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The Bradford McKinley Chronicles #4
To Own the Libs
How far would you go?
Seven months ago, Lily started transitioning. It had been a quick, unexpected meeting her classmate Anna and Anna’s theyfriend Elanor at a party awoke something in her, and she came out the very next day. There were some hiccups along the way, to be sure. Getting from there to here has been neither simple nor easy, but with the help of her friends and her girlfriend, Lily managed to overcome all obstacles in her she’s now a happy, fulfilled young woman, instead of the angry and depressed boy she used to be. When she and her girlfriend are about to become intimate for the first time, however, Lily realises she can’t stand it any longer. She has to come clean. She has a confession to make. She’s been pretending to be trans the whole time.
A young man from a conservative background decides to "own the libs" by transitioning, thereby proving anyone can do it, even if they're not trans.
Book four in the Bradford McKinley Chronicles series; all books stand on their own, and can be read in any order.
Seven months ago, Lily started transitioning. It had been a quick, unexpected meeting her classmate Anna and Anna’s theyfriend Elanor at a party awoke something in her, and she came out the very next day. There were some hiccups along the way, to be sure. Getting from there to here has been neither simple nor easy, but with the help of her friends and her girlfriend, Lily managed to overcome all obstacles in her she’s now a happy, fulfilled young woman, instead of the angry and depressed boy she used to be. When she and her girlfriend are about to become intimate for the first time, however, Lily realises she can’t stand it any longer. She has to come clean. She has a confession to make. She’s been pretending to be trans the whole time.
A young man from a conservative background decides to "own the libs" by transitioning, thereby proving anyone can do it, even if they're not trans.
Book four in the Bradford McKinley Chronicles series; all books stand on their own, and can be read in any order.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2023
8 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 7, 2023
when i was a child i spent nights praying i would wake up as a boy but then it took me 22 years to figure out i was trans and still i’m somehow less dense than lily
more trans authors writing weird and fucked up coming out stories, it’s my favourite genre :)
read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨
more trans authors writing weird and fucked up coming out stories, it’s my favourite genre :)
read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨
dnf
October 27, 2025Probably my fault. The title and description implied this was going to be transgressive queer fiction and it’s actually a cozy romance/slice of life which is really not something in interested in at all.
August 18, 2024
Cannot stress how much I picked this up for the title and genuinely hilarious sounding premise, so excellent job with hooking in a reader to the author! Read this over two days, so I hope that says something for how easily I became interested in Lily living through her 'experiment'.
Lily was the peak of "still cis though" and her navigation through 'pretending to be trans for my research paper/to own the libs' while genuinely exploring her own identity felt very grounded. 'So dense [she has her] own gravitational field' is indeed a very accurate description for the POV character, as the Lily Logic responses to things she found gender affirming or dysphoric often were WILD conclusions but also COMPLETELY believable thought processes for someone who's transition was less than straightforward.
Given where Lily starts from as a person, I was pleased to find ultimately find her incredibly likeable! Every milestone she went through was genuinely heartwarming from her perspective and I was glad she found friends and family to connect to, as well as a wonderful support network when dealing with people who were unfortunately awful to her. The postscript ending was especially lovely.
Admittedly this book isn't the most straightforward recommendation due to the unfortunately realistic depictions of transphobia (internalised and external) and general queerphobia, which might be difficult for some. However the ebook comes with a handy breakdown of what's depicted in each chapter with a content warning at the back and I wholeheartedly recommend this book if this won't be too much for you as a reader!
Lily was the peak of "still cis though" and her navigation through 'pretending to be trans for my research paper/to own the libs' while genuinely exploring her own identity felt very grounded. 'So dense [she has her] own gravitational field' is indeed a very accurate description for the POV character, as the Lily Logic responses to things she found gender affirming or dysphoric often were WILD conclusions but also COMPLETELY believable thought processes for someone who's transition was less than straightforward.
Given where Lily starts from as a person, I was pleased to find ultimately find her incredibly likeable! Every milestone she went through was genuinely heartwarming from her perspective and I was glad she found friends and family to connect to, as well as a wonderful support network when dealing with people who were unfortunately awful to her. The postscript ending was especially lovely.
Admittedly this book isn't the most straightforward recommendation due to the unfortunately realistic depictions of transphobia (internalised and external) and general queerphobia, which might be difficult for some. However the ebook comes with a handy breakdown of what's depicted in each chapter with a content warning at the back and I wholeheartedly recommend this book if this won't be too much for you as a reader!
September 2, 2023
There are dense eggs, and then there is Lily. Everyone has the own coming out and self discovery stories, of realising who they are, and what they want, but for her... yeah, it's one very special journey. A journey in which she gains so much more than she'd ever thought.
Of all of the stories that Zoe has released to date, this one is definitely one of my favourites. There is a lot of depth to it, a lot of struggles and some pain for Lily and her friends, but it is also very much heartwarming as well, especially with respect to the friendships that she develops. It is a tale that can definitely leave an impact, and one that you just want to keep on reading. The bonus chapters are also a very nice addition, and seeing characters from the other books was great.
Of all of the stories that Zoe has released to date, this one is definitely one of my favourites. There is a lot of depth to it, a lot of struggles and some pain for Lily and her friends, but it is also very much heartwarming as well, especially with respect to the friendships that she develops. It is a tale that can definitely leave an impact, and one that you just want to keep on reading. The bonus chapters are also a very nice addition, and seeing characters from the other books was great.
May 31, 2025
“I believe people can change. I have to believe people can change.”
Somewhere around 3.25 stars. This was just incredibly sweet; a lot sweeter than I expected it to be, and I'm glad for it. The protagonist is a young student at college who's soaked up a lot of conservative ideals, and decides to 'pose' as a trans woman, to prove that some people only fake being trans for clout and to get ahead. Perfect way to own the libs, right? It's pretty clear to the reader what path the story is going to take (in the first couple of chapters, as Lily describes her headspace over the few years, the things she does the cope, some of her ideas, you're like, 'oh honey, that's dysphoria') but it doesn't make it any less compelling. She makes new friends, creates community, gets a girlfriend, is exposed to intra-community conflicts, finally experiences joy in her life... all the while thinking that she's a fraud, and that she's going to have to come clean. It's endearing and painful by turns, with lots of sweet moments and a few harrowing moments.
I guess I just wanted a little more out of the writing. It was super plain, super simple. Which isn't always a bad thing; I'm not complaining about this being a quick read, but I did want it to do a little bit more. And the book on the whole was super on the nose, in terms of the theming. Intentionally so, obviously, but the heavy-handedness sometimes made characters feel unreal. IDK, mileage may vary. I still found this really cute, really heartwarming. As always, the romance was my favourite part, and I'd have probably liked it more if the romance had played a larger part. But I can't fault the story for that; this set out to be a trans coming of age/contemporary, and that's what it did. I still really liked it, and I'll have to check out the author again. Perhaps in a different genre than contemporary.
Content warnings:
December 20, 2023
Wow... Just wow.
Every transgender person's story is different. But, while they don't repeat they usually rhyme. Frequently while reading this book I felt like I was seeing my own thoughts from my decades of struggles with dysphoria written in stark black and white. Thank you Zoe. We often spend so much of our lives feeling different and isolated. Knowing that others have had the same feelings, similar thoughts and experiences does so much to dispel that othering so many go through. Representation matters. Knowing you aren't alone in a hostile world matters. Seeing and hearing stories that reflect our experiences matter. I loved this book.
Every transgender person's story is different. But, while they don't repeat they usually rhyme. Frequently while reading this book I felt like I was seeing my own thoughts from my decades of struggles with dysphoria written in stark black and white. Thank you Zoe. We often spend so much of our lives feeling different and isolated. Knowing that others have had the same feelings, similar thoughts and experiences does so much to dispel that othering so many go through. Representation matters. Knowing you aren't alone in a hostile world matters. Seeing and hearing stories that reflect our experiences matter. I loved this book.
October 19, 2023
Amazing
I cannot begin to properly put into words how wonderful this story was. An utterly absurd premise, somehow written in a completely believable - and even relatable - way. Well, that is, for anyone who's ever been an egg themselves, anyway.
The core story flows from humorous to touching, from heart-wrenching to deeply heartwarming. And then on top of all that, you have some amazing epilogues that point towards the future.
I'd put off reading this one, because I knew it was going to destroy me, and I was right. 12/10, would get emotionally destroyed again. This one goes in the re-read list.
I cannot begin to properly put into words how wonderful this story was. An utterly absurd premise, somehow written in a completely believable - and even relatable - way. Well, that is, for anyone who's ever been an egg themselves, anyway.
The core story flows from humorous to touching, from heart-wrenching to deeply heartwarming. And then on top of all that, you have some amazing epilogues that point towards the future.
I'd put off reading this one, because I knew it was going to destroy me, and I was right. 12/10, would get emotionally destroyed again. This one goes in the re-read list.
April 17, 2025
The amount of mental gymnastics performed by our main character while the story unfolds, is truly stunning. A really fun premise that delivered a cute journey of self discovery while somehow being in deep denial at the same time.
May 14, 2025
Compared to the author's other book I've read, the difference in writing is like night and day. This is a fantastic story with a ridiculous premise that never lets the comedy overtake the very real struggles that the book depicts. The main character right from the start is a parody of sorts, but there's a humanity within her that I think is core to caring about her and when she faces difficulties it's easy to sympathize with her while at the same time thinking she's a complete idiot.
If I had one critique it's probably that the story opens on an event that happens near the end of the book and explains the catalyst for what the resolution of the primary conflict is going to be and I think it takes away from some of anticipation behind how certain things are going to turn out because you know the story has to be able to reach that scene. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was such a delight to read. Many people recommended this book to me and I will certainly recommend it to others.
If I had one critique it's probably that the story opens on an event that happens near the end of the book and explains the catalyst for what the resolution of the primary conflict is going to be and I think it takes away from some of anticipation behind how certain things are going to turn out because you know the story has to be able to reach that scene. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was such a delight to read. Many people recommended this book to me and I will certainly recommend it to others.
December 10, 2023
Based on the synopsis and the foreword, I was under the impression that this book was going to go in a different direction than it actually did. I thought it was going to be about how there is no threat from cis men pretending to be women bcs no one does that. I thought it was going to be about how you don't randomly pick your gender, trans people are not lying when they say they're trans.
It's not.
It uses the setup of pretending to be a different gender as a cracking of the egg moment. idk I guess it could happen, but it feels like it could also be misinterpreted (as Lily was trying to prove).
It reads like Wattpad fiction, I'm sorry. "Social studies" is a dated term for a major that has evolved. "Dissertation" is the main product of a PhD program. And so on. It's not a bad story. I don't want to be a bitch about it. It's just... Wattpad fiction.
It's not.
It uses the setup of pretending to be a different gender as a cracking of the egg moment. idk I guess it could happen, but it feels like it could also be misinterpreted (as Lily was trying to prove).
It reads like Wattpad fiction, I'm sorry. "Social studies" is a dated term for a major that has evolved. "Dissertation" is the main product of a PhD program. And so on. It's not a bad story. I don't want to be a bitch about it. It's just... Wattpad fiction.
November 10, 2024
I was absolutely expecting this to be a fun read, but I wasn't expecting it to be so, so human. As someone who has personally struggled with impostor syndrome throughout my transition, Lily's struggles here were just so, so relatable (even if I wasn't that dense). Good trans representation is such an easy way to my heart, and reading through this book made me feel something good during a very rough moment.
Initially, I thought some of the side characters were a little one-note, but the (very) extended epilogue does a great job rounding out most of the cast. They're likable, help explore a number of different interpersonal relationship dynamics that come about as a result of transitioning, and Vicky's story brought me to tears.
Absolutely recommended, we don't get enough legitimately fun and heartwarming trans fiction, and I could not put this one down from the very first page.
Initially, I thought some of the side characters were a little one-note, but the (very) extended epilogue does a great job rounding out most of the cast. They're likable, help explore a number of different interpersonal relationship dynamics that come about as a result of transitioning, and Vicky's story brought me to tears.
Absolutely recommended, we don't get enough legitimately fun and heartwarming trans fiction, and I could not put this one down from the very first page.
November 12, 2024
Overall: A very relatable trans queer romance
Lily wants to own the liberals...
I loved Lily's character development throughout the novel, seeing her ideas on things change, seeing her opinions evolve, seeing her romance flourish.
A very relatable journey through gender, sexuality and life.
And a spiky egg ;)
Lily wants to own the liberals...
I loved Lily's character development throughout the novel, seeing her ideas on things change, seeing her opinions evolve, seeing her romance flourish.
A very relatable journey through gender, sexuality and life.
And a spiky egg ;)
March 25, 2024
Entertaining premise but written in an extremely didactic way, so in the end not really to my taste.
June 15, 2025
Very delightful story. You pretty much know where it's headed from page one and can just enjoy the twists and drama along the way. This was my first Zoe Storm novel and won't be my last.
January 3, 2025
Light 5
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews