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Indestructible Object
Perfect for fans of What If It’s Us and Mary H. K. Choi, this stunning coming-of-age novel from Printz Honor author Mary McCoy follows a Memphis teen whose quest to uncover the secrets of love reveals new truths about herself.
For the past two years, Lee has been laser-focused on two things: her job as a sound tech at a local coffee shop and her podcast “Artists in Love,” which she cohosts with her boyfriend Vincent.
Until he breaks up with her on the air right after graduation.
When their unexpected split, the loss of her job, and her parent’s announcement that they’re separating coincide, Lee’s plans, her art, and her life are thrown into turmoil. Searching for a new purpose, Lee recruits her old friend Max and new friend Risa to produce a podcast called “Objects of Destruction,” where they investigate whether love actually exists at all.
But the deeper they get into the love stories around them, the more Lee realizes that she’s the one who’s been holding love at arm’s length. And when she starts to fall for Risa, she finds she’ll have to be more honest with herself and the people in her life to create a new love story of her own.
Funny, romantic, and heartfelt, this is a story about secrets, lies, friendship, found family, an expired passport, a hidden VHS tape, fried pickles, the weird and wild city of Memphis, and, most of all, love.
For the past two years, Lee has been laser-focused on two things: her job as a sound tech at a local coffee shop and her podcast “Artists in Love,” which she cohosts with her boyfriend Vincent.
Until he breaks up with her on the air right after graduation.
When their unexpected split, the loss of her job, and her parent’s announcement that they’re separating coincide, Lee’s plans, her art, and her life are thrown into turmoil. Searching for a new purpose, Lee recruits her old friend Max and new friend Risa to produce a podcast called “Objects of Destruction,” where they investigate whether love actually exists at all.
But the deeper they get into the love stories around them, the more Lee realizes that she’s the one who’s been holding love at arm’s length. And when she starts to fall for Risa, she finds she’ll have to be more honest with herself and the people in her life to create a new love story of her own.
Funny, romantic, and heartfelt, this is a story about secrets, lies, friendship, found family, an expired passport, a hidden VHS tape, fried pickles, the weird and wild city of Memphis, and, most of all, love.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2021
About the author
Mary McCoy
4 books226 followersMary McCoy is a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. She has also been a contributor to On Bunker Hill and the 1947project, where she wrote stories about Los Angeles's notorious past. She grew up in western Pennsylvania and studied at Rhodes College and the University of Wisconsin. Mary now lives in Los Angeles with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
June 16, 2021
Messy bisexuals, this one’s for you. ❤️
One of my favorite things to read about is flawed main characters. Characters who make mistakes–mistakes they really knew better than to make, but they did it anyways. I can’t stand negative reviews of books based on the protagonist having flaws, which is making me want to gather this book up to my chest and defend it from those negative reviews I can see looming. Lee is lost, she’s messy, and she’s hurt people–but she’s also finding herself and trying to work her way through them, and I am firmly in her corner.
It also has a polyamorous main character, which is still very rare in YA! My heart hurt for when she finally realizes what she really wants out of her life and she tears up because it’s “too much to want,” an impossible dream–at least, that’s what it seems to her.
I appreciated this passage, as she admits to cheating to a queer friend who tells her she’s enacting a negative stereotype:
I also thought Max’s subplot, the queer friend mentioned earlier, was fascinating. He has two queer parents, one of whom is non-binary, and when he came out as gay, they were–unsurprisingly–supportive, especially of his relationship with an idyllic boyfriend. Now, though, he has experienced sexual fluidity, falling for a girl, and he has picked up a punk aesthetic from her. His parents don’t approve, and he feels rejected now that he’s an “untidy queer” instead of what he refers to as a “Love, Simon gay.” This is a complicated queer story, which I am always here for.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
One of my favorite things to read about is flawed main characters. Characters who make mistakes–mistakes they really knew better than to make, but they did it anyways. I can’t stand negative reviews of books based on the protagonist having flaws, which is making me want to gather this book up to my chest and defend it from those negative reviews I can see looming. Lee is lost, she’s messy, and she’s hurt people–but she’s also finding herself and trying to work her way through them, and I am firmly in her corner.
It also has a polyamorous main character, which is still very rare in YA! My heart hurt for when she finally realizes what she really wants out of her life and she tears up because it’s “too much to want,” an impossible dream–at least, that’s what it seems to her.
I appreciated this passage, as she admits to cheating to a queer friend who tells her she’s enacting a negative stereotype:
“That’s not fair,” I say. I’m not trying to defend what I’ve done, but I also don’t think I should be expected to model ideal bisexual behavior–whatever that is–at all times. When straight people cheated, they weren’t failing the whole straight population. They were just failing one person.
I also thought Max’s subplot, the queer friend mentioned earlier, was fascinating. He has two queer parents, one of whom is non-binary, and when he came out as gay, they were–unsurprisingly–supportive, especially of his relationship with an idyllic boyfriend. Now, though, he has experienced sexual fluidity, falling for a girl, and he has picked up a punk aesthetic from her. His parents don’t approve, and he feels rejected now that he’s an “untidy queer” instead of what he refers to as a “Love, Simon gay.” This is a complicated queer story, which I am always here for.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
March 18, 2021
As a reader of anything Mary McCoy I can get my hands on, I can say with authority that Indestructible Object is the latest proof that she just keeps getting better and better. From page one, Lee is -- like all great artists -- thoughtful, compelling, and more than a little messy. It's impossible to stop reading as she examines the nature of love -- right down to whether love even exists -- and what it means to declare your desires, to yourself and to the world. I loved this book.
April 27, 2021
Yeah, I didn't really like any of this book. Didn't like the main character, didn't care about the plot, didn't care about the setting or the other characters. Just bleh.
December 3, 2021
lol Anna kept telling me to read this and I was like "IDK I guess" and then I started reading it and I was immediately like "you didn't tell me it's about a teen podcaster who loves the Bachelorette, that knowledge would have bumped it up on my TBR list". so anyway! It's about that. I LOVE Lee as a messy teen protagonist and I love that the narrative is very forgiving of her for not totally having her sexuality/life/goals all figured out but that it also doesn't let her off the hook for some of the privileged ignorance she had as a white teen in Memphis with a multiracial ex-boyfriend. The voice here is SO good, kinda gives me John Green vibes (COMPLIMENT) but a lil spicier than JG (also compliment).
May 17, 2021
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: cheating, divorce/separation
3
Lee has her life worked out- a popular podcast with her boyfriend and a future with him at her side- up to the point where she and her boyfriend break up. It's a mature break up on the surface, but inside Lee is reeling. When her parents decide to separate for real, something they'd been dragging their feet on, it means her mother leaving for a while and her father's friends coming to stay and get him moved out. Finding two items that feel at odds with the story she's always known about her parents, and still wondering how they could have ben in love once, and why they stayed together so long, Lee and her dad's friend's son, Max, combine forces to get the answers she needs, and make a podcast that is her own. That is, if anyone's willing to actually talk about the past.
There's a lot to get interested in in this book. There's a conversation on polyamory I wish was handled a little better but is new enough in YA to be really cool, and plenty of mystery to keep you reading. The mixing of medias, like traditional novel with podcast, doesn't always work for me, but it did work well here.
The main mystery is if Lee's parents were ever in love and why they stayed together- basically, if she trapped them by being born- but it quickly turns to romantic entanglement. It actually turns into something like a YA Mamma Mia for a good chunk of the book, which I thought was cool. The pacing isn't always ideal, but you do want to keep reading because so much doesn't stack up, and you want to follow the line figure out if any of their conspiracy theories are really true.
The other main thread of the story has to do with do with queer identity. Lee is bisexual and mostly not out, so seeing her explore that side of her openly is interesting, especially with the addition o Max, who has always ID'd as gay and found himself interested in a girl. You rarely get to see stories where someone comes out as bi and didn't previously identify as straight, so I loved being able to have that kind of arc on page, along with the messiness and confusion it involves without straight out biphobia. Also, as I mentioned, Lee realizes in the story that she's polyamorous, which is something you almost never see in YA and is interested to get to explore on page.
I also appreciate seeing a nonbinary adult on page!
The problem is, Lee is incredibly messy. And that means the representation is really messy too. Not all things should be perfect and polished, so it's hard to judge, but I personally feel like Lee being a cheater and self absorbed throughout the entire story doesn't create great representation for bi people or polyam people.
And the romance between Lee and Risa only makes it more uncomfortable for me. While Risa does at first seem like a good character and their romance is cute in the beginning, Risa constantly shares negative stereotypes. She says that her and fellow lesbians talk about "bi girls to watch out for" and acts like Lee is only experimenting with her, two real world prejudices that bi girls actualy do face, and she's never once called out for it.
While the podcast stuff is interesting, it also felt over the top for me. The way everyone avoids talking about what happened, the idea of making it into a podcast in the first place, it didn't feel realistic. Not to mention, by the end there's no satisfying conclusion. Parts of it worked for me, but a lot of it also didn't.
And finally, I really didn't like Lee, so it was hard to get invested in general. Actually, I didn't like most of the characters. When so much of this story revolves around Lee and her feelings you would expect an actual arc, but there isn't really one. A lot of this is watching Lee make the same bad choices over and over and again and barely learning, which makes you want to disengage instead of wait it out.
This book keeps you reading with its complicated family mystery, and I enjoy the representation, but it wasn't one I found myself really liking.
TW: cheating, divorce/separation
3
Lee has her life worked out- a popular podcast with her boyfriend and a future with him at her side- up to the point where she and her boyfriend break up. It's a mature break up on the surface, but inside Lee is reeling. When her parents decide to separate for real, something they'd been dragging their feet on, it means her mother leaving for a while and her father's friends coming to stay and get him moved out. Finding two items that feel at odds with the story she's always known about her parents, and still wondering how they could have ben in love once, and why they stayed together so long, Lee and her dad's friend's son, Max, combine forces to get the answers she needs, and make a podcast that is her own. That is, if anyone's willing to actually talk about the past.
There's a lot to get interested in in this book. There's a conversation on polyamory I wish was handled a little better but is new enough in YA to be really cool, and plenty of mystery to keep you reading. The mixing of medias, like traditional novel with podcast, doesn't always work for me, but it did work well here.
The main mystery is if Lee's parents were ever in love and why they stayed together- basically, if she trapped them by being born- but it quickly turns to romantic entanglement. It actually turns into something like a YA Mamma Mia for a good chunk of the book, which I thought was cool. The pacing isn't always ideal, but you do want to keep reading because so much doesn't stack up, and you want to follow the line figure out if any of their conspiracy theories are really true.
The other main thread of the story has to do with do with queer identity. Lee is bisexual and mostly not out, so seeing her explore that side of her openly is interesting, especially with the addition o Max, who has always ID'd as gay and found himself interested in a girl. You rarely get to see stories where someone comes out as bi and didn't previously identify as straight, so I loved being able to have that kind of arc on page, along with the messiness and confusion it involves without straight out biphobia. Also, as I mentioned, Lee realizes in the story that she's polyamorous, which is something you almost never see in YA and is interested to get to explore on page.
