Some of my favorite trans and nonbinary books that, as a bonus, have really awesome audiobook editions. I’ll listen to anything Vico Ortiz narrates tbh; they’ve got a great voice and apparently top notch taste in books. Lakelore spoke to me on a deep and personal level. The Monk and Robot books are maybe the two most calming and restorative books I’ve read in my entire life. Self Made Boys is a more compelling version of The Great Gatsby (I said what I said).
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I love this one so much! Gabe Cole Novoa has become an auto-buy author for me. There's so much to love about this book and also it's got a BEAUTIFUL cover, so as a bonus, it looks gorgeous on my bookshelf
Blurb and full review below the break!
((Cross posting some older posts from my insta (same username) because I’m not sure about the future of meta platforms/my use of meta platforms & I don’t want my content to be lost.))
Blurb
London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world—and the vast majority of his family and friends—think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.
But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.
As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man to be possible. But suitors are growing bolder—and even threatening—and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.
Review
(note: I read an arc and wrote this review before the book was released; it’s now available everywhere!)
At its heart, Most Ardently is an excellent retelling. It retains a good chunk of the source material, so it really does feel like a gay and trans Pride and Prejudice, while also adapting plot points and introducing new material to really compliment the retelling and make it feel like a new story steeped in familiar roots. Darcy’s queerness and personality work so well together, and both Oliver’s and Darcy’s queerness really elevate the source material and make for such an excellent, interesting story. The impact their queerness has on other storylines (particularly Wickham’s) is SO GOOD and made me scream with joy.
I will 100% be preordering this book because it's one I desperately need to have on my bookshelf & be able to visit again in the future (also, it's *gorgeous*).
Here are some of the specific things I loved about this book:
GCN does such a good job of balancing dysphoria with joy. The dysphoria feels affirming and real and validating to the reader, without (in my experience, at least) being triggering or overwhelming. Trans joy and affirmation in the MC’s gender outshine the dysphoria, and are so hopeful and happy to read. From the small moments, like Oliver talking about how nice it is to have his reflection be “in harmony” with who he is, to the big moments (like Oliver dressing as himself in public and having his peers read him as a man) are wonderful and validating and hopeful
I love that Oliver has supportive people around him. Without giving spoilers, from the beginning of the book Oliver has queer friends and is out to a selection of family members, who are supportive and help Oliver find ways to express himself and his gender. I was pleased with how the family handled Oliver’s coming out as well — prospective readers don’t need to be worried about this plot point.
Oliver’s relationship with Darcy is *so good*. I loved watching them get to know each other and click so well when Darcy meets Oliver as Oliver. It adds a whole new layer of complexity to their interactions when Oliver meets Darcy when he’s forced to dress as a girl. No spoilers, but I was really happy with how their relationship unfolded, Darcy’s reaction when he found out Oliver’s truth, as well as with where the book left their characters in life.
Overall, I really love GCN’s writing style. He has a gorgeous way with words, and manages to evoke the tone of Austen’s prose without actually writing in, like, 1800s English.
The introduction of Molly houses is a perfect fit for this book. I love that GCN worked in some actual queer history to this book, and that Oliver discovered a safe queer-affirming place where he could comfortably be himself.
