The One True one is a book for fandom people and LGBTQ+ as well as young adults who feel lost and who not sure of them self. Tengan and Kaylee are two people who couldn't be from two different worlds, but comes together by chance. I love how confident Tengan is and Kaylee has the best group of friend friend who will hype you up, but will also call you on your shit as well. I also want to see stories about all how Kaylee friends as well. Okay I'm rambling here so her are my thoughts simpleflied I love this book from start to finished the Characters are flawed but don't let that stop them in the end. This book has love, nerdyness and drama everything i need at the moment and i love it all so much i give this book 5 stars.

CWs: some references to fatphobia; bullying; homophobia/homophobic slurs; grief and references to loss of parent; brief mention of suicide; and public outing

If you need a super fast-paced, fun, heartfelt story about embracing queerness in your life, look no further! Neatly packaged in less than 300 pages, The One True Me and You is a joyous, romantic romp set against the backdrop of a weekend convention, and it's ultimately a love letter to fandom as a safe space.

I think the shorter format of this story really works, because it creates a sense of urgency that's underpinning everything. Because the story takes place over a single weekend, there's a "ticking timeline" for both of these characters that really emphasizes what's at stake. Both Kay and Teagan have very specific goals that they want to accomplish before the weekend is over and before they have to go back to their "normal" lives.

Kay wants to try out they/them pronouns, explore masculine cosplay, and enter their fanfiction into an anthology contest. Teagan, on the other hand, wants to find time to sneak into some GreatCon events between pageant responsibilities, keep her queerness under wraps, and win this one last pageant for some much-needed scholarship money. The story brilliantly captures that feeling of freedom and novelty that comes with inhabiting a different space and how that change in setting can be empowering.

There's also a great underlying thread about found family, and how important it is to have people who make you feel safe enough to be able to try something new. I think the story explores authenticity in really thoughtful ways. It’s about navigating between safety and self expression, and what it looks like to not only discover your true self but to *be* your true self, while figuring out which people and spaces are safe for those experiences.

The romance was also very endearing to me, not only because both characters are more than just their labels or social circles, but because they both challenge the other person to learn and grow in some way.

At first, Kay is really uncomfortable about Teagan being a pageant queen, and I think it’s because that space highlights their own dysphoria, their own discomfort with feminine expression, and—to some extent—their own internalized misogyny and sexism. As they learn more about Teagan and the pageant, I think they realize that there is power and beauty in feminine expression—which can be respected, even if that’s not the way you choose to express yourself. At the same time, Teagan’s perspective is also being broadened by the time she’s spending with Kay, especially in these fandom spaces which are very inclusive in terms of gender, sexuality, body type, and age. Being confronted with that ends up forcing her to rethink her own beauty standards and realize how much more the pageant scene still needs to progress.

With that said, I also appreciate how the story refuses to romanticize either fandom or pageants, especially in the way it acknowledges that both can easily be toxic and problematic. Yes, these particular characters find joy, safety, and empowerment in both of these respective spaces, but they're also not ignorant to how those spaces can be weaponized against marginalized groups, especially, or how they have historically been used to hurt or exclude people. It's possible for both realities to be true at once, and I appreciate that the story makes space to acknowledge that.

The one thing I felt was missing from the story was more in-depth conversation about identity and privilege. Especially with Kay discovering their nonbinaryness and experimenting with new pronouns, labels, and forms of expression, I wanted to see more of a conversation about how that impacts—or maybe doesn't impact—their budding relationship with Teagan. Kay identifies with both bisexuality and pansexuality, while Teagan has only ever dated and been attracted to "girls". When they first meet, Teagan is immediately attracted to Kay without knowing their gender, and while their labels ultimately don't end up "mattering" in the context of their relationship, I still think there was a conversation to be had there about how they understand labels, language, and identity as a couple.

In regards to privilege, this has more to do with the pageant circuit, and how Teagan ultimately benefits as a pageant queen because of her whiteness and her adherence to colonial, patriarchal, cishet beauty standards. There's a brief moment where Teagan is talking with her roommate/best pageant friend, who happens to be Black, and she considers that if she ends up winning the pageant over her friend, it will most likely be partially or entirely because she is white. I thought that was a good moment of reflection, but it was the only time in the book that Teagan took a pause to consider that, and it never comes up again. (view spoiler)

They're small details in the context of the bigger picture, but I still think there was even more room in the story for these kinds of important conversations.

All in all, the story is very layered and there’s a lot of things going on, but it’s also just fun, sweet, and romantic. There’s great banter and humor between characters, a fantastic connection and chemistry between the protagonists, and overall I think there’s two relatively satisfying character arcs that feel triumphant. Being able to see this kind of queer joy and self-discovery in a story will always feel wonderful and cathartic on some level, and ultimately that's why it was a joy to read.

While this might be a genre departure for England, they successfully carry over that trademark sense of wit and chaos that is so apparent and delightful in their first two sci-fi books. If nothing else, this story made me feel confident that I would happily read anything that they write!

Immense. The One True Me and You by Remi K. England is great and sweet and comforting. Kay and Tegan are girls that I wish I’d known in high school

Loved this book! As a former Tumblr kid, this story resonated with me super well—it's nerdy and cringey in the best way, and it just perfectly encapsulates the teenage first love feeling that I look for in YA contemporary novels. A full review is up on my TikTok!

The One True You and Me gave me all the feels. This was such an empowering and welcoming read for everyone. Teagan is competing in the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant. She's nerdy, into GreatCon and is a lesbian. She has kept this all a secret. Kaylee is unsure about their gender identity but wants to try out they/them pronouns while at GreatCon which happens to be taking place at the same place as the pageant. The two meet and sparks fly.

I will be honest. I do not know much about beauty pageants and even less about fandoms but I still loved this story so much. This is a story about finding yourself, acceptance, exploration, friendship and love. I loved all the representation in this book. As a cis-female I see myself in stories all the time. It's refreshing to see gay and nonbinary representation in books. The descriptions and use of they/them for Kaylee's character were flawless and beautiful. We need more books like this. I want everyone to be able to see themselves in stories.

I loved how these characters found themselves and grew throughout the story. I feel like the author covered some pretty tough topics like transphobia, homophobia (I am pretty sure Madison takes the award for my most hated character of all time) and gender dysphoria. There is also talk about suicide and other mental health issues. Sexual identifies are outed publicly. These can be triggering for some. Overall, I really liked this book. It was a quick read that I devoured in (almost) one sitting.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the electronic galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because of the adorable cover and the description, which sounded like a fun YA queer rom-com. It was that, but so much more!

The premise: Kay is a writer of fan fiction, excited to attend a fandom convention and also determined to explore their gender identity and sexuality away from their strict home and conservative hometown. Teagan is a long time pageant queen with a real chance of winning—and some secrets that could keep her from doing so. The two meet at their hotel, which happens to be housing both GreatCon and the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant.

Both have friends who are aware of their secrets, as well as a nemesis who would enjoy making their lives difficult by exposing them.

The resulting story…well, let’s just say it gave me ALL the feels, which were multiplied exponentially when I realized that this was an Own Voices book. Happy for the characters, when things were going well, and for all teens who are able to find a niche where they are accepted for who they are, even if they’re not quite sure who that is yet. Really sad for those who are struggling with who they are and/or where they fit in and/or are not accepted at home. Angry at those who don’t accept them and make the struggle worse. And utterly delighted for those who get what they deserve!

This is a book about young people figuring out who their true selves are, on several levels. One character is working on coming out as non-binary, or enby. One character knows she’s gay—and that it’s not okay on the pageant circuit. Like teens everywhere, they have preconceived notions about what kids in the other groups are like and how to reconcile those notions when faced with actually people…whom they might actually like!

I recommend The One True Me and You to young people especially if they’re queer, or have queer friends, and to adults who work with these young people. Book club, anyone?

Five stars!

Definitely not my type of story line but really enjoy this YA book. You wouldn't think that LGBQT main characters, fan fiction, Sherl9ck Holmes convention, and a beauty pagent would fit together in one story but it does and nicely. Don't let the LGBQT characters scare you. Yes the main characters identify as such but they also learn to find themselves, accept themselves, and break barriers. Wonderfully written

Wow, reading this book brought back so many high school memories for me about being a nerdy teen enmeshed in fan culture. The funniest thing is that my first ever convention actually did take place in Orlando where the convention center was also hosting a pageant!! How wild is that?! (Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like people walking around in wizard robes passing by Miss Rhode Island haha! And for all of us who expected them to judge us, we were all approached by pageant contestants approaching us and telling us how much they were nerds as well!!) So anyway, by the first few pages of this book, I was already hooked. It absolutely captured the culture of fan conventions, with the fun gatherings, the tumblr and AO3 usernames being written alongside your name, the meeting of internet friends, the casual queerness of these spaces, etc etc. I also liked the view into the world of pageants, and the way Teagan's character framed her participation as empowerment, humanizing herself and many of her fellow contestants to crack the stereotypes around pageant girls. With both characters, I loved getting in their heads with the dual narrative, and I loved the growth they showed as people over the weekend that this book takes place. Overall, I really loved reading this one. It reminded me of how much fandom shaped my teen years and the power that had on my life, and it also contained so much queer joy in a way that feels so true to fan conventions in general. I also loved the pageant side of the narrative and the friendships that shone through there as well. I'm so glad I got to read this one and highly recommend!

This was such a fun and geek-filled romance between a fanfic author and a pageant queen. This books was practically a love letter, or just a book that continues to encourage people to be themselves and be open to ner experiences. The main focus of this is the LGBTQIA+ representation and it was truly immaculate. This was just such a lovely read - I'm so grateful I was able to read this one!

*Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, Remi K. England and Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC of "The One True Me and You" in exchange fr an honest review *

I really loved both Kay and Teegan. I think Kay was refreshing with their complaints and their Fandom friends.

“The One True Me & You” by Remi K. England is a stunning geeky romance between fanfic author Kaylee and pageant queen Taegan. This lovely book is a love letter to all those who stay true to themselves and are open to explore beyond the unknown, to those open to take risks and discover wonders. This book has all the elements I enjoy in a book, and it explores lgbtq+ issues and struggles as well as the first sparks and butterflies when you know you have found a special someone. It is hard not to fall in love with the characters and this story. This was a warm hug to the heart. Highly recommend it.

This is such an adorable, heartwarming, and sweet romance, an utter delight to read from beginning to end! Kaylee is a fan fiction writer, at a hotel for a convention for the Sherlock Holmes show The Great Game. They're excited to meet online friends, try out they/them pronouns for the first time, and also, kiss a girl for the first time. Teagan is Miss Virginia at a teen pageant in the same hotel. She wants to win for the scholarship money, and she has big plans of finally coming out as lesbian once she enters college and is free of the conservative (read: homophobic) pageant world. Teagan's a secret fangirl at heart, so she sneaks into a convention party where Kaylee's dancing with some friends, and, well, the sparks start flying. 

Both main characters are new to queer romance, and both are still in the process of figuring out their respective sexualities. So the romance between them is honestly one of the sweetest I've read in a while. Teagan's blushes as she notices how sexy Kaylee looks in their soldier John Watson cosplay is just adorable, and I like how part of what catches Teagan's eye is how the costume plays with male and female gender expressions without quite fully committing to either. And Kaylee's flurry of text messages to their friends about making out with Teagan, coupled with their friends' excited squeeing in return, just took me back to high school, and all the fun, uncomplicated joys of having a crush like you back. The author does a great job of describing the giddiness and sheer enjoyment of first love, and from their first meeting to the final page, I was 100% shipping Kaylee and Teagan the entire time.

I also love the storylines the author crafted for both main characters beyond the romance. I love Teagan's friendship with fellow pageant contestant Jess. So much of what we see about beauty pageants in media focuses on the cutthroat nature of the competition, or the over-the-top controlling nature of pageant moms. But this book shows as well the mutual respect that can develop alongside intense rivalries, and the bonds of friendship that can form when you grow up together in the same competition circuit. In a similar way, Kaylee has their real-life best friend Ami, and their online friends Cake and Lady, whom they meet for the first time at the convention. I love how the author explores this side of online friendships, how people can form supportive networks online, and how for some, it can be easier to be themselves online than in real life.

Similarly, I love how both Teagan and Kaylee have strong interests in stuff beyond the pageant and the convention. I thought the subplot about Kaylee's fanfic fame and writing competition seemed a bit unrealistic, but I'm also the first to admit that's likely just my envy talking, as there are indeed real-life seventeen-year-olds who find similar success. I did find myself more drawn to Teagan's backstory, with her interest in art, her mom's death by suicide, and her resulting ambition to become an art therapist. I love how all of that played out in the pageant, and I absolutely love how it paid off for her in the finals.

My one (minor) snag is that I wish the villain got her just desserts. In a rather convenient coincidence, both Kaylee and Teagan share the same nemesis: Madison, a.k.a. Miss North Carolina. The Regina George of Kaylee's school, Madison bullies Kaylee constantly, to the point that Kaylee feels genuine fear when they see her at the hotel. She also seems intent on sabotaging Teagan's chances at winning, so as to improve her own, and I don't know if she just has a hate-on for Teagan, or if she's just as shady with the other contestants. At the hotel, she commits a couple of acts of what I consider violence against the leads. No spoilers, but I think one would be enough to earn her a suspension if she did it in school, and the other should have gotten her disqualified from the pageant if she'd been caught. Madison doesn't quite succeed in getting everything she wants at the end, yet she also seems to have gotten off really lightly, and I can't help wishing that some more karma had come her way.

Still, all that being said, the overall impression left by this book is one of joy. Kaylee and Teagan are really sweet protagonists, and I loved watching them grow together and towards their happily ever after.

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Thank you to St Martin's Press for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog on Jan 11, 8 am ET.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I do think that I enjoyed it, but on the other hand there were moments where I didn’t quite connect. Ultimately, I think it’s because I have issues that spend so much time breaking something down only to resolve it in what feels like a Hail Mary move. Considering this book takes place over only a few days, I think that’s inevitable but it’s worth noting. At the end of the day this is a pretty good book, and I would recommend it as well as commend it for providing a love story between a queer girl and a nonbinary person, but I wish I felt like it went a bit deeper than it does.

First and foremost though, I completely loved almost every moment in Teagan’s POV. I think she was the most nuanced character, going far beyond the typical pageant girl stereotype and even beyond the idea of an anti-pageant girl. There’s the real desire for scholarship money, but Teagan never bashes pageants just because. One of the best things this book does is show pageants, especially modern day ones, as something that isn’t necessarily inherently good or bad, but incredibly nuanced and multi-faceted. Teagan is the same way, both a proud pageant girl as well as a talented artist and self proclaimed nerd. While I sometimes questioned her decisions, especially when she was reckless regarding Kay, I really couldn’t help but cheer for her and her happy ending.

While I still enjoyed Kay’s POV, I think some of the nuance that made Teagan’s so rich was lacking here. Probably the best moments were regarding the ways in which Kay questioned the own facets of their identity, in a way that deeply resonated with me as a GNC person. We never get an exact and final answer over what Kay identifies as, and I think that’s one of the most powerful decisions that could be made. I think if this book had focused more on that instead of constantly shoehorning in outdated views on pageant girls or outbursts of teenage hormones, the book would have been in an even better place. I also really enjoyed the exploration of Kay’s journey as a writer and author, first of fanfic and then the potential to actually get published. This book does a pretty good job of exploring the self doubt they struggle with, as well as the ways in which online communities can have more fluid social hierarchies. Again, there were some really good parts, but the focus felt too scattered to truly give those aspects the best shot.

In general though, I think the biggest problem I have with books like these is their reliance on a sort of catch-all evil antagonist. While I believe that Miss North Carolina could be a real person, it feels almost ridiculous how almost every bad thing comes down to her actions. The book halfway acknowledges the rigid and outdated moral standards of the pageant industry, as well as the problems Kay faces as a queer person in a small town, but I struggle when systemic evils are bottled up into one singular person. I struggle with the fact that Teagan is only deemed a ‘good pageant queen’ because she gets the one extra word of good press. I think it’s a disservice to teens to keep serving them these kinds of stories, though I do think it’s pretty realistic that even though Miss North Carolina lost, she still got a pretty sweet deal.

