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wooblatoober's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
didn’t like it. i liked devin, in the kinda way i’ve always liked sweet, soft spoken characters. read: love interests. but i was even kinda tired of em by the end.
it hurts me to say it, but super cringy writing. i usually die by “i am cringe but i am free” but it was so much it made it so i didn’t even want to finish it. and the writing is just not good 😭 “he smiled,” “e raised an eyebrow,” “she rolled her eyes.” so much telling and so little showing. and it was a unique premise with what could have been an amazing plot twist if the writing didn’t make everything so damn predictable.
main character is INSUFFERABLE and he *technically* has character development but it’s not well done and doesn’t seem genuine. dude can’t make a responsible, thoughtful, or good-in-any-way decision to save his LIFE. i LOVE characters with flaws but it’s just as important to give your character some real good traits, at least by the end, as it is to give them some bad, unless the character’s incurable insufferability is whole point of the story (think: we need to talk about kevin), and this is just not one of those stories.
it hurts me to say it, but super cringy writing. i usually die by “i am cringe but i am free” but it was so much it made it so i didn’t even want to finish it. and the writing is just not good 😭 “he smiled,” “e raised an eyebrow,” “she rolled her eyes.” so much telling and so little showing. and it was a unique premise with what could have been an amazing plot twist if the writing didn’t make everything so damn predictable.
main character is INSUFFERABLE and he *technically* has character development but it’s not well done and doesn’t seem genuine. dude can’t make a responsible, thoughtful, or good-in-any-way decision to save his LIFE. i LOVE characters with flaws but it’s just as important to give your character some real good traits, at least by the end, as it is to give them some bad, unless the character’s incurable insufferability is whole point of the story (think: we need to talk about kevin), and this is just not one of those stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide attempt
fanboyriot's review against another edition
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
A rom-com about a helpless romantic who falls in love in an unexpected place and with an unexpected person?? With a Trans dude MC and a Non-Binary MC??
♡ Trans Rep
♡ Rom-Com
♡ Great Humor
♡ Friends to Lovers
♡ Slight Angst but with a Happy Ending
This book was adorable with a rom-com worthy ending all the while keeping things realistic. Honestly, it took me a while to get into the story but that might have just been my readers block; however things did improve once Devin was brought into the picture. There were many lovable characters Brian and Becca being on that list, but Devin is seriously one of my new favorite fictional characters eir personality was just so pure and definitely had the: “Lovable Sunshine Character (with Anxiety)” vibes about em. I could literally go on about how much I loved em and how thoughtful e was, such an underrated character.
While the blog posts were formatted really nicely and I enjoyed them being added they were so frustrating to read when the drama with the blog started, I have never wanted to scream at the book more like: “Hush, it’s not like that and it doesn’t concern you stop being so dramatic bestie.”
Noah might have come off as annoying at first but to be honest he was realistic. He was a helpless romantic without an adult (or anyone but Becca and Brian (kinda)) in his life at the time to tell him: “Hey, if you’re trying to force the relationship because this is what you think you should feel…maybe it isn’t true love.” He wanted to believe it was real and fell in love with the idea of being in love. So while it was annoying reading about him finding all this out—it was kinda nice to see a romance book have that realness to it.
I was a bit nervous near the ending, I was a bit unsure how things were going to play out and it took a lot for me not to just read the last page and basically spoil it for myself but I continued on and it was absolutely lovely. The ending was great and it definitely had a rom-com worthy ending and I am for sure going to read more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Drug use, Racism, and Suicide attempt
parasolcrafter's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
this book would have been better if the motivation for it were a LOT clearer earlier on. like, at first i thought the book was going to focus more on the 'troll' who's harassing Noah and his blog online, but it like...didnt? i thought it was going to end up being one of the characters (becca or drew) but it wasnt, and it just felt like a plotpoint that served no real purpose, as well as drew. like, what were his motivations as a character? he says hes not gay, so why did he start dating Noah in the first place? just because of the meet cute diary? it doesnt make any SENSE. noah and devin are fine characters, but i literally felt no chemistry between them. this book was just weak overall, which is unfortunate because the writing was good
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Transphobia, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit
xhndel's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved this book so much. The representation of diversity in this book is just phenomenal. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Emotional abuse
Minor: Transphobia, Gaslighting, and Suicide attempt
ginadapooh's review
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Bullying
kingrosereads's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay let’s get into it! This book looked very cute, I mean the cover is adorable, and who doesn’t love a good fake dating trope? This is a queer YA summer romance and coming-of-age story. To start it is VERY clear that Noah is a naive, self-absorbed, and spoiled 16 year old boy. Noah is a trans boy who’s also a hopeless romantic. Noah is completely sure of himself and knows who he is (though it took him a bit to be sure that he was bi), and he runs a very popular Tumblr blog that deals with meet cute stories about trans people. Noah’s mistake is not only does he make up these stories, he based them in Miami, so it’s no surprise a troll calls him out on the clear deceit. The blog is a way for Noah to give hope to other trans kids but it also gives him a lot of validation and inflates his self importance.
