The queer representation in this is done so well. Our trans mc Miles is really going through it and we get to see so many sides to his experience as a trans teen living in a small, midwest community. Diving into the world of competitive piano was super fun! I really enjoyed leaning more about the field and music in general. This book was brilliant when it had the four mc friends supporting one another and showing that even with the hardships, queer joy and support can always be found. What I struggled with most in this was that our mc had a lot of growing up to do and even though I could see where the plot would take us, I found myself wanting to just live in the best (to me) parts of the story and skip over the emotional immaturity. Saying that, I do think the voice of the mc is spot on for the age of the characters and where they are with their identity development as well as their cognitive development. Overall, this was an enjoyable cast of characters with excellent queer rep!

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill is a charming story full of trans joy and I am so glad that Wednesday Books and NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read and review it.
Shortly before the story takes place, Miles' comes out as trans and his boyfriend dumps him. Now his goals for the new year are to win his boyfriend back and beat his rival in the regional piano competition. What this story delivers is Miles' path of self-discovery as he learns who he is as a pianist, as a trans boy, as a friend, and as a boyfriend.
Miles isn't perfect, he does things without thinking them through and hurts people and gets hurt in return, but that is what makes him so relatable. This is a story of growth and hope and joy. It's a story about learning who you are and what you want out of life and that it's okay to just be you, even if that you is a work in progress.
content warnings: transphobia (a plot point but not the focal point of the book) and cheating

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the beginning of this book, the author promises queer and trans joy, and a happy ending, and boy, did he deliver.

This book was a very nice little warm hug to come upon after reading a string of darker books, and it made me so happy. It's a pretty formulaic young adult novel, but that's necessarily a bad thing. And taking a formula and making it queer or trans is so important for representation, especially in today's climate. I loved all of these characters so much and just want to jump into the book to give them big hugs. They experienced a lot of growth, and I wouldn't mind reading another book about them - maybe one following Paige? I feel like she has more stories to tell.

Always the Almost is like a warm hug. It's full of joy and love. Miles is a trans boy who's determined to win a huge piano contest and an his ex boyfriend back. The problem is his boyfriend broke up with him after he came out as trans and won't have anything to do with him now. Insert the new boy, Eric. Miles is a gem and he has my whole heart. I loved this story so much I wish I could read it again for the first time.

I absolutely loved this book. Miles was real and relatable, even if you haven't experienced what he is in the story. I felt like all the characters- Paige, Rachel, Eric, Stefania- were well-developed, the drama wasn't over the top, and their reactions were realistic. I also loved the music side of it.
I think the author said it best in the author's note about wanting to focus on Miles finding himself in spite of everyone else and rediscovering his joy in himself and in his identity.
"Not almost. I just am."

A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for providing this arc for my review.

Always the Almost is about a young pianist, Miles, who has recently come out as trans. He has recently broken it off with his first boyfriend and is navigating his relationships with his ex, his friends, and a new love interest that has recently moved to his high school, all while preparing for a large piano competition that he has been runner up at for the previous years.

This book is so well written, and had so many interesting characters, to the point that I would want to read a spin off or a sequel (which is rare for me with YA books). I loved the relationships between Miles and his friends because they were realistically written without being corny. I LOVED Stefania the piano teacher and the dynamic she brought to the story. And I especially loved the care that was taken with writing Eric's younger sister, Nina, who has down syndrome, but that was not made to be her entire characterization.

When it comes to YA books, I have come to expect an oversexualization of teenagers and unrealistic friendship and relationships being portrayed to young readers. I was thoroughly surprised with this book, and that not being the case. I enjoyed reading the entire book, and I loved the whole story. Miles is a character that is so important to see portrayed in such a brilliant light that takes care not to make his transness everything about him, but also explores what his transness means to himself and the others around him. It is not only realistic, but done so well that it will be influential to young queer readers. I loved the dynamic between Miles and Eric and how they are both finding themselves and helping each other be true to themselves as well. This book will be the perfect Valentine's Day book for a variety of audiences.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I love this book from start to finish. Firstly, yes there is some transphobia, but it is not the main conflict and only shows up in two small parts. Which is nice as something with some LGBT+ books, the hate is sometimes a very big part of the book. But with this story, that’s not the case. It’s a story with a MC who just happens to be transgender.
Each charter has their own voice and story and are lovable in their own ways. I do like how Miles is the MC, but we get the stories of the other characters as well and it builds up their characters. Instead of having a MC surrounded by flat supporting characters, we get a fully flushed out cast.
I also liked how the ending subverted my expectations but yet still had a happy ending.
Overall, it was a joyful read that had me on an emotional roller coaster.

ALWAYS THE ALMOST is a sweet coming-of-age story about finding yourself within your art and figuring out who you are in relation to your friends, family, and society at large. It was, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, but also nailed teenager cringe after making a mistake. The music, aside from the characters, was my favorite part - Underhill's experience in classical music shines through, especially in how accurately he portrays the personalities
surrounding prestigious youth competitions. Also, there is the acknowledgment of how deeply patriarchal and unfair classical music is at its highest echelons. Western classical music has had its #metoo moments over and over, it seems, with very little impact except to remove and hide the predators rather than address the issues that allowed them to flourish.

All that being said, I loved this book and wish I could have something like this as a young pianist!

A really cute, emotional, heartbreaking at moments, but much more uplifting YA story. Overall I enjoyed this one, there were moments that Miles made me wanna throw my kindle at the wall - but that’s probably me, a 29 year old woman, being annoyed with teenagers in general. There were moments that felt a bit slow and repetitive, but overall a great book!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this one. As other reviewers said, this is a book filled with heart-wrenching moments and queer joy! I highly recommend this for collections looking to add a well-written, diverse book to their YA selections.

I got an ARC of this book.

I admit I judge a book by its cover more than I don’t. Some of the time, it is after the fact though. In this case, there was a lot of discussion of how Eric wears a lot of muted colors. It is the very end when he starts to wear rainbow socks and starts wearing a bit more color. So it feels wrong that the cover has him so colorful before the story. I just noticed this, so it didn’t impact my star rating. It was just interesting to see the difference.

The biggest issue I had with this book was part of the first two to three pages. I literally almost stopped reading the book that quickly. Any time I see REAL boy or REAL girl used in a trans book that early it almost always is full of transphobia and nonsense. I am done with that. I want trans joy, not how being trans is awful and no one will love you. I don’t know why I didn’t stop reading, but I am glad I did. This book is the very first that didn’t end in trans tragedy. There was transphobia, but it was the sort that was clearly bad and was resolved. The transphobia was a catalyst for emotion instead of the whole plot. It was wonderfully done and kept me reading.

What was even more impressive than transphobia being so minor, was the fact that there was incredibly clear trans joy. Miles trying on the suit for the first time was life. Eric’s reactions to Mile all the time was magic. The way that Underhill was able to blend this joy and dysphoria was incredible. The suit might be the best thing that happened to Miles, but what if the suit showed just how much he was trying to hide. It was perfect. Miles clearly had some dysphoria, but it wasn’t what made him trans. Miles was clearly the trans boy that knew he was trans through his euphoria and I am here for it. I wanted Miles to only have good things. I wanted Miles surrounded by joy and acceptance. Underhill gave me that with just little shadows that showed how euphoria can be complex. It can be overwhelmingly good to the point of not trusting it. I could go on all day about just a few scenes, like when Eric asks Miles his pronouns. That scene!

I really liked a lot about this book. Some of it felt thrown in, some didn’t have enough. But so much was great to amazing that I can just grump that I didn’t get more of that seamstress or that I wanted a bit less of the best friends weird drama without feeling like it really took away from the book. This book goes up there with Cemetery Boys and The Witch King when it comes to amazing YA trans books.

I absolutely adored this book. It was such a beautiful story from start to finish. Miles was a character that was easy to connect with; he was awkward and funny and messy and I think that's what makes him such a great character. I love it when teenagers are allowed to be messy, to make reckless decisions, to get confused, to be dumb.

It's very easy to relate to Miles' emotions and understand where they come from. I think this is a story about identity, Miles learning things about himself and who he is and why he does the things he does. It's also a story about relationships, the people around Miles, his parents, his friends, Eric, Stefania and how they influence and interact in his life. It's about Miles growing up as his true self, learning what it means to be a trans guy, to be queer, to be a pianist, and how all of these things tie together to be a part of him.

I loved the side characters, particularly Eric. I feel like I relate to him more and I feel more protective of Miles. Eric was such a likable character, and I think it was really nice to see two queer teenagers understanding each other and sometimes failing to do so because the experiences are so different, but still trying to be there for each other. I liked Rachel, Paige and Stefania, they're all such interesting characters, and even though we don't really get to know them deeply, we do see how they affect Miles. Let's not forget Nina, Eric's little sister, who is so sweet and I love her.

The plot was engaging, because I could connect so much with Miles and his emotions, I felt like I could feel everything, I was very stressed at times, when I could feel his frustration towards the competition or his own actions. I cried a few times too, because of things that were happening to Miles or just because I felt this empathy towards him. The pacing was great and I don’t think I ever got bored. The addition of the piano and music was very well done.

Overall this book is phenomenal. Full of queer and trans joy, with just the right amount of added stress. I would highly recommend it.

cw: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Bullying, Dysphoria, Biphobia, Misogyny

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an e arc of this one!

It's New Years, and Miles has two resolutions: to win back his ex-boyfriend who broke up with him after he came out, and to beat his nemesis at the piano competition. But Miles finds other things along the way that just might matter more, including himself.


Okay that synopsis was super cheesy but this book is so so good I want to cry. There is so much joy and hope and frustration and disappointment and victory and so so so much love.

I love Miles so much. And I love his friend Rachel. And I love his piano teacher. And I think I love Eric most of all 🥺.

Miles' coming of age journey is quite complicated, but also so so simplistic in that it is about a teenage boy finding himself. He is Miles. He is queer and trans and a pianist and full of joy. It makes me so happy!

Also I always love a bit of competition in my ya contemporaries so the piano concerts were awesome!

I feel like my review is not doing justice for this book. It is beyond amazing and I love it with all my heart and can't wait to hold it in my hands.

CW: deadnaming/misgendering, transphobia, homophobia, infidelity, bullying

Always The Almost by Edward Underhill combines teen angst with transitioning. Miles insists that he’s the same person inside as before he transitioned. He’s unable to convince Shane, the ex-boyfriend and star of the football team. His best friends, Rachel and Paige, continue to support him and his endeavors, the classical piano competition. His new piano teacher wants more from him than expected. A new boy, Eric, catches his eye at school. Although the story is slow to start, it does tug at your heartstrings by the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/ St.Martin Press for the ARC.

A great story about gender euphoria and growing into yourself. The main character feels like such an authentic, real, trans teen. Hes still sorting out the kind of man he is and reminded me much of my teen years. I finished this a few days before the new year and it managed to make my fave reads of 2022 list. This book is such great trans rep that I hope many trans teens will get to read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

Miles is a bit of a messy character, but I love him. His passion for piano and classical music is so beautiful, even though I don't share those interests.

Being dumped after coming out as trans was obviously horrible for Miles, and I felt awful for him, but I wasn't sure why he was so hung up on his ex, Shane.

Enter Eric, the new boy, a cute artist who genuinely likes Miles for who he is. Eric is easily my favourite character in this book. His sister has Down syndrome and he's so good with her, as is Miles and his other friends.

Speaking of Miles' friends, I liked Rachel and Paige but I wish we'd seen a bit more of their relationship and they'd had more page time.

Miles' piano teacher, Stefania is super cool, I didn't really get her at first but by the end I loved her. With her help, Miles figured out what makes a performance incredible.

Despite all the ups and downs, this story has a happy ending. I enjoyed the rivalries during the piano competitions, the relationships Miles built, and his journey of personal growth.

From the cover to the writing style, this book was an absolute joy! It's sweet and even made me swoon. For anyone looking for a YA queer love story, this is the one.

The first time I saw the cover for Always the Almost, I knew that I wanted to read it and when I saw that an ARC was available I JUMPED! Initially, it was a bit of a slow start for me, but after the first couple of chapters I was hooked. The characters were so relatable and genuine; they are absolutely characters that you will be rooting for as you make your way through their story.

It was a pleasure to watch Miles and his friends learn what it means to be your own person and how just because things get messy doesn’t mean that there will never be a reason to be joyous again. I am so glad I was able to read this book, and I will be recommending it to anyone that will listen to me!

Always the Almost is a greatly endearing queer romance full of beautifully written characters. The premise was immediately alluring, and the writing strong enough that I continued reading. I would highly recommend it to romance readers!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC

If gender is (at least partially) a performance, Miles knows this better than anyone. He's had to pretend to be a girl for most of his life, and his passion for piano means he's often on stage, judged in every single way. Now that he's living as himself for the first time senior year, the judgment is even harsher. More acute. That spotlight is SO bright, and the fear of making a mistake is that much stronger. Luckily, Miles has a lot of wonderful people in his corner, including the new boy, Eric, his new (and intimidating) piano teacher, and his long-time friends Rachel and Paige. But what if it's only *almost* enough? What if Miles needs more--including the love of his ex-boyfriend and a win against the pompous, pretty Cameron, the rockstar pianist who crushes everyone every year? Then what?

I loved this concerto of a book; it captures the notes of high school: angry and soft, funny and devastated, messy and cracked open, ready to change. It's about friendship, queer identities, and the growing pains of becoming who you are. It's also about the places we seek validation; and the dangers of it all. Underhill lets his characters be messy and wanting, unsure, and accountable. I can't wait to see what he does next.