I Wish You All the Best

I’m still recovering from this book but as my school courses began yesterday, I wanted to go ahead and write this review while I have a little time. I happened to see in Mason Deaver’s Instagram story that hoopla had the audiobook for I Wish You All The Best a bit more than a week early. I was SO EXCITED because I have a hoopla account via my local public library. Since this doesn’t affect first week sales and this is one of my most anticipated books of 2019, I decided to dive in head first. I’ll put the TW/CWs at the end of this post. Let’s jump right into the review! The characters in I Wish You All The Best were so amazing. Ben De Backer is now my child and I will defend them with my life. Seriously. They’re all so well written that from the very beginning I was fully invested in everyone on the page. It is obvious that Mason Deaver put their heart and soul into these characters. The representation offered is beautiful and each character could easily walk right off the page. I especially loved seeing the slow burn between Ben and Nathan. Slow burns are my new fave. There is one thing that I knew going into this review I would need to talk about so here we go. I went into the novel knowing that there would be amazing non-binary representation. It was just as amazing and more as what I was expecting. However, there was something else that I wasn’t expecting and it took me completely off guard. I don’t know how to share this other than to quote so…. “Touch aversion can be common in people who deal with panic attacks or people dealing with anxiety. In fact, there are some people who are just born or developed that way, like asexual or aromantic people.” I… was not expecting this? When I got to this part of the story, I was so surprised and overwhelmed that I wept. Like full-on-ugly-cry-don’t-talk-to-me-I’m-not-fine wept. I had to pause the story and walk away for a few minutes. This book is the first time I’ve seen any rep for being touch averse, which I am. I never thought I would see that represented at all and even now I’m tearing up about it a bit. I Wish You All The Best is a contemporary novel, which means it’s a realistic fiction set in modern times. The majority of the story takes place in Raleigh, North Carolina. I haven’t been to Raleigh, but I do live in another large city in the southern United States, so it wasn’t hard for me to get a feel for the environment. Also because of that though, I’m not the best judge of the large-scale world building. Honestly, I’m the worst at that with contemporaries anyway. But each of the locations was given enough of a description that it was immersive so do what you will with that knowledge. The story itself is perfectly paced from beginning to end, with twists and turns at just the right moments. I would even go so far as to say that I Wish You All The Best is a work of art. I can’t say I loved every moment of it because there were parts that were meant to make the reader uncomfortable (and I was) but this is a book I’ll definitely be rereading in the future. I Wish You All The Best was right up at the top of my most anticipated 2019 releases list. There is so much hype surrounding it. And it still manages to exceed all of the high expectations placed upon it. I can not wait to read more from Mason Deaver in the future.

I meant to write this review sooner, but I had a gender identity crisis. I'll explain later. First of all: oh my gods. This is one of the best YA books I've ever read. I couldn't stop talking about this book for days after finishing it, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. This book is so special to me for multiple reasons, some of which I'll get to in a minute. I'm so glad I found the audiobook on Scribd while searching for Pride Month reads. The book does tackle some tough subjects like misgendering, homophobia, and mental health struggles. The beginning was tough to get through, but I just had to keep reading to make sure Ben was okay. I loved them from the start and just wanted them to get the happiness they deserve. The mental health aspect of the book was so well written and accurate. It was refreshing to have such an accurate portrayal of mental health in a YA book. Ben and Nathan are 100% my favorite bookish couple ever. I don't think any fictional couple has ever made me feel so warm and soft. Both of them are just absolute sweethearts I wish I could be friends with. The entire time I read the book, I couldn't stop rooting for them, and once it happened, I had to stop the book to take a moment to just quietly celebrate. I mentioned that this book was special, and most of that is because it helped me find myself. I connected with Ben almost immediately, which I didn't really think anything of at first. The more I thought about this book, the more I started trying to pinpoint exactly why I connected so quickly with them. Spoiler alert: I'm nonbinary. Conversations with my best friend eventually helped me completely confirm it, but this book definitely started the journey for me, so it'll forever hold a special place in my heart. So thank you for that Mason.

The main character in I Wish You All the Best is Ben, a nonbinary teenager who's coming out to their parents goes all wrong. How can they heal? I loved this book because we spent so much time in Ben's angst-ridden mind, and their thoughts and fears seemed so on target for a teen - almost any teen, but of course one who has their secret. I found Ben totally loveable and relatable, even though I'm a cisgender ally and did not have the exact same experiences. The story had to be told with Ben's thoughts - and the texts were fun too. While the language was quite simple - no flowery or poetic phrasing - I think that serves to make the book more accessible for the younger audience it is intended to reach - as well as for the character portrayed. At times the story did seem a little clunky - like Deaver was forcing certain plot lines just to explain topics that were hard to address otherwise. But overall, a beautiful and gently presented story.

this is a heartbreakingly sweet story about finding and thriving as your authentic self when everything seems impossible. as deaver mentions in their author’s note, this story is tragically and wonderfully validating for so many people. it’s a book i wish i’d been able to read growing up and am glad to have read now. highly recommend.

Oh. My. I will be talking about this book forever. No one will ever be able to get me to stop because it is so damn important. The world is dumb and set in its ways and awful and patriarchal and sexist and homophobic and all together horrible. But this book is pure magic. Written by a nonbinary author, with a nonbinary main character, I Wish You All The Best brings something crucial to the world. Representation. While some facets of the queer community have become more prevalent in books, especially YA books, characters that identify as nonbinary are seldom. In IWYATB, Ben comes out to their parents and is abrubtly kicked out. After finding their estranged sister, Ben ends up living with her and her husband. After enrolling in a new school, Ben meets Nathan. Oh Nathan. Sweet, funny, and wonderful Nathan. Ben and Nathan become friends, after some prodding, and they work towards a happier life. Ben begins seeing a therapist who specializes in queer kids and eventually take strides to overcoming their traumatic outing experience and expressing their feelings for Nathan. This is a coming of age story like no other. IWYATB brings up a conversation than you may either be uncomfortable with or just unknowledgeable about, but it is a conversation that needs to take place. There is always more to know and seek to understand. Pronouns are important. Gender is Fluid. Friends are the family you don't get you choose. Let people be who they are. Don't be ignorant. This book is heartbreaking, joyous, magical, and pure all wrapped up in a purple and yellow bow. You need to read this book. Like now. Find a way to get this book into your hands. Side note, Nathan and Ben have been added to my most favorite characters ever club. I seriously love them so much and feel like I know them. Jeez, books are wonderful.

This is book is so absolutely beautiful, and it made me laugh and cry and feel all the things. Ben De Backer has come to terms with something very important about themself: theyre nonbinary. They know it doesn’t change who they are, but does make them who they are. Ben wants their parents to truly know who they are, thinking they love them no matter what. Unfortunately, their support is conditional, and Ben is thrown out of the house. This is the start of Ben’s story, and we slowly watch them rebuild their life: moving in with their estranged sister, meeting their brother in law for the first time, new home, new school, and some wonderful new friends. Ben also struggles with their mental health, and Mason’s descriptions are so spot on as to how it feels when anxiety and depression hit. Mason, this is a book people need, and that I think people have needed for a long time. Thank you so much for introducing us to these wonderful people (purposely not saying characters bc you cannot convince me that Ben isn’t real!)

First I want to thank the universe for Adrian over at perpetualpages because they are the reason why I picked up this book after watching their video on 5 Reasons to Read: "I Wish You All The Best" and if you haven't check the video out yet I don't know what you are waiting for! I will start by saying that I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK! from beginning to end. The book is the story of Ben, and it starts when Ben decides to come out to their parents as a Nonbinary and because of it they get kicked out of the house. I will tell you guys this really broke my heart, as a mom, I just can't imagine treating my son that way. Ben got kicked out of the house with no shoes, no clothes out in the middle of winter with nowhere to go. That was very hard for me to read. Ben with no where to go decides to contact their estrange sister Hannah, and she welcomes them into her home with her husband Thomas whom Ben has never met. Ben has to deal with a lot of changes, like transferring schools and having to see a therapist to help them deal with what they are going thru. At the new school Ben meets Nathan, and let me tell you guys I completely adore this character, and love how their friendship evolved throughout the book. They are some amazing side characters as well that we get to meet that are there for Ben and are the best. There's so much good in this book that I hope you give it a try, and If I haven't convinced you yet then make sure to watch Adriana's video on why you should read it. Overall, I loved this book so much, and I learned so much from it as well Ben is such a great character that I just love them! and I will also add that once I watched Adriana's video I knew I will enjoy it but I didn't think I was going to love it as much as I did.

OMG! My heart! I've followed Mason Deaver for forever on Twitter and have slowly watched as he turned his #enbylovestory into I Wish You All the Best and it is worth all the hype. Because this book, guys! This book! It was one of those books that I finished and immediately knew was a game changer for YA lit. Not only is it the first book I've read with a main character that identifies as nonbinary but it's the first YA book about an enby teen I know of written my a nonbinary author. It makes my heart so happy to read a book where my enby friends will be able to see themselves in the pages. Mason Deaver approaches so many hard topics in this story and does it with the perfect balance of hope and kindness. It's a book about identity, family, mental illness, friendship, sexuality, love, and becoming comfortable in your own skin. It made me laugh. It made me cry several times. And it made me hug my book in places while grinning like a madwoman because of the cuteness. Parts of it were hard to read because Ben’s experiences reflected things I've seen so many of my enby friends’ experience. The fear and anxiety, of course, but especially the body dysphoria. And I personally could relate to Ben on so many levels. Especially with their anxiety. I Wish You All the Best is going to be such a powerful force in the YA community and I’m so glad it’s out in the world. It's going to touch so many lives and that thought makes me tear up a bit. I’m just going to be over here in my little corner of the internet wishing Ben and Nathan all the best.

I loved this book. It honestly should be one of these books u read in school for how it tells of such important subjects. Thanks for sharing this story with us, dear author.

Kind of like a fanfic/retelling of Heartstopper but with an nb character. Super sweet, portraits trauma, mental health and anxiety very accurately, supportive friends and (some) family members, standing up for one self and overcoming fear. Touches some heartbreaking topics but manages to bring things into a more optimistic frame. My kind of feel-good book. I'll re-read it for sure over ice cream when I'm feeling down.

Me encanto!. Está historia me llegó al corazón. Hace 2 semanas que termine de leerla y aún sigo pensando en ella. Está historia habla sobre ser verdadero a lo que sientes y a lo que eres, como en camino te encuentras con dolor, miedo y soledad pero también encuentras aceptación, amistad, amor y el saber que no estas solo. En fin si pueden leer esta maravillosa historia por favor háganlo. La recomiendo muchísimo.

o livro veio com a capa amassada na lateral mas acredito que tenha sido falta de cuidado do entregar (aqui costumam só jogar os pacotes), mas o livro e a história são perfeitos. comprei a versão capa dura e é maravilhosa

It was very good.