I really thought I knew what to expect from this book. I'd laugh, I'd cry and I'd enjoy a nice light read. Oh, how very wrong I was!

My weekend with the Davis Family (yes, I devoured this!) was spent giggling at Dan Clay's specific nods at midwestern upbringing (that you can typically only ever share in knowing glances with a very best friend) and doubled-over heaving with deep, sympathetic grief.

Yes, it is all the things others have shared -- fabulous and funny and unexpected. But never has a book so wound me in its prose that I felt it possible to empathize and understand experiences that I have never actually lived through. This book deepened an emotional education in me that I did not expect.

Becoming A Queen is beautiful, bright and I would highly recommend this to any reader

Thank you NetGalley and author for this ARC!


I loved everything about this book, it was cute and fun. The characters made the love story so enticing.Thanks again!

DNF @ 50% because I can't read anymore. I can tell where this is going and I just can't right now. Like, just picking up on the hints going into the second half I'm anxious and can feel the tendrils of depression creeping up on me.

So I'm basing this on the first half. And the first half is... ok. I don't like Mark. He's way, WAY too self-absorbed. He even realizes it, eventually, but can't bring himself to actually reach out to any of the people in his life who are obviously struggling. He's also constantly vibrating around with some combination of anxiety and ADHD and it's exhausting. I like Ezra, but there isn't as much of Ezra in this as I would like.

The audiobook performance is good if a little unhinged. The number of times I had to turn my volume way down, wincing from the shouting, and then way up to catch the whispers was annoying. Also it was impossible to tell which things Mark was saying out loud and which he was just thinking because they weren't differentiated at all in the performance.

The plot felt choppy and unfocused. What starts out silly and shallow has more and more serious threads of people in distress creep in and Mark's problems just seem... small in comparison. Even though they take up the majority of the plot time.

I must have enjoyed it because I listened to the first half of it, but I can't really think of anything I enjoyed about it? Besides maybe Ezra.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy of the audiobook for review.

Our library can never get enough gender diversity on our shelves. This is a sweet and relatable coming of age story that deals with grief and growth

I received a copy of this audiobook though NetGalley for a honest review.

This book broke my heart. It is so brilliantly written but the heart breaking thing -Spoiler Alert- Is that the brother dies. It was so unexpected and told so perfectly but it was a shock. How Mark deals with his brother's death is a true coming of age and family story. I Cried, I laughed, I fell in love with the characters.

A totally worth it wild ride.

At times I was little confused as to which character was talking.
This book unfolds quickly - definite teenage tone, distress and every detail has the ability to make or break. Poignant. Loved the group of friends.
Mark Davis is such a great character - heart, heartbreaking moments, on the edge of the start of his life and despair. You can see, feel and taste this book.
I loved the author as the narrator - gave more depth and heart to the character. Did a great job!

I was broken by this audiobook. The narration was so emotional I had tears for most of it. The first half of the book is full of teenage angst let's say with the main character going through a breakup after his boyfriend sees him in a dress for the talent show. He has given up on love and is happy just the way things are. He then gets to know a boy, things progresses and between a bit of miscommunication and just them being teens in love, there is a bit of angst but everything is just handled well. Then we get to the second part of the book, the part where the narrator brings out the most emotional narration I've ever listened to, and I just broke.
Mark faces his life putting on beautiful dresses and facing the world as best as he can. It is a challenge but he has people next to him that will help him and things might look dark and gloomy, but there is a rainbow and he sure was going to get to it.

What a beautiful debut!

This was such an emotional story that touched my heart about a boy named Mark who loves to wear dresses and just wants to live out life as himself. It was a great coming of age story and I loved the audiobook.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers

I saw this book when it was first released on @netgalley as a book release. and I KNEW I would have to have it when it came out as an audiobook. I wanted to read it so bad.

And it was everything I wanted. It was so good. It's a story of Mark Davis, a boy who put on a dress as a part of the talent show. but when he is finally in that dress, it's an eye opening and soul awakening experience.

This book I think could have been bettered by a professional audio book narrator. but I understand why @dan_clay wanted to do it himself. Passion projects have away of taking over. The narration is literally the only thing that pulled me out of this story. As a veracious audiobook reader, I am very critical of my narrators. and I feel bad about being so harsh. but I think this book would have been one of my top books of the year, if the narration had been a bit better.

the story, the plot, the imagery, the everything, was so superb!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ARC audiobook.

I’m going to be an outlier here. I didn’t like this, and I didn’t like it for the exact reasons that it’s highly rated.

This book is emotional.

I’m emotional enough without the addition of overly emotional books. The emotions in this one trended to the “negative” and I found myself on the verge of tears more than once.

I HATE THAT. I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT.

So is this a good read? Sure is, for the vast majority of people. For me? This is a big ole no thank you. Neutrally rated though -

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook copy.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Even at 50% of the way through, this book wasn't what I was expecting. I loved every emotional word I listened to. Hearing how Mark coped with his grief, how he found himself in drag, it was simply beautiful. I also really loved the realness of it. I could see my parents reacting like his... It really was a journey of a book. Anyone who has delt with a sudden loss will feel parts of this book so deeply. This is read by the author so I loved that!

This is not at all what I expected. I thought this was just going to be a nice, coming of age queer story. But LOLJK! This took a SHARP TURN about halfway through and then just didn’t let up for the rest of the book.

This was really incredible in terms of grief. As someone who is always looking for stories that focus on grief and done WELL, this one really hit home for me.

“Be yourself, your full sequin-y self!”

I finished Becoming A Queen earlier today and I’m still reeling from all the emotions it brought out. Be prepared to both laugh and cry if you pick up this book/audiobook!

As the author has said: “It’s a book about drag and love and growing up. It’s sad and it’s happy and it’s full of hope.”

Becoming A Queen is a coming-of-age story of a gay teen, but ever so much more. Mark is a 16-year-old with an older brother, Eric, who is off at college. Mark has been dumped by his boyfriend John, after he wears a dress while performing in the high school talent show. He’s just too much for John, apparently. Eric is such an amazingly supportive older brother and has a bunch of very quotable advice, including the “be yourself” quote I mentioned above.

When tragedy strikes Mark’s family, the tone of the book changes dramatically. A lot of the story hit home very personally for me, so other readers may not have quite the visceral reactions I had, but I think that you’d have to have a heart of stone if you aren’t affected by how Mark and his parents deal with their loss. The author’s treatment of grief was wonderful and so realistic.

I adored Mark and his new boyfriend, Ezra!

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated in stunning fashion by the author, Dan Clay. Since I listened to a lot of the second half of this book while out walking, I was glad I was wearing sunglasses so people couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

✨ Review ✨ Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay; Narrated by Dan Clay

"If only Mark Davis hadn’t put on a dress for the talent show. It was a joke—other guys did it too—but when his boyfriend saw Mark in that dress, everything changed."

A pretty purple princess dress sits in Mark's eyes as peak prettiness, and the dress plays a key role through much of this story as Mark finds the courage to wear it in public.

This book is about love and coming-of-age and bravery in the face of adversity, but it's also about family and sadness and loss. It's super hard to summarize without giving things away, but it was a really powerful read. Clay's narration brings fun and flirty but it also brings the depths of despair -- his narration was really impactful.

This isn't just a teen love story or a story of Mark finding the bravery to dress in drag...it's so much more. I encourage you to pick it up and go on this journey with Mark.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)
Genre: m/m romance, drag representation, coming of age
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ drag and sparkles
⭕️ queer identity and coming of age stories
⭕️ stories with sadness and grief; laughing and crying in the same book

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

A very nice easy read about self-love and acceptance. This is the perfect book because of what is going on in the USA right now. DRAG IS NOT A CRIME. This emotional queer coming of age story is a must read.

Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay

This review is of the audio which is read by the author. In his debut, Dan Clay weaves together a fun, witty, and heartbreakingly introspective story about a teenage boy on his path toward self-discovery. His narration is stellar; at moments I felt I was watching the scenes play out on stage. Every emotion, all the pain, all the miscommunication, and everything in between you physically feel in his narration.

The story begins with a dress and a boy. Mark Davis believes he sets his future for destruction when he chose to wear a dress during the talent show of his junior year in high school. By the end of the story that dress saves him and many other dresses become his self-fulfillment. The story showcases the support he finds along the way from his brother Eric, his boyfriend Ezra, and his very good friends Crystal and Damien.

This novel has immense heartbreak and trigger warnings involving alcohol abuse and death of a child. These were the most difficult parts of the story and I would find myself laughing out loud and then devolving into full on out ugly crying, snot and all. Eric is Mark’s older brother and absolute hero. He is the one person that fully accepts and encourages Mark to be himself. He also gives the very best advice when Mark is at his worst. Upon the loss of Eric, Mark and his family lose their cohesiveness and the path back together is not a smooth one.

I would absolutely recommend this audio book for adults and teens; it is a LGBTQ literary celebration that resonates powerfully with the listener.

The storyline from Becoming A Queen reminded me of the boulder from Indiana Jones. Mark, the protagonist, deals with big emotions throughout the story. Whether it is working on self-acceptance, facing his internalized biases, or dealing with grief, Mark is constantly running from these feelings, like Indiana Jones runs from the boulder. That is until he doesn’t. This novel blew me away. Clay, the author, shows readers that sometimes the best way to deal with emotions is by facing them head on. The characters in this novel are both multifaceted and relatable, which only added to the overall brilliance of the story. I highly recommend this novel to readers of all ages as I think there is something everyone can take away from it.

[Actual Rating 4.25] Becoming a Queen is a very emotional debut novel by Dan Clay. I loved that Macmillan Audio has the author narrate the story as it allowed Dan to present the author how it was intended to be read. While some authors do not quite capture the narration of their stories, Dan did a great job. Drag has come into the spotlight recently in the United States as a huge political issue and has sparked many protests and bans. In my city, one café hosts drag story time where drag queens read stories to kids and their families. It is a fun time, but there are usually a ton of protests and police there as the threat of violence breaking out from the protesters has happened in the past. This book has a great tie-in to these real-life scenarios as the main character, Mark, is a drag queen and a student, so not only does Mark deal with his drag side of himself, but the general coming of age issues that come up for everyone.

The story begins with Mark putting on a dress for a talent show, however, his boyfriend does not approve. The two break up and Mark begins the healing process. Mark turns to his brother, Eric, who he always relies on to get him through everything. I absolutely loved the relationship between Eric and Mark. Each has their own secrets where they are going through internal struggles, but they were always there for each other. It was a well-written brotherly (and supportive) dynamic. Eventually, Mark meets Ezra and the two become closer. As the synopsis states, there is tragedy in this story, so the book is essentially two sections (before and after). While they do feel like two stories, it does read like life where it is messy. There is a lot of emotion in the story, so it is not a light read, even though there are lighter moments throughout.

Listening to the audiobook, I did not originally know how to feel about the author narrating his own book; however, Dan Clay did an amazing job. He captured the roller coaster of emotions that the reader experiences in the story. There is a lot covered in this coming-of-age tale and I loved his performance. The pacing of the story does start a little slow yet still chaotic until it moves into the latter half. Since there are a finite number of pages, I do sometimes wish that the beginning was shortened a little to make room for more in the latter, however, I would not know what to eliminate. As a debut, this novel has a few rough edges here and there, but it was a captivating story. Overall, I enjoyed this emotional story and look forward to reading more from Clay in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to find in Dan Clay’s Becoming a Queen, and what I did find was a beautifully written and emotional coming of age story for teenage Mark Davis as he struggles with grief and how to be his true self, and finds the support he needed all along in an unexpected source.

Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Mark is used to being one of a few LGBQT+ students at his school. He’s been friends with the popular kids, his whole school career, and being gay has never been an issue… but his desire to wear beautiful dresses and the like is too much for his then boyfriend, friends and family.

As he struggles with his desire to express himself, Mark’s family life also goes through turmoil as they suffer through the effects of teenage alcohol abuse with his idolized older brother, Eric.

With a chance encounter with another student as he attempts to purchase his first dream dress, Mark finds that love truly, does find you, and support you in your time of need. With Ezra’s help, Mark is is not only able to fully realize himself, but in the process worked through his grief and memorialize his brother.

Absolutely stunning how the story goes from a fun high school coming of age story to realistically telling a tale of family trauma and grief, in such a pure and real way. At no point are either of these important aspects of the story, muted by the other, but they build upon each other to create a multi-dimensional story that just captures your heart.

This audiobook was excellent, Dan Clays narration felt like he was telling us his own personal story (This book is fiction.). His expressive dialogue felt more like a conversation with a friend as the narration continued, and it really made you feel part of the story. The narration truly added another layer to the story and brought it to another level.

Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay is being released tomorrow in all formats.

Thank you to McMillan audio for the review copy. Opinions are my own.

#BecomingAQueen #DanClay

Synopsis from Amazon: If only Mark Davis hadn’t put on a dress for the talent show. It was a joke—other guys did it too—but when his boyfriend saw Mark in that dress, everything changed.

And now, fresh on the heels of high school heartbreak, Mark has given up on love. Maybe some people are just too much for this world—too weird, too wild, too feminine, too everything. Thankfully, his older brother Eric always knows what to say to keep Mark from spinning into self-loathing. "Be yourself! Your full sequin-y self.”

But Mark starts to notice signs that his perfect older brother has problems of his own.

When the source of Mark’s strength suddenly becomes the source of his greatest pain, the path back to happiness seems impossible. Searching for a way out, Mark slips into a dress to just, briefly, become someone else, live a different life. His escape, however, becomes an unexpected outlet for his pain—a path to authentic connection, and a provocation to finally see other people as fully as he wants to be seen.

Review: This book. This. Book. This book somehow made my mama heart so happy and so devastated. The whole Davis family has my heart. This is a book I'll have my daughter read not only so she knows that she should always be herself, even if there are 52 versions of her and each one is a little bit of a lie (IYKYK) but also so she knows that she deserves a partner who only wants to amplify who she is, not squash her down. This book was everything I didn't know I needed in a book right now.