// Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this advanced readers copy!! //

This book made me sob. Many times.

I truly love this book so much. I knew from the beginning i would love this book, to say i loved it is a understatement.

Wow!
This was SUCH a powerful and poignant book! Definitely a story for the time! This was a story of gender, sexuality, identity, and relationships. Told from the POV of a trans high schooler, this is truly a story everyone should read. This is an emotionally honest narrative about figuring out who you are and about living your true life.

I loved that we were shown not only Miles’ everyday life, but also his life through piano, and how discovering and realizing his true identity impacted his piano playing.

This was such an eye opening story and I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to read it.

I was given an ARC by. NetGalley and Wednesday Books. All opinions are my own.

when i found “always the almost” sitting on my netgalley shelf i’m pretty sure i squealed with joy. this book encapsulates so much of my identity whilst remaining hopeful, kind and at its core utterly joyful.

but the book is so so much more than its premise suggests, it’s a story of identity and relationships and letting go of something that seems so deep rooted into you. learning to grow whilst coming of age and learning to love alongside that. it is a story of tackling what it means to be trans and, in this case also being a pianist who is struggling to find where those two things interlink.

our main character was one i could not help but love, (even as he made what some may call foolish decisions and life choices, we’ve all been there). he was such a transformative character from the start to end, where his journey followed not just his passions but the fragile state of his own identity as it solidified into something known. and at just 16, it was obvious there’s gonna be some teen angst thrown in and boy oh boy was there!

i also loved our group of side characters! particularly the love interest (whomst i loved that little bit extra for reasons you will have to read about <3). and the love interests sister, who was an angel in every possible way.

there is so much about this book i could say and so much i don’t know how to articulate (especially without spoilers). edward underhill has created a book that will be both cherished and adored by the trans youth of our future. i hope they find a home between the words and within the characters that look just that little bit more like them.

I am a huge fan of the main character and the writing style, although I wish the side characters and love interest were given more depth in the first half—most of their character depth is reserved for the second half, and it is really good once you get there, but comes too late. I think fans of I Wish You All the Best will really like this one, as the writing styles felt quite similar to me along with the general coming of age + romance blend vibes.

I really enjoyed this story and found the characters adorable and engaging. I loved the relationship between Miles and Eric, even with it's bumps and issues, because this is how teenagers are - they have lots of big emotions, they want lots of different, and sometimes conflicting things - and it was nice to see that portrayed in a genuine way in this novel. More than the relationships, I was intrigued by the piano competition - the mental preparation, the emotional connection with the music, and the methods used by Stefania to guide Miles as he learned more about his true self.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was such a great book. I enjoyed reading Miles' story, his connection to piano, and his journey. While I never enjoyed music to the same degree, I found the story moving.

I hate when I have to rate an okay book lowly because I personally didn’t like it.

My personal star rating system goes off of how much I enjoyed a book. So an absolutely perfect book for someone else can have a low rating from me, and a book I adored can be one someone else doesn’t like.

One of the first things that frustrated me in this book was our main character, Miles, and his obsession over his ex boyfriend. Before Miles came out, he was dating Shane. But after coming out and beginning his social transition, Shane breaks up with him.

Now, I totally understand still having feelings for your ex, and I get that someone coming out as trans doesn’t mean they’re a different person. But the thing that frustrated me the most about this book was that Shane repeatedly tells Miles he’s not attracted to guys, and Miles never understands.

Let me put it in a metaphorical situation: Let’s say Miles, who is socially male, is dating Shane, a straight man. If someone comes up to Shane and asks if he is gay, Shane now has to either sit with the uncomfortable decision of being perceived as being attracted to a gender he isn’t or out Miles as trans. If Miles physically transitions as well, now Shane is forced to stay together with someone he does not find physically attractive. Either way, Miles coming out as trans changes the entire situation for Shane, and he has that right to tell Miles “I appreciate you and support you coming out as trans, but I’m not attracted to men.”

To put this into perspective, especially if you are a reader who doesn’t know me: Hi. I’m Kit. I’m nonbinary. I completely understand what Miles is going through re: being trans. I’m still on Shane’s side here.

I typically think, even for “unlikable main characters”, there has to be something that makes readers want to cheer a main character on. They can be disliked by their peers and the other characters in the book, but if they’re disliked by readers, no one will want to read their story. And I just wasn’t a fan of Miles.

I did, however, like this book when we focused on Eric and his part in this story. Completely taking out Shane, I would have rated this book four or five stars. The fake dating turning into actual dating was great. Eric’s younger sister having down syndrome and being treated no differently because of it was something I really enjoyed. Miles learning how to express himself through music and the fight to be better than Cameron in the piano competition was a fun plot.

But every time I thought Miles had moved on, the book suddenly veered towards Shane again. And my enjoyment for this book veered off as well.

I really enjoyed this debut ya romance from Edward Underhill, so thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

While this book did touch on some heavier aspects of homophobia and transphobia, overall it was a very sweet love story and as the author himself says it is an expression of queer joy.

This was a cozy, charming read that shows the author has a lot of promise. I think my biggest issue is that some of the characters felt underdeveloped and lacked depth. I wish we could’ve explored them more. The writing style was enjoyable and the storyline kept my attention.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I LOVED this book! When I first read the blurb and saw that there was a piano competition involved with queer characters, I was so ready to read this book.

Miles recently came out as trans; he previously had been Melissa. He’s going through a rough breakup with his boyfriend Shane who dumped him when he came out but he luckily has some awesome queer friends, Paige and Rachel, that are there for him. Miles is working towards a piano competition, really wanting to beat his arch nemesis, and in the process, starts to connect with a new guy in school, Eric. But it’s also hard for Miles to let go of his first love that dumped him. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and I was on the edge of my seat until the end.

Being a pianist myself, I have a love of classical music and this book hit all the boxes! I also enjoyed there was a variety of queer representation as well. Not going to lie, I really cried at the ending of this book, everything wrapped up really well and I enjoyed reading Miles’ story. This book was everything I was hoping for and more. Can’t wait for the author’s next book!

Uplifting, joyful, victorious. The Sky Blues meets Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda meets A Little Bit Country meets Heartbreak Boys but make it trans. So, if you loved the books mentioned above, you should definitely check out Always the Almost!

Sometimes I just know I will love a story. From the moment I read the blurb, my heart jumped up with happiness. Then I saw the cover by Myriam Strasbourg (peachesobviously), and I knew I needed this book. And when I started reading, I immediately fell head over heels. With the vibrant writing. With the realistic characters and their flaws. With the easiness, Edward tells this story. With Miles’ devotion to the piano and classical music (even though I’m not a massive fan of classical music). When Miles played that piano, I felt his struggles and his joy for being himself, a trans, queer teen. And I was in awe.

Always the Almost is about finding yourself and being true to yourself. It’s like being with the ones you love the most. It’s a story that hugged me completely, like a blanket full of warmth. I read the book with a constant smile on my face and this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. Miles was an MC to root for, and Eric, cinnamon roll Eric was so sweet and lovable. I even liked Shane. And, of course, Stefania! Hard on the outside, so soft on the inside.

Thanks, Edward, for sharing Miles’ story with the world. I’m impatiently waiting for what you write next!

"I am trans. I am queer. I am full of joy." I really liked the message of this book! Miles is a solid teen character - he makes messy decisions because he's trying to figure himself out and figure out what he wants. I really liked the musical aspect of this book. One of my favourite things is when a book is 'about something else' and in Always the almost, the classical music shines!

Always the Almost was so good and I know my students are going to love it as much as I did! The thing I enjoyed most about this book was how realistic it was. As someone who works with students, I see these kinds of things all the time. The writing was very good and it was easy to connect with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Always the Almost is a cute rom-com book.This book is perfect for fans of the show, Love, Victor! I thought Miles grew a lot throughout the book.

Always the Almost is a cute romcom coming of age queer musical story with such joy just radiating off the pages. It’s rare (at least in my experience) to find good queer books by queer authors and I’m beyond thrilled at having found this book. I love both Miles and Eric and I love how they’re not perfect, they’re flawed and still discovering who they truly are, who they want to be and how they work together. I’ve never experienced anything that Miles experiences in this book, but from a cis point of view it was written very well, written in a way was easy to understand for someone who’s never experienced that before. Miles is such a rich character, an absolute superstar and I will forever protect him. Another thing I loved was the romance mixed with the self discovery but not just for Miles and Eric but for the people surrounding them too. All in all a really beautiful read, one I’m so glad to have picked up!

Edward Underhill's debut is staggeringly good. Hearfelt and dreamy, I couldnt put it down so I didn't.

Miles is trans and a teenager. This brings such complexity to a chracter that it could've easily gone wrong. Underhill's skill as a writer layers each character with a sense of individuality especially queer realness.

Highly recommend for any YA reader interested in LGBTQIA+ stories full of joy and creativity.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was an incredibly sweet and wholesome read, but not so much as to be over the top saccharine happy.

Miles has his struggles: his gender identity, parents who strive to be accepting but don't totally understand, and an ex-boyfriend who dumped him two weeks after he came out.

Over all though, the characters are realistic, and well written. Miles' self doubts and angst is presented as pretty typical for a teenager trying to find their place in the world, but at the same time it did not dismiss the added element of his transness and the extra pressure that brings.

Eric's own self doubt and struggles with identity also ring true, and though their relationship is not without issues, it is thoughtfully presented and again, realistic to teenagers experiencing first love.

I would highly recommend this book to those interested in stories of first love, teens looking for stories of LGBTQ acceptance, and anyone looking for a happy ending!

This book was phenomenal! I devoured it over the course of a few days. I loved how true to life the story felt. Each character was incredibly developed and interesting. (Legit would read an ENTIRE book about Rachel...I hope one day there is one). LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. <333

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This was honestly one of my favorite reads of this year. The way the author writes the characters just made me relate to them so much. I cannot wait until I can buy my own copy of this gem. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is one of the most beautiful books I've read in a long time. It absolutely resonates with queer joy. I fell in love with Miles and his connection to music almost immediately (it seriously had me crying three chapters in) and got very, very invested in a fictional piano competition as a result. Also, Stefania is one of my favorite mentor characters of all time.