I also appreciate seeing a nonbinary adult on page!
The problem is, Lee is incredibly messy. And that means the representation is really messy too. Not all things should be perfect and polished, so it's hard to judge, but I personally feel like Lee being a cheater and self absorbed throughout the entire story doesn't create great representation for bi people or polyam people.
And the romance between Lee and Risa only makes it more uncomfortable for me. While Risa does at first seem like a good character and their romance is cute in the beginning, Risa constantly shares negative stereotypes. She says that her and fellow lesbians talk about "bi girls to watch out for" and acts like Lee is only experimenting with her, two real world prejudices that bi girls actualy do face, and she's never once called out for it.
While the podcast stuff is interesting, it also felt over the top for me. The way everyone avoids talking about what happened, the idea of making it into a podcast in the first place, it didn't feel realistic. Not to mention, by the end there's no satisfying conclusion. Parts of it worked for me, but a lot of it also didn't.
And finally, I really didn't like Lee, so it was hard to get invested in general. Actually, I didn't like most of the characters. When so much of this story revolves around Lee and her feelings you would expect an actual arc, but there isn't really one. A lot of this is watching Lee make the same bad choices over and over and again and barely learning, which makes you want to disengage instead of wait it out.
This book keeps you reading with its complicated family mystery, and I enjoy the representation, but it wasn't one I found myself really liking.
July 5, 2021
Rating: 4.5 Stars
For the past two years, Lee knew what her future looked like. Then her boyfriend broke up with her, her parents finally called it quits, and she sort of lost her job. Feeling adrift, she chained herself to a new project, a podcast called “Objects of Destruction”. In her pursuit of determining if love really existed, Lee discovered some family secrets, while also discovering more about herself.
The way Lee embraced her art to help her make sense of the world was fantastic. Each step she took, each truth she uncovered kept me chomping at the bit for more. Though the main focus was love, McCoy explored many other topics and issues. There was a lot of food for thought presented throughout the story as Lee tried to come to terms with her life, her future, and who she was. She was messy, and she made mistakes. I know there are people, who will not approve of some of the choices Lee made, but I appreciated that it was all part of her journey.
This book left me with tears in my eyes. Not because it was profoundly sad, but because it was so honest. It was the exploration of love that had me feeling so much. How complicated and messy it can be. I guess good adjectives to describe this story would be bittersweet and thoughtful. There are these moments of joy, but they all seemed to be wrapped in a sort of loss due to the bulk of this tale spent trying to figure out where love went wrong. A little sad, but beautiful and hopeful too.
Overall: An emotional and satisfying examination of love.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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For the past two years, Lee knew what her future looked like. Then her boyfriend broke up with her, her parents finally called it quits, and she sort of lost her job. Feeling adrift, she chained herself to a new project, a podcast called “Objects of Destruction”. In her pursuit of determining if love really existed, Lee discovered some family secrets, while also discovering more about herself.
The way Lee embraced her art to help her make sense of the world was fantastic. Each step she took, each truth she uncovered kept me chomping at the bit for more. Though the main focus was love, McCoy explored many other topics and issues. There was a lot of food for thought presented throughout the story as Lee tried to come to terms with her life, her future, and who she was. She was messy, and she made mistakes. I know there are people, who will not approve of some of the choices Lee made, but I appreciated that it was all part of her journey.
This book left me with tears in my eyes. Not because it was profoundly sad, but because it was so honest. It was the exploration of love that had me feeling so much. How complicated and messy it can be. I guess good adjectives to describe this story would be bittersweet and thoughtful. There are these moments of joy, but they all seemed to be wrapped in a sort of loss due to the bulk of this tale spent trying to figure out where love went wrong. A little sad, but beautiful and hopeful too.
Overall: An emotional and satisfying examination of love.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
July 12, 2021
This was such a messy book because of how messy the main character is, but I really liked it. I thought it was a pretty unique concept and I enjoyed the podcast parts and the format. I really really love that this book had poly rep because that is so hard to find! This character is definitely not an ideal representation of what it means to be poly but I also think those parts were pointed out well. Even though this character cheats and that is a huge stereotype for bisexual and polyamorous people, but that stereotype is pointed out and it's clear from the characters that this isn't supposed to be a positive representation of that group. I also really loved Max and thought he was a great character to stabilize what was going on with Lee!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
June 23, 2021
This is a gorgeous book about life and love and how messy they are.
March 26, 2022
This books was not what I expected. But not in a bad way. The writing was stunning and I would definitely read another book by this author. However, the plot was disorganized and all over the place. But somehow that made it feel more realistic and messy and true. I didn’t like the main character Lee at first, but then she grew on me until I started getting upset when another characters were rude to her. Soon I realized her flaws made her more human and real. Max was my favorite character followed by Risa. Max’s backstory felt very tangible and I loved it because it explored the idea that being queer isn’t some adorable rom-com. It’s messy and wild, but it’s beautiful. This is less important, but the cover is also stunningly gorgeous.
August 28, 2021
"It's a love story about confessional poets and thwarted playwrights, about sad rock stars and tattoo artists who are fighting with their kids, about messy bisexuals and untidy queers and evangelical Christians who make podcasts about art and girl who write beautiful songs in their bedrooms. About old lovers, new lovers, friends.
I think it's a story worth telling."
This book took me a little while to get into (unlike I, Claudia which had me hooked from the start) but around the midway point it found its groove and by the end I found myself agreeing that indeed, this was a story worth telling. Lots of great quotes here, and a lot of big thoughts about the nature of art, and love -- not knowing exactly what it means to you and how you relate to it, or to who you are as a person in a constant state of evolution. It's about the messiness of finding yourself and then figuring out a way to express yourself to the world and the people around you.
"Maybe humans aren't made to expereince love, I think. We never evolved the kind of telepathy it seems to require."
"Boil the whole of human existence down to its essence, and what you have is how we feel about each other and what we decide to do about it. Even if it ends. Even if we end up regretting it."
"But when you've loved someone, some version of it lasts. It keeps being important. It lives somewhere within you, and in that way, you carry the people you've loved along with you, not just in your memories, but in the person you are."
August 30, 2021
Where do I even begin?
14+
Toxic main character.
Boring plot.
Weird scenes.
Uncomfortable.
Beautiful cover, bad story.
Good world building.
Lee is an imperfect girl who works open mics and is a barista with her friend. She also has a podcast with her boyfriend but one day, they call it quits. She makes out with a guy one day after and another girl soon after that. Her dads best friends son stays at her house and they become best friends. At one point i thought they were falling in love. It wasn’t super inappropriate but did have make out scenes and all of them were weird. No sex but almost.
This is my honest review. At first, I thought this book was going to be like Kind of A Big Deal by Shannon Hale but it wasn’t even in the same ballpark! This book is about a girl trying to figure out herself and I just don’t even know what to say. It is perfectly fine to have flaws, everyone does! But when they get toxic, that’s when you gotta stop. I don’t recommend. This was my least favorite read ever.
I did appreciate Max and Risa for being great friends through all of people’s hard times!
A big thanks to the author for gifting me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!!
14+
Toxic main character.
Boring plot.
Weird scenes.
Uncomfortable.
Beautiful cover, bad story.
Good world building.
Lee is an imperfect girl who works open mics and is a barista with her friend. She also has a podcast with her boyfriend but one day, they call it quits. She makes out with a guy one day after and another girl soon after that. Her dads best friends son stays at her house and they become best friends. At one point i thought they were falling in love. It wasn’t super inappropriate but did have make out scenes and all of them were weird. No sex but almost.
This is my honest review. At first, I thought this book was going to be like Kind of A Big Deal by Shannon Hale but it wasn’t even in the same ballpark! This book is about a girl trying to figure out herself and I just don’t even know what to say. It is perfectly fine to have flaws, everyone does! But when they get toxic, that’s when you gotta stop. I don’t recommend. This was my least favorite read ever.
I did appreciate Max and Risa for being great friends through all of people’s hard times!
A big thanks to the author for gifting me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!!
July 16, 2021
This was so disappointing for me, I really wanted to like this, but I just couldn't get into it. I found Lee, the main character, to be somewhat insufferable. She's feeling badly about her life--and admittedly things aren't going well, her parents are getting a divorce literally right after she graduates high school, her boyfriend dumped her live on their podcast--and suddenly love doesn't exist, or she's questioning whether or not it exists. I get things are hard right now, but it doesn't mean that good things can't happen and that her parents don't love her. But mostly I was just bored because Lee's quest didn't feel genuine to me. Things happened to suddenly and I didn't get a true sense of what Lee's plans were, other than moving in with her boyfriend....I guess. Life doesn't stop because you want it to or because bad things happen to you. Her parents clearly have awful timing and didn't really consider Lee's feelings and Vincent (Lee's ex) shouldn't have essentially led her on about not wanting to continue their life together as a couple. Life shouldn't be planned out when you're 18 anyway.
May 14, 2022
I've given this a 4 when really it should be 3.75
---
This book validated me in my belief that love, being in love, falling in and out of love- is bullsh*t.
The lot of it.
But this book also showed me that maybe perhaps there are some parts that aren't so bad.
Although it's nice to know that I am not the only person with the crippling fear that every relationship is destined to fail and end in pain and heartbreak.
I also have to admit that parts of this were hard to read because it involved her parents fighting and separating, which triggered some unwanted things for me- I felt her pain and her discomfort, her abandonment and loss of home almost exactly. For me those scenarios that were described, they were real. They were my own.
It was because of that- that I almost did not finished this.
But I am a sucker for romance and especially when the main character also simultaneously loves and hates it not unlike myself.
Also quick disclaimer, side characters are superior, the main girl was SO incredibly stupid but her supporting character really really made this book enjoyable.
---
This book validated me in my belief that love, being in love, falling in and out of love- is bullsh*t.
The lot of it.
But this book also showed me that maybe perhaps there are some parts that aren't so bad.
Although it's nice to know that I am not the only person with the crippling fear that every relationship is destined to fail and end in pain and heartbreak.
I also have to admit that parts of this were hard to read because it involved her parents fighting and separating, which triggered some unwanted things for me- I felt her pain and her discomfort, her abandonment and loss of home almost exactly. For me those scenarios that were described, they were real. They were my own.
It was because of that- that I almost did not finished this.
But I am a sucker for romance and especially when the main character also simultaneously loves and hates it not unlike myself.
Also quick disclaimer, side characters are superior, the main girl was SO incredibly stupid but her supporting character really really made this book enjoyable.
July 16, 2021
Often I rush through books, but I really tried to take my time with this one, savor it. Loved the realistic characters and the setting was wonderful. I felt like I was there, eavesdropping at a table nearby. Thank you for the beautiful book that went down like a delicious glass of water.
July 12, 2021
"Apologies aren't about who is right. They are about who is sorry."
- Indestructible Object, Mary McCoy
<*insert heart emoji here*>
- Indestructible Object, Mary McCoy
<*insert heart emoji here*>
July 5, 2022
4.75 stars
I absolutely loved reading a YA novel that embraced both the messiness and ugliness of love.
It didn’t tie things up with a pretty ribbon.
It didn’t gloss over details to make the truth more palatable.
It was honest, and it hit me hard, and it lifted me up.
“The heart is an indestructable object.” What a beautiful thing to write. What makes it even more beautiful is that it’s true.
I absolutely loved reading a YA novel that embraced both the messiness and ugliness of love.
It didn’t tie things up with a pretty ribbon.
It didn’t gloss over details to make the truth more palatable.
It was honest, and it hit me hard, and it lifted me up.
“The heart is an indestructable object.” What a beautiful thing to write. What makes it even more beautiful is that it’s true.
November 17, 2021
artists give me a headache, but this was great. if you want a book with a messy protag, this is for you!
January 21, 2022
wouldn’t have finished it if I wasn’t reading it to talk to a friend about it. thinks all bi people and all poly people are cheaters. incredibly unlikeable main character. very callous towards POC characters.
July 9, 2023
I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did
July 8, 2021
I have a lot of thoughts about this book that I didn’t expect to have. Admittedly I went into this in a little bad faith expecting the portrayal of Memphis to be extremely whitewashed, overly critical, or overly idealistic and it was definitely all of those things all at once. The author is someone who clearly has a lot of love for a very specific part of the city, and that’s fantastic. But it is also very evident that the time she spent in Memphis was very contained in a very affluent, very gentrified part of town. There are also segments of narration that lead me to believe that she thinks racism and queerphobia are only problems in the south and there are parts that feel like asides to the reader going “this place is cool but everyone is a racist Bible thumper except for my characters.” Again, it’s totally possible that this is a bad faith reading of the text and I accept my own personal bias as someone who grew up in Memphis but not the part of town she’s interested in.
I will say though, I like a lot of the themes she’s working with in this book. Identity as a fluid and ever evolving part of a person. Relationships with endings and complications. Parent child relationships that are built on secrets, lies, and half truths. I think had this book not reminded me that it was set in memphis on every other page it would have gotten rated higher.
I will say though, I like a lot of the themes she’s working with in this book. Identity as a fluid and ever evolving part of a person. Relationships with endings and complications. Parent child relationships that are built on secrets, lies, and half truths. I think had this book not reminded me that it was set in memphis on every other page it would have gotten rated higher.
April 10, 2021
Got an advance copy, and it's such a beautiful and engrossing book. Memphis is as much a character in the book as the people are; the story is really grounded in a specific place, a place that feels like home to some, a location to escape as soon as possible for others.
The teens who are the focus of the story struggle to figure out who they are, what it means to love someone, and the joy and pain that come from growing up, and the difficult truths we have to face sometimes in order to grow and be honest about who we are. There aren't any anti-heroes here, just flawed but loving young people trying to navigate the transition to their new lives after high school.
I loved Lee, the main character - she's smart but not unbelievably so, and struggles to admit who she is and what she needs from the people she loves. She and her friends are a lot cooler than I was at that age, but still, the issues they're dealing with resonated with me.
Somehow the book touches on race, sexuality, polyamory, art, and more, all without seeming preachy.
The teens who are the focus of the story struggle to figure out who they are, what it means to love someone, and the joy and pain that come from growing up, and the difficult truths we have to face sometimes in order to grow and be honest about who we are. There aren't any anti-heroes here, just flawed but loving young people trying to navigate the transition to their new lives after high school.
I loved Lee, the main character - she's smart but not unbelievably so, and struggles to admit who she is and what she needs from the people she loves. She and her friends are a lot cooler than I was at that age, but still, the issues they're dealing with resonated with me.
Somehow the book touches on race, sexuality, polyamory, art, and more, all without seeming preachy.
September 28, 2021
This is somewhere in between 2 and 3 stars. I liked some parts but the rest was just weird.
Lee is an interesting enough character but I thought she was kind of selfish. Like she just wants to date anyone she wants without caring if they get hurt? If that's the case, why would she bother having any serious relationships with people? I couldn't get my mind around it.
And everyone else was okay but still meh.
Lee is an interesting enough character but I thought she was kind of selfish. Like she just wants to date anyone she wants without caring if they get hurt? If that's the case, why would she bother having any serious relationships with people? I couldn't get my mind around it.
And everyone else was okay but still meh.
March 12, 2021
So excited for this!!
October 8, 2021
in the end this book was boring and i didn't care about any of the characters or their relationships
December 24, 2022
1.5 Stars
*Every single person in this world can view a work of literature and have completely different thoughts and opinions. My opinion is not meant to offend you. If you do not want to see a review criticizing your favorite book (or a book you enjoyed) then I recommend not to proceed reading this review.
For me Indestructible Object had more negative aspects to the novel rather than positive.
What I liked:
🎧This book is undeniably good, it portrayed the messiness of break-up and relationships. Lee was not a flawed character and made mistakes.
🎧The bisexual representation was done in a way that explored Lee's emotions and focused on accepting herself.
🎧I found the focus on love; about how it can end but will always stay with us somehow to be a great lesson.
🎧Max, Risa, and Lee had a friendship I enjoyed witnessing.
🎧Risa and Lee was a relationship I enjoyed to see progress!
