This is one of my most anticipated reads of next year and it was worth the weight. It was so good and seeing how Miles mind worked, and how piano playing was mixed into how he came to see himself and his identity was incredible. I will definitely will be buying this and reading it again

I absolutely loved this book. I immediately connected with Miles and as a trans man, his experience and relationship to his parents because mine is extremely similar. I also. Loved Eric and he deserves the entire world. The only thing I disliked about this was a certain trope used about halfway through that I absolutely despise, however I do think it was resolved nicely. I'm kind of at a loss about what else to say other than this book is amazing and I want to punch Cameron Hart in the face.

This YA LGBTQ+ romance will be perfect for readers of young adult fiction when it is released in February!

Miles is a senior in high school, a pianist, and recently came out as transgender. He sets a goal on New Year's Eve to win back his jock ex-boyfriend and beat his nemesis in the Tri-State Piano Competition. But how will his goals change after meeting Eric Mendez - a Seattle artist who recently moved to Miles' Wisconsin town?

I'm not a regular reader of YA but this book has convinced me to be more open. The storyline is super meaningful and the characters are super well-written. A lot happens over the course of the book - not only with our MC Miles but also with the side characters. It really stresses that you never know what others may be dealing with. Miles doesn't always handle things the best, but then again who does? I think the author does a great job of showing how healthy conflict resolution can take place - especially in how characters realize they need to take accountability for their actions.

Aside from featuring modern LGBTQ struggles, the book discusses being a minority in the mid-west, disabilities, bullying and other classic teen issues like intimacy and identity. I believe it handles all of them well, and demonstrates how joy can be found even after a rough situation.

Sadly this novel is likely to be banned from many school libraries (LGBTQ, sex mentioned, swearing), which is a real shame because of how well the material is tackled.

***Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

This book was so healing to read. It's so full of joy and angst, highs and lows, and because of that, I couldn't imagine a better story for teens today. Miles is messy and real and we root for him throughout the entire book. Eric was also a delightful breath of fresh air, accepting Miles for who he is. I was close to tears a few times while reading this book and I'm so excited for everyone to read it. Valentine's Day is the perfect release date!

A day by day following of Miles a couple weeks after coming out as trans and being dumped by his boyfriend.

As a coming of age story it moves at a decent pace as a Miles blends his old life (which included his ex boyfriend) and his life moving forward with a new romance, friends, family, and a his piano rival. In comparison to all the other teen life stories, it is missing a little depth. Miles concerns were resolved easily thanks to all side characters being supportive blank canvases, including Eric. Eric as a love interest was lacking his own personality, the pieces were all there on paper but I would have liked more from them.

AlwaysTheAlmostAlways the Almost is a sweet and uplifting queer YA coming of age story and romance. Trans teen pianist Miles Jacobson has two New Year resolutions: win the annual piano competition and finally beat his long-time rival Cameron, and win back his ex-boyfriend Shane, who'd dumped him after Miles came out as trans. Things take a turn when Miles meets new boy Eric Mendez, a proudly queer cartoonist who asks for Miles' pronouns when they first meet, and who seems to understand Miles much more than Shane ever did.

In the foreword, the author provides some content warnings, along with a content promise: this story will have a happy ending. In the afterword, the author writes that this book is all about queer joy. And indeed, even long before the promised happy ending, this book is very much a celebration of queer joy. Miles' piano teacher comments that he plays like he "doesn't know who he is" -- the metaphor is rather obvious, but as a reader, you just get so caught up in Miles' story that you can't help but be drawn into his struggle anyway. The author's descriptions of the Miles' piano playing are powerfully evocative. Miles comes to several important epiphanies while practicing for the competition, and as a result, his piano playing isn't just a technical feat, nor is it even just a sharing of his story; rather, each practice and each competition is a journey towards his triumph. He learns not only who he is, but to celebrate all that the totality of his identity implies.

Miles is a flawed character, and I love how the author shows him growing as a person. The book also includes some incidents of transphobia, and how Miles' pain at times prevents him from fully being himself. But what I love is that the author also shows how his pain sometimes keeps him from recognizing and responding to other people's pain. This plays out most obviously in his relationship with Eric. There's a moment in the book where Miles does something that seriously hurts Eric, and causes Eric to pull away from him. In his attempt to make up, Miles focuses not on the harm he did, but rather on how much Eric's support helps him perform well on the piano. Worse, he chooses to do so at a time when Eric is dealing with family stuff that are, quite frankly, more important than Miles' feelings at that point. Eric rightly calls him out on such a selfish, self-centred attempt at apologizing, and Miles' journey towards realizing what he did wrong (it took him several more chapters to figure it out, LOL) is gratifying to see.

I like how the author creates nuance in his characters -- even Miles' ex-boyfriend Shane isn't a complete jerk, and there's a lovely moment when Miles realizes that Shane was genuinely trying to understand what Miles was going through. Cameron and his piano teacher remain straight-up villains till the end, but I like how some of the other competitors are fleshed out as characters even though they only show up for a couple of scenes. The subplot regarding the romance between Miles' best friends Rachel and Paige are also compelling, and I like that a secondary character involved in that subplot was also given nuance.

Overall, this is a lovely read. Queer and trans readers may want to look up the author's content warnings, as Miles, Eric, and some of the other characters do deal with some difficult experiences. But the main impression I got (with my admittedly straight and cis perspective) is one of triumph and joy. I loved following Miles through his journey, and cheering him and his friends on towards their respective versions of happiness.

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Thank you to St Martins Press for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had no expectations going into this novel since it was my first work from Edward Underhill and my first read with a trans main character. However, any expectations I would have had would have been blown away. I loved this book. It was an accessible read, leading me to devour it in less than a week. It was easy to read while still being beautifully written. It is just a story about some teenagers in high school and a piano competition, but it felt like so much more to me. As an educator, I love to find books for my classroom with quality representation, and "Always the Almost" fits the bill. The novel is cheesy and romantic without being too mature for a high school library. While it deals with some heavy topics, it remains light-hearted and joyful. It is the perfect read to recommend to my students, especially those who may be struggling with gender identity, sexual orientation, or just love in general. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Always the Almost is a great queer coming of age book. I really related and loved Miles!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

ALWAYS THE ALMOST is a perfect contemporary, and I can't recommend it more. It reads as a love letter to music and trans joy, but still allows the characters to be realistically and understandably messy. The voice is strong, the pacing is precise, and I loved every page. Sure to be a standout, lasting, and live-saving piece of queer literature for years to come.

This is such a cute and heartwarming book. It was so fun.

One thing I do hate is the third act breakup where characters just don't tell eachother things and it causes unnecessary conflict.

Miles has recently come out as a boy (as Miles is transgender) and is having a hard time dealing with his first big heartbreak/breakup from his ex-boyfriend Shane (Shane is straight and was dating Miles before he figured out his gender identity). One day while practicing piano in the school auditorium m, Miles meets the new student, Eric and a friendship and more blooms from there (Eric is also non-white and the narrative goes into discussions on this).

Miles is also a talented classical pianist who has recently started training with a new teacher with off the wall methods, Stefania.

This book has so much great stuff in it, it’s full of friendship, the many mistakes of messy teens, owning up to your mistakes and apologizing to your friends, working hard for your dreams and most of all woven throughout the narrative is the emphasis on trans and queer joy. It’s so beautifully interwoven to Miles’s character and the story as a whole and I think this will be a very special book to trans teens everywhere.

5/5 stars, an excellent read.

TW for transphobia and mentioning of MC’s deadname.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so I adored this book. It made me rethink how I made music (as a violinist and singer), and I loved the way that it captured being a trans person as just existing with moments of joy and moments of pain and I loved loved loved the romance. It’s fitting this book comes out on Valentine’s Day let me say that.

So there are lots of things to talk about but let’s get the music one out of the way first. I don’t know if this author is a musician, and to be fair, I haven’t done a lot of digging. But what I do know is that the way my favorite character (Stefiana) talked about music and what makes a good piece made me rethink all of my playing. She always wanted to know why Miles wanted to play and what emotions he wanted to convey with his music and that honestly changed my perspective on how I sing and play the violin. So there’s that.

I also really super enjoyed just all of the music aspects of this book like how Miles was seen practicing a Lot and yet it was never boring for me. Something interesting and plot related happened almost every time Miles practiced and it was lovely.

And now to talk about the awesomeness of Miles and the way I thought gender was represented in this book. So I would like to disclaim that although my gender is funky, I am not binary trans and everyone has different experiences and so I would always recommend reading reviews by other trans people too.

But I really loved how Miles was…human. And the experience here felt very realistic. Miles had moments when he felt a lot of gender euphoria and really good about himself. And he had days where someone was not nice or where he didn’t know how to proceed with certain things, and his days were worse. And there were people that supported him and accepted him really easily, and others who it took time for, and others who were just transphobes (the transphobes had barely Any page time and I really appreciated that, however their actions still affected Miles and that needed to be addressed).

Miles was also a really well-rounded character. He had interests and complex relationships with those around him and places where he felt safe and unsafe and just he felt very real to me. I loved reading through his POV because it always felt like I was reading through the perspective of a person.

The other characters also felt really well-rounded! I felt like some such as Cameron were a bit one-sided but they barely had page time and the other supporting characters in general seemed human as well. Especially Eric, Miles’s parents, and his friends. They had wants and needs and made mistakes and tried to make up for them. They had reasons for acting the way they did and the story took the time to explore this. It was super nice and it made me feel connected to all of the characters.

My favorite characters were Stefiana (Miles’s piano teacher) and Nina (the love interest’s little sister). Stefiana was just lovely all the time and I looked forward to every scene she was in (for her music advice and other things). Nina was Eric’s little sister and she was also super funny and sweet. Nina has Down Syndrome, but that wasn’t used for pity for Eric and his family, or to show Nina as some kind of superhero. She was just a kid who had a disability. I do not have Down Syndrome, and so I would recommend looking at reviews from people who do, but I was glad this representation was there and that it seemed to be respectful.

And now for the plot. This book wove the main plot of trying to win a piano competition with the secondary theme of becoming comfortable with yourself and self-love and love for others so beautifully. They were connected and I loved them. The piano plot helped with the love and acceptance plot, and the love and acceptance plot helped with the piano competition. I thought that was very well done and was very pleased with it.

All in all this book gets 5 stars from me.

A very very cute read!

The first half was absolutely adorable and so good, I enjoyed every minute of it, I loved Eric and Miles and all of the characters. And then the miscommunication trope hit. Oh how I hate that trope. After that, the writing just felt a bit inane and boring. There wasn’t as much vibrance and queer joy as I was hoping for for the ending, and everything felt quite rushed at the end. I would have loved this if the miscommunication trope wasn’t milked for all it was worth - but I did love the way that Miles ended up fixing it. All in all, not a bad read at all! And the piano scenes were so good - I’ve never read a scene with a character playing piano that I’ve loved more. Definitely recommend, especially because the cover is stunning!!

Aw, just your basic queer and trans YA coming of age romcom. I'm excited for this to be in school libraries.

Is it the best book i have ever read? It is not! But it is sweet and pretty fun and the growth in it is nice. I don't care at all about concert piano-ing but that didn't impact my joy in the book. I don't think the blurb quite matches up with the book itself, but it's close enough to get the right people reading it i think.

This book was emotional, swoon-worthy, and hilarious. The writing made me feel so entranced in the story that it didn't even feel like I was reading. This book reminded me so much of why it's so critical to show yourself love before you show it to anyone else, and I think this message should be spread to everyone, especially teens! Please pick up this book, you won't regret it.

This is a lovely coming-of-age story in which Miles, our main character, finds queer joy with the help of his piano teacher, love interest, and his friends. He begins the New Year with two goals; to win upcoming piano competitions and to get back together with his ex-boyfriend. Readers follow his narration as he learns more about what makes him happy and what music means to him, all while stumbling through messy friendships and relationships, as all teenagers do.

Highly recommended LGBTQIA YA Contemporary read.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC!

In the author’s notes, Underhill states that this is meant to be a story about joy and at its core, I truly felt every single ounce of that joy. There are pitfalls, pain, and a plethora of mistakes but it all encompasses that joy and happiness is within reach for everyone, regardless of what anyone else might think or believe. It’s a message that queer youths need and this is a beautiful example.

I absolutely adored Miles and I will protect him with everything I have. He’s not perfect, no one in this story is, but that’s what makes him feel that much more real. The struggle between who he was and who he is, if that person is the same or never was. I’ve never experienced the same struggles as Miles but I felt for him. I saw it so clearly through his eyes. He’s trying to find himself, find what brings him closest to his true self, and with that comes errors. That’s what it is to be human. Failure and discovery. It’s perfectly combined with his up and down feeling toward the piano, with the music itself mirroring his real life emotions.

I loved that the romance wasn’t completely at the forefront but blended into this journey of self discovery. Eric is questioning so much about himself and his story, along with Rachel and Paige’s, details perfectly how we can sometimes miss the pain of others when our own is overwhelming. The relationship between Miles and Eric was natural and I lived for the slow burn of it at the beginning, watching it slowly develop into something healthy and confident. It’s not without its problems but I think it only aided in bringing them closer. They’re communicative, sweet, and complimentary to each other the whole way through.

The entire world is this story felt so whole and like I was peering into someone’s life, a bystander to all
of these people coming into their own. Nothing will ever be perfect or exactly the way we imagine it might be but Miles finds himself, finds his identity among all of that. He’s such a rich character accompanied by a cast of friends and family that I found myself caring for.

It was truly a beautiful read and I think stories like these are exactly what is needed right now.

miles is a seventeen year old trans, and he have two new year’s resolutions. one being wining his ex shane back after they broken up after miles had came out as trans. two being beating his arch-nemesis at his piano competition. miles meets a new boy in town eric who spends a lot of his time drawing. after miles and eric fake date for a single night to enter a party they both realized they might have real feelings for each other.

i love miles as the main character he’s really enjoyable to read from his point of view. this book is filled with tons of trans joy and love. miles is a very messy characters and makes many mistakes which just adds to the story and drama and i was living for. i like seeing miles journey from his recent coming out as trans and what he have to deal with at school and at home with his parents.

i really enjoyed the first part of the book and then somewhere in the middle it kinda lost me a bit when there was a super long chapter at his first piano competition. i just was kinda bored and just didn’t care about that aspect but once we get over that it picked up again and still very much loved the rest of the story.

i loved eric as the love interest. he’s so cute and sweet and i just love reading about his character development. eric automatically accepts miles as trans and makes him feel comfortable in his body and making miles know that he sees him as a boy. so much queer joy in eric that i love and it was heartbreaking learning about his past. loved this book so much.

<b> thanks to netgalley for an audiobook arc. ♡

↳- 4.5/5 stars -༉‧₊˚✧ </b>

An absolutely beautiful and beyond moving queer story. You can’t help but root for Miles, even in his imperfections.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers/author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I literally read this book so fast. I fell absolutely in love with it. I was so excited for this book and stoked when I received it. The cover is gorgeous. I loved the author’s note in the beginning where he promises a happy ending.

This is a book highlighting queer/trans joy (and snark). Miles is a trans boy who just recently came out and was dumped by his boyfriend after his transition. He’s obsessed with trying to get him back as well as beat his rival in his piano competition. Everything is complicated when a new boy moves to town. Eric is sweet and understanding. He’s queer and asks his pronouns when nobody else does. He doesn’t have to fight to understand Miles. Everything just comes to him naturally.

I love a book with a great friend group. Miles has the cutest friends. Rachel and Paige are also gay and dating each other but they had been friends for years before. Miles has a very understanding mom and a dad who doesn’t always seem to see him the way he wants him to. Both of them have different expectations for him that he can’t uphold. There is also good disability rep with Eric’s little sister Nina. I adored how sweet and serious she was

Mistakes are made throughout this book and lessons are taught. Miles is able to grow as a person and understand who is he. He knows he’s gay, that he’s a boy, and that he deserves to be happy. It was so sweet I had to cry a little. There are lessons about beating the expectations that people put on you. Not everyone has your full story.

I love the term “queerdos” and am stealing it to identify myself with it, thank you very much.