I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I'm all about LGBTQIA books for teens and was even more thrilled to have a book about a transgender teen, but I did not enjoy the story. Some of the characters were so irritating and became difficult to enjoy their story. I will purchase the branch based on the subject matter.

Jess and Chunk have been friends since first grade when Jess befriended Chunk despite the bullying from others in the class. It's now senior year and Jess is transitioning and ready to enter college as a girl. Jess's father (who does not "approve" of Jess's "choice") is getting married. Although Jess doesn't want to go, Chunk offers to go along on a road trip to the wedding.

This is a story of friendship, life changes, hidden feelings, and ultimately an enlightening experience for both characters. It's a story needing to be told, and it flows quickly with humor and pathos. I don't really know why I didn't like it more. Maybe I was channeling Chuck (STOP calling him Chunk!) and getting fed up with Jess's self-absorbed attitude. Once the friends have it out (a pivotal scene), I felt much better about the story. Not the best I've read, but worth the time.

This is fun and really develops the characters well.

I loved the characters in this book ... and was secretly delighted with the ending. I can't imagine the struggles that Jess as had to go through and it was enlightening to see her physical and emotional journey through her eyes.

I went into this not knowing what to expect. I had a hard time getting a feel for the voice of the characters. I almost feel like this was two different books. The start and the end worked together but the middle was a bit muddled and confusing.

I loved Jess and Chunk. I really liked that Jess had such absolute acceptance from both her mom and her best friend. I also enjoyed the opportunity to navigate the changes that Jess was going through as well as the challenges that they created for her. I think the road trip was an amazing opportunity for Chunk and Jess to examine their friendship and their feelings. What a wonderful book!

An unexpected find! Disclaimer - I am not trans and my views are based on my own experiences.
The characters are very natural teens - they are annoying and don't always get along, and their conversations are authentic. Jess is not a perfect person, and is actually called out for her bad behaviour. There are a few tropes that follow traditional paths (unsympathetic transphobic father, fatshaming) that I wish were handled differently, but otherwise this is a very strong read.

I loved the realistic characters. Truly I could see some of my own friends in them. I appreciated the change in her father by the end. To me, it's the most important part of the story.

But, I thought it ended too abruptly. Kiss, hug, redeemed. The end. I think it needed a little more to feel real and fulfilling. The story was good in the beginning and partially the ending. But the middle gave me a good number of problems. Perhaps too much conflict which made it all confusing.

Overall, an okay read.