Another thing that just personally bothered me was the level in which this book seemed to focus on the more physical aspects of Kay and Teagan’s relationship, especially considering they’re two seventeen year olds. From their meeting being in the idea of a dark club basically grinding on each other, to the way that mainly Kay talks about interacting with Teagan, it was hard to understand why the characters were attracted to each other beyond looks and having a similar interest. Especially considering the ending’s entire happily ever after seemed to wrap things up a little bit too nicely. So many assumptions were made and easily brushed away. In part, I think this might just be chalked up to the fact that pretty much every character in this book is a teenager, but it was just something that kept nagging me as I read.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I think it had some really necessary and powerful discussions about the pageant industry, as well as queer identities. When this book does something right, it does it really right, but there are still some very noticeable times when for me, it fell short. I so appreciated the weight that queer joy was given in this book and I think that it should be celebrated for that. I really would recommend for any lovers of queer ya, or ya contemporaries in general.

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Remi K. England for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The One True Me and You in exchange for my honest review.

Kaylee Beaumont is a 17-year-old fanfic author attending a fandom convention known as GreatCon, and she's come prepared with a three-item checklist for the weekend: 1. Try out they/them pronouns, 2. Wear more masculine-presenting cosplay, and 3. Kiss a girl for the first time.

Teagan Miller, 19-year-old Miss Virginia, is at the same hotel as the GreatCon competing for Miss Cosmic Teen USA, and she's holding onto a few secrets of her own, namely: she nerds out for all things GreatCon, and she is a lesbian. Teagan keeps her sexual orientation largely to herself for fear of missing out on the $25,000 scholarship associated with Miss Cosmic Teen.

Unbeknownst to them, Kaylee and Teagan share a common enemy in Miss North Carolina, who is both Kaylee's tormenter at school and Teagan's fiercest competition. Kaylee and Teagan bump into each other their first night at the hotel, and sparks quickly fly. They both fight to keep their budding romance private, terrified their secret lives will follow them home.

This is obviously quite outside the norm for books I typically read, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it, as YA books can be pretty hit or miss for me. The fact that this one was well-written is probably the key. I enjoyed the insight into Kaylee's thoughts as they struggled with their identity. I can always appreciate being educated about a marginalized group of people's experience.

Ultimately I think I did struggle a bit with connecting to the characters and especially the decisions they made. This is very much a "warm hug" of a story, though, if that is your thing!

The One True Me and You will be on bookshelves in the US March 1, 2022.

Very cute!! I loved both of the main characters, they were both well fleshed out. The pacing was great and I was compelled by the story to keep reading. I definitely want more from this author.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I absolutely enjoyed this author's writing style. The pacing of this story is great. The characters are enjoyable. It has LGBTQIA representation. I enjoyed the friendships in this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It will be in stores on March 1, 2022 CA $24.99 (CAD).

Heartwarming story about self discovery and finding acceptance. I found myself rooting for the characters throughout the story even if a few of the plot lines were a bit farfetched. Loved the representation within this book and the authenticity of the characters.

This was a quick and fun read. I sped through it as it was just so entertaining. I really thought this was a great read.

Quick and fun, The One True Me and You manages to be both light hearted and also cover a variety of deep topics. Characters struggle with issues of identity and labels, what it means to be a feminist, and the gray area of loving something problematic.

While this book depicts a lovingly accurate description of fandom, and (I can only assume) a similarly detailed portrayal of the pageant world, I did struggle with the ways in which the fan world is depicted as almost wholly good, while the pageant world is given a more nuanced, balanced analysis. I would have loved another few pages exploring the challenges in fandom with the same thoughtful consideration that beauty pageants are given.

The plot moves quickly (it is a slender book that does not waste space), the characters are immediately vibrant and engaging, although the villain is somewhat two dimensional. Overall, this book is a love letter to fandom and the queer community, and is a lot of fun along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a book I didn’t know I would love so much! I don’t know much about pageants or fandoms/fanfics but the characters were likable and the setting was intriguing. Beyond dealing with sexual orientation this book also addresses gender identity.