A review by bethreadsandnaps
Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

4.25

4.25 stars

BECOMING TED is Matt Cain's latest addition to the "uplit"/feel good genre. Ted was just dumped by his toxic husband Giles (good riddance!) for another man, and Ted decides that he wants to become a drag queen - something that he has always wanted to explore but Giles frowned upon. In much of his life, he has put his own interests aside and acquiesced to get along. At the same time that he decided to become a drag queen, he realized that he doesn't want to stay in the family ice cream business. Will Ted be able to realize his potential and find love in the meantime? 

There are an assortment of instrumental characters in this novel: Ted's supportive friend Denise, stranger Oskar that Ted will meet at his family's store, older homosexual Stanley who lives in a retirement home, and Ted's parents. 

I feel this novel did a number of things well:
* Showed a character who had been beaten down could pick themself up, dust themself off, and seize what they are wanting. 
* Showed behind the scenes with drag queens, made a more niche LGBTQ topic more mainstream
* Through the character of Stanley, it gave a multitude of positive messages and historical homosexual context. 
* Plenty of humor, heart, and passion

I feel this novel had just a few deficits:
* Very low stakes:  Ted is already out of the closet and has supportive parents. Denise is supportive. 
* Quick resolution of each of the plot points, including the mysterious letters, tying every plot point up with a bow. Hence, that's why I give this the uplit label. It's not the most realistic ending. 

This is a charming, feel-good novel that I recommend.