I. W. Gregorio

Dr. Gregorio is a urologist by day, turned YA author by night. She set out to write a book inspired by her first patient with a disorder of sexual differentiation. It's a cute book that clearly thinks of itself as An Important Lesson On Tolerance, and as such comes off a little on-the-nose. There's "flavor" added to try to flesh out the book, but a lot of it is pretty shallow, and of course the happy ending includes the main character finding (heterosexual) romance, because it's not a book to challenge the status quo of 17-year-olds-must-have-boy-friends-to-be-happy. But it is a cute YA novel in which both the adults and teens are ultimately well-meaning. So if feel-good YA romance is your thing, cool! I wanted a little more nuance.

P.S. Ahhhh, why did no one offer the protagonist herniorraphy without gonadectomy? She was freaking out about having visible hernias. Those can be repaired before you make a decision about gonads. I'm pretty sure a urologist knows this better than I do. I got very distracted about this.… (meer)

This book was a solid read that was great at explaining a new perspective, but I felt like the only element to it was that Krissy was intersex.

I was excited to read this book upon reading the description, and indeed this did a brilliant job of explaining to me what it meant to be intersex and to have AIS. I learned a lot from reading this and was able to experience a new perspective from doing so.

It was very sad to see how Krissy's classmates treated her upon discovering her diagnosis, but I found it uplifting to see the unexpected people who reached out to her and who made a difference and showed they care. Seeing how her relationships with various people changed was very telling. However, a lot of the characters felt a little bland--they had potential to be more exciting and more engaging, but they didn't reach it.

However, I felt like there were a lot of moments where I wanted this book to have more depth. Krissy was working so hard to show how being intersex was an absolutely normal thing and how she hadn't changed at all, yet the book in a way having few other plot tropes was showing differently. There was a romance, yes, but other than the intersex aspect, this book had very little plot.

By the end, she had finally gotten herself together, but I wanted her to put on a brave face earlier. At some points, Krissy really annoyed me because it felt like she did a lot of self wallowing instead of going out and educating the world. But hopefully that comes following the end of this book.

I'm really glad this book was written and that I was able to gain a little more understanding from it, but I think there could have been more substance to it.
… (meer)

3.5 Stars

CW: Depression, anxiety, thoughts of dying

Public service announcement
Please understand that you will want to eat potsticker dumplings at some point during this book. I therefore suggest having a takeaway menu for your local potsticker dumpling restaurant handy at all times or the ingredients necessary to make them.
End of Public service announcement.

A good exploration of mental health and the stigma associated with it. The characters were relatable and their journey believable. I valued the inclusion of a young person with ADHD but it felt like the entire cast had complex issues so the novel seemed a bit busy at times. I wouldn't call this book a romance as the main focus was how two teens with mental health issues navigated their relationship whilst dealing with family and school expectations/commitments. I loved the family dynamics in both Jocelyn's and Will's families. An enjoyable book.… (meer)

1.5 stars

As glad as I am this book exists, I'm not feeling the love. At all.
Actually, scratch that.
I'm ticked off going on furious.

This topic is sensitive. So I expected better handling.
Nice idea, but execution leaves much much much to be desired.
The characters feel flat. The story is sort of... choppy? It's a jumbled puzzle with pieces crammed together wrong and at odd angles.
In all honesty, I held on to the story through sheer persistence of "surely it's not all bad?".
So disappointing.

I know it's hard being rational when the world is crashing around your ears. But that's not reason enough to be stupid about it. Which Kristin IS. I tried to think of another word, but the shoe fits. I don't really understand her need for manufactured drama, or playing ostrich and wishing 'bad stuff to go away'. It's not like reality will change just because you don't want to deal with it. Also. There is only so much self-sabotage I can stand. Yes, I know. Outside perspective is screwed to begin with. BUT. The basic impression I have of this girl is a kid throwing a tantrum. She isn't even particularly likable IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I can watch/read a train-wreck of self-destruction with intense curiosity and fascination, morbid and otherwise. But if there is absolutely nothing to make me actually believe in it - I have no burning need to stay.

A little off-topic:
I strongly believe that no child is responsible for their parents' actions (unless actively orchestrated by children themselves, which, yeah). And talking to your parents about things that shake you up is pretty much a given IMO (as long as you have a moderately good relationship going).… (meer)