“Queer identities aren't binary states. There's no such thing as 'imposter queers' because there's no one right way to be queer.”
Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won’t let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and an outdated school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise—and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend Lukas for the title of Homecoming King?
Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother’s funeral and the loss of his long-term girlfriend—who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kickstarts a plot to sabotage Jeremy’s campaign.
When both boys take their rivalry too far, the dance is on the verge of being canceled. To save Homecoming, they’ll have to face the hurt they’re both hiding—and the lingering butterflies they can’t deny.
This is a book that polarises people - they either love that it shows honest representation of the trans experience and neurodivergence, or they find the characters deeply unlikeable and don't finish the book. I am firmly in camp one and I think that this book is a valuable addition to any queer teen's library.
The journey that Jeremy goes on as a trans man is one that is very familiar when people come out. He is so desperate to prove to everyone around him that he is who he says he is, and he is oblivious to how much hurt he is inflicting to those who are trying to support him. He is selfish, dramatic and struggles with toxic masculinity and so much internal trauma.
This book isn't a rom-com. Instead, it is an honest reflection of frustrated teens who are struggling to survive in environments where there should be support, and they end up taking their frustrations out on each other.
Z.R. Ellor writes, "I'm a big believer that queer people don't need to be perfect to deserve love" and this story absolutely reflects that.
- Chelsea
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Date: May 18, 2021
Language: English
Hardcover: 380 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250625120
Reading age: 14+
A trans boy enters a throw-down battle for the title of Homecoming King with the boy he dumped last summer in ZR Ellor's contemporary YA debut.
Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won’t let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and an outdated school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise—and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend Lukas for the title of Homecoming King?
Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother’s funeral and the loss of his long-term girlfriend—who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kickstarts a plot to sabotage Jeremy’s campaign.
When both boys take their rivalry too far, the dance is on the verge of being canceled. To save Homecoming, they’ll have to face the hurt they’re both hiding—and the lingering butterflies they can’t deny.
Ableism & ableist language (r slur)
Racism mentioned
Classism
Misogyny
Homomisia
Transmisia
Misgendering & deadnaming
Dysphoria
Sexual harassment mentioned
Child abuse
Alcohol consumption
Death of a sibling
Graphic physical assault
Bullying
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