This is a fairly confronting novel and I suspect responses will be pretty polarised. As a non-LGBTQIA reader, there are probably experiences and nuances that I missed but this novel takes place in a fully-realised world and my own thinking was challenged several times as the story progressed. Whilst I’m not sure I could quite get on board with the feasibility of the central premise, the women in this story are all richly drawn characters and I hope novels like this become more commonplace moving forward. It won’t be for everyone but it felt like an essential read to me - thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

'Detransition, Baby' was an absolute delight to read. Torrey Peters has crafted a lovely piece of writing that keeps readers engaged by having a dynamic timeline throughout the duration of the novel. A simultaneous description of 'Eight Years Before Conception' combined with the course of the pregnancy that joins all the characters allows the reader to really get to know the complexities of the characters. They all have such depth that you can't help but think of them as real people. I really went through phases of liking Reese and not liking Reese, based on which part of the timeline I was reading. This dual presentation of time highlights the character development and helps to drive the plot forward.
The other main protagonist, Amy/Ames, is really done justice by the simultaneous timeline. The reader sees the complexities that are encompassed within gender identity, and how this can affect how some people view themselves. I've never read a book that handles a topic like this so I thought that the originality of the idea was wonderful. It was engaging, beautifully written, and left just enough room at the end for the reader to ponder what will happen, rather than being handed the ending. Just lovely.

I did not fall in love with this novel on the first page. This is partly because I did not fall in love with the first protagonist, Reese, straight away. If I am to be honest I am not sure I fell in love with her at all. However, I soon came to realise she is a deeply truthful character and, in fact, all three of the women that we follow in the text are. I now think that is one of the most alluring aspects of the novel: the characters are so honest, self-reflective, and occasionally brutal in their contradictions, hypocrisies, naiveties, and deceptiveness. They are real characters with real pain and at times it is tortuous to feel with them.

This book is so much more than pain. It is darkly comical in places, and has periods of light relief. The funeral joke moment was particularly well-realised in actually exploring the use of dark comedy to talk about darker matters. Peters does not solely victimise her characters, but changes perspectives and points of view throughout to call them out, as well as those around them - I find Katrina both infuriating and hopeful as a character because her moments of ignorance and discomfort around queerness are counteracted by an (albeit occasionally awkward) enthusiasm to be a part of queer culture and to understand and grow. There are moments of beautiful empowerment in the novel, as well as moments of clarity that illuminate the problems that queer people face in a largely hetero world. Amy in particular experiences this as she transitions and then detransitions to Ames. It is also a fascinating exploration in to motherhood and the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural limitations and opportunities given to different women, an issue that absolutely deserves more attention.

As a cisgendered white woman whose queer identity is much more accepted, I cannot claim to fully understand the women in this novel in the way that I would like, as much as my liberal heart hates to admit this fact. However, I feel like this book and these characters will haunt me and have affected me in a way that is difficult to currently articulate, but that I am really grateful for. I hope to hear from them again in the future.

You can follow Torrey Peters on twitter here: twitter.com/torreypeters

Please note that this review is based on an advanced reading copy of the novel I received from Netgalley. It can be purchased from the 7/1/2021

Where to start with this book, as others have said, it's gonna be controversial. The author says that she wanted to show how messy Trans women are, she has certainly done that in this book, which is why I googled her at the end to ensure that the author was Trans and this wasn't more anti Trans rhetoric. The book starts well, its pacy, entertaining and funny, it then takes a turn into despair and the limitations and restrictions of social constructs around relationships, gender and motherhood. There are flashes of wisdom and insight, particularly into cis male trans desire and then panic. Race gets introduced and mentioned but often left as if the author didn't really know what to say. I liked the main character of Reese best, she is fun and chaotic and desperate to be a mother and it was fun to read a fully formed complex Trans woman character. Overall it's a very specific narrative about three people who live at the far edge of Brooklyn which dominates so much that it makes it narrow instead of generic. The plot also starts well but toward the end has moments of slightly indulgent tangents which confuse rather than enlighten. Best read lightly, taken with a pinch of salt as one view and not THE view of the experience of Trans women.

With thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Detransition, Baby is my first novel to review on Netgalley, so I was very excited to review it. The novel follows Reese and Amy/Ames, who used to be in a relationship, and are now exploring the possibility of raising a baby together. The novel details the hardship both have dealt with in both their transitions, and Ames/Amy's detransition, along with the horrific nature of some of their past relationships and the damaging psychological effects this has had on both characters. Whilst the book had an interesting premise, and is definitely a very informative book on trans relationships and parenthoods, I found the first half of the book to be very intriguing and read it quickly. However, the second half of the book for me was slow and repetitive and by the ending of the book, I felt as though the exploration of themes and certain events was wasted because the ending almost came out of nowhere and was a disappointing ending in my opinion.
This book is definitely a must read for its explorations on trans relationships and parenthood and was very informative on these topics, along with the trans experience.

