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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An adorable, realistic YA romance with a huge dose of musicianship and art as well as a great friend group and loveable characters. Could not ask for more!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Bullying
imstephtacular's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Deadnaming, Cursing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Outing, Biphobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Gaslighting, Animal death, and Racism
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon. A carefully written trans coming-of-age story by a trans author. You'll find: small town high school drama, a tight group of self-described queerdos, an old flame that continues to flicker and singe, a high-pressure piano competition, a super cool new kid in town (who doodles swoon-worthy happy breakfast foods), a brief fake dating trope (referenced as "romance fraud," which made me laugh every time), some bigotry and microaggressions and non-malicious missteps, wonderful terrifying tailors and slightly maniacal maestros, and the powerful joy of self discovery and expression.
(If my tolerance for high school drama, love triangles, and partners kissing non-partners was higher, the star-rating would've also been higher. It's an excellent debut and I'll look forward to the author's future books!)
(If my tolerance for high school drama, love triangles, and partners kissing non-partners was higher, the star-rating would've also been higher. It's an excellent debut and I'll look forward to the author's future books!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Infidelity, Biphobia, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Bullying, Medical content, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism and Sexual content
Carefully written by a trans author who cleverly conveys angst, anxiety, and reality without allowing it to feel gratuitously traumatizing or to overtake the joy of the story. YMMV, of course.betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Miles only made two New Years Resolutions this year: win back his ex (Shane), and finally beat his arch-nemesis at the state-wide piano competition. The first is proving difficult, since Shane broke up with Miles after he came out at trans. And now, Shane won't even acknowledge his presence--or answer his text messages. And it's distracting him from his piano.
However, when Miles meets the new kid in town, Erik, he feels an almost instant connection. After all, he's one of the first people to immediately ask Miles his pronouns when they meet. They start an easy friendship that evolves into something more. But Miles doesn't get what Erik sees in him. To land the boy and win his piano competition, Miles has to learn to finally feel like enough for himself.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Always the Almost by Edward Underhill to review! From the moment I saw the cover, I knew I had to read this book. Plus, who doesn't love a good queer romance for the Valentine's Day season?
From the beginning, I loved the voice in this. Miles has just recently come out as trans, and he's still trying to get used to being out. He has two best friends who are willing to go to bat for him in pretty much anything. Does their friendship get messy because of romance in the book? Yes. But all teenage relationships kind of get messy. It's just a fact of life.
Miles and Erik also have a great chemistry, even though Miles is trying to work through his own insecurities throughout the book. He doesn't feel like he's worthy of someone like Erik, and his process working through this feels realistic throughout the book. And being able to build confidence in his piano playing. I loved his relationship with his new piano teacher, who helps him use his own identity to make his piano playing better. Plus, she shows him that there's more to music than just winning competitions, and we love to see it.
There's some great character development in this book too, from Miles's friends to his parents and even Erik's sister. There's a whole great cast of characters, and it's helps in making you want to fly through this book.
All in all, I couldn't put this book down once I started it, and I already want more from Edward Underhill! Can't wait to see what he does next.
However, when Miles meets the new kid in town, Erik, he feels an almost instant connection. After all, he's one of the first people to immediately ask Miles his pronouns when they meet. They start an easy friendship that evolves into something more. But Miles doesn't get what Erik sees in him. To land the boy and win his piano competition, Miles has to learn to finally feel like enough for himself.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Always the Almost by Edward Underhill to review! From the moment I saw the cover, I knew I had to read this book. Plus, who doesn't love a good queer romance for the Valentine's Day season?
From the beginning, I loved the voice in this. Miles has just recently come out as trans, and he's still trying to get used to being out. He has two best friends who are willing to go to bat for him in pretty much anything. Does their friendship get messy because of romance in the book? Yes. But all teenage relationships kind of get messy. It's just a fact of life.
Miles and Erik also have a great chemistry, even though Miles is trying to work through his own insecurities throughout the book. He doesn't feel like he's worthy of someone like Erik, and his process working through this feels realistic throughout the book. And being able to build confidence in his piano playing. I loved his relationship with his new piano teacher, who helps him use his own identity to make his piano playing better. Plus, she shows him that there's more to music than just winning competitions, and we love to see it.
