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kingrosereads's review against another edition
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: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Minor: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Transphobia
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
Noah could be insufferable at times. I was trying to remind myself that he’s 16 but he was so entitled, whiny, and a terrible friend to Becca! I didn’t like the audio version-the narrator’s voice was monotone to the point that they sounded bored the whole time.
The Diary/blog didn’t make much sense to me. I totally understand why Noah was writing it to provide joy and hope for other trans people. But each diary entry was exactly the same! The use of over the top, cheesy pick up lines being used made it feel like it should’ve been more obvious that they’re written by the same person and are fake; so how did people even believe the stories in the first place?! The troll was completely right (obviously we know that).
I was so excited for this one and wanted to love it. But Noah and the narrator are just annoying and I can’t force myself to finish otherwise I’d just hate review it.
I’m really glad the story has amazing trans, genderqueer, non-binary, aspec, neopronoun rep but the story and characters are flat so I had to DNF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Suicide, and Vomit
matheo's review against another edition
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, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
nickoliver's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was a bit disappointed, tbh. I appreciated being able to read a book about a trans character without also having to deal with severe transphobia (there was transphobia in this, too, but it didn't feel as heavy as in some other books I'd read), but the main character Noah made a lot of my reading hard. It was refreshing to have a character who was quite self-confident about the way they looked, but he was also very entitled and self-absorbed (though the latter was challenged later in the book). Plus, his views on romance were confusing, and he moved way too quickly.
Moreover, the whole thing about the Diary made little sense to me. First of all, the way the meet cutes were written was very juvenile, sometimes over the top cheesy, and it always amazed me that people even believed him that they happened? They were also all very clearly written by the same person, tbh. Honestly, I didn't understand why he even did that Diary in the first place. Like, I get wanting trans people to have hope that there was love waiting for them too, but by publishing stories he invented, wasn't he making it seem like it was actually hopeless?
Secondly, I didn't quite understand how pretending to be in love with a boy would prove that he didn't write all the meet cutes himself? Just because he himself had (supposedly) a happy ending didn't mean that everything that was ever published on his blog couldn't be complete hogwash, and it was weird to me how everyone just believed him about himself and Drew, even though it couldn't have been more obviously fake (the timing, the way he wrote about it, etc.). I also found all the Tumblr asks Noah got very annoying, because they usually all said more or less the same thing (usually, they asked him to post more about himself and Drew and mentioned that he didn't answer asks a lot anymore) and just made it seem like Noah didn't care at all about his blog, which obviously portrayed all his desperate tries to save it in a ridiculous light. I felt like the whole story line around the Diary wasn't developed enough; there was too much left in the dark.
What I did like about the book was Devin, specifically the way eir struggle with eir gender was explored. E changed eir pronouns several times, and I kinda liked that? It did happen very fast - I would've preferred it a bit more spaced out, tbh -, but I loved the way Devin and Noah talked about it, and how supportive Noah was. I haven't read many books yet with characters who use neopronouns, so this was nice. Devin was generally a great character, though e also kind of didn't feel as fleshed out as I wanted em to be? It was obvious e were going to be Noah's endgame, but I always felt like there was something missing there. The same goes for Becca. Both she and Devin were present in the story but often seemed to disappear behind Noah a little.
It took me a while to finish this - longer than I expected -, but that had less to do with the book and more to do with my current obsession of Our Flag Means Death that made me want to read more about queer middle-aged people in love and less about teenagers. So it's possible the reason I couldn't get quite as immersed in this as I'd wanted was because of that. Though I would've had the issues mentioned above nonetheless.
Moreover, the whole thing about the Diary made little sense to me. First of all, the way the meet cutes were written was very juvenile, sometimes over the top cheesy, and it always amazed me that people even believed him that they happened? They were also all very clearly written by the same person, tbh. Honestly, I didn't understand why he even did that Diary in the first place. Like, I get wanting trans people to have hope that there was love waiting for them too, but by publishing stories he invented, wasn't he making it seem like it was actually hopeless?
Secondly, I didn't quite understand how pretending to be in love with a boy would prove that he didn't write all the meet cutes himself? Just because he himself had (supposedly) a happy ending didn't mean that everything that was ever published on his blog couldn't be complete hogwash, and it was weird to me how everyone just believed him about himself and Drew, even though it couldn't have been more obviously fake (the timing, the way he wrote about it, etc.). I also found all the Tumblr asks Noah got very annoying, because they usually all said more or less the same thing (usually, they asked him to post more about himself and Drew and mentioned that he didn't answer asks a lot anymore) and just made it seem like Noah didn't care at all about his blog, which obviously portrayed all his desperate tries to save it in a ridiculous light. I felt like the whole story line around the Diary wasn't developed enough; there was too much left in the dark.
What I did like about the book was Devin, specifically the way eir struggle with eir gender was explored. E changed eir pronouns several times, and I kinda liked that? It did happen very fast - I would've preferred it a bit more spaced out, tbh -, but I loved the way Devin and Noah talked about it, and how supportive Noah was. I haven't read many books yet with characters who use neopronouns, so this was nice. Devin was generally a great character, though e also kind of didn't feel as fleshed out as I wanted em to be? It was obvious e were going to be Noah's endgame, but I always felt like there was something missing there. The same goes for Becca. Both she and Devin were present in the story but often seemed to disappear behind Noah a little.
It took me a while to finish this - longer than I expected -, but that had less to do with the book and more to do with my current obsession of Our Flag Means Death that made me want to read more about queer middle-aged people in love and less about teenagers. So it's possible the reason I couldn't get quite as immersed in this as I'd wanted was because of that. Though I would've had the issues mentioned above nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying and Suicide attempt
booksargram's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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
4.0
tw: transphobia, bigotry, past off page suicide attempt, vomit, panic attack, cyber bullying
cool facts: lgbt+ (trans, gay, nb, lesbian, ace!) lgbt+ author, BIPOC author, my first book by them, no steam (level 1), medium length chapters, cute illustrations, pop culture references, partly takes place in a bookstore, fake dating trope, imposter syndrome, CONSENTTTTT 😍, this is the first book i’ve read where a character uses the e/em/eir pronouns, flawed but lovable characters, good writing.
tldr summary: after moving to a new city, our main character, noah, who is trans, is called out for posting untrue meet cute stories on his tumblr blog about trans people meeting and falling in love. noah quickly meets a boy he’s attracted to and they stage a relationship specifically for the blog.
vibes: tense, romantic, funny, cute, a little secondhand embarrassment, light with some darker themes, frustrating, millennial slander! “(they’re all 40 and married by now)” i will have noah know that i am only 32 and single tyvm (lol 😭), brotherly love 🥺🤗, my heart 🥰😭, hea, squeal! ❤️❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was really wonderful! This is a sweet, trope-ey YA that manages to balance in quite a few important themes and capturing specific nuances that I don't often see in other stories. This whole story is about Noah, who is in love with love and runs a blog all about trans meet cutes. When someone tries to expose his for fabricating stories, someone from a real meet cute offers to help -- but love turns out to be much more than a sweet first moment. As the story goes on, we see quite a few topics addressed relating to the trans community, being multiracial in a predomenantly white space, communication, mental health, friendship, and (of course) love. Noah is messy and brash, but really learns throughout the story. I really like the turn that this took plot-wise and what it did for the theme.
In general, I really loved the nuance that is put into this. There are a lot of details and experiences that aren't often explored, like trying new pronouns. But also, I think the blog itself is easy to overlook as maybe even a heavy-handed plot device, however I think a lot of that speaks to a broader experience of many trans people as well. Obviously it's about media representation (and the not-trans-specific experience of reactionaries on the Internet, particuarly Tumblr-brand reactionaries) but it goes beyond that. I feel like I could write an essay integrating the trans experience of existing and exploting in digital space (particularly the specific space of tumblr) and the way this peice of that story taps into that. So I won't go into all of that here. Suffice it to say, I think the auther put in a lot of nuance here.
Also, I didn't see the comparison to <i>Felix Ever After</i> in the blurb until I was done reading it, but even so I found myself thinking back to that book as I read. They're both trans characters who make brash (poor) descisions and wind up in a love triange -- but more than that, they act largely from a place of not understanding how to accept love (or not knowing what love even is). They do have quite different approaches and end up looking at different kinds of misunderstandings of love. But even so, those messy lessons were done well. I was tickled to see that it was compared to FEE when I was thinking about their similarities/differences near the end of the book.
Also, I didn't see the comparison to <i>Felix Ever After</i> in the blurb until I was done reading it, but even so I found myself thinking back to that book as I read. They're both trans characters who make brash (poor) descisions and wind up in a love triange -- but more than that, they act largely from a place of not understanding how to accept love (or not knowing what love even is). They do have quite different approaches and end up looking at different kinds of misunderstandings of love. But even so, those messy lessons were done well. I was tickled to see that it was compared to FEE when I was thinking about their similarities/differences near the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Minor: Vomit and Suicide attempt
ariam's review against another edition
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: Deadnaming and Suicide attempt
itshardizzy's review against another edition
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: Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying and Dysphoria
longlost's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
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
fun book. appreciated the subversion of romance tropes. emery lee's writing style was also very engaging and bouncy and id def be interested to read more of eir books. on that note i very much appreciated that a major character uses neopronouns.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
rey_therese07's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Racism, and Suicide attempt