Strong character development but the plot went a little slow for me. Overall an enjoyable read and I would recommend.

This was definitely an interesting read. Probably one I wouldn't have picked up on my own. But I'm glad that I did. I found that I really enjoyed the Authors writing. It was very entrancing.

Quirky and cooky and the perfect look at what it is to be a true friend against all odds. ⁣This book is zany as all hell and laced with dark humor. It gave me 80s movie vibes...particularly Heathers. Following the bizarre but sweet relationship between Bunny and Michael was both endearing and so so sad, but also hilarious at times. This is truly an original story.

This book is SO good! The dialogue, characters, and the plot kept me engaged. I am picky with contemporary fiction and I cannot recommend this book enough.

This book was pretty slow moving and is very character-driven. There isn't a lot of action, and hit focuses on Michael, a gay teenager. He has had a rough upbringing and that isn't really discussed or addressed (which is surprising, because everything else in this book seems to be discussed). Instead, this book focuses on Michael's relationship with Bunny, his next door neighbor. She's very tall and insecure and doesn't exactly deal with it well. She has a dead mother and an alcoholic, morally corrupt father and anger issues of her own.

The book does talk a lot about being gay and how you are treated as a gay teenager, but beyond that I'm not sure I got the overarching point of it.

The teenage characters in this novel were intensely compelling and real. It made me look forward to reading more from Thorpe and wish that this novel were longer.

As much as I didn't want to, this ended up being a DNF for me. I really wanted to like it (I've enjoyed another on of Thorpe's books), but I think it was a case of right book, wrong time. I'll be honest -- my pandemic reading life has been difficult; books I would normally love have fallen flat, and I've been surprised by some of the books that have captured my attention. Maybe I'll come back to this someday, but it's not for me right now.

The truth in this book punches between the eyes and goes straight to the soul. Who can parse pain, love, suffering and what we call the human condition like this writer? Not many. Thorpe goes for the jugular and there's so much beauty and ugliness revealed through Michael and Bunny's friendship that I cried. Michael is brave and a hero through I don't think his character would agree.

The Knockout Queen is a beautifully written coming-of-age book that deals with a lot of heavy topics, such as, sexuality, parental abandonment, bullying, and abuse. The main characters are teens, but I believe it is too dark and raw to be characterized as a young adult book. I loved the depiction of the friendship between Michael and Bunny. It was complex and felt very real. This solidifies Rufi Thorpe as one of my favorite contemporary authors.

What did I just read? I really wanted to DNF this one but I had already done that with a previous book. I was taken on such an emotional roller coaster with this book but not in a good way. We have Michael, I can't remember his last name or if one was ever given and his friend Bunny Lampert. Michael is a gay teen who has this most convoluted friendship with Bunny. Michael was funny but the word vomit and long internal dialogues were excruciating.

There were glimpses of a good book here but it got lost in all the unnecessary particulars that floated around in Michael's head. He both loved and hated Bunny and told us every few pages it seemed but they were like magnets. Since the book is entitled The Knockout Queen I thought we would be getting the story more from Bunny's point of view. Bunny is freakishly tall and starving for love. Michael and Bunny filled a void in each other's lives. Bunny attacks a girl in the locker room for saying some hateful things about Michael. That whole incident left me with questions. The book should have explored more of the repercussions Bunny faced but then there were the questionable business dealings by her father and Michael being attacked outside his job and his secret life, There were stories within a story but in the end, I cared about none of them

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC .of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very different coming of age story, as told through adult eyes. Two misfits find themselves together, but it turns out not be be boyfriend and girlfriend as I expected. I really liked the perspective of looking back on what happened. Bunny's father really got under my skin, and that's good character-development.

Rufi Thorpe's The Knockout Queen made me fall in love with its dark, deep enigma, and then left me brokenhearted and weeping in its pages. This coming of age story about a gay teenage boy's unlikely friendship with the literal girl next door is a beautiful, haunting tale of acceptance, love, and life, and is one of my favorite books of 2020.

Michael is living with his aunt after his mom is sent to prison for stabbing his father with a fruit knife. He lives in a California neighborhood where small cottages like his family's are increasingly torn down and replaced with towering mansions. He lives next to one such mansion, which is also the home of Bunny, an unusually tall girl (6 ft 3 in) who is in desperate need of a good friend. She finds that friendship in Michael after he and Bunny discover that they are just what the other has been looking for. After bonding over their quirks and family secrets, the two become best friends and each other's confidantes, but their lives take a drastic turn when an act of violence shakes everything they hold to be true and changes their lives forever.

