Oh, Sasha Masha... I absolutely loved this book. It was a simple, honest, realistic tale of a person discovering who they really are and it is one of those books that fly by. I lay down in my hammock and in what seemed like moments I had finished it.

I love the idea of a Hall of Ancestors. The morning I read the book I had shared an image of Marsha P. Johnson with Sylvia Rivera with the caption "Ancestors" so it was a poignant moment that made my day come full circle.

This plot is exactly what you'd expect. It's a fairly simple exploration of identity. The appeal is in the emotional intimacy. We really get a close examination of the character's inner world and turmoil.

Thank you to Netgalley & Libro.FM for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Alex doesn't feel right in his body. He's never been able to put what he feels into words. But one time while playing vintage dress up with his best friend Mabel, he puts on a dress and names himself Sasha Masha. Now that Mabel has moved away, Alex is feeling even more lost. When he decides to go to the queer teen group, he decides to go as Sasha Masha, and for the first time in a long time, he feels alive.

This was a short and sweet book about a person realizing they're transgender. As Sasha surrounds herself with more people who have an idea of what she's going through, she sees what it could be like to live as her true self. I loved seeing Sasha find new friends in Andre and his friends. Having a small group of supporting friends is critical to transitioning people.

The ending felt kind of abrupt to me, and I wasn't certain of Sasha's path from there. However, I loved how emotional this book was, it gave me all the feels. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that an older gay man used a slur for gay people. Can we not?

I really enjoyed hearing the author narrate the story because it made me feel more connected to the message. The pacing was wonderful and the lilt of narration was comfortable and understandable. The story itself was short and heartfelt and as a non binary person myself, the struggles felt by Alex resonated with me in certain aspects. Really enjoyed this!

Sasha Masha was such a sweet story. I found the narration soft and sweet and inviting into this journey of self discovery. I enjoyed the unforced inquiry into who Sasha Masha was and while I occasionally felt there was some aggressive leading I could t out my finger on if it was a tough love sort of leading or just a “been there done that I understand” kind of leading. The centralization of love and loss and a family and friendship and self was really well done and I enjoyed it all.

I received an ARC of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

When Tracy wants to become Alex's girlfriend, he starts to feel like a Real Boy. However, he can't stop from thinking at times that his hands look entirely too big next to hers. Something is still missing for him. When he meets Andre, a gay boy who isn't afraid to be himself, he introduces Alex to a world where he starts to figure out who he is. Maybe he isn't Alex after all; maybe he is Sasha Masha.

This was an engaging story of a teenager figuring out who he truly is. I love that the author narrated the audiobook! He had a strong group of friends, and he seemed to have loving parents, even though they didn't understand the questions he was asking when he was trying to figure things out. I would like to believe that when he is ready to announce his true identity, they will be supportive. It was a short book, and I would have liked it to continue. Maybe there will be a sequel?

**Sasha Masha used he/him pronouns during the book; thus, I have used them in my review. On the LGBTQ+ spectrum, Sasha Masha currently seems to fit in the Questioning category, though it seems he will likely eventually switch over to the Transgender category.

Sasha Masha was the quiet and special ownvoices trans story I've been seeking. The tone was so contemplative and open, and I loved the queer cast of characters we met throughout Sasha Masha's story. This book is so perfect for teens who might be questioning their gender identity. I also really enjoyed the audio being read by the author, as it felt special to hear her words from her own mouth. It provides options and comfort and supports every character so wonderfully. I can't recommend it enough!

Really enjoyed this one. The narrator was perfect for this story and idid a great job. The story itself was a great coming-of-age and self-discovery. I love character-driven books, but this may have been too character-driven as I wish there was more that happened plot wise to make this stand out among the other coming-of-age and gender identity books. But over all it was great, and I'd definitely recommend it.

I always enjoy an LBGTQ story where the character has a supportive group of friends. It makes me happy that they have someone to lean on, especially if their family isn't understanding. I believe this is based on some real events the author went through, so I'm even happier she had a good circle of people.

This follows Alex, a high school student who joins an LGBTQ group and begins to realize that he's not comfortable in his body. He comes up with the name Sasha Masha and starts to explore who he truly is. One of the kids in his new group, Andre, takes Sasha under his wing. Sasha starts to come to terms with how she feels and eventually accepts that she is transgender.

I liked this overall, Sasha is happy at the end and has good friends. I thought the story seemed a bit too light and didn't go into enough detail. Things seemed to happen quickly and I was hoping for more insight into Sasha Masha's feelings and transition. There is also a gay slur and though it's used by a gay man in a joking way, I didn't like it.

The author narrated her own book which I liked because it made it even more an #ownvoices novel.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Sasha Masha is a coming-of-age queer romance story about Alex, who is starting to realize that he might be trans. Before I delve further, I want to note that I will be using the pronouns He/Him as they are what Alex prefers to use. This debut novel is narrated by Agnes Borinsky herself. I loved it! It is an OwnVoices novel that is packed with raw feelings and emotions. This novel explores gender identity and identifying who you are. Alex is shy, an only child, gets good grades, and has a best friend, Mabel, who unfortunately moved away. Mabel was the first person in his life who has accepted him for who he is. Alex always feels incomplete, like he is there but not in entirety and he doesn’t know why he feels that way. He doesn’t feel himself, at least not like he did when that one day in Mabel’s bedroom, he tried on this beautiful velvet dress. He was Sasha Masha. Alex feels conflicted and confused as he explores the depths of his identity. I enjoyed following Alex on his journey to learning who he is. I loved the ending and even though I was a bit bummed about where we were left off, I felt happy if not a bit proud.

This is a coming of age story, a story about exploring identity and gender, a story about discovering what it means to be "real" and to be your true self.

(Note: Sasha Masha's deadname is used throughout the story, but I will not be using it in this review. Sasha Masha uses the pronouns he/him throughout the story.)

There are a lot of stories about coming out to others; this isn't new. But Sasha Masha's story is about being confused and lost and lonely and feeling separate from yourself before you figure out your identity--despite being well-liked and generally having a good life! His lack of clarity and frustration with himself and everyone else feels real and relatable.

Sasha Masha is short but powerful. I listened to the audiobook, which was just over 3 hours. Agnes narrated the audiobook herself, and her narration fit the story perfectly. Her author's note at the end was one of my favorite parts as well.

I received a copy of SASHA MASHA by Agnes Borinsky, narrated by Agnes Borinsky thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

Content warning: brief moments of prejudice against LGBTQ+ community, although handled very well and ‘repaired’ quickly (if that makes sense)

Review: (minor spoilers)
Oof. Sasha Masha. My heart breaks and soars for you. A name that seems funny at first can end up being so much more.

Sasha Masha is a story about how a name can mean everything, even if you can’t figure out why. The supportive characters makes my heart go mushy because wow I wish everyone going through this had them.

The narration was wonderfully done with all the right emotions in the right places, although no surprise because the author did it.

I recommend this, especially in audiobook format.

Gah! This book is magical, heart wrenching and just the thing I needed. Sasha Masha is a beautiful story of exploring gender identity and queer sexuality. The authors narration is stunning and absolutely brilliant.

I don't think this will be a book for everyone, but I don't think it's trying to be. Sasha Masha is a short book where we follow a main character who is exploring gender and sexuality. The way that Sasha Masha describes their experiences will resonate a lot with trans readers, especially those who grew up feeling that they were just going through the motions of life while feeling that something is "off." The audiobook was incredibly well done, and I would definitely recommend it. I do think that this book could have been a little bit longer. I wanted to learn more about some of the characters that were introduced, and the ending felt a little abrupt for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC of this book to review.

Alex had never really felt real. All his life he's felt like he was just waiting for something else to happen for his real life to begin. But after his best friend moves away, he becomes more and more angry with life, and he has to make a choice: continue hiding as the boy he's always been, or become Sasha Masha, the person he feels he needs to be?

This is an amazing ownvoices coming of age story. I loved the tone of the writing and how deeply we delved into Sasha Masha's character and understanding about themself.

A huge part of this book is that you can't find out who you truly are by living in your own head. You need to experience life, make decisions, and have a community to help you discover yourself. I loved that about the book and loved the queer community that Sasha Masha found!

What a quick and wonderful listen. The narrator/author does a great job bringing Alex and the internal struggles to life. The story doesn't have a lot of plot, so I think listening made it better for me more than it might have otherwise. I really enjoyed this and the exploration of gender identity and sexuality. I think this will be a great book to highlight in our classes and recommend to students.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this one!

This is a hard book to review. On the one hand I understand what it was trying to do but for me it felt like nothing was happening. I wanted more to happen. That is really my only thoughts for this book is I just wanted more...

Reading the blurb I already felt so connected to the story and main character, and seeing that it was narrated by the author just made it feel so much more intimate, like I was experiencing the story in it’s best form, told by the person who crafted it. It was short but I was so completely hooked and drawn in.

Being a nonbinary person who absolutely identifies as trans, seeing books labelled ownvoices about gender always pulls my attention so fast, I love nothing more than seeing myself represented, even if not fully, by people who just get it. So when I started listening and felt myself so attached to what Alex was saying before he even knew he was really Sasha Masha and so much more, I knew I was in for a story that would touch me. And boy was I right! The amount of times I cried listening to this very short audiobook was wild.

The discussion he had of real people versus non-real people had me so emotional so fast and there was not a moment in this book that I wasn’t ready to do anything in my power to keep Alex happy, and later even more so to protect Sasha Masha in scenes I will not describe because I like to keep my reviews very spoiler free. I haven’t felt a connection to a character this strong in the longest time, and I am so thankful for Agnes for letting me meet this character.

The characters all felt so real to me, even characters just mentioned in passing or that only existed in one or two scenes and then weren’t seen again. It’s always so great seeing real characters in books, and being able to say you’d be able to meet people very similar to these characters in real life. Specifically, I loved Andre and Mabel and how their friendship and platonic love for Sasha Masha was always so strong, even with distance and other walls in place that could deter them. Coco and Green were also exceptional characters and I wish I had them in my life SO BAD.

While it was a quick story, it never felt like it was rushed to me. So much happened in it’s own time and nothing felt forced to meet a shorter time than much longer novels in the same genre. It was so nicely paced for me, and the ending felt so open. I really love endings that leave you guessing and wanting more, even if they happen to be standalones. There’s just something special about liking a book so much you want to think about the possibilities in the future for the characters even after the book is finished. I read the acknowledgements and immediately my brain wanted to think about Sasha Masha and what’s happening in his life next.

I absolutely adored this book and I think I’d read any books she publishes after this.

Also the ending was beautiful, the last chapter is going to stay with me for a while I can already tell.

This book spoke to me on a very personal level. Sasha's feelings and self discovery felt so much like my own.
I think this is a book for trans people. Reviews from cis people about this book said they didn't connect. But as a trans person, this book was like hearing so many of my own thoughts and feelings and experiences. And the audio! I am not usually one to listen to audio books, but I really loved listening to this one. This will definitely become one of the books I give to trans teens, and I will absolutely buy a copy come release!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an early copy of the audiobook Sasha Masha in exchange for an honest review.

Sasha Masha follows high schooler Alex's attempts to unravel why he's never quite felt like a he. It's short and real and wonderful, but doesn't have much there in terms of plot or characters. This is more of a story made to tell trans/dysmorphic stories instead of one that does that through one specific story and while I think it's wonderful that books like this are now able to thrive in YA, that also means that its easy to find Sasha Masha's entire plot in dozens of more developed stories. I still really enjoyed listening to this though. Agnes Borinsky (the author) narrates it herself and she does a wonderful job of bringing her words to life.