To be completely clear, I did start reading this book because of all the tweets about fishpreg, but I'm afraid I was bewitched by the beautiful story and characters. Li Yu is so dear to me <3 still excited for the tiny fishies tho!

Cute story, I really liked the relationship between the characters (which was for once with parents who were understanding and not instantly dismissing of their child). I liked the overall concept and the execution was nice.

This is an ARC review. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

One of the Boys is simply an excellent book, presenting an emotional and complex story of the transfeminine experience. Grace's transition is in the earlier stages that what's usually shown in the media, and I think the way it was portrayed in the book was fantastic. On top of that, it is a sports book, and while I've never watched a game of American football in my life, I feel like the mechanics of the game, and especially the bonds between the players on the team, were wonderfully fleshed out in the story. I think Grace's relationship with her football friends and her newer friends from the theater club were what made this book really great - she's not exactly finding a brand new place after her transition, but settling into an old one that has changed. It was definitely interesting to see the exploration of this situation, of how not only Grace found joy in something she felt like she had to leave with her transition, but also how the other players and people in general changed in regards to their actions towards Grace. It was absolutely wonderful how her friends quickly and without qualms welcomed her back, and how the friendship Grace had with them gave her support against those who were transphobic, be it the misguided adults or the punchable bigots. Grace herself was such an interesting character too, and I found her motivations for playing and her character development to be great parts of the book.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable young adult book, and I had a great time reading.

 

Becky Chambers má vždycky dobré knihy, takže jsme rádi, že i tahle kratší byla překrásně napsaná. Fascinující svět a taková ta naděje, kterou vkládá do svých příběhů, je vždycky něco, co nás naprosto pohltí. Překlad byl také velice povedený.

It was alright. While I really liked the worldbuilding and character art, the story itself wasn't that interesting.

For such a short story, it was packed with character depth and intriguing plot. I enjoyed the second POV, it was done really well.

The only redeeming quality of this book is the fact that it is about POLAND!!!

Really fascinating, I liked the unusual style of this book, especially how the letters blended with the story of Zilla's life.

A delight of a book, really loved the fluff and how the relationship progressed.