What I didn't:
🔇In only three-four chapters Lee makes out with a random stranger in order to make herself feel better. The reader later on learns that she has been
🔇Lee and Vincent's relationship was rather unsolved. They went from forgiving one another to unveiling another secret and getting mad all over again. Lee and Vincent had several misunderstandings between them that just kept on happening repeatedly. Lee makes out with four different people all at the same time but most of them were just flings. While I have seen people say that this is polyamorous representation none of the other people actually consented.
Wikipedia: "Polyamory is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved."
Lee does yearn for more than just romance so that would fit. However, three of the characters she makes out with had no idea that she actually had a boyfriend or was doing things with someone else.
🔇Both Lee and Vincent are equally inconsistent people with barely any morals. Lee is constantly changing her mind. Vincent expects Lee to throw her life away and follow him anywhere, while he also seems to want to take the credit for everything. Vincent keeps on changing his mind and actions and then stops talking to her . . .then texts her and DOES NOT take a hint.
🔇The whole "break-up" drama only came when necessary. It would completely fade into the background until necessary for some drama and set-back in her other romantic relationships.
🔇The biphobic comments were not appreciated . . . I didn't understand why Max had to say she was being a bad bisexual by cheating. Several other comments just seemed to be thrown in there.
Was not the book for me!
*Every single person in this world can view a work of literature and have completely different thoughts and opinions. My opinion is not meant to offend you. If you do not want to see a review criticizing your favorite book (or a book you enjoyed) then I recommend not to proceed reading this review.
For me Indestructible Object had more negative aspects to the novel rather than positive.
What I liked:
🎧This book is undeniably good, it portrayed the messiness of break-up and relationships. Lee was not a flawed character and made mistakes.
🎧The bisexual representation was done in a way that explored Lee's emotions and focused on accepting herself.
🎧I found the focus on love; about how it can end but will always stay with us somehow to be a great lesson.
🎧Max, Risa, and Lee had a friendship I enjoyed witnessing.
🎧Risa and Lee was a relationship I enjoyed to see progress!
What I didn't:
🔇In only three-four chapters Lee makes out with a random stranger in order to make herself feel better. The reader later on learns that she has been
🔇Lee and Vincent's relationship was rather unsolved. They went from forgiving one another to unveiling another secret and getting mad all over again. Lee and Vincent had several misunderstandings between them that just kept on happening repeatedly. Lee makes out with four different people all at the same time but most of them were just flings. While I have seen people say that this is polyamorous representation none of the other people actually consented.
Wikipedia: "Polyamory is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved."
Lee does yearn for more than just romance so that would fit. However, three of the characters she makes out with had no idea that she actually had a boyfriend or was doing things with someone else.
🔇Both Lee and Vincent are equally inconsistent people with barely any morals. Lee is constantly changing her mind. Vincent expects Lee to throw her life away and follow him anywhere, while he also seems to want to take the credit for everything. Vincent keeps on changing his mind and actions and then stops talking to her . . .then texts her and DOES NOT take a hint.
🔇The whole "break-up" drama only came when necessary. It would completely fade into the background until necessary for some drama and set-back in her other romantic relationships.
🔇The biphobic comments were not appreciated . . . I didn't understand why Max had to say she was being a bad bisexual by cheating. Several other comments just seemed to be thrown in there.
Was not the book for me!
June 18, 2021
unfortunately, this book was such a let down to me. i picked it up because the premise seemed interesting enough. the exploration of love and relationships, i missed it. idk if it’s because i haven’t read romance in a while or what, but i just couldn’t get into it.
from the first pages i knew i won’t connect with the characters and i contemplated a few times if i should dnf the book. and honestly i should’ve just done that because i didn’t gain anything out of it, not even a mere satisfaction of finishing something.
that being said, i can’t even state that the writing was awful, because it was quite the opposite, it had some beautiful and quotable moments. but other than that, idek what this book has going for itself.
since i wrote down my little rants while i was reading, it would be a shame if they had to go to waste, so i might as well leave them here. 🚨 non major spoilers below 🚨
— throughout the book the author slides in some interesting facts about other famous people/celebrities and i feel like it might backfire because these little facts may be more interesting than our characters’ story.
— i’m not sure about the podcast idea. it just doesn’t seem interesting or like something that would be popular and people would listen to. i guess it’s for a really niche audience or local people who are really noisy and want to be in other people’s business.
— also i’m not buying the chemistry between lee and vincent. i don’t understand why they even would be into each other. and he just seems like a wrong choice for her, not to mention his parents. i can’t see lee going for that vibe at all. she is a one night stand kinda girl and seems in touch with her sexuality, but vincent and her never had anything more than kisses. how did they even manage for two years? they just seem like such an unlikely couple! idgi
— the more i read the more i find the mc annoying. i can’t understand her choices. is she really snooping around her parents’ stuff instead of just asking them about their love story? and then even planning to spill all the beans on the internet!! i bet if they looked through her diary she would be screaming privacy!!! it seems like she can’t really communicate her emotions, even though she’s from the family of artists who are supposedly so in touch with their feelings. go figure.
— that vincent guy? ugh you’re getting on my nerves, dude! who changes their mind so frequently?! like do we really need all that drama and a rollercoaster of emotions? just make a decision or even better let lee go and don’t hold her back!
— lee too is so inconsistent! i understand her feelings about being the 2nd best and not good enough, like she’s just an accompaniment to her bf and always in his background. so i think it’s better for them to be apart. i hope they’re still broken up in the end.
— and she is a cheater too!????? it’s like the author is setting lee swan up to be the least likeable character on the planet!!
— the problem is every other character in this book is more interesting than our main heroine. i would love to read more about max’ or sage’ story. even vincent has something to say! but all lee has is other people’ stories.