Absolutely loved this book. Fantastic characterization and well written from different points of view without being confusing.

It is definitely a challenging, and often uncomfortable read, but an essential one and this discomfort is entirely necessary to the subject matter. Not being trans, I can't speak to how accurately Peters has portrayed trans women but it certainly feels authentic because the events and plots are messy and emotional and, as with real life, characters do things that aren't 'nice'. However, I still lived each character almost because of this.

A whole range of issues and debates surrounding gender, marriage, sexuality, isolation, family and self-acceptance are explored with, I wouldn't say sensitivity, but definitely urgency and depth. It prompted me to do my own research afterwards and I will be recommending to my friends

‘Detransition, baby’ follows Ames, a detransitioned trans woman who, after impregnating his boss, Katrina, tries to form a Queer family with her and his trans ex girlfriend, Reece. It’s a beautiful exploration of gender, sexuality, and motherhood. The three main characters are flawed, realistic, and easy to sympathise with. The narrative is split between two timelines: Reece and Ames’ relationship prior to conception, and the events taking place following conception.
One of my favourite parts of this novel is the writing style- it has a floaty kind of narrative that branches off to give extra detail and context. It reminds me of classic novels: the story is told through a twisting journey with tangents and essay-like verses. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but personally, I thought it was a joy to read. It’s very thoughtfully done, the tone switching from dark humour, to sorrow, to lightness, which makes it easy to digest.
It’s definitely made me think about certain issues; particularly the ideas surrounding activism and feminism. All in all, it’s an incredibly effective novel which analyses all the different experiences of womanhood without putting any of them on a pedestal.

This book exceeded all my expectations. The plot seemed kooky and could have been silly in the hands of a lesser writer. Torrey Peters manages to create an interesting plot with believable likable flawed characters. this book addresses a lot of issues - gender, trans, queerness, family. Sometimes it is in the form of a sort of lecture, but not like I, the reader, is being lectured. More like I was being quietly, enjoyably educated. That makes it sound like this book is unbearably earnest - it isn't. I found myself reading the chapter about doTERRA out loud on a Zoom call, because it was the funniest thing I've read.

And then, near the end, I got worried that the author was going to stuff it all up. That's how invested I was in the story. But the ending is perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Serpents Tail publishing for this free review copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, I found this to be a dull read. The present tense writing style, the extensive backstory incorporated in the 'now' (which end up slowing/interrupting a scene). The dialogue doesn't ring true to life and Peters' prose is somewhat contrived. Still, given that this is an #ownvoice novel discussing relevant issues I wouldn't discourage others from reading this. This book was simply not my cup of tea.

This novel, about an attempt to create a family, is so outside of my experience, but I loved it. Peters gives us two timelines of Ames/Amy’s life, one where she is a trans woman called Amy and one later when she has detransitioned and is living as a cis man called Ames, and has got his colleague Katrina pregnant. They then decide to explore raising the baby with Reese, Amy’s ex girlfriend, who is a trans woman. It sounds more confusing when you try to explain it, because Peters has done an amazing job of keeping the plot understandable! Ames/Amy’s pronouns shift between she/her and he/him depending on the stage in their life, which could have been jarring but totally suits the story. It’s a thoughtful and original novel, written by a trans author, and my impression is that it is written for everyone - trans, cis, or otherwise - because the finer points of uniquely trans experiences are explained carefully, without being patronising. I wasn’t sure about the cliff-hanger ending, but I can see how I would have been disappointed if it had explicitly gone one way or the other, so I understand the decision. Detransition, Baby will be published early next year and I hope it gets the attention the novel deserves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Detransition Baby is a challenging read, but an essential one. Not being trans, I can't speak to how accurately Peters has portrayed trans women but it certainly feels real because it's messy and emotional and people do things that aren't 'nice'. Every character is flawed and the narrative discusses so many issues that it should feel overloaded - but it doesn't. I'll definitely be recommending this book widely.

I do not know how to describe this book, who it is for and why one should read it - I have mixed feelings about "Detransition, Baby". First of all, I thought the author was writing to different novels - one was a chaotic, almost pornographic read, the other one was a well-written and thoughtful study on womanhood and parenting. Those two books did not connect well. Secondly, I found it really hard to understand the dynamics and various issues each of the women (trans-women) faced. I had to spend a lot of time googling. In the end, I finished the book and I feel I learnt a lot - there is this whole world out there that we, cis-people (really, do I really need to refer to myself as CIS-woman nowadays to avoid any possible confusion?), know very little about.

