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Star Fruit
"Star Fruit takes a bold and refreshing look at queer identity, resilience, and allyship in the African Diaspora."
— New York Weekly
“[W]itty and engaging...The themes of love, friendship, and unwavering loyalty shine through the muck and mire of contemporary bigotry, highlighting the queer 'glimmers' identified at the start of the book.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*Trans Rights Readathon 2025 Author Spotlight*
Set in a high school in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles—aka the Black Beverly Hills—Star Fruit follows high school seniors Ari (a gay autistic teen), Atlas (a young trans man), and Ya, their cishet ally and best friend, as they navigate self- acceptance, unrequited love, and homophobia.
A timely, heartfelt, and much-needed story for queer youth, Star Fruit illustrates the nuances of queerphobia and queer identity in the African Diaspora and unapologetically celebrates Black LGBTQIA+ joy and resilience.
When the student theater committee rejects yet another one of Ari’s queer PGM (people of the global majority) scripts, Ya—Ari’s best friend and Atlas's cousin—takes matters into her own hands and convinces their principal to put on the play anyway. The only condition is that they'll have to fund the production themselves.
Following Ya’s lead, Ari and Atlas reluctantly agree to take on a project that feels unconquerable. As the three race against the clock to gather the cast, crew, and funds, their friendships are tested when new relationships, jealousy, and resentment threaten to tear apart their lifelong bond.
If that wasn’t enough, a queerphobic parent organization spearheads a series of protests, online transphobic and homophobic hate, and violence, after reading Ari’s script.
All the while, Atlas struggles to fully accept himself, Ari grapples with the daunting challenge of navigating her autism and standing up for herself, and Ya confronts what makes a good ally.
Told from Ari, Atlas, and Ya’s alternating POVs, Star Fruit invaluably reminds us that all Black lives matter—as do their joy and vulnerability.
— New York Weekly
“[W]itty and engaging...The themes of love, friendship, and unwavering loyalty shine through the muck and mire of contemporary bigotry, highlighting the queer 'glimmers' identified at the start of the book.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*Trans Rights Readathon 2025 Author Spotlight*
Set in a high school in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles—aka the Black Beverly Hills—Star Fruit follows high school seniors Ari (a gay autistic teen), Atlas (a young trans man), and Ya, their cishet ally and best friend, as they navigate self- acceptance, unrequited love, and homophobia.
A timely, heartfelt, and much-needed story for queer youth, Star Fruit illustrates the nuances of queerphobia and queer identity in the African Diaspora and unapologetically celebrates Black LGBTQIA+ joy and resilience.
When the student theater committee rejects yet another one of Ari’s queer PGM (people of the global majority) scripts, Ya—Ari’s best friend and Atlas's cousin—takes matters into her own hands and convinces their principal to put on the play anyway. The only condition is that they'll have to fund the production themselves.
Following Ya’s lead, Ari and Atlas reluctantly agree to take on a project that feels unconquerable. As the three race against the clock to gather the cast, crew, and funds, their friendships are tested when new relationships, jealousy, and resentment threaten to tear apart their lifelong bond.
If that wasn’t enough, a queerphobic parent organization spearheads a series of protests, online transphobic and homophobic hate, and violence, after reading Ari’s script.
All the while, Atlas struggles to fully accept himself, Ari grapples with the daunting challenge of navigating her autism and standing up for herself, and Ya confronts what makes a good ally.
Told from Ari, Atlas, and Ya’s alternating POVs, Star Fruit invaluably reminds us that all Black lives matter—as do their joy and vulnerability.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 1, 2025
Thank you to Kamryn Kingsberry and NetGalley for the ARC.
Star Fruit was a sweet, diverse read centering around the joyful exploits of three teenagers and their theatre department.
As a reader and a secondary school English teacher, I'm always looking for queer YA books that show more than tragedy and unhappiness to recommend to my LGBTQIA+ club. Star Fruit delivered this in spades. The friendship between the three MCs and their approach to tackling both racism and queerphobia was refreshing, and I found myself smiling frequently from the unabashed queer joy sparkling from every page.
I did find some lines jarring, mostly around Ya's allyship - early on in the novel, she thinks about how she might be 'overstepping her LGBTQIA+ allyship status', for instance - and I have to be honest, I've never once encountered a teenager with that kind of eloquence or self awareness when they're passionate about something. These moments are fleeting however, and by the end of the book this feels much more natural. Otherwise, the characters are well developed and interesting, and the relationship between Ari and Atlus was a particular high point. The friendships are lovely.
Overall, I will be recommending this book to my students on release and getting a copy for my classroom. I loved this book!
4.5 stars.
Star Fruit was a sweet, diverse read centering around the joyful exploits of three teenagers and their theatre department.
As a reader and a secondary school English teacher, I'm always looking for queer YA books that show more than tragedy and unhappiness to recommend to my LGBTQIA+ club. Star Fruit delivered this in spades. The friendship between the three MCs and their approach to tackling both racism and queerphobia was refreshing, and I found myself smiling frequently from the unabashed queer joy sparkling from every page.
I did find some lines jarring, mostly around Ya's allyship - early on in the novel, she thinks about how she might be 'overstepping her LGBTQIA+ allyship status', for instance - and I have to be honest, I've never once encountered a teenager with that kind of eloquence or self awareness when they're passionate about something. These moments are fleeting however, and by the end of the book this feels much more natural. Otherwise, the characters are well developed and interesting, and the relationship between Ari and Atlus was a particular high point. The friendships are lovely.
Overall, I will be recommending this book to my students on release and getting a copy for my classroom. I loved this book!
4.5 stars.
March 20, 2025
Thank you Kamryn Kingsberry and netgally for letting me read this book early in exchange for an honest review.
Holy shit I loved this book. It’s so unapologetically queer, these are the kinds of books I needed when I was younger. I love the dynamic the friendgroup has, it’s kinda messy but that’s life. They talk about how they feel and how they can support each other. Sure not everything goes right, ya does her best to help them in the way she knows how but ends up learning that’s not the best way and changes at the end of the book.
I loved Ari and Taylor’s relationship. I really felt that Ari was so into Taylor that she forgot how atlas must have felt about it. That sort of thing just happens to you, especially in your first queer relationship.
Atlas getting over Ari also gave me all the feelings. It was very hard situation and I understood his bittersweet feeling about it. Because it’s great Ari doesn’t like him like that because he’s a guy and she’s a lesbian. She really sees him for who he is. But that also must really hurt to know the girl you like will never like you back because she sees who you really are.
And my god I love the title and how that came back in the book, that was beautiful!
The only thing I liked less in the book was the use of the word “bruh” but I might just be getting to old for that lol.
Holy shit I loved this book. It’s so unapologetically queer, these are the kinds of books I needed when I was younger. I love the dynamic the friendgroup has, it’s kinda messy but that’s life. They talk about how they feel and how they can support each other. Sure not everything goes right, ya does her best to help them in the way she knows how but ends up learning that’s not the best way and changes at the end of the book.
I loved Ari and Taylor’s relationship. I really felt that Ari was so into Taylor that she forgot how atlas must have felt about it. That sort of thing just happens to you, especially in your first queer relationship.
Atlas getting over Ari also gave me all the feelings. It was very hard situation and I understood his bittersweet feeling about it. Because it’s great Ari doesn’t like him like that because he’s a guy and she’s a lesbian. She really sees him for who he is. But that also must really hurt to know the girl you like will never like you back because she sees who you really are.
And my god I love the title and how that came back in the book, that was beautiful!
The only thing I liked less in the book was the use of the word “bruh” but I might just be getting to old for that lol.
June 27, 2025
The friendship of the three MC’s definitely sold me on this story especially how they worked together to get Ari play the recognition that it deserved. Now my favorite part about this book would have to be the LGBTQIA and Autism Awareness this book showed 🥰. Definitely worth the read.
March 9, 2026
This feels like it's meant for a younger audience than YA and the prose is quite simple (to the point of not being as engaging as it could be, I feel). Good for education about being queer and an ally but it also feels shallower than it could have been.
March 29, 2025
4 stars
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
okay so this was really cute! i really liked the nuance that this book contained and i think it's totally realistic for teenagers to speak and act like atlas, ari and ya do. i really enjoyed the exploration of masculinity and the patriarchy through atlas, ya's struggle to be a "good ally", and ari's experience of autism. the representation within this book is all really authentic and accessible. the romance subplots were all really sweet too.
my only two gripes are that the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism was referenced in a neutral/positive light (despite it not being accepted as appropriate by most of the asd community) and that some of the flashback dialogue sections didn't seem realistic to the ages that the characters were meant to be (e.g. 5 or in second grade).
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
okay so this was really cute! i really liked the nuance that this book contained and i think it's totally realistic for teenagers to speak and act like atlas, ari and ya do. i really enjoyed the exploration of masculinity and the patriarchy through atlas, ya's struggle to be a "good ally", and ari's experience of autism. the representation within this book is all really authentic and accessible. the romance subplots were all really sweet too.
my only two gripes are that the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism was referenced in a neutral/positive light (despite it not being accepted as appropriate by most of the asd community) and that some of the flashback dialogue sections didn't seem realistic to the ages that the characters were meant to be (e.g. 5 or in second grade).
January 1, 2026
I am going to reserve my star rating for when the book is published as at this point there is a bunch of formatting as well and developmental editing that needs to be done to make the story fluid and understandable.
That being said, I went into this book blind. I snatched it up when I read the, queer, BIPOC and autistic in the same space.
The story itself was endearing and important to have available for young folks to be able to consume.
It is a bit heavy on the “tell” over “show” and uses a lot of buzz words and current hot button topics sprinkled throughout the book. It can sound a bit too much, especially to a young reader. The content is YA but it does read a bit more like a middle grade or very young YA.
2 majors plot issues I had was describing actions that were not age appropriate at all from a developmental stance. Without spoiling things. There is a point where the chapter is recounting when Arielle, a queer autistic cis female, was 5 years old. The issue is the story attached is not at all believable for 5 year olds. She continues on to chapters with Sonya and how she came to be in her living situation, again at 5 years old but the conversations with her parents are not at all what a child of that age could have.
The other plot point surrounds Atlas, the transgender male character. This can be hard to write when you are writing flashbacks type scenes to before the decision to transition was made. However, while a character made an earlier comment that she some how reframed all her pre transition memories of her friend Atlas to remember them as if they were a male, several chapters later it makes for confusing prose for their meeting at 5 years old.
Now for the positive. I love that the author is putting out a story that gives the opportunity for learning as well as for young people to see themselves in the pages. The story of friendships and beyond as they tackle their last year in high school and racking part of the coming of age process.
Also kudos for making them theater kids and not the typical focus on actors. While this high school would be very different from most kids in the US’s experience, they do exist where the theatre arts are taken more seriously and allow for original plays.
I’m going to recommend this book as I’m sure by the final published version it’ll be something that young adults and teachers would lucky to pick up.
I am thankful to have gotten the ARC for free from the author through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
That being said, I went into this book blind. I snatched it up when I read the, queer, BIPOC and autistic in the same space.
The story itself was endearing and important to have available for young folks to be able to consume.
It is a bit heavy on the “tell” over “show” and uses a lot of buzz words and current hot button topics sprinkled throughout the book. It can sound a bit too much, especially to a young reader. The content is YA but it does read a bit more like a middle grade or very young YA.
2 majors plot issues I had was describing actions that were not age appropriate at all from a developmental stance. Without spoiling things. There is a point where the chapter is recounting when Arielle, a queer autistic cis female, was 5 years old. The issue is the story attached is not at all believable for 5 year olds. She continues on to chapters with Sonya and how she came to be in her living situation, again at 5 years old but the conversations with her parents are not at all what a child of that age could have.
The other plot point surrounds Atlas, the transgender male character. This can be hard to write when you are writing flashbacks type scenes to before the decision to transition was made. However, while a character made an earlier comment that she some how reframed all her pre transition memories of her friend Atlas to remember them as if they were a male, several chapters later it makes for confusing prose for their meeting at 5 years old.
Now for the positive. I love that the author is putting out a story that gives the opportunity for learning as well as for young people to see themselves in the pages. The story of friendships and beyond as they tackle their last year in high school and racking part of the coming of age process.
Also kudos for making them theater kids and not the typical focus on actors. While this high school would be very different from most kids in the US’s experience, they do exist where the theatre arts are taken more seriously and allow for original plays.
I’m going to recommend this book as I’m sure by the final published version it’ll be something that young adults and teachers would lucky to pick up.
I am thankful to have gotten the ARC for free from the author through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
May 27, 2025
Thank you netgalley for the arc. Unfortunately I found this lacking. Every time a scene would start and something big was about to happen the scene just ended...unresolved. I felt like I was missing big chunks of moments that didn't feel realistic to me for those scenes. I was frustrated more often than not with the characters, not believing the romance especially between Ari and Taylor as we kept being told they're crazy for each other and they're each other's "dream girls" but I was confused as to why? I never saw any actual moments of bonding before they were already together to understand why either would have a crush on the other besides their looks. It felt like this book had a lot to say but no time to do it in with only 249 pages, this could have easily been another 100 more that would have better fleshed out the issues. Not even to begin on the theater side of things, because as a theater kid myself, like where was that? Producing a play takes so much more involvement and time and it felt like none of the actual steps to play production were there other than "raising funds" when there's nothing happening in between except a brief mention of building sets (which how do you do when you don't have any funds?????) there were just a lot of plot holes and moments I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough to let myself enjoy the rest of the story.
The topics on transphobia and homophobia were important but again, just felt surface level and not anything really new. It honestly felt most like Ya's story with struggling to be a good ally took more of the forefront of the story than the actual queer narratives. I just am disappointed overall for something I was really looking forward to.
The topics on transphobia and homophobia were important but again, just felt surface level and not anything really new. It honestly felt most like Ya's story with struggling to be a good ally took more of the forefront of the story than the actual queer narratives. I just am disappointed overall for something I was really looking forward to.
July 8, 2025
I read this book for the representation because I’m rooting for everyone Black unless they give me a reason not to and this cover made it clear that’s what I could expect from the MCs. That said, there were a couple of things that make me think a non-Black or non-POC person wrote it and those things did rub me the wrong way.
First, I don’t think a Black trans boy would call anyone “females” given his (likely) knowledge of the weaponized dehumanization some men purposely employ with the use of that term. Second, I DEFINITELY don’t think a Black trans boy would drive a car where the owner and face of the company actively deadnames and simultaneously refuses to acknowledge his own trans daughter. The latter, in particular, just strikes me as a significant lack of awareness for a book written in 2025.
Overall, this was a pretty realistic story as far as the drama teenagers experience when they start dating in earnest for the first time. I do appreciate queer representation in YA books, especially when it’s Black queer and autistic representation (although the latter should have excluded the jigsaw puzzle reference). The rest of it just fell a bit flat for me, especially with the way it wrapped up. Although the talent show was legendary lol.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review. 3.25 stars.
First, I don’t think a Black trans boy would call anyone “females” given his (likely) knowledge of the weaponized dehumanization some men purposely employ with the use of that term. Second, I DEFINITELY don’t think a Black trans boy would drive a car where the owner and face of the company actively deadnames and simultaneously refuses to acknowledge his own trans daughter. The latter, in particular, just strikes me as a significant lack of awareness for a book written in 2025.
Overall, this was a pretty realistic story as far as the drama teenagers experience when they start dating in earnest for the first time. I do appreciate queer representation in YA books, especially when it’s Black queer and autistic representation (although the latter should have excluded the jigsaw puzzle reference). The rest of it just fell a bit flat for me, especially with the way it wrapped up. Although the talent show was legendary lol.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review. 3.25 stars.
April 9, 2026
A YA novel that follows three teens as they fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the efforts to perform a queer spring play.
When her fellow theatre members reject yet another one of Ari's queer plays, her best friend Ya isn't going down without a fight. She proposes that they gather a group of like-minded students and put on a second play and fight for diversity in their school. Ari reluctantly agrees and the two soon recruit their other best friend, Atlas, to play the lead. As they begin raising funds and putting things together, the three young teens realize that the community they live in is even less accepting than they thought when hate groups start protesting against their play. When the hate starts to venture towards violence, Ari, Ya, and Atlas all have very different opinions on how they should proceed. At the rate that things are going, it will take a miracle to save the three's friendship and the play that one of them is so determined to put on.
I won this one from The Trans Rights Readathon event back in 2025, and I'm so honored to help support trans authors by reading and sharing about their work. I figured I should give this one a read for the March event in 2026, but I was a bit late to the party. Better late than never right?
I want to start by saying that I really appreciate all that this book stands for. It follows three teens who are trying to stand up for LGBTQIA+ rights in their area and face a ton of hate along the way. Ari is an autistic lesbian whereas Atlas is a trans man; Ya is their very vocal friend who will go to the ends of the Earth for these two. The way these three rally together to support one another and the queer community is absolutely inspiring.
I also love how friendship dynamics are addressed. Ari, Atlas, and Ya have been friends since grade school, so their relationship has obviously changed a ton since they first met. These three get into some fierce arguments over petty things and extreme squabbles over crushes, but they always come back together in the end. This shows how complex friendships can be in such a dynamic and realistic way.
I personally felt following three characters in a book this short got to be a bit much at times, especially because each person had their own romantic interest. I feel this is the kind of book in which each character should have had one main problem they were dealing with outside the play and it should have been vastly different from the others. This wasn't always the case, which had me occasionally misremembering what happened to each character and why.
Despite having so many different plot threads to follow, Ari, Atlas, and Ya did all have very interesting problems. Ari fears that she won't fit in as an autistic lesbian and that her shyness will only ever hinder herself and others. Atlas is crushing on his lesbian best friend, which he knows isn't okay, but he can't seem to bring himself to give up hope. He also faces constant transphobia and fears that his involvement in things will only ever complicate them. Ya is trying to be a supportive ally of her two queer best friends, but she fears that she is a third wheel to them. Ya also is learning to come to terms that Ari and Atlas have to fight their own battles sometimes, which is not an easy lesson for her. All three of them have very complicated situations that they are in, and I never found myself bored with any of them.
My biggest two complaints about this one are the lack of theatre and the fact that I didn't like many of the characters. I kept waiting for more details about the production they were putting on, but I never got them. We never get any details beyond there are drag kings, a pool table, dance scenes, and Atlas is the lead. We don't even ever get a title drop! I personally felt very cheated by this fact. I was holding out hope that the author was going to do a huge reveal at the end and make opening night a spectacle to behold, but they ended up speeding through the entire thing, which had me very disappointed. Outside of not getting many details, I feel that the production they put on never would have happened in real life and that their marketing exploits were all too good to be true.
I personally thought that all three of the main characters were incredibly stubborn and selfish for most of this book. They eventually come together to help one another, but they are constantly at each other's throats for the smallest digressions, and they seriously need to learn how to talk about their feelings with one another. I always found Ya to be a little too hot-headed for my liking, but about halfway through this story, I was getting really fed up with Atlas' moody behavior and constant pouting. Ari was definitely the bright spot in this one with her love of nerd culture and optimistic nature.
Overall, I found myself a little disappointed by "Star Fruit" but it is still brimming with positive messages surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community. It speaks out against homophobia, transphobia, and begs the haters of the world to keep their thoughts to themselves. I personally couldn't bring myself to like Ya all that much, and Atlas eventually started getting on my nerves a ton, too. I loved learning about Ari's autism and experiencing her unadulterated love for all things nerdy, such as theatre, podcasts, and old music. The biggest downfall of this one was the lack of theatre elements. The entire plot of this book follows the three of them trying to put on a queer play and we only get the briefest snippets of it. I would have loved to see more done with the actual theatre element in this one; I felt let down by the tiny snippets I was given. This book certainly had a lot going for it, but it fell flat for me in the end.
When her fellow theatre members reject yet another one of Ari's queer plays, her best friend Ya isn't going down without a fight. She proposes that they gather a group of like-minded students and put on a second play and fight for diversity in their school. Ari reluctantly agrees and the two soon recruit their other best friend, Atlas, to play the lead. As they begin raising funds and putting things together, the three young teens realize that the community they live in is even less accepting than they thought when hate groups start protesting against their play. When the hate starts to venture towards violence, Ari, Ya, and Atlas all have very different opinions on how they should proceed. At the rate that things are going, it will take a miracle to save the three's friendship and the play that one of them is so determined to put on.
I won this one from The Trans Rights Readathon event back in 2025, and I'm so honored to help support trans authors by reading and sharing about their work. I figured I should give this one a read for the March event in 2026, but I was a bit late to the party. Better late than never right?
I want to start by saying that I really appreciate all that this book stands for. It follows three teens who are trying to stand up for LGBTQIA+ rights in their area and face a ton of hate along the way. Ari is an autistic lesbian whereas Atlas is a trans man; Ya is their very vocal friend who will go to the ends of the Earth for these two. The way these three rally together to support one another and the queer community is absolutely inspiring.
I also love how friendship dynamics are addressed. Ari, Atlas, and Ya have been friends since grade school, so their relationship has obviously changed a ton since they first met. These three get into some fierce arguments over petty things and extreme squabbles over crushes, but they always come back together in the end. This shows how complex friendships can be in such a dynamic and realistic way.
