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Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity
The last time Jess saw her father, she was a boy named Jeremy. Now she’s a high school graduate, soon to be on her way to art school. But first, Jess has some unfinished business with her dad. So she’s driving halfway across the country to his wedding. He happens to be marrying her mom’s ex-best friend. It’s not like Jess wasn’t invited; she was. She just told them she wasn’t coming. Surprise!
Luckily, Jess isn’t making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe—nicknamed Chunk—is joining her. Chunk has always been there for Jess, and he’s been especially supportive of her transition, which has recently been jump-started with hormone therapy.
Along the way from California to Chicago, Jess and Chunk will visit roadside attractions, make a new friend or two, and learn a few things about themselves—and each other—that call their true feelings about their relationship into question.
Luckily, Jess isn’t making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe—nicknamed Chunk—is joining her. Chunk has always been there for Jess, and he’s been especially supportive of her transition, which has recently been jump-started with hormone therapy.
Along the way from California to Chicago, Jess and Chunk will visit roadside attractions, make a new friend or two, and learn a few things about themselves—and each other—that call their true feelings about their relationship into question.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2016
25 people are currently reading
1985 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Elizabeth Clark
4 books64 followersKristin Elizabeth Clark lives and writes in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She hikes with her dog and reads to her cats… but she’s not one of THOSE people. Really.
Her young adult debut, Freakboy, will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on October 22nd, 2013.
Her young adult debut, Freakboy, will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on October 22nd, 2013.
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March 22, 2017ETA 11/8/16: A friend of mine who's trans and writes fantastic book reviews IMO reviewed this book upon my begging. They don't have a Goodreads account, but gave me permission to link to it here. Please check it out!
***
Okay, I was holding out on being the first review of this book, partly because I was hoping a trans person would discuss it first and partly because I don't want my review to affect how people read it, I guess? But now I can't stop talking about it vaguely on Twitter and I'm being annoying af, so, here goes.
There are things in this book I think are really good. There are things I think are implicitly bad. And there are things I think are explicitly bad.
Let's start with the good:
*I love that this is about a girl in the first year of her transition - that hormones are mentioned, and her concern for finding safe places to stay, and her consciousness about passing, and what clothes she can wear, and how much stubble is showing...all of that is really important to see because it's all part of the experience. It doesn't take for granted the individual challenges a trans girl has even if she also has significant good in her life.
*I love that this is not an entirely trans-centric story. Nothing against stories that are! But it's very rare that we get a trans MC whose entire story is not about transitioning/coming out, and while that's certainly a big element, it's really Jess's parents' divorce and her father's remarriage that's the driving element.
*Jess is not a saint. In fact, she's got some significant personality flaws, and her best friend calls her out on all of it. None of her bad behavior goes unchecked. She is a fully fleshed-out person, which, sorry, often trans and/or queer characters don't seem to get to be, and I appreciated that about her a lot.
EAT: *There is no sexual assault in this book. That is obviously (I hope) in no way meant to critique the inclusion of it in other books, but for a trans kid who needs to read a story that doesn't possess SA, the options dwindle to just about nothing, so that was a really good thing to see (or not see) here.
Okay, now let's talk about the rest. Possibly some spoilers to follow? I'll do my best not to.
So, there's no ignoring that title, obviously. It's awful. Every single time the guy is called Chunk throughout, I cringe. It should be extremely obvious to any functioning human that he would hate that nickname, and yet it is somehow not obvious to Jess until he has to yell it at her, like, 3/4 of the way through the book. Now, let's look at these characters, both of whom are named in the title:
Jess suffers from gender dysphoria. Jess is the name she's chosen for her true self, and she has a different name she was born with, i.e. her deadname.
Chuck is fat. Chuck is his name, and Chunk is the nickname he was given as a result of his size.
I'm not sure how strongly the intention was to run the theme of paralleling obesity and dysphoria (at one point, Jess thinks "I bet I hate my body more than you do" re: Chuck, but I don't recall anything else drawing comparisons explicitly), but I found it really, really hard to ignore. And the thing is, Jess is attracted to Chuck...but also hates fat people. (We'll get there in a minute.) She (very legitimately) cringes when he accidentally deadnames her (and waaaay more on that to come), but proceeds to keep failing to abide by his wish not to be "Chunk." And on the one hand, that all falls in line with exactly why Chuck calls her out: because she's entirely about herself and doesn't give a damn about him. But it's sort of hard to buy someone who'd theoretically be really sensitive about body and names not extending that courtesy to someone she supposedly loves. Not impossible, but I just wanted all these things to be discussed or at least acknowledged. IT'S SO OBVIOUS and instead there's this whole subplot about him having an internet girlfriend, maybe, and it sucks all this great conversation they could be having into a weak, easy conflict.
If you're wondering about the fat rep...yeah, it sucks. Like, it just blatantly sucks. It's easy to get momentarily fooled by that she finds him attractive (though it was never clear to me how big he really is; like I have zero concept of how much space he actually takes up, and he's crash dieting the whole time, so I don't even know what it means that he's "Chunk"), or that he absolutely does call her out for being a raging fatphobe, but even as she's having the "Oh, yeah, I should stop hating people for being fat" epiphany, she's still referencing dress sizes to do it. If you can't stand characters discussing fatness with numbers and sizes, just fucking avoid this book.
And now, swinging back to the deadnaming thing. So, Jess is lying low and she's not out to everyone, started hormones later than she wanted to because her dad wouldn't give consent, etc. and there's a lot of people she's not out to, so I get why there are current scenes in which her deadname is used. But this book also contains a lot of flashbacks, and in those flashbacks, her deadname is used a lot. Which, you know, makes sense, because she wasn't going by Jess yet, but...these aren't scenes about her and her transition; many are just about how her parents came to be divorced. From an editorial perspective, they felt to me completely gratuitous to the story, but once you add in that you have a trans girl in a first-person POV constantly and unflinchingly narrating these stories in which her deadname is used a ton...it was just so much. It was so jarring, especially in scenes I don't think added anything to the book. And maybe I'm just unfairly contrasting to If I Was Your Girl, because I absolutely loved how the flashbacks were used in that book, but...I don't know. (I had similar feelings about how many times she continued to refer to herself as gay, even though that was her pre-trans proclaimed orientation, and why would she still be calling herself that when it's guys she's attracted to?) At this point I'm just putting out everything I noticed so that people can make informed decisions about how they feel re: reading and rec-ing this book, but I would very, very much appreciate an actual trans person's thoughts on this.
Okay, last thing! And this one I'm gonna put in a spoiler tag, because it is one, but if you're reading this to find out more about my thoughts on representation in the book, this is a significant one, and it's not plot-ruining or anything.
Anyway, this is probably the longest thing I've ever written that doesn't come in paperback, so, I'm gonna stop. This book has good things. This book has bad things. I wish there were enough other trans YAs that I could safely know I would never have to recommend this one, but the truth is, if a girl needs to read about a girl in her first year of transition and/or who isn't fully passing, or if a kid needed to read a book with a trans protag that didn't contain any physical assault, I don't know what else to give them. (Though if said kid was also fat, I'd err on the side of Nope.) So when we say we need more representation in YA, we fucking need more representation in YA. And this is why.
***
Okay, I was holding out on being the first review of this book, partly because I was hoping a trans person would discuss it first and partly because I don't want my review to affect how people read it, I guess? But now I can't stop talking about it vaguely on Twitter and I'm being annoying af, so, here goes.
There are things in this book I think are really good. There are things I think are implicitly bad. And there are things I think are explicitly bad.
Let's start with the good:
*I love that this is about a girl in the first year of her transition - that hormones are mentioned, and her concern for finding safe places to stay, and her consciousness about passing, and what clothes she can wear, and how much stubble is showing...all of that is really important to see because it's all part of the experience. It doesn't take for granted the individual challenges a trans girl has even if she also has significant good in her life.
*I love that this is not an entirely trans-centric story. Nothing against stories that are! But it's very rare that we get a trans MC whose entire story is not about transitioning/coming out, and while that's certainly a big element, it's really Jess's parents' divorce and her father's remarriage that's the driving element.
*Jess is not a saint. In fact, she's got some significant personality flaws, and her best friend calls her out on all of it. None of her bad behavior goes unchecked. She is a fully fleshed-out person, which, sorry, often trans and/or queer characters don't seem to get to be, and I appreciated that about her a lot.
EAT: *There is no sexual assault in this book. That is obviously (I hope) in no way meant to critique the inclusion of it in other books, but for a trans kid who needs to read a story that doesn't possess SA, the options dwindle to just about nothing, so that was a really good thing to see (or not see) here.
Okay, now let's talk about the rest. Possibly some spoilers to follow? I'll do my best not to.
So, there's no ignoring that title, obviously. It's awful. Every single time the guy is called Chunk throughout, I cringe. It should be extremely obvious to any functioning human that he would hate that nickname, and yet it is somehow not obvious to Jess until he has to yell it at her, like, 3/4 of the way through the book. Now, let's look at these characters, both of whom are named in the title:
Jess suffers from gender dysphoria. Jess is the name she's chosen for her true self, and she has a different name she was born with, i.e. her deadname.
Chuck is fat. Chuck is his name, and Chunk is the nickname he was given as a result of his size.
I'm not sure how strongly the intention was to run the theme of paralleling obesity and dysphoria (at one point, Jess thinks "I bet I hate my body more than you do" re: Chuck, but I don't recall anything else drawing comparisons explicitly), but I found it really, really hard to ignore. And the thing is, Jess is attracted to Chuck...but also hates fat people. (We'll get there in a minute.) She (very legitimately) cringes when he accidentally deadnames her (and waaaay more on that to come), but proceeds to keep failing to abide by his wish not to be "Chunk." And on the one hand, that all falls in line with exactly why Chuck calls her out: because she's entirely about herself and doesn't give a damn about him. But it's sort of hard to buy someone who'd theoretically be really sensitive about body and names not extending that courtesy to someone she supposedly loves. Not impossible, but I just wanted all these things to be discussed or at least acknowledged. IT'S SO OBVIOUS and instead there's this whole subplot about him having an internet girlfriend, maybe, and it sucks all this great conversation they could be having into a weak, easy conflict.
