Scan barcode
willowtree7's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
For a good portion of the book I wasn’t too sure if I was enjoying it as I really did not like Noah. I had to keep reminding myself that he is a teenage boy still learning about life to get me through it! However this story is all about his growth and development as a person through his big life changes. As the changes started to become more obvious, and he started to grow as a person, I really started to connect with him and like him so much more.
In the end, I was crying happy tears and thoroughly enjoying it! Emery does an amazing job at writing the characters and their flaws. E has done some incredible world building for the characters and really made them real, raw, and flawed characters. This was definitely a good read, and I would recommend it.
In the end, I was crying happy tears and thoroughly enjoying it! Emery does an amazing job at writing the characters and their flaws. E has done some incredible world building for the characters and really made them real, raw, and flawed characters. This was definitely a good read, and I would recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
ashlislibrary's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Dysphoria, and Panic attacks/disorders
headachesince03's review
funny
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
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Mental illness
ti_cups's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Its very easy to read, I hasn't been able to read a good this fast in years heh. Even with the reviews that said Noah was unlikeable, honesty I think its worth it to stick with with, at least for me.
Spoliers:
I think this book was really at portraying a toxic relationship, where I felt Drew was giving off red flags since the moment, he came into the picture, Noah was adamant that Drew was great, as he tries to convince himself of this statement. Drew slowly starts appearing a lot worse for himself. and that last moment where Noah finally leaves him is wonderful.
Devin is great, E is a great character :) I loved watching E and Noah's relationship built.
Becca and Brain where also lovely character I really enjoyed them
Spoliers:
I think this book was really at portraying a toxic relationship, where I felt Drew was giving off red flags since the moment, he came into the picture, Noah was adamant that Drew was great, as he tries to convince himself of this statement. Drew slowly starts appearing a lot worse for himself. and that last moment where Noah finally leaves him is wonderful.
Devin is great, E is a great character :) I loved watching E and Noah's relationship built.
Becca and Brain where also lovely character I really enjoyed them
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Racism, Vomit, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
mikaclapson's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
fynnnnnn's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, and Drug use
nightshaderoots's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
The book was cute and has wonderful representation for poc, trans people nonbinary people, ace people, and so much other people looking for love. This book had really good characters but by the end of the book I still wasn't a fan of the main character.
It didn't really seem like Noah made much character development by the end of the book and if he did it didn't seem finished or well rounded.
In addition to that I will say I wished I had an older brother like Brian around as well as Becca and Devin. They really were stars in the book and made it as great as it was.
There is also a character who goes through various pronouns and then settles with the neopronouns e/em/ey/eir.
In addition to that I will say I wished I had an older brother like Brian around as well as Becca and Devin. They really were stars in the book and made it as great as it was.
There is also a character who goes through various pronouns and then settles with the neopronouns e/em/ey/eir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Transphobia, Bullying, Dysphoria, and Homophobia
baponthecob's review against another edition
hopeful
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
While i love the endgame couple's dynamic, i just can never understand fast romances like this. do allos really fall in love that fast? they had chemistry and friendship and everything i love in a couple, but i wish there was more pining.
however, i know that this is what a lot of people dream of for a relationship. the overall themes of friendship and staying true to yourself really resonated with me and carried me away with the story. usually, too-fast romance takes me out of things, but i was able to forget about that and just enjoy that this is Noah's life right now and he's figuring things out and things will be messy. it was a story about hope. i dont think it needed to be realistic, but it was anyway
however, i know that this is what a lot of people dream of for a relationship. the overall themes of friendship and staying true to yourself really resonated with me and carried me away with the story. usually, too-fast romance takes me out of things, but i was able to forget about that and just enjoy that this is Noah's life right now and he's figuring things out and things will be messy. it was a story about hope. i dont think it needed to be realistic, but it was anyway
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
kaylamoran's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay, so I know people are getting annoyed with adult reviewers saying this, but I have to. Devin and Brian were the only characters in the book that were even a little bit likeable. This made me have a really hard time caring about it.
I picked up this book because I needed something cute and fluffy and this was that.
I'm a bit confused by the genre though. It felt very juvenile (which is fine, not a bad thing) but then there was a lot of the f word so I'm confused as to who the audience was supposed to be.
I really wanted to love this, I just didn't.
I picked up this book because I needed something cute and fluffy and this was that.
I'm a bit confused by the genre though. It felt very juvenile (which is fine, not a bad thing) but then there was a lot of the f word so I'm confused as to who the audience was supposed to be.
I really wanted to love this, I just didn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Dysphoria, Vomit, Alcohol, 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