Ally’s Reviews > One of the Boys > Status Update

The thing is, no matter what, at some point, you have to leave the game behind and find out who you really are. [...] "Everyone's got their own Finland," he'd said.

"Like, I feel everything too much. I always have, but like even more lately. And it's selfish to make that your guys's problem, you know? I don't wanna be a burden, so I just keep it in, and try to limit the damage to just me if I can."

"Girl," Tab said, "with all due respect, you know that's crazy, right?"

"But..."

"No buts!" she insisted.

He didn't need to know about the hand in the crowd, about the shove. I wouldn't have been able to get the words out if I wanted to.

[this theme of how we protect those around us from the full extent of the garbage we face, is so well threaded through the book, but especially here - I both feel too seen and want to scream.]

This sound I didn't even know how I could make escaped my throat, halfway between a goose honk and an eighteen-wheeler horn.

[first trans honk, iconic]

We hadn't talked about whether we were dating or not, or if either of us was thinking about it, or if that was something we even wanted. We just happened to be exes that made out sometimes, you know? Nothing complicated about it at all.

[6 month speedrun to lesbian mess, impressive]

When she kissed me, it was soft and hesitant and sweet. I'd never been kissed like this. Like I was delicate. Like I might break.

After a moment, she pulled back. "Okay?"

[ahhhhhhhhh]

...I'd always opted for 23 if I could get it. I'm not gonna spell out why I used to wear that number, since I'm sure you can put 2 and 2 together, but I definitely wanted a change.

[Michael Jordan's number - hilarious, I'd never given a thought to dead-numbering]

Little Grace excited about larkspur!! (Also my flower, though not because the other ones are too girly!)

I'm a big fan of second person for pre-transition, it's so efficient at capturing the ambient dissociation of it. I wonder it feels like for cis readers - is that something that's gettable or does second person ask them to relate more closely to boy-Grace?

I adore Jen Richards, but what girl a few months in has the golden voice of a fish 40-something??