Ollie in Between

by Jess Callans

As endearing as it is humorous, this debut middle grade novel by Jess Callans is a tender, queer coming of age story about the courage it takes to find your own voice and choosing to just be.

Puberty, AKA the ultimate biological predator, is driving a wedge between soon-to-be 13 year old Ollie Thompson and their lifelong friends.

Too much of a girl for their neighborhood hockey team, but not girly enough for their boy-crazed BFF, Ollie doesn’t know where they fit. And their usual ability to camouflage? Woefully disrupted.

When a school project asks them to write an essay on what it means to be a woman (if anyone’s got an answer, that’d be great), and one of their new friends is the target of bullying, Ollie is caught between the safety of fleeing from their own differences or confronting the risks of fighting to take their own path forward.

Genres: Middle Grade, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Realistic Fiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really felt like had I been more self-aware as a child I would have been Ollie. Everything about them is so relatable and how they experience gender and sexuality and friendships and hobbies is so similar to me that I really felt right at home with this book. It absolutely wrenched my heart strings a little bit and I am so happy that I got a chance to read this and that it exists for other people to find.

My autism as a kid and teenager was more of the just do what others are doing and everything will be fine and in a way Ollie is like that as well but they recognize that something is different with them. I didn't notice that as a child. I just tried to blend in and do what my two friends were doing. so seeing Ollie start this book with two main friends who both end up being a bit disappointing and finding a group of friends that is so much more inclusive was really heartwarming. I loved their relationship with their sister and their super awkward definitely autistic dad.

this one does deal with some queer phobia and transphobia from both other students and from Ollie's grandparents. I understand that could be difficult to read so if that is going to be triggering maybe skip this one. I will say that it's all dealt with and Ollie is supported so do it that what you will.

One of the big highlights for this for me was Ollie's interviews with women in their life. and then reading the authors know at the end that this is something they did in college was really fascinating for me. I love that the general consensus is that no one really knows what womanhood is and that felt very relatable as an AFAB agender person.

this is very much a character driven book and there's not a ton of plot going on. I would classify it almost as a slice of life but where Ollie is dealing with their mom's death and figuring out their own gender, autism, and sexuality as a preteen.

Iranian American MC, autistic, aspec questioning, nonbinary

[Annine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to RBMedia and Recorded Books for the audioARC.

🩵 trans, non-binary and queer kids
🩷 figuring out who you are
🤍 being brave enough to be who you are
🩷 queer kids gravitating towards eachother
🩵 autism rep, anxiety/panic attacks, half-Iranian non-binary MC

I just loved this. So many relatable things with Ollie's gender journey, even though they are 12 and I was ~20 when I started questioning my gender. This book questions what it means to be a woman, and shows that most women can't really give a satisfying answer to that.

This is a middle-grade book, but I think it works for any ages, and especially for people questioning their gender or people wanting to learn more about trans/non-binary experience.

The audiobook is narrated by Vico Ortiz, which I think was a perfect fit. I love the way they tell a story and I love their voice.

cw: transphobia, homophobia, previous death of a parent, misgendering

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really transported me back to middle school, puberty, figuring out who you are and who your friends are…I loved how we were learning about Ollie at the same time they were learning about themself. Lots of moments that felt like something I had lived through in middle school. Lots of good lessons - no matter your age - and I hope everybody gets a chance to read this book!!

[Bethany Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my GOSH I loved this book. It’s absolutely a perfect middle grade and finding out it’s an homage to one of my favorite books Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret!? Amazing. I could not recommend this book more, and I’m a little bit in love with @jesscallans’ writing. Wow!!!

I LOVED Ollie’s Journey in this book. They were so incredibly relatable, and their thoughts on puberty and growing up and figuring out who you are - phew. Way too real. I loved how they created a little found family at school, who they could love and trust. I LOVED the queer kids at school. They gave me the warm fuzzies.

This book is incredibly well written and the narration by @puertoricaninja is not to be missed. Vico brought such an amazing voice to Ollie and all of the characters. Their interpretation was amazing.

Love love love!!!!!

