Meet Cute Diary

by Emery Lee

Felix Ever After meets Becky Albertalli in this swoon-worthy, heartfelt rom-com about how a transgender teen’s first love challenges his ideas about perfect relationships.

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Young Adult, Contemporary, Queer, Transgender, Fiction

391 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2021

Reviews

[Trans-cending-literature · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ive never been so disappointed in a book before. I am a gay trans man, who is perpetually single and yearning for love, so I was so excited for this book. And the cover??? It’s gorgeous and so cute. Ive been posting about this book for months on my insta. So I had high expectations. Well. I hated it and DNFed at 60%

The main character was unbearable. Noah is so annoying and entitled. Like really?? He spent $400 of his parents money and was mad they cut him off?????? And mad he’s expected to get a job if he wants money???? And he expects everyone to be there for him and give him everything. His best friend, brother, parents. And he is so judgmental to all of them. And he expresses 0 empathy toward anyone. A poor coworker throws up on him, and instead of being concerned like a kind normal person, he gets mad and is an asshole to them for several scenes. He’s just a terrible main character, and at least from what I read he has no growth or self awareness.

Sorry but the meet cute blog sounds so unrealistic, and I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to go along with this plot. The premise is the blog is a place to publish submissions from anons, but of course Noah makes them all up. But he sets all the stories in his hometown, Miami, and all the stories are about mlm ftm teens. Like of course you would get called out for that being fake, no one would believe that in the first place. And if he has so many followers, why couldn’t he just actually take submissions and make the blog real. It makes 0 sense. And for some reason he stops posting the stories the blogs is made for, and instead posts his own relationship. And people like that? No, if they didn’t unfollow you already, they def would after u make it your personal account for your teen summer romance.

And then the romance. ... I’m sorry what. So some dude he met just twice before somehow recognized him from his random anon blog. That. Doesn’t make sense. And my biggest book peeve is insta love, and this novel is heavy on that. Their romance sounds so creepy and stalker is, and makes me uncomfortable. And they are supposed to be fake dating, but keep making out when they are alone. O. Okay?After dating for two weeks they are both so emotionally invested and are talking about being together forever. I DNFed after they went without seeing each other for a few days, acted like the world was ending cause they were separated, and then talked about having kids. It’s been. Two weeks. I couldn’t do it anymore.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the discussion of trans experiences in this book, and to be honest - I really did love the character Devin. I'd have liked this book about 200% more if Devin was the main character honestly.

I really really wanted to like this. This was one of my most-anticipated reads for 2021.

But I could just not get behind Noah as a main character.

⇻ His entitlement is off the charts. My family is pretty well-off and I grew up very comfortably, but if I, at the age of 16, had called my mom up to tell her, "My credit card isn't working. Did you pay it off?" I'd be writing this review from the afterlife.

⇻ Noah literally runs up a $400 credit card charge in one week and is annoyed at the fact that his parents froze his card and made him get a job so he could have spending money. His mom isn't even asking him to pay her back! She just won't be giving him spending money anymore!

⇻ He's so nasty to the people who care about him - Brian, Devin, and Becca. His apologies feel flat but his brother and friends are literal saints because they forgive him anyway despite Noah being a self-absorbed little bitch multiple times.

⇻ Speaking of self-absorbed - when Devin and Noah first meet, Devin throws up on Noah's pants. I get being disgusted, but being outright angry, and expecting others to care more about your ruined suede pants (WHO THE FUCK WEARS SUEDE PANTS) rather than the person who literally just vomited is a special kind of douchebaggery.

⇻ Noah just says the most ignorant, offensive things to Devin to be honest. The first time he meets Devin, he asks Devin if it's true that e tried to commit suicide the year before. And then later on in a conversation about identity, when Devin explains that e's an androphile, Noah asks, "That's not a fancy word for a pedophile, is it?" I mean - WHO SAYS THAT????

⇻ Brian does Noah a huge favor by pulling strings to get Noah a position at the camp where he works, and Noah just consistently acts bored, spoiled, and hardly ever pulls his weight around the workplace. Does Noah not care that this will reflect badly on Brian?

