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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
wahlpapers's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
I was not immediately hooked because I didn't like Noah all that much. He is careless with his parents' money, a problem which is only barely solved. Thankfully his other flaws gave him a place to grow from. As Noah started to face consequences and learn from them, I got hooked on Meet Cute Diary. He has a problem with boundaries, rash decisions, and living in the real world. All realistic for a teen and all of these helped to build the story. Noah is lucky to have a good support system and learns not to take it for granted.
For every queer Tumblr kid (past and present), Meet Cute Diary is going to feel like a familiar setting. The site functions are described well, the users are painfully real, and Noah's stress over follower numbers really took me back to high school. Emery Lee handles world building in a way that connects for both those in-the-know and those that aren't. E seems to be very good at world building in general. I have never been to Colorado, but I could understand what the summer camp, mountain, bookstore, and more were like. I could step into Noah's summer and didn't want to leave any more than he did.
I know there are others out there, but this is the first contemporary YA romcom (my favorite genre) that I've read with a trans main character. I've read some in the genre by trans authors, but it makes me happy to read about a trans teen finding love, especially with a genderqueer love interest. By halfway through the book, Noah finds himself in a love triangle. Drew, a fan of the blog, and Devon, his summer camp co-worker. Devon uses the same pronouns as Lee, E/Em/Eir/Eirs. Throughout the book, Noah and Devon inspire each other to be their more authentic selves. For Devon, this includes experimenting with pronouns. Noah never bats an eye. I am a cis person, so it is not my place to rank how well the trans experience was incorporated into the book, but I will say that it made me feel happy and as though everything flowed well.
Remember that messy characters do not equal a messy book. Characters make mistakes which makes them that much more real. For the Tumblr kids and those that want to see more trans love stories, check Lee's book out!
For every queer Tumblr kid (past and present), Meet Cute Diary is going to feel like a familiar setting. The site functions are described well, the users are painfully real, and Noah's stress over follower numbers really took me back to high school. Emery Lee handles world building in a way that connects for both those in-the-know and those that aren't. E seems to be very good at world building in general. I have never been to Colorado, but I could understand what the summer camp, mountain, bookstore, and more were like. I could step into Noah's summer and didn't want to leave any more than he did.
I know there are others out there, but this is the first contemporary YA romcom (my favorite genre) that I've read with a trans main character. I've read some in the genre by trans authors, but it makes me happy to read about a trans teen finding love, especially with a genderqueer love interest. By halfway through the book, Noah finds himself in a love triangle. Drew, a fan of the blog, and Devon, his summer camp co-worker. Devon uses the same pronouns as Lee, E/Em/Eir/Eirs. Throughout the book, Noah and Devon inspire each other to be their more authentic selves. For Devon, this includes experimenting with pronouns. Noah never bats an eye. I am a cis person, so it is not my place to rank how well the trans experience was incorporated into the book, but I will say that it made me feel happy and as though everything flowed well.
Remember that messy characters do not equal a messy book. Characters make mistakes which makes them that much more real. For the Tumblr kids and those that want to see more trans love stories, check Lee's book out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Bullying
Minor: Drug use, Dysphoria, and Vomit
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
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
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
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
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
A formulaec, cute teen queer romance. Loved the trans, BIPOC, nonbinary/genderqueer/agender, and ace rep. The drama levels got out of hand a little at time to the point I was just rolling my eyes. Overall, though, it was really fun to watch Noah struggle with idealized thoughts of how romance works and watching him grow throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Minor: Dysphoria and Transphobia
Manipulative dialogue, controlling partnerwynterwonderland's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship
Minor: Dysphoria and Transphobia
itshardizzy's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.0
this was such a cute and easy story to read. the MC, Noah, is a trans boy who is already very confident about who he is, but who still has some issues concerning dating. Noah has a blog called Meet Cute Diary where he posts fake dating stories - wanting to bring some hope to trans people. As it was expected things go wrong and he has to save his blog.
This was a story to relax and it was a comfy read. But I didn't connect as much to the characters and I felt like there was the need to have a closure between the MC and one of his love interest.
The one thing that I liked the most about this book is the use of pronouns and the conversation around them. I'm used to hearing pronouns like "she/her", "he/him" and "they/them" but in these books, the author uses neopronouns "e/em". It felt refreshing to see the character getting comfortable with the pronouns e chose. BTW the author also prefers e/em pronouns.
If you want a cute read and a more chilled read, this is the right one.
This was a story to relax and it was a comfy read. But I didn't connect as much to the characters and I felt like there was the need to have a closure between the MC and one of his love interest.
The one thing that I liked the most about this book is the use of pronouns and the conversation around them. I'm used to hearing pronouns like "she/her", "he/him" and "they/them" but in these books, the author uses neopronouns "e/em". It felt refreshing to see the character getting comfortable with the pronouns e chose. BTW the author also prefers e/em pronouns.
If you want a cute read and a more chilled read, this is the right one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dysphoria and Bullying