There's some great character development in this book too, from Miles's friends to his parents and even Erik's sister. There's a whole great cast of characters, and it's helps in making you want to fly through this book.
All in all, I couldn't put this book down once I started it, and I already want more from Edward Underhill! Can't wait to see what he does next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Racism, Bullying, and Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
snowydaze's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an ebook copy of Always the Almost by Edward Underhill from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Words cannot explain how happy I am to have read this book. It truly is a novel about both piano and trans joy. Although at times I found Miles to be a bit too self centered, by the end of the novel he grew substantially as a main character. Additionally, after about 50 pages I just could not put the book down, the plot just drew me in. I loved reading the descriptions of Miles playing the piano and I could really understand Edward Underhill’s love of classical music through it. Eric as a love interest was great but I feel like his character could have been developed a bit more, the same goes for Paige and Rachel. Overall, all three of them were great but I just would have loved a bit more character development for them. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely be ordering a physical copy. As always please check the trigger warnings before reading as there are instances of transphobia discussed in the book.
Words cannot explain how happy I am to have read this book. It truly is a novel about both piano and trans joy. Although at times I found Miles to be a bit too self centered, by the end of the novel he grew substantially as a main character. Additionally, after about 50 pages I just could not put the book down, the plot just drew me in. I loved reading the descriptions of Miles playing the piano and I could really understand Edward Underhill’s love of classical music through it. Eric as a love interest was great but I feel like his character could have been developed a bit more, the same goes for Paige and Rachel. Overall, all three of them were great but I just would have loved a bit more character development for them. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely be ordering a physical copy. As always please check the trigger warnings before reading as there are instances of transphobia discussed in the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Cursing, Homophobia, Bullying, Transphobia, and Sexism
Minor: Misogyny
olliereadabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
to preface, i got this as an E-ARC from NetGalley. this does not impact my opinions on the book.
I rate this 3.5 stars.
I decided to request this book because it was a LGBTQ coming of age book. About a transmasc character trying to exist as themselves and deal with a breakup from their very cishet ex-boyfriend.
I mentally split this book up into 3 sections. The beginning was slow, but it drew me in. I liked how the characters grew, how we were introduced to them slowly, but not painfully slow. The two girls (Rachel and Paige) felt the flattest but that may be because they’re not main characters like Eric and Miles.
When I got to the middle, in the thick of the drama, it fell kind of flat. The same drama repeated twice. Once with the boys (Miles, Eric and Shane) and then once with the girls (Rachel, Paige, and Josie). I know there was differences in the drama itself, but they were similar enough to feel repeated and flat.
At the end, what kept me waiting, was the tri-state competition and if Miles would win what he had been waiting for. Now to be honest, the outcome was not what I expected. It made me happy that it wasn’t what the reader would expect, and there was a spike of drama between competitors (and their piano teachers).
I’m glad there’s now queer books that cater to a variety of audiences, but a decent chunk of this book wasn’t for me, even as a Queer and Trans person.
Don’t let my review steer you from reading this, it is simply my opinion and how I view the book. If anything, allow it to help you decipher and understand the book more.
I rate this 3.5 stars.
I decided to request this book because it was a LGBTQ coming of age book. About a transmasc character trying to exist as themselves and deal with a breakup from their very cishet ex-boyfriend.
I mentally split this book up into 3 sections. The beginning was slow, but it drew me in. I liked how the characters grew, how we were introduced to them slowly, but not painfully slow. The two girls (Rachel and Paige) felt the flattest but that may be because they’re not main characters like Eric and Miles.
When I got to the middle, in the thick of the drama, it fell kind of flat. The same drama repeated twice. Once with the boys (Miles, Eric and Shane) and then once with the girls (Rachel, Paige, and Josie). I know there was differences in the drama itself, but they were similar enough to feel repeated and flat.
At the end, what kept me waiting, was the tri-state competition and if Miles would win what he had been waiting for. Now to be honest, the outcome was not what I expected. It made me happy that it wasn’t what the reader would expect, and there was a spike of drama between competitors (and their piano teachers).
I’m glad there’s now queer books that cater to a variety of audiences, but a decent chunk of this book wasn’t for me, even as a Queer and Trans person.
Don’t let my review steer you from reading this, it is simply my opinion and how I view the book. If anything, allow it to help you decipher and understand the book more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Bullying, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexism
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