It is rare that I leave a review on a book that I did not finish reading but I am going to make an exception this time. Beautiful Monster documents the authors journey from a childhood in South American to eventually moving to the United States. Borrero discusses his transition and his fears about embracing his identity and potentially losing the support of his family.

I fully appreciate the emotional struggle the author endured and I always applaus the bravery it takes to tell your authentic story. However, for me, the message was lost in the overly flowery language. Several times I thought to myself, "what is he talking about". The stream of consciousness and abstract style is just not one that resonated with me. Despite that I fully recognize that this is just a stylistic difference so if this is a topic that interests you I'd suggest you give it a go for yourself.

I had finished this a while ago and I thought I had already given feedback on it.

Beautiful Monster by Miles Borrero gives us all a personal insight into the author's experience of becoming who they were meant to be.
The writing is honest and beautiful, it has been written from such a deep emotional position that it is hard to put down.

This is a wonderful addition to the queer cannon. I enjoyed the ways Borrero wove through time with the chapters and stories. I also appreciated the small moments of magic woven into the book. This fuck is perfect for anyone who loves a good memoir, especially one with a slightly unconventional writing style and formatting. I am so happy to have read this as an ARC and how many more people read this as well

I received the ARC for Beautiful Monster released 10/24/2023.
I had so many feelings while reading this book. The prose that Miles uses was so engrossing. Something about the way that the stories were shared felt both incredibly unique and beautifully universal. I'm a cisgendered person, and as someone who is naturally curious about these experiences for others, I felt it really gave me a birds-eye view into that experience. Miles opened up his writing so that others could have the capacity to feel and experience those things too. The cultural context was so important to the story-telling as well, and I loved every moment. Highly recommend!

It was a very touching read that is an honest and true introspection into a queer artist's mind as he goes through life. Borrero expresses the struggles and many internal dilemmas we trans people have with a contemporary yet poetic tongue that brings out all the emotion within the queer experience.

So, in terms of a review, I'd more like to talk about my experiences with the book.

As a queer trans man, reading through his words that were so similar to what I've been thinking and feeling felt assuring. Sometimes, it feels like nothing will turn out to be great cause I wasn't born in a country that isn't welcoming for people like me at all, but seeing Borrero's adventure through life sparked a bit of hope in me that good things can happen. Reading about various queer experiences as a queer person is always enlightening, but reading about a trans man who isn't a textbook example like me is a whole other world because of this very reason.

Reading this inspired me to write and do stuff, which was unexpected. Usually, reading memoirs just makes me research more about the person or what they talk about, but this time, I wanted to pursue my creative side more. As I have read through Borrero's poetic prose about the joys and griefs of his life, his words encouraged me to get back to expressing myself in my queer glory. Because oftentimes, our queerness seems to be filtered by the people around us to fit a mould that was set to be us. And despite knowing this for the last few years, reading his experiences on breaking his shell and becoming himself made me rethink the ways I was living.

Other than my sentimental input about the book, I really liked the person-based chapter structure. The centre is set from the chapter title, and then you form around it the more you read. This format mixed in with his writing, it creates a true vision into the queer creative's mind. Occasional perspective changes and poetry added in between made this "vision" a lot better, I think. Cause it's the memoir of a creative, and so his mind should be represented by the formatting and writing. It was beautiful in that way.

It has been a very good read. It's one of the best memoirs I've read where I found myself marking pages cause the quotes would surely stick with me.

Beautiful Monster by Miles Borrero is a peek into the author's experience of coming into his own identity. It is an affirming read that reads so personally and joyfully. It is an emotionally intense story that I believe is an important one to be share; the author invites us into his childhood growing up female and queer in Columbia. I am thankful to Netgalley and the publisher Regalo Press for the ARC.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

If you’re looking for more trans narratives in your life (and I think you should be), check out Miles Borrero’s memoir Beautiful Monster, coming out on the 24th October. I really appreciated this memoir, as there’s a bit of a lack of books focusing on later-life transition. Although Miles felt from a young age that something wasn’t right about living as a girl, it wasn’t until he was nearing 40 that he realised he could no longer delay his truth.
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Born into a traditional Colombian family, Miles struggled with the feminine role he was expected to perform from a young age - stuffy communion dresses, keeping up with his friends who began dating men (not boys) from age 14, dealing with men who believe it’s their right to take what they want from girls. He also struggled with a burgeoning attraction to his best friend Sylvie, a tumultuous relationship to put it gently! But he was always very aware that something didn’t feel right.
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My heart broke for Miles when you realise he’s been denying his true self out of anxiety over whether his family would accept him. 40 years is a long, long time, but it’s never too late to start living as you were always meant to be. I did find some of the fantastical interludes a little disorienting, and there were places I thought the writing could use a little extra editing - but I’m also very aware that with memoir you don’t want to change someone’s personal voice too much.
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Overall, an affirming read that reads so personally, and so joyfully, with a focus on slightly older trans lives. I hope an audiobook is in the works because I’m sure it would be an incredible experience to hear Miles read his own story!

Miles Borrero's 'Beautiful Monster' offers a glimpse into the author's profound journey of self-discovery, navigating a world that often demands conformity while celebrating the beauty of embracing one's true identity. Borrero invites readers to trace his path, from his upbringing as an AFAB queer individual in Colombia, to his relocation to the United States. Throughout his narrative, he unveils his pursuit of meaningful work, profound human connections, and a profound understanding of his core self, intricately linked to his transition. With unflinching vulnerability, he shares the intimate facets of his gender odyssey and the evolution of his queer identity, painting vivid portraits of his life and the influential individuals who shaped him.


At its heart, this memoir revolves around the concept of family, highlighting the palpable tensions that arise from internal turmoil and external expectations. Themes of family, loss, and personal growth lend depth and emotional weight to the narrative. The author's willingness to bare his soul in a raw and unfiltered manner is commendable, but I encountered occasional difficulties in connecting with the story, as fragments of mythology that seemed disconnected from the memoir's core interrupted it. The narrative style, at times, felt like a stream of consciousness, creating a sense of chaos. Additionally, elements such as the repetitive use of 'So Hum' throughout the book remained unexplained and unresolved.


In summary, 'Beautiful Monster' by Miles Borrero deserves three out of five stars. It undeniably conveys an essential story, and the author's courage in sharing it with the world is praiseworthy. While I had hoped to love this book, I found myself simply liking it, mainly due to the disjointed writing style and the inclusion of mythology chapters that disrupted the flow.

Beautiful Monster by Miles Borrero is a peek into the author’s experience of coming fully into his identity. It is at turns fanciful despite the gravely serious nature of self exploration and navigating a world that finds comfort in fitting people into tidy boxes that they don’t always fit into.

Borrero invites readers into his childhood growing up female and queer in Columbia. He details his move to the United States and his path to finding meaningful work, human connections, and a deep understanding of who he is at his core as this ultimately relates to his transition. He demonstrates true vulnerability as he shares the intimate details of his gender expedition and the trajectory of his queer identity through snapshots from his life and people who shaped him.

Family is at the core of this memoir and the instances of real tension that arise as a result of internal conflict and external expectations is often palpable. The themes of family, loss, and rising to become stronger make this a rich and emotionally heavy read. I value the author’s willingness to share his experience in a very raw way, but I found it difficult at times to connect parts of the story as they were disrupted by snippets of mythology that did not seem to add value to the memoir. I also felt that the writing felt a little stream of consciousness and chaotic at times. There were a few things things like the repetition of “So Hum” throughout the book that I did not understand and that were not explained or resolved.

Overall I give Beautiful Monster by Miles Borrero three out of five stars. I believe that his story is an important one and that his openness to putting it out for the world to see is commendable. I really wanted to love this book, but I ended up simply liking it due to the choppiness created by the writing style and mythology chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.

I always want to see more work by trans people, and I think those narratives are important and necessary right now. I just had a really hard time getting through this one. Some portions of it were really good and had me hooked, but there's a lot of random meandering around between those portions, full of incomprehensible flowery language that doesn't seem to mean anything. It just feels pretty rough around the edges still.

The first chapter alone was so emotionally intense for me that I had to put the book down and wait about a week to pick it up again. I am also a trans man that has struggled deeply with coming out to my dad because I want to keep him safe, to spare him the grief of losing his only daughter, and so that was a ROUGH start for me (rough but beautiful) anyway once I managed to get through that this was a cathartic and devastating read.