Reviews

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

idkemmaaa's review against another edition

4.0

I put off this book for such a long time and I have no clue why!! It was truly a great read. The writing style grabbed me right away and I was so hooked into the story. I loved seeing miles being truly happy, which is exactly what he deserved. His group of friends was wonderful to read about and Eric was the perfect boyfriend-so caring and understanding!
I also thought the piano aspect of this book was really interesting! Piano is something I don’t know a whole lot about and I liked seeing the competitions and practices that played such a big part in the book!
This is another lgbt young adult contemporary that absolutely hit for me and I really recommend you pick it up when it comes out!
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this arc copy!

katekate_reads_'s review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book and know I can’t possibly write a review that lives up to it. So I highly suggest you skip the rest of this review and just go start reading Always the Almost instead.

This is a story about Miles. Miles is a 16 year old gay trans boy who sets 2 New Year’s resolutions - get back together with his ex Shane and beat his arch-nemesis Cameron at the annual piano competition.

Like all of my favorite books - the plot isn’t enough to tell you why I loved this book so much. It’s full of characters that felt so real. It’s full of people who are doing their best - but still sometimes letting each other down.

It’s also full of joy. Joy is my word for 2023 so I am particularly aware of it and I loved the ways it showed up in this story. And in the author’s note, Underhill wrote “Miles’s journey is about finding himself, in spite of everyone else. About fully, shamelessly, and triumphantly forging and inhabiting his own moments of joy. I wrote this story because I believe, firmly, that joy can be an act of resistance in challenging times. And trans and queer kids, especially now, deserve all the joy.”

I can’t believe this is a debut and can’t wait to read what the author writes next! Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the free advance reading copy. I’ll also be buying a copy to put on my favorites shelf.

melhara's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I don't normally like YA romance novels (I find that they tend to be a bit cringe) but this one had so many cute, wholesome, and joyful moments that I couldn't help loving it!

Just like Pinocchio, I turn into a real boy.

This book is about Miles, who came out as trans fairly recently and subsequently got dumped as a result. So he makes a New Year's resolution and vows to:
1) beat his rival at the Tri-State Piano Competition while performing as his true self, and
2) to win back his ex-boyfriend (after all, "love should transcend stuff like short hair and clothes and pronouns," right?).

But then Miles meets Eric. A new kid from Seattle who likes to draw comics and who accepts Miles for who he is, who never misgenders Miles, and who seems to understand Miles both as a person and as an artist. Eric is the most perfect human being in every sense, but Miles can't seem to stop thinking about his ex, Shane...

Though there were a few things that bugged me about the story (there wasn't just one infidelity scenario, but two?!), I have to admit that I really liked the characters. The story was about finding the confidence and courage to be open and honest with your friends and the people that you're closest to and learning to be comfortable with who you are.

This book was also filled with great characters:
- Eric, who I absolutely love (he's so precious - a real keeper!),
- Paige (who threatens Miles with "Just so we're clear, my dad is a landscaper, which means if you hurt Miles, I have access to a lot of shovels and plenty of gardens to bury the evidence" - what a great friend!)
- exuberant and passionate Rachel,
- adorable Nina,
- intimidating but amazing Stefania,
- Miles' parents (I found one of the scenes with Miles' dad particularly moving),
- and even Shane, who seems like a pretty great guy.

I also have to say that the music geek in me loved reading about Miles' practice sessions, his eccentric piano teacher, the competition prep, and the actual competition.

Some reference videos to accompany the reading of this book:
Van Cliburn - Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, B-flat minor
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2, Evgeny Kissin

reading_with_my_doodle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

trombone_excelsior's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The way that transness and self discovery was tackled was refreshing and joyful. I loved the way music was incorporated, and the relationship with the music teacher was developed. 
I think I generally liked the protagonist's inner voice, but I did go back and forth on whether it was a bit heavy on angst, particularly in the friendship / relationship dynamics.

Spoiler

Also, I didn't like the cheating plot line, I wish that was handled differently. I think there were ways to achieve the same narrative goals without implying that cheating is justified in some situations. Eric was truly the purest, kindest character in the book, and I think he deserved better. There were plenty of ways to create tension and conflict in their relationship without having Miles cheat on him with Shane. Honestly, Miles telling Eric about his feelings for Shane could have had the same effect.

arimoloney's review against another edition

4.0

this book would have been a 10 bc the way the characters discuss transness is PERFECT but the cheating plotline was so not it…

justinareads's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

wafer's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very adorable! Really liked the protag’s voice. I feel like contemporary first person narratives for YA can be a bit hit or miss in trying too hard to ‘sound like the youths’ but this came off as super natural and likable. 

frozel's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

In the author’s note, the author states, “I wrote this story because I firmly believe that joy can be an act of resistance in challenging times.” I couldn’t agree more.