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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Riley feels feminine some days, masculine others, but never feels safe outwardly expressing this shifting identity so dresses in gender-neutral clothing. As a result, Riley experiences dysphoria almost daily. On the first day at a new high school, Riley is called “it” before even getting in the door. But Riley gradually becomes friends with Bec and Solo. At the suggestion of a therapist, whom Riley has been seeing since a suicide attempt the year before, Riley has also started writing. Blogging under the pseudonym Alix, Riley is a source of online support for other teens. Riley’s parents know nothing about the blog or Riley’s shifting gender identity. It’s Bec who takes Riley to a transgender support group, one Bec attends because her sister, Gabi, who committed suicide, was transgender. It’s there Riley learns the term “gender fluid,” and feels relief even without being ready to say “this is who I am.” A horrifying sexual assault eventually fuels Riley’s determination to speak out. Riley’s voice is compelling and Riley, Bec, and Solo are vivid characters with believable strengths and quirks and uncertainties in a novel that also succeeds because the emotional arc feels authentic, and ultimately cathartic. (Age 14 and older)

CCBC Choices 2017 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2017. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2016
Gender-fluid teen Riley's congressman father is campaigning for reelection, which makes coming out difficult. Blogging gives Riley a voice and amplifies it after a transgender girl in crisis reaches out. Witty, articulate Riley (whose biological sex isn't mentioned) navigates hostilities (including a physical attack) in an accessible way. Though the novel is occasionally didactic, its ultimately hopeful story more than compensates. LGBTQIA resources appended.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

Starred review from July 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-"The first thing you're going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?" Keep wondering: Riley Cavanaugh isn't answering. Riley is gender-fluid, information only Riley's psychiatrist is privy to while Riley's conservative congressman father and teacher mother remain clueless. Between medications and therapy, Riley is struggling to just live life. When Doctor Ann suggests Riley might choose an activity "to stop thinking about you so much," Riley reluctantly tries blogging-as Alix. A life-or-death incident involving a desperate teen takes the blog viral, drawing both support and attacks. Among the trolls is a possible schoolmate determined to viciously expose Riley. Debut author Garvin blends snark and poignancy, anguish and hope, deception and authenticity, in a timely narrative about contemporary teen life beyond binary norms. Casting a distinctly male voice, Tom Phelan, is not an obvious choice: Riley was designated female at birth and is not taking hormones and is therefore unlikely to sound like Phelan. How differently Riley presents on the silent page vs. audibly is intriguing to ponder. VERDICT A rule-breaking, gender-illuminating, pioneering audiobook every library should acquire. ["Recommended for any library that serves a teen population": SLJ 12/15 review of the Balzer ] Bray book.]-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

December 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-After a more than unpleasant experience at a Catholic high school, Riley Cavanaugh, whose father is a conservative congressman, is looking for a fresh start at Park Hills High. However, when a new classmate spots Riley and asks, "Is that a girl, or a guy?" Riley quickly gets pegged as an "it." Though the protagonist wakes up some mornings feeling more like a girl and other mornings feeling more like a boy and would prefer to dress in a manner that reflects this, Riley must present as androgynously as possible in order to avoid negative attention. Riley is genderfluid but must keep it a secret in order to keep up appearances for their father's political campaign. Taking the suggestion of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog about what it's like to be genderfluid. The blog quickly accumulates followers. But when a reader discovers Riley's identity and starts to make threats, Riley must decide if they are ready to come out as the blog's author. Garvin is skilled at truly encapsulating the feeling of being completely without allies in high school. The isolation is palpable in every scene. Garvin's strengths also lie in his ability not to reveal the assigned gender of Riley without turning it into some sort of trick or novelty. Riley is not just genderfluid: Riley is witty, has a charming sense of humor, is a skilled writer, and is totally capable of getting the girl. Very few YA titles have featured protagonists like Riley, who don't fit into the black and white of the gender binary. VERDICT Recommended for any library that serves a teen population.-Ingrid Abrams, Town School Library, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from November 16, 2015
It's the first day at a new high school, and Riley is facing typical problems, such as deciding what to wear and where to sit at lunch, and a few less common ones, such as avoiding being heckled by classmates who object to Riley's gender-nonconforming appearance. Gender-fluid Riley wakes up each morning in a different place on the male-female continuum. To be safe, Riley strives for neutrality, but that doesn't necessarily feel right. As junior year starts, Riley makes an unlikely friend, develops a crush, andâ€"encouraged by a therapist acquired after years of anxiety and secrecy led to a suicide attemptâ€"starts a blog about being gender-fluid. Despite bullying that escalates into full-on assault, Riley gains the courage to come out with help from friends, a love interest, and a support group. Readers never learn Riley's birth-assigned gender, but there's no question that Riley is a smart, funny, sharp-eyed force. Debut author Garvin clearly wants to teach his readers about gender and gender fluidity, but the knowledge he imparts buoys this rewarding story, never weighing it down. Ages 14â€"up. Agent: Rachel Ekstrom, Irene Goodman Agency.

