Thank you so so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "If You Still Recognise Me" by Cynthia So.

I loved this fresh new debut novel. Cynthia So writes so beautifully and each character was well fleshed out and developed. Elsie, our Bisexual MC, was the sweetest and most genuine MC I have seen in debuts this year. Her whole character was treated with such care. Each storyline and side plot was included and it didn't feel like a name drop. My favourite example has to be the running motivation through the plot - Ada's Grandmother. The entire time, Elsie worked so hard to make it happen and it never felt hidden.

Thank you Cynthia So for this book that I feel everyone needs. Thank you for writing. 100 pages in, I immediately bought my own copy of this book and I will proceed to force everyone I know to read this.

Content Warnings — Emotionally abusive relationship, homophobia and racism.

Rating — ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑⁣⁣⁣

𝙄𝙁 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙂𝙉𝙄𝙎𝙀 𝙈𝙀, follows Elsie, a young bisexual girl as she learns what her sexuality means to her and her life as a whole through the way of her friends, her fandoms and most importantly, her found family.

The novel is truly a complex love letter to those who have grown up with fandoms as a central comfort and is a refreshing display of what representation should be. The book itself is so beautifully written and the way in which culture, sexuality and relationships are intertwined throughout the book, is so heart achingly emotional to read. We aren’t only just given over five main queer and poc teenagers, we also get to read about the reconnecting of deep relationships that will almost most definitely make you want to pull the tissues out! This is definitely a novel that makes people who feel unseen and unheard, feel represented and loved without even asking.

A truly beautifully crafted coming of age debut novel by Cynthia So and I cannot wait to see what they write next. I extremely recommend giving this book a read when it comes out the 9th of June, this year.

Easily one of my favourite books of the year so far. I'm so sure I will reread this lots. This is the kind of comfort read that makes you cry with its tender and nuanced story. The writing was so thoughtful and so beautiful, and there's so much quiet depth in this book that makes it stand out in the YA contemporary genre.

What makes this stand out the most is the main character's relationships with her family members, particularly her mother, grandmother and uncle, that are explored with so much care.

One thing I particularly loved is that this book doesn't end with the main character neatly coming out to her parents and grandmother, like you might expect. I feel like we often see a focus on coming out as the end goal in a book for the character to live happily ever after, and I love how this took the pressure off.

I also however really loved the friendships and the romance - which is estranged childhood friends to lovers! And also the inclusion of queer people from different generations.