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its_vendetta's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
Loved it!! Such a cute and inspiring story about queer joy and finding and accepting yourself. Listened to on audio and it was great
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying and Deadnaming
Minor: Racism, Medical trauma, and Toxic relationship
novella42'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
Always the Almost was a contemporary fiction romantic drama about a trans boy (he/him) who loves piano and has just recently come out of the closet, only to be dumped by his boyfriend. This is a lighthearted and emotional coming of age story that doubles as a gorgeous love letter to classical piano music.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, Cursing, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content, Deadnaming, and Racism
space_pancake's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- 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: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Moderate: Dysphoria, Biphobia, and Bullying
Minor: Racism
mel_muses's review against another edition
3.5
"Finding yourself, in spite of everyone else."
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
I loved a lot of things about this book, but I think what gets me the most is how YA it feels. I love a lot of things about queer YA: the messy characters, self-discovery, understanding of others, the unparalleled feeling of joy. But I think the true heart of why it means so much and why it is a genre that feels like home is that queer YA authors pour so much love into their books. And that is certainly true for Always the Almost.
So, what's it about? Always the Almost follows Miles, a pianist who's just come out as a trans guy to his friends and family. When New Year's comes around, he finds himself missing his ex-boyfriend, who broke up with Miles after he came out. Logically, as any (un)reasonable teenager would, Miles makes a resolution to win his ex back. He also decides that this year will be the time he beats his insufferable piano rival. Then when Miles comes back to school following winter break, he meets the new kid in town, Eric. Eric is everything Shane (the ex) was not. He's comfortably queer, understanding, intuitive, and cute in an entirely different way. He makes Miles feel things.
Always the Almost is a story about all those typical queer YA feelings; it's about feeling as if everything you do almost enough, but not quite there — like you can never truly be yourself. And while I am not trans myself, just this base feeling of always having to reach farther is something I can painfully relate to. And it also really warms my heart to think about all the trans kids who might pick up this book and see themselves in it — who might relate to Miles even more than I did.
I loved the progression of Miles' music throughout the book. I honestly felt Miles rise up to the challenge, and struggle to find himself in his piano playing. I loved watching his understanding and self-discovery influence his passion. It's such a real, beautiful thing to let your personality seep into your hobbies and passions.
I absolutely adored Eric. He was so understanding and caring, and he always knew what to say — or at least he always clarified. I loved his development as the love interest and supporting character for Miles' journey. Although I gotta say that I was not a big fan of Miles' friends. Maybe they reminded me too much of people I know in real life, or maybe they were just simply a lil too messy for even my messy heart. But I did really appreciate their respective life experiences and character arcs. They felt real, and they weren't perfect, but I could tell they cared. Maybe they weren't always the best friends to Miles, but we've all got our own problems to deal with.
And Miles. Oh, Miles. He made so many mistakes. Like, mistakes that I saw coming chapters ahead and wanted to just grip him by the shoulders and yell at him for. But that's kinda why I'm reading, isn't it? To see him mess up and come back from it. To see the "epic highs and lows" of... piano?? competitions??? (ok sorry, I'll stop now) But anyway I really liked him as a person and a protagonist, messy in everything he is.
Always the Almost is so joyful. It's a story of a gay trans guy. A story of a piano player. A story of a true teenager. It's a story about messing up and finding love and messing up again and coming back and doing it again, and again, and again. It's a story about understanding others as well as yourself. It's a warm hug to queer YA as a genre, and a read to make you smile. It's happiness in the face of darker moments. It's joy.
Content Warnings: transphobia, deadnaming, homophobia, bullying, mentions of racism, infidelity (kiss), gender dysphoria
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Bullying, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Dysphoria and Racism
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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 would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Miles Jacobsen finds himself on New Year’s with two things in mind: finally winning the Tri-State Piano Competition and getting back together with his ex-boyfriend, Shane. Then comes in Eric Mendez, who seems to really like Miles for who he is. After a friendship turns into something more after a Valentine’s Day couples party, Miles finds himself wondering
Always the Almost is a book full of joy. Underhill’s writing definitely translates to such beautiful imagery of everything from piano to finding yourself to falling in love. While this book deals with darker topics and not everything is sunshine and rainbows, I think that Underhill really does a great job with illustrating queer joy shown in Miles’ and Eric’s character development.
Miles and Eric’s relationship, for me, was really the star of the show. From the moment you see Miles and Eric first meeting each other, I knew that Eric was perfect for Miles. The way he genuinely cares about Miles throughout the book is prominent and really allows for Miles to grow in finding himself. I really felt for these characters and I continually kept rooting for them throughout the book.
I cannot wait for people to read Always the Almost next year. If you are looking for a heartfelt YA novel about falling in love while finding yourself, you are going to love Always the Almost.
Miles Jacobsen finds himself on New Year’s with two things in mind: finally winning the Tri-State Piano Competition and getting back together with his ex-boyfriend, Shane. Then comes in Eric Mendez, who seems to really like Miles for who he is. After a friendship turns into something more after a Valentine’s Day couples party, Miles finds himself wondering
Always the Almost is a book full of joy. Underhill’s writing definitely translates to such beautiful imagery of everything from piano to finding yourself to falling in love. While this book deals with darker topics and not everything is sunshine and rainbows, I think that Underhill really does a great job with illustrating queer joy shown in Miles’ and Eric’s character development.
Miles and Eric’s relationship, for me, was really the star of the show. From the moment you see Miles and Eric first meeting each other, I knew that Eric was perfect for Miles. The way he genuinely cares about Miles throughout the book is prominent and really allows for Miles to grow in finding himself. I really felt for these characters and I continually kept rooting for them throughout the book.
I cannot wait for people to read Always the Almost next year. If you are looking for a heartfelt YA novel about falling in love while finding yourself, you are going to love Always the Almost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Huft.. finally I managed myself to finish this book. Personally, to me... this book is so good and wholesome. But, there's something why I can't give Always The Almost a full five stars because of the triggers and the contents; somehow got me and triggered me so much; made me so slow in the process of reading this book.
The conflicts in this book are somehow also frustrating (don't judge me because this is my opinion). But, as a whole story, I'm not hating it because it still have its cute yet wholesome factor. Just sometimes... to put how the MC makes you want to smack their heads with something because you see the worst decision they made.. it was upsetting me. Thank God the ending is sweet and do its justice.
Thank you, Edward for an awesome story you told through Miles Jacobson and Eric Mendez. Also... can't wait for your next book! This Day Changes Everything, let's go!
The conflicts in this book are somehow also frustrating (don't judge me because this is my opinion). But, as a whole story, I'm not hating it because it still have its cute yet wholesome factor. Just sometimes... to put how the MC makes you want to smack their heads with something because you see the worst decision they made.. it was upsetting me. Thank God the ending is sweet and do its justice.
Thank you, Edward for an awesome story you told through Miles Jacobson and Eric Mendez. Also... can't wait for your next book! This Day Changes Everything, let's go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, and Dysphoria
Minor: Racism
mozimmerm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who is neither trans nor queer, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt connected to Miles and Eric — good story, lovable characters, and I may have spent many a moment squealing while reading this 🤣
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia
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.novelty_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
TW: Cheating, Transphobia, Homophobia
I’ve been seeing Always the Almost everywhere recently.
Ever since I saw that pretty, orange cover I knew that this was a book I’d definitely be interested in reading. I was very fortunate to have gotten an ARC from NetGalley recently in addition to all the recent buzz I’ve been hearing.
From the start I genuinely thought this would be my favourite read of 2023 (and yes, I know it’s only the start of the year and pretty early to make a call on favourites, but anyway). It had a fantastic start and I was immediately drawn to the main character, Miles, but overtime there were definitely parts I enjoyed and others that fell flat for me.
We start the book off with Miles Jacobson, newly out as trans and recently heartbroken. His ex boyfriend, the popular jock, Shane, broke up with him following his coming out and Miles has been holding onto hope that Shane would come back to him. On New Years Eve, Miles creates a plan for the new year: get Shane back and beat arch-nemesis Cameron at the big piano competition. On his quest to meet these goals, Miles is met with a handsome and charming boy named Eric, who asks Miles for his pronouns upon meeting and dreams of creating his own graphic novel one day. Miles can’t seem to get him out of his head as he grapples between what his heart truly desires.
Miles really stood out to me from the start. He was a very likeable character and I liked his narration. This book was very focused on Miles’ exploration of his identity and his recent coming out as trans. His relationships between the different people he interacted with, online and in person were very interesting to read about.
Eric was also a likeable character but for some reason it took me a while to like him. I reckon this might’ve been because we got to understand him and some of the other side characters more around the half-way mark.
Paige and Rachel were the side characters who were quite prominent throughout the novel. Even though they were dating and close friends with Miles, I was never too invested with them. When something happened towards the end, that semblance of liking dwindled a lot more but that’s also because I’m not a big fan of said thing in books and I don’t really like reading books with that sort of stuff in it and while yes, I agree that sometimes people make huge mistakes, I felt like everyone forgiven each other way too easily.
Overall, for me, this book had a good start but things ended up falling a little flat for me especially with the above drama. I liked the characters but I feel like maybe more layers or backstory would’ve been beneficial especially toward the start of the novel with the side characters.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.4 STARS
TW: Cheating, Transphobia, Homophobia
I’ve been seeing Always the Almost everywhere recently.
Ever since I saw that pretty, orange cover I knew that this was a book I’d definitely be interested in reading. I was very fortunate to have gotten an ARC from NetGalley recently in addition to all the recent buzz I’ve been hearing.
From the start I genuinely thought this would be my favourite read of 2023 (and yes, I know it’s only the start of the year and pretty early to make a call on favourites, but anyway). It had a fantastic start and I was immediately drawn to the main character, Miles, but overtime there were definitely parts I enjoyed and others that fell flat for me.
We start the book off with Miles Jacobson, newly out as trans and recently heartbroken. His ex boyfriend, the popular jock, Shane, broke up with him following his coming out and Miles has been holding onto hope that Shane would come back to him. On New Years Eve, Miles creates a plan for the new year: get Shane back and beat arch-nemesis Cameron at the big piano competition. On his quest to meet these goals, Miles is met with a handsome and charming boy named Eric, who asks Miles for his pronouns upon meeting and dreams of creating his own graphic novel one day. Miles can’t seem to get him out of his head as he grapples between what his heart truly desires.
Miles really stood out to me from the start. He was a very likeable character and I liked his narration. This book was very focused on Miles’ exploration of his identity and his recent coming out as trans. His relationships between the different people he interacted with, online and in person were very interesting to read about.
Eric was also a likeable character but for some reason it took me a while to like him. I reckon this might’ve been because we got to understand him and some of the other side characters more around the half-way mark.
Paige and Rachel were the side characters who were quite prominent throughout the novel. Even though they were dating and close friends with Miles, I was never too invested with them. When something happened towards the end, that semblance of liking dwindled a lot more but that’s also because I’m not a big fan of said thing in books and I don’t really like reading books with that sort of stuff in it and while yes, I agree that sometimes people make huge mistakes, I felt like everyone forgiven each other way too easily.
Overall, for me, this book had a good start but things ended up falling a little flat for me especially with the above drama. I liked the characters but I feel like maybe more layers or backstory would’ve been beneficial especially toward the start of the novel with the side characters.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.4 STARS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Racism