Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Stay Gold

Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith 🌞
🌟🌟🌟✨

🌞 The plot: Pony has just moved to a new school. All he wants is to be treated like just another guy, but since coming out as trans, he's felt like people are treating him differently. He's hoping to fly under the radar here, but on his first day, he meets Georgia - a pretty, popular cheerleader who's falling out of love with the rigid social rules she has to abide by. Falling for a cheerleader is not very low-key. Can they find a way to be themselves, together?

This was a sweet story that is optimistic without being fanciful. It gets you in the heart with both its wholesomeness and the heartbreaking things that Pony has to go through, and I really enjoyed it.

From the start, Pony is a hero you can root for, and I felt very protective of him as he navigated the difficulties of being misgendered, including by his own dad, rejected romantically for being transgender, experiencing dysmorphia and having to hear transphobic language from his friends. He deserves the world and is definitely the heart of this novel, which I thought explored the complexities of being a trans teen really powerfully.

I didn't think the other elements of the novel quite matched up to how real Pony felt - I liked the Evelyn Hugo-esque subplot where Pony gets to know a dying actor, and I thought that Georgia's perspective added a lot to the story the book was telling about self-acceptance, but they did feel less flesh-and-blood than Pony. But honestly, I didn't care that much! I really liked this!

🌟 Read this if you want to read an LGBTQ twist on a classic high school trope, and if you want to read/learn more about the experience of being a trans teen, as McSmith writes this in a way that is really accessible.

🚫 Avoid it (or at least tread carefully) if you're sensitive to scenes of transphobia, particularly misgendering and deadnaming, including from family members; BIG tw for transphobic violence and suicidal thoughts; homophobia, forced outing and body dysmorphia. There are a lot of potential triggers in this book and there's a list inside the front cover, but personally I think these are balanced by a lot of affirming and uplifting moments!

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nerdysread's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A really good book about a trans teen who wants to who wants to live a « normal » Life. But then he falls in love and he starts questioning himself and ignore has to tell the girl he loves if he’s trans.

Also his friend wants him to come out. Not hide himself and live his true self.

So Pony has to navigate a new life trying to be a new Him, without loosing himself.

But seriously some things really felt problematic. Like Georgia feeling betrayed because Pony didn’t tell her he’s trans. Like??? It’s dangerous. Max pressuring Pony to come out. But for this I kinda of get both of their pov on the question.

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anniereads221's review

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challenging emotional medium-paced

3.0

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kaylani_simplyme's review against another edition

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5.0

What a beautiful book! I was just so blown away by this story! At first it took me a while to fully connect. I just have a harder time connecting with YA contemporary these days. But they the end I was so invested in these characters and their lives.
I really love the conversations about being your true self in this books from both Pony and Georgia's perspectives. Each of them are pretending to some extent and I love the full circle acceptance that we get from the characters by the end. The character growth in this book is top notch!

I also really enjoyed how far his father came by the end of this book! Still a lot more progress to make but his fathers acceptance was really want Pony needed and I really appreciate that arc. Overall it was a really amazing story with a lot of really important conversations that we need to be having. Definitely one that I would recommend and reread in the future!

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cryscries's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I’m being generous about the rating because genuinely the first half of the book was cute - cringe but cute. The second half was not as great and overall there was just a lot of things about this book that I wish was developed a bit better.

Pros: there is a trigger warning in one of the pages before the story begins in the paperback version.

Cons:

1. It was hard to root for the main two characters - especially the main love interest. Georgia is supposed to represent probably a typical cis person reaction but i found it so hard to feel bad for her and her issues. I find her to be rather self centered (even tho she is characterized to kinda be insecure) - throughout the story even though she “gets better” as a person it still doesn’t make up for how she’s acted in the rest of the book. Very passive with standing up for her friends and pony, thoughts of outing him out of jealousy, definitely needs new friends who should be supportive.

2. Everything kinda just works out in the end for pony but it feels a little lack luster in the end of how he gets to where he is - his change feels more said than done.

3. Major problems with the side character max- tho I feel there was a lot of stereotypes in this book, o felt Max’s character was rather toxic. FIRST THINGS FIRST, you do not need to come out if you are not ready and you do not need to come out to show that you are supportive of the community. Do things at your own time. I had problems with max being rather pushy towards pony in wanting him to come out when it is definitely not safe to, have him drop the friendship because pony doesn’t want to be out, and then says he’s proud of pony for coming out at the cost of being beaten up because “it happens everyday”

There were some cute moments in this book but there was too much problems to overlook that.

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dominika13's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is your typical boy meets girl out of his league but she's tired of the social roles she plays anyway type stories, but make one of them trans. The characters are fun and their exploration of themselves is typical but rewarding. I was a little surprised that one character never has a learning moment about how trans people don't owe you a sex reveal, though.

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