Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest

Release date: May 2, 2023
Setting: Minneapolis / NYC / Berkeley
Genre: YA fiction
Means of reading: E-ARC
Content notes: Ableism and discrimination
Character identities: Wheelchair user, woman
Review:

A sweet coming-of-age, boy-meets-girl story gets a whole new twist with protagonist Effie (Euphemia) being a wheelchair user and navigating the life transition from school to university.

The thing I loved most about this book is how real it is. Claire Forrest fits in so many disability issues without making the story feel crowded or political in its plotlines. There were also so many moments that made me laugh out loud and throw me straight back to being a teenager and the social awkwardness that can come with it. Effie is just like any teenage girl who wants a boyfriend, to go to a college she can thrive at and be independent, but she has to figure out what these things look like for her in a way her peers don’t.

She also knows when she’s being discriminated against, her parents are supportive, and she’s given independence by all those around her in a way that Disabled characters often have to struggle for.

I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager, and I truly hope that young people read this en-masse so they can see some of the subtler examples of disability discrimination. As Effie and her friends learn, often these issues are things abled-bodied people just aren’t thinking about.

We were fortunate enough to receive this book as an E-ARC for an Instagram book tour. You can see the full post here, where we share some favourite quotes!