzą w samą tematykę i jej sznytów, bądź wszelkich rzeczy powiązanych z nią i wszelkich skutków z tym związanych, a wchodzą dużo bardziej wnikliwie do innych wszechstronności, które są z tym spójne i się ze sobą kleją. Mamy tutaj kwestie odkrywania swojej tożsamości i tego, skąd tak naprawdę pewne preferencje się u nas biorą, co one oznaczają i czy potrzebują definiowania. Występuje tu także element wspólny z jedną z moich absolutnie ukochanych książek, czyli „Loveless” Alice Oseman, czyli miłości ogólnie i jej postrzegania w kulturze. Czy ma jakiś limit, co ona oznacza, jak dochodzimy do tego i CZY możemy kogoś kochać nie będąc w kimś zakochanym fizycznie.
Na pewno wielu z was kojarzy tę osobę autorską z książką, którą się zaczytywaliśmy w pewnym momencie wszyscy, czy „Felix ever after”, która też poruszła kwestie klasowe i miłości. Jednak tu uważam, że idziemy o krok dalej w porównaniu z poprzedniczką, ponieważ ta książka dogłębniej opisuje postrzeganie rzeczywistości klasowej rasizmu, dyskryminacji i autyzmu – jak to jest z tą dyskryminacją, co za nią odpowiada i stoi i tego, jak trudno się jest przeciwstawić i zadbać o swój komfort i potrzeby oraz te potrzeby zrozumieć. Jeśli chodzi o kwestie dyskryminacji, to lark (i nie tylko) w pewnych aspektach próbuje dojść do tego, jak dyskryminacja jest w stanie zmienić obraz naszego człowieczeństwa, ale z drugiej strony wyciągnięty zostaje bardzo trafny wniosek, jakim jest fakt, że nie wszystko jest czarno-białe - i to jest mam wrażenie coś, czym można byłoby choć trochę podsumować cały ten tytuł – nic nie jest jednoznaczne, póki nie jest w pełni udowodnione i wyjaśnione i nic nie jest czarno-białe. Przy tym też (co mi się podoba) zostaje ruszona kwestia tego, że każdy z nas jest człowiekiem i popełnia błędy i to jest normalne, ale pokazuje też to, że jeśli ktoś nas krzywdzi, to nawet jeśli stoi za tym coś innego, to owszem nie zawsze musi to wynikać z jego widzi mi się, ale mamy prawo powiedzieć o tym głośno, postawić na swoim, dojść do tego, co tak naprawdę jest ważne dla nas. Z drugiej strony właśnie pokazuje, że to z czegoś wynika i że właśnie przeciwdziałając pewnym zachowaniom i dając pole do dyskusji i uświadomienia pewnych spraw, możemy dojść do do meritum, ultimatum i z jednej strony jeśli ktoś szerzy nienawiść walczyć, ale z drugiej strony ukazać tę perspektywę i to, co tak naprawdę odpowiada za pewne zachowania, z jakimi zjawiskami walczyć, zachowaniami i sformułowaniami, jeśli widzimy pewne ewenementy na naszych oczach, które są czymś, co nie jest próbą uprzykrzenia czyjegoś życia.
Reasumując – myślę, że „Lark i Kasim Czas na rewolucje” Kacen Callender - to jest jedna z kolejnych rewolucyjnych książek, jeśli chodzi o literaturę młodzieżową/young adultową, bo w rzeczy samej rzeczy, o których mówi owszem, pokazuje z różnych perspektyw, ale też nie ukrywa tego przed nami i próbuje nam pokazać, że wszystko to, co odpowiada za nasz rozwój, sposób bycia, dostrzegania pewnych spraw oraz wartości, jest uniwersalne i ważne dla każdego człowieka. Pokazuje, że podziały, które są tak przez nas nazywane wcale nie muszą nimi być – mogą być czymś, co kreuje nas, ale nie czymś, co musi być uznawane za normę i wykluczenie i odrzucenie z pewnych etykiet. Jest to bardzo kompleksowa rozbudowana i jedna jeśli chodzi o queerowość to jedna z najlepszych (jak nie najlepsza) książek z reprezentacją i tym, w jaki sposób rozmawiać i mówić o pewnych rzeczach, perspektywie jaką się otaczamy, jakie czytałem w swoim życiu. Czytajcie, bo jest naprawdę dobra, ale tylko wtedy, jeśli jesteście gotowi na rewolucję.
June 27, 2022
Star Rating: —> 5 FULL, BRIGHT, GLIMMERING Stars
🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
Y’all… GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR RADAR NOW
I can’t remember the last time a novel made me feel this strongly about it, and GOD is that a GREAT feeling!
JUST WOW. Wowowow the amount of representation in Lark & Kasim Start A Revolution was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, & fantastic— Black/ BIPOC rep, Neurodiversity rep of all kinds, mental health rep, LGBTQIA rep, trans rep, non binary rep, the *best* polyam rep I’ve EV-ER read… just, I am SO DAMN WOWED.
This arc was a freaking G I F T; Literally, too—I received it in a giveaway! I felt so represented through the LGBTQIA+ rep, neurodiversity rep, & the mental health rep. My cheeks were wet with tears more often than not!
As a white woman, who is disabled, I know I have my problems, but I have still been exceptionally privileged in my life. I feel like EVERYONE needs to READ THIS BOOK! It addresses so many issues that it’s insane to me that it NEVER sounds like preaching or pushing issues. It makes us question ourselves as people and how we can improve, and I feel like all of us always can improve.
The question this novel poses is one I think that all of us struggle with, How Do I Love Myself? and boy, did I resonate with that.
More RTC upon publication in Sept. 2022!
I know won this in a giveaway, but I still want to thank the author, Kacen Callender, & the publisher, Amulet Books, for the physical ARC of this wonderful, life-altering book!
🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
Y’all… GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR RADAR NOW
I can’t remember the last time a novel made me feel this strongly about it, and GOD is that a GREAT feeling!
JUST WOW. Wowowow the amount of representation in Lark & Kasim Start A Revolution was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, & fantastic— Black/ BIPOC rep, Neurodiversity rep of all kinds, mental health rep, LGBTQIA rep, trans rep, non binary rep, the *best* polyam rep I’ve EV-ER read… just, I am SO DAMN WOWED.
This arc was a freaking G I F T; Literally, too—I received it in a giveaway! I felt so represented through the LGBTQIA+ rep, neurodiversity rep, & the mental health rep. My cheeks were wet with tears more often than not!
As a white woman, who is disabled, I know I have my problems, but I have still been exceptionally privileged in my life. I feel like EVERYONE needs to READ THIS BOOK! It addresses so many issues that it’s insane to me that it NEVER sounds like preaching or pushing issues. It makes us question ourselves as people and how we can improve, and I feel like all of us always can improve.
The question this novel poses is one I think that all of us struggle with, How Do I Love Myself? and boy, did I resonate with that.
More RTC upon publication in Sept. 2022!
I know won this in a giveaway, but I still want to thank the author, Kacen Callender, & the publisher, Amulet Books, for the physical ARC of this wonderful, life-altering book!
August 26, 2022
On my blog.
Rep: Black neurodivergent (probably autism & ADHD) bi/pan nonbinary mc, Black bi/pan trans li with depression, Black autistic li, Black side characters, Black nonbinary side characters
CWs: past suicidal ideation, discussions of racism, ableism, bullying
Galley provided by publisher
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution is really the definition of “it’s not you it’s me”. So, my review is really going to be split into two parts: what is good about it, and then why I wasn’t a fan. In an attempt to be at least at bit objective.
THE GOOD
— Neurodiversity rep. There was a diverse array of experiences on show in this one, and I thought it did particularly well at discussing the differences in how Lark and Sable’s autism manifested. Additionally, it had a good lot of consideration of the intersection of mental health and race. And all of this, in true Kacen Callender fashion, was done very well.
— The writing is great. As to be expected, I think. It was what I expected in a Callender book and what I got.
— Lark and Kasim were probably my favourite part of this book (and later Sable). The pining and tension in their interactions was so good, and I kind of wish they’d had more page time in it. When they were on page I liked what I was reading, although I can admit that some of the other scenes in the book were necessary for Lark’s growth.
— Which, obviously, should be my next point. I liked the arc that Lark had throughout the book and I liked the way that themes and issues were navigated with nuance. Case in point, Lark’s belief that hate is not inherent and that everyone can change. Of course, there was a certain amount of naivete to that view, but at its heart, this is a book about love and change and it did as it advocated: treated it with the nuance it deserved.
— The discussions around toxicity and accountability were great, especially the latter. This, I think, is also part of the arc that Lark went through (along with side characters too) and it was very well done, particularly at the end when everything came to a head.
THE LESS GOOD (FOR ME)
— Probably issue number one is me, the reader. First and foremost, I think I’m just too old to really care about the things these kids cared about regarding social media. I also think that, for the central conflict to really register, you have to be terminally online. And I like to think I’m not. So yeah. The first point in this part is basically a reiteration of my opening to this review: it’s not you it’s me.
— Several parts of the storyline felt a little rushed or underdeveloped, namely with Eli and later Micah and Patch. Minor spoilers here so beware.
— Probably the biggest issue I had with it, though, was how close it felt to being on book twitter. I did not need a book to remind me of the cringefest that is, and it played a pretty central role in the book. This probably ties into the fact I have very different concerns with the main characters when it comes to the major conflict, really. The idea that thousands of people would be invested in the love lives of two teenagers on the internet is, while not implausible, just so completely divorced from a plotline I might care about. I’d have probably been better off not reading it at all. In fact, if I’d known this is what the plot was, I wouldn’t have. It reminded me of Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary and I don’t mean that in a good way.
However, I don’t say any of this in an attempt to put you off, just to try and explain why the book didn’t work for me. It may still do so for you and I would encourage you to try and find out.
Rep: Black neurodivergent (probably autism & ADHD) bi/pan nonbinary mc, Black bi/pan trans li with depression, Black autistic li, Black side characters, Black nonbinary side characters
CWs: past suicidal ideation, discussions of racism, ableism, bullying
Galley provided by publisher
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution is really the definition of “it’s not you it’s me”. So, my review is really going to be split into two parts: what is good about it, and then why I wasn’t a fan. In an attempt to be at least at bit objective.
THE GOOD
— Neurodiversity rep. There was a diverse array of experiences on show in this one, and I thought it did particularly well at discussing the differences in how Lark and Sable’s autism manifested. Additionally, it had a good lot of consideration of the intersection of mental health and race. And all of this, in true Kacen Callender fashion, was done very well.
— The writing is great. As to be expected, I think. It was what I expected in a Callender book and what I got.
— Lark and Kasim were probably my favourite part of this book (and later Sable). The pining and tension in their interactions was so good, and I kind of wish they’d had more page time in it. When they were on page I liked what I was reading, although I can admit that some of the other scenes in the book were necessary for Lark’s growth.
— Which, obviously, should be my next point. I liked the arc that Lark had throughout the book and I liked the way that themes and issues were navigated with nuance. Case in point, Lark’s belief that hate is not inherent and that everyone can change. Of course, there was a certain amount of naivete to that view, but at its heart, this is a book about love and change and it did as it advocated: treated it with the nuance it deserved.
— The discussions around toxicity and accountability were great, especially the latter. This, I think, is also part of the arc that Lark went through (along with side characters too) and it was very well done, particularly at the end when everything came to a head.
THE LESS GOOD (FOR ME)
— Probably issue number one is me, the reader. First and foremost, I think I’m just too old to really care about the things these kids cared about regarding social media. I also think that, for the central conflict to really register, you have to be terminally online. And I like to think I’m not. So yeah. The first point in this part is basically a reiteration of my opening to this review: it’s not you it’s me.
— Several parts of the storyline felt a little rushed or underdeveloped, namely with Eli and later Micah and Patch. Minor spoilers here so beware.
— Probably the biggest issue I had with it, though, was how close it felt to being on book twitter. I did not need a book to remind me of the cringefest that is, and it played a pretty central role in the book. This probably ties into the fact I have very different concerns with the main characters when it comes to the major conflict, really. The idea that thousands of people would be invested in the love lives of two teenagers on the internet is, while not implausible, just so completely divorced from a plotline I might care about. I’d have probably been better off not reading it at all. In fact, if I’d known this is what the plot was, I wouldn’t have. It reminded me of Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary and I don’t mean that in a good way.
However, I don’t say any of this in an attempt to put you off, just to try and explain why the book didn’t work for me. It may still do so for you and I would encourage you to try and find out.
June 19, 2023
PHENOMENAL! Kacen is a genius and I need all their future books stat!
tHIS FUCKING BOOk!!!! I love it so much!
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution follows Lark, a Black neurodivergent and nonbinary teenager. Lark has had a twitter for a long time and has managed to gain quite a following. They are really close to breaking 100K followers and they think if they do, they will have a good chance of getting their book published. When their ex-best friend, Kasim, publishes a love poem on Lark's account, they realize they must pretend they wrote it in order to protect their friend.
Lark plays along and pretends they had a crush on a classmate. But feelings are often more complicated than we first expect. As Lark spends more time with Kacen and his girlfriend, they find themself growing close to both of them. As Lark's love life explodes across social media, it will have ripple effects across their whole life.
This book is a love letter to queer Black teens, especially neurodivergent ones. I love Lark so much. Their brain and mine are so similar and I just have so much empathy for Lark. I would give them the biggest hug if I could. So many times throughout this it felt like Lark's words were twisted or intentionally misconstrued by other characters and it was so hard to read at times. Being neurodivergent means constantly over-explaining and still being misunderstood; then asking clarifying questions only to be snapped at. Seeing this through Lark, made so much of my past experiences make sense.
