I love queer romances and reading one about a coming-of-age experience with a trans main character sounded absolutely amazing. Sadly, the book didn't work for me mainly because of the cheating angle that was introduced. Of course, teenagers are messy and make stupid decisions all the time, but idk it's a me thing. I can never root for cheaters, even in fiction. Maybe, this will work better for other readers.

This book pissed me off so much. I wanted to like Miles because it truly can be so hard being trans in high school. But constantly (CONSTANTLY) saying he's going to get back with his ex-boyfriend even though his ex-boyfriend does not feel the same about him (and by "does not feel the same" I mean the ex-boyfriend is being extremely trans-affirming by saying he's not attracted to boys.)

I get that being a teenager is rough (as a former teenager myself), but the cheating on your S.O. and then being mad a said S.O. for being "judgy" is enough to make me want to never read another Underhill book again.

There is something to be said about how the trans experience can be messy and fucked up as much as any other experience, so maybe there's some representation for that? idk.

“Do you see me as a guy?

“Miles, I see you as everything you tell me you are and want to be.”

I got this ARC so long ago … anyways. I should’ve read it sooner because it’s so good. 10/10 will recommend this coming-of-age romance.

I loved reading Miles’ post-trans journey as he navigates high school. I would’ve loved to read more about him slowly changing pronouns, clothes, and all of that as well. But, I enjoyed this. It was so cute and light, a perfect balance of friendship and romance.

Miles and Eric were so cute too! I read as reread their first kiss cause it was just !!! Eric is the greenest of green flags. Such a sweetheart.

Stefania is also a queen.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

I loved this book! Edward Underhill is definitely a writer I'm going to keep an eye out for moving forward. This was [almost] the perfect YA queer coming of age story and romance. (Lol I only say almost because I'm historically hard to please and not even 5-star reads are actually perfect.) I loved the little love letter to creatives and nerds. The story was equal parts funny and sweet and I enjoyed myself the entire time. The only part that wasn't as great was a bit of unnecessary drama with the MC's friends.

Overall this book had a really nice message and I loved the writing, especially how descriptive the music playing was. But unfortunately (SPOILERS) the cheating gave me the ick and made me super annoyed with the protagonist. I loved the book up until that part but I felt like the main character didn’t deserve the love interest at all. Still a well-written book though, so I’ll definitely be checking out more of the author’s novels.

🌈Queer rep: gay trans male main character, main MM relationship. Bi/pan male love interest. Secondary FF couples, secondary lesbian characters.

This sweet, heartfelt coming of age novel should be read by every teen who’s looking for a way to know that they’re enough just as they are. Underhill conveys Miles’ hope and vulnerability during this period of massive change in his life in such a wonderful way. I loved how Miles’ relationship to his friends, family, and artistic talent evolved throughout the novel as he became more sure of himself and secure in his identity.

I think the musical storyline is very sweet, and Miles’s relationship with his new piano teacher who asks him to find real meaning in the music he plays is a nice way to highlight the way that creative expression resonates with different people. I feel like I’ve read a lot of books about visual artists, and not so many about musicians.

The romance is swoony—Eric is kind of the perfect guy for Miles. He’s a queer cartoonist who genuinely is interested in Miles for who he is at the outset. The most frustrating part of this novel is Miles’ attitude towards Eric. The first half of this novel is filled with him finding this wonderful partner, who is kind, supportive, funny, and just generally perfect! That’s great, except Miles sees all this and is still pining over his ex. Can’t keep teens from wanting what’s bad for them, I suppose.

I think the third act tension felt a little contrived, so I struggled to finish the story, but as a rule I don’t really have an issue with authors including infidelity in YA novels. Y’all, teens make bad choices just like adults do, and these books are meant to reflect realistic characters who make mistakes, not perfect angel role models. If you’re looking for that, putting down the book and choosing another is always a valid option. I’ve seen a lot of reviews critiquing this aspect of the story, but I’d argue that’s not actually the issue. For me, the real problem is that the conflict felt manufactured. I genuinely think there could have been another twist to the story instead that Underhill could have written. Either way, it’s a small issue and the book is great overall.

I also want to highlight that we should all be supporting more books about trans characters finding joy and love!! In this year, in our society, we need positive love stories full of support, hope, and happiness. We need trans stories to be told and we need trans authors to tell them. I am so happy that this book exists, and I will be recommending it on all platforms!

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Miles has had a tough year. After coming out as transgender and getting dumped, he has two plans for the New Year. One...to win back his boyfriend and to win in the music competition. Miles then meets Eric, who is confident in who he is. The two befriend one another, but fake date to attend a valentines day party. At the party, they kiss, but could that kiss actually mean something more?

What I 🤍:
🏳️‍🌈 Queer, Trans Representation
🎼 Pianist X Cartoonist
💕 Fake Dating
😍 The Angst
📜 Coming of Age
🪩 New Years

Overall this was a cute, coming of age story. I loved the growth Miles showed overtime. One part that did bother me is the dating two people thing. I know it was a bit of a gray area, but that's what prevented it from being 5 ⭐️ for me.

I will not be reviewing this title as I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. More information can be found at @readersforaccountability on Instagram.

This was such a heartwarming and tender book. As the story begins, Miles is experiencing a lot of change: he’s recently out as trans, he’s broken up with his boyfriend because of that, and he also has a new piano teacher– not because he’s trans, but because his former teacher says that she has nothing more to teach him.

With everything going on, plus the big it’s definitely not a good time for a new relationship, but here comes Eric, who has recently moved to town. This might sound like a cliche, but Eric isn’t like the other kids; he moved from Seattle, and he’s a lot savvier about queer issues than the average Midwestern teen.

Miles has spent most of his life feeling like he’s not enough. Clearly, much of this is due to not living as his authentic self for the first sixteen years of his life, but this mindset isn’t limited to gender identity; he feels the same way about his piano career and his personal relationships. Add in the general turmoil of being a teen and navigating high school, and there is a lot going on.

Obviously it would be a terrible message for a romantic partner to come along and fix everything, so of course that isn’t what happens here. But Eric is good for Miles. He’s one of the first people to know Miles as Miles, without the disclaimer of “before”. As the book description mentions, he asks Miles for his pronouns upon meeting him, and he continues to be conscientious in all of his interactions.

I would absolutely recommend Always the Almost. This was an excellent debut and even though I’m not the target audience, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. I will be looking out for more books by Underhill in the future– his writing is engaging and it’s so easy to get lost in his prose.





I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley

I truly have no words to describe how much I adore this book. It put me into my feels, and I cannot get over it.

All Pianist Miles wants is to win the Piano competition and to be accepted as a boy. When he comes out to his boyfriend that he wants to transition into a boy Miles boyfriend wants nothing to do with it and dumps him. Miles makes a plan to win him back.
This book was well written and I enjoyed reading from Miles perspective.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m giving Always the Almost a very sincere 3.75⭐️, rounded up to 4. This was the book where I realized reading about teenagers might not be my thing anymore. I really enjoyed the story and watching Miles grow into himself. It was wonderful to read about his piano playing and that entire B plot element of the book. I loved the on page queer rep. I don’t really know how to describe what I didnt like about this book but something felt off the entire time I was reading it. I didn’t love Miles’ friends. I didn’t feel like either of the love interests were a good match. And above all else, i really just don’t think teenage drama, as real and raw and valid as it may be, is for me anymore at my big age of 25. Overall, I’m grateful to have books like this in the world and I think it’s a wonderful read if you’re into queer and trans rep, musicians, and lots of scenes involving a high school cafeteria.

I'm constantly on the look out for new stories featuring trans characters, so I was immediately intrigued by Always the Almost. Unfortunately I found it incredibly difficult to root for the characters and didn't end up enjoying this much at all. Definitely a case of being the wrong audience for this story.