[haley ⊹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

you couldn't pay me to be 12 years old again

[Courtney Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read a queer middle grade book like this, a little piece of my younger self heals 🥺 this is the type of book that I wish I had in middle school but it makes me really happy that kids have stories like this today! Being a preteen/teenager is so hard is so many ways and feeling different for any reason just makes it so much harder. I hope one day we get to the point where this time in people’s lives are able to be easier with less pressure and fear but until then, I’m at least glad there’s stories like this one to help people feel a little less alone!

[seasalted.citrus (Topaz, Oliver) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t get any say in this, and that’s got to be the most messed-up thing in the world, right? This is my body. I’ve had it for my whole life, and it’s just going to go and change without consulting me?
I like how I look.

(Callans, 2025, pg 63.)

Preserving my rating, because I did in fact give 4 stars on StoryGraph upon a reread. While I have been anticipating reading the finished version since I read my ARC, to be honest, I do not have fond memories of when I first visited Ollie In Between. I agree with the nonbinary reviewers I have seen that have put their copy down because it felt too real. Jesse Callans crafts an earnest and oftentimes heartbreaking portrayal of grief, dysphoria, and the pressure to assimilate, all of which are universal themes (okay, maybe not the dysphoria, although puberty is horrifying for everyone) but I have been recently resonating with. For that reason, when I saw the reviews praising the humor of Ollie’s inner voice, I was confused. What kind of misery-loving freakazoid would look at a book like this one and think that, below the layers of depression and graphic bullying, there was gentleness? You mean to tell me that a story that uses the decomposing process of a dead body as a metaphor is anything close to easy to read???

And then I decided to revisit through the audiobook this time, and… oh my god, I get it.

I finally felt like I knew what all of the blurbs meant when they mentioned this sense of compassion I just could not see the first time around. From the animal kingdom metaphors that Ollie sometimes uses to criticize their former friends, to the absurdity of their guilt-tinged fantasies, and the playful banter of the QBC. Nonetheless, it keeps the gravity of its narrative intact with some pretty somber narration outside of that, without feeling like there was too much of a flip-flop between tones. Overall, I found the audiobook very enjoyable, which was a descriptor I wasn’t originally intending on using!

(idk, excluding DNFs I’ve listened to 11 different Vico Ortiz audiobooks and this might be my fave so far??? Which is saying a lot, not just because of the number but because Lakelore is stiff competition imo.)

Enough of the audiobook, though. I’ll try to address some of my ARC review points:

#1: The resolution had a lot of wishful thinking on Ollie’s end, especially for the final meeting with [REDACTED].
• I think this is partially true. It’s a change that’s definitely only a result of [REDACTED] personally being affected by the bigoted beliefs previously enforced. Doesn’t help that the actions in question were due to seeking approval, and not self-preservation, even if there was a definite level of insecurity projected onto Ollie. I have mixed feelings about how open-ended this arc is left, but even if Ollie feels a number of emotions (and I wish they would at least wait a few years to let that friend back into their life), forgiveness is not one of them. At least, not unconditional forgiveness.
• I think part of why I was hurt reading this resolution was because, to me, just reading the ARC, I interpreted it as manipulation?? Unsure if the text changed from the original (I no longer have access to my notes), or if I’m just processing it differently due to the narration.
#2: The QBC did not have enough page time compared to Ollie’s bullies.
• I guess I can see where I was coming from, especially in the moments where Ollie is avoiding them (and, by proxy, their own true self)? But I think a lot of this can be chalked down to me blocking out a good 2/3rds of the story when I felt the need to read on a deadline. Since then, I’ve had a year to process everything the ARC brought up and find a new therapist.
• Of the characters in the QBC, Stella felt the most fleshed-out. Not only did she provide the most insight into the group to Ollie, but the second-most important QBC character to Ollie’s arc, Dina, felt more like an accomplice to Stella.

One “minor” change I noticed in the final copy was that Ollie confusing their disconnect from womanhood with their (strongly implied) autism was cut out? I remember there being one line about it in the ARC, and I didn’t hear it in the final version. Interesting. I thought that was one of the most relatable parts of their character.

(On a more positive note, I think that the Razor Incident™️ was trimmed down—no pun intended. If I’m remembering correctly, the ARC had an extra sentence or two about Ollie imagining how they would hurt themself with the razor before the accidental cut. There’s still some implication around thoughts of actual self-harm, but it’s just an implication.)

I also agree with other reviewers that I would have liked to see more of Ollie’s Persian background. While their sister, Lila, kept some of their mom’s culture intact, they were very disconnected from it for a bulk of the book and it’s not elaborated on much? Especially with their own view of womanhood, which is influenced by Eurocentric standards and their white grandparents. I’m curious as to why they didn’t try to research it, if they’re already trying to research how to be a woman or how to socialize with people.

Lila and Ollie’s sibling relationship was a definite highlight for me this time around. It was incredibly realistic, and I especially loved how complex Lila was as a character (along with her being the first person in Ollie’s circle to try to stand up for them)! Additionally, her thoughts on womanhood, along with how she tried to connect them back to Ollie, were intensely understandable and relatable. I am curious if any older readers saw parts of their inner voice in her because that was definitely the case for me. Created an interesting contrast between her and Ollie.

Lastly, while I understand why some people may be turned off by the heavy-handed animal and nature metaphors, especially when they get a little repetitive, I personally loved the themes they established. Particularly the smashers motif!

I think the only other criticism I have is that, for the life of me, I cannot tell who Ollie is meant to be talking to?? It’s obviously the reader, but what role does the reader have? God, like the Judy Blume book this novel was originally a response to? Whichever invisible voice or force Ollie thinks might be judging themself? Some other part of their brain?? While that style of addressing the reader is practically meant for an audiobook format, it was still sometimes disorienting, especially when Ollie would become strangely confrontational.

I really do hope that Jesse Callans publishes more books, though!! I’m very glad I got to revisit this! With that said, my raised rating is definitely reflective of my current experience, not some magical change in quality. (Very little text was changed from the version I read.)

Now! If you don’t mind me, now that I’ve conquered my semi-rational fear of the audiobook, I’m going to wait at least 2 years before touching this novel ever again!

———
ARC review (07 May, 2025):
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Here is my merged review.

3.5 stars rounded up. (Although, I rounded it down on NetGalley. I don’t know, this was a tricky one to rate because of my experience with it.) As a reader who doesn’t fit neatly into the gender binary, I was really looking forward to this book, although me and Ollie’s coming out experiences are vastly different. Trans middle grade, especially novels with non-white protagonists, is extremely and troublingly rare. Although I gave this book a lower rating, I don’t think that should discourage others from reading this: “Ollie In Between” provides a visceral, often deeply uncomfortable, glimpse into entering puberty in a body your true self isn’t recognized in. Ollie’s dysphoria and anxiety goes so much deeper than a stereotypical, “born in the wrong body” trans narrative. Grief, family dynamics, and gender were handled in such a way that it brought me to tears (and, fine, ONE breakdown).

With that said, my main issues come from both the pacing and the ending. If you don’t relate to Ollie’s story, there isn’t much to get out of it. While it’s not totally slice-of-life and is still driven heavily by external conflict, the writing tries to be more introspective, something that I felt was dulled by Ollie’s circling lines of thinking as they struggle to grow into their identity. The ending was also frustratingly optimistic, which I understand is to give the target demographic hope, but to me it just felt like forgetting the actions and hurt of certain characters that were especially cruel towards Ollie (and unarguably fueled their spirals). I’m a bit iffy on one of those cases, though, because at least with that particular character it was implied that Ollie had some wishful thinking (which, unfortunately understandable).

I did like the autism representation, though. There were some very graphic sensory overload scenes that showed how emotional triggers lead to them just as much as physical ones. I also felt Ollie being neurodivergent (and already struggling to fit in with their peers) added a layer to their already complicated gender identity.

I’m still glad this book exists. Unsure of if it’ll reach more kids, or adults who read middle grade, though. (I’m hoping the former, but with the writing style, and how triggering it could be, I don’t know.)

To trans kin who’ll be reading this, here’s a list of TWs, since I would’ve found them helpful: Graphic dysphoria and queerphobia (including some deadnaming— more minor, since Ollie and the others doesn’t recognize it as such yet), panic attacks including sensory overload, grief and off-page death of a parent, and some thoughts of self harm.

