I wanted to enjoy this but was overly unimpressed with the relationships, the dynamic, and the plot felt convoluted.

This book was very powerful and moving. I thought it was going to be lighthearted and fun, but it was very emotional and deep. I was not expecting that. With that said, it was beautiful. There were a lot of ups and downs. The second half of the book was tremendous. This was a wonderful debut novel and a super fast read!

If you’re looking for an emotional, heartfelt story this is it! Be aware, there should be some trigger warnings. Thank you for allowing me to review this book. It will be up on my instagram in the coming weeks. I'll edit my review and post a link when I post it!

Thanks you Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press for this eARC, these opinions are my own. What a stunning book. Mark just got out of a relationship because his ex boyfriend didn’t like that he wore a dress. But mark yearns to wear dresses. With the help of his super supportive brother he’s trying to move on. Then he meets Ezra, who makes him feel seen and understood, but can he get over his past hurt to make it work? And when his life hits a life altering bump can he survive it? I absolutely loved the relationship between Mark and Eric, his brother! Eric not only told him constantly that he loved him and unconditionally so but it was more than that it was with so much enthusiastic unconditional love! I think that would feel so amazing to have that kind of love. My favorite part of the book though is the second half when Mark hits that life altering bump and is on his grief journey. Dan Clay writes grief like I’ve never read before! I feel like a lot of time it’s discussed but not focused on so you don’t see characters journey. But I never stopped crying in the second part because the read goes through all the ups and downs with Mark, the reader process everything at the same time he does! His grief journey is so beautifully told! The description of the book is a little off as I feel like Mark and the dress, while important throughout the book, are not the main focus until the end when Mark connects wearing dresses to the grief journey. That said how Mark does that is also beautiful and wonderful! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for it to come out! Though readers be warned you’ll want the tissues close by!

This book is definitely different than I thought it would be. It was full of anger and pain, but also love and acceptance. Although it was different, it was well worth the read, but definitely a punch in the gut and full of naked and raw emotions. Being able to be a passenger on Mark's journey and walking alongside with him was breathtaking and humbling. Thank you for allowing me an ARC of this, it was beautiful and i look forward to putting it on my public library's shelves for others to experience.

Mark has always been sure of two things: he is gay and his older brother loves him no matter what.

What Mark isn't sure of is how he will feel wearing a dress. He feels like he will love it with all of his heart but he's not sure that anyone else will.

Luckily, Mark's brother supports him 1000% with the encouragement to, "Be yourself! Your full sequin-y self.”

Just as Mark is starting to find his footing and figure out who he may be, tragedy strikes and he must start to find himself all over again.

Final thoughts: Poignant, sad, sometimes depressing, and sometimes frenetic, this book has a real 'voice' and is a solid story. Some of the moments were a little odd and others just didn't always read well, but the overall story is well done. This book can be very raw and real and there should be some trigger warnings somewhere, but it's worth the read.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The concept for this book sounded amazing and I was really excited to dive in. Unfortunately, I gave up at 37%, as the book seemed to have nothing moving the plot or characters forward. The main character had some depth but kept getting in his own way. The side characters lacked depth. I think the book could be valuable to queer youth, but they would have to be really committed to keep going. I wanted so much more from this book.

I didn’t feel anything. I found the timeline too choppy, I liked Mark, Ezra and Eric, but overall the story fell flat to me. And suddenly tears ran down my face.

This book is different than I thought it would be, and the first and second half are complete opposites. Both contain anger. Both contain pain. Both contain love. But where the first half is just a story about a gay boy, who learns to love again, the second half is much darker and feels like a punch in the gut.

From the moment everything changes, Mark’s pain sliced through my body and cut my heart into a thousand pieces. His love for Eric, his parents, and Ezra eventually mended my heart slowly, but it took time, just like it takes time for Mark to start dealing with what happened. And like his therapist says: Grief is like a pinball machine and Grief can be like a chronic condition that you and I learn to manage, together.

Mark is a boy who, in the end, wears the dresses he always wanted to wear. But it takes time, courage, pain, and self-love. Those pinballs fired back so many times. I read the whole second part being teary eyed. My chest tightened while reading the lessons from my brother chapters. So while the first half of the story was just okay for me, the second half was heartbreaking and uplifting and changed my opinion completely. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves emotional and heartfelt YA stories. Be aware of the trigger warnings, though!

I hated finishing this book because I became so attached to each character. Clay created an empathetic story that had a lot of heart and care.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I found this as an ARC on netgalley and while it's not something I would usually read, I was intrigued. I figured this would have been a more lighthearted, fun, romance, coming of age kind of story. I knew there would be elements of self discovery and struggling with identity/sexuality but I went in not expecting anything too deep.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this book was not only everything I already described, but so much more. Being able to experience the journey that Mark goes through in the book was very emotional with a lot of ups and downs. It touched on some heavier subjects that I think a lot of young adults will find extremely relatable or helpful, but as a 36 year old mom, this also touched me greatly. I think it's important for parents to read things like this so they can have a better perspective on the struggles their child may face if they are questioning their sexuality or gender. It was tough for my own younger brother to come out when he was in high school but I always had his back and our parents were always extremely supportive and loving. Sadly, I know this is not true for many teens, even in today's culture. So I hope books like this can help lead to greater conversations for understanding.

There are a lot of other topics discussed within the book and I felt a very strong emotional connection with all of the characters as they tried to navigate their way through some very difficult trauma and struggles. I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into detail, but I had several moments where I got very teary eyed. I hadn't realized how invested I had become in the characters but I could definitely feel their pain.

Overall, this is a wonderful debut novel and I loved it. (I read it all in one day!) I'm glad I took a chance and I hope to see more books in this author's future!

Great for late middle school to early high school. I stopped at 7% but easy four stars if it continues as is. Very relatable for teens.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

Thank you, Roaring Brook Press, for allowing me to read Becoming a Queen early!

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. This book is so pure and moving, a riveting tale of self-acceptance., self-expression and self-love.

The start is pretty clunky. lots of dramatic statements when we have no context of the characters, environment, and situation, The book is a solid Young Adult novel however.

What a wonderful book! I was expecting a fun rom-com and got so much more. I am from and live in Michigan and had no idea this book took place there, so that was a fun added bonus! I loved the characters. Mark and Ezra were so fully realized and my goodness, Eric was such a wise old soul. Very touching, and also very fun. I am so happy Mark found his drag persona!!

I received an eARC for this book so I could review it Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.

Mark is a theater and vocal music kid who secretly loves the idea of dressing in drag, but at his first opportunity, discovers that it’s too much for his boyfriend to handle. However, after a tragic death, and with encouragement from his new boyfriend and several friends, he begins to explore that side of himself, coming into his own.

Mark is a relatable protagonist, especially for those who have lost those dear to them and who have had to process grief. His journey to drag, his fear of it being a step too far for his friends and family, and, especially, his doubts and indecision all are likely to make him feel familiar to many readers, and make this an excellent book to find themselves in. Well done.