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Post by wonderbink on Aug 14, 2015 20:48:28 GMT
Who else has finished First Time--one or both halves of it?
I'm too busy squeeing to give any kind of coherent review. I think I liked Ian's story better because Ian is so much snarkier.
I did think that the conflict towards the end was a little too forced and not quite convincing. I think I would have believed it better if the restaurant incident was the one that snapped things in two. But overall I enjoyed them and I may shell out for physical copies so I can read them before bed without wrecking my circadian rhythms.
What did you think of it?
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Post by blowpop on Aug 15, 2015 7:37:47 GMT
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR EVERYONE TO FINALLY FINISH THE BOOKS SO I COULD TALK ABOUT THEM!!!!!!!! I got the arcs of both of them and reviewed them and have been dying to talk about them (also bought the books too so there's that). IanPennyThose are my reviews on both sides. Also. OCTOPODS! That was the cutest thing ever. And I'd die if I was dating someone who took me to an aquarium. Though in my case it'd be sharks.
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Post by wonderbink on Aug 15, 2015 15:58:40 GMT
The aquarium date was adorable. Especially the differences between Penny's and Ian's reactions. They were both left vulnerable (Penny in her enthusiasm, Ian in his discomfort) so it's no wonder they fell in love at that point.
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Post by blowpop on Aug 15, 2015 21:19:42 GMT
AND the respect that Ian showed her. And the lack of pressuring. It was so wonderful.
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Post by wonderbink on Aug 16, 2015 14:27:57 GMT
AND the respect that Ian showed her. And the lack of pressuring. It was so wonderful. And that he turned her down when she was drunk. It was a perfect example of what consent looks like.
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Post by blowpop on Aug 17, 2015 4:08:34 GMT
Yes that especially. And how religion is handled. How he doesn't push her but he says that this is an important part of his life that he'd like her to see once when she's ready but doesn't expect her to convert or anything.
Also, totally relate to her feelings of being turned down and her whole thought process afterwards. Been there, done that. Not drunk but emotional distress. Had more respect for the person afterwards for not taking advantage and the fact they were more concerned about me and how I was feeling/handling than taking advantage of me in a very vulnerable position.
Also, I ADORE Penny's roommate.
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Post by wonderbink on Aug 18, 2015 0:13:59 GMT
I dug Rosa and I liked how the fact that she was trans was handled gracefully and not belabored. She wasn't othered or made into a wacky sidekick.
I thought the parents were a little over-the-top but I understand that people that horrible really do exist. Still, it's been my observation that narcissistic parents tend to rein things in when company is around. All the better to gaslight their victims. I was surprised that they were that vicious in Ian's presence.
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Post by blowpop on Aug 18, 2015 1:18:31 GMT
Oh yeah. That was a real surprise with that one that they didn't reign themselves in. And I completely forgot that Rosa was trans by the end of the story because she was written and treated as so normal that I just remembered her as another girl in the story. Which for me, signifies a fairly well written trans character as a non trans but falling under the trans umbrella themselves type of person. Her not being othered was one of the greatest things about her as a character.
Knowing that parents that exist that are like that are one thing. Being put into a situation of meeting parents like that (or reading about them especially in a book that makes the characters and everything feel very real and not just like characters in a book) tends to give you that "oh yeah I forgot about this".
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