I was so thrilled to receive an advance reader copy of Always the Almost, and it did not disappoint!

If you are looking to experience a book that features a trans teen, but are afraid someone will be physically hurt, you do not have to worry about that in this book. Miles is an extremely likeable gay trans teen who is trying to figure out who he is. Underhill weaves this beautiful story about a teen trying to win a piano competition, navigate old and new love, and balance his social life. Some of that has to do with being trans while the rest is simply about normal teen tribulations.

What I did not expect was the way I cried at the end simply because of the pure joy I felt.

Always the Almost is a must-read, especially for any young person who may be questioning their identity or where they fit in. The story focuses on being true to yourself and most importantly, joy. There was still conflict, angst, pain and mistakes found within the pages, but it's also incredibly honest, messy and beautiful. It represents the struggle of finding your truth. In the end, you can't miss the messages queer youth can take away from this book.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump and Edward Underhill's <i>Always the Almost</i> was just what I needed to get back in the swing of things!

<i>Always the Almost</i> follows teen protagonist Miles Jacobson as he navigates his identity as a trans, gay pianist. As the title suggests, Miles struggles with feeling close to certain things, but not entirely successful. With regard to piano, he's been runner up at the regional competition for three years in a row, never quite edging into that first place spot ahead of rival pianist Cameron Hart. With regard to gender, Miles has recently come out as trans and is still working on his relationship with his body, his clothes, his peers, and even his father.

A stern but helpful new piano teacher helps Miles to see that being trans and gay is inextricably linked to his success as a pianist and it's a joy to see that journey. Along the way, we also see Miles deal with evolving friendships and a growing romance - all the delicious stuff of a YA novel.

Underhill does a great job of making a realistic and relatable character in Miles and building the world and relationships we see in the book. Great read for any fans of YA!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Miles Jacobson is a 16year old trans pianist who recently got dumped by his ex, Shane McIntyre, due to his transition. Ugh, don’t be a Shane. Miles buries himself in training for the Regional piano competition, attempting to (finally) dethrone his arch nemesis. While training alone one afternoon in the school’s auditorium he meets Eric Mendez, the new kid in town. They embark on a fake dating journey to gain access to the exclusive neighborhood Valentine’s party and their beautiful relationship blossoms. Eric sees Miles for who he truly is, his authentic self. *swoon* I really enjoyed this story with the trials and tribulations of high school, genuine friendships, awkward first loves, and representation of the trans experience.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Edward Underhill for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The characters are messy, the story is truth. Identity is such an important part of your truth and this book represents the struggles amazingly. Whether your identity is something you haven’t figured out yet, or something you have, you can find yourself in little details in this book.

Miles ‘almost’ knows who he is, but maybe finding the right people can help you understand or find yourself in ways you can’t alone. Even if you had ‘been’ rather than ‘almost been’ all along, finding the strength in yourself to know that isn’t as easy when you go through it alone.

The representation in Always the Almost helped me feel even closer to the book and connect with it in ways that most books can’t. With gender-nonconformity, unlabeled representation, people of color, etc.

This book was such an amazing debut, and I’d love to see more from the author. I was invested from the start with the competition, the romance, the side-characters, and the plot in whole. A book that single-handedly made me reflect on myself after reading it definitely deserves a five stars.

A heartfelt and heartwarming story, funny and touching in turns, about figuring out who you are and where you belong, and about what happens when what you thought you wanted doesn’t fit who you want to be. Hits some comfortable romcom tropes in a fresh new way. I loved Miles’ outlook and world view and was rooting for him from page 1.

3.5 ⭐️ I have such a sweet spot for coming of age stories based around identity especially when there is also a love story surrounding that. The main character was easy to stick with throughout the story and relationship dynamics were interesting if not frustrating at times (but I think that was the point.) If you’re looking for that YA coming of age feel with a little romance on the side, this is a good pick up.

Miles Jacobson's ex-boyfriend Shane broke up with him two weeks after he came out as trans. Miles' new piano teacher says he's playing like he "doesn't know who he is". Miles feels as though he's not even good enough at piano to get his fellow competitors to respect him, especially now, as Miles. When Miles meets Eric, they agree to pretend to date so they can score an invite to a Valentine's Day party. This ruse soon turns real with a kiss, which is also definitely not in the plan.

Although I adore the writing style and the main character, I wish the side characters and love interest had been given more depth. The characters' depth development mostly happens towards the end, when it should have been established from the beginning. Always the Almost is a lovely story with characters that have realistic traits and flaws.

I kept thinking of the quote "To thine own self be true" from Shakespeare's Hamlet when reading this book. Miles both knew who he was, and didn't know who he was. And it was interesting going along with him on his journey of self-discovery.
I think everyone can relate to Miles. He is a likable character and his struggles feel real. The author did a great job showing all of Miles's relationships and how each character had a new and different relationship with Miles. It was really well done.
Enjoy!

This is a beautiful trans coming of age story that had me emotionally invested from the beginning. One of the things I loved about this book is the use of piano playing as a metaphor for the main character gaining strength and finding his authentic self. I loved the piano teacher as a mentor.

The romance is sweet and added to my enjoyment of the novel. I recommend this book to everyone looking for a high quality YA novel who wants to feel warm and fuzzy while reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC widget.

Always the Almost follows the story of trans pianist Miles. He is reeling from a break up with his ex boyfriend and trying to be open to the possibility of new love on the horizon. Additionally, he’s feeling stuck in the world of competition piano. He’s recently changed instructors and is nervous to lose to his enemy once again. Will he ever be enough for his friends, enough to be loved, enough to win his passion?

This book is equal parts sweet, messy, and heartfelt. I adored following Mile’s story through breakup and a new boo. His friends were great and dimensional LGBTQ+ characters. I found myself rooting for him even when things got tough. I cannot wait to read more from Edward Underhill in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely emotional but I was smiling so much. For this to be a debut, I am so excited to continue to read more from Edward Underhill. It dove into so many topics such as gender and identity and it was handled beautifully. I truly enjoyed reading this and I might have to reread soon.

★★★★☆ - 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴

this was a really enjoyable read for me! as a lover of music and former choir kid, seeing the different aspects of competition and rehearsals was something that really struck a chord with me. always the almost was a beautiful coming of age story that had lovable characters and a great portrayal of what it's like to come to terms with your identity, especially during your formative years.

miles was a character that i feel a lot of lgbt+ youth could relate to deeply. the author did a fantastic job on capturing his inner thoughts and the emotions that he was experiencing through all of the hardships. his relationship with eric was something that i thought was cute, but i also did like how it was not rainbows and sunshine all the time. dating as a teenager is hard and is not without drama, and i think that underhill did a good job on it all. if you are not a fan of the cheating troupe, however, this may not be the book for you.

my biggest critique that i have of this book comes with the ending. i think that the book is really well fleshed out until the last chapter. i wish i got to see more of what happened with rachel and with paige, and if they are able to recover their friendships with each other. i also almost missed that miles beat cameron at first, and i think that was something that should be a bit more pronounced, especially because it is one of the main arcs of the book.

overall, though, i really enjoyed this book and thought it was a heartfelt ya book that many will enjoy if they are lovers of music, coming of age stories, and a protagonist who is searching for his place in the world.

** thank you so much to netgalley and wednesday books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! :)

Always the Almost was hands down one of the best reads of the year. You could feel the anxiety that Miles was feeling throughout the entire story. If you're queer or questioning your gender this is a must read! I loved watching as Miles grew into his own identity, this is one hell of a beautiful and realistic coming of age story that I wish everyone could read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book. All opinions shared in this review are solely my own.

Always the Almost tells the story of a young trans musician finding his way through his love of music. Miles Jacobson is a versatile main character characterized by his talent, insecurities, and willingness to learn from his mistakes.

I enjoyed reading about his discovery that while he struggles with self-acceptance, he is not the only one going through things in life. Edward Underhill does a fantastic job of capturing the egocentrism of adolescence and using it to show readers that to be trans is to be human.

With that being said, I would have liked to see more of a dialogue between the main characters and Paige about her mistakes. Her actions seemed to have been brushed aside and forgiven without her having to show accountability.

Notable tropes/themes: Musician MC, Trans rep

This was just incredible! I am such a sucker for a coming of age/self discovery story and the whole tone of this just wrapped everything together with a beautiful bow. I absolutely recommend this to someone looking for a wholesome queer story that will uplift them and leave them with a smile on their face.

I think everyone will be able to see a bit of themselves in Miles and the trials and triumphs he finds himself in throughout the story. Also, it has fake dating - who doesn't love a bit of fake dating?

I loved this book! I loved it! I had such a great time reading it and think it was an excellent debut. It’s a wonderful example of a well-made YA novel, and I think it will change a lot of people’s lives. Whenever I read queer and trans books like this, I think about how much this story would have meant to me as a teenager, and how exciting it would have been to read then. And it just fills me with so much joy to know that this book exists.

One thing I think Underhill totally nailed in this book is the community music competitions. As someone who competed in similar festivals for vocal music from age 8 to 18, I could viscerally hear and smell and feel the exact atmosphere Miles was describing. My stomach was a ball of nerves while I waited for him to perform! It was like I was right back in it and it felt so incredibly special and spoke to me so deeply.

I also think this book does YA in the way contemporary YA should be done; it’s not trying to be an adult novel. It’s also not insulting to teenagers’ intelligence and is still smart and thoughtful and quippy. The mistakes made and challenges faced are ones common and relatable to teens, the language is accessible and the storyline is straightforward. The characters grow and learn and mess up and go through experiences that I think teens (not just queer or trans ones) will really connect with.

I’ll be reading from Edward Underhill again, and can’t recommend this book enough. 4.5 stars!

this book was truly a standout of a YA debut. SO full of queer joy, amazing dynamics, well-rounded and real MCs, a wonderful supporting cast of secondary characters, and messy teenage experiences. this was a love letter to queer small-town kids, music, finding yourself, and the power to choose who you are, and it was AMAZING. casey mcquinston adjacent, incredibly written, and full of heart and passion that I haven't felt in a YA story in a long time. definitely in my top 5 YA books ever, if not top 3. literally just amazing. (the cover is also INCREDIBLE.) definitely cried on a plane at the end, multiple times. worth it <3

I enjoyed the book and I thought the storyline was great but there was just something about it that was a bit off. Maybe it was how annoyed I got whenever Shane was brought up or maybe because I secretly wanted it to be an enemies-to-lovers with Cameron but with a different version of Cameron who isn't a total piece of shit! haha. Or maybe it was a different reason including me just having an off-reading moment. There are any number of possibilities why this one felt a bit off to me. That being said I still like the book and I do recommend checking it out.

Now to talk about the things I did like! I loved the scenes where Miles is playing the piano, especially the competition scenes. I love the queer joy that existed throughout the book. Even though I had a want for an enemies-to-lovers story, I was happy with the love interest in this story, Eric. I thought he was sweet. Another character that I enjoyed with Eric's sister Nina. She was adorable! I wanted more of her!

overall I recommend checking this one out and forming your own opinion!

content warning directly from the author: "(Non-malicious) mentions of the main character’s deadname, Brief instances of misgendering, Online transphobia (anonymous nastiness directed at trans character), Mentions/discussion of racism experienced by a character, Discussion of trauma as a result of bullying, Body dysphoria, Mentions of previous (off-screen) sexual harassment experienced by a side character"

we love representation! I was so caught up with theses characters and the story. I loved this book and others should read this aswell.