King of Nothing
I was (forced) to read this by my favourite teacher as part of our Carnegie bookshadowing group... Thank God. Going into it, I had very low expectations as the first chapters affirmed... It was all 'mandem' this and 'bruv' that, with an obnoxious main I never thought I could grow to like. However, as the story progressed, Anton (the protagonist) began to grow on me. The ice that surrounded him began to melt, and I caught glimpses of the boy he could be. The boy he was. It's a direct exploration of toxic masculinity, but it handles it really, really well. It shows the misogyny being projected on social media, by Andrew Tate and others of that sort, and how it impacts Anton's view on the world. It also promotes kindness in very subtle ways. And the end! I don't have words for how poignant and moving it was. I never, ever cry at books. King of Nothing was the exception. I read it all in one sitting; I actually could not put it down. Please read it. Please.

Grace