We also see Lark continue to question their queer identity as they begin to juggle romantic feelings for more than one person. I really loved this questioning journey about polyamory. We rarely seeing the questioning portion of polyam people in YA fiction.
Overall, I love this book so much. It is amazing and talks about so many current topics. Cannot recommend this book enough.
tHIS FUCKING BOOk!!!! I love it so much!
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution follows Lark, a Black neurodivergent and nonbinary teenager. Lark has had a twitter for a long time and has managed to gain quite a following. They are really close to breaking 100K followers and they think if they do, they will have a good chance of getting their book published. When their ex-best friend, Kasim, publishes a love poem on Lark's account, they realize they must pretend they wrote it in order to protect their friend.
Lark plays along and pretends they had a crush on a classmate. But feelings are often more complicated than we first expect. As Lark spends more time with Kacen and his girlfriend, they find themself growing close to both of them. As Lark's love life explodes across social media, it will have ripple effects across their whole life.
This book is a love letter to queer Black teens, especially neurodivergent ones. I love Lark so much. Their brain and mine are so similar and I just have so much empathy for Lark. I would give them the biggest hug if I could. So many times throughout this it felt like Lark's words were twisted or intentionally misconstrued by other characters and it was so hard to read at times. Being neurodivergent means constantly over-explaining and still being misunderstood; then asking clarifying questions only to be snapped at. Seeing this through Lark, made so much of my past experiences make sense.
We also see Lark continue to question their queer identity as they begin to juggle romantic feelings for more than one person. I really loved this questioning journey about polyamory. We rarely seeing the questioning portion of polyam people in YA fiction.
Overall, I love this book so much. It is amazing and talks about so many current topics. Cannot recommend this book enough.
June 30, 2023
2,5/5✨️
Zdążyłam jeszcze doczytać w czerwcu i nie mam pojęcia co myśleć o tej książce. Doceniam tematykę, doceniam problemy, ale po prostu się z nią minęłam. Tytułowa rewolucja nie miała aż tak dużego znaczenia, jak myślałam, że będzie, choć można ją rozpatrywać na wiele różnych sposobów. Zmiana jaką przechodzi Lark czy inne postacie, sam proces tych zmian, to było ciekawe. Niestety częściej irytowała mnie swoim zachowaniem... A ukazanie mediów społecznościowych w tym wypadku pokazało, jak jedna myśl, publikacja, k ł a m s t w o, zmienia perspektywę.
Najbardziej podobały mi się fragmenty opisujące społeczeństwo Commons oraz lekcje z kreatywnego pisania (wszelkie rady, rozmowy) - to było coś.
Zdążyłam jeszcze doczytać w czerwcu i nie mam pojęcia co myśleć o tej książce. Doceniam tematykę, doceniam problemy, ale po prostu się z nią minęłam. Tytułowa rewolucja nie miała aż tak dużego znaczenia, jak myślałam, że będzie, choć można ją rozpatrywać na wiele różnych sposobów. Zmiana jaką przechodzi Lark czy inne postacie, sam proces tych zmian, to było ciekawe. Niestety częściej irytowała mnie swoim zachowaniem... A ukazanie mediów społecznościowych w tym wypadku pokazało, jak jedna myśl, publikacja, k ł a m s t w o, zmienia perspektywę.
Najbardziej podobały mi się fragmenty opisujące społeczeństwo Commons oraz lekcje z kreatywnego pisania (wszelkie rady, rozmowy) - to było coś.
August 24, 2022
I don’t think I’ve ever seriously wanted to be able to give a six-star rating on Goodreads. My five-star reviews are boisterous enough, but I really have never read a book that I could see myself in as much as this one. Add in some much-needed heartfelt messages and, well, I am knocked out by how much Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution blew me away and ripped me to pieces.
Lark is 17, a young aspiring writer who has been working on their first book “Birdie Takes Flight”. So young and…so unpublished. They’re just starting their writing class at the commons that they’ve taken countless times before. However, this term things are different, they won’t have their best friend beside them, Kasim. Constant arguing made them drift apart and now, they don’t know where they stand. Kasim stays over for convenience and accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter account about desperate, unrequited love. It blows up. When Lark takes the credit, things spiral out of control. It makes them consider the value of honesty and how love and self-love can be truly achieved in a world built to make you fail.
The first thing that stood out to me was the way the viewpoint was articulated. The whole story is from Lark’s very neurodivergent perspective. Instead of making everything clear and profound, the narrative focused mainly on their perception and it led us down wormholes of thought, up internal information mountains, and persistently upheld the mindset of a neurodivergent. I knew that this would most likely be the thing neurotypical brains would dislike the most–along with an unintroduced imaginary character named Birdie that was confusing at first. But in all honesty, that was one of my favorite things about this novel. I have never read a book that felt like my brain. I am glad that there is now a book being released into this world that is for us.
Lark talks about their neurodivergence near the beginning saying that they don’t want to be tested. They could be autistic, have ADHD, or both. After my deep neurodivergent analysis of their character while reading I have deemed them both. Sue me.
Lark is also Black and nonbinary. It is revolutionary to have a character that embraces those parts of themself wholeheartedly. It wasn’t a big part of the book in the sense that there was no drama or an identity crisis where those things were debated and dissected. However, it was a bridge to give them a community of friends–all Black and Brown. There is so much fuss in YA about figuring yourself out and far less about actually living settled in your skin.
Other than the representation–that is some of the best I’ve ever read–Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution delves deep into our culture of calling out and responsibility. In Care Work, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha talks about this in the context of being a QTBIPOC and disabled activist. In general, they say that as a society we expect that activist leaders must take every grain of criticism and respond accordingly. That there are no boundaries or means to protect yourself from spiteful “well-intentioned” criticism, and that marginalized leaders who are already faced with so many challenges daily are then demonized instead of being someone who just made a mistake.
–Spoilers–
In this book, Lark has a deeply held belief that all humans are deserving of love, that everyone is naturally loving and should be treated with love and kindness. They say that the only way we do not return to loving others as a default is because we convince ourselves they are not human. And that we have created a culture of hate because of this. As an example, they present the dehumanization of Black people because of white supremacy. They go on to say that we need to have defining morals against degrading others, but it goes both ways and we shouldn’t call cops pigs.
–Spoilers Finished–
I am die-hard antisocial, so my love is reserved for a deserving few that is mostly cats and books, but I understand where Lark is coming from. We need to look for the humanity in others but also separate “loving” others from being nice, complicit, people-pleasing, and palatable. This could and should be used in a social justice setting.
People misunderstand what Lark is saying constantly and they are bullied brutally online and in person. Frankly, it was triggering because it so accurately shows how neurodivergent people are bullied. They just don’t want to listen to Lark. The book handles this well.
