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anyaemilie 's review for:
The One True Me and You
by Remi K. England
Thanks to Wednesday Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC!
4.5 stars
Content warnings:
I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I didn’t even read the description before I requested it from NetGalley. I just heard it was gay, saw the cover had rainbows and bright colors all over it, and that was enough for me to be interested in reading it.
However. When I first started this book and found out the main characters Teagan and Kay were very solidly into beauty pageants and the Sherlock Holmes fandom respectively, two things I have absolutely ZERO interest in myself, I started to tread lightly and lower my expectations.
HOWEVER AGAIN! Despite having no interest in either of those things, I was so pulled in by the characters and their individual journeys that I read 68% of the book in one evening. I even read through most of a hockey game that I was totally planning on watching. What I found throughout this book was a love letter to fandom, queer identity, and the community you can find in both of those things.
Both Kay and Teagan are struggling with some typical and not-so-typical teenage things and happen to meet each other at a hotel one weekend. Kay, a prolific fan fiction writer, is there for a Sherlock Holmes fan convention with friends and is determined to try to feel more comfortable in their own skin for once instead of being forced to hide their identity like they do at home (and also maybe figure out what exactly that identity is?). Teagan is in the same place for the national Miss Cosmic Teen beauty pageant, where she is in the top five favorites to win. She’s been doing beauty pageants ever since her mom died as a way to earn money for college, and she loves them, but the fact that she has to hide that she’s a lesbian is really starting to wear on her. She also doesn’t really like that she has to hide the whole nerdy Sherlock-obsessed side of her personality.
The two meet at a late-night party hosted by the Sherlock con when Teagan sneaks out of her hotel room (and away from the eyes of the ever-vigilant pageant group moms) and they immediately hit it off leading to a weekend that changes both of their lives.
Teagan and Kay are both messy teenagers, but in completely different ways, which I really liked. They feel like they have to hide really important parts of themselves from people in order to be accepted, Kay by the people in their hometown, and Teagan by the people in her pageant community. Their growth as they get to know each other and introduce each other to their worlds is really great to watch, especially as each of them realizes and overcomes their judgments and preconceived notions of the other’s interests. Kay judges beauty pageants very harshly at first, and Teagan, while thinking herself fairly open-minded, realizes she harbors some prejudices about the people who take part in fan conventions, even though she is a fan herself.
The relationship between Kay and Teagan is really sweet as well. Despite the whole book taking place over a long weekend, it didn’t feel rushed or unnatural to me. They’re both teenagers, and when you’re that age, feelings are intense. Things can happen quickly and sometimes you just want to follow your heart. Plus, the fact that they don’t live in the same state gave the relationship a sense of urgency.
I’m putting this next part under a spoiler because I included a quote (and technically you’re not supposed to quote ARCs), but this part really stuck with me (and made me cry):
This review is already a lot longer than I planned it to be, but I really liked this book, a lot more than I was expecting. I finished reading it in less than two days, which is impressive considering how long it’s taken me to finish books lately (even though this one is under 300 pages). I definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who has spent any time in fandom or trying to figure out their identity, because it really struck some chords with me.
4.5 stars
Content warnings:
Spoiler
homophobia/transphobia; death of a parent by suicide (past, recounted); public outing; gender dysphoria (mild, some triggered by parental comments)I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I didn’t even read the description before I requested it from NetGalley. I just heard it was gay, saw the cover had rainbows and bright colors all over it, and that was enough for me to be interested in reading it.
However. When I first started this book and found out the main characters Teagan and Kay were very solidly into beauty pageants and the Sherlock Holmes fandom respectively, two things I have absolutely ZERO interest in myself, I started to tread lightly and lower my expectations.
HOWEVER AGAIN! Despite having no interest in either of those things, I was so pulled in by the characters and their individual journeys that I read 68% of the book in one evening. I even read through most of a hockey game that I was totally planning on watching. What I found throughout this book was a love letter to fandom, queer identity, and the community you can find in both of those things.
Both Kay and Teagan are struggling with some typical and not-so-typical teenage things and happen to meet each other at a hotel one weekend. Kay, a prolific fan fiction writer, is there for a Sherlock Holmes fan convention with friends and is determined to try to feel more comfortable in their own skin for once instead of being forced to hide their identity like they do at home (and also maybe figure out what exactly that identity is?). Teagan is in the same place for the national Miss Cosmic Teen beauty pageant, where she is in the top five favorites to win. She’s been doing beauty pageants ever since her mom died as a way to earn money for college, and she loves them, but the fact that she has to hide that she’s a lesbian is really starting to wear on her. She also doesn’t really like that she has to hide the whole nerdy Sherlock-obsessed side of her personality.
The two meet at a late-night party hosted by the Sherlock con when Teagan sneaks out of her hotel room (and away from the eyes of the ever-vigilant pageant group moms) and they immediately hit it off leading to a weekend that changes both of their lives.
Teagan and Kay are both messy teenagers, but in completely different ways, which I really liked. They feel like they have to hide really important parts of themselves from people in order to be accepted, Kay by the people in their hometown, and Teagan by the people in her pageant community. Their growth as they get to know each other and introduce each other to their worlds is really great to watch, especially as each of them realizes and overcomes their judgments and preconceived notions of the other’s interests. Kay judges beauty pageants very harshly at first, and Teagan, while thinking herself fairly open-minded, realizes she harbors some prejudices about the people who take part in fan conventions, even though she is a fan herself.
The relationship between Kay and Teagan is really sweet as well. Despite the whole book taking place over a long weekend, it didn’t feel rushed or unnatural to me. They’re both teenagers, and when you’re that age, feelings are intense. Things can happen quickly and sometimes you just want to follow your heart. Plus, the fact that they don’t live in the same state gave the relationship a sense of urgency.
I’m putting this next part under a spoiler because I included a quote (and technically you’re not supposed to quote ARCs), but this part really stuck with me (and made me cry):
Spoiler
Kay questions why it’s so hard for them to figure out their gender and sexuality when they’re in such an affirming environment (fandom) where so many people are queer and knowledgeable about those things, and I LOVED Teagan’s response so much: “It’s difficult because no matter how open fandom is, the rest of the world isn’t like that. Some places less so than others. What we learn about ourselves in fandom has implications for who we are to the rest of the world, too. Our entire selves, not just our internet selves. And I think, no matter what the particular issue is, it’s always hard to accept big things about yourself.”This review is already a lot longer than I planned it to be, but I really liked this book, a lot more than I was expecting. I finished reading it in less than two days, which is impressive considering how long it’s taken me to finish books lately (even though this one is under 300 pages). I definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who has spent any time in fandom or trying to figure out their identity, because it really struck some chords with me.