Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Under the Rainbow

Under the Rainbow tells the story of small minded small town Big Bur and the events that unfold when the LGBTQ+ activist task force, Acceptance Across America (AAA), arrive in an attempt to broaden the minds of those around them.

The book is based on a collection of interconnected stories told from a series of points of views of the residents of Big Bur and the members of AAA. As each story unfolds it is clear to see that the AAA have a huge uphill battle on their hands as there is a large amount of deep rooted bigotry in parochial Big Bur. Slowly, one by one we are left into the minds and lives of those who call Big Bur home, both existing and new residents and we begin to see they all have a lot more in common than they would like to think.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the staunch Big Bur heads against the free thinking taskforce and found it showed a lot of the harmful stereotypes that exist. The book is full of a multitude of flippant comments such as "too pretty to be lesbians", "at least it's not two men" and "but you look like a nice girl" and I think they're thrown about deliberately to make the reader realise just how easily these type of comments are thrown about in everyday society.

The book isn't without flaws there's one particular chapter which is literally your stereotypical male fantasy of two lesbians detailed which seemed pretty gratuitous.

Books like these I think are a great starting point for conversations and to get different groups of people talking, especially those who are a little bit more reluctant to read books on the topic of the LGBTQ+ community.

I switched between the book and the audiobook and both worked perfectly. The audiobook is absolutely fantastic with a full cast for each of the characters and it really brings the flaws of some of the characters to life.

A really enjoyable look at small town views and how sometimes with work they can be changed for the better.

Content Warnings

emilyeehaw's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful

Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

OPRAHHHHHH THAT WAS SO GOOD. literally read this in less than 12 hours, i enjoyed it so much.

the multiple perspectives, the entire premise of this book….MM! chef’s kiss. i loved getting to read from various people in big burr and how they were impacted by the lgbt taskforce coming to town. i loved how the stories were interwoven together and how characters would make appearances in others’ perspectives.

i would have loved to have gotten updates on all the people whose perspectives we read from, but i was content with ending the book with gabe’s pov. i think it did a nice job of showing how the taskforce was able to make changes on individual levels, which is just as important and necessary as the wide-spread changes that are so often focused on as being the most pressing issues. having more updates on the various perspectives would have given me more of a sense of closure but still..

good stuff!!

Content Warnings

jennikreads's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

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meghanwilloughby's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

loraora's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

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thevietvegan's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book follows the lives of a few people in a town and makes you fall in love with a lot of the characters and then switches to characters that kinda suck (but like as a good contrast to humanize or to show that their bigotry is more deeply rooted in their own insecurities).

It's sad to see a glimpse of how a lot of people feel about LGBTQIA+ people but I really enjoyed getting to know this small town and how people grew from the experience of having two years of exposure to people outside of their cis-het bubble. I wish I saw more into some of the characters lives (like Zach and Avery, instead of of just updates in passing from another character's perspective).

Overall, a really good and hopeful read. Lots of trauma, but healing, growth, and self-discovery.

Content Warnings

booknerdnative's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Is it too early to call my favorite book of 2021? Yes. But, I have a feeling this will be at the tippy top of my favorites for this year. So hopeful and inspiring, I loved every minute of this charming story. It balances hard hitting and cozy really well. Brilliant!

Content Warnings

youval's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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