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Going Out
Secrets are just that, aren’t they? Secrets?
Adam is staying in his sister’s house in Manchester while his parents take a trip of a lifetime to visit her in Australia. Alone for the first time in his life, he opens himself to the opportunities and freedoms he's dreamt of for far too long. In this gloriously erotic 400 page novel, Adam discovers new friends, new experiences, a new future and a new life as a girl–a new life that comes at a cost.
Join Amy on her adventures in her new life, from her first tentative steps outside, to nights out with new friends, parties with the girls, fancy-dress parties where her new friends get her into far too much trouble, a job she may always have dreamt of, shopping trips for a new life, and – shhh – one or two older men...
Adam is staying in his sister’s house in Manchester while his parents take a trip of a lifetime to visit her in Australia. Alone for the first time in his life, he opens himself to the opportunities and freedoms he's dreamt of for far too long. In this gloriously erotic 400 page novel, Adam discovers new friends, new experiences, a new future and a new life as a girl–a new life that comes at a cost.
Join Amy on her adventures in her new life, from her first tentative steps outside, to nights out with new friends, parties with the girls, fancy-dress parties where her new friends get her into far too much trouble, a job she may always have dreamt of, shopping trips for a new life, and – shhh – one or two older men...
591 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2022
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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April 11, 2023Another one without star rating. This is a classic text boo example of how to miss the show, don't tell rule.
It's even worse being a 60+ transwoman who never felt like that at all. In my eleventh year I had decided, that if nobody understood or liked how different I was the best I could do was to like myself and give a shit about what people thought. That almost changed, when it turned out, the puberty ruined my clear and beautiful Soprano. Then - of course -there was the general conscription, but at that point I was almost ready to transition, when I was trained for my job as paramedic for the Red Cross, spending six months as a nurse in the ER, intesive care, the maernity ward, surgery preparation and finall the theatre I still had hair down to the small of my back and most of the nurses and doctors treated me as a girl. It was then that I knew I'd definitely transition before I was twenty five.
With that background it was pretty much painful to read just to this point, such lack of self esteem.
It's even worse being a 60+ transwoman who never felt like that at all. In my eleventh year I had decided, that if nobody understood or liked how different I was the best I could do was to like myself and give a shit about what people thought. That almost changed, when it turned out, the puberty ruined my clear and beautiful Soprano. Then - of course -there was the general conscription, but at that point I was almost ready to transition, when I was trained for my job as paramedic for the Red Cross, spending six months as a nurse in the ER, intesive care, the maernity ward, surgery preparation and finall the theatre I still had hair down to the small of my back and most of the nurses and doctors treated me as a girl. It was then that I knew I'd definitely transition before I was twenty five.
With that background it was pretty much painful to read just to this point, such lack of self esteem.
June 4, 2023
In many ways, Going Out is very much like its protagonist - two stories, two genres, and two perspectives in one pretty little package.
Nicola Atherton has crafted a novel that does an absolutely superb job of capturing the crossdressing experience and those first tentative steps into gender exploration. The allure, the thrill, the excitement, and the anxiety of embracing femininity are all represented here, allowing the reader to experience the complete process of becoming a woman. We not only feel the caress of satin or the pinch of heels, but we also feel the joy of seeing 'her' in the mirror . . . and the dread that, if we step outside, others will see through to 'him' instead,
In many ways, the early chapters of the novel remind me not just of stories I read in my youth, but my own first forays into gender exploration. So much of Adam's experience is real and relatable, even if it does make me jealous of things like self-checkouts and online shopping. Seriously, I remember when Amazon was just a bookstore, and you had to tell the old lady at the mall you were buying sexy lingerie for your girlfriend (who just happened to be your size). It makes me sound super old to say this, but kids these days have it so easy! That said, Atherton does throw in some challenges, one of which turns out to be rather opportunistic, but I won't spoil it.
There is a definite element of fantasy to the novel as well, however, especially in how easily (and completely) Adam passes as Amy. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of effort put into passing - wigs, fake boobs, tucking, cosmetics, etc. - but Adam also has an already androgynous body to transform. Personally, I still adore that sort of fairy tale of feminization, but it's important to acknowledge that fantasy because that leads us into the fetish elements.
Let me be clear, Adam is not the fetish. The transformation into Amy is something that feels genuine and heartfelt from the very beginning. For all the protests and promises of never again, the happiness and comfort that come with being Amy are very clear. This feels like a transgender journey from the start, and I loved how the realization of that identity was so drawn out. Where the fetish element comes in is with the erotic encounters with various older men, most of which fall into the naughty girl or slutty sissy. There's nothing necessarily wrong with those sexual explorations, but given how authentic and relatable so much of the book is, some readers may find the clichés a bit of a turn off.
Ultimately, Going Out is a wonderful story of gender exploration that feels as if Nicola Atherton has either lived it or loved someone who has. It's beautifully written and almost perfectly paced, taking its time where it needs to, and getting frantic and rushed where the story demands it, with a small cast of key characters who give it life. The ending comes on a bit suddenly, with the epilogue leaving a few unanswered questions, but as fairy tales go, it's everything the reader could ask for.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/...
Nicola Atherton has crafted a novel that does an absolutely superb job of capturing the crossdressing experience and those first tentative steps into gender exploration. The allure, the thrill, the excitement, and the anxiety of embracing femininity are all represented here, allowing the reader to experience the complete process of becoming a woman. We not only feel the caress of satin or the pinch of heels, but we also feel the joy of seeing 'her' in the mirror . . . and the dread that, if we step outside, others will see through to 'him' instead,
In many ways, the early chapters of the novel remind me not just of stories I read in my youth, but my own first forays into gender exploration. So much of Adam's experience is real and relatable, even if it does make me jealous of things like self-checkouts and online shopping. Seriously, I remember when Amazon was just a bookstore, and you had to tell the old lady at the mall you were buying sexy lingerie for your girlfriend (who just happened to be your size). It makes me sound super old to say this, but kids these days have it so easy! That said, Atherton does throw in some challenges, one of which turns out to be rather opportunistic, but I won't spoil it.
There is a definite element of fantasy to the novel as well, however, especially in how easily (and completely) Adam passes as Amy. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of effort put into passing - wigs, fake boobs, tucking, cosmetics, etc. - but Adam also has an already androgynous body to transform. Personally, I still adore that sort of fairy tale of feminization, but it's important to acknowledge that fantasy because that leads us into the fetish elements.
Let me be clear, Adam is not the fetish. The transformation into Amy is something that feels genuine and heartfelt from the very beginning. For all the protests and promises of never again, the happiness and comfort that come with being Amy are very clear. This feels like a transgender journey from the start, and I loved how the realization of that identity was so drawn out. Where the fetish element comes in is with the erotic encounters with various older men, most of which fall into the naughty girl or slutty sissy. There's nothing necessarily wrong with those sexual explorations, but given how authentic and relatable so much of the book is, some readers may find the clichés a bit of a turn off.
Ultimately, Going Out is a wonderful story of gender exploration that feels as if Nicola Atherton has either lived it or loved someone who has. It's beautifully written and almost perfectly paced, taking its time where it needs to, and getting frantic and rushed where the story demands it, with a small cast of key characters who give it life. The ending comes on a bit suddenly, with the epilogue leaving a few unanswered questions, but as fairy tales go, it's everything the reader could ask for.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/...
March 3, 2023
This is a very good story
I would have given it a 4.5 bus since I can’t I rounded it up. The story was good although there were some dark moments and many cringy moments that all part of the good story. The only issue I had was the use of flash backs or flash forwards which had me going back and re reading sections a few times. I understand how they added to the plot they can take away from the flow of the story. There were a few that for me impacted clarity. That said it was a very good book, I liked it.
I would have given it a 4.5 bus since I can’t I rounded it up. The story was good although there were some dark moments and many cringy moments that all part of the good story. The only issue I had was the use of flash backs or flash forwards which had me going back and re reading sections a few times. I understand how they added to the plot they can take away from the flow of the story. There were a few that for me impacted clarity. That said it was a very good book, I liked it.
September 16, 2025
Surprisingly entertaining
I was surprised and entertained. The story took turns that were surprisingly wonderful and a touch dramatic. Make it very entertaining. With a very nice ending.
I was surprised and entertained. The story took turns that were surprisingly wonderful and a touch dramatic. Make it very entertaining. With a very nice ending.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews