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The Real Thing #4

Love & Estrogen

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In this unforgettable meet-cute, Samantha Allen traces her story of self-discovery during gender transition and the life-altering partnership that began with a simple hello in an elevator.

Feeling "unfinished" at the liminal age of twenty-six, the author had already accumulated decades of emotional baggage growing up in a Mormon family and living with gender dysphoria. When she met Corey midtransition, she felt even more like an awkward shape-shifter. Now Samantha shares how taking a chance on that fortuitous encounter meant having the courage to be herself.

Love & Estrogen is part of The Real Thing, a collection of moving, hilarious, and big-hearted essays on the modern realities of friendship, romance, commitment, and love. Each story can be listened to in a single sitting.

66 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2018

265 people are currently reading
604 people want to read

About the author

Samantha Allen

9 books523 followers
Samantha Allen is the author of the horror comedy novel PATRICIA WANTS TO CUDDLE (Zando, 2022) and the Lambda Literary Award finalist REAL QUEER AMERICA: LGBT STORIES FROM RED STATES (Little, Brown, 2019). Her other publications include LOVE & ESTROGEN (Amazon Original Stories, 2018) and M to WT(F) (Audible Originals, 2020).

She is a GLAAD Award-winning journalist with bylines in The New York Times, CNN, Rolling Stone, and more. She received her Ph.D. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in 2015.

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5 stars
446 (41%)
4 stars
383 (35%)
3 stars
200 (18%)
2 stars
38 (3%)
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18 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
Profile Image for Serenity.
25 reviews48 followers
June 21, 2018
As a lesbian trans woman, I live in a world where stories of people like me are few and far between, a desert of loneliness. Samantha's story of love and transition is exactly what I need so much more of, and I'm so grateful she chose to share it with us.
Profile Image for Michelle ~catching up slowly~.
761 reviews21 followers
December 30, 2019
Love & Estrogen by Samantha Allen is a true short story about one person’s journey through gender reassignment. I am honestly not sure how or why this book showed up in my Kindle, but I must say I did enjoy the story. This was an audible book so it was easy to listen and follow the ins and outs of all the necessary hoops that must be gone through in order to have this type of surgery. But throughout, the most important theme is finding love. Regardless of your personal feelings on this topic, the story is written in such a way that it doesn’t push you to believe one way or the other. It really is just the story of her transition and what she goes through to get there.
Profile Image for Bookphile.
1,979 reviews133 followers
June 11, 2018
I absolutely adored this touching, heartfelt memoir about the author transitioning while also meeting and falling in love with her wife. It brought tears to my eyes multiple times and made me ache.
Profile Image for Aisha.
307 reviews55 followers
August 25, 2021
This is a short story, a part of a collection called The Real Thing. It's my first story in this collection and I really liked it.

It's the story of Samantha's transition to being a female and her meeting the love of her life during this transition. It speaks of her insecurities and doubts, her resilience and courage. When Samantha decided to transition, she was nearly convinced that love and estrogen are mutually exclusive in her case, and she's lucky enough to meet someone that shows her that they are not.

This book is one of a kind to me, because I think there's a relative underrepresentation of transgender people in the world of books. Transitioning genders must take courage beyond measure and I wish more people were comfortable sharing their journey openly. More power to this author.

Having said that, I felt that if it were longer there would have been more space to explore the depth of her feelings and also her partner's. But even at this length it reads well.

PS, if you have a Kindle I highly recommend reading it on there. There are some animations and the art is really good!
Profile Image for Desiree Carson.
9 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2019
Love this!

A beautiful and quick read of a story that needs to be told. I appreciate her bravery for letting us in and I’m inspired by her courage. Definitely read this!
Profile Image for Maria Vargas.
633 reviews56 followers
August 16, 2024
I used to think I would have to choose between love and estrogen. I thought that transition would ruin me for anyone but myself. I was wrong.

Transgender people notice these things instantly—the pronouns, the offensive jokes, the violent looks, the slurs. But cisgender people tend to tune them out, if not encourage them.


Reading about Samantha's transition felt like an honest, personal and eye opening to how it really feels when you are going through this journey.

I was crying through every page because the author did such an amazing job on writing about what she was thinking, feeling and changing from the moment she decided to start the transition to finally understand that as insane as it sounded Corey was it, that was her future.

I'm so happy she decided to share this personal and vulnerable time of her journey. Love is love, everyone deserves it!

These are some of the extra readings that I'm going to consider later from the Notes section:
Transgender Studies: Queer Theory's Evil Twin by Susan Stryker
Gay and Lesbian Couples: Voices from Lasting Relationships by Richard A. Mackey
How Many Adults and Youth Identify as Transgender in the United States? by Jody L. Herman, Andrew R. Flores, Kathryn K. O’Neill
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey by Jaime M. Grant, Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, Mara Keisling
The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey by Sandy E. James, Jody L. Herman, Susan Rankin, Mara Keisling, Lisa Mottet, Ma’ayan Anafi
Profile Image for Nyssa.
904 reviews73 followers
January 8, 2022
I count myself as a fortunate person. As a cis-gendered, heterosexual woman, I have, even from an early age, always known that Love is Love. I didn't know that there would be so many LGBT+ people in my life, but there was never any question that people deserve to love and be loved.

So when my first "boyfriends" - as in friends that were boys -came out to me, my love for them didn't change. When my sibling came out, my love did not change. And years later, when many of the youngsters in my life (nieces, nephews, students), including one of my children, came out, my love did not change.

Actually, that's a lie... My love intensified!
As a staunch ally, those who have an issue with the LGTB+ community also have a problem with me.. period.

As for Samantha's story... I am happy for her and "Corey" - may they have a very long, loving life with each other.
Profile Image for Sarah Cavar.
Author 19 books360 followers
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December 23, 2024
Hm -- this one has been on my TBR for a while, and with some time on my hands, I've finally gotten around to reading it. This isn't a bad book –– Allen is a skilled, experienced writer -- but throughout this brief memoir, I repeatedly wondered who exactly it was written for. It seemed part meet-cute, part trans origin story, part....statistics? and left me unsure as to whether the intended audience was the "trans reader" (as it were) at all: basic facts about trans -- in this case, transfeminine -- life were thrown in in paragraphs rather than integrated into the story, making for a rather didactic and clunky reading experience.

Perhaps this is a good book for someone who knows nothing about transfemininity or trans/dysphoric experiences whatsoever, or someone who needs to be convinced that trans people are actually people (???). But for me, the very cute love story was repeatedly overshadowed by the overly-explained and textbook-like elements, which was pretty disappointing.
Profile Image for Kay read by Gloria.
311 reviews
June 20, 2022
Love & Estrogen (The Real Thing collection) by Samantha Allen: I finished listening to the audio version of this novella. I feel as if I have put on the garments of anothers' truth. I was angry that humans can be so inhumane. I learned about struggle, the true struggle to find self in the wrong body configuration. I saw true love when a queer woman says to a transwoman that it doesn't matter. How cleansing and validating a moment the author shared. Understanding the T in L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ is where my recent reading has taken me. I have grown and this Real Thing Collection spoke to my heart. 5 stars maybe even 6.
262 reviews59 followers
July 4, 2025
4.5 star
This was a beautifully real love story in which one of the women is a transitioning transgender. The feelings she and her female partner went through was eye opening. It shared a window into how a budding relationship has its unique hurdles when one partner is in the process of transitioning and how strong their relationship can be because of this journey they shared.
Profile Image for Nita (ecobookworm).
135 reviews9 followers
July 13, 2020
TLDR: A beautiful and informative story about love and becoming.
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
There's increasing representation for L, G and B people in a range of genres, but there still doesn't seem to be that much about the T. As discussed in the brilliant documentary Disclosure (check it out on Netflix!) we need more trans stories, both for trans people to be represented and for cis people to have more understanding and points of reference. It's so important to seek out and promote stories with trans representation. This short story is a great addition to this material.

Author Samantha Allen met her wife while doing research on sexuality at the Kinsey Institute, as she was starting her transition. Her relationship evolves as her transition progresses, and she takes us along with her in this beautiful story of love, self-love and becoming. It's touching, poignant, and informative. Through her eyes, the reader gets insight on what it's like to be trans, how it affects relationships and all aspects of someone's life. One of the things I love about reading is that it allows you to appreciate what it's like to be someone else, to better understand their life and their struggles. This story does that.