If you're wondering about the fat rep...yeah, it sucks. Like, it just blatantly sucks. It's easy to get momentarily fooled by that she finds him attractive (though it was never clear to me how big he really is; like I have zero concept of how much space he actually takes up, and he's crash dieting the whole time, so I don't even know what it means that he's "Chunk"), or that he absolutely does call her out for being a raging fatphobe, but even as she's having the "Oh, yeah, I should stop hating people for being fat" epiphany, she's still referencing dress sizes to do it. If you can't stand characters discussing fatness with numbers and sizes, just fucking avoid this book.
And now, swinging back to the deadnaming thing. So, Jess is lying low and she's not out to everyone, started hormones later than she wanted to because her dad wouldn't give consent, etc. and there's a lot of people she's not out to, so I get why there are current scenes in which her deadname is used. But this book also contains a lot of flashbacks, and in those flashbacks, her deadname is used a lot. Which, you know, makes sense, because she wasn't going by Jess yet, but...these aren't scenes about her and her transition; many are just about how her parents came to be divorced. From an editorial perspective, they felt to me completely gratuitous to the story, but once you add in that you have a trans girl in a first-person POV constantly and unflinchingly narrating these stories in which her deadname is used a ton...it was just so much. It was so jarring, especially in scenes I don't think added anything to the book. And maybe I'm just unfairly contrasting to If I Was Your Girl, because I absolutely loved how the flashbacks were used in that book, but...I don't know. (I had similar feelings about how many times she continued to refer to herself as gay, even though that was her pre-trans proclaimed orientation, and why would she still be calling herself that when it's guys she's attracted to?) At this point I'm just putting out everything I noticed so that people can make informed decisions about how they feel re: reading and rec-ing this book, but I would very, very much appreciate an actual trans person's thoughts on this.
Okay, last thing! And this one I'm gonna put in a spoiler tag, because it is one, but if you're reading this to find out more about my thoughts on representation in the book, this is a significant one, and it's not plot-ruining or anything.
Anyway, this is probably the longest thing I've ever written that doesn't come in paperback, so, I'm gonna stop. This book has good things. This book has bad things. I wish there were enough other trans YAs that I could safely know I would never have to recommend this one, but the truth is, if a girl needs to read about a girl in her first year of transition and/or who isn't fully passing, or if a kid needed to read a book with a trans protag that didn't contain any physical assault, I don't know what else to give them. (Though if said kid was also fat, I'd err on the side of Nope.) So when we say we need more representation in YA, we fucking need more representation in YA. And this is why.
May 7, 2017
So many mixed feelings! While there's several positives here, Jess' character is overwhelmingly selfish, which downgraded my rating to a 3. Overall, I did enjoy it, but I could have enjoyed it a lot more if Jess was more compassionate. Sigh.
First, the positives. I really liked the Jess & Chuck relationship dynamic, regardless of how Jess never thought calling him Chunk would be a problem. 🤔 Chuck is a wonderful supporting character who treats Jess way better than she treats him. Throughout the book, save for the obvious red flags, their interaction was great. There is wonderful representation here & I especially appreciated the fact that there is a trans character who doesn't succumb to a tragic ending! I'm over the "trans must die, or at least have something horrible happen to them" concept. I also loved that there was an agoraphobic character in here, although I wish she had a larger role. Annabelle was so great & the Hello Kitty attire was an added bonus. 😍
There are some huge negatives that really take away from complete enjoyment of the novel, the biggest being Jess' selfishness. She is so self-absorbed in her own problems, she never stops to think about what's going on in Chuck's mind. She gets defensive when Chuck calls her out on it & she stubbornly keeps to her ways until the end where all of a sudden she has seen the light & decided to change? I don't buy that apology. I also want to make a mention of the title: it becomes clear that Chuck has a problem with his nickname. I don't see what it would have hurt to have his real name (like Jess gets hers)- unless the intention was to make aware Jess not being to see anything that doesn't directly involve her? Really makes you stop & think.
I am definitely luke-warm about the ending. Everything wraps up too neatly & the reuniting with father felt a bit cliche. And when Chuck reveals a secret to Jess? What a cliff-hanger! You can't leave it like that, ugh!! For this reason alone I wouldn't object to a sequel, even though Jess really turned me off. I guess if you can overlook this, are into road trip stories & want a trans MC, this makes for a quick read.
First, the positives. I really liked the Jess & Chuck relationship dynamic, regardless of how Jess never thought calling him Chunk would be a problem. 🤔 Chuck is a wonderful supporting character who treats Jess way better than she treats him. Throughout the book, save for the obvious red flags, their interaction was great. There is wonderful representation here & I especially appreciated the fact that there is a trans character who doesn't succumb to a tragic ending! I'm over the "trans must die, or at least have something horrible happen to them" concept. I also loved that there was an agoraphobic character in here, although I wish she had a larger role. Annabelle was so great & the Hello Kitty attire was an added bonus. 😍
There are some huge negatives that really take away from complete enjoyment of the novel, the biggest being Jess' selfishness. She is so self-absorbed in her own problems, she never stops to think about what's going on in Chuck's mind. She gets defensive when Chuck calls her out on it & she stubbornly keeps to her ways until the end where all of a sudden she has seen the light & decided to change? I don't buy that apology. I also want to make a mention of the title: it becomes clear that Chuck has a problem with his nickname. I don't see what it would have hurt to have his real name (like Jess gets hers)- unless the intention was to make aware Jess not being to see anything that doesn't directly involve her? Really makes you stop & think.
I am definitely luke-warm about the ending. Everything wraps up too neatly & the reuniting with father felt a bit cliche. And when Chuck reveals a secret to Jess? What a cliff-hanger! You can't leave it like that, ugh!! For this reason alone I wouldn't object to a sequel, even though Jess really turned me off. I guess if you can overlook this, are into road trip stories & want a trans MC, this makes for a quick read.
April 1, 2017
Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity was such a disappointing read. I had heard amazing things about the transgender representation but in hindsight that was literally the only thing that I enjoyed about this book. The plotline was dull. I just was not engaged in the story and I felt a lot of the humour - especially about the supposed hilarity of their weird-ass touristy stops - went over my head. I’m not sure if that’s because I know exactly nothing about Star Trek or what.
My biggest problem with this book, and what left a sour taste in my mouth for the majority of the book, was our protagonist, Jess. She was so utterly self-absorbed it boggled my mind; being inside her head when all she could think about was herself or how everything affected her was so, so tiresome. I do not mind flawed characters usually but Jess’s ability to twist every situation to somehow make it about herself drove me insane. Her selfishness seemed to be a superpower of hers, it was that extreme. In fact, it reminded me of that episode of Big Bang Theory when Howard couldn’t stop bringing up his space trip every time someone else talked.
I think it bothered me so much because of Chuck. He was so obviously hurting - and his sudden change in diet was making alarm bells go off in my head - but Jess just never noticed. She was such an awful friend to Chuck! She never asked him how he was or what was going on with his life. She was ignorant of some many important things in his life and it was because she never stopped thinking about herself. Obviously, she was going through a lot at the time but that does not excuse her, especially because she acted this way to her father and Jan too. It hurt my heart to think about Chuck going through everything he did all by himself. He was bullied and she never noticed! She called her freaking “best friend” by a derogatory name that he hated and still didn’t even pause to say sorry when he finally broke down. I guess that is why the ending felt like such a sucker punch to the gut. I was honestly left breathless with rage and utter disappointment at the author’s decision to take the story in that direction. I had to put the book down and take a few deep breaths to calm myself. The ending just killed me. I wanted so much more for Chuck!
With that being said, the transgender representation in this book really was done well. I can definitely see why some many people are praising it in that regard. Personally, this was my first book with a trans character going through transition so it was quite eye-opening to see Jess experience the effects of taking hormones. I also really liked seeing the difference in Jess’s parents’ reaction to her ‘coming out’ and how Jess handled it too.
Overall?
My disappointment in Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity hinged on my dislike of Jess. She was such a selfish character and I was just unable to root for her, especially when I related so hardcore to Chuck and wanted to see him reach his potential. I did not appreciate the ending or the humour. I felt like the trans representation and Chuck himself was the only thing that kept me reading.
P.S. I know it is not relevant to the book itself, necessarily, but I need to point out how much I find the title of this book inappropriate. Chuck standing up to Jess and telling her that he hates being called Chunk was a massive part of his character development. I don't think it's fair to have 'Chunk' in the title if they have Jess's chosen name.
My biggest problem with this book, and what left a sour taste in my mouth for the majority of the book, was our protagonist, Jess. She was so utterly self-absorbed it boggled my mind; being inside her head when all she could think about was herself or how everything affected her was so, so tiresome. I do not mind flawed characters usually but Jess’s ability to twist every situation to somehow make it about herself drove me insane. Her selfishness seemed to be a superpower of hers, it was that extreme. In fact, it reminded me of that episode of Big Bang Theory when Howard couldn’t stop bringing up his space trip every time someone else talked.
I think it bothered me so much because of Chuck. He was so obviously hurting - and his sudden change in diet was making alarm bells go off in my head - but Jess just never noticed. She was such an awful friend to Chuck! She never asked him how he was or what was going on with his life. She was ignorant of some many important things in his life and it was because she never stopped thinking about herself. Obviously, she was going through a lot at the time but that does not excuse her, especially because she acted this way to her father and Jan too. It hurt my heart to think about Chuck going through everything he did all by himself. He was bullied and she never noticed! She called her freaking “best friend” by a derogatory name that he hated and still didn’t even pause to say sorry when he finally broke down. I guess that is why the ending felt like such a sucker punch to the gut. I was honestly left breathless with rage and utter disappointment at the author’s decision to take the story in that direction. I had to put the book down and take a few deep breaths to calm myself. The ending just killed me. I wanted so much more for Chuck!
With that being said, the transgender representation in this book really was done well. I can definitely see why some many people are praising it in that regard. Personally, this was my first book with a trans character going through transition so it was quite eye-opening to see Jess experience the effects of taking hormones. I also really liked seeing the difference in Jess’s parents’ reaction to her ‘coming out’ and how Jess handled it too.
Overall?
My disappointment in Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity hinged on my dislike of Jess. She was such a selfish character and I was just unable to root for her, especially when I related so hardcore to Chuck and wanted to see him reach his potential. I did not appreciate the ending or the humour. I felt like the trans representation and Chuck himself was the only thing that kept me reading.
P.S. I know it is not relevant to the book itself, necessarily, but I need to point out how much I find the title of this book inappropriate. Chuck standing up to Jess and telling her that he hates being called Chunk was a massive part of his character development. I don't think it's fair to have 'Chunk' in the title if they have Jess's chosen name.
December 28, 2023
well, it's a better trans road trip novel than
And She Was
, that's for fuckin' sure. (will i ever get over my grudge against that book? remains to be seen.)
i was both nervous and hopeful about the trans rep going in, both of which were feelings exacerbated by clark's author's note. as in her note to her other book, Freakboy , she mentions that her own daughter is trans and, while not the inspiration/basis for her writing, has had an influence on how and why she writes trans characters; she notes that she wants to help people understand what it's like to be trans. implicit there is that she wants to help CIS people--and i'm not saying that's a bad thing, because god knows cis people need to figure out how to empathize with trans people, but books about trans people that are clearly meant to educate the cis tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
luckily, this wasn't that at all! the trans rep here felt very genuine and easy, not like a story constructed to teach. i feel like a lot of the trans stuff i've read features characters who are either questioning or who have been out forever, and so i enjoyed seeing a portrayal of a trans girl in the first steps of transitioning--jess is on hormones, but she hasn't come out to everyone in her life yet; she still has to shave; she's going through second puberty and her emotions are all up in the air. she worries about her safety when trying to pass in red states and rural areas. she's caught between the thrill of finally being herself and the terror that other people won't see her. and i think it's great! especially for 2016; obviously there's been a spate of trans YA in recent years, but i think it's easy to take for granted how few books about trans teens don't end in tragedy or involve gratuitous violence. and this really isn't a tragic story, or even a particularly angsty one; jess's transness affects her, of course, but a lot of the emotional narrative is about her parents' separation and her relationship with chuck. (i also don't mind the use of jess's deadname in flashback sections; different trans people are gonna have different takes on that, but i kind of despise the way "sympathetic characters and/or the narrative deadnaming your MC is bad" has grown into "a deadname can never be used on page ever or it's bad trans rep" & i think this book does it tastefully.)
there are lots of people in the reviews knocking this book because jess is SOOOOO selfish. i think this is a poor critique, because that's the point. of course jess is selfish. she's just starting her transition; she's just starting the rest of her life as her proper self! her hormones and emotions and thoughts are all going haywire! of course she's a little bit self-absorbed! i love that she gets to be self-centered; i also love that chuck rightly calls her out on it. i think the major problem isn't jess's selfishness but the lack of buildup to the ending, and, relatedly, the . imo there's very little emotional buildup to the big ending confrontation, which means jess and chuck don't get to hash out stuff like jess's fatphobia in enough detail to make the conclusion feel earned.
i have less to say about the fat rep, because i know less about fat rep. i think the attempt at paralleling fatness and transness is interesting but misses the mark in a lot of ways (oof, that title). in a lot of places, it felt like this book WANTED to deal with fatphobia but was frightened to do so head-on--we get some discussion of chuck's discontent with his body, his attempts at crash dieting, his belief that no one could be attracted to him, etc, but it's all background noise, more so than i think works for the story. tbh this book honestly could have just used another 50-100 pages to flesh out the relationships more. 3.5 stars for good trans rep and for being fun to tear through, but it didn't leave much of an impact on me.
i was both nervous and hopeful about the trans rep going in, both of which were feelings exacerbated by clark's author's note. as in her note to her other book, Freakboy , she mentions that her own daughter is trans and, while not the inspiration/basis for her writing, has had an influence on how and why she writes trans characters; she notes that she wants to help people understand what it's like to be trans. implicit there is that she wants to help CIS people--and i'm not saying that's a bad thing, because god knows cis people need to figure out how to empathize with trans people, but books about trans people that are clearly meant to educate the cis tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
luckily, this wasn't that at all! the trans rep here felt very genuine and easy, not like a story constructed to teach. i feel like a lot of the trans stuff i've read features characters who are either questioning or who have been out forever, and so i enjoyed seeing a portrayal of a trans girl in the first steps of transitioning--jess is on hormones, but she hasn't come out to everyone in her life yet; she still has to shave; she's going through second puberty and her emotions are all up in the air. she worries about her safety when trying to pass in red states and rural areas. she's caught between the thrill of finally being herself and the terror that other people won't see her. and i think it's great! especially for 2016; obviously there's been a spate of trans YA in recent years, but i think it's easy to take for granted how few books about trans teens don't end in tragedy or involve gratuitous violence. and this really isn't a tragic story, or even a particularly angsty one; jess's transness affects her, of course, but a lot of the emotional narrative is about her parents' separation and her relationship with chuck. (i also don't mind the use of jess's deadname in flashback sections; different trans people are gonna have different takes on that, but i kind of despise the way "sympathetic characters and/or the narrative deadnaming your MC is bad" has grown into "a deadname can never be used on page ever or it's bad trans rep" & i think this book does it tastefully.)
there are lots of people in the reviews knocking this book because jess is SOOOOO selfish. i think this is a poor critique, because that's the point. of course jess is selfish. she's just starting her transition; she's just starting the rest of her life as her proper self! her hormones and emotions and thoughts are all going haywire! of course she's a little bit self-absorbed! i love that she gets to be self-centered; i also love that chuck rightly calls her out on it. i think the major problem isn't jess's selfishness but the lack of buildup to the ending, and, relatedly, the . imo there's very little emotional buildup to the big ending confrontation, which means jess and chuck don't get to hash out stuff like jess's fatphobia in enough detail to make the conclusion feel earned.
i have less to say about the fat rep, because i know less about fat rep. i think the attempt at paralleling fatness and transness is interesting but misses the mark in a lot of ways (oof, that title). in a lot of places, it felt like this book WANTED to deal with fatphobia but was frightened to do so head-on--we get some discussion of chuck's discontent with his body, his attempts at crash dieting, his belief that no one could be attracted to him, etc, but it's all background noise, more so than i think works for the story. tbh this book honestly could have just used another 50-100 pages to flesh out the relationships more. 3.5 stars for good trans rep and for being fun to tear through, but it didn't leave much of an impact on me.
April 9, 2017
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!! To start off this review I would like to thank the author but then again not thank the author because this book got me by the hair and just dragging me through the feels my peeps and I will like to get to the thank u part because this book has given me a lot of perspective of trans people and what happens like half the time and my bestie who is also trans told me to read this book because he knew I would love it and just the fact I love to have knowledge about these types of things even tho he also didn't read it yet he just knew I would love it and I can't stop saying that because I FREAKING LOVE THIS BOOK WITH ALL MY HEART STRINGS!!!!:) so yea got that out the way but anyway this book has really opened my eyes to things I never really put mind to and just now really want to explore for myself:) Thank u all for joining me in this review also soooooooo sorry to u guys I have been a ghost my exams has just started and got me on the verge of insanity so let's hope this spring break can get me back on track much love to u fellow book nerds have a nice night and or day and pray to the book gods for books laterz!!!
December 13, 2021
I was a bit hesitant to read this one since it was an older YA release about a trans teen, but then I read the author's note/preface and my fears evaporated a bit.
Jess is the exact type of unlikeable narrator that I love: she's endearing, but she's also short-sighted, judgemental, and self-centered. But she's also a young trans girl in her first year of transition, her emotions are at an all-time high due to starting hormones, and she's on a road trip through the red states to attend her dad's wedding, a dad who won't even acknowledge that she's trans, let alone a woman. I'm glad that Chuck called out her behavior at the end and I adored Annabelle. This was definitely a good surprise read!
Jess is the exact type of unlikeable narrator that I love: she's endearing, but she's also short-sighted, judgemental, and self-centered. But she's also a young trans girl in her first year of transition, her emotions are at an all-time high due to starting hormones, and she's on a road trip through the red states to attend her dad's wedding, a dad who won't even acknowledge that she's trans, let alone a woman. I'm glad that Chuck called out her behavior at the end and I adored Annabelle. This was definitely a good surprise read!
September 23, 2016
Stars (Out of 10): 5.5/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I have quite mixed thoughts about this book. It seemed to build up for one case, when suddenly not, with the narrator being an unreliable one. I also found myself liking the characters less and less as the book continued on, finding myself more annoyed with some of the things that made me like them at first. I did like the realisticness of the personalities at points though, and like where the book led to as it ended, although it did end very abruptly.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The book was realistic in how all the characters had flaws. I also liked the overall message it sent out, about looking at the bigger picture, putting yourself in others shoes, and by showing that support can come from the strangest places in some cases. I also like how the book ended with the father redeeming himself in a way, with him making an effort to understand and support his daughter. I thought that ending ended up being a lot better than the angry confrontation I had been expecting! It was a good read, even if my main lingering thoughts are about its flaws.
The Bad: The ending was super abrupt, in a way that really annoyed me. It felt like Chuck showed up, apologies were somewhat exchanged, there was a kiss, no more conversation where Jess continues her apology, or continues the redemption for her character, and then suddenly it was over. I liked the redemption all the “hated” characters were getting, but was a bit upset with it being cut short. The suddenly unreliable narrator was also fairly confusing, as so much hate and wrongdoing was built up for so many characters, just for it to be almost completely wrong in most cases.
The Characters: I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. I liked the main characters less and less as the story went on, their best friend status seeming less and less realistic with each new “recurring” problem they had. They had reasons to be annoyed with each other very quickly into the trip, with these beginning problems seeming to be based on very little. These tensions then continuously grew, showing super huge cracks in the friendship, like Jess’s self-absorbtion. However, it comes as a complete surprise to Jess, and if she’s been so self-absorbed for so long, it doesn’t make as much sense for it to never have been brought up, since it’s been a problem since the beginning of middle school. It makes me wonder how true those problems were, and if their sudden appearance may have only be revealed to further the romantic tension.
The Plot: I liked where the book was going in the beginning, and then where it ended up. However, there was a lot of intense and confusing conflict in the middle, that didn’t necessarily fit into the background we learned of the characters. I did like Annabelle, and had hoped for her to have a larger effect on Jess and her mindset at that point, but we didn’t ever get to see that truly come about in her redemption moment.
The Favorite Character: I actually really liked the father near the end, and Chuck in the beginning (before he decided to try his hardest to kinda ignore and forget about his feelings for Jess.)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Borrow it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress....
Overall Thoughts: I have quite mixed thoughts about this book. It seemed to build up for one case, when suddenly not, with the narrator being an unreliable one. I also found myself liking the characters less and less as the book continued on, finding myself more annoyed with some of the things that made me like them at first. I did like the realisticness of the personalities at points though, and like where the book led to as it ended, although it did end very abruptly.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Good: The book was realistic in how all the characters had flaws. I also liked the overall message it sent out, about looking at the bigger picture, putting yourself in others shoes, and by showing that support can come from the strangest places in some cases. I also like how the book ended with the father redeeming himself in a way, with him making an effort to understand and support his daughter. I thought that ending ended up being a lot better than the angry confrontation I had been expecting! It was a good read, even if my main lingering thoughts are about its flaws.
The Bad: The ending was super abrupt, in a way that really annoyed me. It felt like Chuck showed up, apologies were somewhat exchanged, there was a kiss, no more conversation where Jess continues her apology, or continues the redemption for her character, and then suddenly it was over. I liked the redemption all the “hated” characters were getting, but was a bit upset with it being cut short. The suddenly unreliable narrator was also fairly confusing, as so much hate and wrongdoing was built up for so many characters, just for it to be almost completely wrong in most cases.
The Characters: I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. I liked the main characters less and less as the story went on, their best friend status seeming less and less realistic with each new “recurring” problem they had. They had reasons to be annoyed with each other very quickly into the trip, with these beginning problems seeming to be based on very little. These tensions then continuously grew, showing super huge cracks in the friendship, like Jess’s self-absorbtion. However, it comes as a complete surprise to Jess, and if she’s been so self-absorbed for so long, it doesn’t make as much sense for it to never have been brought up, since it’s been a problem since the beginning of middle school. It makes me wonder how true those problems were, and if their sudden appearance may have only be revealed to further the romantic tension.
The Plot: I liked where the book was going in the beginning, and then where it ended up. However, there was a lot of intense and confusing conflict in the middle, that didn’t necessarily fit into the background we learned of the characters. I did like Annabelle, and had hoped for her to have a larger effect on Jess and her mindset at that point, but we didn’t ever get to see that truly come about in her redemption moment.
The Favorite Character: I actually really liked the father near the end, and Chuck in the beginning (before he decided to try his hardest to kinda ignore and forget about his feelings for Jess.)
Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Borrow it
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress....
November 7, 2016
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Disclaimer: I cannot speak to the authenticity of the transgender experience, but the author's note gives reassurance that she's had a great deal of input from those who can. I also want to direct anyone who is curious about the specifics to Dahlia Adler's review , because she does a way better job than I ever could with outlining the representation.
So, where to begin with this one? Jess was kind of selfish, to be honest. The thing is, I liked that Jess was a little selfish- I mean, she kind of had the right to be worried about this kind of stuff, so it made sense. I am also glad that Chunk called her out on it, because it wasn't an excuse to not think of Chunk's issues. She got to be a little too wrapped up in her own stuff at times, and it seemed to always come at Chunk's expense, which seemed super unfair, since he had been an awesome friend to her from the start and wasn't exactly asking for a whole lot in return. Then there were times that I thought that Chunk needed to be a bit more sympathetic, since this was kind of a huge deal for Jess. But the bottom line to that all is, I think that is really an accurate portrayal of friendships in general. Misunderstandings, and selfishness, and hurt feelings are all a part of growing and learning, so that was quite realistic to me.
The family stuff was great. I loved that Jess's mom was so supportive. I hated that her dad wasn't, but I think it's (sadly) quite realistic. I understood her anger at Jan, but I wish she hadn't used the term "cow" to talk about her. Especially with Chunk being overweight- and most especially since Jess knows what it is like to have issues with one's body.
The road trip piece was a little anticlimactic, which did take away from the story for me a bit. I had kind of hoped that they'd have a few more "big" adventures, but this was mostly about their relationship, which was fine, but I do love a road trip book so I was sad that it was lacking a little in that department. I am a bit conflicted with the ending because while I liked it, it seemed a bit rushed and maybe too easy?
Bottom Line: This is a quick, sweet coming of age book that deals with family and friendship dynamics and navigating teenage life through the eyes of a transgender young woman.
Disclaimer: I cannot speak to the authenticity of the transgender experience, but the author's note gives reassurance that she's had a great deal of input from those who can. I also want to direct anyone who is curious about the specifics to Dahlia Adler's review , because she does a way better job than I ever could with outlining the representation.
So, where to begin with this one? Jess was kind of selfish, to be honest. The thing is, I liked that Jess was a little selfish- I mean, she kind of had the right to be worried about this kind of stuff, so it made sense. I am also glad that Chunk called her out on it, because it wasn't an excuse to not think of Chunk's issues. She got to be a little too wrapped up in her own stuff at times, and it seemed to always come at Chunk's expense, which seemed super unfair, since he had been an awesome friend to her from the start and wasn't exactly asking for a whole lot in return. Then there were times that I thought that Chunk needed to be a bit more sympathetic, since this was kind of a huge deal for Jess. But the bottom line to that all is, I think that is really an accurate portrayal of friendships in general. Misunderstandings, and selfishness, and hurt feelings are all a part of growing and learning, so that was quite realistic to me.
The family stuff was great. I loved that Jess's mom was so supportive. I hated that her dad wasn't, but I think it's (sadly) quite realistic. I understood her anger at Jan, but I wish she hadn't used the term "cow" to talk about her. Especially with Chunk being overweight- and most especially since Jess knows what it is like to have issues with one's body.
The road trip piece was a little anticlimactic, which did take away from the story for me a bit. I had kind of hoped that they'd have a few more "big" adventures, but this was mostly about their relationship, which was fine, but I do love a road trip book so I was sad that it was lacking a little in that department. I am a bit conflicted with the ending because while I liked it, it seemed a bit rushed and maybe too easy?
Bottom Line: This is a quick, sweet coming of age book that deals with family and friendship dynamics and navigating teenage life through the eyes of a transgender young woman.
February 7, 2017
I still can’t wipe the smile off my face after reading Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity.
What starts out as a post graduation trip with a dash of vengeance (Jess wanting to show up at her dad’s wedding in a dress when he used to make her wear a Boy Scouts uniform) turns into a deep winding journey to love and self-acceptance. I can’t speak personally for trans representation, but I loved Jess. I found her to be utterly real as a human being taking legit, pay it no mind, stomp face first into the wind steps into her young adult life, but the character who tucked my heart into his hand was Chunk.
Or should I say Chuck? But of course I should because his name is Chuck and that’s the sly point author, Kristin Elizabeth Clark, so brilliantly makes. Jess, at this stage in her life, is so concerned with herself and what’s most circling around her in her own universe, that she tends to overlook the very real joy and pain her traveling companion and dear friend, Chuck is going through.
Chuck is a dream friend to Jess, always supportive, always a sounding board, and what I loved about Chuck is how Clark showed his vulnerabilities through his aching silence and pointed glares at the long road ahead. He’s doing his best to be there, but you can tell at times he just wants to scream and I’m right there with him. For me, I have had a lifelong battle with weight and body image. Chuck spoke to me so vividly and with such sorrow, especially in how Jess can’t seem to acknowledge his irritation and unease at that awful nickname. It’s like he’s trapped in a room, going round in round in Jess’ self-absorption, but is too kind to open a new door of his own choosing. I have so been there! This is me! Like, I’ve wanted to scream about things with certain people I’ve known in my life: injustices, anger, sadness, fear, but because their needs are greater, you stuff it down for later because you love them and that's sometime the cost of friendship.
Not giving anything away, but for him to blow up, to erupt, takes many miles and in nature, after an eruption a new island is formed. For every breath of Jess’ external change, Chuck experiences his on the inside. While it’s told through Jess’ point of view, it’s really a story of two people learning to love themselves and embrace whatever comes after that.
It’s too easy to say I love this book, but I do. My hope is that you will read it and fall in love with their humanity too.
What starts out as a post graduation trip with a dash of vengeance (Jess wanting to show up at her dad’s wedding in a dress when he used to make her wear a Boy Scouts uniform) turns into a deep winding journey to love and self-acceptance. I can’t speak personally for trans representation, but I loved Jess. I found her to be utterly real as a human being taking legit, pay it no mind, stomp face first into the wind steps into her young adult life, but the character who tucked my heart into his hand was Chunk.
Or should I say Chuck? But of course I should because his name is Chuck and that’s the sly point author, Kristin Elizabeth Clark, so brilliantly makes. Jess, at this stage in her life, is so concerned with herself and what’s most circling around her in her own universe, that she tends to overlook the very real joy and pain her traveling companion and dear friend, Chuck is going through.
Chuck is a dream friend to Jess, always supportive, always a sounding board, and what I loved about Chuck is how Clark showed his vulnerabilities through his aching silence and pointed glares at the long road ahead. He’s doing his best to be there, but you can tell at times he just wants to scream and I’m right there with him. For me, I have had a lifelong battle with weight and body image. Chuck spoke to me so vividly and with such sorrow, especially in how Jess can’t seem to acknowledge his irritation and unease at that awful nickname. It’s like he’s trapped in a room, going round in round in Jess’ self-absorption, but is too kind to open a new door of his own choosing. I have so been there! This is me! Like, I’ve wanted to scream about things with certain people I’ve known in my life: injustices, anger, sadness, fear, but because their needs are greater, you stuff it down for later because you love them and that's sometime the cost of friendship.
Not giving anything away, but for him to blow up, to erupt, takes many miles and in nature, after an eruption a new island is formed. For every breath of Jess’ external change, Chuck experiences his on the inside. While it’s told through Jess’ point of view, it’s really a story of two people learning to love themselves and embrace whatever comes after that.
It’s too easy to say I love this book, but I do. My hope is that you will read it and fall in love with their humanity too.
June 16, 2017
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
I was looking forward to ‘Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity,’ it promised interesting characters and a journey filled with crazy events. What I got was cute, cheesy, and sometimes a little frustrating.
I liked the narrative style – it was about people, and not the body issues they struggled with (Jess struggled with her gender and Chunk with his weight.) I liked how it illustrated how not everyone gets it. And how any one person is more than one thing and has faults of their own… how the sum total of many things makes us up as individuals.
I did find our protagonist Jess a bit selfish. How she was all about her transition. But I know people who have lived through that process, and it sums up their mental space for that period of time. They’ve been on this journey for so long it consumes them. Not to say they are bad people or narrow-minded. They are simply protecting themselves, anchoring to their core to allow growth once they’ve found that safe place within. But I would have like to have seen her step outside issues other than her gender expression. Nut her story is an important one, and I liked how she interacted with the outside world and started to test boundaries.
Chunk could have been a little more expressive and assertive. He was so compassionate, it felt crippling. I was praying to see him a little more confronting and add some tension to the story, force Jess to think with a bigger perspective. He just such a big adorable teddy bear.
Jess and Chunk were both likeable, and engaging to read, but I wanted more dimension and intensity. It would have lifted the tone from pleasant to impactful.
It was a great story illuminating issues trans people face, and showing representations of sexuality. It was also wonderful at depicting the fear and doubt that non-hetero-normative people live with for their entire lives. But the other side of this is that these issues weren’t really delivered in a realistic way other than a stream of thought. Jess was sheltered and detached from the community, and from taking part in all the activities of the road trip. I get that she was afraid and protecting herself, but not having the issues she faced connected to the reader in some real life experiences, or those of other characters, diminished the importance of these somewhat.
But this book is a marvellous tool in offering a starting point for dialogue about so many issues of the human condition, and how we treat each other.
I loved the nerdy and sci-fi references – nice touch and appealed to my inner geek. It was also great to read about diverse characters that had real world problems.
I’m ambivalent on the ending – while I enjoyed it, I think that there was more character growth and a lot more issues they needed to work out to reach that point. It felt rushed. Otherwise, wonderfully dramatic and managed to drag out all the feels..
I was looking forward to ‘Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity,’ it promised interesting characters and a journey filled with crazy events. What I got was cute, cheesy, and sometimes a little frustrating.
I liked the narrative style – it was about people, and not the body issues they struggled with (Jess struggled with her gender and Chunk with his weight.) I liked how it illustrated how not everyone gets it. And how any one person is more than one thing and has faults of their own… how the sum total of many things makes us up as individuals.
I did find our protagonist Jess a bit selfish. How she was all about her transition. But I know people who have lived through that process, and it sums up their mental space for that period of time. They’ve been on this journey for so long it consumes them. Not to say they are bad people or narrow-minded. They are simply protecting themselves, anchoring to their core to allow growth once they’ve found that safe place within. But I would have like to have seen her step outside issues other than her gender expression. Nut her story is an important one, and I liked how she interacted with the outside world and started to test boundaries.
Chunk could have been a little more expressive and assertive. He was so compassionate, it felt crippling. I was praying to see him a little more confronting and add some tension to the story, force Jess to think with a bigger perspective. He just such a big adorable teddy bear.
Jess and Chunk were both likeable, and engaging to read, but I wanted more dimension and intensity. It would have lifted the tone from pleasant to impactful.
It was a great story illuminating issues trans people face, and showing representations of sexuality. It was also wonderful at depicting the fear and doubt that non-hetero-normative people live with for their entire lives. But the other side of this is that these issues weren’t really delivered in a realistic way other than a stream of thought. Jess was sheltered and detached from the community, and from taking part in all the activities of the road trip. I get that she was afraid and protecting herself, but not having the issues she faced connected to the reader in some real life experiences, or those of other characters, diminished the importance of these somewhat.
But this book is a marvellous tool in offering a starting point for dialogue about so many issues of the human condition, and how we treat each other.
I loved the nerdy and sci-fi references – nice touch and appealed to my inner geek. It was also great to read about diverse characters that had real world problems.
I’m ambivalent on the ending – while I enjoyed it, I think that there was more character growth and a lot more issues they needed to work out to reach that point. It felt rushed. Otherwise, wonderfully dramatic and managed to drag out all the feels..
July 18, 2024
This book is was amazing! I need a sequel. Kristin, if you are reading this, take notes. (haha) This book taught me so much about a topic that I should know about, which helps me in so many ways! Overall great book and hopefully she comes out with a sequel!
August 7, 2024
Pretty good but I didn't like the end
October 22, 2016
Clark's second novel is a great road trip book- I really enjoyed reading Jess' and Chunk's journey together. It was a very compelling, emotional roller coaster where they both figured out things about themselves and about their long friendship. Clark does a great job depicting a friendship that's fallen into a rhythm and Jess has gotten to a place where she doesn't really question their relationship or anything they talk about. It becomes a learning period for Jess throughout to become more comfortable with herself as well as her relationship with the world. This was such a fantastic read; I highly recommend it!
Read
December 16, 2021I found the MC really annoying and quite problematic for most of the book, which made anything else really hard to enjoy. If you're trying to introduce some trans narratives into your reading, don't start with this one.
August 21, 2017
A quick and easy read - completed it in one sitting with ease - only 259 pages long, and quite simple text.
I think it is definitely important to have books like this one, ones in which the protagonist is a transgender character. I'm sure there are quite a few available these days, and I myself have read a few others, but there is definitely a need for there to be more transgender awareness spread through literature.
I particularly enjoyed this one, as the character - while misunderstood- was also flawed. Normally, there are these LGBTI+ characters that aren't understood, or are bullied, but they are pretty much a perfect character who doubts themselves because of these unfortunate events. Jess, the protagonist in Kristin Elizabeth Clark's book, was actually a flawed character. She was not portrayed as relatively perfect - she was a bit ignorant, a bit naive, a bit selfish, and dare I say... a bit human . I loved this. While she was undergoing major changes in her life, which she should consider in great detail and be mindful of, she was overly focused on her own transition to become a female, and was neglecting her best friend, Chuck's thoughts and feelings.
Who doesn't love a road trip? The plot sounded like a light, fluffy little trip across the country to go to a wedding - but it wasn't. I think this was perhaps the most angst filled road trip I have ever read about. Happiness, anger, betrayal, jealousy, love... just to name a few things.
So much happened on this road trip, and it definitely was not always a fun time, snacking on Doritos and Dr. Pepper. And this was probably the best part. As I started reading and this great friendship between Jess and "Chunk" (AKA Chuck) was described, I was kind of like, "Well, this is going to be a cutesy little road trip that will strengthen their friendship, maybe some romance... What could go wrong?"
Well, Jacqueline of the past, a lot can go wrong, and it did.
I particularly enjoyed the general acceptance of Jess being transgender. Her mum accepted it. Chuck accepted it. Chuck's mum accepted it. Annabelle accepted it. A lot of people were completely casual and cool with her being transgender - and that is how it should be!
As with any form of sexuality or aspect of the LGBTI+ community, there should be no reason to "come out". Why can't it always just be accepted? There is nothing wrong with being a member of the community or identifying differently to other people! I really don't understand why there is such a huge stigma around sexuality and identification, but I definitely hope this is stigmatized in the near future.
I read that Clark has written other novels about transgender adolescents, so I will absolutely check those out when I get the chance - I'm a bit swamped with university work at the moment, but I will read more of her works!
I think it is definitely important to have books like this one, ones in which the protagonist is a transgender character. I'm sure there are quite a few available these days, and I myself have read a few others, but there is definitely a need for there to be more transgender awareness spread through literature.
I particularly enjoyed this one, as the character - while misunderstood- was also flawed. Normally, there are these LGBTI+ characters that aren't understood, or are bullied, but they are pretty much a perfect character who doubts themselves because of these unfortunate events. Jess, the protagonist in Kristin Elizabeth Clark's book, was actually a flawed character. She was not portrayed as relatively perfect - she was a bit ignorant, a bit naive, a bit selfish, and dare I say... a bit human . I loved this. While she was undergoing major changes in her life, which she should consider in great detail and be mindful of, she was overly focused on her own transition to become a female, and was neglecting her best friend, Chuck's thoughts and feelings.
Who doesn't love a road trip? The plot sounded like a light, fluffy little trip across the country to go to a wedding - but it wasn't. I think this was perhaps the most angst filled road trip I have ever read about. Happiness, anger, betrayal, jealousy, love... just to name a few things.
So much happened on this road trip, and it definitely was not always a fun time, snacking on Doritos and Dr. Pepper. And this was probably the best part. As I started reading and this great friendship between Jess and "Chunk" (AKA Chuck) was described, I was kind of like, "Well, this is going to be a cutesy little road trip that will strengthen their friendship, maybe some romance... What could go wrong?"
Well, Jacqueline of the past, a lot can go wrong, and it did.
I particularly enjoyed the general acceptance of Jess being transgender. Her mum accepted it. Chuck accepted it. Chuck's mum accepted it. Annabelle accepted it. A lot of people were completely casual and cool with her being transgender - and that is how it should be!
As with any form of sexuality or aspect of the LGBTI+ community, there should be no reason to "come out". Why can't it always just be accepted? There is nothing wrong with being a member of the community or identifying differently to other people! I really don't understand why there is such a huge stigma around sexuality and identification, but I definitely hope this is stigmatized in the near future.
I read that Clark has written other novels about transgender adolescents, so I will absolutely check those out when I get the chance - I'm a bit swamped with university work at the moment, but I will read more of her works!
June 19, 2024
I plucked this book off the shelf with no prior knowledge of the premise, just that it had a trans character and I wanted to read more LGBTQ+ literature.
I enjoyed the book at first, appreciating some instances where Jess’ struggles and joys really spoke to me, but overall every page left my brows furrowed.
Jess’ character is undoubtedly selfish, but I don’t fully believe that that has to do with her being trans, I think that was what her personality honed in on as she was in the bulk of her transition (less than one year on HRT) as well as that playing into significant events in her life (grad school, socially transitioning, and her fathers wedding). How she treated Chuck was repetitive and frustrating, not offering much to savor in the story.
Chuck on the other hand was not a terrific example of strong moral fibre either; his “hear him out” approach to Jess’ transphobic father left a poor taste in my mouth. Part of Jess’ self obsession came from what I believe was a feeling of dismissal. When she had moments to genuinely celebrate considering her transition, they were interpreted by Chuck as bouts of self-obsession.
From a non-character point of view, some of Clark’s dialogue for Jess involving her transness was unfortunately quite disappointing. A lot of focus was put on the character’s genitalia, using terms that were, verbatim, “girl parts” and “guy parts.”
Viewing this from the lens of Jess and her hyper-insecurity, that ideology is contextual. Despite this, with no ill will to the author, it was simply lackluster.
June 20, 2022
2.75 stars?
The ending was very cute if not predictable, but I had a hard time with the characters in this book. Jess and Chuck are supposed to be best friends, but they’re kind of awful to each other. Chuck won’t communicate with Jess at all and is very passive aggressive.
Meanwhile Jess is pretty self absorbed, which in some instances is totally valid (like when she doesn’t feel safe) but in some cases is just her using fat shaming language and being super judgmental of everyone’s physical appearance despite being terrified that people are judging her physical appearance.
Thankfully, these characters are teenagers who have a lot of growing to do, and I have a lot of grace for naive young adults. But dang, it was hard to care what was happening considering these characters were mostly insufferable.
In relation to the writing style of the book: A lot of the flashback scenes were unnecessary, and they made me cringe because there was so much deadnaming. Was it necessary to the story sometimes? Sure. But not that many times.
I feel like there were cheap conflicts added that could have been left out, and then Chuck and Jess could have had real conversations.
The ending was very cute if not predictable, but I had a hard time with the characters in this book. Jess and Chuck are supposed to be best friends, but they’re kind of awful to each other. Chuck won’t communicate with Jess at all and is very passive aggressive.
Meanwhile Jess is pretty self absorbed, which in some instances is totally valid (like when she doesn’t feel safe) but in some cases is just her using fat shaming language and being super judgmental of everyone’s physical appearance despite being terrified that people are judging her physical appearance.
Thankfully, these characters are teenagers who have a lot of growing to do, and I have a lot of grace for naive young adults. But dang, it was hard to care what was happening considering these characters were mostly insufferable.
In relation to the writing style of the book: A lot of the flashback scenes were unnecessary, and they made me cringe because there was so much deadnaming. Was it necessary to the story sometimes? Sure. But not that many times.
I feel like there were cheap conflicts added that could have been left out, and then Chuck and Jess could have had real conversations.
July 25, 2018
There's just something unlikable about this book. Nothing is outrageously bad, but that being said, there's so very little that's good about it that the bad far outweighs the good.
First thing's first, I commend Kristen Elizabeth Clark to be one of the few cis authors who actually talks to a trans person before writing her story. Her daughter is a trans woman and she wrote this book as a way to share her and her daughter's experiences as a trans woman and the mother of the trans woman. Thank you to Clark for that. You'd be surprised how many cis authors mess up this, the simplest of things.
Second things second, the book feels a little....gender 101? I feel like Clark used was consistently very basic language regarding trans issues. There's one line, though i cannot find it in the book word for word, where Jess says "This did not relieve my gender dysphoria." It's a very awkward series of words, which I believe only someone acclimated with transgender terminology, or who was trying very hard to use a specific vocabulary word would actually ever say. I've never heard a trans person say anything so clumsy. What I would say, and what I'm sure every single other trans articulate trans person would say is, "________, which made me dysphoric." I reckon she did this as a way for cis people to more easily google the words she was using, which leads me into my next point:
It's evident through this and through the foreword by Clark that this book is for cis people to learn about trans people and not for trans people to see themselves in. It seems to be a familiar sight to read a book about trans people that's just slightly off. As though the story of a trans person has been put through a lens that simplifies the book so cis people can enjoy it while trans people don't really see themselves in it. Which is not, of course, to say no one could ever see herself in Jess. I'm sure she is a character near and dear to many a trans womans' heart. But it's unfortunate reading a book which so obviously is meant to gently inform the reader of what we are already bombarded with on the daily. There's something to be said for that, but I feel like writing books for trans people to see themselves in is JUST AS important as writing books about trans people FOR cis people. This particular story would have been much more fun if it was or trans people themselves.
Jess also spends what I would say is a majority of the book anxious about people attacking her. As a bi trans person I completely understand this. Walking down the street holding hands with another boy scared the bajesuz out of me, and the idea of not passing and being attacked eats at me constantly. I understand that, as again, this book was very obviously written for cis people, Clark is trying to evoke empathy in them. We fear being alive in spaces near you because you kill us on the regular is of course, something that will make anyone with a sliver of decency feel terrible and want to change that. But as a trans person it almost feels like...."fear mongering" might be too strong a word. Towards the end, Jess says, "[It's] like there's not a truly safe place anywhere." And while it can feel like that sometimes, and it's a fear we all have, if you are a trans person reading this: there are safe places. Entire cities might not be that place, but if you look, you will find places that make you feel safe, be that a supportive neighbor, or your high school's GSA, there are places that will make you feel okay. Not every single place will make you scared.
As for the plot: An interesting idea, but put into practice? Absolutely Painful! Jess is our narrator, so we're stuck in her dreadful mind as she tries to reason through emotions that make no sense. I am, very unfortunately, accustomed to estrogen and how disgustingly emotional you can get for lack of reason, but Jess is far beyond that! It seems for the entirety of the book, Jess is mad or crying at Chunk for the smallest things, such as he declined her offer for a Dr. Pepper.
On something of a related note, Chunk has an online friend whom he knows as Lizard, and whom Jess spends the entirety of the trip making fun of, despite Chunk making it evident he was not comfortable with her making fun of his friend. Chunk is also disappointed that Jess very seldom asks him about his life, instead making even his problems about her. Jess becomes mad about this as well, as though he is attacking her character and not pointing out that their relationship is headed down an unhealthy route. He is saying that he feels ignored and unappreciated, and Jess still makes him feel as though, this too, is somehow his fault. She also constantly makes fun of him despite him being obviously uncomfortable with the things she says. Jess is irritatingly unlikable and insensitive to other people's feelings.
And though this book is less than 300 pages, its still entirely too long. A bulk of the book is just Jess and Chunk playing a game of Truth or Truth (which somehow always gives them a question relevant to their current situation) or describing roadside attractions. I don't particularly care which parent Chunk thinks he's more like. I don't care about a road stop in Iowa with a stuffed dead penguin on display. Get to the plot. Get to the character development.
another very brief and nit-picky note... while it's not the norm, cis woman can and do have Adam's apples. It's a bone in the neck. This point is brought up twice as a "tell" and while this is something that can forcibly out trans women, don't act like cis women can't have one.
trigger warning: F-slur and mention of hate crime several times.
Anyways. It's not offensive like other cis people's books about trans people, but it's seriously not even on the same plane as books by trans people who right from their experiences and their hearts. Two stars.
First thing's first, I commend Kristen Elizabeth Clark to be one of the few cis authors who actually talks to a trans person before writing her story. Her daughter is a trans woman and she wrote this book as a way to share her and her daughter's experiences as a trans woman and the mother of the trans woman. Thank you to Clark for that. You'd be surprised how many cis authors mess up this, the simplest of things.
Second things second, the book feels a little....gender 101? I feel like Clark used was consistently very basic language regarding trans issues. There's one line, though i cannot find it in the book word for word, where Jess says "This did not relieve my gender dysphoria." It's a very awkward series of words, which I believe only someone acclimated with transgender terminology, or who was trying very hard to use a specific vocabulary word would actually ever say. I've never heard a trans person say anything so clumsy. What I would say, and what I'm sure every single other trans articulate trans person would say is, "________, which made me dysphoric." I reckon she did this as a way for cis people to more easily google the words she was using, which leads me into my next point:
It's evident through this and through the foreword by Clark that this book is for cis people to learn about trans people and not for trans people to see themselves in. It seems to be a familiar sight to read a book about trans people that's just slightly off. As though the story of a trans person has been put through a lens that simplifies the book so cis people can enjoy it while trans people don't really see themselves in it. Which is not, of course, to say no one could ever see herself in Jess. I'm sure she is a character near and dear to many a trans womans' heart. But it's unfortunate reading a book which so obviously is meant to gently inform the reader of what we are already bombarded with on the daily. There's something to be said for that, but I feel like writing books for trans people to see themselves in is JUST AS important as writing books about trans people FOR cis people. This particular story would have been much more fun if it was or trans people themselves.
Jess also spends what I would say is a majority of the book anxious about people attacking her. As a bi trans person I completely understand this. Walking down the street holding hands with another boy scared the bajesuz out of me, and the idea of not passing and being attacked eats at me constantly. I understand that, as again, this book was very obviously written for cis people, Clark is trying to evoke empathy in them. We fear being alive in spaces near you because you kill us on the regular is of course, something that will make anyone with a sliver of decency feel terrible and want to change that. But as a trans person it almost feels like...."fear mongering" might be too strong a word. Towards the end, Jess says, "[It's] like there's not a truly safe place anywhere." And while it can feel like that sometimes, and it's a fear we all have, if you are a trans person reading this: there are safe places. Entire cities might not be that place, but if you look, you will find places that make you feel safe, be that a supportive neighbor, or your high school's GSA, there are places that will make you feel okay. Not every single place will make you scared.
As for the plot: An interesting idea, but put into practice? Absolutely Painful! Jess is our narrator, so we're stuck in her dreadful mind as she tries to reason through emotions that make no sense. I am, very unfortunately, accustomed to estrogen and how disgustingly emotional you can get for lack of reason, but Jess is far beyond that! It seems for the entirety of the book, Jess is mad or crying at Chunk for the smallest things, such as he declined her offer for a Dr. Pepper.
On something of a related note, Chunk has an online friend whom he knows as Lizard, and whom Jess spends the entirety of the trip making fun of, despite Chunk making it evident he was not comfortable with her making fun of his friend. Chunk is also disappointed that Jess very seldom asks him about his life, instead making even his problems about her. Jess becomes mad about this as well, as though he is attacking her character and not pointing out that their relationship is headed down an unhealthy route. He is saying that he feels ignored and unappreciated, and Jess still makes him feel as though, this too, is somehow his fault. She also constantly makes fun of him despite him being obviously uncomfortable with the things she says. Jess is irritatingly unlikable and insensitive to other people's feelings.
And though this book is less than 300 pages, its still entirely too long. A bulk of the book is just Jess and Chunk playing a game of Truth or Truth (which somehow always gives them a question relevant to their current situation) or describing roadside attractions. I don't particularly care which parent Chunk thinks he's more like. I don't care about a road stop in Iowa with a stuffed dead penguin on display. Get to the plot. Get to the character development.
another very brief and nit-picky note... while it's not the norm, cis woman can and do have Adam's apples. It's a bone in the neck. This point is brought up twice as a "tell" and while this is something that can forcibly out trans women, don't act like cis women can't have one.
trigger warning: F-slur and mention of hate crime several times.
Anyways. It's not offensive like other cis people's books about trans people, but it's seriously not even on the same plane as books by trans people who right from their experiences and their hearts. Two stars.
April 4, 2017
"Is it so wrong to want to appear to the world the way I see myself?"
You know, I was kind of wondering the same thing myself, so with a quote like this on the back cover, how could I not read it? (Please note that I'm not trans. I'm ace.)
But it turns out that this isn't really what the book is about. It's more about hypocrisy. Jess is so wrapped up in her own life that she's not even noticing anyone else's.
Ultimately, my favourite thing about this book is the cover. The quote on the back, the rainbow title, the way you can clearly see it is about a road trip.
You know, I was kind of wondering the same thing myself, so with a quote like this on the back cover, how could I not read it? (Please note that I'm not trans. I'm ace.)
But it turns out that this isn't really what the book is about. It's more about hypocrisy. Jess is so wrapped up in her own life that she's not even noticing anyone else's.
Ultimately, my favourite thing about this book is the cover. The quote on the back, the rainbow title, the way you can clearly see it is about a road trip.
Read
August 28, 2017Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: My God, It's Full of Stars
Drinking Buddy: They Grow On You
Testosterone Estrogen Level: Subdued
Talky Talk: Changes
Bonus Factors: Roadside America, Transgender
Bromance Status: Shotgun!
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: My God, It's Full of Stars
Drinking Buddy: They Grow On You
Talky Talk: Changes
Bonus Factors: Roadside America, Transgender
Bromance Status: Shotgun!
Read the full book report here.
May 22, 2017
I honestly didn't really care for this book. It started out boring and took a lot of time to get used to. I feel bad for Jess, and I hate what her dad did to her. I like how Chunk goes with her, and how he is such a good friend. Overall rating - .5
April 5, 2017
This was such a surprisingly adorable book with, what I felt, was excellent trans representation.
March 20, 2022
I’m usually one who likes happy endings, but this one felt wrapped up too perfectly. Jess got off too easily when it came to her selfish and hypocritical personality that she wasn’t in the slightest aware of until Chris ( I’m not referring to him by chunk since it’s made clear he hates that name) told her. I hated how in the end Jess barely had to apologize to Chris in order for her to be back in his good graces. Also, the ending was just so abrupt. Especially with Chris surprisingly showing up in time after the wedding. The wedding itself, which is what this whole book was leading up to, just went by too fast. So it all just kind of fell flat in the end for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2017
I was perusing the new Young Adult selection for LGBTQ+ books at my local library when I found this one. The side stuck out to me and I had an inkling that it was somewhere on the spectrum, and a quick look at the summary confirmed my hunch and I snatched it up immediately, in love with the idea of a road trip and a trans girl, and her journey that basically boiled down to spiting her father in the best way possible.
That being said, this book had a lot of potential and I can't help but fell it fell flat in my personal opinion.
I did enjoy plenty of things about the book, as how it portrayed a trans girl going through her transition. Her and her best friend being utter geeks. The road trip and the sights they saw. But all the things I didn't like about it just kind of overshadowed these things, unfortunately.
Jess is a bit of a beotch, to be honest. For nearly the entire book she seemed so selfish and self-centered and unlikable in my eyes. The way she treated Chuck at times just made me want to reach into the pages and shake her until she realized how horrible she was acting. He was constantly trying to find trans friendly locations they could sleep, and he found that store owner and went out of his way to show her. And while she did thank him for this it just felt like he was putting more effort into their friendship than she was.
The fact that she seemingly didn't notice her best friend being bullied and subsequently kept calling him the name he had been bullied with aggravated me. Having been fat all my life I related to him in ways and it just always made me frown or huff when she acted the way she did.
There are plenty moments in the book where Chuck eats something small, or not at all, usually after she makes a harsh comment about someone/something's weight. (A Goldilocks sign? Statue? at that one restaurant they went to, that I can't place the name of, sorry) And it didn't even occur to her that the reason he wasn't eating much and acting weird had anything to do with her insensitive comments. I get it, sometimes fat people joke about their weight and stuff like that too (sometimes because they're comfortable with their size, or as self-deprecation), but she still should've at least had an inkling that something was up with him, especially when he got defensive when she said that he must be hungry by now.
And I know this is a small detail that I'm probably just being too nitpicky over, but her behavior whenever he was talking to his online friend irked me. I totally understand that she wanted the trip to be solely about the two of them, but I think he's allowed to have friends and interests that exist outside of her. Her constant insistence that Chuck can't be friends with this girl (her name escapes me, I apologize, my memory is shoddy and I've read a handful of books after this one so some things always seem to be forgotten) simply because they don't know each other in real life- as if it wasn't tangible, or meaningful. Like, nearly 90% of my friendships stem from online outlets, and I love all of them to death and feel closer to most of them than I do with anyone in real life. To suggest that just because they're not authentic or real because of the distance between them is hurtful, jealousy or no.
Now I'm not setting up Chuck to be an utter saint or anything like that, he did have a few irksome moments. He told his mom about Jess behind her back, and while I get that he probably had the best intentions behind it I still don't think it was his place to do so. I also think he should've told her outright about wanting to meet his friend IRL at the Star Trek event, no matter how she would've reacted, instead of springing it on her randomly.
At one point in the book he deadnames her, and I can understand accidentally doing it, but to my knowledge I don't think anyone called him out on this (out loud, other than Jess mentioning it to herself), nor does he apologize for it. I also don't think he should've let her go on to her father's wedding by herself, no matter how mad they were at each other. I know I wouldn't have, but then again I may just be a pushover hahaha.
That also brings me to the end of the book, which I felt was just too abrupt and unsatisfying. Jess suddenly, apparently, realizes how much of an asshole she was being a few pages away from the end of the book, and also how that she likes Chuck back. I can get love sneaking up on you without you being fully aware and all that but everything just felt so rushed and then it was suddenly over. I think it could've done with a few more chapters. With them driving back home and talking out their issues with each other and coming to a nice point and beginning a new chapter in their lives together as a couple. I actually fully expected, or at least hoped, that was the way the book would end and it just didn't. I think if that had been the case it definitely would've upped my rating and my thoughts on it a little bit.
That being said, this book had a lot of potential and I can't help but fell it fell flat in my personal opinion.
I did enjoy plenty of things about the book, as how it portrayed a trans girl going through her transition. Her and her best friend being utter geeks. The road trip and the sights they saw. But all the things I didn't like about it just kind of overshadowed these things, unfortunately.
Jess is a bit of a beotch, to be honest. For nearly the entire book she seemed so selfish and self-centered and unlikable in my eyes. The way she treated Chuck at times just made me want to reach into the pages and shake her until she realized how horrible she was acting. He was constantly trying to find trans friendly locations they could sleep, and he found that store owner and went out of his way to show her. And while she did thank him for this it just felt like he was putting more effort into their friendship than she was.
The fact that she seemingly didn't notice her best friend being bullied and subsequently kept calling him the name he had been bullied with aggravated me. Having been fat all my life I related to him in ways and it just always made me frown or huff when she acted the way she did.
There are plenty moments in the book where Chuck eats something small, or not at all, usually after she makes a harsh comment about someone/something's weight. (A Goldilocks sign? Statue? at that one restaurant they went to, that I can't place the name of, sorry) And it didn't even occur to her that the reason he wasn't eating much and acting weird had anything to do with her insensitive comments. I get it, sometimes fat people joke about their weight and stuff like that too (sometimes because they're comfortable with their size, or as self-deprecation), but she still should've at least had an inkling that something was up with him, especially when he got defensive when she said that he must be hungry by now.
And I know this is a small detail that I'm probably just being too nitpicky over, but her behavior whenever he was talking to his online friend irked me. I totally understand that she wanted the trip to be solely about the two of them, but I think he's allowed to have friends and interests that exist outside of her. Her constant insistence that Chuck can't be friends with this girl (her name escapes me, I apologize, my memory is shoddy and I've read a handful of books after this one so some things always seem to be forgotten) simply because they don't know each other in real life- as if it wasn't tangible, or meaningful. Like, nearly 90% of my friendships stem from online outlets, and I love all of them to death and feel closer to most of them than I do with anyone in real life. To suggest that just because they're not authentic or real because of the distance between them is hurtful, jealousy or no.
Now I'm not setting up Chuck to be an utter saint or anything like that, he did have a few irksome moments. He told his mom about Jess behind her back, and while I get that he probably had the best intentions behind it I still don't think it was his place to do so. I also think he should've told her outright about wanting to meet his friend IRL at the Star Trek event, no matter how she would've reacted, instead of springing it on her randomly.
At one point in the book he deadnames her, and I can understand accidentally doing it, but to my knowledge I don't think anyone called him out on this (out loud, other than Jess mentioning it to herself), nor does he apologize for it. I also don't think he should've let her go on to her father's wedding by herself, no matter how mad they were at each other. I know I wouldn't have, but then again I may just be a pushover hahaha.
That also brings me to the end of the book, which I felt was just too abrupt and unsatisfying. Jess suddenly, apparently, realizes how much of an asshole she was being a few pages away from the end of the book, and also how that she likes Chuck back. I can get love sneaking up on you without you being fully aware and all that but everything just felt so rushed and then it was suddenly over. I think it could've done with a few more chapters. With them driving back home and talking out their issues with each other and coming to a nice point and beginning a new chapter in their lives together as a couple. I actually fully expected, or at least hoped, that was the way the book would end and it just didn't. I think if that had been the case it definitely would've upped my rating and my thoughts on it a little bit.
February 14, 2018
This was a fun book about a boy transitioning to a girl. I liked the plot and the events and encounters Jess and Chuck experienced. I agree with Chuck, that Jess doesn't really think much about others. I felt she was too whiny.
I would recommend this book to students are enjoy reading LGBT novels and those who enjoy reading about teens and high school.
I would recommend this book to students are enjoy reading LGBT novels and those who enjoy reading about teens and high school.
December 17, 2023
I bought this book at a local bookstore in San Diego. I love when I'm able to support local! I'm happy that I did, but not happy about buying this particular book.
This story went nowhere. It wasn't that long but even if it was longer, I still feel like I wouldn't have learned any thing more. I love the trans inclusivity and the feelings that her journey took her on, but that's pretty much it. I know she's a teenager and I know she has a lot of built up resentment and confusing feelings, but she was so rude to everyone.
Also, her best friend that she treated so rude during their whole road trip? She actually has feelings for him and they end up together at the end... when he never even seemed interested in her because he was interested in SOMEONE ELSE. We didn't even really see many parts where they actually connected and got along.
This story only receives two stars for it's well intentions of inclusivity.
This story went nowhere. It wasn't that long but even if it was longer, I still feel like I wouldn't have learned any thing more. I love the trans inclusivity and the feelings that her journey took her on, but that's pretty much it. I know she's a teenager and I know she has a lot of built up resentment and confusing feelings, but she was so rude to everyone.
Also, her best friend that she treated so rude during their whole road trip? She actually has feelings for him and they end up together at the end... when he never even seemed interested in her because he was interested in SOMEONE ELSE. We didn't even really see many parts where they actually connected and got along.
This story only receives two stars for it's well intentions of inclusivity.
May 29, 2018
read this in one sitting. such an important read when it comes to the relationships in this book. otherwise, i found jess' voice annoying at times, but can understand how it influenced the actions in the book, and also the plot was pretty dry at times. still a very engaging read tho
July 3, 2016
I was sent an ARC of this from Farrar, Straus and Giroux in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinions towards the book.
I picked this one up for 2 different reasons. #1: I was on a road trip at the time and thought it would be perfect. It ended up actually being sort of cool because we were in the same state at one point and on some of the same routes that the book was mentioning. #2: June was Pride Month and I was really excited to read another book about a transgender teen because there are definitely not enough in YA literature.
I do not personally know anyone who is transgender and I wanted to mention this because I am not sure if this book is actually and reliably portraying the experiences these people go through. I know that the author's child is transgender which made me feel good that it was coming from an author who personally knew and was connected to someone who was.
I liked the fact that this book was not so much focused on the fact that Jess was transgender but more so on the experiences after transitioning and the fact that her dad was remarrying. There were lots of important topics that were discussed such as hormones, passing, and the issue of clothing and even the restroom issue which still plagues our world today. I thought that seeing this side of things was really interesting and needed in this area of literature so I really appreciated that and being able to finally understand some of these things that I hadn't before.
I did find the book to be extremely predictable though and I am not so sure about the ending... I wasn't a huge fan and I would have liked some more closure or even some more continuation but I was just satisfied as I closed the book. The writing was just okay and I had a few issues with the characters that had things to do with their morals and ways of viewing others but other than that, I liked this story.
It's definitely an important book that is needed int he world today. For both people who need to feel that others are going through the same things they are or for people who need and want to be educated on this topic. I really enjoyed where the story went but felt a little let down by the predictability and ending of it all. However, I definitely would recommend checking this one out when it releases! It's short and can be read on a quick drive just like I did so I think it is definitely worth a shot.
I picked this one up for 2 different reasons. #1: I was on a road trip at the time and thought it would be perfect. It ended up actually being sort of cool because we were in the same state at one point and on some of the same routes that the book was mentioning. #2: June was Pride Month and I was really excited to read another book about a transgender teen because there are definitely not enough in YA literature.
I do not personally know anyone who is transgender and I wanted to mention this because I am not sure if this book is actually and reliably portraying the experiences these people go through. I know that the author's child is transgender which made me feel good that it was coming from an author who personally knew and was connected to someone who was.
I liked the fact that this book was not so much focused on the fact that Jess was transgender but more so on the experiences after transitioning and the fact that her dad was remarrying. There were lots of important topics that were discussed such as hormones, passing, and the issue of clothing and even the restroom issue which still plagues our world today. I thought that seeing this side of things was really interesting and needed in this area of literature so I really appreciated that and being able to finally understand some of these things that I hadn't before.
I did find the book to be extremely predictable though and I am not so sure about the ending... I wasn't a huge fan and I would have liked some more closure or even some more continuation but I was just satisfied as I closed the book. The writing was just okay and I had a few issues with the characters that had things to do with their morals and ways of viewing others but other than that, I liked this story.
It's definitely an important book that is needed int he world today. For both people who need to feel that others are going through the same things they are or for people who need and want to be educated on this topic. I really enjoyed where the story went but felt a little let down by the predictability and ending of it all. However, I definitely would recommend checking this one out when it releases! It's short and can be read on a quick drive just like I did so I think it is definitely worth a shot.
December 23, 2016
Though short and absorbing, this is not an easy read. It might not be for everyone. The characters are a bit authentic for comfort. More so than most novels that deal with gender dysphoria and body image, this one pulls every possible punch, and no character—no matter how marginalized—escapes what is sometimes harsh judgment.
Jess and Chuck are recent high school graduates who take a road trip to Chicago to attend Jess’s father’s wedding—to her mother’s ex-best friend. Jess has known she is trans for a couple of years, and though her mother has been overwhelmingly accepting, her father refuses to acknowledge that Jess is a woman. Jess resents her father for this and for leaving her mother, though there is more to the story of their separation and divorce than Jess understands when the story opens. Chuck is her patient best friend who, despite his sympathy for Jess’ situation and loyalty to her, has neglected to be forthcoming with her. Though he and Jess have known each other since first grade, Chuck has chosen to withhold a lot of what’s been eating at him from her, and it has taken a toll. All of this comes to a head when they embark on this road trip together, and what results poses a serious threat to their friendship.
The only flaw is the abrupt ending. The reader is denied a suitable denouement to tie everything together, so that is the reason I’ve chosen to go with four instead of five stars.
Jess and Chuck are recent high school graduates who take a road trip to Chicago to attend Jess’s father’s wedding—to her mother’s ex-best friend. Jess has known she is trans for a couple of years, and though her mother has been overwhelmingly accepting, her father refuses to acknowledge that Jess is a woman. Jess resents her father for this and for leaving her mother, though there is more to the story of their separation and divorce than Jess understands when the story opens. Chuck is her patient best friend who, despite his sympathy for Jess’ situation and loyalty to her, has neglected to be forthcoming with her. Though he and Jess have known each other since first grade, Chuck has chosen to withhold a lot of what’s been eating at him from her, and it has taken a toll. All of this comes to a head when they embark on this road trip together, and what results poses a serious threat to their friendship.
The only flaw is the abrupt ending. The reader is denied a suitable denouement to tie everything together, so that is the reason I’ve chosen to go with four instead of five stars.
December 9, 2016
Meh. I wanted to like this book. I really did. But this story had too many flaws for me to find it enjoyable.
I like how the main character is trans! Diversity is always a good thing in YA literature. However, I didn’t really like Jess, at all. She didn’t have many redeeming qualities. She was immature and constantly picking fights with her best friend, Chunk, when he was only trying to help.
I love road trip novels, and this one felt authentic. Since I’ve been to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, I can confirm it does smell terrible and there are rotting birds littering the ground. (However, it’s still a beautiful piece of land I recommend checking it out, corpses aside.) I loved the quirky roadside attractions the characters stopped at, and the creative characters they met along the way. You really go on a journey in this one.
This book seemed to drag on a bit. There didn’t seem to be much pulling the story along. Even when Jess makes it to Chicago to confront her dad at his wedding, I wasn’t gripping the book with anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. Although, now that I think of it, the last fifty pages of this book really picked up the pace and things got moving. Overall, it was slow.
I also wasn’t crazy about the name Chunk (not that we’re supposed to). I don’t know. I just had to cringe every time I read his name.
Semi spoiler alert? This book ended abruptly. We needed more answers than those out of the blue epiphanies in the last few pages.
I would skip this one unless you’re a hardcore road-trip story kind of person. Or if you want to read books that deal with diversity and the trans community.
I like how the main character is trans! Diversity is always a good thing in YA literature. However, I didn’t really like Jess, at all. She didn’t have many redeeming qualities. She was immature and constantly picking fights with her best friend, Chunk, when he was only trying to help.
I love road trip novels, and this one felt authentic. Since I’ve been to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, I can confirm it does smell terrible and there are rotting birds littering the ground. (However, it’s still a beautiful piece of land I recommend checking it out, corpses aside.) I loved the quirky roadside attractions the characters stopped at, and the creative characters they met along the way. You really go on a journey in this one.
This book seemed to drag on a bit. There didn’t seem to be much pulling the story along. Even when Jess makes it to Chicago to confront her dad at his wedding, I wasn’t gripping the book with anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. Although, now that I think of it, the last fifty pages of this book really picked up the pace and things got moving. Overall, it was slow.
I also wasn’t crazy about the name Chunk (not that we’re supposed to). I don’t know. I just had to cringe every time I read his name.
Semi spoiler alert? This book ended abruptly. We needed more answers than those out of the blue epiphanies in the last few pages.
I would skip this one unless you’re a hardcore road-trip story kind of person. Or if you want to read books that deal with diversity and the trans community.
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