⇻ Noah and Drew end up having a fight because Drew lied to Noah, and Noah says he can't take liars. Then when Drew points out that Noah started this whole relationship and even the Meet Cute Diary as a lie, Noah gets offended. Drew is a shitheel, but shitheel's got a point?

⇻ The whole point of the book is that Noah and Drew's relationship is supposed to be toxic, and at the end Noah seems happier with Devin. But honestly Noah and Devin together seems to be toxic too? Devin caters literally to every single one of Noah's needs, and Noah has yet to reciprocate in any meaningful way.

⇻ Devin says e can drive to LA to visit Noah frequently and Noah says he'll pay Devin for gas. And I quote, "I'm sure the Bank of Mom and Dad can figure something out." GET A FUCKING JOB, NOAH.


Honestly? Noah's a mean-spirited little jerk whose whole worldview revolves around "me, me, me" and that does not change throughout the entire book. I really liked Meet Cute Diary's writing style and the characters of Devin (WHO HONESTLY DESERVED BETTER), Brian, and Becca, but Noah absolutely ruined this book for me. Can't in good conscience recommend it.

[Emery Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of: Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Julian Winters, Kacen Callender, To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I won't be here for long, but I just wanted to pop in and say I wrote this book!

If you're a fan of:
😍 Meet cutes (duh)
😈 Hate to love
🥰 Fake dating
😘 Friends to lovers
💗 Close platonic relationships
🙄 Forced proximity
🏳️‍🌈 Explorations of gender & sexuality
🥺 Mutual pining
😂 Dad jokes
&
😊 trans joy

This may just be the book for you! Thank you to everyone for checking out this page, and I hope you love Meet Cute Diary as much as my agent who loved this book so much, she was willing to put up with me to get it published 😊.

[Aiden Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

MEET CUTE DIARY by Emery Lee unpacks how complicated and ever-evolving exploring gender can be against a fun backdrop of your favorite relationship tropes and teenage mishaps. The diverse cast of characters, pronouns and gender expressions creates opportunities for readers to finally see themselves represented in a book. It's abundantly clear that Lee wrote this story with love and tenderness for eir community. MEET CUTE DIARY is both about, and for, helping transgender youth feel connected, seen, and worthy of not just an epic meet cute, but a happily ever after.

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pre-Finishing

i regret getting the cute pink trans book
---
i got the cute pink trans book 🥰
---
need the cute pink trans book


Review

Last Thursday we had a discussion in one of my classes about generational differences - are they real or not?

Scientifically, hard to say. Differences found are usually very small and you can't really tell whether they are indeed generational differences or maybe just age differences, because you would have to do a very complex longitudinal panel study and those just don't exist (and probably never will).
Another problem is that generations aren't very clearly defined and usually based on US-centric historic events and therefore might not apply to other countries and even then, no-one can quite agree on which historic events are important for each generation. So the only clearly defined generation are Baby Boomers while the cut between Millennials and Gen Z is rather unclear.

Personally, I fall into a time frame that some people claim is the Y-Generation while others say it's the Z-Generation and others have just given up completely and do not define my birth year belonging to any generation at all. I also think generational differences are bullshit and we should address way more important factors (like class, race, gender, sexuality) but people aren't ready for that conversation.

Where was I going with this?

Oh yeah, I don't think there's a difference between me and Genz Z but if Noah is an accurate representation of 16 year-olds nowadays ... well, maybe I am wrong.

This book just once again proves that I am too old to read YA.

The problem is though, that no-one is coming out with trans books aimed at adults so I have to read what is available to me. And don't get me wrong, queer YA books are important. I just wish I had more options so that I wouldn't have to read things I don't enjoy just to get the sweet sweet representation.

The worst part about this book is Noah.
Which is kinda bad, considering he's the main character. But this book would have really profited had it been written from literally any other perspective. Well, not ANY other, but Devin's. Or Brian's. And we should have just scrapped Noah entirely.

Noah is the most unlikable character I have ever had the "pleasure" to read about.
He is annoying, obnoxious and entitled. He spends 99% of his time on his phone, he doesn't care about anyone other than himself and he has never heard of the word empathy.
Is this just how 16-year-olds are? I mean, I was annoying as a 16 year-old, but I think I still had the decency to be polite to others and not make everything about myself. But what do I know, I'm a Millennial and according to Noah we are all 40 and married and should probably just lie down to die.

Noah's parents give him a credit card to buy food with and he spends 400 Dollars in like one week on Ubers because he is too lazy to walk for more than one minute. And then he gets mad when they freeze his card. The entitlement. I don't even have words for this.

His parents then tell him to get a job and he makes this huge drama. Like dude, if you want to Uber to your just around the corner Starbucks then do it with your own money. You had the chance to just spend your summer chilling and not working and the only sacrifice you had to make to achieve that was to walk for a few minutes to get places and you choose not to, so stop whining. It's on you.

He also lacks basic human decency and empathy. His co-worker accidentally throws up on him and instead of asking whether the person is okay, he makes it all about himself and acts upset when others rush in to help the co-worker and not him. Like, I get it, it's gross but so is your behaviour.

He is also so full of himself. One time his co-worker just asked him a basic question and Noah was like "Uh, I have a boyfriend." Good for you, but Devin only wanted to know how your day was and wasn't flirting with you at all.

The second worst thing about this book was the entire premise. So Noah has this huge blog dedicated to trans meet cutes. And allegedly people submit stories to that blog but in reality Noah just makes them all up. Which makes no sense. Noah has apparently enough followers to just loose 2000 on a single day but you are telling me no-one actually ever tried submitting a story to this blog? Sure.

He gets found out though and "has" to stage this entire fake relationship with a guy he met two times and who somehow deduced that Noah is the creator of this very specific blog, which wasn't stalker-ish and weird at all but whatever. They also instantly fall in love and Drew is so perfect and blablabla. I'm tired of this so who cares.

The only good thing about this book was Devin. And even Devin couldn't save it.
I liked Devin exploring eir gender and changing pronouns throughout the story and the whole book would have been so much better had we just focused on Devin from the beginning. Devin is a delight and e is nice and polite and understands the concept of empathy. Devin also does everything for Noah while Noah never actually gives anything back.

Honestly, Devin deserved better.

[Anniek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I learned about this book's existence, I've been craving it so much. The more I heard about it, the more I knew this was something I desperately needed in my life. So I'm so grateful to have gotten the chance to read it early! My expectations were through the roof, but I can still say they were exceeded. This was a DELIGHT.

In the beginning of the book, Noah says he has his blog, the Meet Cute Diary, as a way "to bring love to trans kids in need", and I feel like that's also exactly what this book is going to do. It feels revolutionary to me to have a trans book that's this happy.

I've already seen some negative reviews saying people didn't like Noah, and honestly? Come at me. I will fight you. No, but seriously, Noah gets to be a real teenager in this book and I think that's so important. And that means he gets to be a little selfish and a little self-absorbed. I honestly really loved Noah as a main character, though, and I didn't find him unlikeable, just realistically flawed. I also think he went through a lot of character development throughout the story.

I cannot express how much I needed this book and the main reason for that is just how much it's filled with trans joy and how much it's a book about a trans MC that's so goddamn fluffy. Being trans, I've come to expect transphobia to always be a major part of any narrative about trans people, so I almost found myself anticipating it here, and it just never came. That isn't to say the book is unrealistic - the transphobia that Noah and his friends do deal with just doesn't get a spotlight. It stays in the background to create such a safe space for trans readers, and I know I will find myself rereading this book time and time again whenever I'm in need of comfort and trans joy.

CWs: mentions of past suicide attempt, panic attacks, references to transphobia, vomiting

[theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Cute Diary is a fun and uplifting rom com packed full of trans joy and amazing relationships. It’s a story of happily ever afters and the beauty of unexpected, imperfect beginnings.

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I honestly don’t know how to feel about this book. On one hand, the writing was really easy to sink into and I flew through this in one sitting and overall enjoyed my experience reading it. I loved Devin and eir relationship with our main character, Noah, and the journey e went on with finding pronouns and labels that fit. I also really appreciated the path Emery Lee chose to take this story and the conventions of romance / rom coms that e played with and subverted to achieve this. I don’t want to go too much into detail of what it is so as not to spoil anyone but this narrative choice is a powerful one and something I would usually really enjoy reading. Emery Lee really effectively laid the groundwork for it right from the beginning and I felt that it was overall well developed.

Unfortunately, it was also this narrative that gave me some trouble fully enjoying the book. The narrative chosen meant that there had to be a shift from our expected storyline into the new one and I felt that this shift came too late. I had guessed the narrative this would follow so I was expecting the shift earlier and waiting for the shift was agonizing as I just did not enjoy what was happening beforehand and it was far from the joyful rom com I was expecting.

Which brings me to what is probably the main reason why I struggled with this book – my own expectations. I had hyped this book up in my head as being this incredible five star read guaranteed to be a new favourite when in reality it was just fine. Not a bad book by any means, just not what I had hoped for. I also found that this book had been promoted as utterly joyful and as I mentioned, I found a large portion of this book leading up to the shift in narrative to be far from it. I found Noah’s character to be rather irritating and childish as he continually made bad decisions or hurt people in his determination to have a happily ever after. And to some extent you’re meant to feel this way – character development, baby! – but I found it really grating and it took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Meet Cute Diary is a story of learning to let go of others’ expectations and do what’s best for you which is pretty ironic as I let my own expectations of this book get in the way of the book itself and my own enjoyment. However, I would still recommend it and it’s one I’d like to give another try in the future without my own assumptions overshadowing the story. Meet Cute Diary explores different ways to be trans, complicated relationships and the power of being unapologetically yourself in a fun, lighthearted story about a boy looking for his happily ever after.

Want to know more of my thoughts? Check out this reading vlog!

I also talk about books here: youtube | instagram | twitter

*Thank you Harper360 for an advanced copy. This has not affected my review.*

[booksandzoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I liked about this book:
- this is the first book about a trans person where the transphobia is to a general minimum that I’ve read. There are a couple cases of transphobia, but overall everybody is accepting to the trans MC and also to a trans side character who uses neopronouns.
- The neopronoun rep! One character uses xe/xem and e/em in this book, and that pronoun use is never "other'd" by any of the book characters. This is the first neopronoun rep I've seen in a book and it was super cool!
- The toxic relationships rep: I think the toxic relationship in this book is handled really well.

Things I didn't like about this book:
- Now this is me being nitpicky, but as a lifelong Colorado native there were various aspects about how the author wrote about Colorado that were inaccurate. For example, it's not UC Denver. It's CU Denver. Small things like that really took me out of the book in a way that it wouldn't bother people who aren't from Colorado, but it bothered me enough to include in this review.
- The plot was a bit repetitive
- The writing, plot, and character depth was all pretty stereotypical/average for YA. The way teenagers were written was a bit out of touch.

Overall I'm giving this book 3 stars. it didn't really stand out as anything special, but it wasn't BAD either. I just wish the entire book was from Devins POV instead.

[Fadwa (Word Wonders)]

DNF @ 40%

I really really wanted to love this book. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. But I really really didn't. No matter how much I loved the concept of a book celebrating trans joy and wanted to love the execution, I did not. Noah's entitlement was really insufferable to me on more occasion than one but I was going to brush it away for the sake of character development which, was reported to me by trusted friends, does NOT happen. His whole approach to romance also made me uncomfortable so I decided to cut my losses and DNF it. The destination wasn't work the journey for me.

[Avani ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all.
I had so much expections from this book since it was sounding super cute and also representation level felt above 100 !!
I just could not just get past the annoying behaviour of Noah and Drew was shadow banned due to it.

[nitya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 if it has to be exact

I WANTED to like this more than I actually did. The fake dating subplot pulled me in but after some events... It kind of lost its appeal. And I realize Noah is 16 and being dramatic, immature and a bit self-centered comes with the territory. But there were times when he was annoying, extremely judgmental and showed a lack of empathy (which didn't really change at the end of the book). I am still WTFing at the hatred of handouts/charity. Okay, so Maggie turned out to be garbage, but why are you looking down at bookselling??? It may not be the most thrilling job to you but it still pays the bills. And you WERE asked by your parents to get a job ($400 in one week spent on Ubers when Denver is bike/walk friendly... My parents would have taken my card too), so elitism isn't really helpful. I was hoping there would be some character growth, but it didn't happen.

I am glad Drew was left behind, but I also wish there was more page time spent on Devin. I dunno, it felt unbalanced. As the actual love interest and a wonderful character in eir own right, e deserves way better than being treated like an afterthought. E was so sweet and actually gave Noah perspective and STILL was taken for granted.

And Becca and Brian called Noah out but forgave him waaaaay too easily, imo. I also don't understand why Noah put his brother down, especially on pronouns?? No one is born woke, dude. Brian is listening and doing his best, and being condescending isn't helpful either. Social justice awareness is not a GD competition.

While this didn't work for me personally, I am happy trans kids are getting books written by trans and nonbinary authors and more stories that don't end tragically.

Content warning: transphobia, misgendering, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, anxiety/panic attacks

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point, any queer rom com with a cute cover has my attention, and that’s okay.

[Not My High · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

It was my 'meet cute'

not "meet WOAH I FOUND MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK",
but "meet I WILL RECOMMEND IT"

:)

[Charmel · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @54%

I LOST INTEREST (i found the mc bratty. still ill rate ut 1.5 stars for the trans rep!)

[Roberta Blablanski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the heck out of Felix Ever After and had high hopes that Meet Cute Diary would enrapture me like Felix did. I was so wrong.

Noah is the most condescending and entitled character I have ever read. He is truly unlikeable, and I tried REALLY hard to find some redeeming quality. He is snobby and super-judgmental, and maybe that's what being 16 years old is all about? However, I waited and waited for some growth or self-realization when it came to his brattiness, but it never came. There usually is some awareness and adjustment in character development as a story progresses that make the terrible parts of the character bearable. Not in Meet Cute Diary.

Devin would have made a better MC. Noah knows who he is and is confident in his identify. Devin goes through enough self-discovery that eir book; would have been a better story. E's much more likeable; eir story would have evoked a heck of a lot more empathy from me.

I do have to mention that I was pleased by the quick ace rep.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

[Romie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute and fluffy book? yes. but not only. MCD also deals with anxiety, toxic relationships, and transphobia, while still being light-hearted. I really enjoyed reading about Noah and his friends/family, especially Devin. Devin's journey to finding which pronouns suit em best made me extremely happy!

I have to admit, I did not quite believe in the diary. the stories were obviously all written and staged by the same person, and I could not understand why people thought differently. I also don't understand why Noah thought dating someone would prove all the stories were true.

but I ultimately really enjoyed this book. it was fast-paced and made me happy! (3.5)

[Althea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Cute Diary follows sixteen-year-old Noah who runs the insanely popular Meet Cute Diary – a tumblr blog showcasing anonymous submissions of trans people finding their happily ever afters. However, all of the stories are fake, and Noah is the one creating them all so that trans readers of the blog can find some hope and comfort in them. But when a troll tries to expose the blog for being fake, Noah panics. He manages to enlist the help of the cute boy who works in a local bookshop, Drew, to fake date him to help come up with cute date content for the blog, but Noah ends up with feelings that are a lot more on the real side.

Straight away when I picked up this book I knew that it was going to be a joy to read! Emery Lee’s writing style is fun and witty and truly befitting the voice of a teenager. It is so important to me, and I’m sure to many other trans and nonbinary readers, that this is definitely not a book about trans trauma – there is some mention of transphobia in the book, though it really takes a back seat to the story, and instead we are given a book full of joy and love and hope!

The characters in this book all feel real, and they all have their messy, far from perfect moments. The main character Noah is so obsessed with the idea of happily ever afters and finding love, that at times they become self-obsessed and more worried about their problems than other people’s. His best friend, Becca, is so supportive of Noah but they’ve been best friends for so long that she doesn’t know how to be her own person when they are separated. Drew is kind and adventurous but can also be very selfish. And then there’s Devin, a nonbinary character alongside whom Noah ends up working, who is so selfless and sweet, but oftentimes forgets to rely on others and open emself up to others. I’ve seen some reviewers critiquing the characters for this, but I think that it helps make the story all that more realistic, because they’re teenagers, they’re growing and figuring themselves out, so of course they’re not going to be perfect human beings, and it just makes the story that bit more interesting!

As I mentioned before, this book is so full of trans joy and happiness, and I want to focus on the representation in this book specifically! Noah is triracial (white, Japanese and Afro-Caribbean) and a trans guy, and he has a very accepting family and friend group which, honestly, is so refreshing to see in YA literature! His older brother is so unbelievably proud and supportive of him (and is also a huge himbo, which I love to see) and his allyship is plain to see! Becca, Noah’s best friend, is a lesbian (she explicitly calls herself a lesbian in the book) and there is some discussion on a feminism group that a girl she is interested in is in, and about TERF ideology (though I do think that it could have been handled a tad bit better as it seemed to be tarring everyone with the same brush). Devin is nonbinary and throughout the book e changes eir pronouns several times to figure out what fits em best – and the discussion on this is so comforting to see, especially when Noah tells em that eir pronouns are eir business only and that e doesn’t have to consider anyone else’s comfort when figuring out what is most comfortable. I also really appreciated the discussion on realising that you may have been wrong about your identity and being scared to try out, for example new pronouns, for fear of not being taken seriously, or being stuck with your old identity. There was also a really sweet bit in the book when Devin and Noah are working at a summer camp and they’re going round and introducing themselves with their pronouns and something they enjoy and the kids are saying their pronouns and one says “I’m Bailey. I pronounce she, and Moana!” – it was such a lovely part of the book that showed that the kids didn’t find anything strange about it and were super enthusiastic, and I loved seeing it!

I did have a couple of minor issues with the book, which is why I did dock a star, though some are more personal issues that I know will not be a problem for other readers! First up is Becca’s storyline, which I did briefly mention earlier. Becca mentions that she was dating this girl that Noah recognises is part of a feminist group at their school, though many in the group are notorious for being rather transphobic. Becca tells Noah that the girl she was dating was very much for the inclusion of trans women in their feminism and was trying to convince the group of her viewpoint, but Noah continuously called her a TERF and was mad at Becca for this too. I felt a bit uncomfortable about this because as a lesbian I frequently see lesbianism being linked to TERFs and tarring us all with the same brush, when it is a cis people problem, not specifically a lesbian problem. Despite Becca saying that the girl she was in a relationship with was definitely not a TERF, Noah kept on treating Becca as if she was some sort of TERF apologist herself, and it really felt like it was that whole lesbian=TERF nonsense all over again. I also don’t think that Noah truly apologised to Becca correctly for how he acted towards her (not only referring to this) at the end of the book and that overall she deserved better.

Another minor point is the use of femme in the book. Femme is a lesbian specific gender expression term that is often used interchangeably with fem. The fact that it is lesbian specific is important to note, as for people who aren’t lesbians, fem is the appropriate terminology, or feminine-presenting. In the book there is a line where Noah arrives at a party and says that there are “Six mascs, two femmes, probably all cis judging by the jock vibe they’re giving off” attending. I may be wrong, but I think that masc is also queer terminology, and I think that using masculine/feminine presenting may be better terminology to be using in this situation, as I know that it is important to not judge anyone’s gender based on their looks, but this just felt a bit heavy handed to me.

Regardless of these two points, I really enjoyed my time reading this book and absolutely flew through the second half! I’m so happy to see more books about trans joy being published and I know that this book is going to mean so much to so many people!

Thanks to Edelweiss and Quill Tree Books for an eARC copy in return for an honest review!

[Janna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for great trans rep in YA, this is your book. We've got a trans triracial main character. I loved that the focus was on the support for Noah (e.g. from his brother) and not hugely on the transphobia he might experience in other parts of his life. Trans people deserve happy stories!

And, I still can't believe it, but it's true: there's a trans love interest! I don't think I've ever read a book that features two trans characters in love. This is huge. It made me so happy.

I do kind of feel like (in some cases) publishing doesn't want to see more than one trans character in a book because if you got one, you can tick it off your list and be done with it, right?

As a non-binary and queer person, I can tell you: it does often feel more comfortable to be around other queer and trans people because we share the same experiences, HENCE it's NOT unrealistic that there could be more than one trans character or a group of queer friends in a book. We exist in infinite forms.

Also included: discussions about TERFs, changing pronouns, an asexual character, a lesbian character, anxiety rep and cute art on the chapter pages.

It's full of YA and romance tropes, so if you're into that, give this one a try!


tw: mention of suicide attempt, transphobia

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[jut · Rating 2 out of 5]

well......this was something, but i was kinda disappointed and most part of the story just annoyed me (even though i understand it's just teenagers being teenagers and etc)! my favorite thing was without doubts, devin!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads a little younger than I like my YA, and if the 16-year-old MC is making a joke about Millennials all being old and married, I think it's safe to say I am not in the target demographic! That makes it very difficult to judge objectively, but I think younger readers will have a much better chance of liking this one.

I found the MC unlikable and borderline obnoxious at times. At first, I thought this was on purpose to setup a growth arc, but I started to accept the grating personality and the younger writing feel weren't going anywhere around 20% and would have DNF'd if I weren't reading an ARC.

On the one hand, the MC is 16 so the immaturity is definitely accurate. On the other hand, he was accurately immature in ALL the ways and constantly having snide, judgmental thoughts about the people around him. The book seems aware of some of this, but I'm not sure it really gets how much this kid takes his middle/upper-middle class privilege and happy, functional family dynamic for granted, and that hits the wrong note for me. Repeatedly.

Despite these issues, it's an incredibly easy read, and I was surprised how quickly I blew through it considering how much I disliked the MC.

The friendship he develops with his co-worker and their conversations about gender were the highlight for me. Not so much the content of the conversations, but just how easily and naturally Noah created a safe space for Devin to explore non-binary gender identities. That was lovely, and I really liked their whole dynamic, as well as the nuances of Noah's relationship with his female best friend back in Florida. Devin and the easy narrative flow saved this from being an outright disaster for me.

**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**

[Fanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

➵ the cuteness meter did not hit a hundred; how sad am I for not liking the main character but tbh, some scenes were genuinely cute and devin was easily my favourite. rtc.

↣ listened to the audiobook on scribd ↢

➵ have begun listening to this on a gloomy afternoon because the cover has bright vibes— hoping for the cuteness meter to hit a hundred.

[charlotte, · Rating 1 out of 5]

review copy provided by publisher. unreviewed because. well.

rating edited 18/6/21 because i read kate's review and it all came flooding back lmao

Rep: mixed race (white, Japanese, Afro-Caribbean) bi trans mc, mlm side character, lesbian side character, gay genderqueer side character

CWs: panic attacks, misgendering

[CW ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book. People will dislike this book because of its 'unlikeable' main character, but I genuinely think the fact that the main character, for all of his flaws and imperfections and humanness, gets to have the swoon-worthy romance that we all dream of by the end is what makes this book so bloody great.

- Follows Noah, a multiracial trans boy who owns a 'Meet Cute Diary', where he fabricates meet-cutes of trans people and shares them on his blog. When his blog's credibility is under fire, he agrees to fake-date Drew to prove that the diary and its stories are real. But when Noah starts his job at a summer camp and meets Devin, Noah's ideas of romance and love will be challenged.
- I think I could turn this Goodreads short review into a rant, so I'll try and be brief and leave my kerfuffle for my long review, but let's start with: Noah. Noah is far from perfect - he has actual, genuine flaws (not just 'clumsy' or 'a mild temper'); he's arrogant, self-absorbed, entitled and sometimes a little obnoxious. Yet, I still think Noah is a fantastic and well-written character and his journey across the story was great to read.
- And yet, isn't Noah deserving of love, like any flawed person deserves love? Yes, he does! And this story announces that loud and clear - that, even if we can sometimes be imperfect people who make inane choices and inadvertently hurt those they love along the way - trans people UNCONDITIONALLY are deserving of love and joy.
- Meet Cute Diary is about how sometimes our ideas of love don't always play out the way we think they should in real life - and that sometimes our ideas of love can get in the way of us seeing things clearly.
- I really liked how this story explores the fake-dating trope and subverts this. The romance and fluffy moments in this book were genuinely lovely and hopeful.
- I have lots of thoughts about this book, but I'll save it for my long review. In short, a great book with lots of emotional complexity and depth, perfect if you love 'unlikeable characters' that challenge you, and a heart-warming and genuine romance that feels like a hug by the end.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was! so much fun!

I did think the beginning was a bit rough, to the point that I,,, almost DNFd,,, but it was so worth pushing through, like the last three quarters or so was SO good omg. I have to admit, I,, didn't always *love* Noah, but I appreciated how he grew and changed over the course the story. and Devin is amazing and I would do anything for em thank you for coming to my TEDtalk. also just like this book was so voicey and I fucking loved the voice of it?? ahhhh it was just SO good!! and the way it showed toxic relationships? and the rep? and the messy families? and did I mention DEVIN?

anyways this was sooo good ahhh

[Laynie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of trans joy. It's so rare that a book feels like a safe place, but this one absolutely felt like that. Having trans and nonbinary characters that were unapologetically themselves and found the joy of exploring their identity was huge. As a nonbinary person, seeing Devin explore eir pronouns as a positive exploration of self was so affirming. I loved the journey Noah took with learning how to be a better friend, and learning to look past his fantasies about love to see what was right in front of him. This book is going to have such a positive effect on so many queer and trans folks who need a story just like this! I might elaborate more at some point but truly, reading a book about trans characters where the main conflict of the story wasn't the fact that they were trans was just... stunning. exhilarating. wonderful and fantastic and I freaking loved it.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one missed the mark for me. One of the most disappointing reads of 2021 this far.

[lily ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]

i’ll admit i was a bit apprehensive going into this book, as many of my friend’s reviews revealed that they were disappointed by it. thankfully, i didn’t end up feeling the same way.

first off: this book is so, so cute. (if the title and the cover didn’t give it away - and i will always be squealing about how adorable these illustrations are!!) we’ve got meet cutes involved, a fake dating trope, and, most importantly, the trans love story that we all deserve. there are also quite a few good quotes about gender and the importance of the internet, particularly for gen z - many of us grew up online as well as in real life, so things such as blogs and social media hold more relevance in our lives than is generally covered in books.

i will admit that the main character is, at times, annoying. yes, he’s simply a teenager, and it’s not that i particularly blame him for it, but i think we all go into books scrapping that we want our characters to be realistic, and instead hoping for someone that we simply fall in love with. his first love interest is a bit lacking on that end as well - but, never fear! enter devin! eir is the first nonbinary love interest i’ve read in a book, and since i read a LOT this was particularly exciting for me and eir deserves extra props just for that!! e also experiments with their pronouns and is generally uncertain about eir gender at times, which i really loved to see. so often, even if book characters are LGBTQ+, we meet them once they’ve already got it all figured out. so often in real life, that isn’t the case - we stumble around searching for the right label and feeling for what seems like forever. e is also asexual, and i am greedily collecting characters for my ace club.

overall, i do recommend this book for a quick, cute little read — and, hey, it’s always important for us to support trans authors 🥰

[nefeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you so much Crane for br this with me!!
Here is her review!!


So, it's been almost a month since I read this book and I realised that since I didn't like it a lot I'm not going to write a detailed review. Besides, I have a lot others to write for books I enjoyed much more!


Meet cute diary follows Noah, our sixteen-year-old main character, who runs the famous "Meet Cute Diary", a blog showcasing anonymous stories of trans people finding their happily ever afters. However, it turns out that Noah is coming up with all these stories just so that trans readers of the blog can find some hope and comfort in them. But when a troll tries to expose the blog for being fake, Noah panics. He finds help from a cute boy who works in a local bookshop, Drew, to fake date him and help come up with cute date content for the blog. Noah ends up with real feelings for Drew.


This sounds cute right? Well I wish it was as good as it sounded, but the whole story was so cliché and the mc was really annoying that it was difficult to enjoy this book. As Crane said in her review, if I could choose one world to describe this, it would probably be eh. And honestly, I would have dnfed it but I think that I should give all books a chance till the end!

This is all I have to say for "Meet cute diary", bye now :)

---------------------------------------------

still not sure what to rate this...

I had higher expectations for this book, i'm realyl sad i didn't enjoy it a lot
not the worst book i've read but it could have been a lot better


review to come soon

[☆Pelumi☆]

So I heard this is queer

I'm.so.fucking.in

[ikram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does it hurt when your most-anticipated read turn out to be a disappointment?

Jokes aside, I really wanted to like this but the main character ruins everything for me.