Reviews

I didn’t really like it at first but it slowly grew on me, cute and sweet moments are my kryptonite. The representation is so awesome to see, I have never heard of xe/xem and e/em pronouns before, and the fact that the author uses e/em I think it really shows an honest representation of discovering yourself and your identity. Then again, I’m not trans so you can take this whole review with a grain of salt since this is about a trans boy, especially what I just said because I don’t actually know if it’s accurate (it just seemed more authentic coming from a trans person). At first Noah annoyed the crap out of me, but it got better. Maybe I just blocked out all his annoying attitude, but there were many times I was reminded. He could be so self centered, particularly with Becca. Though they have been besties for a while, most of their interactions are quite negative with Noah having little regard for Becca’s feelings and troubles. Minor spoiler: they are still besties in the end, but she is definitely more forgiving than I would have been. I really loved the development of Noah’s relationship with Drew and Devin and how they influenced the other. It was cool realizing their true selves and feelings alongside Noah and made for some great drama (which I am all here for). Also, I loved how awkward they could be (particularly Devin). As someone who gets awkward around people I’ve just meet, I felt seen in many scenes where characters get flustered and question if they are or aren’t friends, or maybe something more. It does feel like Noah could have “saved” things sooner but he is a dumb teenager so it’s kinda realistic he’s fighting tooth and nail to keep his precious blog afloat. I think the little snippets of blog post throughout the novel were fine, it does feel kind of unnecessary as what the blogs convey is said a second later in the actual writing. Also, I don’t know why Noah needed his stories to be real, which is essentially the main catalyst of the book. Like most representation in media is made up, like in books or movies, so I can’t see how so many people would be mad about his stories being fake if it’s a normal occurrence. Or if he did want real stories, why did he wait so long to ask for submissions publicly, the fake stories would have also seemed more believable. Overall, I had a good time reading, especially as we got to towards the end, it satisfied my silly little romance desires. There are some things I find questionable, in the sense that it isn’t completely realistic. It was fine but Noah was such a turd, I think Devin would have made a more interesting main character.

yellowswagger's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a tough one to rate. Ultimately, I think this story comes together at the end, and I think it does a really good job at showing trans characters with supportive family. An 18 year old choosing to date someone more than a year younger than him makes me extremely uncomfortable if I’m being honest. I can appreciate that Noah isn’t perfect, but he still has a long way to grow by the end of the story. It was cute at times and had an excellent approach to pronouns with gender identity exploration. If you’re looking for a love story, I would not recommend. If you’re looking for a trans affirming story, I would through this title in the ring.

dl307's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

cass_lit's review against another edition

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3.5

This was cute, I loved the discussions, and I’m so glad it exists for teens to read as they figure themselves out… but boy was Noah so exhausting to read from lol

anna_banana2010's review against another edition

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1.0

just a bad storyline and honestly really boring. pretty cheesy too

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