I think I’ve kvelled and pontificated enough for you to get the point: read this book and have an open mind. In so many ways Callender is doing things that have never been done before, from a toe-curling romance to a difficult and deeply needed conversation. I know that if you just listen, this book might just change your perspective. I know it changed the amount of hope I have in humanity! Then prepare for a killer book hangover–it will be awful.
—ARC Provided by High Five Books—
Lark is 17, a young aspiring writer who has been working on their first book “Birdie Takes Flight”. So young and…so unpublished. They’re just starting their writing class at the commons that they’ve taken countless times before. However, this term things are different, they won’t have their best friend beside them, Kasim. Constant arguing made them drift apart and now, they don’t know where they stand. Kasim stays over for convenience and accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter account about desperate, unrequited love. It blows up. When Lark takes the credit, things spiral out of control. It makes them consider the value of honesty and how love and self-love can be truly achieved in a world built to make you fail.
The first thing that stood out to me was the way the viewpoint was articulated. The whole story is from Lark’s very neurodivergent perspective. Instead of making everything clear and profound, the narrative focused mainly on their perception and it led us down wormholes of thought, up internal information mountains, and persistently upheld the mindset of a neurodivergent. I knew that this would most likely be the thing neurotypical brains would dislike the most–along with an unintroduced imaginary character named Birdie that was confusing at first. But in all honesty, that was one of my favorite things about this novel. I have never read a book that felt like my brain. I am glad that there is now a book being released into this world that is for us.
Lark talks about their neurodivergence near the beginning saying that they don’t want to be tested. They could be autistic, have ADHD, or both. After my deep neurodivergent analysis of their character while reading I have deemed them both. Sue me.
Lark is also Black and nonbinary. It is revolutionary to have a character that embraces those parts of themself wholeheartedly. It wasn’t a big part of the book in the sense that there was no drama or an identity crisis where those things were debated and dissected. However, it was a bridge to give them a community of friends–all Black and Brown. There is so much fuss in YA about figuring yourself out and far less about actually living settled in your skin.
Other than the representation–that is some of the best I’ve ever read–Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution delves deep into our culture of calling out and responsibility. In Care Work, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha talks about this in the context of being a QTBIPOC and disabled activist. In general, they say that as a society we expect that activist leaders must take every grain of criticism and respond accordingly. That there are no boundaries or means to protect yourself from spiteful “well-intentioned” criticism, and that marginalized leaders who are already faced with so many challenges daily are then demonized instead of being someone who just made a mistake.
–Spoilers–
In this book, Lark has a deeply held belief that all humans are deserving of love, that everyone is naturally loving and should be treated with love and kindness. They say that the only way we do not return to loving others as a default is because we convince ourselves they are not human. And that we have created a culture of hate because of this. As an example, they present the dehumanization of Black people because of white supremacy. They go on to say that we need to have defining morals against degrading others, but it goes both ways and we shouldn’t call cops pigs.
–Spoilers Finished–
I am die-hard antisocial, so my love is reserved for a deserving few that is mostly cats and books, but I understand where Lark is coming from. We need to look for the humanity in others but also separate “loving” others from being nice, complicit, people-pleasing, and palatable. This could and should be used in a social justice setting.
People misunderstand what Lark is saying constantly and they are bullied brutally online and in person. Frankly, it was triggering because it so accurately shows how neurodivergent people are bullied. They just don’t want to listen to Lark. The book handles this well.
I think I’ve kvelled and pontificated enough for you to get the point: read this book and have an open mind. In so many ways Callender is doing things that have never been done before, from a toe-curling romance to a difficult and deeply needed conversation. I know that if you just listen, this book might just change your perspective. I know it changed the amount of hope I have in humanity! Then prepare for a killer book hangover–it will be awful.
—ARC Provided by High Five Books—
September 25, 2022
*Thank you so much to Faber for sending me an ARC of this book to review!*
See, there were many aspects of this book I didn’t get along with. The writing style was a sort of rambly first person narrative which jumped from topic to topic in quite a jarring way. A lot was said at once, which felt a bit overwhelming to process. There were a ridiculous number of references to the pandemic, which I never like reading about. Reference to sickness and face masks and general panic just takes me out of my escapism completely. There were also moments where it felt like the author was speaking to us through Lark, rather than Lark being their own character with their own voice. It just read sometimes like the author wasn’t writing a story, but an almost memoir. I don’t know how else to describe it, but that distracted me a lot as well. Though having said that, the reflective nature of some of the writing - especially when it talked about making mistakes and taking accountability - was amazing.
I don’t really like using the term ‘chronically online’ but this book also in some ways fit that description. The plot had a protagonist famous for their twitter threads and though these were some of the most realistic twitter sequences I’ve ever seen in a book, they still felt wrong somehow. But then again, the more I read the more I kind of picked up on what Callender was trying to do and how they were communicating and portraying the younger generation through this. This is probably the coming of age reality for a lot of young people growing up with access to social media platforms from childhood, and our new reality. It made me think a lot through this formatting and plot device. I spent half my time agitated by it, but I still think my feelings swayed to more positive.
Despite all of this heavy nudging me towards a lower rating.. I was really enamoured by this book. In the end, things I didn’t personally like and all, I enjoyed it. My opinions on this book were constantly conflicting but when I turned the final page, I knew that in a very strange way I liked it and would recommend it. Though bits and pieces were iffy to me, the whole thing was brilliant.
We have this cast of queer, nerdy, neurodivergent characters who just bring this story to life so completely. Though I felt like we could have had a more solid and focused plot, the characters in here really held it together and I loved them. Never have I seen a book with such clear, honest and vulnerable conversations taking place between characters. I really liked them, they all ended up being so different but they cherished their differences and managed to work and talk together in such a healthy way. It was just lovely to see that. The book started by doing little character profiles at the start of chapters which I was obsessed with but they stopped after a couple which made me sad. I really loved them and they were a fun addition to the multimedia formatting which split the book up nicely and kept it engaging.
The romance was also really interesting here, and I actually can’t recall when I’ve read about a polyamorous relationship before, but this was very cool. The romance in this book started off really hectic and messy, and I must admit I didn’t really understand Lark and the way they spoke about love or their feelings some of the time. It was like they were in love with either everybody or nobody. Feelings seemed a little shallow and poorly developed initially, but gradually got better as the book went on. By the end, I absolutely loved how the romance panned out and it was so wholesome. How these three people loved each other, spoke to each other, supported each other and held each other accountable. It was just so genuine and sweet and made me smile. The characters here deserve the world honestly.
I have no idea if this review made sense, but I tried to explain my feelings as best I could. This book didn’t tick all of my boxes by any means, but it charmed me and weirdly it worked. Ha.
See, there were many aspects of this book I didn’t get along with. The writing style was a sort of rambly first person narrative which jumped from topic to topic in quite a jarring way. A lot was said at once, which felt a bit overwhelming to process. There were a ridiculous number of references to the pandemic, which I never like reading about. Reference to sickness and face masks and general panic just takes me out of my escapism completely. There were also moments where it felt like the author was speaking to us through Lark, rather than Lark being their own character with their own voice. It just read sometimes like the author wasn’t writing a story, but an almost memoir. I don’t know how else to describe it, but that distracted me a lot as well. Though having said that, the reflective nature of some of the writing - especially when it talked about making mistakes and taking accountability - was amazing.
I don’t really like using the term ‘chronically online’ but this book also in some ways fit that description. The plot had a protagonist famous for their twitter threads and though these were some of the most realistic twitter sequences I’ve ever seen in a book, they still felt wrong somehow. But then again, the more I read the more I kind of picked up on what Callender was trying to do and how they were communicating and portraying the younger generation through this. This is probably the coming of age reality for a lot of young people growing up with access to social media platforms from childhood, and our new reality. It made me think a lot through this formatting and plot device. I spent half my time agitated by it, but I still think my feelings swayed to more positive.
Despite all of this heavy nudging me towards a lower rating.. I was really enamoured by this book. In the end, things I didn’t personally like and all, I enjoyed it. My opinions on this book were constantly conflicting but when I turned the final page, I knew that in a very strange way I liked it and would recommend it. Though bits and pieces were iffy to me, the whole thing was brilliant.
We have this cast of queer, nerdy, neurodivergent characters who just bring this story to life so completely. Though I felt like we could have had a more solid and focused plot, the characters in here really held it together and I loved them. Never have I seen a book with such clear, honest and vulnerable conversations taking place between characters. I really liked them, they all ended up being so different but they cherished their differences and managed to work and talk together in such a healthy way. It was just lovely to see that. The book started by doing little character profiles at the start of chapters which I was obsessed with but they stopped after a couple which made me sad. I really loved them and they were a fun addition to the multimedia formatting which split the book up nicely and kept it engaging.
The romance was also really interesting here, and I actually can’t recall when I’ve read about a polyamorous relationship before, but this was very cool. The romance in this book started off really hectic and messy, and I must admit I didn’t really understand Lark and the way they spoke about love or their feelings some of the time. It was like they were in love with either everybody or nobody. Feelings seemed a little shallow and poorly developed initially, but gradually got better as the book went on. By the end, I absolutely loved how the romance panned out and it was so wholesome. How these three people loved each other, spoke to each other, supported each other and held each other accountable. It was just so genuine and sweet and made me smile. The characters here deserve the world honestly.
I have no idea if this review made sense, but I tried to explain my feelings as best I could. This book didn’t tick all of my boxes by any means, but it charmed me and weirdly it worked. Ha.
Read
May 19, 2024Nie chcę oceniać tej książki i chyba nie jestem też w stanie, bo jest dla mnie czymś osobistym. Nie sięgajcie po nią z myślą, że to tylko historia o niebinarnej postaci, bo ta książka jest czymś o wiele więcej i za to jej dziękuję.
February 24, 2024
Lark dreams of becoming a writer and knows they need to have an active social media platform to get there. One night, their ex BFF Kasim comes over and inadvertently posts his confession of an unrequited crush on Lark's account. The series of tweets goes viral, and Kasim begs Lark to lie and say they did it instead. Lark soon learns what type of harm comes from this lie and the toll it takes on them to keep it up.
This is a novel that has a lot of themes. The main ones are self-love and self-acceptance. Lark masks a great deal and molds themselves to be what they thinks everyone wants them to be, instead of being their authentic self. The novel also teaches a great lesson on accountability as well and growing as a person when you make mistakes. I liked the romance and seeing the characters' growth, although some of the growth seemed to come rather rapidly.
I'll admit it was a little slow at first, but after a few pages, the pages flew by. I liked the representation of the marginalized communities (Black, queer, trans, disabled) and how they intersected. The discussions also about mental health and that it's ok to ask for help when you're depressed. The difficulties of getting an autism diagnosis as a Black person. These are things that need to be talked about. I would recommend this to lovers of romance and those looking for themselves being represented in books.
This is a novel that has a lot of themes. The main ones are self-love and self-acceptance. Lark masks a great deal and molds themselves to be what they thinks everyone wants them to be, instead of being their authentic self. The novel also teaches a great lesson on accountability as well and growing as a person when you make mistakes. I liked the romance and seeing the characters' growth, although some of the growth seemed to come rather rapidly.
I'll admit it was a little slow at first, but after a few pages, the pages flew by. I liked the representation of the marginalized communities (Black, queer, trans, disabled) and how they intersected. The discussions also about mental health and that it's ok to ask for help when you're depressed. The difficulties of getting an autism diagnosis as a Black person. These are things that need to be talked about. I would recommend this to lovers of romance and those looking for themselves being represented in books.
June 23, 2023
Dla mnie zbyt melodramatyczna, ale widzę, że lepiej bym się w niej odnalazła gdybym była młodsza.
Doceniam bogatą reprezentację, książka zwraca uwagę na wiele ważnych elementów, min. życie w social mediach, a fragmenty poświęcone pisarstwu były niezłe.
Niemniej - nie porwała mnie.
Doceniam bogatą reprezentację, książka zwraca uwagę na wiele ważnych elementów, min. życie w social mediach, a fragmenty poświęcone pisarstwu były niezłe.
Niemniej - nie porwała mnie.
dnf
June 19, 2023Proszę, walnijcie mnie w łeb następnym razem jak sięgnę po młodzieżowy obyczaj
June 25, 2023
4.5
wrócę do tego jak pozbieram myśli
wrócę do tego jak pozbieram myśli
July 25, 2022
3.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This and other reviews can be found on my blog, BeffyNicoleReads.
Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution follows Lark & Kasim, two Black queer teenagers, as they navigate relationships, societal expectations, and individual growth. All in all, I liked the overall messages of the book such as loving our true selves, taking accountability, and encouraging growth. Even though I didn’t give this book a 4 or 5 star rating, I actually still think this is a book everyone should pick up.
Lark is a neurodivergent, nonbinary writer, aspiring to get their novel published - though they spend more time growing their Twitter following in the beginning than actually writing their book. Kasim, Lark’s ex-best friend, who is also transgender, accidentally makes a mistake that causes these two to navigate the aftermath.
During this, the book touched on a lot of difficult topics, such as racism, transphobia, anti-queer rhetoric, intercommunity discrimination, and differences in how to handle bigotry. These are such important topics and this was one of the first fiction books I've read that actually addressed some of these topics for more than one or two sentences. As a nonbinary, queer, neurodivergent person, it was great to see my identities portrayed, respected, and even defended. There were parts of my identity that I've spent hours defending online and off, which were so openly accepted, that it took my breath away more than once. I wish I had more books like this when I was younger.
This and other reviews can be found on my blog, BeffyNicoleReads.
Lark and Kasim Start a Revolution follows Lark & Kasim, two Black queer teenagers, as they navigate relationships, societal expectations, and individual growth. All in all, I liked the overall messages of the book such as loving our true selves, taking accountability, and encouraging growth. Even though I didn’t give this book a 4 or 5 star rating, I actually still think this is a book everyone should pick up.
