i could not put this down it was so good. Tashie Bhuiyan does it again!!! the tension and banter between the two main characters was unreal (so good!!).

oh. my. god.

this book- the waterworks! i can't even form a coherent thought, read it all in one sitting, go read this now!

3.75/5

I loved a lot of things about this book, but it didn't stick out to me all that much. It was a great read and I would recommend it to non-binary people and allies looking to learn from own voices resources. Though I would like to warn allies that as the title suggests, it is a book aimed at non-binary people to captivate their joy. Allies can sit back and learn, but some of the things in the book are not and will never be directed at them. This is intentional on the authors part as they explain that many things are aimed at cis people, so non-binary people can have this.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the little illustrations that came with every chapter. They were adorable and I looked forward to them every time.

I thought that there were a lot of great specific reminders to trans and non-binary people such as,
-The reminder that trans and non-binary people deserve love regardless of what society says.
-The reminder that it's okay to care a lot about your labels and finding the right pronouns, but it's also okay to sit back and take your time.

One last thing that I loved was the acknowledgement that the non-binary identity is only new to western culture, other cultures have had something along this line for hundreds if not thousands of years and western colonization has only made that worse.

I tried to only include examples from the first couple chapters as to not spoil your reading experience :)

had the writing been a little easier to understand (or i had not read it at 11 pm the night before i had a quiz every. single. time.) this would have been an easy 5 stars. the plot was addicting and there was this way of getting attached to the characters, not necessarily because you liked them, but rather because you needed to know what was going to happen to them next.

this is the most real depiction of mental illness that i could relate to that i have ever seen. it was beautifully written. i loved the way that family dynamics were explored as well as the feeling of feeling guilty when you feel depressed because you’re privileged and it does a good job of making sure it’s known that anyone can experience depression.

i also loved the romance, from the start i was just rooting for them to get together! and it’s a hockey romance which has my heart <33

i think this is my new favorite book, it’s the kind of book that leaves me thinking about it for hours after. i can’t stop thinking about it and i feel empty now that i’ve finished it, i wish it was longer and went on forever!!

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!

it includes these tropes:
rivals to lovers
hockey romance
hurt/comfort (kinda??)

if you liked this i would recommend:
may the best man win
running with lions
the passing playbook
(all gay sports romances)

4/5

I loved this book with my whole heart- once I got to about 30% I read the rest in one sitting. Stamper's writing is so addictive- you are never able to read just one chapter, or even just 5. Middle grade is not one of the genre's that I typically read in, but that might change after this book. It was that good.

Small Town Pride follows Jake, the only openly gay person at his small village school, as he tries to organize a pride festival to celebrate queerness in a small, conservative area.

This was something that my middle school self absolutely needed to read, but my current self very much enjoyed reading it as well. If you know any young queer people or are on a journey to heal your inner (queer) child- I would recommend this book over and over again!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

I did not love Gearbreakers, the first installment in this series, and I had higher hopes for the second book, hoping that it would redeem it. I think that it did, to some extent, but these novels are just not for me. I think this is mostly due to Zoe Hana Mikuta's writing style and pacing, it was not what I normally read and I had a hard time getting into both of the novels.

That being said, it does have a very large audience of people who enjoy it and I think that it is a book that a lot of people can and will enjoy.

this made me cry so hard. it was beautifully told both through the illustrations and the dialogue. it did such a good job at being engaging and informative while capturing the pure agony that these people went through.

this book has made me fall in love with historical/informational graphic novels.

if you see this: it’s a sign. READ THIS NOW!!!

i really liked this book and it was very validating to see the trans experience being portrayed in a novel that has reached tonssss of people! this is a good insight into the trans experience, so this is very much a must read for trans and non-trans people alike!

you should read i wish you all the best if you like this book !!

if you weren't wowed by this and you're seeing this: keep reading!! please!! i beg!! it gets sooooo much better! it isn't even that bad to start, just a little slow. you'll understand when you get there!