Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution

Zapomniałam jej odznaczyć jako przeczytaną więc robię to teraz. Zrobiła rewolucję w mojej głowie i jestem jej za to wdzięczna.

Actual rating 3.5 stars, I think …<br /><br />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 &amp; Kasim Start a Revolution. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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 …?<br /><br />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 &amp; Kasim’s story. On the contrary, like I said before, this book has so much to offer that I think you should read it!<br /><br />I received an ARC from Faber and Faber Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br /> <b>Follow me on</b> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mariekes_mesmerizing_books/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a>

i think we all won with this I personally read "nonbinary neurodivergent aspiring writer" and ascended

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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Overall a great YA contemporary and one of my favourite reads so far this year! <br /><br />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.

<u>Star Rating</u>: <i>—&gt;</i> <b>5 FULL, BRIGHT, GLIMMERING Stars</b><br />?⭐️?⭐️?<br /><br />Y’all…<b> GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR RADAR <i>NOW</i></b><br /><br />I can’t remember the last time a novel made me feel this strongly about it, and GOD is that a GREAT feeling!<br /><br />JUST WOW. Wowowow the amount of representation in <i>Lark &amp; Kasim Start A Revolution</i> was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, &amp; <b>fantastic</b>— 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. <br /><br />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, &amp; the mental health rep. My cheeks were wet with tears more often than not! <br /><br />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. <b>It makes us question ourselves as people and how we can improve, and I feel like all of us always can improve</b>.<br /><br />The question this novel poses is one I think that all of us struggle with, <i>How Do I Love Myself?</i> and boy, did I resonate with that. <br /><br />More <b>RTC</b> upon publication in Sept. 2022!<br /><br /><i>I know won this in a giveaway, but I still want to thank the author, Kacen Callender, &amp; the publisher, Amulet Books, for the physical ARC of this wonderful, life-altering book!</i>

PHENOMENAL! Kacen is a genius and I need all their future books stat!<br /><br />tHIS FUCKING BOOk!!!! I love it so much!<br /><br />Lark &amp; 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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Overall, I love this book so much. It is amazing and talks about so many current topics. Cannot recommend this book enough.

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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

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. <br /><br /> 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. <br /><br /> 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. <br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /> 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. <br /><br /> 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. <br /><br />–Spoilers–<br /><br /> 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. <br /><br />–Spoilers Finished–<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />—ARC Provided by High Five Books—

*Thank you so much to Faber for sending me an ARC of this book to review!*<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.

4.5 <br />wrócę do tego jak pozbieram myśli