Okay I have to be honest, when I first read the description of this book, I thought it was about a woodshop teacher, so I was pretty confused that she was an English teacher. Ya learn something new every day. 🤦‍♀️

This is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It had me crying… In public. It also had me giggling to myself. Also in public.

The characters feel real. I refuse to believe they’re figments of Emily St. James’ imagination. It’s one of those rare books where you find yourself wondering what your friends are up to, only to realize that it’s not real life, it’s a TV show, but then you actually remember it’s a book… a really, really immersive book.

Erica’s vulnerability, shame, and eventual self-acceptance felt like a miasma wafting through my brain. Abigail’s bitchiness reminded me of a friend who wielded rudeness like a shield. The point is, I knew these people, and yet, I didn’t. Their stories were raw and unique, and that’s exactly what Emily St. James captured so beautifully. These trans women are on their own journeys, not clumped into representations of a community. All the characters in this book are complex, and messy, and human, and valid.

I know some readers didn’t like the Erica-Abigail dynamic, and I get it, but I couldn’t imagine DNFing this book because of it. Sure, Erica leaning on a 17-year-old feels cringey, but that discomfort is part of the story. People seek connection and support during difficult times. All people want to feel represented. That can be a huge challenge in conservative small towns. The author doesn’t shy away from the awkward, raw truths about transition, identity, and isolation.

I also loved that we left the book not as a “happily ever after,” but with the understanding that all of these characters are still on their paths, still figuring themselves out. There is life to live after the final chapter.

There is so much more I’d like to analyze (all the supporting characters (especially Brooke!!!), all the choices made and not made), but I think I’ll summarize with my The quote that meant the most to me:

“The cruelest thing about what you did is that you robbed yourself of definition. You only behaved rationally in the face of everything you had to face. But to disappear into the woodwork in the name of safety is still to disappear.”

4.75

setting: South Dakota
Rep: trans lesbian protagonist; queer trans protagonist

when I first started this book I wasn't sure about continuing because the narrative style threw me off, but it soon became the star aspect of the story. I love how Emily st james plays with the way the story is told, mostly through how she uses perspective, and it worked SO WELL. there were a couple of moments that truly stunned me. beautiful character work

A stunning examination of femininity, identity, and how change affects relationships.

Middle-aged high school teacher Erica has recently realized that she is a trans woman. Reaching out to Abigail, the only trans girl at the school Erica teaches at, seems like the best course of action for her to take. She can’t come out to her pregnant ex-wife Constance or Constance’s new husband. She can’t come out to her closest colleague(/friend?) Brooke. And she can’t reveal who she is to anyone in their conservative South Dakota town for fear of losing her job. With Abigail’s guidance, Erica takes steps toward finding herself after a lifetime of hiding.

Woodworking is the dual bildungsroman of Abigail and Erica. Their alternating chapters and the intricate characters involved in their lives create a rich and human story worthy of any reader.

Woooow, okay. I wanted to love this but I just couldn't. While I think the trans representation is so important, it was everything else I couldn't vibe with. The relationship between a teacher and student was so inappropriate, the affair was so unneeded, like it just made me dread Erica's chapters. I loved Abigail and her chapters so I found myself sort of jumping to them. Obviously as a cis woman, my opinions of the representation is minor but I do feel we need more trans lit fics.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

What a beautiful, big hearted book this is! It’s so awesome to read a book where trans characters get to experience joy and love and authentic acceptance not just trauma and hurt. The characters and relationships here feel honest and real in a way that only knowing these people inside and out can create. I enjoyed spending time with all of them tremendously.

What a stunning, heartbreaking, hopeful, perfect book. I am so, so obsessed with it and will be recommending it to anyone I know. It changed things for me <3

wanted to love this because i want to love all trans books, but the writing felt amateurish and i didn’t finish it.
(i won’t publish this on my storygraph, though — only submitting here to keep my review % reasonable.)

Abigail is the best kind of bitch. The kind that says what she means, is a little f-ed up, with an empathetic heart of gold. I loved her point of view and how much of a bratty teenager she was. This book was so clever with the shifting perspectives. I felt for the characters so deeply as their individual and collective stories unraveled.

A powerful debut, full of heart Interweaving the stories of two trans women, a student and her teacher, in small-town South Dakota. Both are coming of age in their own ways at very different stages of life, as they navigate the many forms of trans adolescence in the shadow of the first Trump presidency. This was so fun, heartwarming, and so important to read. TRANS PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT

This one was fabulous...I started out skeptical because teacher/student relationships (even platonic) make me uneasy, but Emily St. James does a wonderful job creating fully fleshed out characters you can root for. There were a few surprising revelations made throughout the book that kept the pages turned, and St James really shows the humanity of her characters.

Emily St. James’s Woodworking is a deeply felt, sharply observed debut about identity, community, and the surprising ways we find and sustain each other—especially when the world around us insists on misunderstanding who we are. It’s a novel that brims with emotional texture and interior insight, and one that defies conventional expectations at nearly every turn.

I checked out the audiobook on a whim, expecting to listen to half one day and the rest the next. Instead, I couldn’t stop. Narratively, it’s propulsive without being showy. I found myself quickly absorbed by the central relationship between Erica, a closeted trans high school teacher, and Abigail, a politically outspoken teenage girl who has been navigating the world as visibly trans for much longer than she should have had to. Their dynamic is layered with power reversals, emotional risk, and unexpected grace. There’s a real tenderness in the way St. James allows them to influence and challenge one another without ever veering into sentimentality or melodrama.

As the novel progresses, there’s a reveal that launches the story into a somewhat chaotic finale—a kind of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink twist that I normally might find frustrating. But here, it didn’t dampen my connection to the characters or their arcs. The emotional groundwork laid throughout the novel kept it grounded, even as the pace accelerated.

The book also makes some bold formal choices in its audio production: the use of static to signal deadnaming is inventive, if inconsistently applied. That inconsistency is worth noting, especially for listeners for whom those moments are emotionally charged. Deadnaming happens within the text itself, so content warnings may be necessary for some readers.

That said, the book feels remarkably generous. Woodworking doesn’t promise a neatly resolved ending or a world free of cruelty. But it does offer a space for possibility. It’s a story where mentorship can come from a teenager, where healing might involve someone from your past, and where chosen family isn’t always separate from blood. It also gently acknowledges the real-life complications of being trans in public, particularly for those who work in schools or conservative spaces. Erica’s fears around visibility reminded me of the same fear I carried when I worked in a Catholic school and knew that being open about my identity could cost me everything.

Abigail, though, is the heart of the novel. Fierce, reluctant, emotionally intelligent, and startlingly funny—she reminded me of Maeve from Sex Education in the best possible way. The book shines brightest when we see the world through her eyes.

Woodworking made my heart race, melt, and ache. It reminded me of my own formative friendships and the people who helped me see myself more clearly. It’s not a fairy tale, but it’s full of hope. For anyone who has lived through the loneliness of not being seen—and for those who have finally found someone who sees them—this book is a gift.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

Woodworking sat a bit uncomfortably with me, but I also found it a valuable read. The discomfort resulted from a —non-sexual— friendship between a high school teacher and a student. The teacher has realized she's trans and has turned to her school's only trans student for guidance on making her trans identity reality. I work with college level students, have developed long-term friendships with some of them—but the idea of a teacher expecting an already isolated teen to be her mentor in the process of becoming herself makes me deeply uncomfortable. It's a nice device in the context of a story, but in real life it sounds like putting a lot of weight on a young adult who is already carrying more than enough burdens.

What I enjoyed about this book was the way that it complexly introduced multiple trans characters and their relationships with one another and with others. There are ways to do things "right." There are ways to do things "wrong." And—surprise!—not all trans folk agree about what right and wrong are. All characters inevitably misstep and have to deal with the consequences of their mistakes/misunderstanding.

Woodworking really is a 3.5 star title for me, but I'm rounding my score up because I think the book deserves a broad readership.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Erica Skyberg spends her days teaching high school and her nights directing community theater. One of the students at her school, Abigail, is the first openly transgender person in her South Dakota town. Erica is also trans, only she hasn't told anyone yet. One day Erica reveals her true self to Abigail and the two form a hidden and unlikely friendship. Erica learns how to come out of her shell through Abigail, and the pair face the less-tolerant folks in their town in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election.

Woodworking was an amazing, heart-warming book about the importance of creating community and being open to one's self. I've loved Emily St. James' work since she was writing for A.V. Club years ago, so I was so excited to get to read her debut novel, and more excited that the book was a delight. It balances humor and emotion well and the story pushes the characters in good ways to force them to confront the feelings they are hiding from. The book builds out the town around Erica and Abigail and the second half of the book really just flew by for me as Erica's secret becomes more and more public. I highly recommend this book for people wanting a grounded, compassionate trans story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Media Reads for a copy of Woodworking in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel and the audio was excellent. It was a really well done story about trans in different generations and different challenges. I liked the twist in the middle. It was interesting.

I love Emily St. James. I think she’s a phenomenal writer and critic and her openness and honesty about transitioning has been so meaningful to me. When I heard that she was publishing a novel, I was thrilled.

This was a great book. A trans teacher forms a friendship with a trans student as they both try to navigate high school, although the teen seems to have a way better handle on things, “seems” being the operative word there.

As a teacher, I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more had I not been one. There was too much that made me go “No! NOOOO. TEACHERS CANNOT ______ WITH STUDENTS!!!!” be it texting, driving with, or being in places one on one. It was hard for me to get out of my own head about what’s been drilled into me since pretty much day one of teacher school.

Let me be clear: there is nothing untoward here. This is a mentor/mentee relationship, except the teen is the mentor, which is such a good take and honestly really refreshing to see. There were parts of this book that made my heart break and parts that made my heart sing. Emily St. James’s writing really is something special.

I think my favorite takeaway from this book is that there really is no one singular trans experience. It can be literally anything, and that’s so freeing once you realize it.

This was such a wonderful debut novel! I felt such a mix of emotions throughout the journey of the book- happiness, sadness, anger, love. I really loved the two main characters, Abigail and Erica. I thought they were well fleshed out and had such great personalities. While the story is chaotic at times, I think the message really shined through- about finding yourself and staying true to that, as well as supporting your fellow humans.

This was a really touching novel. I was reading it on a plane, making a fool of myself because I’m crying. Crying for happiness, and sadness too. Gender and how we define it were central themes in this book, from unique perspectives and characters. Emily St. James is a fantastic writer, I was drawn right in and immediately invested. I liked the variety of perspectives, viewpoints, and backstories of the main characters. Each person’s sections truly read as each persons unique personality

The plot was juicy and fast moving. There were a lot of characters but for once, I wasn’t confused about who was who. Each person was so distinctly themselves so it was easy to follow. This is a well written book, with vivid descriptions allowing the novels world to truly exist. There were elements of this novel that would appeal to anyone , including different genres like romance, literary fiction, and a coming of age angle too.

This book is like what I imagine an alternate world Hallmark movie would be like. It should be in this world too, but political situations continue to confound me. And I mean it in the best way, as a compliment. I’ve never actually seen a hallmark movie but they look like they’re emotionally satisfying and cozy for the heart. I had heard good things about this novel, but to read it - I was blown away!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with this novel. Centered around a trans teacher and her student, who came out as trans in a politically fraught way for the small South Dakotan town. The story is told in a series of alternating POVs, and I found each character's voice to be very unique. I think Emily St. James did what many authors fail to do which is write a pretty convincing teenager first-person voice. I loved it!

The thing that didn't totally work for me (but definitely wasn't a dealbreaker) was that there were two moments that, for the purposes of the plot, two different characters suddenly realize something by just a look at another character. I think it would have been more interesting to communicate the plot points in a different way.

That said, I'd recommend this book to pretty much everyone. I think the story itself is important, the prose is well-written, and the characters are sooo lovable (and frustrating sometimes), I wanted to spend more time with them!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Woodworking
By @emilystjams
Released 3/4/2025

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Blurb:
“An unforgettable and heartwarming debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.
As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the increasing scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women—and those closest to them—are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork?”

My thoughts 🧠🧐:
This book is spectacular and will stay with me for my entire life. I finished it last night at midnight and have already recommended it to 5 people.
This book takes such heavy and vast topics and winds them into an addictive story. I know this is a fictional story but how much of it really is? How many of us can relate to a character in this book, feelings expressed, oppression revealed. It goes so far beyond a coming out story or a commentary on politics or trans identity. This piece of art (calling it a story or book doesn’t seem enough) will become paramount in the queer community.

Go read it.

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