Noah reminds me of some friends I had in middle/high school, and yeah they were selfish and our friendship was pretty one sided, but they’re better people now, because that’s kind of what it’s like to be a teen. Teens are just self-absorbed assholes with no real forethought. They’re reckless and act on impulse. Noah’s also obsessed with the idea of romance and having this epic romance. Enter Drew. Freshly graduated Drew is cute and the perfect distraction as Noah stays in Denver for the summer while his parents make the move to California. Noah writes two meet cute stories based on the two run-ins that he has with Drew and Drew happens to be an avid follower and figures out Noah must be the Meet Cute Diary’s mod. Is this far fetched? Yes, but it’s a romance novel, hardly anything in these books are ever plausible.
After Noah’s blog gets called out for being fake (which it is), he loses a bunch of followers and Drew offers to help out by fake dating and being “proof” of the meet cute stories ending up in love. Noah is desperate to save the Diary and as a romantic he assumes the fake dating will turn into real dating soon enough. He puts all his effort into steering the perfect relationship despite Drew clearly being too different and never taking Noah’s interests into account. From the start Drew gave me the ick. He’s 18, practically in college, and starts being very clingy and physical with Noah from the get without even asking Noah if it’s okay. A lot of the things Drew does, Noah just puts up with and accepts all in the name of the Diary and his idea of love.
Noah’s selfishness finally catches up with him when his best friend (back in Miami), Becca, calls him out on his shit and asks for time apart. Noah is a spoiled child that is forced to get a summer job after spending $400 in a week on his parents’ credit card. Noah complains about having to get a job, and complains about the job he gets at a summer camp because he hates children (look, relatable). This is when he meets Devin in a not-so-meet-cute and Devin stress vomits on Noah. Noah does take his frustrations out on Devin at this point, but eventually they develop a nice friendship.
Noah learns that Devin went to his high school (again a bit out there) and Devin’s the trans girl that gave him the tools and courage to come out as a trans boy. Except Devin isn’t a trans girl, e made a mistake and e’s actually non-binary (not really a mistake more of a journey to finding eir true self). For a moment Noah feels betrayed but reins it and tells Devin how eir bravery in coming out met so much to Noah. Devin even feels comfortable enough to try out different pronouns with Noah and Noah without missing a beat accommodates em.
As it turns out, though Drew and Noah end up real dating, it’s completely toxic. Drew’s controlling, handsy, and it seemed to me it was implied that he was dating Noah because Noah has a vagina and breasts (he tells his friends he’s not gay and Noah’s “just special”). Given everything else he’s done it just seems creepy and not genuine. Which does throw Noah into a bit of a spiral as his Diary is also going down in flames.
In the end, it’s a queer teen story about love, self, and friendship. Despite knowing himself and being confident, Noah put a lot of his self-worth into online validation. He puts a lot of importance on romantic love instead of familial or friend love, which a lot of teens do. But he learns from this in the end and actually ends up dating someone who doesn’t consume all of his time and he actually becomes a better friend, brother, and son. I love that his brother is so supportive, makes mistakes with pronouns, but just accepts Noah and Devin. He adjusts accordingly and probably spends time looking up things he doesn’t understand. And he’s quick to call out anyone that misgenders his brother or invalidates him. Noah’s parents might be shocked and struggling with the name change, but by the end of the summer they’re more confident in using his name and pronouns without having to speak slowly to ensure they’re using the right words.
I loved that this book took place shortly after Noah comes out so there are new things Noah’s learning about himself. I like that he isn’t this All-Knowing Queer and even he has to look up the pronouns Devin has him try out on em or the gender/sexual identities Devin thought e was before landing on non-binary. I like the representation of not just a trans boy (which there seems to be more FTM love stories than MTF) but a trans boy comfortable in the body they currently have (as comfortable as a teen can be) who’s also a POC. I like the non-binary and asexual representation, the fact that Noah still likes the occasional dress and Devin likes makeup sometimes. I especially like the contrast between Noah’s confidence and Devin’s hesitance. The mental illness representation and the reality of anxiety attacks. This is where Noah starts to actually have some empathy.
That being said, Noah was really hard to like and the way the blog was written was very silly. The flow of the book was a little over the place. I still think it’s a cute queer YA, that just struggles with either being a quirky queer romcom and a deep coming-of-age (it doesn’t just naturally mesh the two). It’s a fairly quick read which is good for the summertime, but it only just scratches the surface on the deep issues. I think this is fine to start a conversation, but I wish it was more in-depth. This is definitely a 3.5/5.
Noah reminds me of some friends I had in middle/high school, and yeah they were selfish and our friendship was pretty one sided, but they’re better people now, because that’s kind of what it’s like to be a teen. Teens are just self-absorbed assholes with no real forethought. They’re reckless and act on impulse. Noah’s also obsessed with the idea of romance and having this epic romance. Enter Drew. Freshly graduated Drew is cute and the perfect distraction as Noah stays in Denver for the summer while his parents make the move to California. Noah writes two meet cute stories based on the two run-ins that he has with Drew and Drew happens to be an avid follower and figures out Noah must be the Meet Cute Diary’s mod. Is this far fetched? Yes, but it’s a romance novel, hardly anything in these books are ever plausible.
