Gr 9 Up—Pony moves to a new school hoping to lead a normal life without being known as the "trans kid."
Romance, self-discovery, strong secondary characters, and references to The Outsiders make this a great read for
anyone who has ever felt different.

3.5 Stars

CW: Suicidal thoughts and ideation, anti-lgbtqia content, verbal abuse - lots of awful slurs, physical assault, drinking, terminal illness, death of a loved one, deadnaming and misgendering, pressure to come out.

This contains spoilers.

I would suggest reading an ownvoice review to make sure this isn’t too triggering.

I am not sure why this book has been suggested to fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before because that implies it is a light fluffy romance. This isn’t a light fluffy romance. This is a story about the struggles of a transgender teen to get others to accept and love him. His journey takes him to some dark places which include horrific verbal and physical abuse. His father is unable to accept that Sarah never truly existed and that Pony has always been his son. There are some significant, and arguably necessary, info-dumps in the beginning parts of the book educating Readers on what it is like to being transgender. Once they are out of the way the story moves along more smoothly and at a good pace. I wasn’t a big fan of the superficial, grudge holding and self-centered Georgia. I especially didn't like her quick journey to enlightenment and acceptance as it seemed slightly forced. Don’t get me wrong, I was really happy to see Pony get the love and acceptance he deserved, however it was all very idealistic. But why not give it a perfect ending right? Why not show what true inclusion looks like in an ideal world where everyone is treated equally and valued for the content of their character? So bring on the fairytale endings and let's make them become a reality.

He waka eke noa - We are all in this together (Māori proverb).

I sincerely wish anyone finding their way to their true selves a safe and loving journey. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. To hear the voice of a teenage trans man and what he experiences in school and with his parents was incredible. And to hear the voice of a teen girl who falls in love with a trans man was good too. As an adult, I learned more and was able to understand more about what it means to be trans. I listened to the book and liked hearing the dual POV. It was very difficult to listen to the section where Pony was attacked and to listen to his father's negative words against his son. I would recommend this title to HS librarians. ( )

Pony is starting a new school this year in an attempt at a clean slate - a place where no one knows he's trans and he can be more than just the Trans Kid, and hopefully avoid the bullying that comes with that label. Georgia is one of the most popular girls in school and a member of the cheerleading squad, but after a bad breakup over the summer, she's ready to reevaluate what's important, even though the thought of leaving cheerleading to be a journalist for the school paper scares her. On the first day of school, these two lock eyes, feel a spark, and both lives start to change.

A loose (but clever and interesting) take on The Outsiders, with an excellent treatment of what it's like to be trans in a Texas high school, how it's great to feel ready to come out but also how it's absolutely valid not to be ready, and how even the most unlikely people can change their views. Highly recommended. ( )

This is sort of a high school romance coming of age story from a trans male POV and from the viewpoint of the popular cheerleader that falls for him. It's not heavy on the romance. A good bit of time is given to telling about transitioning and the problems he faces. Since I haven't read this perspective much, I liked some of the extra info. If someone already knows all of this, it will probably get old quickly. Some characters had a problem with Pony being trans like his dad so there was that to deal with. Others gave him a hard time for not putting all his business out there to the public. One of the worst was his trans friend. I had a problem with the pressure that was put on him to be out. ( )