A review by frances_frances
The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is the second Zoe Whittall book I've read after The Fake and I feel similarly about both of them. Whittall is a good writer and her stories keep me engaged. At the same time, there's nothing particularly exceptional or original about her books. As with The Fake, this book doesn't really have a plot or climax. Instead it's more loose and meandering. I generally don't care for books like that but this one was an easy read with some interesting characters.

I do really agree with another reviewer who expressed 1) disappointment that this book, like many books marketed as queer/LGBT+, mainly features hetero sex and 2) that the work done in the first half of the book is undone by the end. There's some discussion of queerness and there's queer characters but we aren't really put in a queer world. It was also upsetting to see Missy's conviction about not having a kid be completely reversed.