You know when you finish a really good book, and you have to physically give it a hug because you cannot contain how much you loved it? Well, I definitely did that with this book.

Miles Jacobson is a sixteen-year-old trans boy and pianist, whose New Year's resolutions are to win back his ex-boyfriend Shane and to win the biggest classical piano competition in the Midwest. Unfortunately, Shane broke up with Miles because he came out as trans, and as for the piano competition, his rival - Cameron - has won ever single year since forever. These New Year's resolutions will not be easy.

But maybe a new friend will help. Eric Mendez is the new kid in town, and soon Eric and Miles become close friends, bonding over their mutual artistic leanings - Miles a pianist, Eric a cartoonist. However, when they pretend to fake date in order to get an invite to the big couples-only Valentine's party at their school, things take an unexpected turn.

What's really important? Winning back Shane, or exploring where this new relationship might go?

I absolutely loved everything about this book! The trans representation! The intersectional considerations of being queer and brown! A non-stereotypical and dynamically portrayed character with Down's Syndrome! So many good things! So! Many!

I literally did hug my Kindle when I was finished reading it. Absolutely 5 stars for me, and I will be investing in a copy of this book for our library.

"Always the Almost" is an incredible debut from trans author Edward Underhill.

The relationship between protagonist Miles Jacobson and love interest Eric Mendez is so refreshingly healthy, centering unconditional support while still highlighting the importance of establishing boundaries.

As a teacher, this is a book I'll be recommending to my students. And as a reader, this will be one of those rare books I see myself reading again and again.

~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review~
A feel-good contemporary YA romance about a queer trans boy, Miles, who is trying to figure out who he is on the precipice of a classical piano competition. For a debut work, the writing is solid, letting Miles's personality shine through while also touching on topics such as struggling with gender dysphoria and friendship. I loved and related to Eric's character so much and I feel like this would've been an even better story if we got duel perspectives between him and Miles. I also found Miles a ~tad~ unlikeable (just based on the shit he says and does to his friends and Eric), but this is mostly solved by the end of the story. Lastly, I would've preferred if Eric and Miles's relationship was a little more slow-burn. Overall, however, this was a wholesome own-voices romance, and I can't wait to see what Edward Underhill comes out with next!

I loved a lot of things about this book, but I think what gets me the most is how YA it feels. I love a lot of things about queer YA: the messy characters, self-discovery, understanding of others, the unparalleled feeling of joy. But I think the true heart of why it means so much and why it is a genre that feels like home is that queer YA authors pour so much love into their books. And that is certainly true for Always the Almost.

So, what's it about? Always the Almost follows Miles, a pianist who's just come out as a trans guy to his friends and family. When New Year's comes around, he finds himself missing his ex-boyfriend, who broke up with Miles after he came out. Logically, as any (un)reasonable teenager would, Miles makes a resolution to win his ex back. He also decides that this year will be the time he beats his insufferable piano rival. Then when Miles comes back to school following winter break, he meets the new kid in town, Eric. Eric is everything Shane (the ex) was not. He's comfortably queer, understanding, intuitive, and cute in an entirely different way. He makes Miles feel things.

Always the Almost is a story about all those typical queer YA feelings; it's about feeling as if everything you do almost enough, but not quite there — like you can never truly be yourself. And while I am not trans myself, just this base feeling of always having to reach farther is something I can painfully relate to. And it also really warms my heart to think about all the trans kids who might pick up this book and see themselves in it — who might relate to Miles even more than I did.

I loved the progression of Miles' music throughout the book. I honestly felt Miles rise up to the challenge, and struggle to find himself in his piano playing. I loved watching his understanding and self-discovery influence his passion. It's such a real, beautiful thing to let your personality seep into your hobbies and passions.

I absolutely adored Eric. He was so understanding and caring, and he always knew what to say — or at least he always clarified. I loved his development as the love interest and supporting character for Miles' journey. Although I gotta say that I was not a big fan of Miles' friends. Maybe they reminded me too much of people I know in real life, or maybe they were just simply a lil too messy for even my messy heart. But I did really appreciate their respective life experiences and character arcs. They felt real, and they weren't perfect, but I could tell they cared. Maybe they weren't always the best friends to Miles, but we've all got our own problems to deal with.

And Miles. Oh, Miles. He made so many mistakes. Like, mistakes that I saw coming chapters ahead and wanted to just grip him by the shoulders and yell at him for. But that's kinda why I'm reading, isn't it? To see him mess up and come back from it. To see the "epic highs and lows" of... piano?? competitions??? (ok sorry, I'll stop now) But anyway I really liked him as a person and a protagonist, messy in everything he is.

Always the Almost is so joyful. It's a story of a gay trans guy. A story of a piano player. A story of a true teenager. It's a story about messing up and finding love and messing up again and coming back and doing it again, and again, and again. It's a story about understanding others as well as yourself. It's a warm hug to queer YA as a genre, and a read to make you smile. It's happiness in the face of darker moments. It's joy.

Content Warnings: transphobia, deadnaming, homophobia, bullying, mentions of racism, infidelity (kiss), gender dysphoria

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!

"Always the Almost" is a beautiful tale of queer romance intertwined with self-discovery and appreciation. The story was captivating and the characters were lovable. Edward Underhill's writing style was unique and I especially enjoyed the many ways he incorporated parentheses into the pages! Recommend this to any romance lovers!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review*

Always the Almost was everything I needed in a YA contemporary romance with a trans-MC. It did not let me down in any way and I cried at the end because Miles grew in every way that he needed to.

All the characters were so good, and I loved all of them.

Trans joy is something I don't see a lot of and I loved it in this book. Give me more of this!!

Wildly charming, quite nerdy, and thoroughly heart-warming. As always, there is nothing I love more than fake-dating. I'm so appreciative to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the eARC.

4.5*

Oh boy, teenagers are such a mess.

Always the Almost was a delightful, touching, heartwarming debut from Edward Underhill.
I enjoyed the journey Miles took over the course of this book. He was so set in his goals, it was good to see him come to the realization that what he thought he wanted wasn't quite what was best for him.
This book felt ao authentic in how it portrayed the messiness of young adults. I can't speak to Miles experiences as a trans boy, but a lot of what he went through was your typical teen angst- breakups, new love, never feeling like you're good enough. Miles had the added weight of having recently come out of trans, and having to navigate all that entailed, with friends, family, and acquaintances.

This was a wonderful story of self discovery and self acceptance, and learning your way in life.

Edward Underhill is definitely an author I'll be keeping my eye on!

This is a cute, fluffy story that packs a punch. I’m always looking for representative books and this is not only repping the LGBTQ+ community (with a focus on queer and trans individuals), but it’s also a great representation of the music world (piano competitions specifically).
Miles is a trans boy who’s got a New Year’s resolution. To make his ex boyfriend realize: that Miles is still the same as he was before he came out. He also wants to beat Cameron Hart at the Tri State piano completion. And let’s just throw in a really cute new kid who doesn’t know about Miles’ past.

This is a beautiful story, a quick read, and even when Miles messes up, I still find myself cheering him on and hoping it all works out. I am so ready to get this books in the hands of my students.

This is an easy read. Miles is newly transitioned and struggling to find his Identity among his peers. He meets Eric at school and they hit it off right away but Miles is still hung up on his ex BF.

We follow Miles on his way to the national piano championship as he deals with some challenges along the way.

I liked the first half of the book better then the second half. About 75% of the way through there's some unnecessary drama that I wasn't big on.

In the end the book has a happy ending and that's what matters.

This book was so, so, SO excellent. I was so wrapped up with all the characters, but especially Miles. The story was so raw and real and funny and heartbreaking and just lovely. There needs to be more books like this, please and thank you.

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill is a debut novel that one can tell the author put his heart and soul into.

Miles Jacobson, high school transgender boy, just wants to date his ex boyfriend football star once more and outplay his piano nemesis at competition. But, unfortunately, these wants are not possible at the moment. For one, Miles was just broken up with by said football star. Oh, and his piano teacher is expecting him to find himself in the piece and play like that.. not just play to play. But luck is about to turn around for Miles with new boy, Eric. Hopefully, Miles will be able to see himself for who he truly is before their high school era runs out.

I truly enjoyed reading Edward Underhill’s debut novel and recommend this for anyone to put on their shelf. It was even better knowing the author’s backstory and acknowledging that his experiences were genuine. I can’t wait for others to experience Always the Almost.

Always the Almost was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it did not disappoint. It was a mix of coming of age, some romance, a celebration of queerness, and an all around enjoyable story to read.

Miles has recently come out as trans and it cost him his boyfriend and put some strain on his and his parents relationship. He's also starting training with a new piano teacher and is wondering if it's just one change too many, enter Eric. He's new in town and unapologetically queer. He sees Miles and respects him and truly understands his experiences in ways no one else in his life does, but Miles is still holding onto pieces of his past. He's not ready to let go of everything he once had, which may cause him to lose everything he's gained since coming out.

Always the Almost was a sweet story, but touched on tougher subjects (such as struggling with one's queer identity, bullying, cheating, and some all around, classic teenage angst). At times beautiful, and at times heartbreaking, Always the Almost was a captivating read from start to finish.

This was a beautiful YA debut featuring a queer trans teen boy with dreams of becoming a piano prodigy and is still in love with their ex-boyfriend. This book was so heartfelt and moving as Miles tries to improving his piano playing, find love, be a good friend and fall in love again as a boy for the first time. Full of great messages about acceptance, self-love and body positivity. I absolutely loved this book! Great on audio too and recommended for fans of authors like Tobly McSmith. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was honest and beautiful. Given that the author is also a queer trans man, I think this gives the book even more substance. Edward is able to give an authentic view of what his character Miles goes through. What I loved most about this book is that while there are low points, the highs definitely outweigh them. This book celebrates and embraces queer trans kids. It uses the universal language of music to bond people together throughout the book.

Always the Almost is about Miles Jacobson, a high school boy and piano player who recently came out as trans. The book follows him trying to win back his ex, win a piano competition, navigate friendships, and figure out his feelings for a new boy at school. I thought this book looked nice and was interested in how piano playing was part of the novel so I was excited to read it!

I thought this book was super cute! The characters were great and acted like real people, the piano stuff interesting enough for me as a non-musical person, and there were some parts that were adorable and made me smile. I loved the representation of a child with Down syndrome and how she was included in activities with older characters. The relationship and identity progression felt very natural for me and I was excited to see how it worked out. I liked learning about Miles's switch to a new piano teacher to demanded him to think more about what music meant to him, which affected the way that he played piano. It was interesting and I'm glad that the book focused on it!

Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you are in the mood for a cute YA romance! 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 from me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I think this is probably going to stay in the top spot as the sweetest and most heartfelt YA book I will read for 2023 with some awesome cover art. Always the Almost by Edward Underhill is a YA LBGTQIA romance novel about a teenage trans boy named Miles. Miles has recently started transitioning and is really struggling to figure out who he is as Miles. While this story is a romance it also dealt with a lot of emotional and difficult topics such as having parents that struggle with accepting Miles’ transition and Miles struggling to really feel comfortable in his skin and who he is becoming. While Miles had two really great friends that were very supportive of him there were two really important characters in this novel that were integral to Miles path of self discovery. Eric, his bf, and Stefania, his piano teacher. Eric taught Miles that there were going to be people in his life that would accept him no matter what his pronouns were or what his body looked like. Eric loved Miles for who he is and not what he is and I just loved that so much. Stefania taught Miles that if you just looked a little harder you could find yourself in places you didn’t think to, like piano. As a newly queer boy Miles connection with the piano was struggling, but with Stefania’s special brand of tough love and forced self reflection she helped Miles to see that his new self not only fit into the world of piano just as smoothly as before and that there was a history of queer individuals in music for him to look up to. I can’t say enough how lovely this book was and how gently it dealt with topics concerning those within the trans community. If you’re a person that loves romances this book is for you!

This was exactly what it needed to be all while being able to make my stomach flutter. It felt like a warm hug in the best sort of way.

I absolutely adored this book. I finished it in one sitting on a long flight and it was so delightful. The growth and self-assurance that Miles develops is so powerful. Eric is a wonderful example of the partner every trans and/or queer person deserves. He is open and loving and dives right in with Miles. I appreciated that while their relationship was certainly a key part of the story, the main focus was on Miles and his own personal development alongside his music. Highly recommend this one - especially if you are a queer/trans person!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!