What do you think?
Like It or Not
When all the world’s a stage… who will you be?
Gabe
Tomorrow can change everything. Sixteen-year-old Gabe stands on a precipice. His whole life, Gabe has felt trapped in a life he loathes and a body that isn’t true to who he is. Meeting a boy isn’t part of his plan, but by the end of the night he’s given Orlando his heart, his phone number, and the wrong name!
What will happen when they meet again after Gabe transitions?
Orlando
Orlando can’t stop thinking about the green-eyed girl he met at his Touchstone’s masquerade party. Heartbroken when she vanishes the next day, he throws himself into painting, bad poetry, and begging his best friend to spill what he knows.
When a new school year starts, he is stunned and flustered by the new boy, whose eyes look just the like ones he’s been painting for months. His confusion builds when Gabe starts flirting with him… and he wants to flirt back! But can he let go of Rose to give Gabe a chance?
LIKE IT OR NOT is a contemporary Young Adult retelling of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
This story contains themes of loss, parental rejection, misgendering, dysphoria, suicidal ideation, transphobia, and homophobia. Ultimately, my hope is that they're handled in a way that is uplifting, but if these are triggering for you, please read with caution.
Gabe
Tomorrow can change everything. Sixteen-year-old Gabe stands on a precipice. His whole life, Gabe has felt trapped in a life he loathes and a body that isn’t true to who he is. Meeting a boy isn’t part of his plan, but by the end of the night he’s given Orlando his heart, his phone number, and the wrong name!
What will happen when they meet again after Gabe transitions?
Orlando
Orlando can’t stop thinking about the green-eyed girl he met at his Touchstone’s masquerade party. Heartbroken when she vanishes the next day, he throws himself into painting, bad poetry, and begging his best friend to spill what he knows.
When a new school year starts, he is stunned and flustered by the new boy, whose eyes look just the like ones he’s been painting for months. His confusion builds when Gabe starts flirting with him… and he wants to flirt back! But can he let go of Rose to give Gabe a chance?
LIKE IT OR NOT is a contemporary Young Adult retelling of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
This story contains themes of loss, parental rejection, misgendering, dysphoria, suicidal ideation, transphobia, and homophobia. Ultimately, my hope is that they're handled in a way that is uplifting, but if these are triggering for you, please read with caution.
Paperback
Published March 6, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 18, 2022
Oh wow. What an incredible book. There was not a single thing that I didn't like. The writing was amazing, as was the storyline. I was drawn to the characters immediately and felt everything they did. The Shakespeare retelling was done well, and the LGBTQ topics were handled beautifully and with care. I'm not going to lie, I needed lots of tissues several times, but they were happy tears at the end! I can't wait to see what Amy writes next!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
March 23, 2022
Like any good scholar of English literature, I am a big fan of the Bard and when I saw that Amy G. Dalia’s *Like It Or Not* was an adaptation of one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, As You Like It, I was so eager to read this. And I am absolutely delighted to say that it delivers in every way.
*Like It Or Not* uses the themes of Shakespeare’s play–blurring of gender lines, questioning of societal constraints, family/ found family, the nature of life–in a tender story where our protagonist, Gabe is navigating his journey as a young trans teen from coming out to finally transitioning and finding love.. The plot follows the original story of Rosalind and Orlando almost exactly and what I thought was done so masterfully was the careful transposing of the main events into a modern-day high school where the cast of the play make up Gabe’s assorted group of friends, his sister, and even some teachers (making Jacques an English teacher was *chef’s kiss*). For fans of Shakespeare, this was a real treat as there are so many delightful Easter eggs from the play scattered throughout the story.
I could write an entire essay about the things I loved but I will try to keep this short. One of my favourite parts of this play is the many bonds of love; romantic, platonic and familial. And all were so beautifully demonstrated alongside Gabe’s story. Celia and Rosalind’s relationship is one of my most treasured pairings and I loved seeing how Gabe was able to rely on his sister to be his safe space. I also adored Touchstone. The character’s close and protective bond with the two cousins is often underrated in productions and I am so glad the book portrayed our favourite class clown as a deeply supportive figure for both Gabe and Orlando. And oh, our wide-eyed and eager hero, Orlando. He was a gem of a character; earnest, not afraid to explore his feelings and so very tender and respectful. I loved how slowly these two went in exploring their feelings for each other, regrouping when they made inevitable mistakes and letting the joy of living their truth breathe fresh life into their relationship. Gabe’s confidence, especially considering where he was at the start of the story, is also so powerful and it was a joy to see him taking initiative and even giving a somewhat bewildered Orlando a nudge much like we see Rosalind doing in the play.
A deeply sweet and tender story that did justice to the original! I utterly adored reading this and was glad to receive an ARC via GRR! 5 big stars!
CW’s: loss, parental rejection at a coming out, body dysphoria, misgendering, brief mention of past suicidal ideation, brief instances of transphobia and homophobia.
*Like It Or Not* uses the themes of Shakespeare’s play–blurring of gender lines, questioning of societal constraints, family/ found family, the nature of life–in a tender story where our protagonist, Gabe is navigating his journey as a young trans teen from coming out to finally transitioning and finding love.. The plot follows the original story of Rosalind and Orlando almost exactly and what I thought was done so masterfully was the careful transposing of the main events into a modern-day high school where the cast of the play make up Gabe’s assorted group of friends, his sister, and even some teachers (making Jacques an English teacher was *chef’s kiss*). For fans of Shakespeare, this was a real treat as there are so many delightful Easter eggs from the play scattered throughout the story.
I could write an entire essay about the things I loved but I will try to keep this short. One of my favourite parts of this play is the many bonds of love; romantic, platonic and familial. And all were so beautifully demonstrated alongside Gabe’s story. Celia and Rosalind’s relationship is one of my most treasured pairings and I loved seeing how Gabe was able to rely on his sister to be his safe space. I also adored Touchstone. The character’s close and protective bond with the two cousins is often underrated in productions and I am so glad the book portrayed our favourite class clown as a deeply supportive figure for both Gabe and Orlando. And oh, our wide-eyed and eager hero, Orlando. He was a gem of a character; earnest, not afraid to explore his feelings and so very tender and respectful. I loved how slowly these two went in exploring their feelings for each other, regrouping when they made inevitable mistakes and letting the joy of living their truth breathe fresh life into their relationship. Gabe’s confidence, especially considering where he was at the start of the story, is also so powerful and it was a joy to see him taking initiative and even giving a somewhat bewildered Orlando a nudge much like we see Rosalind doing in the play.
A deeply sweet and tender story that did justice to the original! I utterly adored reading this and was glad to receive an ARC via GRR! 5 big stars!
CW’s: loss, parental rejection at a coming out, body dysphoria, misgendering, brief mention of past suicidal ideation, brief instances of transphobia and homophobia.
March 9, 2022
As soon as I saw the blurb for this book, I had to read it: A loose retelling of As You Like It, involving a trans young man and the young man who meets him before and after his transition. This subject has been near and dear to my heart for a bit and has even more meaning for me now. That is a story for another time, but I digress. This story is A+++++, all the stars, absolutely amazeballs…I could keep going. Gabe is on the verge of changing his life forever when he meets Orlando at a costume party. Months later and living his truth, he meets Orlando again and is conflicted on how to handle it. Orlando is obsessed with the memory of someone he met once who no longer exists. This story is full of amazing characters besides just the MCs. Gabe’s sister CiCi and his best friend Touchstone made this story even better. Everyone needs a friend like Touchstone. And CiCi steps up and is there for her brother when their dad rejects him. I absolutely loved this story and I hope it gets picked up and read by someone who needs to see it. The love story here is messy and our characters are far from without their own flaws but it just shows how beautiful everything can be when we are true to ourselves. Read this book!
March 24, 2022
This book has a lot of feels in it. I’ll start by saying to check the themes mentioned by the author at the end of the blurb.
Gabe is a transgender boy aching to come out and live as his authentic self. Just before he does, he has a magical moment of connection with a boy at a party. But his need to come out complicates things.
We get a lot of inner turmoil with Gabe, which many trans kids feel. Dysphoria, depression, thoughts of self harm. A lot of this is because of rejection of fear of rejection. Affirming a trans youth drastically reduces (but may not eliminate) these feelings.
There is a lot of family drama going on for both boys, some related to Gabe’s transition, and some not. It is all resolved by the end.
The friend group at school if full of fun characters too, and they also have typical teenage relationship drama going on.
Gabe is a transgender boy aching to come out and live as his authentic self. Just before he does, he has a magical moment of connection with a boy at a party. But his need to come out complicates things.
We get a lot of inner turmoil with Gabe, which many trans kids feel. Dysphoria, depression, thoughts of self harm. A lot of this is because of rejection of fear of rejection. Affirming a trans youth drastically reduces (but may not eliminate) these feelings.
There is a lot of family drama going on for both boys, some related to Gabe’s transition, and some not. It is all resolved by the end.
The friend group at school if full of fun characters too, and they also have typical teenage relationship drama going on.
September 11, 2022
I thought this was a very clever adaptation of As You Like It from a Shakespearean cross-dressing woman to a modern teenage trans boy. It had tons of recognizable moments and themes from the original, while still being very flexible in how it rearranged everything to make the new story work. The inclusion of Ben and Bee from Much Ado About Nothing seemed distracting at first, but ended up working well. The Jaques character didn’t feel much like Jaques to me, though. I think he could just as easily have been Duke Senior. Maybe he was meant to be a combination of the two. The writing quality was serviceable, but nothing to write home about, and I eventually got tired of the romantic teenage angst, which is never really my thing anyway. But overall, I appreciate what this book managed to do with its themes.
March 23, 2022
Like It or Not is a beautifully written YA story about Gabe and Orlando. Gabe met Orlando and a mutual friend's masquerade party before he started to transition. After Gabe's father kicked him out, he found himself living with his older sister. He was able start his transition, but Gabe also found himself going to the same school as Orlando. Would Orlando still want to be with Gabe even after he found out the truth? This was such a touching story. I was glad Gabe could count on his sister; they'd been taking care of each other for a while. There was a twist I wasn't expecting but was glad to see. This was such an enjoyable book and I loved all the Shakespearean quotes through out. I recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
June 5, 2022
You'll find a little bit of everything in this tale of a transgender teen who stumbles through a year of his life, finding and building a new life after being rejected and thrown out by his transphobic father, all the while a complicated but beautiful love story brews. I read this book slowly, soaking up the engrossing details that captured my heart and made me feel like a bystander, watching my best friend making his way through difficulties that an average person could never fully understand. Bits of hate were smudged out with an abundance of love and understanding that surrounded the teen. All the while, it's the love story that made this book so captivating and beautiful. I would love to see a sequel to this, as I dreaded, this innocent and heart warming, love story coming to an end.
March 8, 2022
This book was very confusing at the start but became a heart-warming story of acceptance and love that made the early pages make sense. Rose (Gabe) is the MC and he is really a young person finding his way through difficult circumstances. His character is nicely developed and the plot at times demonstrates how young and inexperienced he really is. The one complication for me was trying to tie this book to Shakespeare and while it is years since I read the plays, I have been to many of the plays at Stratford in recent years and did not find the connection added to the book.
March 24, 2022
I thought of this almost as a Cinderella retelling. Gabe transitions between the time he first meets Orlando and the have a great connection and the night of their meeting he disappears. Orlando can't get the young woman out of his head, he fantasizes about and paints her only to be confronted by a boy when they return to school with those eyes and the same fascination for him. This is a story of young people and some of the awful things they face trying to be who they are. It is also a wonderful story of love, acceptance and friendship.
March 28, 2022
Like It or Not is a beautifully written story about a trans boy who has to navigate through storms and rough waters as he begins to live as his authentic self. It’s a heartwarming tale of the friendships and bonds that see him through the toughest of days, showing him that he’s not only not alone, but that he’s loved and wanted exactly as he is.
Amy G. Dalia, congratulations. You did it!
Amy G. Dalia, congratulations. You did it!
July 22, 2025
The characters were so vividly rendered, and probably the most realistic teen dialogue I've read in a long time. It's can be hard to understand someone going through emotions and transition that are completely unknown to you, and the descriptions in this book clarify like nothing else.
April 28, 2022
Bravo!!!
What a wonderful coming-of-age story highlighting the courage and honesty of what it takes to be one’s true self. Highly recommend.
What a wonderful coming-of-age story highlighting the courage and honesty of what it takes to be one’s true self. Highly recommend.
March 31, 2023
Loved loved loved this one from Amy Dalia! The subject matter is handled beautifully and the story was so sweet and lovely! I definitely plan to keep this one on my shelf!
April 3, 2022
This book satisfies on every level.
I love YA, romance, and LGBTQ+ literature. This books succeeds and delights on every level. The teenagers are believable. The romances are sweet. And there is positive representation of characters across the gender and sexual orientation spectrums. If Sarah Dessen wrote a transgender romance, it might read something
like this.
The story is adapted from the classic play As You Like It. It is set in the modern day at a high school and features a cast of LGBTQ+ characters and allies. The main storyline focuses on a transgender teenager named Gabe and his romantic feelings for another boy both before and after transitioning.
It might have been difficult to describe Gabe’s journey and avoid getting snagged on pronouns. But but Dalia manages it with ease, keeping the narrative and dialogue flowing without tripping the reader up. The dialogue, pacing, and compression of time are masterfully handled. There are joyful and sad moments mixed together. The book accurately portrays what it feels like to fall in love, especially when you are young.
I love the characters in this book. Gabe is a lovable, relatable protagonist. His joys, his setbacks, his euphoria, and his dysphoria are all realistic parts of the transgender journey.
Celia is the loving ally every transgender teen deserves who speaks the loving words every LGBTQ+ child and teenager longs to hear. Reading the scenes between her and Gabe were validating and healing for me. Celia is the older sister I wish I’d had. She will probably become one of my imaginary allies that I consult from time to time.
Touchstone steals nearly every scene he’s in and is one of my favorite LGBTQ+ characters ever. He’s up there with Infinite Darlene from Boy Meets Boy. Dalia obviously had fun adapting this character from the original Shakespeare play. Recasting the jester in the role of a gay teen boy was a brilliant move. If you’re like me, he will probably stay in your head for a long time after finishing the book.
Orlando is Gabe’s love interest. Their romance is a slow burn but totally worth it. His journey exploring his sexual orientation is treated as being just as important as Gabe’s journey.
Jacques reminds me of my favorite high school English teacher, the one who inspired and challenged his students. I would almost endure the pains of being a teenager again in order to take his class.
Dalia has managed to write a lighthearted book with real emotion. This is a book that would be right at home on the shelf next to the YA novels of David Levithan and the queer romances of Casey McQuiston.
My advice: This book is a feast. Savor it. Read it slowly. Enjoy it. Don’t devour it all at once. Make it last. Stop at the happy parts and at the emotional parts. Take it all in.
This book is emotionally satisfying in so many ways. The author handles an emotionally complex story as gently as possible with compassion for every character.
The kissing and physical intimacy are handled well and in a responsible way. I wish I’d had a healthy sexuality like this modeled to me as a teenager
I found the novel to be cathartic. It is a YA title but I feel that adults will get a lot out of it as well. It took me back to high school days.
It was healing to witness the characters’ journeys. Here is the love and acceptance I deserved as a queer youth but did not receive. Here is what a healthy partner might have looked and felt like. Here is the person x could have been if he’d let the jester mask fall just a little. It is a book filled with light and hope that doesn’t ignore the anxieties of being LGBTQ+ but doesn’t wallow in them either. This isn’t a story about LGBTQ+ suffering but about LGBTQ+ dignity, LGBTQ+ joy, LGBTQ+ love, and LGBTQ+ truth.
This is exactly the type of book I want to write. This is the type of story I want to tell. These are the sort of characters I want to see represented in literature of all types and genres. This is the book I want to buy and donate to Pride Center libraries. It is the book I want to gift to all my friends.
I feel this is a book I will revisit often. For comfort. For humor. For romance. For inspiration. I believe many of the characters will be dear friends to me, living in my mind and sharing conversations. That only happens with the best books. I hope to read many more novels and stories by this talented author in the future.
I was given an advance copy of the book in exchange for a genuine review.
I love YA, romance, and LGBTQ+ literature. This books succeeds and delights on every level. The teenagers are believable. The romances are sweet. And there is positive representation of characters across the gender and sexual orientation spectrums. If Sarah Dessen wrote a transgender romance, it might read something
like this.
The story is adapted from the classic play As You Like It. It is set in the modern day at a high school and features a cast of LGBTQ+ characters and allies. The main storyline focuses on a transgender teenager named Gabe and his romantic feelings for another boy both before and after transitioning.
It might have been difficult to describe Gabe’s journey and avoid getting snagged on pronouns. But but Dalia manages it with ease, keeping the narrative and dialogue flowing without tripping the reader up. The dialogue, pacing, and compression of time are masterfully handled. There are joyful and sad moments mixed together. The book accurately portrays what it feels like to fall in love, especially when you are young.
I love the characters in this book. Gabe is a lovable, relatable protagonist. His joys, his setbacks, his euphoria, and his dysphoria are all realistic parts of the transgender journey.
Celia is the loving ally every transgender teen deserves who speaks the loving words every LGBTQ+ child and teenager longs to hear. Reading the scenes between her and Gabe were validating and healing for me. Celia is the older sister I wish I’d had. She will probably become one of my imaginary allies that I consult from time to time.
Touchstone steals nearly every scene he’s in and is one of my favorite LGBTQ+ characters ever. He’s up there with Infinite Darlene from Boy Meets Boy. Dalia obviously had fun adapting this character from the original Shakespeare play. Recasting the jester in the role of a gay teen boy was a brilliant move. If you’re like me, he will probably stay in your head for a long time after finishing the book.
Orlando is Gabe’s love interest. Their romance is a slow burn but totally worth it. His journey exploring his sexual orientation is treated as being just as important as Gabe’s journey.
Jacques reminds me of my favorite high school English teacher, the one who inspired and challenged his students. I would almost endure the pains of being a teenager again in order to take his class.
Dalia has managed to write a lighthearted book with real emotion. This is a book that would be right at home on the shelf next to the YA novels of David Levithan and the queer romances of Casey McQuiston.
My advice: This book is a feast. Savor it. Read it slowly. Enjoy it. Don’t devour it all at once. Make it last. Stop at the happy parts and at the emotional parts. Take it all in.
This book is emotionally satisfying in so many ways. The author handles an emotionally complex story as gently as possible with compassion for every character.
The kissing and physical intimacy are handled well and in a responsible way. I wish I’d had a healthy sexuality like this modeled to me as a teenager
I found the novel to be cathartic. It is a YA title but I feel that adults will get a lot out of it as well. It took me back to high school days.
It was healing to witness the characters’ journeys. Here is the love and acceptance I deserved as a queer youth but did not receive. Here is what a healthy partner might have looked and felt like. Here is the person x could have been if he’d let the jester mask fall just a little. It is a book filled with light and hope that doesn’t ignore the anxieties of being LGBTQ+ but doesn’t wallow in them either. This isn’t a story about LGBTQ+ suffering but about LGBTQ+ dignity, LGBTQ+ joy, LGBTQ+ love, and LGBTQ+ truth.
This is exactly the type of book I want to write. This is the type of story I want to tell. These are the sort of characters I want to see represented in literature of all types and genres. This is the book I want to buy and donate to Pride Center libraries. It is the book I want to gift to all my friends.
I feel this is a book I will revisit often. For comfort. For humor. For romance. For inspiration. I believe many of the characters will be dear friends to me, living in my mind and sharing conversations. That only happens with the best books. I hope to read many more novels and stories by this talented author in the future.
I was given an advance copy of the book in exchange for a genuine review.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews