Finding Your Feet by Cass LennoxMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I decided to try a book where there likely wouldn’t be much if any – likely no sex in it. So I tried a book where the main character was both asexual and aromantic. I relatively rapidly grew tired of that book so moved to another asexual lead character, but this time they are asexual bioromantic.
That’s one of those things to be reminded of immediately – asexual does not mean that the person never absolutely never has any type of relationships and that they live their lives happily alone. Though it can mean that, depending on the individual. Though even if they are asexual and aromantic, they might end up in some kind of relationship (which I mention because one of the ‘couples’ in this book does include someone who self-describes themselves as asexual and aromantic and yet are in some kind of relationship with someone who uses plural pronouns (referring here to Sarah and Bailey).
Evie, one of the two main characters, has had relationships in her past – and is asexual. She’s had relationships with both men and women (not at the same time . . . I think), hence calling herself biromantic. Biromantic instead of bisexual because she’s asexual, in her sexual orientation, and bi-in her romantic orientation. She’s also a perfect example of someone who is both asexual and has sex – and, for that matter, is sometimes even quite eager ‘for it’. Eager might be pushing it, but sometimes it seemed that way. In general vague sense there are two types of asexual –in column 1 we have those who are ‘sex-repulsed’; and in column 2 we have – ‘I’ve forgotten the term’ (oh, I think ‘sex-positive’ gets used). Sex-repulsed asexual, as might or might not be obvious, want nothing to do with sex – at all. Sex-positive asexual doesn’t particularly want sex . . . except in certain situations; either they are willing to have sex because their partner wants sex, but they themselves will ‘get nothing’ out of it; or they actually will ‘get something’ out of it because they fall into the ‘demisexual’ category – someone experiencing ‘sexual attraction’ because they have developed, first, an emotional connection/attachment to someone – a somewhat better definition is actually used in this book by Evie to describe herself. Yet she doesn’t actually use the phrase ‘demisexual’ (unless I missed it). But that is what Evie is – demisexual and biromantic.
Evie is from York England and is 26. Her job just suddenly poofed on her, due to the company closing (or something like that), and so she has to find something to do for the next few months – she had already set herself up to go get an advanced degree at a university in Toronto, but she can’t just go there early (Visa issues). She can, though, go over early to scope the place out on vacation, to then leave then come back on an education visa. Which she decides to do.
Strangely this book and the one I had started and stopped begin the same way – waiting next to a baggage carousel waiting for a suitcase to appear, and with some vague worries about whether it really will arrive, etc. etc. But it does arrive, and so Evie’s freed to exit and . . . see a sign and stuffed Godzilla for her. For she’s going to be staying in Toronto with her Tumblr friend – Sarah (who goes by ‘Greybeard’ on Tumblr, while Evie goes by Queen Evazilla). They found they had some mutual interests – namely . . . um . . . drawings? Manga? Well, that and asexual stuff. That’s one of the things Evie’s over for, well not specifically asexual things, but for Pride events in Toronto (and to meet up with some other asexuals).
Evie’s second or third day in Toronto finds her being talked into playing on a dance machine with Sarah – in competition with Sarah (since Bailey, Sarah’s roommate who appears to be vaguely more than that, doesn’t dance). Turns out that the dance machine ‘thingie’ was being used to audition people for a dance competition between two dance studios who would take ‘non-professional’ dancers, match them up with teachers, teach them for a week, then have a dance-off during Pride events. This is how we meet the other main character and main point of view – Tyler Davis.
Course Evie and Tyler’s first meeting is a classic ‘meet bad’. The two heads of the dance studios are congratulating Evie on her ‘top score’, inviting her to join the event, and then arguing about who she would join. Evie begins to tell them that she didn’t realize that it was a competition, an audition, (well tell a third person who stepped up while the dance studio heads fought each other over her), when some man stepped up and said she’d do it.
”I’m very sorry,” she started, “I didn’t really know about-“
“She’ll do it.”
Startled, she looked over to see the lean, grumpy dancer at her side. When did he get there? He was her height, with dark curly hair and light-brown skin, and he glared at her as though she were some kind of idiot. But he had to be one of the most gorgeous men Evie had ever found abruptly standing next to her-not that she was an expert on the matter.
And like all vaguely good looking men, he came with entitlement and an apparent inability to mind his own business. Or perhaps he was just as rude as his boss.
Time to end this nonsense.
“She can speak for herself,” she said, crisply enunciating every syllable.
His eyebrows raised. “Sorry.”
Heh – I didn’t mean to quote all that, I did because it included a description of the other main character. Well, meet badly, as I said. Though she agrees to do the competition, though she didn’t immediately realize she was agreeing to dance with the arrogant self-entitled man. But with the fun looking gay man who was also there. Since Tyler, who is also Sarah’s friend, sounded ‘fun’ in Sarah’s descriptions.
Tyler Davis, meanwhile, is a 100% straight black (biracial) man of 25. Why is he working at a Queer Studios? Well, he is also transgender. He is FtM.
The book was interesting and fun. Deeper and more mature than expected.
One bit of annoyance - Evie has something of a . . . difficult relationship with her mother and there's a moment that occurs, via email (view spoiler)
Rating: 4.80
May 23 2017
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