After Noah’s blog gets called out for being fake (which it is), he loses a bunch of followers and Drew offers to help out by fake dating and being “proof” of the meet cute stories ending up in love. Noah is desperate to save the Diary and as a romantic he assumes the fake dating will turn into real dating soon enough. He puts all his effort into steering the perfect relationship despite Drew clearly being too different and never taking Noah’s interests into account. From the start Drew gave me the ick. He’s 18, practically in college, and starts being very clingy and physical with Noah from the get without even asking Noah if it’s okay. A lot of the things Drew does, Noah just puts up with and accepts all in the name of the Diary and his idea of love.
Noah’s selfishness finally catches up with him when his best friend (back in Miami), Becca, calls him out on his shit and asks for time apart. Noah is a spoiled child that is forced to get a summer job after spending $400 in a week on his parents’ credit card. Noah complains about having to get a job, and complains about the job he gets at a summer camp because he hates children (look, relatable). This is when he meets Devin in a not-so-meet-cute and Devin stress vomits on Noah. Noah does take his frustrations out on Devin at this point, but eventually they develop a nice friendship.
Noah learns that Devin went to his high school (again a bit out there) and Devin’s the trans girl that gave him the tools and courage to come out as a trans boy. Except Devin isn’t a trans girl, e made a mistake and e’s actually non-binary (not really a mistake more of a journey to finding eir true self). For a moment Noah feels betrayed but reins it and tells Devin how eir bravery in coming out met so much to Noah. Devin even feels comfortable enough to try out different pronouns with Noah and Noah without missing a beat accommodates em.
As it turns out, though Drew and Noah end up real dating, it’s completely toxic. Drew’s controlling, handsy, and it seemed to me it was implied that he was dating Noah because Noah has a vagina and breasts (he tells his friends he’s not gay and Noah’s “just special”). Given everything else he’s done it just seems creepy and not genuine. Which does throw Noah into a bit of a spiral as his Diary is also going down in flames.
In the end, it’s a queer teen story about love, self, and friendship. Despite knowing himself and being confident, Noah put a lot of his self-worth into online validation. He puts a lot of importance on romantic love instead of familial or friend love, which a lot of teens do. But he learns from this in the end and actually ends up dating someone who doesn’t consume all of his time and he actually becomes a better friend, brother, and son. I love that his brother is so supportive, makes mistakes with pronouns, but just accepts Noah and Devin. He adjusts accordingly and probably spends time looking up things he doesn’t understand. And he’s quick to call out anyone that misgenders his brother or invalidates him. Noah’s parents might be shocked and struggling with the name change, but by the end of the summer they’re more confident in using his name and pronouns without having to speak slowly to ensure they’re using the right words.
I loved that this book took place shortly after Noah comes out so there are new things Noah’s learning about himself. I like that he isn’t this All-Knowing Queer and even he has to look up the pronouns Devin has him try out on em or the gender/sexual identities Devin thought e was before landing on non-binary. I like the representation of not just a trans boy (which there seems to be more FTM love stories than MTF) but a trans boy comfortable in the body they currently have (as comfortable as a teen can be) who’s also a POC. I like the non-binary and asexual representation, the fact that Noah still likes the occasional dress and Devin likes makeup sometimes. I especially like the contrast between Noah’s confidence and Devin’s hesitance. The mental illness representation and the reality of anxiety attacks. This is where Noah starts to actually have some empathy.
That being said, Noah was really hard to like and the way the blog was written was very silly. The flow of the book was a little over the place. I still think it’s a cute queer YA, that just struggles with either being a quirky queer romcom and a deep coming-of-age (it doesn’t just naturally mesh the two). It’s a fairly quick read which is good for the summertime, but it only just scratches the surface on the deep issues. I think this is fine to start a conversation, but I wish it was more in-depth. This is definitely a 3.5/5.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Bullying, and Suicide
nerdysread's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At first I was like « Gosh I hate Noah » then I realised that on some point he reminds me of my brother so… also he has such a good chemistry with Devin, and I was rooting for them as soon as Devin vomited on him. Also I loved Devin, e’s such a good person and gosh I felt em at some point
Also, great character development for Noah, and we stan
Also, great character development for Noah, and we stan
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Suicide attempt
matheo's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Vomit
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Dysphoria
Minor: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Bullying, and Alcohol
ariam's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I feel like everything with the diary was so convoluted and hard to understand which took away from the overall book. It just felt like 50 pages too long because there were too many conflicts happening.
I liked that devin and noah both had their own journeys and especially devin’s storyline of continuously trying to find yourself in a safe space.
I liked that devin and noah both had their own journeys and especially devin’s storyline of continuously trying to find yourself in a safe space.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Deadnaming