— okay never mind! the minute i complimented max on his galaxy brain he had to go and be judgemental, saying that lee cheating on vincent with a girl is making her look like a bad bisexual. like what?! if anything it just makes her look like an asshole. no need to be biphobic here. “When straight people cheat, they aren’t failing the whole straight population. They are just failing one person.”
— i love how max always calls lee out on her bs and keeps her in check. god knows she needs it.
— honestly it’s very hard to feel bad for lee when all her dirty business is leaked. she always makes questionable decisions and doesn’t want to own up to them.
— after reading for a while i started to think that the author doesn’t know how else to progress the plot other than to make all her characters cheat on each other.
— tbh i don’t even have any conclusive thoughts. i think it was a mistake to make the story revolve around the most unlikable and annoying character in the book. like i said all the other characters had something more interesting going for them. literally any other perspective would be better.
from the first pages i knew i won’t connect with the characters and i contemplated a few times if i should dnf the book. and honestly i should’ve just done that because i didn’t gain anything out of it, not even a mere satisfaction of finishing something.
that being said, i can’t even state that the writing was awful, because it was quite the opposite, it had some beautiful and quotable moments. but other than that, idek what this book has going for itself.
since i wrote down my little rants while i was reading, it would be a shame if they had to go to waste, so i might as well leave them here. 🚨 non major spoilers below 🚨
— throughout the book the author slides in some interesting facts about other famous people/celebrities and i feel like it might backfire because these little facts may be more interesting than our characters’ story.
— i’m not sure about the podcast idea. it just doesn’t seem interesting or like something that would be popular and people would listen to. i guess it’s for a really niche audience or local people who are really noisy and want to be in other people’s business.
— also i’m not buying the chemistry between lee and vincent. i don’t understand why they even would be into each other. and he just seems like a wrong choice for her, not to mention his parents. i can’t see lee going for that vibe at all. she is a one night stand kinda girl and seems in touch with her sexuality, but vincent and her never had anything more than kisses. how did they even manage for two years? they just seem like such an unlikely couple! idgi
— the more i read the more i find the mc annoying. i can’t understand her choices. is she really snooping around her parents’ stuff instead of just asking them about their love story? and then even planning to spill all the beans on the internet!! i bet if they looked through her diary she would be screaming privacy!!! it seems like she can’t really communicate her emotions, even though she’s from the family of artists who are supposedly so in touch with their feelings. go figure.
— that vincent guy? ugh you’re getting on my nerves, dude! who changes their mind so frequently?! like do we really need all that drama and a rollercoaster of emotions? just make a decision or even better let lee go and don’t hold her back!
— lee too is so inconsistent! i understand her feelings about being the 2nd best and not good enough, like she’s just an accompaniment to her bf and always in his background. so i think it’s better for them to be apart. i hope they’re still broken up in the end.
— and she is a cheater too!????? it’s like the author is setting lee swan up to be the least likeable character on the planet!!
— the problem is every other character in this book is more interesting than our main heroine. i would love to read more about max’ or sage’ story. even vincent has something to say! but all lee has is other people’ stories.
— okay never mind! the minute i complimented max on his galaxy brain he had to go and be judgemental, saying that lee cheating on vincent with a girl is making her look like a bad bisexual. like what?! if anything it just makes her look like an asshole. no need to be biphobic here. “When straight people cheat, they aren’t failing the whole straight population. They are just failing one person.”
— i love how max always calls lee out on her bs and keeps her in check. god knows she needs it.
— honestly it’s very hard to feel bad for lee when all her dirty business is leaked. she always makes questionable decisions and doesn’t want to own up to them.
— after reading for a while i started to think that the author doesn’t know how else to progress the plot other than to make all her characters cheat on each other.
— tbh i don’t even have any conclusive thoughts. i think it was a mistake to make the story revolve around the most unlikable and annoying character in the book. like i said all the other characters had something more interesting going for them. literally any other perspective would be better.
October 21, 2021
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Indestructible Object follows Lee as she tries to reconcile her identity, her sexuality, and her parents’ failed marriage with her idea of love and whether it exists or not.
Relatable
Indestructible Object may be a coming-of-age story, but it is relatable to everyone regardless of gender, sexuality, and age. Lee’s life is falling apart around her; all her plans and everything she believed in suddenly become inconsequential following the split of her parents and her breakup with her longtime boyfriend.
Lee was “laser-focused” on her life with her boyfriend but living in Memphis. As a result, she was not able to be her true self. She is bisexual, but not only that, but she also does not think being with one person, loving one person is enough for her.
It makes the reader think, it draws the reader in, because at one time or another, I think we have all been faced with this reckoning of what our sexuality is; how is society going to label us? What is love? What is monogamy? Is wanting to be with more than one person so bad?
Society has ingrained in us this idea that you can only be what you are born; that homosexuality is terrible; that polygamy is a sin, forcing people to be unhappy in their skin.
Pushes Against the “Norm”
McCoy pushes against the “norm” with her novel. She asks the questions, she investigates Lee’s parents’ relationship, chipping away at what is considered acceptable while delving into what makes a person happy. It makes the reader ask questions.
Yes, Lee is messy; as she repeatedly says in the novel, she is a “messy queer,” but that only serves to make her more human. She makes poor decisions, but when you are that lost when you are struggling so hard to find where you fit in in the world, poor decisions will happen. The mistakes and poor decisions make the story realistic. Life is messy, love is messy and complicated, as are humans.
However, that is what makes Indestructible Object good. McCoy focuses on her characterization; she focuses on the podcast, bringing it to life, delving into Lee as a person, chipping away at her falls so that she can be free to accept and love herself.
Final Thoughts
I always say this, but I do not usually pick up a young adult romance or contemporary novels. However, in this case, I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. Indestructible Object is both realistic and relatable. It is messy, Lee is messy, but that is part of the charm.
We as readers are going on this journey of self-discovery with Lee; we are looking at life, questioning the “socially acceptable” ideals that parade society, and pushing against them. Like Lee, we learn that our inner happiness is more important than living lies or living in closets. It is not always easy, but it is worthwhile. Love is love, and even when we doubt its existence, we find that love is its indestructible object that starts with loving oneself.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Indestructible Object follows Lee as she tries to reconcile her identity, her sexuality, and her parents’ failed marriage with her idea of love and whether it exists or not.
Relatable
Indestructible Object may be a coming-of-age story, but it is relatable to everyone regardless of gender, sexuality, and age. Lee’s life is falling apart around her; all her plans and everything she believed in suddenly become inconsequential following the split of her parents and her breakup with her longtime boyfriend.
Lee was “laser-focused” on her life with her boyfriend but living in Memphis. As a result, she was not able to be her true self. She is bisexual, but not only that, but she also does not think being with one person, loving one person is enough for her.
It makes the reader think, it draws the reader in, because at one time or another, I think we have all been faced with this reckoning of what our sexuality is; how is society going to label us? What is love? What is monogamy? Is wanting to be with more than one person so bad?
Society has ingrained in us this idea that you can only be what you are born; that homosexuality is terrible; that polygamy is a sin, forcing people to be unhappy in their skin.
Pushes Against the “Norm”
McCoy pushes against the “norm” with her novel. She asks the questions, she investigates Lee’s parents’ relationship, chipping away at what is considered acceptable while delving into what makes a person happy. It makes the reader ask questions.
Yes, Lee is messy; as she repeatedly says in the novel, she is a “messy queer,” but that only serves to make her more human. She makes poor decisions, but when you are that lost when you are struggling so hard to find where you fit in in the world, poor decisions will happen. The mistakes and poor decisions make the story realistic. Life is messy, love is messy and complicated, as are humans.
However, that is what makes Indestructible Object good. McCoy focuses on her characterization; she focuses on the podcast, bringing it to life, delving into Lee as a person, chipping away at her falls so that she can be free to accept and love herself.
Final Thoughts
I always say this, but I do not usually pick up a young adult romance or contemporary novels. However, in this case, I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. Indestructible Object is both realistic and relatable. It is messy, Lee is messy, but that is part of the charm.
We as readers are going on this journey of self-discovery with Lee; we are looking at life, questioning the “socially acceptable” ideals that parade society, and pushing against them. Like Lee, we learn that our inner happiness is more important than living lies or living in closets. It is not always easy, but it is worthwhile. Love is love, and even when we doubt its existence, we find that love is its indestructible object that starts with loving oneself.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
March 18, 2024
This book is insane and I'm a crying mess by the end!!! And I feel bad for giving it 3 stars, even though it's high, I just wasn't super invested in the main characters and arc, but her parents and their friends, and the unravelling of their history and their love is five stars!!! I need their book!!! I need a book about these six people who love each other so fiercely, who found family together, I need their past and present and future, I NEED IT ALL!!!
The kids itself are not bad characters, they're messy but honest, there's a lot of discovering yourself and your relationships, and there's this back and forward, and there's no figuring it out because they're all still kids!!! And in this way I also really like how it brings in the queer and polyamorous representation (I would still go and make a point that there's polyam and qpr rep in the adult storyline too!!!). I just feel I didn't connect with it as much, and is it because I'm older, or just because the parents were just really really good!!! Just PERFECTION!!!
If you've ever consumed The 100, Gossip Girl or Riverdale the same way I do - let's skip the show to the scenes with the adults - you need this book right now, you need to pick it up, and become so invested in this people!!! I just need more!!! I need an entire book on the love Harold has for this people!!!!
The kids itself are not bad characters, they're messy but honest, there's a lot of discovering yourself and your relationships, and there's this back and forward, and there's no figuring it out because they're all still kids!!! And in this way I also really like how it brings in the queer and polyamorous representation (I would still go and make a point that there's polyam and qpr rep in the adult storyline too!!!). I just feel I didn't connect with it as much, and is it because I'm older, or just because the parents were just really really good!!! Just PERFECTION!!!
If you've ever consumed The 100, Gossip Girl or Riverdale the same way I do - let's skip the show to the scenes with the adults - you need this book right now, you need to pick it up, and become so invested in this people!!! I just need more!!! I need an entire book on the love Harold has for this people!!!!
March 10, 2022
Can't remember how it ended exactly, but I do remember it being a honest story about love and it's struggle within relationships/types of relationships. This is the first book I've come across that depicts the idea of Polyamory IN A Young ADULT/TEEN NOVEL-- this is really suprising. I think these things should be discussed even in YA because throughout our lives we struggle with our identities and it consciously starts in our teens into adulthood does it not?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2021
I read most of this while getting tattooed and it was so good it distracted me from the discomfort and pain!
I loved Lee's bitterness and disenchantment with love and the conclusions and peace she makes with it by the end of the book. I also don't think I've read a teen book that has a teen figuring out that she wants to be non-monogamous/poly so that was exciting. It was nice to see!
I loved Lee's bitterness and disenchantment with love and the conclusions and peace she makes with it by the end of the book. I also don't think I've read a teen book that has a teen figuring out that she wants to be non-monogamous/poly so that was exciting. It was nice to see!
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