Donna Gephart

If you’re looking for a book that ignites emotion in you, this one opens in pretty much the perfect spot to do so, it had me immediately caring about Lily, and thinking about real world transgender kids, especially the ones who don’t have the best friend, the mom, and the sister that Lily has in her corner (I loved her grandpop, too, even if technically he’s not in the story).

Due to caring for Lily, it did take more time for me to warm up to Dunkin as some of his choices inadvertently hurt Lily, though in all fairness to Dunkin, there probably are few of us who could claim we always had the courage to have someone else’s back or to resist the lure of popularity (and when you see how the school bullies are with Lily, it’s easy enough to believe that a kid might get it into his head to join the popular basketball team rather than risk becoming a target). I did end up really, really liking Dunkin the deeper I got into knowing him and all he’s going through.

This book can be pretty hard on the heart, the bullying, Lily’s journey with her dad, Dunkin’s spiraling mental health and the big truth he’s yet to face, even the fate of a tree weighs heavy, all of those things got me emotionally, but if you’re up to absorbing the more difficult blows this story delivers, I promise it does reward you with moments here and there where things feel much better.… (mere)