Title/Author: Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman
Publication Date/Publisher: January 20, 2015/ Henry Holt & Co (BYR)
Series: No
Source and Format: I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
Rating: 3 stars
From Goodreads:
Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she’s a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn’t as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents. Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex—the boy Alex—has a lot to say about that. Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well is a brilliantly told story of exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong.
Alex as Well started out very strong for me, and kind of lost steam a bit along the way. It was still a good, compelling, and IMPORTANT read – but I wish it had focused more on Alex’s self-discovery than her fights with her mom.
The mom fights were interesting, because after the fights there’s a short chapter that’s from the mom’s mommy-blog about how she deals with Alex – including comments. The comments were my favorite part, because they are so spot on: the fangirl enabler, the all about me derailer, and the actual sane person everyone jumps on for not agreeing with everything the blogger writes.
I love that Alex as Well brings an intersex teen to the YA table. I can’t speak to the accuracy of all the details, but I mostly feel like it was well done and it’s going to be invaluable in the right person’s hands.
Paperback Heart 