I'm jumping right in - READ THIS IMMEDIATELY!
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☆☆☆☆☆
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Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay left me raw, emotional, contemplative, heartbroken, and hopeful. I LOVED the narration by the author. You could feel the pain, the anger, the humour, the sorrow, and the love throughout the entire story. Dan tells this story with so much passion! It's powerful and stunning!
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I thought this was a cute, funny, coming-of-age story with some romance in it. Which it absolutely was, but it was sooooo much more!! It's about love, family, friendships, romantic relationships, substance abuse, loss, it's about self-discovery, self-acceptance, and being the best version of yourself, no matter what that looks like. We get all of that through Mark's journey to be okay with wanting to wear a dress and feel pretty.
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I loved how character driven this story was and how each character had so much depth. I was invested in each of them. These characters grow tremendously throughout this story, which kept me completely engrossed.
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The imagery of grief as a pinball machine will stay with me forever because it resonates so much. I feel like those pinball paddles (or whatever they're called) flapping my way through life and hitting all the different stages of grief so randomly. I don't normally do this, but I wrote down many quotes from this book, especially the ones relating to love and grief.
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I am in awe of Dan Clay, and I am now a fan forever. Can't wait to see what Dan has in store for us next!
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Thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and author Dan Clay for this incredible ALC to honestly review. Becoming a Queen is out on Tuesday (April 25th)! GO PRE-ORDER IT NOT!!!
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P.S. Get ready to feel all of the emotions all at once!

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and Dan Clay for the opportunity to listen to this book as an advanced listener copy.

General Description: Mark likes to wear dresses. But he can't admit that to the world yet. After a break up, Mark tries to find who he is in high school without being in a relationship. His brother is a huge supporter of anything Mark does. However, when tragedy strikes Mark family, he must discover who he is after experiencing traumatic loss, and if drag can be an acceptable form of solace in his small town.

This is a 5/5 star read for me, and let me explain why:
- for a character driven book, this is fast paced and I love it. I was engaged the entire time while listening.
- If you're not used to audiobooks, you should definitely try this one because Dan Clay narrating it himself was FANTASTIC. You could feel the emotion in every word he read and it enhanced the experience.
- You have complex characters that grow in a beautiful way.
- The book definitely takes a turn from lighthearted to serious and heavy in a minute, and you're along for the ride every minute, while the book handles grief extremely well.
- The side characters are fantastic and i want more about them.

Overall: please read this especially if you're experiencing grief. I recently lost my grandfather and listened to his book while planning this funeral and it really helped me process my grief.

Listen, I don’t watch much TV but I do watch Rupaul’s Drag Race … and I love everything Drag… so when I saw this cover and title on NetGalley I KNEW I needed to request it. Luckily I was approved for the audiobook, and I’m so thankful to Macmillan Audio because I loved it!

In the spirit of honesty, the first few chapters we’re a bit slow to grab my attention. It felt a bit choppy and the main character, Mark, felt a little whiney at some points. It took a few more chapters for me to really understand his character and appreciate his … idk how else to say it, but “pomp” I suppose. He felt almost pretentious without being in your face about it.

Mark’s parents are fantastic, including his father who may not fully understand Mark’s desire to wear a dress but he does at least try - and at no point do they ever discourage him from being himself. The biggest and best influence was Mark’s brother, Eric. Eric always had the best words of wisdom and Mark followed them almost religiously … as one does when they’re trying to fill the shoes of their “bigger and better” older brother. 

A few more chapters in and I was fully enthralled, giggling away at the gregariousness of it all… and then a few more chapters in and I am fully weeping. 

I don’t know how Clay was able to go from a lighthearted story about a boy learning to live as his best sequin-y life, to a devastating story about grief and the aftermath of losing a loved one so seamlessly. It was around this point that this story solidified itself as a new fav.

The writing was almost poetic in a way. I felt like I was grieving with them. Clay was writing the things most people experience while experiencing a loss. My heart was broken, and I was learning to mend it right there beside Mark. 

The audio, read by the author themselves, was expertly done. It was like listening to a very entertaining monologue, filled with emotional ups and downs to keep your attention. Some talk on religion and alcohol abuse so please read cautiously if these may trigger you.

I loved this and will 100% be buying a copy when it comes out. Plus this cover? COME ON!! 😍

"the world can't handle a tragedy without a lesson, so here I sit, with my broken heart in my hands, waiting for my lesson." (Paraphrased, Dan Clay)

This line that I quoted above broke me. Because I understand so hard it hurts. 287 days ago, I lost my dad to cancer. The way Dan Clay narrates his own book is visceral in it's pain and grief. Either he is a very good actor, or he knows something about grief.

I adore this story. I adore these characters. Drinking, partying, and a generous amount of cussing isn't really my style, so I didn't find that I really liked a lot of what Mark does in the story, but I like Mark. I like Ezra. I like Eric. (Apologies if any of these names are misspelled). These teens are front and center on that struggle bus called Life. But you know what? By the end of the story, they're using the middle aisle of the struggle bus as a catwalk.

And side note: my god! The way Dan Clay narrated Mark's swoony moments over flirting and abs and kissing and sexual tension is right on par with a romance novel. Whoo! Do not listen at work if you are prone to blushing! (For the curious: there's no explicit sexual content. Just a lot of flirting, visible abs, a very particular spot of chest hair Mark often focuses on, eyes you fall into, and very strong, tense, when-are-they-gonna-DO-it feelings. I'm personally not used to listening to romantic banter and innuendos on audio, so I tended to feel my face getting warm at work lol)

I went into this book thinking it would be a coming of age ya novel but this was definitely more. There was tragedy, angst and how a teenager deals with life and learning who they are. I listened to the audiobook and I do wish the narration for the characters was more unique to differentiate between them. I did love that the author did his own narration though.

I absolutely adored this book. The narration from the author spooked me when it was stated before the story began, because often, authors do not make great narrators. This was absolutely not the case here. Dan Clay portrayed every emotion so clearly with his voice, from glee to panic and all consuming grief. He put on an absolutely stunning performance. There were a few scenes that will stay with me forever because of the narration. Mrs Davis screams in one scene, and Dan didn’t hold back. I felt my heart rip in half from the pain of the sound she made. Another, was the talent show. I absolutely sobbed through Marks song, completely unable to contain the emotion that his singing voice brought out in me.
Mark has become my favourite MC of the year, by far. This boy was so relatable, from his sarcastic retorts to his over thinking inner dialogue. He just felt so much, and that shone so clearly within the story.
The relationships in this book were absolutely breathtaking. Whether they were familial, romantic, or platonic friendships. Marks relationship with his brother Eric was my favourite dynamic, with how open and honest they were with each other. They related so well to each other, and communicated so much of their feelings, it was really refreshing to see. Marks relationship with Ezra was the sweetest thing I’ve ever read, and I could not love those boys more if I tried.
I really loved the portrayal of faith in this book. So often we see queer storylines with a negative portrayal of church and faith, but here, it was so positive and welcoming, it felt so comforting to hear. Knowing that Marks family has such a strong connection to their church, and never once was there even a hint of anything negative between Marks identity as a queer boy and his religion. I know not all churches or faiths are as welcoming as it was written here, but it was just such a breath of fresh air to me.
The emotional roller coaster within the story is really the shining star for me. I connected to the characters on such a deep level, and I felt so much pain over the loss of someone I felt was so integral to Mark, not only in the literal sense, but integral to who he is as a person. It felt like a personal loss, like I’d just been separated from someone I hold dear in my own heart. I sobbed for a solid 20% of this book.
My favourite piece, and likely the hardest part of this book, was the grief. Not only the feelings I got from the characters, but the overall breakdown of how a person feels being effected by loss and grief. The stages, the feelings of guilt and anger, and the fact that, although so many people experience loss in our lives at various times, there’s never a clear cut way to move through it. That one step forward can result in 10 steps back, and how time doesn’t heal a damn thing, but it just might make the hit of pain feel a little less like a death blow.
Okay, I think that’s enough 😂 I could talk about this book for days on end. I’ll end this with “I highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone, and will be purchasing the audiobook, as well as a physical copy and the ebook, just to make sure I never have to be separated from it.”

DNFed at 14%. I couldn’t get into the voice. It was too whiny and “woe is me”. I get it’s a teen who was just dumped but it was just irritating how pathetic he seemed 🙈

This story brought me back to my high school theatre days, but promptly dropped me in magical land of heartbreak. From the first chapter of the story you fall in love with the main character. He is charming, philisophical, and so very, very broken. What more could you want in a person?! Dan Clay doesn't do anything "nice and easy", but instead has you rolling (on the river) laughing and crying!

Holy shit.

Well I finally stopped crying long enough to write a review.

I picked this book based on title and cover. I expected a funny, cute, coming of age romance; which definitely is the case but I wasn’t expecting the second half of the book to rip my heart out.

Mark is such a great main character. So funny, quick witted and super relatable (well to me, a super stressed out person always feeling like I’m inconveniencing everyone around me)

Mark just wants to feel pretty and wear dresses once and a while. And even though he has wonderful support in his life he also has some naysayers. His journey to drag was so lovely and heart wrenching.

Read it. It was great.

But also know you may need to pull the car over to cry if you go audiobook. Which you should. It’s read by the author and his performance was incredible.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book.

Trigger Warnings: alcohol, underage drinking, break-up, homophobia, vomit, cursing, jail, death, grief, medical content, funeral, counseling, overdose, infidelity, divorce, sex, addiction, alcoholism

Representation: Drag, Gay, mental health

Becoming a Queen is a queer, young adult contemporary. 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 tragedy capsizes the Davis family, the source of Mark’s strength suddenly becomes the source of his greatest pain, and the path back to happiness seems impossible. Searing 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 grief—a path to authentic connection, and a provocation to finally see other people as fully as he wants to be seen.

Wow. Just wow. I actually don’t have enough words for the heartbreak and beauty within these pages. As someone who lost their mom young, I have never found the words to express the pain I felt when I lost her. The anger that is on these pages is so humane and relatable. I think this book needs some serious content/trigger warnings but for someone so many years out from loss, I thought the book was absolutely amazing. The author writes a character experiencing terrible grief, it is absolutely heart wrenching. It also so accurately depicts the grief process that is common with this type of loss, at least from my perspective.

I thought the author got the grief and loss so completely right, but some of the other aspects were a bit off. I absolutely loved the concept of using drag to help with his grief but something about it felt a bit off. I’m not sure if it was the pacing or the writing style but that aspect, in my opinion, could use a bit of tweaking. Overall, this book is just amazing!

This is not a lighthearted comedy; rather, this fiction reads very much like a biography of a boy who is so obsessed with his own life/issues that he fails to notice when things are falling apart (in one case tragically) in the lives of those he cares about. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author himself. As is so often the case with author-narrated books, he is both good and frustrating: he knows the emotions he has written/experienced but narration concerns such as creating unique voices for the other characters aren't always emoted well. For such a serious book, a lot of the time the narration was very over-the-top and people only seem to talk in exclamation marks. But for all intent and purposes, Mark is pretty much the author.

Story: Mark has just broken up with his boyfriend and it wasn't pretty. His boyfriend hated the idea of Mark dressing up as a girl ("If I wanted to date a girl, I would have") yet that was the one thing Mark has always wanted to do. As such, when he meets the great guy Ezra, he keeps messing things up with their budding relationship, sure that he would just get hurt again. Amid all this worry and self doubt, Mark fails to notice the hard time his brother is having at his first year of University or how his best friend isn't doing so well at school.

It isn't a spoiler (it's in the blurb) to say that tragedy strikes Mark later in the story and the rest of the book is Mark dealing with the grief and loss. At the same time, he has to learn how to allow himself to express who he is, even if it means the censure of friends and community for wearing a dress and wig. Although 2/3 of the book is the lead up to the tragedy, the last part hits hard as we see Mark self recriminate for not seeing the signs of what was going to happen and not doing anything before it was too late.

Although I enjoyed the story (somewhat less the over-the-top theatrical narration) and appreciate the emotions laid bare, I did have a hard time getting into any of the characters. Mark was so self absorrbed as to be a one-man world - even the ending is all about him. None of the side characters felt overly real and I had a really hard time understanding or appreciating the persons that Ezra or Mark's brother were (again, that might have been because of the narration issues). Those looking for a light summer read like Simon vs The Homo Sapien Agenda won't find that here: this isn't a romance or a feel-good fiction so much as a much more raw journey of loss and finding self love. There isn't much about drag in here at all other than Mark wistfully dreaming of wearing a frilly dress for most of his young life. It does end on an upbeat note, however.