[Rapunzel Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Ollie In Between, but it consistently fell somewhat short of my expectations. I’m always seeking out new middle-grade stories of nonbinary and trans self-discovery, and based on the description, I was hoping Ollie In Between would find its place among my favorites. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite manage that. There was a lot to enjoy about this book, from the thoughtful exploration of womanhood and how the difficulty to define gender makes it even more difficult to understand your nonbinary identity to the Ollie’s complex family dynamics to the transphobia and homophobia of their peers to the new friend group they find themself part of. However, it fell a little flat for me. This story felt a little more wandering than I wanted it to, a little too aimless to be character-driven, and though I appreciated elements of the ending, it was a little too tidy for me. Overall, I think that Ollie In Between is a valuable book to read and share, because I think many readers discovering themselves will find themselves in it—I think I would’ve five or six years ago. However, I wasn’t personally a huge fan.

2.5/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

[Winnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

I had the biggest smile on my face after completing this wholesome novel. Ollie's journey discovering their gender identity mirrored so many of my own moments growing up as a confused, scared, and most definitely not cis girl.

Jess Callans wrote this book with the prompt from school that asks, "What defines a woman/womanhood?", and coincidentally, our main protagonist, Ollie, dives in their health class to answer the very same question in their essay. After interviewing several adults, friends, and their sister, they are just as frustrated and confused as ever.

What comes out of the essay, and the end of the novel, is a teen with inclusive, queer, and loyal friends in a queer book club.

Even though this book is written for juniors/middle-grade level readers, it touches on some really difficult topics and themes. I wish I could bottle up the feelings I had while reading this and carry it with me always, because it makes me feel safe and cozy.

I hope Jess Callans will continue to write more books because I am definitely a new fan!

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warnings: misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, menstruation, bullying, dysphoria, death of a parent (in the past), panic attacks

4.5 stars

A beautiful and heartfelt examination of the complexities of puberty in general and specifically when one is questioning one's gender identity. I loved Ollie as a protagonist, and while I desperately wish there had been SOME examination of Ollie's fairly obvious neurodivergence, I adored this nonetheless.

As others have said, I wish this had included Ollie's essay on what it means to be a woman, but I also kind of understand why it wasn't?

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I needed growing up 😭

I relate so much to Ollie, from being obsessed with National Geographic magazines as a kid to experiencing anxiety/panic attacks to feeling not quite like a woman but not quite like a man. I wish I had the same level of self-awareness and access to resources Ollie did when when I was their age so I could have better understood what I was feeling at the time rather than just now starting to figure it all out in my twenties (but hey, better late than never right???)

One of my favorite parts was how differently the ladies answered the “what does it mean to a be a woman?” question throughout the book. It was cool hearing all their unique perspectives, and served as a good reminder that there’s no right way to “be” a gender.

Since I listened to the audiobook version, I also want to add that I really enjoyed the narrator and they seemed like a fantastic choice to voice Ollie!

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the audio ARC! 🫶🏼

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! It made me cry several times and does such a good job of explaining the whole Gender experience

[Camille Callant · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you never see yourself in the world, how are you supposed to think you can exist?"

[Tori G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow what a perfect book expertly narrated by Vico Ortiz. My heart hurt but then healed.

[Soph Mastorakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very very good and means a lot to me. I related desperately to the main character, and i wish this book were around when i was in middle school. Also it’s pretty cool that i recently read melissa before this one!

[Pujashree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could've been a heartachingly bleak read in this current climate of widespread and state-sanctioned hostility against trans and nonbinary children. And not gonna lie, Ollie's justified fear and paralysis over their identity did gut me and took me back to similar feelings of shame and insufficiency as a genderqueer child. But ultimately this ended up being rather wholesome, with no particularly horrific tragedies befalling queer children, and transphobia of all ages being called out and put in their places, but not magically converted out of their bigotry. I like that for a middle grade book, even if it lacks nuance for even a slightly older young adult reader. Ollie's interview project, akin to the author's which led to both of their gender journey, is super interesting in revealing how everyone in the spectrum of gender is isolated in their own ways, and that was refreshing to see in a middle grade book. That said, the part I wish would be been explored a bit more was about their Persian side of the family and what that heritage brought to the table of the gender questioning beyond just the food and the vague memories of a deceased mom. The choice of Vico Ortiz as the audiobook narrator is always brilliant. Thanks to Netgalley for both an ebook and audiobook ARC.

[Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content warnings: transphobia, bullying, references to past parental death.

Rep: Ollie (MC) is Iranian-American, nonbinary, autistic (not on page, but definitely is), and also has a-spec vibes. Side POC characters, side queer characters.


I got this as an audio early listening copy from net galley - so thank you to them for that.

This one was a 'right in the feels' kind of book. I wish I'd had something like this when I was younger. It explored the not wanting a period issues that I felt the same with as a kid.
I loved their determination to find out what a 'woman' really was, and it felt so true to have so many people not be able to define what it actually is or meant.
Anyway, this one was very lovely.

[suvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ollie in Between is an absolutely stunning book about trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be and finding who your place in the world. I think my life would have been a lot easier if I had a book like this when I was in middle school because I wouldn't have felt so very alone in the world because if I think back to that time, I remember it as a long line of events where I was somewhere on the scale from little anxious to utterly terrified.

Ollie's thoughts and actions are some that I recognise in myself as an autistic person. I do not know if it was intended that way but Ollie does read very much autistic to me. Which brings to me the fact that this book is pitched as "endearing and humorous" and as I often do, I fail to see the humorous part in this book. I have noticed this pattern of characters reading as autistic to me and someone calling it funny? What's that about? Is it me or is it everyone else? Will report back if I ever figure that out!

Ollie's journey with gender is also very relatable to me and I think life could have been easier that way too if I had a book like this when I was younger and was a bit more self-aware. Or perhaps it would have made me even more terrified about everything. Who knows. If anyone is curious, I have yet to figure things out with gender. But I am also at point in my life where I couldn't care less about gender. Like, y'all, we are on a floating rock in space??

Anyways, Ollie in Between was a comforting book to me and one that I will be thinking about for a very long time to come.

I should read middle grade more often, had great time! (I cried twice) Would 100% recommend!

"I think kids' books give you happy endings because it's the only place you'll ever get them."

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an awesome book. I loved Ollie and getting to watch them experience their place in the world and also so desperate to fit in.

It felt so easy for me to go back in time and remember myself at this age, and just truly how difficult everything feels. To fit in, to find yourself, to know yourself, to find friends, to try to feel close to your family, to find out what you like, etc. It all feels like so much. I think Callans did an incredible job of displaying these feelings and emotions in Ollie for the reader. It felt so real, like I was experiencing it in real time with them.

I feel like this book is so important, not only those questions their gender identity but for everyone else as well. It’s crucial to remember that everyone else experiences the world different than ourselves. No two people are the same, and that’s the beauty of diversity and inclusion. I loved how Ollie got to see and experience kids their age stick up for them and their friends. I loved the Queer Book Club and how those friends allowed Ollie to question and slowly accept themselves. It’s important to stick up for others in the face of bullying and harassment, and I loved moments where we got to see that and how it showed Ollie’s old friends just how important it is to go against the status quo.

CW: transphobia, homophobia, bullying, sexism, misogyny, panic attacks/disorders, body shaming, death of parent (off page, before book time period)

[Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
Too much of a girl for their neighborhood hockey team, but not girly enough for their boy-crazed BFF, Ollie doesn’t know where they fit anymore. When a school project asks them to write an essay on what it means to be a woman, Ollie finds themself torn between the safety of hiding and the risk of embracing their truth.

This middle-grade novel about a nonbinary kid coming into their own is absolutely beautiful. As an adult navigating similar questions, it felt incredibly healing to read. So many of Ollie’s thoughts around gender, identity, and being seen as a woman were deeply resonant, right in the feels, again and again. I'm so happy that kids today have access to stories like this.

Slightly disappointed that Ollie was clearly written as autistic but it never got mentioned at any point. I guess that's something else they're going to have to figure out, but it could have been briefly mentioned already...

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A MG novel about a kiddo trying to figure out who they are on all sorts of levels while in the midst of middle school and all the crappy stuff that happens there, including bullying and shifts in friend groups. I thought it was excellent and well-deserving of the Stonewall Honor award. The MG voices ring true, and the author deftly describes what it’s like to try to negotiate the massive insecurities we face at that age and at the same time what it’s like to deal with the cruelties of other kids who react to their own insecurity by lashing out at others. This is one of those books I wish I’d had available as a junior high student, because I felt a lot of the same emotions and thought a lot of the same thoughts as Ollie does here, and at the time I didn’t know that I wasn’t the only one. It would have been a great comfort in a miserable and lonely time, and I hope it serves in that capacity for other kids now.

