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Hibiscus & Home
Hibiscus & Home is a teenager contemporary book about trans experience and identity, told through the contrasting perspectives of two transgender teenage boys with vastly different lives.
Although the word sounds the same in their mouths, and looks the same written down, being trans doesn't mean the same thing to Everett as it does to Kylen. Everett takes a tremendous amount of pride in the word. Whereas, after eight years of living as a trans man, the word has grown to taste sour on Kylen's tongue.
When they meet at their local LGBTQ youth club, Everett and Kylen struggle to get along. But, when the situation arises, they find themselves having to work together to stop the club from getting shut down - for both of their sakes.
Amongst liking a girl that doesn't know he's trans, trying to salvage a relationship with his transphobic parents, and dealing with the misbehaviour of the boys that he calls his friends, Kylen has a lot on his mind. Meanwhile, Everett tries to figure out who he is in conjunction with his trans identity, and attempts to improve his confidence before starting sixth form college in September.
They've both got things to ask the world, and they've also both got answers - just not for their own questions.
Contains explicit language and mature themes of abuse, homophobia, mental health issues, sexism, sexual themes, suicide, transphobia, underage drinking, underage smoking, and violence.
Although the word sounds the same in their mouths, and looks the same written down, being trans doesn't mean the same thing to Everett as it does to Kylen. Everett takes a tremendous amount of pride in the word. Whereas, after eight years of living as a trans man, the word has grown to taste sour on Kylen's tongue.
When they meet at their local LGBTQ youth club, Everett and Kylen struggle to get along. But, when the situation arises, they find themselves having to work together to stop the club from getting shut down - for both of their sakes.
Amongst liking a girl that doesn't know he's trans, trying to salvage a relationship with his transphobic parents, and dealing with the misbehaviour of the boys that he calls his friends, Kylen has a lot on his mind. Meanwhile, Everett tries to figure out who he is in conjunction with his trans identity, and attempts to improve his confidence before starting sixth form college in September.
They've both got things to ask the world, and they've also both got answers - just not for their own questions.
Contains explicit language and mature themes of abuse, homophobia, mental health issues, sexism, sexual themes, suicide, transphobia, underage drinking, underage smoking, and violence.
418 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2023
9 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 10, 2024
i love this book so much. i don't even have the proper words to describe it. i felt connected to both Kylen and Everett, so that definitely made it more special for me. seeing Abbie accept Kylen with no hesitation whatsoever, and still want to date him was so,, refreshing. it is so so so lovely to see trans people end up happy for once, and for them to end up in happy relationships. as a bi trans guy myself, it just makes me feel so incredibly happy. i strongly recommend this book to anyone, especially other trans people who are looking for characters they can genuinely relate to. incredible book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
Found this book from your TikTok.
Great book and I'm so glad it had a happy ending. Brought this the day it came out and I'm glad I did. I personally haven't read many queer friendship stories so I am extremely happy I found and read this. I related to both the characters in different ways and it made me wish I had a community like at the Aconite Centre.
Great book and I'm so glad it had a happy ending. Brought this the day it came out and I'm glad I did. I personally haven't read many queer friendship stories so I am extremely happy I found and read this. I related to both the characters in different ways and it made me wish I had a community like at the Aconite Centre.
January 15, 2024
I loved this book as a trans guy, I feel very connected to both Everett and Kylen. I feel like Everett and Kylen develope a sort of brother-like bond. Heartwarming book!
Would definitely recommend!
Would definitely recommend!
August 16, 2025
Trigger warnings for Hibiscus & Home include: explicit language, themes of abuse, homophobia & transphobia; mental health, sexism & sexual themes; suicide, underage drinking and smoking; and violence.
☆
☆
Without even having got past the second chapter, I'm already having thoughts. There's been an instance of outing (intentionally but with a purpose), and stereotyping (in the form of 'you won't pass with coloured hair'). I know I still have a lot more of the book to read, and that the two MMCs will probably become closer, but that's kinda a shitty thing to say to someone you've just met, even if you both know the other is trans.
~
Kylen is described as hyper masculine and a roadman. Everett, on the other hand, is more androgynous, or potentially femboy in terms of presentation. So there's a definite difference in that regard. Both of them make assumptions about the other, both in terms of their family situations and their comfort levels in their identity, which are proven to be incorrect assumptions.
~
Some aspects of this book made me quite uncomfortable, for different reasons though. The misgendering, deadnaming, and outing that occurs at different points through the book were uncomfortable to read because I know that pain. But the scenes where Kylen is telling Everett about his attempt, and the fact that Thalia found him and everything about it was painful to read. I sent a message to a friend as I was reading it saying 'I knew when I picked it up that there was a chance I'd be affected by some of the themes. I knew that some of my triggers were aspects of the story. But fuck, I didn't think it would hurt this much. Reading about the same thought processes that have gone through my own mind, reading about a character who's parents don't accept him, and who deadname and misgender him, even in front of his friends. It's fine, and I know I'll survive it, but this shit hurts more than I anticipate sometimes.'
☆
☆
Without even having got past the second chapter, I'm already having thoughts. There's been an instance of outing (intentionally but with a purpose), and stereotyping (in the form of 'you won't pass with coloured hair'). I know I still have a lot more of the book to read, and that the two MMCs will probably become closer, but that's kinda a shitty thing to say to someone you've just met, even if you both know the other is trans.
~
Kylen is described as hyper masculine and a roadman. Everett, on the other hand, is more androgynous, or potentially femboy in terms of presentation. So there's a definite difference in that regard. Both of them make assumptions about the other, both in terms of their family situations and their comfort levels in their identity, which are proven to be incorrect assumptions.
~
Some aspects of this book made me quite uncomfortable, for different reasons though. The misgendering, deadnaming, and outing that occurs at different points through the book were uncomfortable to read because I know that pain. But the scenes where Kylen is telling Everett about his attempt, and the fact that Thalia found him and everything about it was painful to read. I sent a message to a friend as I was reading it saying 'I knew when I picked it up that there was a chance I'd be affected by some of the themes. I knew that some of my triggers were aspects of the story. But fuck, I didn't think it would hurt this much. Reading about the same thought processes that have gone through my own mind, reading about a character who's parents don't accept him, and who deadname and misgender him, even in front of his friends. It's fine, and I know I'll survive it, but this shit hurts more than I anticipate sometimes.'
February 16, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up.
There is an LGBTQ+ section in the school library, and there are four people who read everything in it: a year eleven, two year eights, and me. This was not from the library, but a recommendation from one of the year eights, who knows how annoyed I get at bad trans rep in books that are supposed to be affirmative.
At the beginning of the book, I struggled a bit with how much transphobia there was - even trans people can have internalised transphobia, and a character in this book really strongly expresses this. There was a lot of talk about "passing" which was horrible, but it worked in the narrative.
There were more grammatical errors and typos in this book than I'd expect from something published, and I did find that irritating. However, it was a really good read, and I will be thanking the pupil for their recommendation!
There is an LGBTQ+ section in the school library, and there are four people who read everything in it: a year eleven, two year eights, and me. This was not from the library, but a recommendation from one of the year eights, who knows how annoyed I get at bad trans rep in books that are supposed to be affirmative.
At the beginning of the book, I struggled a bit with how much transphobia there was - even trans people can have internalised transphobia, and a character in this book really strongly expresses this. There was a lot of talk about "passing" which was horrible, but it worked in the narrative.
There were more grammatical errors and typos in this book than I'd expect from something published, and I did find that irritating. However, it was a really good read, and I will be thanking the pupil for their recommendation!
July 24, 2024
This book has amazing transmasc rep with realistic struggles and situations that trans people may go through along with living life as a teenager. I found this book great and definitely worth the read!! (I'd like to say that I'm not trans myself but I am a part of the LGBTQ+ community and found good rep for many other sexualitys throughout this book!! ) I found this book through James tik tok and I'm so happy that I did. It made me feel safe to be around other people like me at the club even when I wasn't really there. This book made me feel accepted and proud to be part of this community 💖.
March 31, 2024
This book had me in tears at so many points. There's s lot of things and worries that I have experienced as a trans person but struggled to explain and vocalise and also other things which I've experienced but never known how to handle or if I handled it appropriately. I know this is a fiction book but it brought me so much closure as someone who's been out for four years. The characters will forever be close to my heart ❤
January 3, 2024
this book was so good i just couldn’t put it down and i recommend if you have even the slightest interest in trans people and their experiences and even more if you are trans. also the story is great and the characters are easy to connect to and the storyline was also really good even if you aren’t super interested in the lgbtq themes of the book :3
January 25, 2025
I absolutely loved this book, I really wish for a sequel. As a trans man I really felt comfortable in my own body, I even have the kindle edition of it! Honestly the author is such a nice person too!
December 27, 2025
this is such a good book!!!!
the differences between Everett and Kylen are really well portrayed, and it reveals lots about how cercumstances family and your outlook on life can change how you transition.
the differences between Everett and Kylen are really well portrayed, and it reveals lots about how cercumstances family and your outlook on life can change how you transition.
March 10, 2024
WOW I loved this book so much omg as a trans person myself i 100% recommend
April 7, 2024
Yall don’t understand how much I wish this was a popular book. This book had me in tears but it was so good whatttt
December 25, 2024
I literally did not put this down it's 2am rn
March 7, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed. Had me close to tears at times. Would definitely recommend.
January 12, 2025
"i gave him passing tips and the wisdom of my many years of transness, and he gave me a place to call home. a person to call home." ♡
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every time i am reminded that the guy who wrote this is now 17, i take a step back. this book is quite literally perfection. it is written so so well and so beautifully. i cried many many times but also felt all the good feelings yu can feel from a book.
•
even though i myself don’t identify as trans, i’m still coming to terms with being non-binary and this book expressing the stress and fear about being confused about what your identity or/and gender is is so comforting to see. it’s so beautiful to see confusion lead to happiness and acceptance and it makes me feel like maybe one day i won’t be scared and i'll also be able to accept everything about my identity
•
i hope that one day i get the chance to meet James Conway and give him a massive hug because this book means so much to me it’s hard to even explain.
this book is now my safe place.
•
as a young teen who is also a writer and who will (hopefully) one day be a published author, i will always stand by the fact that people should read more self published books and this is proof that you should.
•
i just know that this book is genuinely one of the best books i have ever read and will most likely ever read.
thank you james for using your own experiences to write one of the best queer books i have ever seen. you helped me, and other people, a lot.
-
every time i am reminded that the guy who wrote this is now 17, i take a step back. this book is quite literally perfection. it is written so so well and so beautifully. i cried many many times but also felt all the good feelings yu can feel from a book.
•
even though i myself don’t identify as trans, i’m still coming to terms with being non-binary and this book expressing the stress and fear about being confused about what your identity or/and gender is is so comforting to see. it’s so beautiful to see confusion lead to happiness and acceptance and it makes me feel like maybe one day i won’t be scared and i'll also be able to accept everything about my identity
•
i hope that one day i get the chance to meet James Conway and give him a massive hug because this book means so much to me it’s hard to even explain.
this book is now my safe place.
•
as a young teen who is also a writer and who will (hopefully) one day be a published author, i will always stand by the fact that people should read more self published books and this is proof that you should.
•
i just know that this book is genuinely one of the best books i have ever read and will most likely ever read.
thank you james for using your own experiences to write one of the best queer books i have ever seen. you helped me, and other people, a lot.
June 5, 2024
Everett was definitely a mutant from mars
January 30, 2024
Honestly, pretty cute. I honestly liked the fact that they weren't weirdly put into a relationship and stayed friends. The whole book felt very real and health-ily talked through and taken care of.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews