I received an ebook copy of Always the Almost by Edward Underhill from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Words cannot explain how happy I am to have read this book. It truly is a novel about both piano and trans joy. Although at times I found Miles to be a bit too self centered, by the end of the novel he grew substantially as a main character. Additionally, after about 50 pages I just could not put the book down, the plot just drew me in. I loved reading the descriptions of Miles playing the piano and I could really understand Edward Underhill’s love of classical music through it. Eric as a love interest was great but I feel like his character could have been developed a bit more, the same goes for Paige and Rachel. Overall, all three of them were great but I just would have loved a bit more character development for them. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely be ordering a physical copy. As always please check the trigger warnings before reading as there are instances of transphobia discussed in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Oh gosh, I was immediately sucked into this story, a very relatable story for many including myself. The friendship, the love, the discovering your identity...all things that make you cry and your heart soar. I immediately felt connected to Miles and the "almosts" that's talked about. Definitely a great read for teens, especially ones that are trying to find themselves.

Always the Almost is a beautiful and heartfelt love story that's not only just about love but friendship, finding ones identity, being true to yourself, all the things that will make you hiccup and cry. One of my favorite things about this novel is how unapologetically messy these high school kids are. They're kids, they make mistakes, they hurt others and they fight and compete and push themselves to breaking points. At the center of this story is Miles, a boy whose come out as trans and is struggling with being himself. His ex-boyfriend broke up with him because he was no longer attracted to him, there's a new boy who starts to enter his orbit, there's obviously going to be some friend drama, and the big pre-competition that he's been training for for years. He's always been second place, and it's hard to put your focus so entirely on something you think is your whole life, until it's not.

This wasn't cheesy in the way that normal rom-coms are. This brought me back four years earlier to when I was in high school, my friend group and exes and all that. This setting felt rich and cathartic in a way that burrowed in my soul but with all the angst it felt more like a pecking bird chipping away my layers.

Miles was a messy character but he was genuine. Even when he felt he didn't know himself, we the reader could. The author transported me into this intense story that read as fluidly as sitting and watching a movie you can't look away from. I was captured by the author's prose and the style, I thought their perspective choice was perfect for the story and the character, and every sentence felt true to itself. I absolutely loved Eric the most, he felt like the character who stood out the most.

I loved so many things in this story from the comical call-out posts about fighting the school to go eco-friendly, the great adults who stood by the kids the entire way and guided them through their endeavors. It was soft, heartwarming, like hot chocolate.

This novel took me on an emotional journey that not a lot of books can do. This author has a way with their words and writes fluently with their heart. I can't praise this book enough and I hope it gets all the love it deserves. Splendid.

This was SO CUTE!!! I got sucked right into Miles' story and read 2/3 of this in a single sitting, then could hardly wait until the next day to finish . Eric is the sweetest book boyfriend ever, and I loved Miles' journey of finding himself--plus all the music. This book is happy and adorable and gave me all the feels. I cried a little--and I almost never cry at books. But they were good tears.

Highly recommend this one and can't wait for more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book. Miles was such a likeable character. He had just came out as trans as was really trying to figure himself out. He had just ended a relationship with a jock who would not continue to date Miles as after he came put but Miles soon met Eric who accepted him as he was... it was a beautiful story. I also loved how Miles was so dedicated to playing the piano and competing. I feel like I learned a lot about piano competitions.

I am grateful for this story and also that it was not filled with trauma. I am glad that mostly everyone was supportive of Miles and I felt good after I completed the book.

I loved everything about this book. Fantastic characters, great story, really engaging read. So much trans, queer joy!!

// Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this advanced readers copy!! //

This book made me sob. Many times.

I truly love this book so much. I knew from the beginning i would love this book, to say i loved it is a understatement.

Wow!
This was SUCH a powerful and poignant book! Definitely a story for the time! This was a story of gender, sexuality, identity, and relationships. Told from the POV of a trans high schooler, this is truly a story everyone should read. This is an emotionally honest narrative about figuring out who you are and about living your true life.

I loved that we were shown not only Miles’ everyday life, but also his life through piano, and how discovering and realizing his true identity impacted his piano playing.

This was such an eye opening story and I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to read it.

I was given an ARC by. NetGalley and Wednesday Books. All opinions are my own.

when i found “always the almost” sitting on my netgalley shelf i’m pretty sure i squealed with joy. this book encapsulates so much of my identity whilst remaining hopeful, kind and at its core utterly joyful.

but the book is so so much more than its premise suggests, it’s a story of identity and relationships and letting go of something that seems so deep rooted into you. learning to grow whilst coming of age and learning to love alongside that. it is a story of tackling what it means to be trans and, in this case also being a pianist who is struggling to find where those two things interlink.

our main character was one i could not help but love, (even as he made what some may call foolish decisions and life choices, we’ve all been there). he was such a transformative character from the start to end, where his journey followed not just his passions but the fragile state of his own identity as it solidified into something known. and at just 16, it was obvious there’s gonna be some teen angst thrown in and boy oh boy was there!

i also loved our group of side characters! particularly the love interest (whomst i loved that little bit extra for reasons you will have to read about <3). and the love interests sister, who was an angel in every possible way.

there is so much about this book i could say and so much i don’t know how to articulate (especially without spoilers). edward underhill has created a book that will be both cherished and adored by the trans youth of our future. i hope they find a home between the words and within the characters that look just that little bit more like them.

I am a huge fan of the main character and the writing style, although I wish the side characters and love interest were given more depth in the first half—most of their character depth is reserved for the second half, and it is really good once you get there, but comes too late. I think fans of I Wish You All the Best will really like this one, as the writing styles felt quite similar to me along with the general coming of age + romance blend vibes.

I really enjoyed this story and found the characters adorable and engaging. I loved the relationship between Miles and Eric, even with it's bumps and issues, because this is how teenagers are - they have lots of big emotions, they want lots of different, and sometimes conflicting things - and it was nice to see that portrayed in a genuine way in this novel. More than the relationships, I was intrigued by the piano competition - the mental preparation, the emotional connection with the music, and the methods used by Stefania to guide Miles as he learned more about his true self.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was such a great book. I enjoyed reading Miles' story, his connection to piano, and his journey. While I never enjoyed music to the same degree, I found the story moving.

I hate when I have to rate an okay book lowly because I personally didn’t like it.

My personal star rating system goes off of how much I enjoyed a book. So an absolutely perfect book for someone else can have a low rating from me, and a book I adored can be one someone else doesn’t like.

One of the first things that frustrated me in this book was our main character, Miles, and his obsession over his ex boyfriend. Before Miles came out, he was dating Shane. But after coming out and beginning his social transition, Shane breaks up with him.

Now, I totally understand still having feelings for your ex, and I get that someone coming out as trans doesn’t mean they’re a different person. But the thing that frustrated me the most about this book was that Shane repeatedly tells Miles he’s not attracted to guys, and Miles never understands.

Let me put it in a metaphorical situation: Let’s say Miles, who is socially male, is dating Shane, a straight man. If someone comes up to Shane and asks if he is gay, Shane now has to either sit with the uncomfortable decision of being perceived as being attracted to a gender he isn’t or out Miles as trans. If Miles physically transitions as well, now Shane is forced to stay together with someone he does not find physically attractive. Either way, Miles coming out as trans changes the entire situation for Shane, and he has that right to tell Miles “I appreciate you and support you coming out as trans, but I’m not attracted to men.”

To put this into perspective, especially if you are a reader who doesn’t know me: Hi. I’m Kit. I’m nonbinary. I completely understand what Miles is going through re: being trans. I’m still on Shane’s side here.

I typically think, even for “unlikable main characters”, there has to be something that makes readers want to cheer a main character on. They can be disliked by their peers and the other characters in the book, but if they’re disliked by readers, no one will want to read their story. And I just wasn’t a fan of Miles.

I did, however, like this book when we focused on Eric and his part in this story. Completely taking out Shane, I would have rated this book four or five stars. The fake dating turning into actual dating was great. Eric’s younger sister having down syndrome and being treated no differently because of it was something I really enjoyed. Miles learning how to express himself through music and the fight to be better than Cameron in the piano competition was a fun plot.

But every time I thought Miles had moved on, the book suddenly veered towards Shane again. And my enjoyment for this book veered off as well.

I really enjoyed this debut ya romance from Edward Underhill, so thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

While this book did touch on some heavier aspects of homophobia and transphobia, overall it was a very sweet love story and as the author himself says it is an expression of queer joy.

This was a cozy, charming read that shows the author has a lot of promise. I think my biggest issue is that some of the characters felt underdeveloped and lacked depth. I wish we could’ve explored them more. The writing style was enjoyable and the storyline kept my attention.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I LOVED this book! When I first read the blurb and saw that there was a piano competition involved with queer characters, I was so ready to read this book.

Miles recently came out as trans; he previously had been Melissa. He’s going through a rough breakup with his boyfriend Shane who dumped him when he came out but he luckily has some awesome queer friends, Paige and Rachel, that are there for him. Miles is working towards a piano competition, really wanting to beat his arch nemesis, and in the process, starts to connect with a new guy in school, Eric. But it’s also hard for Miles to let go of his first love that dumped him. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and I was on the edge of my seat until the end.

Being a pianist myself, I have a love of classical music and this book hit all the boxes! I also enjoyed there was a variety of queer representation as well. Not going to lie, I really cried at the ending of this book, everything wrapped up really well and I enjoyed reading Miles’ story. This book was everything I was hoping for and more. Can’t wait for the author’s next book!

Uplifting, joyful, victorious. The Sky Blues meets Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda meets A Little Bit Country meets Heartbreak Boys but make it trans. So, if you loved the books mentioned above, you should definitely check out Always the Almost!

Sometimes I just know I will love a story. From the moment I read the blurb, my heart jumped up with happiness. Then I saw the cover by Myriam Strasbourg (peachesobviously), and I knew I needed this book. And when I started reading, I immediately fell head over heels. With the vibrant writing. With the realistic characters and their flaws. With the easiness, Edward tells this story. With Miles’ devotion to the piano and classical music (even though I’m not a massive fan of classical music). When Miles played that piano, I felt his struggles and his joy for being himself, a trans, queer teen. And I was in awe.

Always the Almost is about finding yourself and being true to yourself. It’s like being with the ones you love the most. It’s a story that hugged me completely, like a blanket full of warmth. I read the book with a constant smile on my face and this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. Miles was an MC to root for, and Eric, cinnamon roll Eric was so sweet and lovable. I even liked Shane. And, of course, Stefania! Hard on the outside, so soft on the inside.

Thanks, Edward, for sharing Miles’ story with the world. I’m impatiently waiting for what you write next!

"I am trans. I am queer. I am full of joy." I really liked the message of this book! Miles is a solid teen character - he makes messy decisions because he's trying to figure himself out and figure out what he wants. I really liked the musical aspect of this book. One of my favourite things is when a book is 'about something else' and in Always the almost, the classical music shines!

Always the Almost was so good and I know my students are going to love it as much as I did! The thing I enjoyed most about this book was how realistic it was. As someone who works with students, I see these kinds of things all the time. The writing was very good and it was easy to connect with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Always the Almost is a cute rom-com book.This book is perfect for fans of the show, Love, Victor! I thought Miles grew a lot throughout the book.