The below is a review from Goodreads which I will eventually post over on Amazon, but since Amazon doesn't seem to take advance reviews, here it is:
First and foremost, I did receive an ARC for an honest review. That said, let's move on to the review, which I will also cross-post to Amazon.
I think the fact that this grabbed my attention and led to a pretty non-stop, except for dinner, reading experience says something beyond what words I can spout.
Jake was initially a bit Holden Caulfield-esque, but that may have just been because of the opening paragraphs, because he certainly didn't continue to be quite so cynical.
I think the author does an admirable job of working with Jake's phobias and insecurities, and also shows how Jake both succumbs to and outgrows them, while not belittling their impact. I did really enjoy the constantly building, what comes next sort of feeling as Jake's teenage life comes apart at the seams. Jake's mom is a lovely surprise, and how Jake vacillates between what is proper and what is comfortable just seems beyond familiar to me. Overall, I think the book is a marvelous slice of life, and I wish I had such a "Grandma."
This was one of those fun books that tossed me a few curveballs, and I would suggest it for those who like LGBTQ coming of age tales. As an aside, one of the other reasons I liked it is because the main character was honest about not understanding transgender, and while that is one of the plot devices, it is also something that is only a small part of the novel as a whole, so don't be put off if that isn't something automatically expected.
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