I remember when I read "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I had discovered a whole new world - Nigeria, with its inhabitants, heroes, issues and happiness. I thought I would have the same experience with "Detransition, Baby" - a world of LGBTQ+, raw and real. It did not happen. I learnt a lot (thanks to Google), but I still fail to understand the world of transgender women. I have a very strong suspicion that if you are cis-woman (or man), this book might not be for you. It is a niche read which I could only recommend if you want to read more diverse topics and authors.

As to the humour that was promised - I did not laugh once.

An incredible book about gender identity, queer life and heartache. Shocking at times but extremely insightful and beautifully written, it took me on a rollercoaster of emotions
Definitely recommend it

I wanted to read this book as I'm aware I don't know enough about trans people and detransititioning, and it often helps to add to one's knowledge from the viewpoint of a novel. This was certainly an interesting take on relationships and motherhood with some memorable characters, but I did find it quite confusing at times and a bit over long.
Thank you to netgalley and serpents tail for an advance copy of this book.

I have to say I DNF this book. I started it with good faith in wanting to understand people who are trans. I found Ames very presumptuous to ask somebody to be a mummy to his baby without discussing with the bio mother. Its not just that though I got a little confused with who was what - which is what I wanted to understand more and not care about such things. So I gave up and realised I needed a different book to learn more.

Detransition, Baby is a brilliant book, but as is often the way when I adore something, I'm finding it tricky to review. It will definitely be received very differently depending upon who reads it, and probably not everyone will sing its praises as highly as I'm about to. Personally, I was gripped from the start, and was consistently late to things because I was too busy reading. I loved the narrative voice (regardless of whose point of view we were zooming in on), and the tone is very witty. That said, I think parts of Detransition, Baby will also stay with me for a long time - alongside the humour, there's a real depth of emotion and thought. This is a very honest book.

This book communicates so much about queerness, motherhood and the absolute mess of gender soup we all wade through every day (which some of us are very much more aware of than others) in such a witty, engaging and empathetic way. It's so important to have queer motherhood narratives and spaces to explore ways parenthood can be imagined, and Torrey Peters does that very well in this book. It's also got some really great humour in it, if you like me like slightly biting social commentary.

The three main characters are warmly written and so real and interesting and fleshed out- I dearly loved Reese and Katrina in particular. This is how you write messy people making messy decisions while making them understandable and likeable, which is an important and difficult skill to write about in fiction. A lot of what contributes to that is the honesty (maybe too honest for some people but lol, ok) of the narrative and the characters, the switching close-third person POVs helps the reader to understand where everyone's coming from and trying to go.

I also personally feel like I learnt some things about trans culture I didn't know before, especially de-transitioning (a sensitive and very much uncommon occurrence). The reasons for Ames's de-transition are very easy to empathise with and hard to weaponise against the trans community (as I'm aware the topic can be!). Ultimately it's a reminder that people and how we understand gender is all messy and that we all deserve respect, empathy and parenthood, should we want it, either way.

Detransition, Baby is a witty, cutting, and clever novel about relationships and motherhood, as three characters try to navigate if they're having a baby. Detransitioned Ames thought he was infertile, until he got his boss, Katrina, pregnant. Not sure about the role he'd take in parenting, he contacts his ex, Reese, with a proposition—to raise the baby with them. Since their breakup a few years ago, Reese has been lonely and sleeping with married men, feeling a like a trans elder with no one to mother, so this could be her chance for what she's dreamed of: a child.

One of the greatest things about this book for me was the writing, particularly the tone and detail. It can be blunt and brutal in deconstructing characters' ideas and lives, but also has a real emotional side (there's even some meta-commentary on this as characters make jokes at a funeral). This is literary fiction about negotiating relationships given a new breath of life, but also self-aware about the people who aspire towards the directions it takes the narrative, such as how middle class cis women might love the idea of something more unconventional without being able to deal with some of the realities of it (giving much more detail might be giving small spoilers, so I'll refrain). The ebbs and flows of the three main characters' relationships are fascinating to be drawn into, especially the connection with Katrina and Reese, and how Ames finds it difficult to navigate his own sense of getting someone pregnant amidst the murky waters of gender and trauma.

From even just the title, it's clear it's a book that is taking a bold approach to the age old stories of relationships and motherhood, and Peters does a great job of creating the right, wry tone to pull it off. There is something joyful, even through the issues and self-destruction you see in the characters, in the reading experience, and it might be at least in part just the sense of getting the kind of complicated break up literary novel but with biting trans comedy thrown in. It is refreshing and I hope for more contemporary literary fiction that can bring quite such a combination of spot-on references and commentary, cutting jokes, and emotional reckoning.