In a sentence:

Meet Cute Diary was endearing in some of the most unexpecting ways.

The Rundown:

Noah is a transgender boy who runs a Tumblr blog — the Meet Cute Diary (peep where the title came from) — that's all about transgender people finding hope and love and romance in meet cute situations. The blog is popular with thousands of followers and tons of engagement, but while he's hanging out with his older brother, Brian, in Denver for the summer as his family relocates from Florida to California, things for his blog start to fall apart. An internet troll comes out of the woodwork with facts and details disproving all of Noah's stories on the blog.

The problem is: the troll is absolutely right.

Noah claims that the stories are all true, but they're just his own made-up stories that stem from his ordinary interactions with hot guys in aesthetically pleasing places. Instead of throwing in the towel though, Noah decides to rise to the challenge and — with the help of Drew, the cute boy from the bookstore — prove the Meet Cute Diary is real.

My Thoughts:

I'm going to be honest, this book was out of my normal wheelhouse. The main character is a transgender boy, and this was the first book I've read from that particular perspective. But it was a romcom about loving love and falling in love, so I was thrilled to pick up a copy and the book did not disappoint.

I loved that Noah was such a relatable character. He runs a blog, lives for a good aesthetic, prefers the outdoors from a distance, and is not your athletic, let's-walk-everywhere kind of guy. All he really wants is a vanilla latte, a good internet connection, and some eye candy to enjoy while he works on his blog and responds to his DMs. That is a vibe that I can get with 100% of the time. Add to that his love of anime and manga and you have a character that understands my soul! However, he wasn’t perfect and had flaws — he was self-centered, superficial, and a bit judgmental. But that honestly made me like him more — perfect characters don't interest me.

Aside from how easy I found it to like Noah, I loved that this book was all about a summer of falling in love. In order to save the Meet Cute Diary and prove that it's real, Noah meets Drew — who is a fan of the blog — and begins to "fake date" him to get the evidence needed to convince the world that they and the blog are legit. Add to that, Noah has a twelve-step plan to ensure they end up with the perfect happily-ever-after ending. You can probably take a few guesses as to how that ends up, and yes — it's just as cute as you would probably guess it to be.

But this book isn't just about falling in love, it's also about friendship because Noah is moving to the opposite side of the country from Becca — his best friend since forever — and neither of them knows how to deal with that. It's also about second chances because things don't always work out for Noah on the first go — whether it be his meeting with a cute boy, his plight to get a job, or getting along with his coworkers. I loved that throughout the book Noah had to learn to let go of the plan of what love should be and see things for what they were, right in front of him.

There was a twist to the love story in the book, and I loved it — I'd recommend you pick it up just for that honestly, but I won't spoil it here. Just know that it's cute and made my heart smile and feel all warm by the end.

In all honesty, Meet Cute Diary is just as cute as you would expect it to be. It's the kind of book you sit down with on a summer afternoon with an iced latte and just let yourself take in. This is an Own Voices book with LGBTQ+ representation and I recommend you add it to your summer reading list when you're looking to pick up something light and fun and funny about a character who loves love as much as we all do.

This is one of those YA books that frustrates me because of its predictability. I also found it hard to believe that Noah wouldn't work harder to save his passion project.

I liked this one. I think the characters were well written although annoying at times. I think This one was meant for someone younger than, me. It was good. I would recommend it to some patrons at the library. It dragged in parts but I am glad I finished it.

This was a fast and fun #ownvoices read about a transgender 16 year old named Noah. He is spending the summer with his older brother Brian at his college apartment in Colorago as his parents move the household from Florida to California. Noah is the creator of a very popular blog called Meet Cute Diary in which he writes meet cute stories about trans people under the guise that they are true stories that happened to real people. When someone calls him out as being a fraud, he starts fake dating an older boy named Drew in order to create more "authentic" content for his blog. Noah also starts working at a youth summer camp where he meets Devin, whom Noah grows close to throughout the book, causing friction between him and Drew.
This was a sweet book about Noah trying to figure out how to love and coming to the realization that meet cute stories aren't the only way to fall in love. There is great discussion of choosing pronouns that feel right and about trying to label your identity, which I found the most value in in the book. Overall it was a sweet story about an endearing character and I really enjoyed it.

I ate this up.

Noah runs a famous Tumblr blog, Meet Cute Diary, that documents trans meet-cutes. The problem? There’s a troll online that’s trying to disprove the Meet Cute Diary as fiction and they’re not wrong. The meet-cutes are inspired by Noah’s day-to-day life whenever he goes into a coffee shop and sees a cute boy who gives him a lingering smile. During a job interview at a bookstore, Noah is helped by a cute boy named Drew. Noah fictionalizes their meeting and posts it on the blog. Act 1 Plot-twist: Drew is a big fan of the blog and wants to take down the troll. A fake-dating trope ensues.

Noah learns how to balance work, friendships, running a popular blog, and romance. Our protagonist is going through growing pains on account of moving across the country because of this, Noah isn’t always the most likable character. If having a likable character is a must for you, then this might not be it. (I love flawed characters, so I love Noah.)

This is an endearing story about first love: figuring out what a relationship looks like, respecting other people’s boundaries, agency, how to maneuver in a relationship, and confront the fantasy of love against reality.

