Trans YA written by a trans author! This book is a true delight. Stoeve weaves so much regular teen drama in with all of Dean's struggles with his identity and coming out to his friends and family. Dean is the kid of man character you can't help but root for but he's realistically imperfect and so are all of his friends.

This books is great. Highly recommend.

This is such an excellent debut novel for the author! They captured the high school experience without making it cliché, crafted really compelling characters, and told a really honest story about discovering your identity.
Loved this, and can't wait to put it into the hands of readers!

The fact that this book had me crying my eyes out from start to finish man...I loved it so much. This book is important. It truly matters. We need more trans visibility in books.

I want to start by saying that one day this book will be very important to someone. The struggles faced by Dean throughout the story are sure to hit a cord with not just teens (or adults for that matter) struggling with their gender identity, but also with anyone who is struggling with their identity period. The story feels very real and honest and raw while still managing to remain accessible. There are clear struggles (romantic ones, friendship ones, family ones) but ultimately it is still a story about the importance of found family and finding friends who will do whatever they can to love and support you.

This is one of my favorite things I've read this year, and I can't wait for it to hit shelves next year so everyone else can experience it also.

Enjoyable, quick read that many young readers will find relatable and helpful. I appreciated that this book isn't full of tragedy, but it also isn't a perfect world. Dean's parents and classmates and friends have a tough time giving Dean exactly what he deserves and needs in those moments, and I think many will have had similar experiences with coming out.

Enthralling, descriptive and emotional. What an incredible debut novel! Dean Foster is a senior student focused on the theater as a career. This is the only simple layer to this student. Not only is Dean wrestling with the typical angsts of a teenager, but we get to follow in the journey of discovery, understanding, why those childhood years of being forced into dresses, a female lifestyle, felt foreign, wrong. Through research on Google and YouTube, Dean becomes aware, she is not a lesbian, but a trans male. The book opens up the world of LBGTQ in a fascinating YA tale, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I look forward to more books from Ray Stoeve.

It's pretty rare that I read a book over night these days but this book erased time for me. This is a book about Dean Foster, a queer teen coming to terms with being trans in high school. He auditions for Romeo & Juliet and gets the part of Romeo, the story starts there and follows him all the way through his last performance. The friendship and sense of community in this book left me overjoyed and filled with an immense hope. This book was also personally special because my 'first love' in high school went through the very same thing and so Dean wasn't just a character but someone I deeply cared about and a story I always hoped could be told. This was a really wonderful book.

It's refreshing to see Romeo and Juliet used as an intertext not for star-crossed lovers, but for figuring out and loving one's true self. Also lovely: an understanding, caring teacher who nonetheless doesn't have the perfect advice but tries hard anyway. The cast of characters is mostly thoughtfully crafted, surrounding protagonist Dean with people who love and support him, even if they stumble at times.

Bring on all the trans coming out and self acceptance stories, please! This heartwarming story is about Dean Foster’s coming out and understanding himself as a trans guy. The timeline of the story starts with the auditions for Romeo and Juliet and follows through the last performance. I enjoyed the presence of high school theater and the way it gave Dean opportunities for growth without overtaking the plot.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the way it presented queer friendships and community. Not everyone was entirely accepting, but there was other support when Dean needed it. I definitely look forward to reading more novels by this author.