[isabella. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

This book follows Ollie, a nonbinary child, who’s working on a project for health class to figure out what womanhood means while also trying to figure who they are and where they fit.

I really loved this book! I may have teared up a few times while I was reading. I really enjoyed the discussions Ollie would have about womanhood and what it means to the people she interviewed. I also liked seeing how all of these discussions ended up helping Ollie figure out who they are and find a new friend group who accepts them for who they are.

I can definitely see this book being helpful to people of all ages, queer or not, since we’re all just trying to figure what it means to be us. I’m excited to read more books by Jess in the future.

actual rating: 4.5 stars

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m middle aged, ADHD (maybe low support needs AuDHD? Not worth investigating right now), and cisgender with no strong feelings about my gender other than appreciating some of the social rewards of presenting femme and being deeply uninterested in pushing back against norms with my own presentation.

I found so much to relate to in this book. Puberty was hard for me. I didn’t feel prepared for it. I didn’t feel like I had much community or support through it. Middle school then High school the darkest time of my life.

Reading Ollies story was healing for my inner child. Seeing many of my struggles reflected in Ollie’s neurodivergence gave me time to reflect on my own experiences and reframe them.

This is my favorite quote: “I think girlhood is trying to understand how to be a woman, like any woman or the right woman, and womanhood is figuring out what being a woman means to you”

And I think it translates beautifully to a gender-free concept - childhood is trying the play act at a version of yourself that makes society happy, but truly coming of age is accepting that you’ll never fit comfortably in someone else’s box and decide to lean in to your inner self.

[Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute. I loved how the author made us feel the way that Ollie felt. They put us into Ollie's world and it really painted the picture of what it felt to realize your gender identity, all while not really knowing what gender identity is and how it's supposed to make you feel. They also didn't sacrifice a plot for how the feelings were shown, it wrapped up nicely. I also love that they didn't write Ollie with parents or a sister who disapproved of who they were, that there were other sides to coming out and being queer and that it can be a mix-match of a support system and those who shouldn't be in your life. At points I disliked how it was structured, it could be a little confusing at part, but all in all, I love Ollie's story and their character development. I also loved how their story didn't end when the book ended, it was very clear that they were still on a journey.

[Andrew William · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

this was very cute!! I loved the found family that Oliver had with the queer book club, I love the representation of queer joy and the representation in general, and I loved Ollie as a character. I think they had such good charm and realistic thinking for a middle schooler. Their thought spirals felt very realistic and they were such a well thought out character.

i think the side characters and some of the plot lines could've had some better development, or like more time spent with them, i think the book was a bit too short, and after a while some of the repetition in the prose felt a little too repetitive.

while not a new favorite its definitely something I would reccomend and I know have a new author to keep an eye on :)

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ollie is such an engaging, relatable protagonist. I loved the exploration of what it means to be a girl/woman, and how socially-driven these labels are. This will speak to so many middle schoolers who have their own questions about adolescence and beyond.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ollie in Between is a great coming of age novel that shows great insight into the experience of figuring out who you are and how you fit into the world... and how notes how that is a life long process. Charming characters that show how being anything other than Cisgender/heterosexual gives you scrutiny... especially in middle school.

As a therapist who often works with LGBTQIA+ youth, I would recommend this books for parents to read. Callans presents the journey of identity in a way that is relatable, understandable while being vulnerable. I also think the author hits a key part about the coming out process when addressing grandparents. (Paraphrasing) Its okay that older generations may need more time to understand but that does NOT give them excuse to be mean or rude about it. 100%

[BooksAsDreams (Tiffany)]

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sort of representation I wish I'd had as a kid.

[Boooks with Tokyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “Ollie in between”. This book means so much to me 🖤 Even if i’m not experiencing exactly what Ollie was going through, there were a lot of times throughout the book where i saw myself in they/them. I highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone, especially to those who ever felt like they don’t belong. I will 100% buy this book to annotate it and add it to my collection ✨🌈