I really liked this book. The one sorta big plot reveal was kinda obvious, so it wasn't too surprising. Another supposed to be "surprise" reveal felt a little forced / too much of a coincidence. Despite those, this book is fantastic. 

The last page made me tear up.

Was it a necessary sequel? Not really, but it was a great journey and insight nonetheless. It's grounded and is not unlike the current US political environment.

Really liked the Audiobook. It felt like story time, and the narrator was playful, which was exactly what this book needed.

I kinda don't like how the book ends. I like that Melissa finally got to be herself, but throughout the book there's lots of turmoil amongst the adults and hiding going on... if felt like the story ended in a fantasy just before the true ending. Like "for today only you get to be yourself"... and then what? Does she continue to be Melissa from then on? Or does she go back to pretending to be George? 

I guess an ultimate good ending is too much to ask, because reality isn't always good. Fortunately for the reader, we could see that her mother was beginning to understand. The brother was chill. The dad even called it. So many others were understanding too. It kinda seems implausible that things would've turned out the way they did without her best friend though.

This is an ally story as much as a children's identity story. Both stories are important, for children and adults who may not understand the child's perspective. Children that age are bound to be learning about themselves and starting to have outside influences trying to pigeon hole them into labels that they don't quiet understand or agree with. 

Book gets a 3.5 - Audiobook gets 3.75 because good narrator

It's a fine book. Traditions can be very hard to break, especially if it ostracizes you from family. This book brings to light a fight many have to endure, sometimes secretly, lest they be cast out and everything they have stripped from them. This story comes with that, but also hope that maybe those that are enforcing and pushing these traditions can also change, that maybe some traditions need to be looked at as to why they're followed to begin with. It's not saying all traditions are bad, just that we could afford to look at them, understand why they are or were important, and how they could evolve with us instead of holding us back.

I couldn't have cared less about most of the characters... the love interest was too "perfect", the roommate suddenly becoming a best friend for almost no reason, the push-over doctor... I did like the brother.

The passing of time is kinda hard to follow. Sometimes it's obvious some time has passed, but how long? I get it's for the sake of not just saying "1 month later" or "After a few weeks" and trying to keep the rhythm going, a little more help with how long things took could help make some of the relationships believable.