⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)
Genre: YA Romane {LGBTQ}
Format: e-book
Status: borrowed on Libby
Published: February 13, 2024
Soundtrack: Welcome to New York – Taylor Swift
Boy meets girl. The girl is in love with someone else. Boy and girl have a magical day exploring New York City, and boy and girl fall for each other; it sounds simple. However, this beautiful book is anything but simple. The boy, Leo, is a trans boy struggling with feeling terrified of the reaction his extended family will have to his being trans and a sense of impending doom over a news story about to run. The girl, Abby, believes she is in love with her female best friend and is questioning how she identifies and whether she even needs a label to describe herself. Abby hopes the magic of NYC will give her the courage to pull off a grand gesture to tell her best friend, Kat, her true feelings. Abby and Leo share many similarities from small towns where they feel isolated. They are in marching bands about to play in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and they both happen to get on the wrong subway car. They spend the day together, and “everything changes” as they discover not only the magic of New York City (especially at Christmas – Underhill’s descriptions were perfect).
Underhill writes a beautiful message about not needing to put a label on who you are or who you love. I felt this book did an excellent job illustrating the turmoil that all teens go through in their search for identity. I mainly found the description of whether telling people he was trans should be a big deal or not for Leo, as it simply how he exists. Leo and Abby were lovable, well-crafted with depth, and well-supported by the cast of secondary characters. The writing is descriptive, moving, and fast-paced. While I enjoyed watching Abby and Leo begin to get butterflies for each other and the sweet descriptions of falling and navigating first love. “I love yous” within 24 hours of meeting each other, just not for me.
I was inspired to read this book after seeing it on @reading.with.kristen posts for #transrightsreadathon. I have read minimal YA romance and very few books with trans representation, and this was a perfect pick. I am constantly working on diversifying my selections. I loved the reminder that it is okay to, as the book states, “love people and not genders.” I truthfully enjoyed this novel, and it felt like both a love letter to New York and teens everywhere trying to navigate a world that is trying to tell them they need to exist in a specific box or not at all. The descriptions of gender and sexuality felt very age-appropriate and easy to understand. I would recommend it to those who work with teens and teens alike. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Underhill’s adult novel!
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