I definitely recommend this one for all ages. I especially want to know how younger readers are responding to this book because is Tumblr an antiquated site that dates the author (and subsequently me because we’re the same age).

The title of this book and the cover of this book is what grabbed me first off. But the story itself just wasn't as good as I was hoping for. I do think that in part it was a very cute book and worth the read. But maybe grab it from the library. I don't think I would buy a copy of this one. The main character was kind of irritating and parts of it were just unrealistic.

Noah is spending the summer with his brother in Colorado while his parents move all of their stuff from Florida to California. Noah has just come out as trans and is relieved to be getting a fresh start. His blog, Meet Cute Diary, is doing well and he has thousands of followers who love to read all the cute trans love stories. Even though Noah writes a new Meet Cute everyday, he's never even had a meet cute...or a boyfriend. Maybe his summer in Colorado will change everything.

I was really hoping to like this book because the synopsis was so cute and it has a really diverse group of characters. Unfortunately, the characters and story just fell flat for me. I felt like there wasn't a lot of character development and the interactions and storyline didn't feel real. I would still purchase this for my library because I think the amount of diverse characters is really important to have and I think that some of my students would enjoy the story.

Sixteen year old Noah runs the Tumblr blog Meet Cute Diary as a beacon of hope for Trans teens that they have the possibility of getting their own meet cutes. The blog is framed as submission based, but really it's Noah who's been making up all of the meet cutes, spending lots and lots of money to gather inspiration for his endeavors. But there's trouble on the horizon, people are starting to question the veracity of the Diary, sending Noah scrambling. Now in Denver with his brother while his parents prepare for a move from Florida to California, Noah finds that his money source--aka his parents-- have cut him off after spending $400 in less than a week on rideshares and lattes. But fate has a funny way of directing Noah where he needs to go, and he soon finds himself in his own meet cute as well as discovering that what he thought he needs isn't actually what he truly needs.

--

As a note, there will be spoilers in this review.

First a few quick trigger warnings: discussion of past suicide attempts, on the page panic attack, discussion of anxiety, transphobia, homophobia, racial microaggressions, sexism, misogyny, gaslighting, manipulation, and more I'm probably forgetting. Make sure that you're in a good place before reading this book.

As a queer bisexual neurodivergent marginalized person, I really really really was looking forward to this book. It was presented to me as a YA, Trans, queer, neurodivergent, diverse romance featuring a fake-dating-becomes-real-dating relationship and some cute Tumblr shenanigans... and like the followers of the fictional Meet Cute Diary, I got played. This book isn't what the blurb or the author on eir social media presented this as. It's possible I'm not the target audience, but I felt betrayed by this book.

While it does feature trans, queer, and diverse characters, it doesn't have any explicitly stated Neurodiverse characters and the romance is really REALLY thin on the ground -- and what romance there is, isn't actually fake-dating-becomes-real. So I was left feeling disappointed, cheated. I'd been lied to, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

Worse, I absolutely detested Noah; he is prejudiced, self-absorbed, selfish, cruel, manipulative, spendthrift, feckless, deceitful, and all around terrible. Initially, I thought that the unlikability was a choice and Noah would grow and become a better person.

Spoiler alert: he doesn't.

He's still the same selfish, self-absorbed, prejudiced, spendthrift, manipulative, and cruel person that he was at the start of the book. If Noah existed in real life, he'd be pretty much right out of the domestic abuser's handbook. He isolates the people he cares about and is abusive toward them any time he perceives that they might have interests outside of Noah and Noah's needs. Everything magically went Noah's way or Noah's prejudices were somehow proven right. It's as if the story fairy waved a magic wand and solved all of Noah's problems with the flick of a pen. Even late in the book, Noah is still self-centered and selfish -- hurling abuse and invectives at his friends and romantic interest. But then he never tries to improve, he just gives a half-hearted self-serving apology but never changes his behavior.

So let's dive down, shall we?

Note some of these points are going to be spoilers, so consider this your spoiler alert.

First, let's look at the good in Meet Cute Diary:

- The trans rep
- The genderqueer rep
- The queer sexuality rep
- The fact that queer people tend to have queer friends
- Did I mention the trans rep?
- The writing style is very engaging
- Good depiction of anxiety
- Devin is the best and I want to wram em in bubble wrap to shield em from the world
- Becca is a good friend
- Brian is a good brother
- Noah and Devin's parents are super supportive
- Oh, and the Trans rep.

Now let's look at the bad in Meet Cute Diary:
- Unlikable Lead - selfish, self-absorbed, cruel, manipulative, deceitful, and unrepentant.
- Abusive Lead
- Prejudiced lead
- Rampant sexism & misogyny
- Rampant Prejudice
- Bait-and-Switch plot
- Forgotten threads all over the place
- Dropped thread regarding the Troll story line
- Dropped thread regarding the plagiarism story line
- Dropped thread regarding Drew and the whole Fake relationship (there is literally no fall out from this. None, and there would be.)
- Poor understanding of how Tumblr works and how Tumblr fame works.
- Disregard and bashing of people who use Tumblr
- Romance Novel Bashing within a book that is billed as a Romance novel
- Unsatisfactory romance
- Unsatisfactory grovel
- Poor character arc
- Too many Deus Ex Machinas - Most egregiously when Becca appears out of nowhere and Devin happens to be the trans girl who went to Noah's school and is Noah's inspiration. But pretty much every plot is resolved by a deus ex machina.
- Poor characterization. Everyone other than Noah is two dimensional at best.
- Unsatisfactory ending
- No explicitly stated NeuroDiverse representation despite the author stating such on eir social media.

So yeah. I felt disappointed by this book. The plotting, characterization, and pacing needed work, this was far and away one of the most unsympathetic romantic leads I’ve seen in print, and all of the conflicts were pretty much solved with a wave of the hand. This book isn't what the blurb and author presented it as. I felt lied to.

The ONLY thing saving this from a one star is the stellar Trans rep and the engaging writing style. But because of the issues stated above, I can only give this...

Two stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley

Meet Cute Diary was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I’ve been following the author on Twitter for years, and was so excited when e announced e was getting eir book traditionally published. There has always been a lack of traditionally published own voices trans books, and even more so when it comes to trans characters of colour. Meet Cute Diary is own voices in both these regards, which is pretty darn exciting.

Noah, our protagonist, is a triracial – Afro-Caribbean, Japanese, and white – bisexual trans boy who is staying with his brother for the summer while his parents try and find a new house. This is pretty huge for Noah because he’s leaving behind his only friend, but he also has the chance to kind of reinvent himself by getting away from all the unaccepting folks who knew him before he came out. He also has the chance to write some meet cutes for his Tumblr, Meet Cute Diary, which chronicles the (fictional) meet cutes of trans folks and their partners.

One of the important things to mention when it comes to Noah is that he’s a very young sixteen. He doesn’t have a bunch of self-insight, he’s pretty self-absorbed sometimes, and he needs to grow up quite a bit. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Sixteen-year-old boys can be all of these things because they’re not fully grown yet. They haven’t had the time to grow out of these characteristics, and Noah is included in that. So while I’m okay with having a teen character be these things, I wish there had been a bit of character growth because this is a book, after all, and we live for character growth. But as it is, Noah remains pretty much the same throughout the entire novel with only the barest hints that he’s realizing his behaviour isn’t always the greatest.

At the beginning of every chapter of Meet Cute Diary there is a post either from or about Noah’s blog, Meet Cute Diary. The blog plays a pretty large role in the novel because it’s how Noah meets his beau, Drew. I loved how the blog and its importance was incorporated into the story because many teens have an offline and online life, and they don’t always converge easily or at all. When I was a teen, my Tumblr was hugely important to me, and yet there is still a lack of how these things can be incredibly important and validating for teens today, which is kind of unrealistic if you think about it.

Now, on to the romance. There is a kind of love triangle, with Noah being in two different relationships during the book. One love interest is most definitely the better option, even though the other seemed great in the beginning. I feel like both relationships moved a little fast, and it was difficult to really get on board with the romances. I would have loved to see more time between Noah and who he ends up with because I needed that to be full-on behind their relationship, and as it was I was left wanting more.

One of the best things about Meet Cute Diary was the discussion of queerness from Noah, and also from his friend, Devin, who goes through eir own journey of self-discovery throughout the book. Devin is also one of the love interests for Noah, which I think is important to mention, because Devin is non-binary. So often there are books with trans protagonists who find love with cis people (which happens), but trans folks also find love with other trans folks, and it is just so lovely to see that in Meet Cute Diary.

As I’m typing, I realise I all the other positive things I could write about: the fact that transphobia isn’t an integral focus of the story, that Noah and Devin introduce pronouns to a bunch of under 13s at summer camp, and that Noah’s brother is so supportive and awesome. I guess now I’ve mentioned them, which was my intention all along *sunglasses emoji*

© 2021, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.

trigger warning: misgendering, emotional manipulation, vomiting, panic attacks (secondary character), reference to suicide attempt, talk of suicidality, transphobia, online bullying, reference to bullying

A few years ago, someone in the year ahead of Noah at high school came out as transgender. From what Noah knew, the bullying got so bad that the girl left school entirely. She never knew that it was her courage to come out that gave Noah the courage he needed to transition. She also inspired Noah to start the Meet Cute Diary blog. It was intended to serve as a beacon for any and all transgender people in need of a beacon of hope—namely the hope that they, too, could find true love. In reality, it is Noah re-scripting his myriad encounters to give the visage of multitudes of transgender people meeting someone and falling desperately in love.

The blog is a big commitment and a bigger part of Noah’s whole sense of self. He works hard at it with some help from his best friend, Becca. Together, they have figured out how to please the masses. That is, until a troll comes along and accuses Noah of being entirely fake. The accusations are bad enough, but then the blog starts to bleed followers. It’s just Noah’s luck that this happens just as he and his family are leaving Florida for California. While his parents house hunt, Noah is left to spend the summer with his college-aged older brother in Colorado. And worse, his parents expect him to find a summer job. As luck would have it, a local bookstore is hiring. Noah doesn’t get the job, but it is the setting for his very own meet-cute with a very hot boy named Drew. Even better: Drew is somehow a fan of the Meet Cute Blog. Together, Noah and Drew set about cooking up amazing posts about their instagram worthy dating life. The trouble is, the longer Noah goes out with Drew, the more he begins to wonder if their entire relationship is only about the blog.

Help comes from a surprising place—a fellow counselor from the day camp where Noah’s brother got him a gig. The counselor is a seventeen-year old named Devin and he seems, well, a bit socially awkward. Despite a rocky start to being co-camp counselors, Noah discovers that Devin is truly an amazing person. Unlike Noah’s blog-obsessed boyfriend, his girlfriend-obsessed brother, and his in absentia best friend, Devin is always ready to talk with and listen to Noah. Noah tries to reciprocate by helping Devin explore how he/they/xe/e chooses to identify and before they know it, a friendship is forming fast. Too bad Noah’s boyfriend doesn’t like even the suggestion of competition for Noah’s attention. Suddenly, Noah’s reevaluating his assumptions about what romance is, meet-cutes not withstanding.

Meet Cute Diary is a contemporary young adult novel by author Emery Lee. It features a core cast of mainly high-school or just-graduated teenagers during their summer vacation. It’s told in first person from Noah’s point of view. The structure of the main story is pretty straightforward and the table of contents literally lays out the timing of the events with specific dates. Each chapter begins with one of the twelve steps to finding love that Noah has crafted for himself: the meet-cute, the hand of destiny, the invitation, the consultation, the trip, the hesitation, and on to the happily-ever-after. I liked having this overt scaffolding to establish the shape and pacing of the story; I thought it provided great structure and purpose. This set-up also creates a great way to show how Noah consciously attempts to control the romance in his life…and how real life does not always follow the script.

The 12-steps-to-find-love dovetails extremely well at the beginning because the love interest, Drew, is very on board with Noah’s blog and its mission to provide positive role models for trans romance. I also thought this how-to guide to love was super sweet and felt a lot like something into which a teenager might invest a lot of time and energy. That said, I often viewed Drew’s role in the story with a mountain of suspicion and I’m not sure if that was intentional. As the story progresses, it’s clear that the Noah/Drew relationship is less about a romantic connection and more about using their mutual like for one another to bolster their own egos. As a result, the moment Devin was introduced, I immediately latched onto him as a potential true love interest.

The Noah/Devin friendship ended up being far more sweet than I ever could have anticipated. That they start off on the wrong foot and Noah often blurts words to the effect of “I have a boyfriend”—as if to remind himself as much as Devin of the fact—made it all the sweeter. Of course, Noah’s committed to his 12 steps of romance with Drew, so it takes a while for Noah to even feel comfortable thinking of Devin as something other than “that person I work with.” As things fall apart with Noah and Drew, Devin is there to be a friend.

Aside from Noah’s romances, there’s also his relationship with his best friend, Becca, and his older brother, Brian. While Noah’s romantic life does form a big cornerstone of his current relationship to Becca, it’s not the only thing they talk about. Both friends are getting used to being physically apart from one another and, of course, not being immediately reachable by text or phone leads to some hurt feelings. Noah also has a bit of self-discovery regarding how he has managed his friendship with Becca. I didn’t feel like the two were able to fully and transparently resolve their issues on page for the reader to see, but they seem to get back onto the right track. I also loved that it was Becca—or, more accurately, a list she made for Noah that outlines what qualities she expects Noah’s significant other to possess—that finally pushes Noah into admitting that Drew is not actually the right one for him. In the same vein, Brian is shown to be an extremely supportive brother who catches himself for misgendering Noah and even calling out a transphobic character. I liked that the supporting characters are very present in the story without feeling like they’re merely there to prop up the plot concerning Noah.

Overall, I thought this was a terrific read. I enjoyed the concept of framing this story using the main Noah’s own rubric for finding love, then watching how that same rubric fails to actually find Noah in love. The semi love-triangle that develops starts off full of hope and sweetness; even if I was never truly excited about Drew, I was excited that Noah was excited. And when Devin comes on page, it was a lot of fun to watch how eir friendship with Noah grows. The best romantic epiphany comes when Noah finally realizes where his heart lies and I really loved how Becca’s list serves to reiterate what Noah already knows. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories featuring trans characters, BIPOC characters, fake boyfriend tropes, and accidentally falling in love tropes. Although I consider this a YA title, I think readers of any age will enjoy the story crafting and thrill of watching Noah discover what love is really all about.

Predictable and not in a super great way, like I guessed the rest of the plot from about 25-30% of the way through and I kept hoping I would be proven wrong. I wanted more meet-cute moments, and Noah was actually super annoying and haughty a lot of the time. However, even though I have critiques, it was good overall.

If I had to use only one word to describe Meet Cute Diary, it would be “joy.” This is a book that truly radiates it, and I believe its readers will feel it palpably and tangibly. It is a story about joy, about finding, creating, and deserving it. But most importantly, I think it is a story that will bring joy to its trans readers, and it will be all the more important for having done so.

I want to start by noting what I think is undoubtedly the most important facet of this book: its open and honest discussions and explorations of gender identity, gender experiences, gender fluidity, and pronoun usage. I had never encountered neo-pronouns in fiction before, and I imagine that many young, queer, and questioning readers will be greatly impacted by it; it is such an invaluable experience to put plainly on the page. As a cisgender woman, I certainly cannot speak to the trans representation in this novel and will leave more comprehensive discussion to those readers who can speak to it far better than me, but it was not lost on me how important this is and will continue to be. Showing readers the host of gender expressions and experiences available to them is integral.

At this point, my love for fake dating needs no introduction. It was the first element of this book that hooked me, and I loved watching the drama unfold in its own unique way. While I do wish the “fake” had kept up for a bit longer, there’s a solid and clear reason why it didn’t. I loved that Lee played with the fake dating trope, and romance tropes in general, in such a meta way through Noah’s “Meet Cute Diary” Tumblr blog, and the whole blog plot panned out in a fulfilling and consistently interesting way. There’s definitely something to be said here about Meet Cute Diary‘s exploration of young peoples’ online experiences, and the simultaneous comfort and harm that can come with being perpetually online (which I certainly know a lot about myself)—in fact, I wish that aspect/criticism had been amped up a bit.

However, as the story went on, I found myself increasingly frustrated with Noah’s characterization. As I’ve made clear, I’m not one to throw the “this character is immature” card, and I think Noah’s “immaturity” was simply his being 16-years-old and frustrated by life. But what I couldn’t give as much leniency towards was Noah’s persistent selfishness and inability to learn and correct for that, even when it was explicitly called out for him. Despite his supposed learning that his selfish behaviors were harmful, I kept seeing the same patterns repeated in his language, and it got to grating on me.

On top of that, while I want to keep spoiler-free as much as possible, his relationship with Drew really frustrated me on a structural level. I think showing that the “perfect romance” is somewhat of a hoax is absolutely important and half the project of this book, but I wish that Lee had more directly laid out that Noah and Drew’s relationship was exceedingly unhealthy. It was certainly alluded to enough, but it should’ve been more plain for young readers, in my opinion. I’m glad the book moved on from it, but I can only hope young readers saw its toxicity for what it was.

But ultimately, Meet Cute Diary was such a joyous novel. We need more books like this, books that take all the rom-com sugary sweetness and happiness that cis, straight people get in love stories over and over again and provide them for queer characters and readers. This is undoubtedly a book of and about trans joy, and we should all celebrate that.

There are a lot of interesting things here: the desperation to fall in love just for the sake of it, the pressure to maintain a failing relationship purely to display it on social media, the pitfalls of going viral. And by and large, these things are dealt with in an interesting, realistic way. The problem is, it's almost impossible to appreciate any of that because of how unabashedly, relentlessly, overpoweringly unlikeable the protagonist is.

He's self-obsessed, he's hypocritical, he's almost unendurably negative (a large portion of this book - probably at least 30% - is this main character scanning his surroundings and complaining about or dissing whatever catches his gaze). His narrative voice leans so hard on Tumblrspeak/internetspeak/whatever you want to call language that uses "endgame" in reference to a relationship in all seriousness that a) there is roughly nothing unique to be found within it and b) it reads as being composed almost entirely of bluster. He seems to like nothing apart from coffee and the idea of falling in love. (How two people fell for him, I still don't understand.) And most obnoxious of all, is how selfish he is. This gets addressed, at least, but the way it's addressed is by no means satisfactory, because even at the end he's hogging the spotlight in all his relationships, despite some lip-service to having changed.

This is all writ large in his conduct running the Meet Cute Diary, which again, gets only passingly resolved, and which I still have questions about. (No one on Tumblr noticed that every single diary post was written in the exact same hackneyed style? No one ever tried to submit something as the blog got popular? No one thought it was weird to take relationship advice from a teen??) Again, though, there are many things here that are interesting - the multiple trolls for one - and perhaps that's partly what helped to dilute the irritation I felt for Noah: there is so much going on, and, somehow, all of it is juggled seamlessly.

It must be said: Lee has an excellent handle on the pacing here. With this protagonist, in another author's hands, it would have been an ordeal to get to the end. But here, I could dislike Noah but still feel compelled enough to keep reading, which is a testament to how precisely everything fits together, and how smoothly the plot moves forward. Readers who connected with Noah will undoubtedly feel this effect even more strongly.

Overall, this is a complicated book. I'm not sure I'd recommend it. But it certainly deals with complex issues in a realistic, speedily read manner, so I can't say that it's a bad read either.

Have you ever had an actual meet cute? I was trying to think back and I don't think I ever have...? My cancer butt tends to be into the kind of complicated people that don't really lend themselves to those 😂.

Anyways, I wanted to read MEET CUTE DIARY because I've followed Emery Lee on social media for a couple of years and would pretty much read anything e wrote. And honestly? After reading? I'm confident this YA merenguito is bound to be a hit with many a teen. It's got:

📳 Trans MC
📳 So. Much. Queer. Rep
📳 Tumblr Drama (oh the nostalgia lol)
📳 Friendship Drama
📳 A Love Triangle
📳 Supportive Family Members
📳 Fake Dating AND Hate to Love
📳 Normalization of Gender Exploration
📳 Multiracial + Multicultural Characters
📳 ALL the pronouns (first time seeing some of them in print)

And what makes me *extra* happy about this book is that it's the first trans romcom I've ever read, YA or otherwise. Like, literally a ROMCOM where it's just trans teens being tropey lovesick teens without a dramatic coming out story or heart-wrenching sadness. (Not that we don't need those stories, but... Trans kids deserve to see themselves in light-hearted genre fiction, too!)