From Kirkus

November 1, 2015
Riley Cavanaugh, whose father is a prominent politician in a conservative Southern California county, navigates being gender fluid and experiencing panic attacks. For Riley, being gender fluid means that "some days I wake up feeling more 'boy' and some days I wake up feeling more 'girl.' And some days, I wake up feeling somewhere in between." When Riley starts attending public school, in part to escape bullying and in part to boost Sen. Cavanaugh's education-reformer image, Riley's plan is to dress androgynously and try to blend in. But Riley's arrival attracts attention both negative--a popular girl calls Riley "it"--and positive--two misfit students offer friendship and maybe more. On the advice of Dr. Ann, the therapist Riley started seeing after a suicide attempt, Riley starts a personal blog. After just a couple of posts, Riley gains a massive following, and Andie Gingham, a trans girl in crisis, reaches out to Riley for advice. Both the blog's instant popularity and the media emphasis on Riley's role in Andie's story ring false, and the book's insistence that transgender and gender-fluid teens should all come out seems less than carefully reasoned. Riley's family relationships and growing friendships, however, are vibrantly imagined, and the panic attacks are well-illustrated. Overall, a welcome mirror for gender-fluid teens and a helpful introduction for others. (Fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Booklist

Starred review from November 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Riley has a secret. The androgynous 16-year-old is gender fluid. Some days the teen wakes up feeling like a boy, others like a girl. Riley dresses gender neutral, though that isn't enough to forestall belief at school that Riley is either homosexual or transgender. Not surprisingly, bullying results, most of it sparked by a football player and his toadies. At the suggestion of Riley's therapist, the teen begins writing as Alix in a pseudonymous blog that provides a place for candid commentary on life as gender fluid. Surprisingly, the blog goes viral and Riley's true identity is discovered by an enemy who may out Riley. This could have a disastrous impact on Riley's emotional life as well as the teen's father's campaign for reelection to Congress. Garvin's novel is one of the first YA books to deal with the complex issue of gender fluidity. To emphasize the dynamic nature of this situation, the author avoids references to Riley's birth-assigned gender. This means eschewing personal pronouns, a device some readers will find frustrating but nevertheless underscores readers' instincts to put individuals into a box. The novel has its share of histrionicsRiley's typical reaction to situations is to have a panic attack, a device that gets oldbut for the most part, Riley's emotional life and personal growth shed welcome light on a hitherto obscure subject.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

From Kirkus

Riley Cavanaugh, who is starting at a new school, is navigating the complex notion of identifying as both a boy and a girl in a conservative town. Narrator Tom Phelan deftly conveys all the emotion and angst in Riley's journey. New friends help Riley cope with daily judgments and harassment by peers as a mostly supportive online community arises from Riley's anonymous blog posts about being a gender-fluid teen. Pressure mounts as family expectations, especially Riley's father's re-election, add to the anxiety of being exposed as the anonymous blogger. Phelan's ability to deliver an authentic voice for a teen who is exploring non-binary gender identity while coping with the fear of being outed lends truth to this powerful story of self-discovery. E.A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine