4

Can't Take That Away

Steven Salvatore

Review:

This was a good book! It was our book club book and has some elements to it that I really love, but there were also some parts I just found hard to read. The characters weren’t as I hoped they would be, but I, for the most part liked them. The aspect of the book that includes diversity and fighting for what is right was amazing, but I feel like the love story took away from that. In most cases, I love romance in any type of book, but it was really too much for me in this one (mostly because I disliked the love interest). There were so many good parts of the book, and I’m trying to focus on those!

Trigger Warnings:
Alzheimer’s Assault (verbal, physical, sexual), Blackmail, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emesis, Forced outing, Gender dysphoria, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical complications, Queerphobia, Sexual assault/Harassment, Shooting (Threat), Suicide attempt, Suicide ideation, and Transphobia

Synopsis From Book:

A debut novel about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration. Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice. Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.
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