Anyways, this baby comes out in a few days, and an easy way you can get it into the hands of more teens is to ask your public libraries to purchase it! And if you're a high school teacher - get it into your school libraries asap 👀

Great representation in this one. I learned a lot, I feel like, about what some trans youth might experience. I loved the mental health representation. A character experiences anxiety and the panic attacks described were spot on. I had major issues with the main character most of the time though. I couldn’t tolerate their selfishness or how disconnected they could be from reality. But somehow they had extreme compassion for this character with anxiety and that was nice to see. The plot of the book was just very meh for me. I almost DNF’d because the story just didn’t seem to go anywhere. But I’m glad I pushed through. There were some cute moments and teachable moments in this one. But I really did struggle to push through the storyline for several reasons. While this book wasn’t my cup of tea, I can see how it could make an impact and bring hope and positivity to trans youth today.

I received an advanced copy of Meet Cute Diary through NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Noah has romance all figured out. Well, at least in theory. He’s the author behind the wildly popular blog, Meet Cute Diary, a channel dedicated to sharing meet-cute stories about trans relationships. Though his dedicated followers don’t know this, the stories are all fictional pieces from Noah’s own imagination. He created the blog to prove that trans people were deserving of meet-cutes and happy endings, but when another blogger tries to debunk the validity of the stories, Noah feels his control over the most important thing in his life slipping away. Noah will do anything to save the blog, but that won’t be possible unless he can somehow prove that his made-up stories are actually real. Things are looking grim for the Meet Cute Diary until Noah happens upon a real-life meet-cute of his own. While living the meet-cute of his dreams, Noah will have to learn about the realities of romance outside of his blog, even if things don’t go quite according to plan.

You can get your copy of Meet Cute Diary today from Quill Tree Books!

One of my favorite aspects of this book was its exploration of neopronouns, which have not gotten nearly enough representation in today’s canon of fiction! This had the added bonus of reinforcing the concept of gender as a fluid state, which is experienced differently by each person! Emery Lee is going to be an instant-buy author for me in the future, because eir writing was so easy to get lost in. I simply couldn’t put Meet Cute Diary down, no matter how hard I tried! Watching Noah discover the complexities of love beyond the “meet cute” was irresistible. All in all, I would love to give this book well over the allowed five stars!

My Recommendation-
This incredibly sweet story of trans joy would be perfect for anyone needing a pick-me-up! I would especially recommend Meet Cute Diary to fans of Becky Albertalli, Kacen Callender, or Adam Silvera!

Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary. Sure, I’ve read plenty of LGBTQ books but it took me until Meet Cute Diary for me to realize that I’ve legit been missing out on the T of it all with a side of nonbinary. And I’m a better person (yes, I’m gonna say that non matter how cheesy it sounds) for reading and living this experience with that of the protagonist in the book.

Now, I personally can’t speak for the accuracy of the transgender and nonbinary components of this book. I myself don’t identify as such and think that transgender and nonbinary reviewers should be the first and foremost ones you should read when it comes to accuracy. But even then, Meet Cute Diary made me feel welcome to this extraordinary experience and like something that I can wholeheartedly understand and want more of.

Noah is an absolute delight. Yeah, they might be a little new to all of this, but they’re trying and living their honest truth. The trans blog they run, Meet Cute Diary, is what tropey dreams are made of and it left me wanting more. Who doesn’t want romantic meet cutes where the world tilts on its axis and the stars align? I know I do and I found myself wanting to read an actual blog just like this on Tumblr with reenactments on Tik Tok because why not?

A blog like the Meet Cute Diary is something important. Why? Because everyone deserves to have that feeling, that certainty, that one day they’ll meet someone who appreciates them, loves them, and accepts them for who they are. That feeling shouldn’t be relegated to cis people alone. Everyone, including trans people, should have that possibility in their future if they wish it to be and that’s what the Meet Cute Diary is doing for those in the book and those reading.

I remember how important and game changing it was the first time I read a LGBTQ romance that didn’t start with pain and the angst of coming out with a side of them never getting a happy ending. I felt loved, accepted, and so much less lonely in the world for it. I think Meet Cute Diary can and will do that for transgender people who need that little push or helping hand to make them feel the love and acceptance I felt all those years ago.

That isn’t to say that things aren’t complicated in Meet Cute Diary. They are, especially when you’ve got a fake dating AU going on. Noah and his counterpart Drew have committed themselves to something bigger than the two of them combined and the understand that. And their expectations class with their reality, their feelings, and the world around them. But it still feels like something worth reading and investing in.

And on an important side note, it isn’t all about the romance or the possibility of romance. Noah has a friendship in Becca that doesn’t just disappear when things get cute and romantic. Noah has a brother named Brian who is trying his best to understand his trans sibling. And there’s even a side bit with Brian and his girlfriend and how Noah feels a little left out by their relationship.

Point being, Meet Cute Diary has layers. It’s a love story, it’s an exploration of one’s true self, it’s a tale of friendship, and it’s the beginning of what I hope is a continued trend of transgender stories that inspire and change the lives of those reading them. Because if it changed me, I can’t even begin to imagine what this story will do to someone who is trans and looking for a little acceptance in this world. That’s what this book is.

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee is available for purchase now.

<i>"I got so caught up in our meet cute -- in all the surface parts of our relationship -- that I never realized that, at a cellular level, we just aren't compatible. It was one of those perfect Instagram relationships, except beyond the pictures and the corny captions, we're just two people who have nothing in common and nothing holding us together. We're water and oil, but I kept trying to mix us because I'd gotten so caught up in an arbitrary measure of happiness."</i>

Plot Points: Noah thinks he's figured out love -- he even has a 12-step list to guarantee how to lose a guy in ten days! Wait...that's not right...oh, yes. This 16 year old kid thinks he's developed a 12-step process to ensure true love. Because it's that easy, right? Of course not. But, Noah runs a Tumblr blog about the perfect meet cutes for trans people and then has his own meet cute when he meets Drew. On paper, Drew seems perfect -- especially compared to his coworker, Devin, who certainly makes a first impression. Shenanigans ensue, no character develops at all.
Love Triangle: Ugh. Yes.
New Characters: N/A
Slow Sequel Syndrome: N/A

Okay. This book was *not* the book for me.

I could say it's a generational thing -- but that's a cop out. I'm a Xennial (not quite Gen X, not quite a Millenial), and this is clearly a YA book written for a Gen Z young adult audience. Noah just drips disdain for anyone older than him, throwing cheap shots at millenials (including saying they're all over 40 and married). Which...No. Just no. But more than that, Noah is *obsessed* with his phone and his online following, making posts for attention rather than connection (as evidenced by his "attempts" to respond to his DMs and answer questions from his league of adoring fans). And he gets right pissy when anyone calls him out for being obsessed with the blog and basically ignoring real life.

I could say it's a relatability/connection thing -- but that's an insult to readers. Yes, Noah is a tri-racial (I think...? His heritage/culture don't really come into play here, except in some references to food his brother cooks) trans boy. And I am a white, cis, hetero-female. But identifying with a character isn't the basis for enjoying a book. That would rather defeat the purpose of fiction as well as the perks of learning and cultivating empathy.

And here's the thing. I'm sure this book will have a legion of devoted fans -- much like I am with anything written by Anna-Marie McLemore. Or the way I am with Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After. But I am not a fan of this book.

Here's what I think the book did well:

✔︎ -- I think it is so important for trans visibility and telling trans stories. Many of the characters are genderqueer and I think Lee does a really good job at helping normalize the language and vocabulary and the fact that not everyone fits into a socially-constructed box or label. I loved that I learned new pronouns, and I thought the strongest part of the book was when Devin and Noah were talking about normalizing pronoun identification. I also thought Devin's journey to figure out the correct pronouns was enlightening to read.

✔︎ -- I also think that this will be a really illuminating book for any YA reader who has misconceptions / idealized notions about love, especially in this digital age of Instagram where a static picture can be manipulated to give a false sense of how things really are. The perfect person for you isn't the person who seems perfect on paper; it's the person who gets to know you and understand you.

✔︎ -- I also really appreciated Noah standing up to Drew. Drew kind of vanishes from the story near the end, and this isn't explicitly addressed (because most of the characters are SO FLAT), but I was getting major abuser vibes from Drew. We don't get much about his parents' relationship except to know that it's on the rocks, and that it's probably his dad's fault. Which, to me, seems like there's a pretty good chance Drew inherited his abusive tendencies from his father, either because he witnessed it repeatedly (best case scenario) or because he was on the receiving end of it (worst case scenario). And I appreciated that Noah shut it down and walked away.

BUT. There was a whole lot about this story that I couldn't get behind. (Spoilery thoughts below.)

First: the whole Meet Cute Diary blog. The "stories" that were shared in the book were vague and sketched-out at best; Noah even makes a reference to them changing the details to maintain that appearance. (Because it's ALL FAKE. Which makes Noah just as much of a liar as all the people he accuses of that behavior and THE IRONY KILLED ME.) So how on earth can a troll figure it out, down to statistics and locations and data and numbers? IDK. I know Noah's only 16 -- and a very self-centered, narcissistic 16 -- but was he really not smart enough to change up the location AT ALL?! EVERY story is set in Miami? Really?
And how come there were never any real submissions? I refuse to believe this. People on the Internet had no problem hounding him for questions about his personal life but NO ONE EVER sent him their own submission? Or whined about it not making on? No, "OMG I sent my meet cute story to the blog 12 hours ago and he hasn't responded to me!! Whyyyyyyy?????"
I have questions.

Second: All of the secondary characters -- Brian, Drew, Devin, Becca -- are FLAT. They exist solely to further Noah's story and to fuel Noah's pissiness. The one character we know the most about is Devin and even then, all I can recall is that he's Cuban, he likes Starbucks, and he's incredibly thoughtful. THAT'S IT. That's all I know. None of these characters seem to have anything going on outside of their connection to Noah.
And you'd think it might get better near the end, but nope: even at 86% of the way through the book, Noah has to get em a present and realizes, <i>"I realize I know nothing about em. Does e like anime? Stuffed animals? Memes? I literally don't know."</i>

Third: Noah is insufferable. If I hadn't received an ARC, I would have put this book down at about 20% -- he was that awful. All he does, throughout the ENTIRE story, is complain and judge and snipe. He hates everything: being outside, reading books (manga is okay, but that's a momentary plot point that isn't really returned to except once, to paint the trashy white people as awful because one of their exes liked anime and "ew gross anime!" is part of their aesthetic), kids, getting his own job, paying his own way, apologizing, saying thank you, generally being a decent human being.
Everything in the book revolves around Noah -- and if it's not, Noah makes it about him. He calls his best friend after texting her angrily because she won't pick up the phone the moment HE demands her to (never mind her own life, right?) and he dismisses whatever she's going through to vent about his life.