It's on the longer side for a short story (I read it in a few sittings, not one. I'd say it would take maybe 3 hours or so to read), but well worth it. I also recommend checking out the references, as several interesting articles with further information are linked. Some details of transition are impolite to ask about, and this story and the references are a great way to educate yourself about things you may be curious about when it comes to transition. As much as we need to acknowledge the suffering and violence that marginalized communities face, and work to improve that, suffering shouldn't be the only thing we know about those communities. A narrative of things going well is important too, to show that things can and do work out. A trans love story with a happy ending is necessary and wonderful.
Profile Image for shiloh.
50 reviews16 followers
July 5, 2019
I loved this book! As a gay and trans person, stories about people like me finding love (especially in such dreamlike circumstances) are almost impossible to find beyond, say, short forum posts. Allen's story pushes back on the prevailing narrative that trans people are unlovable and unattractive, instead showing a tenderly-written glimpse into a queer trans-cis relationship. Also, meeting your wife in an elevator at the Kinsey Institute is just incredible.
Profile Image for Beth.
792 reviews31 followers
February 6, 2020
This was another Amazon short story but it was not a work of fiction so it was different from the rest I have read. I have had acquaintances who were transgender, but never anyone close enough so we could talk about their feelings. This book did that and I am glad I read it. I hope it will help me be more sensitive to the feelings of those who may be transitioning or considering that.
Profile Image for Ryan McIlvain.
Author 2 books41 followers
June 20, 2018
Empathy meets searching honesty meets good old-fashioned storytelling! I loved reading Love & Estrogen and I'll be back for anything else Allen publishes.
Profile Image for Paige Genest.
22 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2025
>New, better bike
>Even more roided
>Same tranny on the back (true love is real)
>Sweet wrapped Camaro (definitely his as well)
>Nicer part of the Favela
Don't give up on your dreams, boys


Maybe this book was supposed to a memoir - to tell the incredibly sweet story of how the author fell in love with her wife, Corey. Maybe this book was supposed to be about how trans people are as worthy of love as everyone else. Despite feeling and being treated like "abject creatures", that a happily ever after can still exist. I want to believe that some trans people can earn their happily ever after that the cis/het world takes for granted. That any normal cis people can love us, not just conceptually or performatively, but wholly.

Stories like this are important, (desperately needed tbh,) but incomplete. This book was written early in the author's marriage. Immediately after reading, I wanted to know if Corey and Samantha were still together. Did their get their happily ever after, or just a sweet honeymoon phase with rose-tinted glasses? I don't know, but as of right now, it seems like Corey is an axe murderer. Yeaaaah

Deep breath

Maybe this book is really just a postcard. A nice picture of a beach, with a sunset, maybe some Pina Coladas. Something nice you can sign your name on and send to people. A snapshot of a memorable, happy moment in your life. Until it's time to go home. No one lives on a beach where the sun is always setting (and no Pina Colada is worth it after drink #3).

True love is real. Don't give up on the dream, girls.
Valentine's Day, 2025
Profile Image for Nic.
330 reviews6 followers
May 21, 2023
This book was not available at my library, so I checked Kindle and was able to receive this book for free. I'm not a big fan of an e reader, as I much prefer an actual book; however, this one has some animated graphics, on the e reader, which was a fun surprise.

Overall, a delightful read. Basically, the love story of Samantha Allen and her partner. They met before her transition was complete and this memoir shares Samantha's transformative journey. If you enjoyed Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, also by Samantha Allen, then you should also read this book, as it gives a fuller portrait of the author. If you haven't read the aforementioned, you will want to after reading Love & Estrogen.

When you meet the love of your life, who happens to be both breathtaking and queer, in the elevator of an Indiana sex library at the start of a gender transition, you never shut up about it. I haven't yet. 3

It was Corey who laid out my life as if on a loom - past, present, before, after - wove it together, and wrapped it around herself. 27

I'm certain that most would enjoy this short and sweet Goodread.
Profile Image for Mia.
476 reviews12 followers
December 20, 2024
This is a short non-fiction piece following the author in the parallel journeys of transitioning and finding love. Within less than 70 pages (and a bit over an hour for the audiobook), by exploring her own experience, Samantha Allen explores the idea that finding love and finding yourself as a trans person are one and the same, or as the opening line states - that love and estrogen are drugs that are better taken together. The essay has the style and structure of a good essay and a refreshingly hopeful and realistic look at transition.
Profile Image for Anna.
2,011 reviews357 followers
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November 17, 2021
I'm really glad I recently read M to (WT)F before this because it provided some more context about Samantha Allen, but I also really liked this one. I will forever love queer romance and sapphic trans romance is extra special because we see so little representation. This memoir should go on everyone's list!
Profile Image for Allison Waterman.
85 reviews1 follower
December 18, 2024
Absolutely beautiful affirmation of love and trans joy