I personally felt following three characters in a book this short got to be a bit much at times, especially because each person had their own romantic interest. I feel this is the kind of book in which each character should have had one main problem they were dealing with outside the play and it should have been vastly different from the others. This wasn't always the case, which had me occasionally misremembering what happened to each character and why.
Despite having so many different plot threads to follow, Ari, Atlas, and Ya did all have very interesting problems. Ari fears that she won't fit in as an autistic lesbian and that her shyness will only ever hinder herself and others. Atlas is crushing on his lesbian best friend, which he knows isn't okay, but he can't seem to bring himself to give up hope. He also faces constant transphobia and fears that his involvement in things will only ever complicate them. Ya is trying to be a supportive ally of her two queer best friends, but she fears that she is a third wheel to them. Ya also is learning to come to terms that Ari and Atlas have to fight their own battles sometimes, which is not an easy lesson for her. All three of them have very complicated situations that they are in, and I never found myself bored with any of them.
My biggest two complaints about this one are the lack of theatre and the fact that I didn't like many of the characters. I kept waiting for more details about the production they were putting on, but I never got them. We never get any details beyond there are drag kings, a pool table, dance scenes, and Atlas is the lead. We don't even ever get a title drop! I personally felt very cheated by this fact. I was holding out hope that the author was going to do a huge reveal at the end and make opening night a spectacle to behold, but they ended up speeding through the entire thing, which had me very disappointed. Outside of not getting many details, I feel that the production they put on never would have happened in real life and that their marketing exploits were all too good to be true.
I personally thought that all three of the main characters were incredibly stubborn and selfish for most of this book. They eventually come together to help one another, but they are constantly at each other's throats for the smallest digressions, and they seriously need to learn how to talk about their feelings with one another. I always found Ya to be a little too hot-headed for my liking, but about halfway through this story, I was getting really fed up with Atlas' moody behavior and constant pouting. Ari was definitely the bright spot in this one with her love of nerd culture and optimistic nature.
Overall, I found myself a little disappointed by "Star Fruit" but it is still brimming with positive messages surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community. It speaks out against homophobia, transphobia, and begs the haters of the world to keep their thoughts to themselves. I personally couldn't bring myself to like Ya all that much, and Atlas eventually started getting on my nerves a ton, too. I loved learning about Ari's autism and experiencing her unadulterated love for all things nerdy, such as theatre, podcasts, and old music. The biggest downfall of this one was the lack of theatre elements. The entire plot of this book follows the three of them trying to put on a queer play and we only get the briefest snippets of it. I would have loved to see more done with the actual theatre element in this one; I felt let down by the tiny snippets I was given. This book certainly had a lot going for it, but it fell flat for me in the end.
August 30, 2025
This book has character growth as a cornerstone of it's story and it was so lovely.
A thing I love about YA books is that often main characters tend to be more flawed than in adult fiction. This YA book did exactly that and showed us so many fun teens slowly blossoming towards becoming an adult. The three main characters each have their own story arc with struggles, wishes and faults making all three fully unique. This moved so good through the book and ended absolutely with a banger making me have a great time with this book.
As a transmasc person I often immediately have a soft spot for transmasc people in books. I noticed however I didn't have this with Atlas, which actually made him more fun! Normally I see a lot of myself in other transmasc characters but Atlas his personality is actually very far removed form the trans person I am. This made him even more interesting to follow and see a whole different life that's in some ways close to mine and in other ways not. Towards the end I also started to feel quite proud of him. Gosh the time in this book isn't easy on him and he still makes it though. I hope I can be as strong as he is.
Ya was someone that pissed me off a bit in the beginning. And being truly honest to myself it's probably because I see some of her mistakes in myself. I also tend to "help people" maybe a bit too much without allowing them space to decide for themselves. Seeing Ya struggle with this and grow was interesting to see. Growing as a character did well and it was so lovely to see her blossoming into the friend that Ari and Atlas need.
Ari is such a lovely girl and gosh do I want to hug her. She is creative and so kind making her a sweet character to read about. It made it fun to come back to her POV and enjoy some more time with her.
At one point in the book Ari has a meltdown and I really liked the way it was written. The meltdown felt like something I could do and made me feel incredibly connected to her.
The plot of this book is also a lot of fun with so many queer people coming past. It shows how queer people stay together and work hard to make things true. I just had a great time reading it.
Concluding this YA is BIG on the character growth and has a lovely story to come with it.
I received this eARC though Netgalley and this was my honest review.
A thing I love about YA books is that often main characters tend to be more flawed than in adult fiction. This YA book did exactly that and showed us so many fun teens slowly blossoming towards becoming an adult. The three main characters each have their own story arc with struggles, wishes and faults making all three fully unique. This moved so good through the book and ended absolutely with a banger making me have a great time with this book.
As a transmasc person I often immediately have a soft spot for transmasc people in books. I noticed however I didn't have this with Atlas, which actually made him more fun! Normally I see a lot of myself in other transmasc characters but Atlas his personality is actually very far removed form the trans person I am. This made him even more interesting to follow and see a whole different life that's in some ways close to mine and in other ways not. Towards the end I also started to feel quite proud of him. Gosh the time in this book isn't easy on him and he still makes it though. I hope I can be as strong as he is.
Ya was someone that pissed me off a bit in the beginning. And being truly honest to myself it's probably because I see some of her mistakes in myself. I also tend to "help people" maybe a bit too much without allowing them space to decide for themselves. Seeing Ya struggle with this and grow was interesting to see. Growing as a character did well and it was so lovely to see her blossoming into the friend that Ari and Atlas need.
Ari is such a lovely girl and gosh do I want to hug her. She is creative and so kind making her a sweet character to read about. It made it fun to come back to her POV and enjoy some more time with her.
At one point in the book Ari has a meltdown and I really liked the way it was written. The meltdown felt like something I could do and made me feel incredibly connected to her.
The plot of this book is also a lot of fun with so many queer people coming past. It shows how queer people stay together and work hard to make things true. I just had a great time reading it.
Concluding this YA is BIG on the character growth and has a lovely story to come with it.
I received this eARC though Netgalley and this was my honest review.
May 30, 2025
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book had all the ingredients for something special—queer joy, a theater backdrop, a swoony romance, and conversations that matter. It promised so much heart… but unfortunately, it left me wanting more.
So many scenes started strong, building tension or emotion—and then just stopped. Time and time again, just when something big was about to hit, the moment would fade out or skip ahead. It felt like we were brushing past the story’s most meaningful beats instead of sinking into them.
The romance between Ari and Taylor, while full of potential, didn’t quite land. We're told they’re each other’s “dream girls,” completely head-over-heels—but it was hard to feel that spark on the page. There weren’t enough of those grounding, intimate moments that show why they connected. I wanted to root for them, but I didn’t fully understand what brought them together beyond surface-level attraction.
The theater aspect, which could’ve added so much texture, felt more like a background setting than a living, breathing part of the story. The actual process of putting on a production—the teamwork, the messiness, the passion—was mostly missing. It was mentioned, but not really felt.
There were powerful themes at play—transphobia, homophobia, and the complexity of allyship—and I appreciated the effort to include them. But these moments often stayed on the surface. The story leaned heavily into Ya’s journey of becoming a better ally, which sometimes seemed to overshadow the voices and experiences of the queer characters themselves.
At just 249 pages, the book felt a little rushed. It had big things to say, but not enough room to fully say them. Still, the foundation is there. The heart is there. With more space to breathe and more time spent developing its core relationships and themes, this could’ve been something really memorable.
There’s promise in this author’s voice, and I’m definitely curious to see what they do next.
This book had all the ingredients for something special—queer joy, a theater backdrop, a swoony romance, and conversations that matter. It promised so much heart… but unfortunately, it left me wanting more.
So many scenes started strong, building tension or emotion—and then just stopped. Time and time again, just when something big was about to hit, the moment would fade out or skip ahead. It felt like we were brushing past the story’s most meaningful beats instead of sinking into them.
The romance between Ari and Taylor, while full of potential, didn’t quite land. We're told they’re each other’s “dream girls,” completely head-over-heels—but it was hard to feel that spark on the page. There weren’t enough of those grounding, intimate moments that show why they connected. I wanted to root for them, but I didn’t fully understand what brought them together beyond surface-level attraction.
The theater aspect, which could’ve added so much texture, felt more like a background setting than a living, breathing part of the story. The actual process of putting on a production—the teamwork, the messiness, the passion—was mostly missing. It was mentioned, but not really felt.
There were powerful themes at play—transphobia, homophobia, and the complexity of allyship—and I appreciated the effort to include them. But these moments often stayed on the surface. The story leaned heavily into Ya’s journey of becoming a better ally, which sometimes seemed to overshadow the voices and experiences of the queer characters themselves.
At just 249 pages, the book felt a little rushed. It had big things to say, but not enough room to fully say them. Still, the foundation is there. The heart is there. With more space to breathe and more time spent developing its core relationships and themes, this could’ve been something really memorable.
There’s promise in this author’s voice, and I’m definitely curious to see what they do next.
June 18, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to letting me read this ARC.
This book is such a complex and beautiful story. In the beginning I wasn’t really convinced, not gonna lie. Especially the whole auction situation made me feel a bit weird and Ya’s savior complex was uncomfortable to read at some points.
BUT the author managed to write so many uncomfortable yet super realistic scenes (yes, reality is uncomfortable, people make a lot of mistakes) and still worked through all of them and called out her own characters.
I loved that all characters were flawed, I loved that they fucked up, repeatedly, and still found their way back to each other and learned.
I’m flabbergasted that no one is talking about this book, it’s full of cute, funny and emotional scenes that make you both think and laugh and most important: while it does include realistic scenes of homophobia and transphobia it still focuses on queer and black joy.
I’m so sick of queer books centered around suffering, I understand that those are important too but especially young adults deserve happy stories with happy characters.
The fact that both queer main characters came out extremely early in their lives is also making a great point against the stupid opinion that children are too young to understand themselves. I loved that. Also writing families that 110% support their children is do fucking important because books like this will teach the following generations.
Especially the parent talent show made me tear up, it was so beautiful.
Long story short: this is an amazing story full of love and life, it’s balancing real life issues of queer and black people while building on resistance and solidarity. This is not depressing, it’s heartfelt and uplifting. If I could make everyone read one single book for pride month (or any other month but it’s June right now so it kind of fits) it would be this one.
This book is such a complex and beautiful story. In the beginning I wasn’t really convinced, not gonna lie. Especially the whole auction situation made me feel a bit weird and Ya’s savior complex was uncomfortable to read at some points.
BUT the author managed to write so many uncomfortable yet super realistic scenes (yes, reality is uncomfortable, people make a lot of mistakes) and still worked through all of them and called out her own characters.
I loved that all characters were flawed, I loved that they fucked up, repeatedly, and still found their way back to each other and learned.
I’m flabbergasted that no one is talking about this book, it’s full of cute, funny and emotional scenes that make you both think and laugh and most important: while it does include realistic scenes of homophobia and transphobia it still focuses on queer and black joy.
I’m so sick of queer books centered around suffering, I understand that those are important too but especially young adults deserve happy stories with happy characters.
The fact that both queer main characters came out extremely early in their lives is also making a great point against the stupid opinion that children are too young to understand themselves. I loved that. Also writing families that 110% support their children is do fucking important because books like this will teach the following generations.
Especially the parent talent show made me tear up, it was so beautiful.
Long story short: this is an amazing story full of love and life, it’s balancing real life issues of queer and black people while building on resistance and solidarity. This is not depressing, it’s heartfelt and uplifting. If I could make everyone read one single book for pride month (or any other month but it’s June right now so it kind of fits) it would be this one.
October 24, 2025
2.75 ⭐
Star Fruit by Kamryn Kingsberry is a book that I desperately wanted to love, primarily because of its important themes and commitment to diverse representation. While I appreciate the diversity and enjoyed reading about experiences - particularly within the Black queer and autistic community, that are vital for YA literature, the writing style ultimately proved to be an insurmountable barrier to enjoyment.
The fundamental issue is the extremely uneven writing. The author attempts at times to write with more elevated language, only to abruptly follow it with distracting slang like "bruh," "bitch,"and referencing TikTok trends (I get that its timely with the story, but just not for me). This stylistic inconsistency constantly pulled me out of the narrative, making the world and the characters feel less authentic.
The book suffered from a strange pacing paradox, often feeling both rushed and too long at the same time. This was due to an abundance of surface-level "filler" content in scenes that should have been dedicated to deeper thematic exploration. Similarly, the dialogue felt confusing and inconsistent; the age and maturity level of the characters in various sections did not always align with what or how they were speaking. Many of the side character chapters also failed to contribute enough depth to justify taking focus away from the main trio.
In conclusion, the importance of Star Fruit's themes, its commitment to Black queer and autistic joy is undeniable. However, the consistent mechanical flaws in the writing, characterized by uneven language made the immersion impossible. The style ultimately failed the substance, leading to a disappointing experience that I wished was over sooner.
Star Fruit by Kamryn Kingsberry is a book that I desperately wanted to love, primarily because of its important themes and commitment to diverse representation. While I appreciate the diversity and enjoyed reading about experiences - particularly within the Black queer and autistic community, that are vital for YA literature, the writing style ultimately proved to be an insurmountable barrier to enjoyment.
The fundamental issue is the extremely uneven writing. The author attempts at times to write with more elevated language, only to abruptly follow it with distracting slang like "bruh," "bitch,"and referencing TikTok trends (I get that its timely with the story, but just not for me). This stylistic inconsistency constantly pulled me out of the narrative, making the world and the characters feel less authentic.
The book suffered from a strange pacing paradox, often feeling both rushed and too long at the same time. This was due to an abundance of surface-level "filler" content in scenes that should have been dedicated to deeper thematic exploration. Similarly, the dialogue felt confusing and inconsistent; the age and maturity level of the characters in various sections did not always align with what or how they were speaking. Many of the side character chapters also failed to contribute enough depth to justify taking focus away from the main trio.
In conclusion, the importance of Star Fruit's themes, its commitment to Black queer and autistic joy is undeniable. However, the consistent mechanical flaws in the writing, characterized by uneven language made the immersion impossible. The style ultimately failed the substance, leading to a disappointing experience that I wished was over sooner.
April 11, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed Star Fruit. All three Main Characters brought their own perspective and a deeper dimension to their individual personalities and core friendship.
Ari (Arielle), is the quieter of the 3 friends and she's the most artistic/creative. Ya (Sonya), is the most head strong and she loves and fights for those she loves with all her being. Atlas, is the most selfless and the most sensitive is all the best ways. A lesbian, an ally and a young transman all three so different yet fit together like the best puzzle.
I love how all 3 of them ae on their own individual journeys of self discovery while also being there for each other in the ways they know how. Ari learns to speak up for herself and defend the things she is passionate about. She also puts on an amazing production and faces her fears a lot of her fears in dating and in going for what she wants. Ya learns that she doesn't need to fix everything for everyone and sometimes its okay to let people take of her and of themselves. Her parents leaving her in the states left her with some abandonment issues which I was happy to see her acknowledge and work through. Atlas learns that there is no right way to be a man but to be the man he wants to be. He has the most supportive parents and I'm glad he finally realized other people see him for all he is and accept him.
I loved the themes in this book. I loved that it captured teenagers going through teenage issues. The communication with all characters was beautiful to read. The parents and other adult figures that showed up and showed out for these kids was amazing I felt like I was at he parents talent show. Loved it
Ari (Arielle), is the quieter of the 3 friends and she's the most artistic/creative. Ya (Sonya), is the most head strong and she loves and fights for those she loves with all her being. Atlas, is the most selfless and the most sensitive is all the best ways. A lesbian, an ally and a young transman all three so different yet fit together like the best puzzle.
I love how all 3 of them ae on their own individual journeys of self discovery while also being there for each other in the ways they know how. Ari learns to speak up for herself and defend the things she is passionate about. She also puts on an amazing production and faces her fears a lot of her fears in dating and in going for what she wants. Ya learns that she doesn't need to fix everything for everyone and sometimes its okay to let people take of her and of themselves. Her parents leaving her in the states left her with some abandonment issues which I was happy to see her acknowledge and work through. Atlas learns that there is no right way to be a man but to be the man he wants to be. He has the most supportive parents and I'm glad he finally realized other people see him for all he is and accept him.
I loved the themes in this book. I loved that it captured teenagers going through teenage issues. The communication with all characters was beautiful to read. The parents and other adult figures that showed up and showed out for these kids was amazing I felt like I was at he parents talent show. Loved it
March 23, 2025
While I did find some of the transitions between scenes a little abrupt, and wish we'd spent a little more time on the resolution, this was overall quite enjoyable. I found the characters believable and (mostly) relatable even when they were messy and making mistakes. Atlas in particular had a few scenes where I wanted to shake him, but I still felt that his behavior, while out of line, was in keeping with the chaos that is being a teenager.
The book hits a lot of the typical teen/YA stuff, but the parent hate group---a thinly veiled spin on Moms for Liberty---had my hackles up. For me, that storyline had the least resolution, though it's also something that's unresolved in the real-world present, so I'm not sure how thoroughly that could have been resolved without some handwaving and wish fulfillment.
In general, I found this to be a solid YA read about three longtime friends who are navigating some revelations and life changes. The story features a) a transmasc character who is out the whole time and who is never deadnamed, though he does experience bigotry from other students and parents; b) a sapphic & autistic character who is still coming into her own; and c) a go-getter who loves her friends and wants to support them, and worries about being the odd one out. Where are a number of memorable side characters as well, who felt fully developed even when they had minor roles to play in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!
The book hits a lot of the typical teen/YA stuff, but the parent hate group---a thinly veiled spin on Moms for Liberty---had my hackles up. For me, that storyline had the least resolution, though it's also something that's unresolved in the real-world present, so I'm not sure how thoroughly that could have been resolved without some handwaving and wish fulfillment.
In general, I found this to be a solid YA read about three longtime friends who are navigating some revelations and life changes. The story features a) a transmasc character who is out the whole time and who is never deadnamed, though he does experience bigotry from other students and parents; b) a sapphic & autistic character who is still coming into her own; and c) a go-getter who loves her friends and wants to support them, and worries about being the odd one out. Where are a number of memorable side characters as well, who felt fully developed even when they had minor roles to play in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!
February 18, 2025
I went into this book blindly -- only knowing that it is black queer YA fiction, and I was so so delighted when I discovered that the plot revolves around a drama club??? I am a performing arts enthusiast and THIS SLAPPED. Also love how you can apply I genuinely can't get enough of the world, I NEED a series I can binge watch, I need to see the rooms of all these characters, I need to know what they are upto like a few years from now, I would binge all amounts of spin offs.
I love reading realistic and authentic teenagers and high school experiences and Kamryn DELIVERED. I love the flaws of these characters, I love how dramatically realistic everything felt, trust, I am in uni and I come across so many people with similar experiences every other week like this was SO WELL DONE that I was screaming. Screaming at the characters to get their shet together, and at the bigots to GROW A FEW BRAIN CELLS.
Yes some teensy bits were predictable and messy, no I don't care cause LIFE is like that, okay? give me the TV series :/
(This isn't a complaint, I understand why publishers might do this but gosh I wish this wasn't a PDF ARC lol my poor eyesight 😭 , it makes more sense for illustrated books)
TWs: homophobia, transphobia
I love reading realistic and authentic teenagers and high school experiences and Kamryn DELIVERED. I love the flaws of these characters, I love how dramatically realistic everything felt, trust, I am in uni and I come across so many people with similar experiences every other week like this was SO WELL DONE that I was screaming. Screaming at the characters to get their shet together, and at the bigots to GROW A FEW BRAIN CELLS.
Yes some teensy bits were predictable and messy, no I don't care cause LIFE is like that, okay? give me the TV series :/
(This isn't a complaint, I understand why publishers might do this but gosh I wish this wasn't a PDF ARC lol my poor eyesight 😭 , it makes more sense for illustrated books)
TWs: homophobia, transphobia
February 21, 2025
I absolutely loved this book! The main characters were everything that you can ask for! A gang of high school friends standing in their purpose and fighting for their rights. I think that this is a great novel for not just young adults, but also adults to read about LGBTQIA+ and how it affects their everyday lives. This definitely did give me a bit of a peek into what occurs and the ignorance that they have to battle. It inspired me to be more cognizant of what is currently going on in today’s political climate.
February 19, 2025
Loved the representation for the autism community and the trans, and queer community. I loved how they are standing strong for what they believe.
March 6, 2025
honestly? the book was amazing. i love the fact that it’s a coming of age story surrounding queer kids and their alliesx aside from a few grammatical errors, the book is a 10/10
December 2, 2025
I love this book. I laughed, chuckled, teared up, got my heart hurt, got the feels, and smiled. Star Fruit put me through the motions and I was all there for it. I wanted to immediately turn around and reread it. Add this to your reading list before the year ends and this too will make it to your best list.
“Thank you, IKB Press, for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.”
“Thank you, IKB Press, for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.”
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