Lark is a neurodivergent, nonbinary writer, aspiring to get their novel published - though they spend more time growing their Twitter following in the beginning than actually writing their book. Kasim, Lark’s ex-best friend, who is also transgender, accidentally makes a mistake that causes these two to navigate the aftermath.
During this, the book touched on a lot of difficult topics, such as racism, transphobia, anti-queer rhetoric, intercommunity discrimination, and differences in how to handle bigotry. These are such important topics and this was one of the first fiction books I've read that actually addressed some of these topics for more than one or two sentences. As a nonbinary, queer, neurodivergent person, it was great to see my identities portrayed, respected, and even defended. There were parts of my identity that I've spent hours defending online and off, which were so openly accepted, that it took my breath away more than once. I wish I had more books like this when I was younger.
May 19, 2023
Wirklich toll, mal nicht - binären Charakteren in einer Geschichte zu folgen. Ich hab das lesen als sehr empowernd empfunden, gerade durch die sehr intensive Auseinandersetzung mit psychischer Gesundheit und Queer - Themen. Die Empfindung, Lark durch demm permanentes Gedankenkarussell als anstrengend zu lesen hatte ich oft, das Buch motiviert aber sehr, sich Gedanken darum zu machen warum das so ist. Spannend fand ich auch die anderen Personen mit teils genderneutralem Namen, da ich es schwierig fand, mir die Person beim Lesen vorzustellen.
February 5, 2023
I love Felix Ever After, and I wish I loved this one too.
My reasons for not enjoying it stem more from me not being able to engage with the romance and the social media storyline, and not from the actual writing of the story. I can completely see why other people would like it, but it's not for me.
I did love the amount and variety of different forms of representation, and i wish there were more books I could say that about.
I think I might have enjoyed this if I could relate more to Lark and their passion/commitment to their social media, but I found it unrealistic. When I was that age I had 25k followers on tiktok and did want more but never went about it the same way Lark did, and never dug myself into a hole because I was scared of backlash from strangers online.
I understand that the reasoning behind it is Lark's insecurities, but it made me cringe.
Also the idea that everyone in Lark's real life cared so much about a 17yr old's internet drama is insane to me. I don't know if it's because I'm from a small town or if it's a UK/USA difference but I found it too unrealistic.
I also found everything moved too quickly for my liking. Lark's personal growth goes from 0-100 very quickly, and the Kasim/Sable/Lark plotline was hinted at, stirred up a bit then incredibly rushed at the end. Also saying they loved each other so quickly and so near the start of the relationship threw me off.
My final point, is I can't see how the title relates to the story. They don't start a revolution, Lark figures out that their voice is worth just as much in a revolution as anyone else's, but all Lark and Kasim start is drama and then a relationship. The closest they come to starting a revolution, is starting and taking part in a discussion in their writing class. If I'm not understanding something or missing the point of the title I'd appreciate someone pointing it out.
My reasons for not enjoying it stem more from me not being able to engage with the romance and the social media storyline, and not from the actual writing of the story. I can completely see why other people would like it, but it's not for me.
I did love the amount and variety of different forms of representation, and i wish there were more books I could say that about.
I think I might have enjoyed this if I could relate more to Lark and their passion/commitment to their social media, but I found it unrealistic. When I was that age I had 25k followers on tiktok and did want more but never went about it the same way Lark did, and never dug myself into a hole because I was scared of backlash from strangers online.
I understand that the reasoning behind it is Lark's insecurities, but it made me cringe.
Also the idea that everyone in Lark's real life cared so much about a 17yr old's internet drama is insane to me. I don't know if it's because I'm from a small town or if it's a UK/USA difference but I found it too unrealistic.
I also found everything moved too quickly for my liking. Lark's personal growth goes from 0-100 very quickly, and the Kasim/Sable/Lark plotline was hinted at, stirred up a bit then incredibly rushed at the end. Also saying they loved each other so quickly and so near the start of the relationship threw me off.
My final point, is I can't see how the title relates to the story. They don't start a revolution, Lark figures out that their voice is worth just as much in a revolution as anyone else's, but all Lark and Kasim start is drama and then a relationship. The closest they come to starting a revolution, is starting and taking part in a discussion in their writing class. If I'm not understanding something or missing the point of the title I'd appreciate someone pointing it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2022
post-read review:
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
What a powerful story. The rep in this novel… impeccable. The poly rep was unexpected but filled me with such joy, and the mental health and neurodiversity representation was amazingly depicted. Each character was perfectly imperfect and wonderfully teen… this is truly a YA novel that demonstrates equally the flaws and the power of teenagers, all with Kacen Callender’s signature beautiful writing style.
“I keep trying on a million different masks, and I don’t know which ones are real. It’s like I’m a chameleon. I just do what everyone else wants, follow along with what everyone else thinks.”
I have possibly never related more to a quote than this one. It actually had me on the edge of tears. That’s what Callender does - their books are powerful and deep, and have a way of finding a part of you that no other book has.
“If they love other people, it doesn’t mean they love me any less.”
Though this book didn’t captivate me quite as much as Felix Ever After, I still loved the beautiful messages and powerful storyline, and I can’t wait to read more of Callender’s future novels!! Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review :).
Quotes copied from the ARC and may not be in the published version of the novel.
~~~
pre-read review: I know, I’m horrible, I’m horrible, I got this ARC months ago and still haven’t read it yet even though I’m SO EXCITED for another Kacen Callender book, but I’ll get there! Promise! Hopefully soon…
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
What a powerful story. The rep in this novel… impeccable. The poly rep was unexpected but filled me with such joy, and the mental health and neurodiversity representation was amazingly depicted. Each character was perfectly imperfect and wonderfully teen… this is truly a YA novel that demonstrates equally the flaws and the power of teenagers, all with Kacen Callender’s signature beautiful writing style.
“I keep trying on a million different masks, and I don’t know which ones are real. It’s like I’m a chameleon. I just do what everyone else wants, follow along with what everyone else thinks.”
I have possibly never related more to a quote than this one. It actually had me on the edge of tears. That’s what Callender does - their books are powerful and deep, and have a way of finding a part of you that no other book has.
“If they love other people, it doesn’t mean they love me any less.”
Though this book didn’t captivate me quite as much as Felix Ever After, I still loved the beautiful messages and powerful storyline, and I can’t wait to read more of Callender’s future novels!! Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review :).
Quotes copied from the ARC and may not be in the published version of the novel.
~~~
pre-read review: I know, I’m horrible, I’m horrible, I got this ARC months ago and still haven’t read it yet even though I’m SO EXCITED for another Kacen Callender book, but I’ll get there! Promise! Hopefully soon…
April 4, 2022
I’m not sure I have much to say because the longer I read through this book the more I realized it wasn’t for me. It is a fantastic book, but for someone else. Lark is ND (or at least they think they are, it’s kinda unclear) and their monologues ramble for sometimes several pages between two points of dialogue. As an autistic person, I can agree that this is realistic, however as I am also sorting through my own 10 pages of inner monologue, sorting through Lark’s at the same time just made me very exhausted.
Overall, I feel like this is a book that people need to read, as the portrayal of teenagers and their complex emotions that us adults don’t quite understand is very realistic. These kids were messy and imperfect and I couldn’t quite understand why Lark lying on social media was a huge deal to them, but I believe that is the point. Everyone should read this because I believe everyone can take something from it.
Overall, I feel like this is a book that people need to read, as the portrayal of teenagers and their complex emotions that us adults don’t quite understand is very realistic. These kids were messy and imperfect and I couldn’t quite understand why Lark lying on social media was a huge deal to them, but I believe that is the point. Everyone should read this because I believe everyone can take something from it.
June 26, 2023
(dnf około 250 strony)
tego się nie da czytać.
tego się nie da czytać.
July 7, 2023
minęłam się z tą książką zdecydowanie. kilka rozważań i dialogów było fajnych ale jednak jestem bardziej na nie. ono było gorzej niezdecydowane niż ja gdy wybieram rano co mam ubrać,,
January 19, 2025
4,5 Sterne 🌟
Gar nicht so soft und cute, wie das (deutsche) Cover vermuten lässt. Also schon auch, aber auch wütend und politisch und mit Figuren, die manchmal ein bisschen anstrengend, aber gleichzeitig auch sehr menschlich sind.
So so schön, einen Schwarzen, queeren, neurodivergenten, schreibenden, trans main character zu haben ❤🔥 Und die ganzen Nebencharaktere und ihre eigene, selbstverständliche Anwesenheit auch (nicht, dass sie alle gemocht hätte, im Gegenteil haha but that's okay).
Sprachlich stellenweise etwas holprig, vielleicht auch wegen der Übersetzung, dann aber auch wieder ein bisschen poetisch. Bin auf jeden Fall (gefühlt) super schnell durchgekommen, hab einiges gefühlt beim Lesen und oft gegrinst.
Gar nicht so soft und cute, wie das (deutsche) Cover vermuten lässt. Also schon auch, aber auch wütend und politisch und mit Figuren, die manchmal ein bisschen anstrengend, aber gleichzeitig auch sehr menschlich sind.
So so schön, einen Schwarzen, queeren, neurodivergenten, schreibenden, trans main character zu haben ❤🔥 Und die ganzen Nebencharaktere und ihre eigene, selbstverständliche Anwesenheit auch (nicht, dass sie alle gemocht hätte, im Gegenteil haha but that's okay).
Sprachlich stellenweise etwas holprig, vielleicht auch wegen der Übersetzung, dann aber auch wieder ein bisschen poetisch. Bin auf jeden Fall (gefühlt) super schnell durchgekommen, hab einiges gefühlt beim Lesen und oft gegrinst.
March 18, 2023
Ich war unfassbar neugierig auf dieses Buch. Eben weil es so viele verschiedene und völlig unterrepräsentierte Thematiken anspricht: Nicht-Binärität, Neurodiversität, Rassismus, LGBT+, Selbstakzeptanz und und und. Die Liste könnte noch ewig so weiter gehen, weil unglaublich viele Themen in dem Buch angesprochen werden. Man könnte über jede Seite ein eigenes Essay verfassen oder zumindest eine Weile nachdenken. Genau das war für mich persönlich etwas viel, weil die fast schon philosophischen Passagen manchmal vom eigentlichen Geschehen abgelenkt haben.🤔
Was mir hingegen sehr gut gefallen hat, sind die vielfältigen Charaktere und ihre Beziehungen zueinander. Hier hat mich besonders die Charakterentwicklung von Lark umgehauen. Generell durchleben aber alle ein gewisses Wachstum, was einen mitfühlen und mitfiebern lässt.
Eine Kleinigkeit, die mich persönlich sehr genervt hat und wegen der ich einen Stern abgezogen habe: Lark schreibt einen Roman und dessen Hauptfigur Birdie spricht öfters in Larks Kopf mit demm. Ganze Sätze und Kommentare darüber, was gerade so geschieht. Für mich hätte es das nicht gebraucht. Ich bin einfach kein Fan von imaginären Stimmen 😅
Insgesamt kann ich aber sagen, dass mir das Buch richtig gut gefallen hat. Ich habe vorher noch nie ein Buch mit so vielen queeren u.o. nicht-binären Charakteren gelesen, was auf jeden Fall meinen Horizont ein bisschen weiter geöffnet hat. Jetzt möchte ich unbedingt mehr solcher Geschichten lesen! (Felix Ever After: ich komme!)
An die Pronomen dey/demm gewöhnt man sich übrigens sehr schnell 😄
Ich kann euch das Buch also ebenfalls ans Herz legen ♥️
Was mir hingegen sehr gut gefallen hat, sind die vielfältigen Charaktere und ihre Beziehungen zueinander. Hier hat mich besonders die Charakterentwicklung von Lark umgehauen. Generell durchleben aber alle ein gewisses Wachstum, was einen mitfühlen und mitfiebern lässt.
Eine Kleinigkeit, die mich persönlich sehr genervt hat und wegen der ich einen Stern abgezogen habe: Lark schreibt einen Roman und dessen Hauptfigur Birdie spricht öfters in Larks Kopf mit demm. Ganze Sätze und Kommentare darüber, was gerade so geschieht. Für mich hätte es das nicht gebraucht. Ich bin einfach kein Fan von imaginären Stimmen 😅
Insgesamt kann ich aber sagen, dass mir das Buch richtig gut gefallen hat. Ich habe vorher noch nie ein Buch mit so vielen queeren u.o. nicht-binären Charakteren gelesen, was auf jeden Fall meinen Horizont ein bisschen weiter geöffnet hat. Jetzt möchte ich unbedingt mehr solcher Geschichten lesen! (Felix Ever After: ich komme!)
An die Pronomen dey/demm gewöhnt man sich übrigens sehr schnell 😄
Ich kann euch das Buch also ebenfalls ans Herz legen ♥️
January 17, 2023
Every now and then there's a book that just grabs you by your throat and doesn't let go even after you finished the story. This was that book to me, one I feel like I've been silently waiting for. This felt só relevant it's almost stupid. I'M FEELING SO MANY FEELS.
This story has so much love. The representation the issues it adressed the conversations it started the characters and their struggles and arcs!! And there was SO MUCH LOVE. Phenominal.
It focusses on love and acceptance and hate and injustice and cruelty and desperation. How do we fight the injustice in the world? How do we love and accept others? How do we take accountability for our mistakes? Do mistakes define people? How do we navigate through cancel-culture?
How do we love ourselves?
There was very little plot and the whole book is cramped with thought dumps but I thought the bluntness and chaos of the narrative were perfect. It was feverish and desperate and that felt really fitting.
