When the Moon Was Ours

When Miel was five, she spilled from the water tower, crying that the moon was lost. Sam comforted her, this strange girl who grew roses from her wrist. He painted her moons and hung them from every tree he could find.This was such wonderfully heartwarming read. I finished it about two weeks ago and I still get that warm fuzzy feeling inside thinking about Sam and Miel. The journey they go on is one of love and loss, of coming of age and self discovery. The writing was so beautiful and dreamlike, it reminded me of Erin Morgenstern and Akwaeke Emezi.This is in my eyes, the perfect Autumn read, there are four sisters with bright orange hair that own a pumpkin farm. I am not joking when I say that this book is literally drowning in pumpkins and all of the fall vibes that come with.

I didn't like this book. I bought it, because of the raving reviews. I felt that although the chapters were short, I was not gripped by the plot. I found the characters to be very two-dimensional, there was a lot that I felt could be added. They could have been better. I felt that it was bad representation for trans people because the basis for them being trans had nothing to do with how they felt inside or what they truly were.Instead, their gender was based upon societal events in the Middle East - women being forced to be men. This didn't sit right with me, it's not up to society to choose how you feel. It's up to you alone.The magical element of the novel was lacking. I didn't really get the fantasy feel that, I have with other ones of its genre.I don't think this author is for me. I won't be purchasing their books in future.

This is magical book that is written in a dreamlike, lush prose throughout. The focus is so much on the way of describing things than what actually happens that I’m not sure it will be to everyone’s taste, but I found it a wonderful, if very unusual, reading experience.McLemore’s husband is trans, and that personal experience really shines through in the writing. A review described it as ‘a love letter to her husband’, and that definitely feels accurate. It’s loving and tenderly written, without shying away from important parts of the trans experience like sex and coming out.Miel is latina and Sam is Pakistani, and the cultures are a solid foundation of the plot in multiple ways. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the representation, but McLemore is latina, so this is #ownvoices.I really enjoyed this book - at first I tried to work out the metaphors behind certain magical realism choices, but eventually I just settled into enjoying the story for it’s own sake, and really loved it. I think this a story that will reward rereading.

Deep characters, dream-like world, unique and gorgeous writing style, and an emotional roller coaster. The relationship between Sam and Miel is so sweet I think my heart died.I'm extremely happy that this book exists. I especially liked how the trans boy is written, and the general diversity in a fantastical non-speculative fiction book is very refreshing. I also read the author's note and it's really sweet. I'm not crying, there's just sand in my eye.Thank you author.

As expected no dislikes

This book was so so beautiful. From the gorgeous writing to the deeply layered characters and their relationships, I loved it so much. I took a long time to read it but only because I didn't want it to end! A new favourite, and a favourite of the year for sure.

This book is a popular recommendation for books with trans protagonists so it is no surprise that I've been interested in it for a long time. It sat on my tbr for longer than I'd like to admit before my local LGBTQ+ book club picked it for out August 2019 book. I can saw that I without a doubt enjoyed this book (although I almost wish I had read it a couple of months later in October as it has a lot of Autumnal vibes).I came into this book knowing very little about the plot itself and I felt that was a good place to start from. For those who do want to know a bit more this book follows two childhood friends, a trans boy called Sam and a girl with roses growing out of her wrists named Miel, as they come to terms with the fact they have fallen in love with each other. While this is happening Sam is just beginning to come to terms with the fact that he is transgender (a fact everybody except him seems to be aware of) and four local sisters are attempting to steal Miel's roses by whatever means necessary. On top of this there is also the mystery of where Miel comes from and what happened to her family that will have any reader intrigued.There's little more I can say than this book was beautiful. The prose was lyrical and fairy tale-esque, and reading it felt like dreaming. That wasn't always a good thing though. As much as I enjoyed every other element of this novel, and I definitely did, it took me longer than I'd like to connect to the characters. That fairy tale, dreamlike quality to the writing made me feel distant from them. At times I found it easier to connect with the antagonistic Bonner sisters than with the main protagonists.Overall I enjoyed this book very much. I think McLemore really did capture the trans experience well (no surprise as the author themself has come out as non-binary since writing it). This was my first time reading one of McLemore's books and I look forward to reading more from them in future.Content Warnings: transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, outing, blackmail, racism, attempted suicide, drowning