Lakelore

This was such a unique book, filled with a sense of magic and wonderful representation not just of trans, nonbinary and queer teens, but also struggles with neurodiversity with one character Bastián having ADHD, and Lore who struggles with dyslexia. There’s also a valid mental health representation in the book as these issues can all cause people to struggle with their mental health and capability to relate to others."I'm brown and trans and I have a learning disability. My sheer existence is as much nuance as I get to have. Who I am uses up all the space the world is willing to give me."I couldn't help but love the two teens, and wish I could step in and give them a good ol’ Mum hug because both of them seem so fragile and breakable because the world around them is so very unforgiving even though they have friends and family making up a support system for them. I thought the author did a great job of accurately showing not only how draining it can be to handle your neurodiversity, from second-guessing if you’re worse than others to how frustrating it can be to simply go through each day with diverse things that negatively affect your mind and body. I also welcomed how we see Bastián learning about and how to use his testosterone injection, and how the combination of his ADHD and I would imagine anxiety, plays a part in him struggling with the directions, even though he’s all too aware that they’re not that complex. The book is filled with colour, and it feels almost ethereal and as if it can escape from the page and into our world as we read, and each one seemed to be very representative of what was happening or how a character was feeling in the moment and I loved it. This was a wonderful read, with characters many will connect to, and see themselves in and the story provides a little whimsy along the way. I enjoyed seeing Bastián and Lore grow both as individuals and together; they’re both adorable in their own way.