A review by lilyrooke
The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 are you looking for a 90s-vibe, MG epistolary novel from the perspective of a trans child who is being sexually abused by his father?
read this if you enjoyed: other painful, unflinching trauma narratives.
rep: questioning, trans MC; Black queer-coded best friend.
cw: child sexual abuse; incest; transphobia; bullying; homophobia; dissociation; trauma; suicide ideation; parental incarceration; institutional racism

Haunting. Painful. This is a book I wish I hadn't read, in all honesty. But perhaps someday I'll feel different, and I'll know it helped guide me along my own river. Please pay attention to the content warnings; this book does not play nice.

CAWPILE: 7.7 (4*)
favourite aspect: Rowan's friendship with Sofie offered a beautiful ray of light. I cheered when Mr B left Rowan the note with his phone number, but as the author says, it's rare that a sexually abused child would reach out to another adult, so it's our responsibility to keep looking out for them.
a wish: Content. warnings. save. lives. and. should. be. mandatory. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings