Thanks Netgalley for the preview!

I loved this book! I was drawn in by the cover and description and was hooked within the first few pages. I love a coming of age/ finding yourself story and this one had the perfect mix of quirk, silly and serious. I enjoyed all of the characters and found Nima to be a superb narrator. This book focused on characters that you wanted to get to know, help and even befriend. I think my one criticism is that Nima never gets closure with her Mom and doesn't get to talk to her Dad about the secrets she now knows. I think keeping those big secrets from someone she is very close with will hinder her self discovery. Maybe the story will be revisited in a sequel? Or a follow-up about Gordon and his journey? Here's hoping!

Nima was such a likable character, and I think that’s one of the most important things for LGBT YA books. She’s a little shy and awkward at first, but once she discovers drag culture, she’s able to find her inner confidence and let go of feelings for a straight friend. It was fun to see her blossom into herself throughout the book and especially how being a drag king allowed her to accept herself as a lesbian. She’s able to ditch all of the negative labels those around her assign (like “dyke” or “faggot”) and discover her own inner beauty.

I’ve also noticed that while drag culture’s explored pretty often in adult LGBT fiction, it’s less common in queer YA. From an outsider’s perspective, this felt like an honest and fascinating portrayal of it. I’m not sure if the author herself is familiar with drag but either way, it’s clear she did her research. The drag queens and queens Nima meets brings out the best in her and offers her a queer-safe place for her to come to terms with who she is. It helped me understand how important drag is to the LGBT community as well as how separate it is from being trans (though a trans person can also be a drag king or queen, if they want).

A cute book about identity, love, friendship, and learning to be unabashedly yourself. Nima feels out of place in her hometown, especially after her mom leaves and her longtime crush rejects her without a thought. But when she discovers the drag scene, she finally finds a place that feels a little like home. With an enchanting drag king and Deidre, her drag fairy godmother, she begins to test the waters. But first she'll have to figure out how to move on from all her past hurts and be true to herself.

This was a cute book. It didn't blow me away, but it's a fun story and potentially an important one to a lot of teens in situations out there like Nima. My favorite parts were definitely the drag scene and Deidre who is an absolute GEM.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju is a fabulous book that I will be especially recommending to all of my LBGTQIAP+ students, though I will also be recommending it in general. It's so great and needed to see a teen finding her community, which leads her to further finding herself.

The diverse cast (race and gender) was very authentic and added to the story, unlike some books where it feels like the writer was just ticking off boxes. The subplot with Gordon felt like an unnecessary distraction from Nima's journey, especially some of the deeper work she needed to do regarding her mother and possibly her shift relationships with friends.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens is a celebration of finding yourself in your community in way I have not seen much of in queer YA. This is a much needed book!

"With each passing moment, I'd get that feeling you sometimes have the moment you're about to flip the final page of a really good book, when your anticipation for what happens next overwhelms you, but you also know that turning the page means you're closer to an end. This was a story I didn't want to end."

I kinda didn't want this story to end because saying goodbye to such vibrant, leap off the page, characters sucks. I really loved Nima, and her father and Jill (her mother's best friend), and Charles, and DeeDee, and Winnow, and Gordon (trust me, you'll get there too). The cast of characters in this novel are so rich and wonderful and their fight to figure themselves out, to carve a place in the world for themselves that feels right and safe is so stunningly raw and real.

"How to explain to her how terrifying this all was without seeming young, and ridiculous, and pathetic? To explain how much I wanted to her to like me, despite my fear there wasn't enough worth liking?"

Nima is queer but has never really put a label on herself, and that's totally fine. What isn't okay is the other people in town who like to yell out that she's a dyke or a lesbian and assign her labels before she's even decided on one for herself. Throughout this novel she's trying to figure out where she feels the safest on the gender spectrum as well as in her comfort level within the queer community. This is such a vulnerable look at being overwhelmed by such a diverse, rich, and vibrant community and finding your place within it.

The drag queens, Deirdre in particular, and the kings as well (Winnow has my heart) are so welcoming and patient with her. Nima explores her gender and sexuality through drag, through engagement in the community, and it's really fun and sometimes cringe-worthy to watch. It's not easy diving into a world that is so nuanced and she messes up a bit before getting it "right".

Throughout the novel, all characters show so much respect for one another. They take notice of pronouns used, how people identify and are open about asking when they are unsure. Winnow as a love interest is the actual best in that she communicates clearly, is open to Nima being new to the larger community, and patient with her even as Nima freaks out and pushes her away. She's an actual angel.

"The only thing about bliss is that it's sometimes accompanied by ignorance."

Also as the heart of this story is Nima and her relationship with her mother who left over a year ago without much explanation. Okay, pretty much no explanation, just a note that said she had to leave. Turns out that even if your parents look like they're madly in love there could be a ton going on you don't see. Nima's father is pretty much the greatest, he's a mumu wearing hippie and he's got my heart as well, but she wants her mother around, too. Who wouldn't? Unfortunately, this is the one aspect of the book that I feel like was underdeveloped and not done as well as it could have been. I gave this book 5 stars cause it really was the best look at this topic and the world of drag that I've read (okay, the only but I really enjoyed it) but it's probably a 4.25 or 4.5 in reality.

Her mother's got her own set of issues, her own identity and crap to figure out and I get that but there's a lot that could have been addressed in this book that never happens in terms of their relationship. Also, while I enjoyed her relationship with Jill (her mother's best friend) there were unresolved issues with her that I felt could have/should have been handled better, also. Plus, her father should have been involved more in some of the issues surrounding her mother and more dialogue between Nima and him would have been beneficial.

"But above all, I honor all those young people who live beyond the so-called "norm" you're beautiful and magical and perfect. This book is for you."

Most importantly, this is a novel by an author who is queer, who did drag in their youth, and who knows the community. They have personal experience to lend to the storytelling that makes it come alive because it's their story to tell. I haven't ever read about kings before but I loved learning more about the drag community through Nima's eyes. There's a lot of complexity within it and it overwhelmed her but because she kept an open mind and had a desire to know more...she learned and the reader can learn along with her. I adore that this story exists in a world where it can be read, enjoyed, and respected.

Trigger warnings for domestic abuse, slurs against the queer community (mostly challenged), underage drinking and binge drinking, and abandonment by a parent.

I was blown away by this book. This is the kind of humorous, all-inclusive fun we need to have more of in YA. I didn't know there were drag kings until a few months ago and this book features them front and center.

We've got a larger than life drag queen to help Nima get some confidence and bring everyone together, a broody boy unsure of who he is, and complicated family life. We see a supportive aunt-like figure and a healthy relationship between father and daughter. There's a strained and confusing mother-daughter relationship in the background of the events.

We have a ton of diversity in this book, from mixed characters to characters all over the spectrum. I loved the questioning and exploration we see with Nima. She's confident that she likes girls but isn't confident in herself. I loved seeing her grow and become a better version of herself by the end. I also loved that there were little to no labels put on people throughout this book. Labels are complicated. Some people don't like them and others grow out of one before finding another. You can explore yourself and the spectrum without quite knowing where you fit. I also loved that we see a straight person kiss a gay person because they were curious. There's nothing wrong with being curious and trying something out.

Trust me, you need this on your shelf.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon Pulse through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Finished this one today. It’s for sure one of the best things I’ve read so far this year. Love the characters and their individual narratives. it’s bright and fun and poppy and does a great job introducing some more controversial topics (homosexuality, drag, transgenderism) to a traditional “middle of america” audience. The character of Deidre will for sure go down as one of my favorite literary characters of the year. Make sure to seek this one out when it's released in May.