I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.

So. This book isn't bad, per se. It was a quick read, largely because of the informal, conversational tone of the author, and I definitely feel like I learnt a lot from it. This sort of book is so timely and necessary. We all need to understand one another better, and there really is no better way to foster empathy than by reading and listening to the actual words of others and their lived experiences. I'm genuinely thankful that books like this are being published and that I got a chance to read it, and I would absolutely recommend it as a book which gives a vital window into the life of someone with autism who is also trans.

That said, the quality of this book leaves much to be desired. Reading it, I was convinced it was a first draft and not an ARC. Entire paragraphs are essentially rephrased and repeated; Dale makes a point and then she makes it again. She writes near the end of the book that she wrote 4 chapters on one train ride, and it honestly shows in the quality of her writing. I was surprised to read that she makes a living writing about video games, because the standard of writing here really is very poor. I feel that Dale has a great story to tell and I wish that the publisher had given her more help to tell it, because she is in need of an editor who will be more sensitive to her narrative and shape it into the book that this deserves to be.

As it stands, this book has a lot of potential and I think it needs to be published to further a necessary conversation, but I really feel that it needed a lot more editorial work.