Wow! This was such a great read! Actually, I should say it was a great “listen.” It’s a lovely, honest, insightful, and engaging story that has thoughtfully interspersed facts about trans people. I appreciate the author sharing her experience and her love story. I definitely recommend this!
Profile Image for SueAnn G_Organa.
127 reviews10 followers
April 22, 2023
I’m blown away by the raw candor Samantha Allen shred in this beautiful love story… love with both herself and her partner, Corey 🩷🩵🩷🩵🩷
Profile Image for Angie.
47 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2020
Such a beautiful love story. ❤️
Profile Image for Emma.
113 reviews57 followers
June 9, 2022
very short but packs an incredible punch. words arent wasted and the imagery is vivid. i love a love story that fights “deadlines.”
Profile Image for Sailor-viv.
79 reviews29 followers
Read
September 2, 2024
Che carine🥰

Anche le persone transgender si meritano finali dolci come questi
1 review
December 4, 2022
I found this story to be very self-absorbed and badly-written. The author only ever delves into her own feelings on anything in life, leaving out the thoughts, feelings, personal struggles or any other situations involving her partner, even her partner’s feelings on their own relationship are only touched on briefly in a few spare paragraphs. You know, the person who represents half of the entire relationship! And more importantly, an entire person in and of herself — who, if we’re reading this memoir, we’d typically like to learn more about.

For context, I am a writer with experiences in the LGBT part of life, and those topics naturally need exploration in-context — but that doesn’t excuse tunnel vision around the sexuality or gender, to the point of not even mentioning much about the partner’s personality, likes, dislikes, what made them grow together, her own life history, *anything*. Everything revolved around the author’s transition and finding validation in that transition from a partner, with any other topic totally sidelined, except for other details about the author’s childhood that directly affected the reception of that identity. Very one-note, vapid, and I suppose a beach read for simple minds. Maybe a teenager who’d just come out of the closet would find this to be interesting. It did not offer much to the adult with an interest in an adult memoir, short or not.

I hope the author enjoys the married life, but she ought to have taken a writing class, or maybe even a few therapist’s sessions in building empathy for her own partner’s experience of the relationship. Underwhelming. At least it was free.
Two stars, only for the “inspiration to teenyboppers and newly out people” appeal that represents the essay’s only real merit.
72 reviews
November 14, 2018
Very interesting

I learned that we are all alike after all, but the unlucky few who are born into the wrong gender body and are aware of it in their own brains, deserve more of a break when attempting to unify their gender and their inner identity. It is a difficult process.
Profile Image for Perrilyn Pringle.
220 reviews23 followers
February 19, 2022
This was so beautiful and informative. I say everyone whos curious about or going through, hell even went through, sex change issues needs to read this.
Profile Image for Michael Feeney.
65 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2018
One of six short original stories as part of Amazon's "The Real Thing" collection, Love & Estrogen is a lovely and insightful tale of a transgender woman finding a real and unexpected love. That's it, really; the best way to describe the tale is simply, as it is a pure love story.

Author Samantha Allen provides the depth to the tale by giving the protagonist an admirable pragmatism. The narrator lays out the events, her feelings, her challenges, and a host of insights into what it means to exist as a transgender woman, all with a matter of fact delivery. I don't believe the protagonist is even named. The provision of information is unassuming, accepting, and very effective. The inviting narrative makes it easy to identify and empathize with the main character, as well as her partner, Corey. You root for these women; it's a really sweet story.

Uniquely for a fictional work (in my experience, anyway), there are a ton of quotes and footnotes. The author utilizes researched works early and often, but not in a distracting manner. What makes this interesting is that it is a subtle way of delivering a lot of information from academic papers and studies that might never be encountered by a casual fiction reader. Referencing a lot of scholarly insights is a dangerous business in fiction, as it is all too easy to suck the life out of a narrative and overwhelm the reader who has wandered into a "message" story. In fact, the author drops these asides into the words of the character in a believable, conversational way, managing to provide a fresh perspective. Neat trick...

Recommended.
8 reviews
August 5, 2018
A Heartwarmingly True Coming of Age Tale

I stumbled upon this book due to Amazon, and as a psychology major who has a deep interest in gender and sexuality, a title like "Love & Estrogen" hooked my interest straight away.
Reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read it, and my initial interest at the title was only further fed as I read the first few pages. By the end of the first chapter, I was in love with the writing, the author, and her to be wife.
The writing is refreshingly genuine and real, and by the time was halfway through the second chapter, I was recommending it to all of my friends and family, and I was in love with how eloquently she talks about her transition, her love, and everything else contained.
From beginning to end, I couldn't put it down, and I loved every sentence that is contained within.
I have never seen "make every word count," as well as I saw it here, and my breath and heart was taken with every sentence that told about this beautiful love and transition story.
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