What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bradford McKinley Chronicles #3
Performative Masculinity
Emily Wilson has a secret: she's a girl.
No one outside of her family knows. And no one outside her family must know, not until she's ready to come out to the world at large.
So at school, she puts on an act: she's "Wilson," the hoodie-wearing, grumpy, sullen, unapproachable boy, who beats up bullies but otherwise minds his own business and doesn't talk to anyone.
And it's been fine so far. The ending line is in sight: in a few months, the school year will be over, and she'll be able to come out.
But then one day, when she's out and about, dressed as a girl, Emily has a chance encounter with Josh Woods, one of the people from her school she most dislikes. Faced with the possibility of being outed, Emily pleads with Josh not to reveal her secret.
And his response surprises her: he won't tell.
Because he has a secret, too.
No one outside of her family knows. And no one outside her family must know, not until she's ready to come out to the world at large.
So at school, she puts on an act: she's "Wilson," the hoodie-wearing, grumpy, sullen, unapproachable boy, who beats up bullies but otherwise minds his own business and doesn't talk to anyone.
And it's been fine so far. The ending line is in sight: in a few months, the school year will be over, and she'll be able to come out.
But then one day, when she's out and about, dressed as a girl, Emily has a chance encounter with Josh Woods, one of the people from her school she most dislikes. Faced with the possibility of being outed, Emily pleads with Josh not to reveal her secret.
And his response surprises her: he won't tell.
Because he has a secret, too.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2022
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 12, 2022
Sometimes things don't go as planned. And sometimes there are more to the people right in front of you, especially if you too are holding a secret of your own.
Zoe is a master of weaving tales of trans people discovering themselves, coming out to the world around them, and perhaps falling in love along the way, and just like the previous two books in the series (and the ones that follow), this is no exception, even if Emily knows who she really is from the beginning. This is a great trans tale, and a solid addition to the series, even if it isn't set at the college itself. It is a standalone book, like them all, but rest assured, the connection is definitely there.
Zoe is a master of weaving tales of trans people discovering themselves, coming out to the world around them, and perhaps falling in love along the way, and just like the previous two books in the series (and the ones that follow), this is no exception, even if Emily knows who she really is from the beginning. This is a great trans tale, and a solid addition to the series, even if it isn't set at the college itself. It is a standalone book, like them all, but rest assured, the connection is definitely there.
April 7, 2025
So good. So freaking good. Gender euphoria in all its splendor.
December 6, 2022
This was such a great story. I loved Emily. She didn't take any crap from anyone. You don't often get girl characters who punch bullies! It was so wonderful to see her open up and make friends. And I adored her parents and siblings. I wish all of us trans people had such a loving family as Emily does. They were the absolute best. This was such a heartwarming book, and I'm looking forward to whatever Zoe Storm writes next. I've really enjoyed all of her books so far!
September 18, 2025
my persona favourite of the five
November 12, 2024
A Wonderful Story.
Three "boys" are fighting for dominance. But they're not all boys...
Emily's story is relatable, she's a trans girl, she just wants to exist, to make friends, to love...
But unfortunately she can't. Can she ?
Overall a very good transgender and queer realistic fiction.
Three "boys" are fighting for dominance. But they're not all boys...
Emily's story is relatable, she's a trans girl, she just wants to exist, to make friends, to love...
But unfortunately she can't. Can she ?
Overall a very good transgender and queer realistic fiction.
February 13, 2025
Pretty hokey, but incredibly satisying. Reads like fanfiction and that is a compliment. An approachable, fun book.
Read
October 4, 2024I was really into the first half and then less so into the second.
The premise is unusual: Emily knows she is a woman, and so does her family. But while she is on HRT and slowly transitioning, she has decided to wait for the reveal at school until after the summer. It helps that she is a loner and a bit of a fighter and mostly left alone.
Since Emily has a great support system and you as the reader are in on the secret, it almost feels like fun game you are playing and the story has a generally lighthearted tone. There is school bully but Emily is both equipped to handle him and the principal is aware of the situation. And Josh and Emily's first meeting as her en femme is just the kind of dramatic that fits into the story.
I had a harder time with the first two books in the series in terms of their romances but I genuinely liked this one. It's awkward at times but in the way Disney Channel movies are - mostly endearing and lots of teenage logic. They were just very sweet together and I thought the buildup from initial "rivals" to friends to dating worked well. And that change brings Emily to make some friends in school and even confide in one about her identity.
Storm is also careful to keep the misgendering to a minimum - we know the situation Emily is in and there are dysphoric moments but it's not overdone or repeated ad nauseum.
But the story fell apart for me in the second half. I could not understand Emily's reasoning for her change of her coming out timeline and I hated how the bully situation resolved.
I feel like Zoe Storm is getting better with each story but there were a few sentences I raised my eyebrow at. Emily blushes a lot and I think the writing could expanded on her emotions more, the characters often speak in very direct ways that feels staged and I don't understand why a couple potentially getting intimate is "extremely inappropriate"? All the books have been closed-door so far (which is fine and cool, actually) and this one is set during their high school years so I was not expected them to jump into bed straight away but that comment still felt odd.
The premise is unusual: Emily knows she is a woman, and so does her family. But while she is on HRT and slowly transitioning, she has decided to wait for the reveal at school until after the summer. It helps that she is a loner and a bit of a fighter and mostly left alone.
Since Emily has a great support system and you as the reader are in on the secret, it almost feels like fun game you are playing and the story has a generally lighthearted tone. There is school bully but Emily is both equipped to handle him and the principal is aware of the situation. And Josh and Emily's first meeting as her en femme is just the kind of dramatic that fits into the story.
I had a harder time with the first two books in the series in terms of their romances but I genuinely liked this one. It's awkward at times but in the way Disney Channel movies are - mostly endearing and lots of teenage logic. They were just very sweet together and I thought the buildup from initial "rivals" to friends to dating worked well. And that change brings Emily to make some friends in school and even confide in one about her identity.
Storm is also careful to keep the misgendering to a minimum - we know the situation Emily is in and there are dysphoric moments but it's not overdone or repeated ad nauseum.
But the story fell apart for me in the second half. I could not understand Emily's reasoning for her change of her coming out timeline and I hated how the bully situation resolved.
I feel like Zoe Storm is getting better with each story but there were a few sentences I raised my eyebrow at. Emily blushes a lot and I think the writing could expanded on her emotions more, the characters often speak in very direct ways that feels staged and I don't understand why a couple potentially getting intimate is "extremely inappropriate"? All the books have been closed-door so far (which is fine and cool, actually) and this one is set during their high school years so I was not expected them to jump into bed straight away but that comment still felt odd.
May 14, 2025
Overall I enjoyed this book. The writing wasn't super strong, some of the dialogue was a bit suspect, the plot was transparent as heck and yeah, the feeling of it being wish fulfillment with things like the main character's family being super bubbly and supportive and just they way a lot of characters acted was a bit overwhelmingly sugary. There was an unevenness with which things were described. Like it really displayed the imbalance with what the author seemed knowledgeable or interested in certain topics while brushing over others.
The main relationship was cute and I liked how obsessed the main character was about inks and pens, even if I couldn't relate at all on how much the story seemed to glorify violence between students and the social hierarchy surrounding being able to beat other people up at school. As much as it tried to assuage the reader that the violence was only for protecting other students and only when completely necessary it still felt like it was glorifying it in a kind of uncomfortable way.
Overall though I found it enjoyable and it had a lot of good messages about treating other people like people and being accepting of different circumstances. I like that despite all the wish fulfillment the main character did still have personal, internal issues that they still struggled with.
The main relationship was cute and I liked how obsessed the main character was about inks and pens, even if I couldn't relate at all on how much the story seemed to glorify violence between students and the social hierarchy surrounding being able to beat other people up at school. As much as it tried to assuage the reader that the violence was only for protecting other students and only when completely necessary it still felt like it was glorifying it in a kind of uncomfortable way.
Overall though I found it enjoyable and it had a lot of good messages about treating other people like people and being accepting of different circumstances. I like that despite all the wish fulfillment the main character did still have personal, internal issues that they still struggled with.
March 15, 2023
The best of the three ! Very good story !
July 29, 2025
I can say I am now a big Zoe Storm fan :)
At first I was a bit hesitant to start a book about a transperson, who already has all their stuff figured out etc, because I really love the way of self exploration and self realisation. But it was executed really well and I found myself really enjoying it.
However, it can't beat my favourite of the series (that goes to "To own the libs") but is a close second in front of "Alex". It was a really fun read and
At first I was a bit hesitant to start a book about a transperson, who already has all their stuff figured out etc, because I really love the way of self exploration and self realisation. But it was executed really well and I found myself really enjoying it.
However, it can't beat my favourite of the series (that goes to "To own the libs") but is a close second in front of "Alex". It was a really fun read and
January 3, 2025
Strong 4
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews