Some Girls Bind

I was very excited to get a copy of this book from NetGalley because it’s about a genderqueer character. But overall my experience with this book was mediocre.

I do believe that a large part of the problem was the terrible formatting in the NetGalley ARC. This isn’t the first time the problem has happened to me and it’s really starting to frustrate me. But nevertheless I plugged along, trying to get the most of the read.

Some Girls Bind is told in poetry form. Which I hadn’t been expecting and was honestly a little disappointed by. Poetry novels are not my favorite. I don’t think that the character development goes deep enough in this format and thus I don’t end up connecting enough with the characters. I was never able to get a good feel for Jamie.

While I give this book points for trying, I just don’t think it hit the mark like it should have. I don’t think that the book has the best representation, even the title is misleading. But then I’m not genderqueer and maybe others will get more out of it than I. It’s definitely worth a chance.

In the end I gave this book 3 stars.

I adored this illuminating story about a gender non-conforming teen trying to find their place in the world.

Note: I identify as Cis so please seek out own voices reviews for thoughts on the representation.

This is what is considered “hi-lo” fiction—short books that are designed to encourage young, reluctant readers to read more. This one seems like it is aimed for an early middle school to early high school audience, so basically mid-middle grade and early young adult. I did like this story quite a bit and I thought the diversity shown here was fantastic. I love seeing more LGBT+ novels entering the world and it is particularly good to target younger audiences. Novels like these encourage open-mindedness and may help readers become more accepting of others as well as themselves.

I will admit, I felt once again that this was a topic that would have been better suited to a slightly longer format. I think expanding the story just a little bit would help readers connect with the characters and better understand the subjects being addressed. However, James does present and explain the process of discovering ones’ identity in a clear and concise way. This is a positive story that I could definitely see inspiring readers to better understand who they are and helping them view the world in a new light. The main characters were likable and easy to connect with, which makes this a fairly engaging reading experience. Overall, I think this is a solid addition to both hi-lo and LGBT+ literature.

*thank you to Netgalley and West 44 Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Wow. I dont know what I was really expecting when I took interest in this. It sounded different to anything I had really read and I was right about that. This book was SO good! It was written in verse, a poetic way that made it beautiful. The characters are people who most of us can relate to, with very updated issues. I have never read a story where the main character is genderqueer so I really enjoyed being inside her head. 

One word to describe this book, beautiful. Simply beautiful. Im not usually someone who enjoys poetry, but this was well written. Im adding it to books I want to own a physical copy of.

This powerful novel in verse follows Jamie, a teenager coming to terms with her identity as gender queer. Though her friends are accepting, Jamie struggles with the decision to tell her loved ones. Verse is the perfect way to tell such a complex and real story. What makes this book even more powerful is that it can be considered an #ownvoices book, meaning the author has had personal struggles relating to gender issues. In my opinion, this makes the book more realistic knowing that the author is able to relate to the main character in a way I cannot.

I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley, and my review was delayed because the formatting was AWFUL when my friend, who had also received an ARC showed it to me. I didn't bother downloading it for myself, I just bought myself a physical copy of the book since I didn't want formatting issues to affect my review. Anyway.

I loved this book. I've read close to zero books with a nonbinary character, and this was the first book with the main character as such.

First off, I loved the fact the book was written in poetry form. I rarely see books written well in poetry form, but Some Girls Bind was executed beautifully. The story is essentially about Jamie, who is not "she" but rather, "they". I enjoyed the poems but at the end of the novel I still didn't know anything about Jamie other than the fact they are genderqueer.

I guess books written in verse can only go so deep, but I was still hoping that this book, with all the barriers it crossed, would make the character a little more *real*. I like that the book is a relatable book to so much of the NB community, and I can't speak for them, but I don't think their entire identity revolves around being genderqueer. They still have personalities and stuff so for that, I can't give the book a five star rating.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the premise, and I really liked how it explored the process of working through questions of gender identity rather than it just being a basic coming-out story. The novel-in-verse format lent itself really well to the sort of introspective tone of the book. On the other hand, it was really short, in a way that made it feel somewhat underdeveloped.

I saw this at my library and I was so excited to see this type of book ready for teens to read! I think this is the type of book that needs to get out there! This is about a person who is going through their own journey. Figuring out about binding and gender. It is written in verse but flows very well. It seemed very dull at some points but all together it was a great read. I cannot wait til this can reach more people and make a difference!

This is going to be a short review.
Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc in exchange of a honest review.
So liked this book. It was in verse or poem kind of way. The story is about friends who have secrets which only the group knows and how the main character has secret which she hasn't told anyone so the in way it's coming out story.
Short read. And good story.

The first thing that stood out to me is that this book is written in poetic prose. This is the first time I have read a lyrical novel, but it was really easy to read. The story was interesting, however, it wasn't that complex though and it was a little too easy to read. It reminded me of a book for younger readers more than a young adult novel, I managed to read it in one morning.

However, this is an important book. Yes, it's a short tale, but it's full of really important themes that would be a comfort for any genderqueer teen looking to find something that represents them and what they are going through. It's a tale of self-discovery and coming out, and it's a tale of understanding and acceptance with a sub-plot about a gay couple who are also going through their own coming-out to their family and the fall-out from that.

Jamie always felt different, but throughout the book, they realise why that was. They learn about themself, what pronouns they want to use and discuss the complex emotions that come with binding and dealing with the everyday world which is so set on gender splits. Jamie struggles with the decision about who to tell about their status, and when to tell them. They want to tell everyone who they are but their scared of how people will react. This is a very real situation that a lot of genderqueer teens and adults, can relate to.

I feel like this is a really important addition to my shelf as it opened my eyes about what genderqueer/non-binary people go through, and it showed me how our world still has a long way to go to break the trend of only having two genders. We need more gender neutrality which is something I have always supported, but through this book now understand even more.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.
I gave this a four out of five stars and I really enjoyed it. There someone whose gender queer, gay and, questioning. When the main person Jamie is coming to terms with themself. I noticed some similarities from when I was coming to terms with myself being gay. I absolutely recommend you to pick this up. I highlighted some lines that I liked in things poetry and this book made me cry.

Some lines I liked:
“We’re here, and we’re queer”

“”So what about pronouns?” Levi asks this as he weaves the car out of the park. “How should I refer to you?””

“Whatever you want, I. I just want you to be happy.”

“Whatever you decide— Jamie, James, gay, straight, whatever— it’s okay.”

“”Just always remember: you’re everything you need to be right now and it’s enough.””

“”You’re allowed to panic.””

And there many more I like too.

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this because I was super excited by genderqueer rep in YA books. The title and the description are pretty misleading. Just assume everything I type is going to be a spoiler after this line. Ok, so Jamie is genderqueer, that is established super early on in the book with very little fanfare. There is a lot of angst about coming out, but the identity itself was super easy. They started using they pronouns pretty early in the book, so I wouldn't feel comfortable using she like the description does. This is why I hate the title. Jamie doesn't identify as a girl, so why is the title about being a girl? There are so many lines where Jamie expresses how they are neither girl or boy, so why did this title stick? It is so untrue to the character and to the idea behind the story. It invalidates the feelings that Jamie expresses over and over again in this book. 

The reason why I can still rate this book as high as I do is there is the background characters. There are gay people coming out to differing degrees of acceptance, there is the older brother who is a total sweetheart (made me tear up at one point), and then there are the straight and cis characters who have actually things going on in their lives that is unrelated to sexuality which gives the book depth. The book otherwise had no depth. It was just angsty poetry about being afraid to come out. It read much below the age of the characters in the book too. If this was aimed at or about ten year olds, then this would have made perfect sense. Instead I am left feeling like I was being talked down to instead. 

The ARC file I received was also very much inaccessible at times with formatting and repeating of whole sections of the book. I am hoping this is cleared up with the final ebook that is for sale, but it makes me wary of recommending buying the ebook instead of the hard copy. The hard copy version would be better because it would give a more tangible weight to my favorite part of the book. The one line that made this book make a huge impression on me. 

There is a line that stood out as so wonderful and so necessary that it made me tear up. The older brother tells Jaime that they are perfect and they are enough. If someone had said that to me when I was coming to terms with my gender, maybe I wouldn't still be ashamed and hate what I am. Maybe I wouldn't still struggle with my body and my mind on a daily basis. Seeing a character get that level of support and hearing the exact words that I would have needed touched me so deeply. I just can't get over it. That line alone would have made this book worth reading. I can ignore all of my bad feelings and recommend this book based on that one line.

This book has such important subject matter and I liked the stream of consciousness format of it, but it was weighed down by a jarring unfinished format and a pretty unremarkable writing style

Some Girls Bind was such a unique story for me, I've never read a book where the main character is genderqueer before so it was a great experience being able to see through Jamie's eyes.

Jamie are adorably sweet and strong nontheless. I loved seeing how they discovered how they felt about their identity and how that was perceived by other people. Their struggle was so saddening but truthful, this is one of those books that make you feel exactly what the character is going through and that made it a very moving story.

Moreover, we have a friend group in here that was just the most adorable thing to read about, they are all so supportive to each other and they created a safe space where everyone can be their true selves without feeling judged. And that's also another nice thing about this book, every friend had their own challenges and things they had to deal with, it was a very diverse group and we don't get that often.

The problem I had with this book, though was that after finishing it I cannot exactly tell you anything else about Jamie apart from the fact that they are genderqueer. I was expecting to get to know them better but I get the story focuses only on that aspect.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and very eye-opening read but I didn't give it 5 full stars because I would have like to know Jamie outside of their gender identity too.

This is a great book about a genderqueer character coming to terms with their gender identity. I did get emotional a couple of times while reading this as a strongly resonated with it. While I did enjoy this book, it did feel almost dramatic at times as the main character was full of angst and was convinced their parents wouldn't accept them. Although, having said that, even though it seems dramatic while reading it, that is exactly what many trans and non-binary people go through while considering coming out. I knew my mum would accept me when I came out but I still misinterpreted certain things she said and I was extremely anxious about coming out to her. Coming out is scary and difficult even if you know your family are open-minded people who will love you reagrdless, but I digress. I thought this was a great story of friendship, family, secrets, and queer identities.

3.5 Stars
*I received an eArc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest answer*

This book was fine... The only somewhat interesting thing about this book is the fact that the main character was genderqueer. Other than that I found the main character to be pretty bland for me to be honest, and I don't think it's helpful for a character's most interesting trait to be their gender identity. However, I can see how the main character's story could be affirming for another reader and actually how the character's blank personality might help others relate to it even more, by being able to place themselves into the story. I didn't find that the way the story was written (through verse) was particularly impactful, but I don't think it drastically lowered the quality of the story either.

I was a little concerned going into this book because I hadn't heard much from trans and nonbinary reviewers that I know. However, going into this book was a refreshing, wonderful experience.

It's written as a verse novel from the first person PoV of teenaged Jamie. Right from the start, we are introduced their very queer friendly friendship group (I particularly like the line where one of her friends is worried that he's not queer/doesn't have any secrets and the rest of the group reassures him that's okay).

The novel talks a lot about coming out, it is the focus of the book, for better or worse. We go from Jamie being annoyed that coming out is a thing that even needs to happen, to feeling pressure from their best friend Levi to come out (even though it's not intended that way and does get addressed). We see Jamie being afraid of coming out, of what it will mean to tell more than one person that they are genderqueer.

We see the beautiful support that they get from their older brother Steve. We see the way they stand up and confront their parents when they say thoughtless things. We also see the effects of Levi and his boyfriend coming out to their own parents, with various results.

Some Girls Bind is about community as much as it is about identity. I particularly loved when Jamie went to a poetry reading of a genderqueer poet who also bound their chest, and later took their friend Nora to another poetry reading.

The main complaint I have is that this book was too short, but having said that it really did everything I set itself out to do.

We definitely need more stories like Jamie's, who identifies as and comes out as genderqueer. It's one of the few times I have seen a non-binary character and I want more books to share with the non-binary and genderqueer people in my life and in my classes. This book is a start.

But it's also a little disappointing in its simplicity and depiction of queerness in general being centered on coming out, especially when conclusions are somewhat one-note. Maybe if this had not been written in verse it would have had more emotional heft to it. Rather than reading as poetry, it read as super-trimmed prose and it gutted some of the emotion. When Jamie cried, it didn't feel earned. I wanted to be crying with them.

I do hope the publisher will keep looking for #ownvoices stories and getting them into the hands of readers. I'm also hoping they will press for more substantive writing.

Told through verses, this book is Jamie's story. Jamie is a teenager, goes to school has friends, and secrets. Jamie's main secret is that they're not a she and they're afraid of people finding out.

This was pretty good. I enjoyed the poems and it's always interesting to hear about points of view from the community. My problem with the books from this publisher stays the same. They're too short and don't convey as much feelings as they could. It didn't help that the file was broken though that did not affect my rating. Anyway, it was interesting and the characters were layered but I felt like with stayed as observers of this story instead of living it. I don't really know if what I'm saying makes much sense, but basically, I liked it, I just would have liked more and for it to go deeper.

A novel in verse about coming out, the challenges of a world that enforces the gender binary, the fears of acceptance, Some Girls Bind tells the story of Jamie, who realizes they are genderqueer. Jamie is AFAB, so a large part of the story is them trying to shed the feminine label, and initially just being seen as a person who prefers boyish clothes. They slowly grow to trust their friend, who is gay, to confide in, to find other people like them (a genderqueer poet) to look up to, and building up the courage to come out to their other friends and to family. They talk about a world that is unnecessarily gendered; the bathroom thing is obvious, but there are also clothes, and language. They find surprising support in their older brother, who discovers their binder, and helps out by reassuring them and getting a proper binder, as well as facilitating a conversation with their parents (the language of that conversation could have been better, but keep in mind this is to inform 20th century cis-people that gender is not a binary, but a spectrum). The verse is in a modern poetry style, and there are a couple of really good metaphors and lines thrown in (I particularly liked the one about 'courage' being necessary to come out). Overall, though, it is just what the synopsis says - it is about a genderqueer person coming out, and finding their place in a gendered society.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review

I think I need to lay off poetry for a while because it's not hitting me like I hope it will. It usually gets (at best) three stars from me and that tells me I'm just not the intended reader. This is poetry in general, as I just like lyric poetry more as apposed to free verse.

This book does have a good flowing narrative throughout it which I really liked. I find it keeps the subject matter in focus as apposed to breaking off into shorter verses. The subject matter in the book is about a major topic of our time, gender fluidity. Our main character Jamie, comes to the realization that she is neither boy or girl but gender queer and is afraid she will be judged by her family/friends for this. She starts out slow by only telling her best friend Levi, and by deciding to use the pronouns they/ them. (Although constantly referred to as SHE) The author herself said the story was based on herself, but seems to still use female pronouns on herself, mistakenly or not.

As other people have stated the middle section repeats itself over (3x) at first I thought it was a artistic choice, then realized it was just a mistake, or a way to be a page filler either way it is distracting. It's a quick read, and I think most people will come away from it fine, the bare bones of the narrative is a "coming out" story and it does that, I also appreciate that it doesn't demonize "cis" people (though I hate that terminology) into not understanding. Even having the character Jamie state that "other people have problems too." It seems like in this day and age that's the most progressive thing about the book. Simple understanding.

Thank you to Netgalley and West 44 Books for the advance Kindle copy of this 2.1.19 release. All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. Written in verse, this is the story of high schooler Jamie, who feels better when she binds her chest and wonders if she is genderqueer. Each of her friends has a secret, so she should feel fine telling hers, but she can’t quite bring herself to say it out loud. Despite the ending wrapping up a little too neatly, I think this is an important book to have in middle and high school libraries. There aren’t a lot of LGBTQIA+ books that aren’t too graphic for middle school, so I was pleasantly surprised that this fit the bill for both the content and style my students need. I have it on one of my spring orders, ready to purchase soon!

I was looking forward to this book a lot because I'm trying to educate myself to be a good ally. I want to support the #OwnVoices movement as much as possible. Although I was having trouble finding any information on the author, the "about the author" section of the book did say that the author was inspired by their journey with gender.

The issue that I had with this as a reader was that the synopsis is basically the story. There wasn't really a story here. The book is written in prose, which would be my first time reading a novel written in prose, and while I didn't mind it, I felt like the story really didn't have much substance to it. My perspective on this could very well change if I read more prose in the future (which I do plan on doing).

The galley copy itself was a MESS. There was one set of passages that was repeated at least 4 times and there were tons of typos. For example "My Gbortbmtem ringtone". The main character, Jamie, was referred to as "J" at times by their friends but "I" was used instead. Basically, whoever was supposed to review this and make sure it was edited properly in preparation to get beta read, failed. They did the author dirty, if you ask me.

All-in-all, it seemed unfinished and I would definitely have liked more from it as a whole. More of the characters and more plot.

This is one of those books that is definitely important, but I'm not entirely sure it executes well. If that makes sense? Like yes, this is definitely VERY important as, as a society, we're becoming more open and accepting to gender as a spectrum. Of people not fitting into boxes. But on the other hand, I feel like Jaime's entire coming out experience was almost too easy? Like their parents were super accepting of it (which is true in some real-life cases!), but all the dread and anxiety and stress and build up for...what?

I did appreciate their friend group and found family being so wonderful. I felt like Nora's deal was that she wanted to come out, though? But just...couldn't?

Excellent in theory, but a little lacking in execution.

The plot and potential were there, but this book fell short for me. About half the book was missing -- this was a seriously messed up Galley. So I don't know if I even got the whole plot. I liked that we got into Jamie's head, and I liked that they had an LGBT+ bestie to relate to, but a lot of this book just felt too easy to me. I did appreciate that not all of Jamie's family accepted their identity, because as crappy as that is, it's realistic, and I think that relatable books should also be realistic. I also really liked the format.

All in all, this book was just okay to me. I would like to read more by this author though.

3.5 stars! Wow, this was a really quick read! I think I finished it in just an hour.

I enjoyed the format of Jamie's story being told in verse, but I think it could have used more substance. I feel like the important events happened too quickly (such as Jamie deciding she's non-binary, coming out to her parents, etc), so it just seemed unbelievable to me. I could have used more passages of Jamie coming to terms with who she is as well as how that changes the relationships with friends and family.

Overall, I think this is a solid novel for teens to read that may be confused about who they are, whether that has to do with sexual orientation or gender. There were also quite a few quotes that I highlighted throughout because they were so poignant/well crafted.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read/review this!

I received a free eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the premise and style of Some Girls Bind. I also would highly recommend this book to middle and high school teachers in my local area for a few reasons. 1-it is a hi-lo text, which can draw in students who may not like reading because they lack vocabulary or skills to figure out vocabulary, as well as students who may still be learning English but want to read books aimed at their age group. 2- it talks about the LGBT+ community in small towns. 3- it actually takes place in my local area, somewhere near Rochester and Buffalo on the Erie Canal. and 4- it doesn't contain a violent outcome for a character being LGBT+.
I would have to wait to recommend this book until the book has final edits though. As someone who is getting a degree in TESOL, the editing for the version of the book I read was painful. I really hope that the book is edited to flow more smoothly, because the writing is actually really beautiful and simplistic, and I would really like to recommend this to older ENL students, but I can't if the mistakes are going to detract from their ability to read it.

Following Jamie through understanding their identity and in their first thoughts of coming out to family and friends, I was worried that this book would follow the same path as every other trans/queer coming-out story. To some extent it did, but the style of writing meant that the set-up moved quickly, onto other aspects of importance.
The book highlights that feeling in high school that 'everyone has their secrets,' but doesn't single Jamie out for their queerness. It brings attention to Jamie being a queer kid in a small town, and that acceptance still isn't automatic, but the overkill trope of violence isn't used to make this point. I loved this novel, and would love to see it expanded on.

4.25 out of 5 stars (Received e-arc from NetGalley

Some girls bind was a great little simple LGBTQIA poetry book about Jamie who is struggling to figure out her sexuality and is scared that the people around her will judge her harshly about binding her chest. A great intro to poetry for teen readers that are considering reading poetry and is a positive story for potentially gender queer individuals. From Jamie's mom thinking that she and her best guy friend are dating (he's gay) to her brother being able to tell something is up and buys her a binder, and to her revealing her secret/thoughts to friends and family. I feel strongly that this book would be a great resource material to have in a junior high or high school. One thing is I read the book on my phone and there were times when it repeated a few pages of dialogue several times, so it did confuse me just a bit thinking am I going crazy didn't I just read this. But just an issue with formatting for the e-book through the kindle app on my phone. Otherwise a lovely poetry/story.

4.75*

I really loved Some Girls Bind. I feel like this book is perfect for anybody even if you aren't genderqueer. It was a new perspective I haven't read from before. It deals with disapproving parents and worries they won't love you once you come out. Or that you'd be viewed differently by your friends. And just overall if you're ready. I shed tears when she came out and when one of her friends came out and weren’t supported by his family. This book is so real and current because so many people deal with their identity. My only issue with it was since it was written in verse and so short it did feel a little rushed.

It's my first time reading a book that is written in verse. And I have to say that I absolutely loved it! The story of the main character's self-discovery was very compelling. In terms of writing it was simple and very easy to understand. Overall it was an incredibly enjoyable and quick read.

I read this in less than an hour. Just flew straight trough it. The writting is very simple but it doesn’t take away from the impact it left on me.

Some Girls Bind features a protagonist who explores self-acceptance and how to come out as non-binary throughout the course of the novel. While some groups make a distinction, the author doesn’t specifically define non-binary vs genderqueer and uses both terms interchangeably. The book does make a distinction between gender non-conforming vs non-binary identity, which I feel is helpful for both trans and cisgender readers.

Although the book’s synopsis uses “she/her” for Jamie, they also discover gender-neutral pronouns as a way to reduce dysphoria. Beyond non-binary identities, this story features a subplot about a gay student who’s rejected by his community after he comes out.

I’m a bit of a sucker for YA books in verse and am always happy to read LGBTQ poetry. The writing style works well and allows Jamie to reveal their thoughts and feelings in an authentic and often beautiful way. Some Girls Bind features a lot of difficult subjects; even beyond queer topics, it also discusses child abuse, alcoholism, and marginalized characters living in a conservative and homogenous community. And it does so in a concise, yet thought-provoking way that keeps the story overall hopeful.

One of my favorite subplots in the book was when Jamie comes out to their brother Steve. As Jamie prepares to come out and live authentically as themself, Steve helps them find the resources and binding materials they need while supporting them all the way. In so many books about transgender characters, they don’t have someone they can lean on in their family. I thought it was both well-written and powerful to give Jamie one person who may not fully understand their gender experience but tries to and loves them unconditionally.

While this doesn’t necessarily relate to the queer community, I think it’s important to note that this is a hi-lo novel. Hi-lo refers to books written in a simpler style than most YA but still explores challenging topics. The purpose of hi-lo is to bridge the gap between juvenile fiction and YA fiction written at a high reading level for reluctant readers. If you’re a queer student who struggles with reading or know someone who is, this could introduce them to themes they’re looking for in an accessible writing style.

This book’s style reminded me a lot of Ellen Hopkins, another YA writer who explores challenging topics in free verse books. If you’re a fan of her books or hi-lo LGBTQ YA, Some Girls Bind could be a good book recommendation.

Before I get into this review, I want to put down why I was worried about this book. First, the cover gave me a lot of worries. The person on the cover is not binding correctly, and binding like that can cause some serious health issues. I also really dislike the fact that this book is about a questioning gender queer character and the title is Some Girls Bind. I know that some non-binary/genderqueer people do use "girls" personally, but in a book about a questioning character, it felt weird to me for the title to be focused on girls.

In addition to the above, the publisher provided summary was very, very weird. They treated Jamie's gender questioning as a terrible secret, one that they had to hide. And while that is the way some people initially feel about their gender, the way it was treated in the summary was also enough to make me question the insides of this book.

When I finally opened the book, I was ... quite surprised with how much I ended up liking it and the representation. Jamie was a very under-developed character, but it was easy to project yourself into their life because of how general everything was. While that can be seen as a bad thing, I actually quite enjoyed it. Jamie discussed their gender openly with themself, and when they finally decided to come out to another queer friend. I loved how this book showed both positive and negative reactions when people come out. While it was hard to read about the negative reaction, I still appreciated the fact that it was included in addition to positive reactions. 

The writing was also fairly simple. The book was written in verse, so descriptions and thoughts were fairly brief. That's probably why everything was so general, but I thought it fit the story well. 

This book was extremely short and honestly hard to read--in the literal way. The ARC was terribly formatted and repeated portions of the book over and over. In addition to that, because the story is told in verse, it's nearly impossible to read on an e-reader. I emailed the publisher about these issues but they never got back to me. 

Final Rating: ★★★★☆
Overall?
When I started this book, I was worried how the representation would be handled. It turns out, the rep was just handled badly by the publisher, and the author did everything pretty well. I loved how Jamie questioned their gender and worked through it with help from friends and family. I also loved how it not only showed negative reactions, but also positive reactions.

Would I Recommend?
Totally! Although I would recommend not reading it as an e-book. The formatting was terrible, and it was hard to follow due to the fact that the stanzas were separated horizontally sometimes rather than vertically. Lines were separated and ended up ruining the formatting of the page.

This book gave me new insight into binding, the genderqueer community, and trans community. I can not speak for the representation of the book but it was an okay read. I may recommend it to my trans friends to see how they feel about it and what they think, so my opinion on this book is in the middle.

This book was really good. The formatting for the book was reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins who is one of my faves. However, NetGalley did mess up the formatting a bit which was distracting at times. It didn’t detract too much from the story though.

I really enjoyed this. The verse style worked well and I got a real sense of Jamie through the narrative voice James created. This was a quick and enjoyable read and i ended up tearing up when Jamie came out to their parents! Such a good read.

Great novel for helping those who identify as genderqueer or gender-fluid. Would highly encourage this novel for anyone.
My edition was formatted odd and appears as if it's written like a poetry novel - if it is that way, a reader may find it challenging to read, but I recommend trying it! The information and story is well done and developed.

*Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Could not have been happier with this book! As a teen who identifies as genderqueer and knows several people who have struggled with coming out, I think James does an amazing job at defining what it's like to be a gender non-conforming teenager. I really connected with the words inside the book and thought that the story was conveyed very well. Jaime's hardships along the way were portrayed perfectly. The writing was fantastic and really fit with the plot well. I'd definitely recommend this book to any teen who struggles with their identity and wants to learn more about how to overcome that.

Book Review
Title: Some Girls Bind
Author: Rory James
Genre: YA/LGBTQ+
Rating: *
Review: So, all I could get from the synopsis is we are following a girl named Jamie who binds her chest as she feels more comfortable this way until she beings think that she might be genderqueer. As the book is so short my review will reflect this. We are introduced to Jamie and her friends who all have a secret, for example, Levi is gay, and she is possibly genderqueer, but they don’t share their secrets except with each other as they live in a small quite closed-minded town.
Eventually, Jamie comes out to Levi about being genderqueer and begins the long process of figuring who he or she is. Jamie decides that for now having a label she can identify with and binding are enough, Jamie will think about romance and relationships when the time comes for that. One thing that bothers Jamie though is that she/he feels that she/he can’t tell her/his parents as they are comfortable using the term queer is a negative scene. I also like the fact that this book is written in verse much like One by Sarah Crossan.
Following Jamie’s journey was very interesting, but I found I didn’t enjoy it at all for one reason; it was written in verse. Unlike Sarah Crossan’s One which I loved, this book didn’t have the rhythm and flow that One did. I felt that this would have been better written in normal prose and Jamie’s feelings would have come across instead of feeling like you were bouncing between acceptance and complete and utter panic. While the concept of Some Girls Bind was interesting the book just didn’t deliver for me.

I am a sucker for a book written like poetry and lgbtqia books.

I highly recommend this book to everyone however you identify.

It’s emotional, it’s honest about what someone who is genderqueer and in high school goes through internally and with their loved ones. It isn’t a massively heavy book, I love that it seems to be targeted at younger audiences like it’s teaching the next generation how normal this is and how you can be an ally to anyone learning their identity.

Jamie is gender queer binding her chest and hiding her secret from her friends Levi, Nora and Eric as well as her family and brother Steve in this novel told in verse.



Over the course of the novel we witness her friends come out to mixed reactions and approval as well as disapproval too.


Jamie is a good, bold and proud character whilst also being anxious over reactions she could face. The book raises issues straight to the point around gender and sexuality and the fluidity people can have freely now. It is a good bold read and will surely open eyes to the subject matters raised.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Great to read a book about gender identity and sexual orientation so thoughtfully written and in an everyday was making it seem normal and expected along side the emotions of the individual who is hiding their secrets.

Would love to see more

I loved this book. The story is told in such a personal and careful way, in such a real manner. The fact that it's told in verse makes in insight into Jamie's life that much more intimate. I highly recommend this book.

The cover has a young female body with the chest bound to look flat, but at this stage we do not know if this is a girl who wants to look like a boy, or something/someone else.

After watching a TV mini series called Butterfly about a young boy who identified as a girl. The mini series centered on his family and how they coped with the news as well as how the young boy himself felt, what he went through at school and with the "system" he had to work through to be herself.

I then noticed this title whilst browsing online and as the TV show had kind of pulled my interest to a subject I had never really given a great deal of thought to and that led to me wanting to read this book.

So I started reading this book not really knowing what was meant by the "hi-lo" terminology. So perhaps I should explain what is meant by this term first . . .I "googled it" here is the result of that search "A hi-lo book, broadly defined, is a title that offers highly interesting subject matter at a low reading level. A number of publishers have focused on producing these books, though they often take slightly different approaches to creating the products that best fit a particular market."

The central character who is the female binding her chest is Jamie. Jamie is secretly binding her chest since she was 14 years old and is scared to reveal that she is doing so to anyone in her family or friends. Jamie has a great group of friends though all seem to have their own issues and the friend can literally talk about anything and everything except their individual secrets. There's Levi who is gay and his boyfriend Evan,, neither boy has officially "come out" to his parents. Though they both decide to "come out" to their families during the course of the book. It's such a shame when one families reaction is that they do not want their gay son any where near their daughter! Eric wants to drop out of swimming but has been continuing as he feels that is what expected of him and is the way to get a scholarship to further education. There's also Nora who has to take care of her younger brother and is literally their only "parent" as her father is an alcoholic. Nora and Jamie always rush to the cubicles to get changed in gym class. Jamie is hiding her binding and Nora is trying to keep her bruises secret.

Jamie struggles with who she is, is she still a daughter and a sister? Jamie knows she doesn't want to be a boy so discovers she is "gender queer". Jamie hides

The person Jamie eventually feels she can speak to is her brother Steve. When he visits home for the weekend he notices his little sister seems quieter and as though something is wrong. It doesn't take too long to get her to confide in him. Steve immediately accepts his sisters wishes and offers to order her the correct clothing item to bind herself safely and correctly. Steve explains about a guy he knows who is gay and how hard it was for him to "come out". I guess Steve openly talking about sexuality lays the ground work for Jamie to explain how she feels, which is "gender queer". The book covers how her parents react and then how her close circle of friends accept her and support her when she reveals she is gender queer to them.

I thought the characters of Jamie and Steve were really well written and I loved how Steve reassured his sister that he loved her no matter what and that he would always be there for her. He also starts talking about the subject of gender which helps Jamie join the conversation and reveal how she has been feeling to them.

The book was an easy, fairly quick read and would be great as a conversation starter in schools, teen groups or even in an at home setting. I think it would be interesting if the other teens in the group had their own stories too. Even though Levi & Evan reveal their sexuality in this book, they could have their own book//books, and I think Nora should have her own book too. This style of book can really help teens broach the awkward subject.

My immediate thoughts when I finished the book were that the feel of the book, and it's writing style reminded me a little of Moonrise by Sarah Crossan. The subjects that Some Girls Bind places the spotlight on also struck me as similar
to Clean by Juno Dawson.

To sum up this is a great book about a group of friends who are slowly choosing their future paths as well as coming to terms with their sense of themselves. I think I actually learnt a few things from this book. Myself not being a teenager or younger person hadn't heard the term "gender queer" but I understand a little more of the subjects of LGBTQIA. I would certainly be interested in taking a look at any future books by this author.

I have enjoyed this book a lot in general and especially some parts that I had to mark. It had some shortcomings too, though.
More thorough review to come.

*RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY

This story is sooooo powerful on so many levels. I forget how hard it is to come out to someone and yourself. It was told in verse which I thought was nice and different and it fit the topic for this story. I highly recommend this story to anyone who is coming out as genderqueer.

A poetic look at the emotions/feelings/concerns of a teen who binds their chest. While they realize that they are genderqueer, their family and friends think that they are female, just as they always have.

Jamie is having a hard time deciding how to tell their parents and friends. They told their best friend Levi about being genderqueer, but wasn't ready to tell about the binding.

I really like this book. I found the poetic presentation stripped the story down to its basics, making the issues clear. This book could be a great aid to those considering similar questions. Parents would also benefit in learning more about some of the many issues under consideration by their children and their friends.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from West44Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee

3* I almost gave up on this due to how hard it is to read hi-lo verse (which I had to google).

This isn't a heavy read, but a short insight into the life of Jamie, who *feels* she's genderqueer. It shows us her family dynamics, her LGBT friends and their potential issues, her het friends their actual/potential issues and her fears about coming out.

I liked the support she had from her brother and that she had a community of friends who helped and supported her, and that her parents were decent guys. I think that in some ways, she was privileged as her parents were well off, educated and she wasn't the first child in the family, so didn't have all the attention on her. And, I don't think that this was reflective of a lot of 2018 USA. Unfortunately.

It did feel the slightest that the author used the hi-lo verse to add drama where there really wasn't much drama. If the author was trying to highlight gender issues, and in particular genderqueerness, it didn't work for me, as the tale came across as Jamie being indecisive and unconvincing, as well as unconvinced. Right now, with gender issues getting so much negative press, i.e. that people are 'choosing' to be of a gender other than the one assigned at birth, I don't think this book helps the cause. I am an LGBT ally, but it feels as if this book was a little about Jamie indulging herself in a 'I'm entitled to' way, that so many people use as their MO for life. And with this, I kind of feel that those haters might just have some ammo to back up their thoughts/beliefs, wrong as those may be.

ARC courtesy of the author and West44 books for my reading pleasure.

This book was really good. I liked how it kind of covered not only Jamie’s struggles but the struggle of others and how not everyone’s coming out isn’t a piece of cake. I liked how Jamie’s parents didn’t understand but didn’t push them away because they were different, but instead they tried to understand. And Steve is the most amazing big brother ever to be honest. Thank you for writing this!

Some girls Bind by author Rory James is a quirky YA book about gender and questions. Great book for this age and genre.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Some Girls Bind in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Rory James' Some Girls Bind is a great young adult novel.

Jaime has a secret, that they binds their chest everyday. This action helps them to feel more comfortable in her body.

In this wonderful exploration of gender fluidity, Jaime binds to try to be more comfortable with their body. They don't feel right as a boy or a girl. The author does a great job illustrating this struggle of body dysphoria and coming to terms with one's nonbinary awareness.

Rory James truly does a spectacular job writing this tale. It's gripping from the start. Written in first person pov, the reader easily understands the main character.

Some Girls Bind is a great story that involves coming out, hiding, and identity issues. It's an accomplished tale of the everyday, constant divide between genders. This is a must read for any teen questioning their gender identity.

** spoiler alert ** I think we need more stories that include/center around people along the gender spectrum. I want to fully support this. I’m grateful that this story talks about binding and identifying as gender queer. The topic is important, but I didn’t find the story itself as engaging as I’d hoped.

It is a coming out story, and the build up is authentic, the worry of being rejected and targeted. And the coming out ends up going well, and that’s so terrific. I just... there’s also a gay character in the story who comes out and his boyfriend is rejected and kicked out of his home. That was a good balance to have in the story, but I didn’t know and care about that character, just cared about his situation.

I rooted for Jamie, the main character, but Jamie already had so many caring people around, that Jamie didn’t need my worrying. I genuinely never thought Jamie would be rejected, and I think that was the problem of the story.

Some Girls Bind is a HiLo novel about a girl named Jamie who is struggling with her gender identity and her secret--that she binds her chest every day in order to feel more like herself. She doesn't think that anyone will understand her struggle but over time she learns that she's not the only one with secrets.

Recommended for most collections, especially school libraries where HiLo books do well.

I wasn't expecting poetry when I originally added this to my TBR. This worked for this story though. I haven't read any books relating to binding and none with genderqueer characters. I enjoyed the read and could feel the anxiousness and worry the character had throughout it. I looked the messages portrayed in this work and I would recommended it to anyone, but especially those questioning themselves. It doesn't over explain the feeling of questioning your gender, but you still understand it - because really can you truly ever explain that kind of feeling?

I will read more from Rory in the future.

Three stars for this novel in verse about a genderqueer teen.
This is such an easy read that really highlights the struggles teens and kids go through when coming out to their friends and family. It doesn’t always go well, and the novel shows that. The characters were lovable and I just wanted to hug them all.
I would recommend to anyone questioning gender or to people to want to learn more about the coming out experience.