The Knockout Queen has such voice and style, and I immediately was drawn to the narrator, Michael, as he let me into his life and mind, and showed me what it is like to walk in the shoes of a young gay man. Michael is such a fascinating, honest character with sharp intuition, and I truly relished his observations of the actions and motives of the people around him. His friendship with Bunny was equally endearing, and I enjoyed reading about their interactions and how they each played an important, integral role in the other's life.

I honestly expected this book to be a glossy, carefree, and sardonic kind of novel, but was unexpectedly surprised by the candid writing style and captivating storyline. There's a lot of truth and reality here, as well as stark originality, that made this book unlike anything I have read recently. While other novels resort to formulaic plots and tropes, Thorpe kept things fresh, and I never knew what to expect from page to page. This made for a compelling read that never had me bored.

Recommended to anyone who is looking for something different. For lovers of intense character-driven literary novels. For those who might enjoy a dark, seedy, mature version of a My Girl-type friendship.

This really special coming of age novel tugged at my heart due to the two main characters. Both outcasts, both special and both needing more love than they can ever hope to get from their families. This would be an excellent YA crossover for older teens, especially those still trying to find their own identities and acceptance for who they are.

The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe is a novel about the friendship between Bunny and her next-door neighbor, Michael. These two have a lot going on in their lives that helps them forge an intense and deep connection. Bullying, fights, difficult home lives, and more are what they need to overcome in order to move on in their lives and they look to each other for support. An intense read that really delves into the makings of a friendship. Read and enjoy!

Many, many people seem to adore this book. I am just not one of those people. I have gone back and forth with my rating and thoughts and ultimately have decided that it was just OKAY for me. Michael's character was its saving grace--all other characters felt very inauthentic and just downright strangely written to me. Much of the plot and character arcs felt weirdly inconsistent in nature with the exception of Michael. I would read a whole book on just him alone! Bunny, her father, the other students...just fell flat. This was a coming of age story and it served its purpose--it just didn't do much more than that unfortunately!

A Supportive Friendship Between Outsider Teens

Michael lives with his aunt in a small, yellow, stucco house between two mansions. On one side the mansion appears empty, on the other lives Bunny Lampert and her real estate developer father who is an incipient alcoholic. He knows her because they attend the same high school, but until the day she finds him smoking in her yard, they don’t know each other. Bunny is tall, over six feet, blond and rich. Michael is small with a pony tail. He tries to be straight, but he thinks he’s gay. In fact, he tells Bunny that the first time they meet.

Both teens are outsiders, lonely and looking for friendship. They remain supportive of each other through a brutal attack and the subsequent fallout. They survive, but their stories are surprising.

This is a character driven story that is at times not easy to read although it is true to the problems of the teenage protagonists. Teens often have trouble coming to terms with who they are. This is particularly true for Bunny and Michael who have more problems with their personal adjustment than most teens.

The writing is beautiful and the portraits of these teens are unflinching. An added benefit in the story is that Bunny is a female athlete. Her desire for Olympic fame and the tragic end are in many ways true to life. Neither teen has it easy, but together they survive.

I received this book from Knopf for this review.

This was beautiful but I expected no less from this author. Her last book was my favorite the year it came out and while this one wasn't quite as fragile, it was still heart-breaking in an unexpected way. She just creates these places and characters that are familiar but you don't want them to be too familiar because of the misery they present. Everything feels so fresh, so real but also so painful. I am doing a terrible job of describing this book except to say that you should read it.

The Knockout Queen comes out later this month on April 28, 2020, and you can purchase HERE. I cannot recommend this author highly enough and if you haven't read either of her first two books yet, do so now!

Is there a darker night of the soul than eighth grade?

I really wanted to love this one. Sadly, I think I have come to the conclusion that character driven novels are just not my favorite.

Dark, Light, and Everything in Between.

This may end up being one of my favorite books of 2020. Actually it definitely will be. It was different and refreshing. Two words I do not ordinarily use to describe books, unfortunately. For some reason, many books tend to be formulaic. This story completely broke that mold. It didn't follow the typical rules or any guidebook. The characters had unique voices and perspectives. They were people I really wanted to read about.

Bunny and Michael are next-door neighbors and fellow outcasts - for different reasons. Banding together and finding solace in one another's friendship they form a unique and special bond.

I loved this book! The relationship between Bunny and Michael was so special to read about. The way it developed - that arc - was enthralling to me. I won't say anymore... you'll just have to find out yourself what happens next.