I loved it, an understatement but for reasons I'm unable to put more words to.
This story has so much love. The representation the issues it adressed the conversations it started the characters and their struggles and arcs!! And there was SO MUCH LOVE. Phenominal.
It focusses on love and acceptance and hate and injustice and cruelty and desperation. How do we fight the injustice in the world? How do we love and accept others? How do we take accountability for our mistakes? Do mistakes define people? How do we navigate through cancel-culture?
How do we love ourselves?
There was very little plot and the whole book is cramped with thought dumps but I thought the bluntness and chaos of the narrative were perfect. It was feverish and desperate and that felt really fitting.
I loved it, an understatement but for reasons I'm unable to put more words to.
July 16, 2022
This book wasn't for me. I was very clearly not the audience and that is definitely a factor in how I felt about it. Which is fine. I think readers who are able to see themselves in these characters or readers who want to meet characters like this will get a lot out of it.
On a craft level, this story is genuinely messy. It is very character driven but neither Lark or Kasim are developed enough to fully justify that choice--most of the story takes place in intense conversations during a summer writing class. There is no action to offset being in Lark's head. The class is at the local LGBT center and I also had a lot of problems with the way the teacher is portrayed not just ignoring when other students viciously bully Lark for being "toxic" but also letting it happen in the middle of the writing class without any commentary to try and disrupt the behavior.
Lark's narrative voice is also exhausting. Is it authentic for someone who is neurodivergent? I think so. But with multiple tangents, run on sentences, and soliloquies it's also very hard to engage with.
This is partly an adult reading a teen story thing, so again, your mileage may vary but I had a big problem with Lark saying they were autistic while also not wanting to get an official diagnosis. Choosing to not be diagnosed or pursue treatment through conventional channels is a valid choice. But it bothered me that Lark wanted to have it both ways by claiming the diagnosis without actually confirming it.
Issues aside, I will say I appreciated the messaging of the importance of self-love and how powerful that becomes for Lark as they learn how to embody that. The story also includes interesting conversations on intersectionality (Lark is Black and nonbinary and neurodivergent, Kasim is Black and trans) as well as living through the pandemic. I don't want to spoil anything relationship dynamics but polyamory--which still doesn't come up that much in YA--also features and is portrayed thoughtfully.
On a craft level, this story is genuinely messy. It is very character driven but neither Lark or Kasim are developed enough to fully justify that choice--most of the story takes place in intense conversations during a summer writing class. There is no action to offset being in Lark's head. The class is at the local LGBT center and I also had a lot of problems with the way the teacher is portrayed not just ignoring when other students viciously bully Lark for being "toxic" but also letting it happen in the middle of the writing class without any commentary to try and disrupt the behavior.
Lark's narrative voice is also exhausting. Is it authentic for someone who is neurodivergent? I think so. But with multiple tangents, run on sentences, and soliloquies it's also very hard to engage with.
This is partly an adult reading a teen story thing, so again, your mileage may vary but I had a big problem with Lark saying they were autistic while also not wanting to get an official diagnosis. Choosing to not be diagnosed or pursue treatment through conventional channels is a valid choice. But it bothered me that Lark wanted to have it both ways by claiming the diagnosis without actually confirming it.
Issues aside, I will say I appreciated the messaging of the importance of self-love and how powerful that becomes for Lark as they learn how to embody that. The story also includes interesting conversations on intersectionality (Lark is Black and nonbinary and neurodivergent, Kasim is Black and trans) as well as living through the pandemic. I don't want to spoil anything relationship dynamics but polyamory--which still doesn't come up that much in YA--also features and is portrayed thoughtfully.
October 1, 2023
3.5 Stars
"Yes. I really do. I mean, when you think about it, every human being is made of the same stuff, right? The same energy or atoms or whatever you want to call it. And that means we're all energy, we're all connected, even the people who do really horrible things, and yes, I love them, too, because they're not the horrible sh*t they did, not really, because we're made of the same infinite light of love, right? And my light loves their light, and their light loves my light, and we forget about that, I think, the way we all love each other underneath all all the layers of hurt."
"Yes. I really do. I mean, when you think about it, every human being is made of the same stuff, right? The same energy or atoms or whatever you want to call it. And that means we're all energy, we're all connected, even the people who do really horrible things, and yes, I love them, too, because they're not the horrible sh*t they did, not really, because we're made of the same infinite light of love, right? And my light loves their light, and their light loves my light, and we forget about that, I think, the way we all love each other underneath all all the layers of hurt."
March 12, 2022
Kacen Callender's writing in this novel is revolutionary in the same way Lark is - quiet, individual, and powerful. I have mixed feelings about this book - I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars - but while I personally prefer the style of Felix Ever After, I think there's a lot here for old and new fans to enjoy.
Pros:
-The rep is incredible. I've come to accept so many things about even more recent, "progressive" YA novels, like, there can only ever be one nonbinary character, if a character is trans they have to be at some stage of physically transitioning, characters can't be trans AND black AND neurodivergent, etc. Callender blows all of that out of the water. Multiple trans characters with a variety of presentations! Their transness isn't a source of tragedy! Intersectionality!! Discussions of different types of polyamory!!!
-Speaking of ND... The random song lyrics and commentary from Birdie (who we quickly find out is not a real person but a character in the book Lark is writing) was jarring at first, no explanation or lead in. But I adjusted pretty fast and started to recognize the thought patterns. I remember thinking huh, this feels like being in my ADHD brain, and a few pages later, Lark went "same"
-It doesn't shy away from difficult topics. It goes IN DEPTH with some really difficult shit and while it provides nuanced views from multiple perspectives, Lark does pick a stance and stick to it, even as the narrative points out that maybe there isn't only one "right" answer.
-The Twitter responses, OUCH. The second hand anxiety is real, just like those comments - they looked like they were picked straight off an actual thread and I quickly remembered why I do not have a Twitter.
Cons:
-A large part read more like a series of anecdotes or writing class discussions than a plot-driven novel. Probably because:
-The book is entirely character-driven. Based on the book description, I thought there would be more external plot going on, but this is a very introspective book. Which is totally fine! Just not my cup of tea; I prefer more of a balance. I still like the title - someone else pointed out that Lark and Kasim's revolution of self-love and expression might not be the kind of revolution we expect, but it is radical all the same. It think the book description is misleading though, it doesn't really fit the book itself.
-I think I kept expecting certain elements of the plot, like (keeping it vague) Kasim's dad, the protest, etc., to have more impact, but it kind of felt like the Plot moments were just sprinkled throughout to introduce larger topics for the characters to have a discussion about.
TL;DR: I think this book is incredibly important for teens (and adults), and sparks some extremely necessary conversations. The pacing wasn't my cup of tea: if you're looking for action/something story-driven, look elsewhere. BUT if you want to feel like you've stayed up until 2 a.m. with a good friend having a deep talk, read on.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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