I would like to thank NetGallery and Kodansha Comics for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
This was a lightheaded story about a group of 4 people that meet up to eat sweets. This has lgbt+ characters but never real life dramas. Easy to read and never stressful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This was such a cute manga! I wasn’t sure what to expect with the title, but I’m glad this ended up being good. I really loved how this manga focused on gender identity. I’m interested in reading more of this series.

This story follows a guy who cross-dresses to meet up with a group of girls to eat sweets. The Funny thing is they all have the same secret, which comes out through the story. I think the funniest part of this story is the girl in the background who keeps overhearing them as they reveal their secrets. Would be interesting in seeing where this story goes.

This was a super fun and cute manga 1st volume and i cannot wait to read the rest of the series, Learning about Cocoa and why she cross dresses and her 'real' identity aswell as learning about Opera-san, Lemon-san and Taro-San was also super fun.

While this story is about Cross dressing there is also Trans representation in the story line which was nice to see.

3.5 stars

Not really my cup of tea. (I know I like to go into things without preconceived notions, but sometimes I feel like I should have read the blurb more completely.)

The art was decent, but I did have problems differentiating the characters for more than half the book. (All of volume 1 basically.)

There wasn't much in the way of plot. I like character growth to happen within a story rather than the growth being the story.

**Review of *I Crossdressed for the IRL Meetup***

*I Crossdressed for the IRL Meetup* is a delightful and heartwarming manga that expertly navigates themes of identity, friendship, and love in a refreshing and engaging way. This charming story, encompassing volumes 1 and 2, follows Cocoa—actually Satoshi—a young man who cross-dresses to fit into an all-girls meetup centered around sweets and desserts.

From the outset, the manga captures the tension and excitement of online interactions and the challenges that come with presenting oneself authentically. Cocoa’s initial motivations for joining the group are simple: a love for delicious treats and a desire for connection. However, as the story unfolds, it evolves into a rich exploration of gender nonconformity and self-acceptance.

The friendships Cocoa forms with the other girls in the group are beautifully illustrated, showcasing the warmth and camaraderie that blossom over shared desserts and laughter. Each character is well-developed, and the dynamics among them create a relatable and inviting atmosphere. The pivotal moment when Opera discovers Cocoa’s secret leads to a surprising twist that deepens the plot, revealing Opera’s own hidden identity and mutual feelings. Their relationship becomes a tender exploration of attraction that transcends traditional gender norms.

The art style is vibrant and expressive, perfectly complementing the lighthearted tone of the story while also capturing the deeper emotional moments. The dessert cafes are depicted with such charm that readers can almost taste the sweets themselves!

What truly stands out about *I Crossdressed for the IRL Meetup* is its celebration of authenticity and the courage it takes to be oneself. The manga balances comedy and heartfelt moments with finesse, making it an enjoyable read for those who appreciate stories about self-discovery and acceptance.

Overall, this manga is a sweet treat that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. It’s a joyful reminder that love and friendship can flourish in the most unexpected places, and that being true to oneself is the most delicious journey of all. A must-read for fans of lighthearted romantic comedies and anyone curious about the beautiful complexities of identity!

A fun and pleasant manga about four friends who cross dress but don't know it to begin with. It was cute and easy to make your way through, though I'd agree with the other reviews that say there isn't really much more to it than that, but sometimes you don't need anything more than a book that makes you smile and lets you while away a gentle hour or two.

3.5-4 stars

I thought this was a really cute story overall. It did get a bit confusing between all the characters and I wish there was a little more of the minor characters in the story. I was also pretty confused on the movement between panels and pages. At times, I felt like the pages were out of order since what was happening in the story was kind of confusing.

I would say that the storyline was nice, but could do with some more backstory on all four characters from the meetup. It really could do with more explanation within the story (not in the character pages in the beginning of each volume) of who each character is and their situation.

This was just a fun comedy manga, it questions at least partly if also in a light way the stereotypes of genders and that was interesting. I will likely keep reading this if I am looking for some lighthearted comedy (it gives a bit less fluffy slice of life than other comedies that involve romance and is more based on friendship and just weird "by-chance meeting" comedy).

3.5/5

This book was so much fun. It was silly and cute and just overall a really good slice of life story. I personally think gender and gender expression were handled quite well in this story. I wouldn't say the translator's note at the end was very necessary. Everything said or thought by the characters was in good faith. Nobody ever questioned Kantentarou and her being a trans woman. They were all perfectly fine with it. I also liked that they kind of slid in that Lemon doesn't really care about his gender and how he is perceived and that he was openly bisexual. Opera and Cocoa are super cute and fun friends and definitely my favorite pair. They were so funny sometimes with the situations they found themselves in. Overall a really fun read. I can't wait to read the whole series.

This story relies too heavily on the cross dressing trope. There wasn't any substance to the story and sadly it was boring.

Review to be posted in October on my blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

A fun meeting over sweets with four girls ends up with a lot more surprises than anyone had expected. This was a lot of fun to read (and made me laugh more than once) and I love seeing them all still meet up even when the secrets were all out. I am kinda happy that there is no romance (at least not yet) between Cocoa and Opera, I don't know, I just don't see the click. I am hoping for romance between Lemon and Kan because I just love those two together and I do see a click between them.

I loved that we didn't just get to see Cocoa and Opera as their cross-dressed personas, but also see them outside of that. Find out more about their personalities, and how they got into cross-dressing + how they got so good at it. Plus, see them explore more things about cross-dressing, getting even better at make-up (I wish I was that good, haha, and with me many other characters in the manga), wigs, and more.

I love that we get to see things from various POVs. The main focus is of course Cocoa and Opera, but we also see Lemon/Kan, which made me smile.

Plus, I hope to see more of that girl that coincidentally was there each time something happened. Which just made me laugh so much, how does that happen. XD

I also enjoyed the art a lot! It was so much fun.

All in all, this one made me laugh SO much, it was chaotic but not in a bad way, and I definitely want to read the next volumes in the series~

I had my reservations going on this one, but the summary made me trust and, man, I wasn´t dissapointed!

This is a cozy and wholesome story about 4 women who meet online and decide to hang out together at coffee shops (because they all like sweets) as a group of friends. But, early in the comic, we find out one of the girls is trans, and the three others are boys cross-dressing.

It was great seeing how this different people embraced their sexuality and had different reasons for cross-dressing (the most common and brief of it was simply that they liked dressing like that). I personally loved that, once it was discovered this plot, it was treated naturally and not questioned or ridiculed (no, this is not common for manga, that´s part of the reason why I like this development so much). The characters kept cross-dressing for the entire story and, chapter by chapter, we found out a bit more about them.

I hope more volumes get translated and published, because this one was a jewel. I recommend.

I initially picked up this book hoping for Princess Jellyfish vibes, but this is not that – and in a great way! The story kicks off with Opera and Cocoa meeting two other friends for a pastry-filled lunch date. Early on, one of the friends is immediately recognized as a cross-dresser by another member of the group, and from there, the story unfolds into the origin stories of each character. While potentially triggering subjects are touched on, they’re handled with care and subtlety. Each character in this friend group is so interesting and unique. I highly recommend it!

Almost as sweet as the treats they eat,This book was utterly delightful and a joy to read. I couldn't put it down. I love all the expressions of gender and seeing people explore what that means to them. I love that the characters were able to have misunderstandings and talk through them in a way that deepened their bonds. The world would be a better place if this was how we spoke to each other. I look forward to the next installment. You'll definitely find me on the couch with a cute pastry in hand and this book to keep me company.

A cute story but lacking the character development I was hoping for.

I am not a crossdresser or Trans person so I can't comment on how this series does it justice or doesn't, but I felt it did do it well enough and didn't seem offensive. I also enjoyed it touched on liking someone for who they are, instead of a "gender" which is a nice way to look at how we do fall for people. Overall the characters were lacking, and while it was funny both main leads were both boys but one was falling for the other, I didn't get attached overall to anyone by the end of volume 1.

But for being different, and lighthearted and fun, it's a easy fun read. A 3 out of 5.

I initially had pretty low expectations, but I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this manga! I like the authors note at the end and how they dealt with pronouns in the English translation.

I loved how this manga obviously focuses on how these characters are dressing as women, but never in a way that is making fun of them for doing so. There are jokes related to them keeping the toilet seat up or missing a part while shaving, but never about the characters cross dressing itself. All of their friends are supportive of them and I love that.

I really liked the art style and the character designs as well. I loved all the little details too, such as Cocoa and Lemon’s earrings.

3.5 and looking forward to more! I really appreciated the translation note at the end that discussed how they chose to make certain translation choices based around respect/consideration of gender and sexuality and what the story was trying to convey when we have very different concepts of gender expression and pronoun usage in our cultures. I’m enjoying all the individual characters, I am a little confused in terms of if there’s romance happening or not, as it seemed to lean yes but then seemed to take a sharp turn into a no unexpectedly for me. I did have trouble following the overarching thread that connected some of the stories together/felt certain scenes were abrupt. But this is such a fun story of coincidences, experimenting with gender, and friendship.

This was a very wholesome story! I loved the level of acceptance in their friend group and how the two main characters look out for each other. This is just volume one and I'm already excited to read more about the Characters!

It’s beyond me how I found a story that made me go “wow,” under the guise of a guy dressing as a girl eating cake.

♡ Trope: gender identity, cross-dressing
♡ My rating: 8.5/10

Ready? Story time!

What would you do to eat some sweets?

Follow the story of Satoshi. The persona he’s known for isn’t exactly associated with eating sweets, thus, “Cocoa” is born. With the help of social media magic, he can blend in with a group of girls who meet up once a month to eat sweets!

There’s more than meets the eye here and I love when stories catch me off-guard like this. This story explores how to be comfortable in your skin; it handles gender identity and how to find yourself. I enjoyed the emphasis put on “it’s who you are on the inside that’s important and you should be the you that you feel the happiest with.”

This is an introspective take on gender. This is a very private, personal topic, and I was delighted to see it be treated with care and respect. Even if some characters make comments that come from a place of non-malicious ignorance, they’re willing to correct themselves. I take my hat off to the editors at Kodansha for adding a note regarding the pronoun choices in the localization.

This story feels wholesome and lighthearted with its comedic elements. The emphasis isn’t romance, but friendship (for now, at least.) I didn’t mind how some chapters are long and others are short. It’s not perfect, but! It’s a fun story that made me wish for an outing to eat cake with some friends, myself!

This manga will likely resonate with readers who want stories on the more real side of things. Plus, this is a tankobon, so it’s a hefty one with two volumes in one! I recommend giving this a read, it’s a beautiful work.

See you in the next one!