This story was an absolute joy to read, and the romance was so soft and wholesome. I enjoyed getting to read about a trans character without the focus being on the difficult aspects of this identify. The story did not hide any of these elements, but it was not the focus of the book. More books like this please!

Trans Joy✨🥹🏳️‍⚧️

What I loved:
1. The cover is BEAUTIFUL!!!! The artwork and colors are perfect.
2. Miles is pretty messy as a character, but I enjoy YA characters to make mistakes and learn as the story continues!
2. Music scene was fun to learn about!!! The competitions were especially interesting/captivating.
3. The coming of age was magical to watch, trans joy on full display!

Wonderful 4 star debut!!!🩷

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC🩵

Always the Almost was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023, especially as a former classical music kid. It’s a YA novel about a trans teen pianist who wants to win a fancy piano competition & win back his ex, who dumped him when he came out (yikes). Vibe-wise, the book is similar to Felix Ever After; both explore questions of gender and sexual identity with nuance & insight, but Always the Almost avoids the heavy didacticism that often weighs Kacen Callender’s work down.

I LOVE the way Underhill (who is a musician!) depicts what it’s like to grow up in the classical music world. He gets it all so right––the student-teacher dynamic, the idea of having “competition friends,” the way you grow up alongside kids that you only know in one particular context. There’s a vocabulary for this world that I’ve never seen articulated in a YA or romance novel (or in any book of any genre! Anyone have recs?). Finding that here feels special.

Always the Almost is tender, funny, and painful at times. It’s a coming-of-age story about teenagers who fuck up & betray each other’s trust, but who apologize & learn to take responsibility. Underhill writes conflict scenes with such care, which elevates the book beyond an angsty teen drama.

There is a LOT of romantic drama, though. If you don’t like spoilers, please stop reading here––I’m about to get into it!

I dislike love triangles, especially when they’re the central romantic conflict. I also dislike cheating in romance. (HILL I WILL DIE ON: there are infinite ways to create conflict, and cheating often feels lazy as a plot point!) There’s a *lot* of those things in this book, in different forms. And while that doesn’t affect how much I love the music/coming-of-age elements of the book, it does sour the romance(s) for me. Your mileage may vary!

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill is a book about identity and first loves as trans boy Miles Jacobson navigates heartbreak and new love and his musical talent and high school. It's a great option for lovers of YA.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

YESSSS QUEER LOVE. This was such a great book. This book is full of trans joy and I love to see it. A love story for the ages <3

I loved this book. Although I am not a pianist, I played violin for two years before quitting, and tried a whole slew of instruments when I was an exchange student (I was randomly put in a music class, and my teacher made it his mission to find my instrument....about 12 instruments attempted, and none were my instrument). Anyway, I had a fun time reading this. Although I cannot relate to the piano playing, or being trans, or high school relationships, I genuinely enjoyed reading about Miles figuring himself out through the story. This was a sweet, fun read, and in the author's note, he wrote what he wanted to accomplish in writing this story, and I felt that he did a fantastic job: writing about trans joy, writing about queer people who aren't in the big cities, sharing his love of classical music, and how bad it feels to hurt your friends. If that sounds like the kind of book you might be interested in, I highly recommend giving Always the Almost a try.

I'm always here for trans stories, especially when they feature joy and happiness. I'm happy that the author got to tell their story the way they wanted and it was an overall cute book.

I can imagine that coming out as transgender and having your significant other dump you would be so hurtful. You need people to stand by you and one of the people closest to you decides to distance themselves. While I understood Miles wanting Shane to at least come back as a friend, I don't think it was fair to push Shane to be his boyfriend when he was clear that he wasn't gay.

There were some great friendships and the girls were awesome to Miles. I loved seeing that he had some support as things were changing and he was trying to navigate how his life would go. Eric is also the sweetest guy and I just wanted to hug him!

Miles makes some immature decisions and mistakes that annoyed me and I'm not a big fan of growth that happens overnight. Things take time and some parts of Miles' character development seemed a bit quick to me.

This has a nice romance, good friends, and shows finding joy in expressing yourself. Overall a nice read.