Fourth: At first, I thought Noah's awfulness was part of a larger character development arc -- that it was all okay because he was going to have some huge humbling moment and come out a better person. Nope.
There's one time, about 70% or so through the book, that Becca (his best friend) calls him out on his shit. She lets him have it, saying he makes everything about him, and is a terrible friend. (AND HE IS.) And, while he does acknowledge it, he doesn't change his behavior at all. At the end (92%!!!), Noah & Becca & Devin are all out for boba tea and Noah snaps, <i>"No, it's not okay!...You're both abandoning me, and apparently I'm the only who cares."</i> And when Becca has the audacity to point out that Noah is the one moving to California, this is what we get: <i>"And God, I know she's right, but that's such a fucking low blow. Yes, I'm the one who left her in Florida, and I'm the one leaving Devin in Denver, but it's not like I did it on purpose, or even by choice."</i>
It is, once again, all about Noah -- and it's like he hasn't learned anything at all.

Fifth: Finally, I think one of the biggest things that bugged me about the lack of character development, is that the book seems to excuse/justify Noah's behavior and say it's okay for him to act like this.
He is an absolute jerk to his brother's girlfriend -- primarily because Noah is insecure and jealous (even though all he wants is to fall into a fairy-tale romance and only seems to be interested in spending time with his brother when it's convenient for the story) -- and there isn't any evidence to justify that. The girlfriend seems nice and the biggest issue with her is that she's white and enjoys "exotic food" which Brian is happy to cook for her. But then, turns out, she's a transphobe! So it's okay that Noah was nasty to her, because she's awfuler and he's the real victim.
SAME thing with Drew: Noah thinks he's in love with him and is using him to get his blog back its popularity -- but once they start really dating, he quickly gets irritated with how clingy Drew gets. Now, Noah may think Drew is perfect (at least at first), but there are plenty of signs that Drew is Not A Great Guy. So, again, when Drew's secrets are revealed and his true colors come out, it's all okay because Noah hates liars, okay? Noah is bad, but Drew is worse. (Even though, and I cannot stress this enough, Noah is literally lying to everyone on the Internet and even to some people in his real life.)
And it's not just the "bad" people: he is *awful* to both his brother, Brian, and to Becca -- and they both just excuse everything away. Brian says it's okay that Noah was awful to him, "because they're family" and Becca say's "You got caught up in your five seconds of fame. I get it," and that's it. Noah is exonerated.
Which...UGH. NO. That may all be true, but that doesn't excuse Noah's behavior.

And, again, Noah is no different at the end.
It is still all about him: <i>"Tears slip down my face and onto her shoulder and I feel kind of bad about it, but this is my time to cry. I deserve this.</i>
Or, when it comes to Devin, who organizes that amazing scavenger hunt and keeps bringing Noah free coffee and tea and baked goods because he is way too good for him: <i>"Someone who knew exactly what I needed better than I did and who forgave me before I ever knew how to start asking for forgiveness?"</i> Honestly, I know what Noah sees in Devin, but I have ZERO idea what Devin sees in Noah.

And finally: one of the things that bugged me from the start was Noah's entitlement. He spends $400 in one week on Ubers and Boba Tea and Chai Lattes for his blog/Insta aesthetic and image, and gets PISSED when his parents freeze his credit card -- and is super pissy that they dare suggest he get a job.
And at the end? When Devin says he'll drive from SF to LA to visit him? Noah says, <i>"I'll pay you for gas,' I say. Not that I'll have a job, but I'm sure the bank of Mom and Dad can figure something out."</i>
Of course Devin will be the one to visit him. And Noah clearly hasn't grown or learned anything, as the entitlement is still very much there.
Which, to be fair, is probably extremely accurate for a 16-year-old, but is extremely frustrating in a main character.

The problem: Someone on tumblr has been debunking Noah's stories on the Meet Cute Diary, where he posts manufactured meet cutes to help trans people know love is out there for them. It doesn't matter that the debunker is right, this is about giving trans people hope!

The solution: Drew, the cute bookstore guy figured out one of the meet cutes was based on him, but instead of being mad he thinks he and Noah should fake date, lend the diary some legitimacy.

Perfect, right?

Noah is all wrapped up in the tropes, in what would happen if this were a book. But the thing is, life is messy and a lot more than just the meet cutes and as Noah and Drew move from fake dating to real dating, Noah learns there's a lot more to relationships than just the sweetness of the first meeting. But it's all for the diary, and Noah tells himself he has to keep it up, keep working to save the diary.

Never mind that he and Drew may not work as well as he'd hoped. Never mind that he might be falling for someone else.

Emery Lee brings to life a wonderful cast of characters and takes readers on a well crafted journey along with Noah as he navigates not only his romantic relationships but also his relationship with his best friend, his relationship with his brother. Noah's growing up and learning there are ways he could be better, not just with regards to his online presence, and he also learns how much hard work that involves.

I really loved Meet Cute Diary! Noah was such a brilliant MC with a unique voice and excellent growth and I really enjoyed his story and relationships. This story was such a great fresh take on a romcom and it was absolutely delightful! I especially loved the conversations characters had about gender and identity and thought the ending was perfect for the "Meet Cute".