#Edward Underhill

[transbookoftheday]

🍂 Trans Books To Read If You Love "Heartstopper" 🍂

Here are some trans books you should read if you love "Heartstopper":

Book titles:

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

Out of the Blue by Jason June

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars (comes out September 14, 2023)

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: February 2024

Good Christian Girls by Elizabeth Bradshaw (1st) Lacey Heller is sure that nothing interesting could possibly happen at Camp Lavender, because it never does. Her parents have been running this Christian camp for girls ever since she can remember. Little does Lacey know that Jo Delgado is coming to camp this summer—and she’s going to change everything. After the incident, Jo’s aunt sends her to…

[the-final-sentence]

And that’s enough.

Edward Underhill, from This Day Changes Everything

[peachesobviously]

Original covers I’ve illustrated for Edward Underhill’s novels, jacket design by the incredible Kerri Resnick (sharing them now because I just realized I’ve never shared them on here)

[lakecountylibrary]

Pride Month Read & To-Read

Two great Pride Month reads Kate recommends:

Loveless by Alice Oseman (aro/ace rep)

Georgia has parents who are still in love, two sets of grandparents that are still together, and a brother who married his girlfriend. But at eighteen she has never even kissed someone (not even her lesbian best friend, Felipa) or particularly even wanted to. In college she comes to understand herself as asexual/aromantic, and tries to capture the part of her identity that has always eluded her.

Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsburg (gay rep)

1987, New York City. C.J. isn't just out-- he's completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night. As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that's laying waste to their community, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be a bond that will determine the course of their futures.

And two (probably) great Pride Month reads Kate is looking forward to:

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (lesbian rep)

Imogen Scott maybe be hopelessly heterosexual, but while visiting her newly out best friend Lili at college, any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in. Even if that means bending the truth, just a little, when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends, including her new bestie Tessa, that Imogen and Lili used to date. And the more time Imogen spends with Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with.

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill (trans, gay rep)

Trans boy Miles Jacobson has two New Year's resolutions: win back his ex-boyfriend Shane, and finally beat his arch-nemesis at the Midwest's biggest classical piano competition. Miles hatches a fake-dating scheme with the new boy in town, Eric, a proudly queer cartoonist from Seattle who asks his pronouns and cares about art as much as he does. But the ruse turns real with a kiss, which throws all of Miles' plans - and feelings - into disarray.

See more of Kate's recs

(Summaries provided by publishers)

[beautifulcoversofbooks]

This Changes Everything by Edward Underhill (Author), Myriam Strasbourg (Cover Artist)

Dash & Lily meets Ferris Bueller's Day Off in Edward Underhill's new whirlwind rom-com about two queer teens who spend one life-changing day together in New York City.

Abby Akerman believes in the Universe. After all, her Midwest high school marching band is about to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City—if that’s not proof that magical things can happen, what is? New York also happens to be the setting of her favorite romance novel, making it the perfect place for Abby to finally tell her best friend Kat that she’s in love with her (and, um, gay). She’s carefully annotated a copy of the book as a gift for Kat, and she’s counting on the Universe to provide an Epic Scene worthy of her own rom-com.

Leo Brewer, on the other hand, just wants to get through this trip without falling apart. He doesn’t believe the Universe is magical at all, mostly because he’s about to be outed to his very Southern extended family on national TV as the trans boy he really is. He’s not excited for the parade, and he’s even less excited for an entire day of sightseeing with his band.

But the Universe has other ideas. When fate throws Abby and Leo together on the wrong subway train, they soon find themselves lost in the middle of Manhattan. Even worse, Leo accidentally causes Abby to lose her Epic Gift for Kat. So to salvage the day, they come up with a new mission: find a souvenir from every location mentioned in the book for Abby to give Kat instead. But as Leo and Abby traverse the city, from the streets of Chinatown to the halls of Grand Central Station and the top of the Empire State Building, their initial expectations for the trip—and of each other—begin to shift. Maybe, if they let it, this could be the day that changes everything, for both of them.

[sluttylittlenewsboy]

The dedication in the book I'm reading <33

[nat-reviews-books]

Currently Reading: Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

I planned on starting this a while ago and never got past the first page. This morning, I decided I'd give it another shot and quickly read the first 2 chapters before I got ready for work. I'm loving how much reading I've been doing this month, and I'm hoping to keep up the momentum.

[queer-books-bracket]

[alwynthetiredreader]

2032 RELEASES I'M MOST EXCITED FOR!

Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

Fifteen Hundred Miles is just one of my favorite books ever so I cannot wait for this, especially considering there's a nonbinary LI!! Bless Jonny.

ALSO HAVE YOU SEEN THAT COVER????

Travelers Along The Way by Aminah Mae Safi

Tell Me How You Really Fell is also one of my favorites and so far, it looked like Aminah Mae Safi had only written contemporaries?? so this looks like a fun change, it's a fantasy robin hood remix, very fun!

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

again,,, another writer who wrote one of my favorites, and actually I'm obsessed with Iron Widow, there's a movie in the works that I'm just so hyped for and Xiran is coming to ComicCon in Portugal in December and i got tickets for it, I'm just AAAAAAAAA

but either way, the sequel looks fantastic, that cover? *chefs kiss* AND XIRAN SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THE SEQUEL HAS MATH LESBIANS!!

Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal

that cover was very quick to catch my eye tbh and then i found out the author and MC are latine so i was sold, but also that's one hell of a premise! HS girl tired of everything meets guy who seems to have this strange influence on her and then she finds out he's sorta like the devil?! so now she needs to break up with him sjfbsadkhbdg it sounds amazing

Love Letters From Joy by Melissa See

from a disabled author, with ace rep like come on... look at the female MC with her little ace flag tote bag, again was sold very quickly

AND IT'S ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS?!?!

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

Queer latine pirates was all I needed tbh. And again, gorgeous cover!

The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao

I had the pleasure of helping this author do a cover reveal with a book trailer and everything, I'm patiently waiting for this one. It's like a Singaporean The Devil Wears Prada and I'm all for it

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

Of course there's another latine book on the list, this one a gothic horror based on the folklore of La Llorona!

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni

Armenian sapphics... set in Armenia!! With an MC learning to embrace all of her identities, it sounds amazing and beautiful cover as well.

Always The Almost by Edward Underhill

TRANS REP!!! TRANS REP ALERT!!!

It's faking dating, one of them is a pianist and the other a cartoonist, omfg i already know I'll love this one so much

The Wrong King of Weird by James Ramos

Again, cover caught my eye instantly and it's by a nonbinary author!!!

Set in high school, it also looks like it's gonna be dealing with racism one way or the other. The art style on the cover is gorgeous and the characters look very interesting, I'm excited to meet them

The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis

I absolutely adored The Undead Truth of Us and I was waiting for this announcement for a couple of months, and obviously, that cover doesn't disappoint. I don't even need to know what this one is about, i'll buy anything Britney writes

[pridepages]

eARC Review: This Day Changes Everything

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:  

RELEASE DATE:

See my full review under the cut!

Move over, Nick and Nora! Abby and Leo are the next lost-in-the-big-city love story.

Edward Underhill's second novel is another YA turn full of trans joy and queer romance. It's a book that reminds you what it's like to be that young in both the good ways...and the painful.

What I admire most about this novel is the ambiguity at its heart. Because here's what they don't tell you: some parts of growing up never really stop.

Sometimes we know who we are.

Other times...we are liminal. Constantly becoming and unbecoming, existing in transition because we can't predict the future. We don't know what will become of us when we choose to skip the Broadway show...to walk in the bookstore...

To get on the train.

Maybe it'll be the best thing we ever did. Maybe it'll be the worst. But as this story promises: we can learn to live with that uncertainty. We can live and love in the ever-present, ever-changing now. It might even be where the best parts are.

So this is a book I'd recommend for readers seeking a story about coming out and about struggling with their identity. But I would caution one subset of reader: despite the blurb, I wouldn't characterize this book as sapphic.

Abby, one of our main characters, is trying to figure out her feelings. She has a crush on her best friend (another girl) and she wants to explore those feelings. But, in the end, a sapphic romance is not in the cards.

To be honest, this is what cost the book half a star for me. I felt like I was promised one kind of love story for Abby, and then the ending took a turn for the unexpected (at least by her, savvy readers will figure out fairly quickly where her actual love story is going).

But I made my peace with it. A narrative about keeping your heart open to the twists and turns that life has in store for us is still a story worth honoring.

After all, the universe is what you make it!

[transbookoftheday]

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill

Dash & Lily meets Ferris Bueller's Day Off in Edward Underhill's new whirlwind rom-com about two queer teens who spend one life-changing day together in New York City.

Abby Akerman believes in the Universe. After all, her Midwest high school marching band is about to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City—if that’s not proof that magical things can happen, what is? New York also happens to be the setting of her favorite romance novel, making it the perfect place for Abby to finally tell her best friend Kat that she’s in love with her (and, um, gay). She’s carefully annotated a copy of the book as a gift for Kat, and she’s counting on the Universe to provide an Epic Scene worthy of her own rom-com.

Leo Brewer, on the other hand, just wants to get through this trip without falling apart. He doesn’t believe the Universe is magical at all, mostly because he’s about to be outed to his very Southern extended family on national TV as the trans boy he really is. He’s not excited for the parade, and he’s even less excited for an entire day of sightseeing with his band.

But the Universe has other ideas. When fate throws Abby and Leo together on the wrong subway train, they soon find themselves lost in the middle of Manhattan. Even worse, Leo accidentally causes Abby to lose her Epic Gift for Kat. So to salvage the day, they come up with a new mission: find a souvenir from every location mentioned in the book for Abby to give Kat instead. But as Leo and Abby traverse the city, from the streets of Chinatown to the halls of Grand Central Station and the top of the Empire State Building, their initial expectations for the trip—and of each other—begin to shift. Maybe, if they let it, this could be the day that changes everything, for both of them.

[the-final-sentence]

I lift my hands, open my eyes, and begin to play.

Edward Underhill, from Always the Almost

[dominiquewritesthings]

Miles Jacobson is focused on two things this New Year, getting back with his transphobic football ex (which may be a problem since he came out as trans), and beating Shane McIntyre the pianist in the piano competition. 

Firstly, I'd like to say my review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book. I was lucky enough to receive it due to winning a Goodreads giveaway, so here's my official review.

If you want to read my review on Ko-Fi, you can subscribe for $5 a month to read this review, past reviews, and more to come. These come out twice a month along with other amazing perks, so I hope you enjoy!

[catedwrites]

This Day Changes Everything is as wholesome, sweet, and good-for-your soul as...(pausing to think of something appropriately Thanksgiving themed) buttered biscuits? Pumpkin pie? Sage stuffing? ...you get my drift. But truly. I really enjoyed Underhill's writing; both Leo and Abby were very well-written characters, and the romance felt stumbling and realistic. I appreciated how gently but earnestly Underhill wrote about both of their struggles as queer teens, but never verged into melodrama or overwrought emotions. While I thought the latter half of the book dragged and was a bit unnecessarily convoluted, I did appreciate how much of New York City that Underhill took us, as readers through. And getting to see it through non-jaded eyes was *chef's kiss.* Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

[24countcrayolacrayons]