In all, a nice book about self discovery. I would recommend the print narration over the audiobook, though. Reviewed from an advance listen copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Overall this was a well written, sweet story that deals with SO many hard topics. I was listening to this at work and had to pretend I wasn't about to cry a couple of times. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this and really helped bring it to life for me.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Oh my goodness. This was such a beautifully written book about family, loss, grief, and love. Was there a gay boy named Mark who wore drag in the course of the story? Why, yes there was. That was not the point of the story though, it was just who he was. The story was so much more than that if you gave the book a chance. Unfortunately, I know this book won't be read by many of my peers; it will face bans or people that will just never make it past the cover. All I can say is those people will be missing a book that moved me to tears.

This coming of age was really sweet!

However… I could have used a trigger warning.

<Spoiler>

The summary of the book mentions the brother having some problems. The problem is alcohol abuse. Eric ends up passing away from alcohol poisoning.

I know I’m not the target audience for YA, but as someone who used to live life like Eric and is now sober… a little more detail about alcohol abuse would have been nice.

Even though I felt triggered I had to finish the story because I had to know that Mark was going to make it through his brother’s passing.

I’m happy I finished the story because it was sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and Dan Clay (author AND audiobook narrator) for the opportunity to read Becoming a Queen in exchange for an honest review.

Dan Clay is not only the author, but also the narrator of his own audiobook, and he is an excellent and flavorful voice actor! I also love that the author himself is a drag queen and has writtien a brilliant debut novel to share the perspective of drag for a teen.

After wearing a dress for the talent show (since a bunch of other guys did it too), Mark's joke becomes something more, especially after a comment from his boyfriend. Giving up on love, Mark turns to his older brother, Eric, for advice. Eric has been Mark's go-to for advice since childhood, with simple inquiries from the age of seven about kissing boys and wearing dresses. Eric always encourages Mark to just be himself.

Mark follows his older brother's advice, but he realizes soon that his older brother has problems of his own, especially with alcohol, and maybe Eric needs someone to look up to as well. When tragedy strikes, Mark uses his dresses to become someone else, soon to learn that "someone else" is just another part of who he truly is. Navigating through a complicated romance with his boyfriend Ezra, the family tragedy, and exploring how to express himself to the best of his ability, Mark follows his brother's advice through-and-through: be himself.

This is an amazing novel that explores self-esteem, alcoholism, loss, and discovering oneself. Learning to express who one is is one of the most important aspects of being human, and this novel is a well-written blen with exploring sexual orientation and what it means to be a drag queen.

A brilliant debut for any reader of the LGBTQ community and allies, and anyone interested in a heart-felt story that hits hard what it means to be human.

rep: gay mc, achillean li
rating: 4.5 stars

This is a coming of age book, but not in the sense of coming out. Mark is already out as gay. He just starts a self discovery journey. He explores his gender expression and eventually, drag. Not the typical drag queen where he performs songs in bars, but its his own version of drag. Although it is in there, drag is not the main focus of this book. It's mostly about acceptance, love and grief.

I read a few reviews before starting the book, so I knew something was going to happen at the halfway mark, but didn’t know what. As I read through and saw some clues, I had a pretty good feeling what it was going to be. I don’t know if it was better or worse that I knew. On one hand, I wasn’t shocked or completely thrown off when it happened, and on the other, as I read, I got more and more nervous about what I was pretty sure was about to happen. Either way I was not ready.

The reviews I read were correct in saying the first and second half of the book are very different. The first half is pretty light and sweet, while the second was very heavy, angsty and emotional. Mark goes through such a journey. He has a scene towards the end where he’s talking to his dad and explains his version of being a boy. That was such a powerful scene.

I really liked seeing Mark’s journey of self discovery and acceptance. He starts off nervous and even a bit ashamed of wanting to wear a dress, but he slowly starts to embrace it and be confident. Ezra and Eric encourage him to be himself and wear what he wants. He also becomes a better person in general because of his brother. He is a messy characters and makes a lot of mistakes, but he learns and grows a lot. It was also nice to see him go to therapy.

I loved the relationship Mark has with his brother, Eric. It radiated so much love and support. Their love for one another was so great to see. It wasn’t perfect, but I doubt any sibling’s relationship is. I wish we got to see Eric be more vulnerable with Mark. They do have lots of funny scenes together though.

I really liked Ezra. He’s so sweet and supportive. He’s exactly what Mark needed after his last crappy boyfriend. He starts off a bit reserved and their relationship has its ups and downs. Things don’t always go smoothly, but in the end, Ezra is always there for Mark through all of his hardships and good times.

A major highlight was the narration (done by the author). He did a great job bringing Mark to life. His personality and all of his sass really shined. He did phenomenally, especially during the more intense and spiraling scenes. Wow, so good. Had me tearing up a couple of times. 100% would recommend listening to the audiobook. I really don’t think I would’ve been hit so hard if I read the physical copy. Clay put so much emotions into it. Amazing.

One thing I didn’t enjoy, was once again a queer book having a harry potty reference. I thought we agreed to stop doing this?? It’s 2023, come on.

The cover is pretty.

It would be a good idea to check out trigger warnings before starting this book. The 2nd half deals with grief and heavy topics.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book

I was not at all able to guess the trajectory of this book. I was cruising along, laughing out loud (because this book is really cute and funny and Dan Clay doesn't just narrate the book it's more like he performs it) and then bam! Without spoilers, I'll just say something tragic happens, and Dan's performance draws you in even though everything is absolutely heart wrenching. The book gets heavy. I do really appreciate that Mark does not have all the answers and it not a spokesperson for what drag means to everyone and the world or something like that. He's just a kid finding himself and that is good and important. There is a lot of love in this book as well, in many forms, and that is very nice to see and heals the hurt a bit. This book and all the feels and I would absolutely recommend this book as long as the reader is ok with the content. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
**CW - spoilers** - alcohol abuse, death of a sibling.

Congratulations Dan Clay on a masterful debut!

What I thought was going to be a coming of age story about Mark, was unexpectedly much more than I thought, and absolutely perfect.

You learn about Mark’s desire to be pretty, and wear dresses. Beneath the surface, is a story about family, friends, relationships, substance abuse, and grief. Dan Clay had me giddy with excitement, and near sobbing throughout this book, and I was here for it.

I was incredibly moved by the scene when tragedy strikes the Davis family, as well as the confrontation Mark has with his father at the end of the book. The absolute anguish and performance by Dan Clay’s narration was heartbreaking. It is easily one of the best performances I have heard in an audiobook.

Becoming a Queen will stick with me for a long time, and I will be suggesting this to my book club, as I think it would be a fantastic book for discussion.

***This could be a difficult read for some, so please check trigger warnings before diving in***

CW: recreational drug and alcohol use, queermisia, homomisia, infidelity (recounted), divorce (recounted), incarceration, problem drinking, alcohol poisoning, death of a sibling

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free audio e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After being dumped for performing in a dress during the school talent show, Mark feels that he’s too much for someone to love him. With the encouragement of his older brother, Eric, and new crush, Ezra, at the costume store, things might be turning up for him. Yet, Mark realizes that his brother has struggles that he doesn’t know about or what to do to help him. When he wears the dress he got when he first met Ezra, Mark realizes that the dress could help him be how he wants to be seen.

Becoming a Queen is a book that can be full of wit and charm at one point and heart-wrenching at another point. A stellar debut from Clay, this book really dives into themes of loss and self-discovery and that reflects into Mark’s character development. From the first page, I enjoyed having Mark as an MC and I think that his journey with faith, grief, and being who you want to be is really something readers can resonate with.

For the narration, Clay takes the honor as the sole narrator for this 10 hour and 40 minute audiobook that can be easily listened to at 1.25x. While Clay makes a bold choice with doing his own narration for Becoming a Queen, it ultimately works for him. Clay brings about all the laugh out loud and heart-wrenching emotions in this book to life as well as every other emotion in between. Since there are plenty of short chapters, this is an easy-to-listen audiobook that’s perfect for multi-tasking. My only critique of Clay’s narration is to work on creating distinct voices for the female characters.

Nevertheless, I think this is a really good read. If you’re looking for an emotion-filled, queer coming-of-age novel, you are going to love Becoming a Queen.

I really needed a story about a kid doing drag who was safe and okay. I needed that. This delivered. The story is heartwarming and compelling. The characters are real and multifaceted, no one is allowed to be a flat stereotype and it is a truly beautiful thing. But we need to all stop for a second and acknowledge the *phenomenal* acting job that Clay is doing in the narration here. It is outstanding! Pick up the audiobook version of this, if you can, because there are so many extraordinary layers in that performance. The words on the page are great, but the voice acting is out of this world.