I had high hopes for this one but it fell flat for me. I know my review is long overdue but I couldnt find myself enjoying the story. I gave it a 2 because it did have the promise but fell flat. The characters were fine but that was all I enjoyed.

I thought this was an interesting book, in which Nick finds himself attracted to Katie, but Nick identifies as gay, so of course he's confused by his attraction, until he learns more about Katie. The more he spends time with Katie, the more he learns new truths about himself along the way. Some parts were slow, some were a bit too wordy, but overall I did enjoy this story.

After running into each other, literally, and then running into each other again in the more figurative sense, Nick Fraser and Katie Miller discover their common love of music and 80s and 90s rom-coms, and it sparks some of the conversations that make this novel such a sweet and charming read. I’m a huge fan of an author who knows how to use dialogue to not only advance the story but help readers get to know the characters, and these two charmed my socks off with their debates and banter and the more serious conversations as well. There was never a moment where I thought, “Guh, why don’t they just talk to each other already?” which, as a non-fan of the Big Misunderstanding because characters avoid the tough conversations, this made me kinda giddy.

As a growing awareness of the attraction Nick feels towards Katie develops, and the resulting confusion it inspires in Nick—who’s never in his life identified as bisexual—the revelation that Katie is transgender begins to make sense to Nick in the wrongest of wrong ways, so very wrong. But, after opening his mouth and inserting both feet more than once, it gives Katie the opportunity to school Nick on why he’s insulted her, even if it’s unintentional. The greatest thing about Katie is that she’s in control, she allows Nick the mistake of his ignorance so that she can teach him why he’s wrong, which is sometimes part of the learning process—everyone makes mistakes; growing is learning not to keep repeating them. I felt Katie’s patience with Nick not only revealed that she’d been through this so many times before, all the things cisgender people take for granted, but it also gives readers the chance to know Katie as a strong, confident, independent and intelligent woman, despite the things that still cause her anxiety. There was never a point where Katie needed saving or played the damsel in distress to Nick’s knight in shining armor, and I loved that the author avoided that tired romantic trope. Between the two, Nick did all the growing as a character, all thanks to Katie, and watching him fall for her was really the defining romantic moment in the story.

Some things in Francis Gideon’s Hopeless Romantic will either feel retro to you or make you feel nostalgic (which is the kinder, gentler way of saying old). I loved the nostalgia parts of this story, with all the movie and music references, which endeared Nick and Katie to me all the more because it’s those two things that drew them together—some of the ways they started to bond even reminded me a little of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, complete with the meet-cute. In fact, this book reads as if it could have been scripted from the template of some of those great rom-coms of the 80s and 90s, even including the “James Spader friend” who makes you wonder why he’s a friend—until, in Levi’s case, he does something really human and listens to Nick and proves he knows how not to be an arsehole all the time. And I loved that Nick’s love and loyalty was to Katie, always, and that he’s even given the great monologue scene where he gets to say out loud all the things that make her special to him.

One of my favorite quotes has always been, “love is friendship set to music.” I love it in the metaphorical sense, and I love that in the case of Hopeless Romantic, it works in the most literal sense too, but most important, in the end, is that this book lives up to its title. Nick and Katie’s love story really is hopelessly romantic.

I had a hard time with this book. I felt there was a lot of transphobia shining through or possibly it was just how I took the comments. I admit I get confused with different labels, and I understand that sexuality can be very fluid and change overtime as people become comfortable accepting themselves. I just felt like there was some very damaging comments from Nick to Katie about her transgender status. Comments that you would not say if you truly loved someone. Being transgender isn't about the genitalia a person has, gender and sex assignment are two different things. It seems Nick forgets this, and I had a hard time with that...

Add in an overall lack of chemistry t/o the book and I felt like I was at time reading a pamphlet on explaining transgenderism versus a romance novel. I think there was just too much for the reader to grasp in this book, then buy into, and finally then enjoy. A lot of deep topics that sort of felt thrown together, minus the romance.

Sorry, I just didn't click with this book.

When I requested this on NetGalley, there weren't any other reviews up yet. The blurb made it sound like an interesting bisexuality discovery story with a love interest who was trans, and the author is non-binary so I assumed it would be an excellent own-voices read.

I read the first couple chapters, and they were okay but not really catching my interest. I came onto GR to see other reviews and was shocked by what I read. Lots of misgendering that's excused and brushed off by the trans character. I won't be continuing this one.

DNF at 12%.

The reviewer who chose this book was unable to fully read the book. Because of that, we are not going to post a review for the partial that she did read.

I enjoyed reading this. Nick, a gay man, meets and falls for Katie. He is puzzled because he is gay and has only ever liked men and yet here he is falling for a woman. When he finds out that Katie is trans he immediately thinks he understands why he was attracted to Katie. To him because Katie is trans he feels that he is attracted to Katie because she was once a man.

Wrong!

And so Nick's education and questioning begins and he goes through the process of learning that Katie is a woman.

“You can ask questions. That’s how people learn. But be respectful, okay?”

But then he is left with questions about his own sexuality. Katie is a woman so what does that then say about him? Does it mean that he has been bisexual all along? How will he explain this to his friends and family, but does he need to explain this to them etc and these are a few of the issues that Nick explores and Katie is there by his side as he does so.

And so Nick gradually falls in love and this is what he wants because he deeply desires to have a happy ever after. He wants his own romance, children and family, and maybe Katie is the one, but can he relate to Katie with integrity? Can he love her as the woman she is?

I thought it was an interesting story because it emphasises the uniqueness of the individual. Gender identity is a very individual issue but it is expressed within society and still not well understood. At the very heart of this issue are questions about freedom, respect and acceptance. Katie is very clear about who she is. Nick is also very clear about who he is, but for the first time in his life this is being challenged because he is attracted to a woman.

And so the story explores the relationship between the two of them.

It is a pleasant story, one of discovery and courage and love. Nick has to discover who he is and who Katie is and he finds it challenging, risky but at the same time exciting.

The story grew on me as it developed. Early on in the book I felt that the characters were a bit boring and for me this is because the first part of the book tried too hard and told us about 'being trans' instead of showing us a young man who falls head over heels in love. Why does Nick suddenly fall so hard for this young woman after only dating men all his life? Why does Katie fall in love with this young man knowing that he is gay? And knowing these things what draws the two of them to take the risk and fall in love? I don't think the first part of the story explored this sufficiently, instead it kind of emphasised the correct way to approach the issue of transgender, the correct language etc etc

But the story comes into its own during the second half of the book.

The two characters share a deep love of music and movies and this is explored and given depth in the second half of the story. Although most of the music and film stuff went over my head, and it shows the two of them finding something that they both have in common and it shows how they go from being strangers to friend, and friends to lovers, which was beautifully done.

I think the story takes off at this point because Nick and Katie decide to date and both of them go out of their way to create romantic dates. “It seemed like for the first time in both of their lives, they could really have fun with the typical idea of romance as it was depicted on the screen.”

I didn't find this book to be transphobic. For me it was simply a story about a young man who is forced to question himself when he falls in love with someone who is trans and how he comes to understand Katie as a woman and not a man, and what this means for his own sexuality. It is a story which explores issues of gender identity and intimacy and I think in real life this isn't an exact science and this is what the story portrays.

Nick shows a willingness to learn even though he gets it wrong occasionally. Katie doesn't feel that she needs to educate him but she reveals who she is as part of the process of getting to know another person.

Nick has to explore what it means to be with Katie especially since Katie hasn't had a complete sexual reassignment surgery. Is he then with Katie because she can have sex in a way that satisfies him? What would happen if Katie decided to have a complete physical gender reassignment (for want of a better word). And does this mean that Nick is gay or is he bi? Katie takes the lead by finding her own way to express sexual intimacy but these are questions that only Nick and Katie can answer for themselves. The story tells about two individuals facing these questions but their story is not everyone else's stories. This book is not telling how it is for everyone, but how it is for Katie and Nick, and for me that is what I found interesting. This isn't the story of my trans colleagues and their stories will be very different or could be similar. So for me I didn't see Nick as being transphobic. I saw a young man grappling with real questions and real changes in his life.

I do wish the story explored a bit more about Nick's feelings towards himself and how he went so easily from being gay to being with a woman. The story also illustrates that there is so much in a relationship that goes beyond gender, identity and sexuality

It is well written story, a bit dry and factual in places but a story which grew on me, made me think and reflect, and one I wont be forgetting any time soon.

Copy generously provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley. Much appreciated.

First, a little insight into why I read some of the books that I do. I stayed away from the LGBTQIA genre for a long time because I didn't think I could relate to the characters. I was wrong on so many levels. I can see that now. My go-to books and authors now include a pretty wide array of LGBTQIA, some of which have even helped me learn a little bit about myself, who knew? I've only read a handful of trans books, and not knowing anyone who is trans I couldn't tell you which ones have come closer to portraying a true trans man or woman. To me, that's not the point. I'm not trying to be insensitive, just the opposite. I try to read books that may help me understand where people from all walks of life are coming from. Hopefully, it's making me a better person in the long run. Maybe, maybe not, but since I live in a community where I'm sure the full spectrum of LBGTQIA people live right beside me, but for many reasons (family, church, neighbors, school, etc.) don't feel safe being themselves, reading this genre is the only way I have of gaining even a little bit of understanding. Hopefully, one day, that will change, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

For all those reasons, I'm not really sure how to write this review. I try not to read other reviews before I write mine, but this one was hard because the reactions were intense. This is the first book by Francis Gideon I've read, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I liked the story and the insight. If nothing else, it's made me want to read more transgender books, because honestly, just like every other person on the planet, I would imagine that no two transgender people are the same or handle things the same way.

Again, I'm not trying to be insensitive, but I could relate to Nick. He was learning and yes, he may have faltered... a lot, but he was trying. He was also a bit flustered because being attracted to Katie kind of threw him. He had identified as gay his entire life and finding out that Katie was trans, relieved him in a way. I'm not saying that was right, it wasn't. He just grasped at it in an effort to come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to a woman. Once he did come to terms with it, he still slipped a little, but he was trying.

Katie was an amazing character. She was patient with Nick, but she didn't let him get away with his pre-conceived ideas and she made him take a good hard look at himself, more than once. She could have kicked him to the curb and left him more than once, but she saw something in him that wouldn't let her. Love is love after all. ;) On a side note, the thing that I noticed more than once was that from the very beginning, Nick only saw Katie as a woman. People around them, total strangers could see the masculine side of Katie, but Nick never did. To me it meant that he saw her for who she truly was... just a thought.

So, Hopeless Romantic may not have been the perfect portrayal of a trans/gay couple, but for me it was a sweet romance between two people that loved each other. Nick may have come off as insensitive to some, probably rightly so, but I can't say for sure that I wouldn't make the at least some of same mistakes, but not purposely. Wrapping your head around something you've never experienced before isn't always easy, but knowledge is powerful and sensitivity goes a long way regardless of who you are.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
I really struggled with this story. The author attempts to explore complex ideas about gender and sexuality, but the result feels more like an ill-informed and not terribly sensitive sex-ed resource than an actual romance.

Starting with Nick’s ‘straight for you’ storyline. He doesn’t understand his attraction to Katie and as a reader, there was never anything that made me believe the connection between the two of them was special enough to make him fancy a woman. His awkward blunders with regards to Katie’s gender and sexuality are enough to make more intimate moments uncomfortable rather than sexy. I wasn’t ever convinced he really liked her girl bits.

Again, for a romance, Katie is too uncomfortable in her own skin. She delays sex with Nick like a virgin Christian teenager. The awkwardness between these two means that there was very little heat or chemistry – and a good romance needs both.

The romance and the connection between Nick and Katie focuses on their shared love of obscure punk bands and romantic films. Some of the banter between the two is entertaining, but it feels like the author was trying to use classic romantic film references to make up for the absence of any sort of genuine romantic emotions in this story.

Beyond the romance, Nick and Katie are 29 and 31 respectively. Yet they both live and act like teenagers. Pretentious hipsters and perpetual students, I had very little time for either character. It’s fun to follow obscure bands and live on ramen noodles at 18. Or even at 21. At 29, Nick accepting money from his affluent parents is awful. I really couldn’t take these two seriously.

I also struggled with the negative comments about Nick’s roommate’s Ace identity. In a book focusing on gender and sexuality, the Ace slights seem thoughtless and they go unchallenged.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I loved The Taste of Ink but I found myself disappointed by this one.

I enjoy reading new to me things. I’ve read a few books that featured a transgender person as the main character. The blurb here got my interest so I gave it a whirl. Now keep in mind that I’ve never had any interaction with a transgender person in real life. I’d like to think I wouldn’t have some of the misconceptions that Nick did. I’d like to think I’d get the necessary pronouns right but honestly who knows. I did enjoy reading Nick and Katie and how they figure out how to make their attraction and pure enjoyment of hanging out turn into something more.
Nick Fraser is a gay man. He’s always known he is a gay man. Meeting Katie turns out to be a very perplexing situation for him. He’s immediately attracted to Katie. He enjoys every moment they spend together. They share an interest in the same tastes in music and enjoy the same romantic comedies. Nick just has to work around his attraction to a woman. Once Katie shares that she’s transgender that when the real relationship problems develop. Nick is initially ecstatic. He believes that he has the best of both worlds. This raises all sorts of problems for Katie and where she is in her transition and living happily as she is.
I really wish Hopeless Romantic would have had alternating points of view. Francis Gideon gave readers all of this solely from Nick’s point of view. Nick doesn’t always handle Katie and where she is with her transition well. He makes many mistakes. This is all part of them working their way to a happily ever after but it would have been nice to see how Katie handles it all. I believe she did a fantastic job of explaining many things to Nick but that connection to her as a character was missing for me.
You’re going to go through all of LGBTQIA with this title. There is a ton of q’s in the questioning. Due to what’s actually in the characters pants this is on the surface this could be seen as an mm romance but in reality there is so much more going on. Does Nick’s desire to be with Katie now make him bisexual? Katie adds the t into the mix as she is transgender. Where she is in her journey I had some questions that were never answered but in reality it is her business and not my right to question any of it. I’m just left curious as to why she wants some things but not others where her anatomy is concerned. To keep working through those letters an asexual roommate is thrown into the mix. It was a bit overwhelming at times.

*1.5 stars*

Woah, this book is just an absolute minefield. I sort of regret even starting it because now I need to unpack and explain all of this baggage.

I usually don't bring authors or their personal lives into my reviews, but I whenever I read a book with a trans character I usually do some quick research to see if it is an "own voices" story from the author. My brief research into Francis Gideon revealed that the author seemed to identify as genderqueer (going by "they" or "he/him," depending on the website) and bisexual, both which seemed promising in terms of this story.

Now the blurb... whew, that was a ride. It *seemed* to me that this was going to be a bisexual discovery story, with the added component that the female MC is trans. I was absolutely fascinated and intrigued into how the author was going to pull that off.

Not-so-spoiler-alert: They don't

I'm not trans, nor am I queer, but I've read many, many stories with trans MCs. As always, I'm going to try to tread as carefully as I can while still stating my opinion.

First issue: Nick's attitude towards Katie's transgendered status.

Katie says during the story that making mistakes are okay when dealing with a trans person. To an extent, I certainly agree with that. Before I knew much about trans people, I had a lot of "well-meaning" misconceptions about being trans. I NOW know that mis-gendering is EXTREMELY damaging and it is important to view a trans-person as *always* being their gender, even when their body didn't match that fact. There is certainly a learning curve when it comes to knowing and interacting with a transgendered person. I'm sure I still make mistakes from time to time, and I'm always trying to grow and correct those mistakes.

Here's the difference: I'm not dating a trans-person.

It is understandable that Nick has to work through learning about what it is to be trans, but to jump into a relationship where hurtful things were OFTEN said, that just felt extremely wrong. I think the author should have had them just be friends or had them not be together as Nick was sorting through his feelings because I had a hard time buying that Katie could just brush off some of his comments.

Things like saying that her having a dick was "having the best of both worlds" and saying how she used to be a man, those comments are NOT the kinds of comments that a person in a relationship with a trans woman should be making, IMO.

I think that it wasn't bad that Nick was learning, it was that he was learning at Katie's expense.

Second issue: The bi-for-you aspect.

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that bisexual discovery stories (aka, what I used to call GFY or, in this case, SFY) are sort of my thing. I know more than one woman who has discovered bisexuality later in life, and I certainly think that it is possible to fall in love with someone unexpected. Basically, there are people who are near one end on the Kinsey scale, but have the capacity for attraction of the opposite/same sex, even if they didn't realize it before.

That in and of itself is SO HARD to pull off. For me to believe that you can develop feelings for a gender that you've never been attracted to before, the author really needs to be able to convince me of a deep connection. However, when you add in the added layer of trans on top of it... it's sort of a mess.

I had a really hard time believing that all of the sudden Nick was into breasts. I really did. I really struggled with feeling that Nick was into Katie for all the wrong reasons, and those reasons had to do with why Katie was misgendered constantly in the story. I just couldn't see how or why his feelings would have changed about a woman that quickly. It was too complicated for me to believe that he was into her as a *woman* after knowing her for such a short period of time. It just didn't work for me.

Third Issue: The way the relationship was depicted.

I struggled with this bit a good deal. It seemed like while the Macs bonded over music, they didn't spend much time getting to know one another. Katie spent a chunk of the book correcting Nick and trying to inform him about herself, but the relationship didn't seem based on much else. I didn't get that surge of chemistry, that feeling of true attraction there (sort of relating to my earlier issues). When it comes down to it, this book is supposed to be selling us on their LOVE, and I had a hard time with that based on their interactions in the story.

While I don't think this book was intentionally malicious, I did think that it was misguided and overly ambitious. While I don't speak for any trans-person, I had a hard time believing that Katie would be so cavalier about constantly being misgendered (coworkers, waiters, strangers, her BOYFRIEND), and that is a point that I had a hard time getting past.

Though the writing wasn't terrible in and of itself, bottom line is that I didn't buy the romance.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Update: posted to goodreads & twitter on 10th March
NOTE: I'll post this to goodreads after 10th March (since your page says you like reviews within 30 days of publication)

A thought-provoking meditation on trans identity.

For me, one quote sums up the novel, when transwoman Katie tells her boyfriend, Nick—who (previously) identified as gay: “People can handle talking to people — but identity categories make them fuck up” (p.182).

What I like is that this novel offers no neat solution. The protagonists and minor characters continue to try to work out how to think and talk about trans issues, causing unintentional hurt along the way, but striving to learn so as to not repeat their mistakes.

The protagonists bond over a shared fascination for punk and 80s movies. Even though I didn’t get most of the music references, it didn’t matter because they built the characterisation regardless, showing two people who’d struggled to understand and be understood and who were using shared cultural references as a way to connect and explain their perspective.

I'm a big proponent of books with trans* and gender non-conforming characters who are fully developed and authentic, and Hopeless Romantic definitely ranks high in that regard with the book's heroine and romantic interest, Katie.

BUT

Romance novels, with their thin plots and expected arcs and outcomes, are not my favorite.
That said, I will try to do justice to what is truly a very sweet, well written story.

The Strong Points

Katie is awesome. She's a realistic transwoman in her twenties, attending college, working part-time. Katie's also straddling two worlds. On the one hand, she is immersed in the trans-community where she has allies, people who understand her without explanation, and practical support for both the emotional and physical demands of trans* life. On the other hand, through work and her interest in the music scene, Katie is tied to the everyday world of cis-gendered people - people like Nick - who are inclined to be supportive but who have never interacted with a transgendered person on a daily, intimate basis and who are unfamiliar with the peculiarities of navigating the world as a gender other than the one assigned at birth.

The sex scenes are more than just “fade to black” but they don’t go on for pages with overdone detail. In other words, the sex scenes are just the right level of sexy and fun.

Clearly the world of fiction with transgender characters, and particularly those of female identified transcharacters, has moved beyond the old tropes of fetishized cross-dressing and the eroticization of feminizing “male” characters. That’s great and still refreshing to find.

The Weak Points

Nick, the leading man in this tale, is boring. Is there anything beyond the surface of him liking punk music and rom-com movies? He’s pursuing a Ph.D. but doesn’t even seem particularly passionate about his subject. What does he want to do with his life? It’s great that he’s quickly able to wrap his mind around his own sexual identity in relation to his attraction to Katie but in the end, there has to be something more interesting about him than that. I just couldn’t help picturing myself stifling a yawn if I had to have a conversation with the guy.
Katie is a little too perfect and put together. The story would have been a little more engaging if there were some character flaw, from either or both of them, that had to be worked through. It wouldn’t have needed to be related to gender or sexual identity, just some dimension to these characters that forces them to grow as people.

Overall, though, this is a sweet story and the writing is strong. I’d not hesitate to read more from Francis Gideon.

4* A very different read to what I'm used to, but one that had a lot of heart.

I've read romances before featuring transgender characters, but this was a little more unexpected.

I can't go into too much detail, as this tale is quite easy to spoil, but it featured a guy with heart, who wanted the fairy tale and all that comes with it, and a female who'd gone through quite some stuff to get to where she now was in the tale, and who was happy and confident in herself and in the relationship she opened herself up to.

It wasn't a perfect read, as there was a fair bit of filler in it, e.g. about the broken down car, the calls from the mechanic, the wedding that seemed more a PITA than a joyous occasion, the friends who were not the type of friends I need or want in my life, money woes and the lack of drive in the male lead's life, but it had a lot of heart, a lot of openness, a lot of honesty, trust and acceptance.

I loved that the epilogue came a year after the leads had been dating, and though I'd have loved to know how they'd matured and dealt with all the many curiosities about their relationship, I was happy at the way the tale ended.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.

Hopeless Romantic by Francis Gideon is a good introduction to Transgender topics, because it's light and funny, but it still address certain aspects of transgender culture.

My only criticism is that it's too light. I feel that the book would have more depth and interest if the author included Katie's perspective. It's interesting to be apart of Nick's journey as he navigates through his sexual identity and his relationship with Katie, but I really wanted to be apart of Katie's journey as well, as she learns to let someone into her life.

Hopeless Romantic
"I know, I’m hopeless romantic."
Do you?
Book Lovers you know I love the books that make me all warm and fuzzy, the unicorns and rainbows stories but you know I also love no drama, no angst, that the story that are sugary sweet are my crack, my thing!

Well, even though this is kind of sugary sweet it really touches home to some sensitive subjects, and I love that this is a romantic love story with two people just finding the one.

When I first came across this title, the cover alone sold me. Seriously that cover is epic, I love it very much. Hopeless Romantic is coming of age story told by Nick’s POV. I haven’t read a book without dual POV in a while, this this took me a little while to stop wanting to read Katie’s POV.

Hopeless Romantic takes us on the journey through Nicks eyes, as he figures out his relationship with Katie, find out more about his own identity along with Katie’s teaches all of us that sometimes love can be found anywhere, that you don’t fall in love with what is between each other’s legs, that YOU will in love with one’s HEART!

I have seen a lot of reviews, that many reviewers didn’t enjoy this story, that the author didn’t do it correctly, I don’t care what they all think. I actually really enjoyed the way Francis told his story of Nick and Katie.

I personally think he told a beautiful love story, letting us watch two lovely souls be one!
What I enjoyed most was, watching them fall hopelessly in love with each other, they took a chance on something they both were not expecting and ran with it. I also loved all the punk rock references, and most of all the MOVIE references, I am a massive 80’s brat pack fan, all the John Hughes fan. So that alone was just the coolest.
It’s because of them movies I am the person I am today, I can relate to the music and the movies referenced in this book.
When they were getting to know each other the question’s they asked each other, I was totally asking myself.
Hopeless Romantic, isn’t filled with angst and drama but it does touch some very REAL topics.

“But there’s something you need to know and understand about all of this, though. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said, though he shifted under the weight of her gaze.
“There is no magical transformation at the end of this. If you continue to see me, this is not going to be like the trans stories you see on TV. We’re not going to be some wonderful heterosexual couple after I get the final surgery. Even if I do change my mind ten years down the line—there’s no rising above and becoming a phoenix.”

For what it is, I absolutely loved this story, and I am looking forward to check out more from this author.
Advanced Review Galley copy of Hopeless Romantic provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

This sweet and kind-hearted romance follows Nick, an Canadian English PhD candidate, as he navigates his attraction to Katie, an artist and transwoman. Nick has always identified as gay, and a great deal of his burgeoning attraction to Katie is confusing (for him) as a result. Katie's status as a woman is not up for discussion; what is discussed is Nick's understanding of his sexual identity, as well as his understanding of trans issues.

I appreciated that this book requires Nick to do a lot of heavy lifting with regard to educating himself about trans issues. Nick is guilty of microagressions of his own, but makes a consistent effort to improve his understanding and the way he speaks to and about Katie.

The two main characters have delightful chemistry, and the minor characters--especially Tucker, Nick's asexual roommate--were a wonderful addition to the story. I felt like Nick and Katie were part of a community, and it made their efforts to respect and value each other all the more rewarding to read. Highly recommended for romantics and fans of respectful queer narratives.

As a cis reader, I appreciate the struggles Nick faced, and as a female reader, I wanted to give Katie an enormous hug (I occasionally find dudes who are overly romantic to be kind of annoying, but Nick was relatively earnest. Katie was fantastic and interesting. I wanted to be her friend).

When Nick Fraser meets Katie he’s a bit confused. He’s attracted to her, which, as he identifies as gay is a bit confusing. When he meets up with her again he finds out Katie is actually transgender, but Katie is also smart, funny, sweet, and as into music and punk culture as Nick and the more time he spends with her, the more his feelings grow, which sets Nick on a path to figure out if he bisexual or maybe gay with an exception.

Hopeless Romantic is a coming of age new adult story told entirely from Nick’s POV. It navigates his relationship with Katie, what it means for his own identity, and how falling in love can sometimes be even more complicated than we anticipate.
~~
“But there’s something you need to know and understand about all of this, though. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said, though he shifted under the weight of her gaze.
“There is no magical transformation at the end of this. If you continue to see me, this is not going to be like the trans stories you see on TV. We’re not going to be some wonderful heterosexual couple after I get the final surgery. Even if I do change my mind ten years down the line—there’s no rising above and becoming a phoenix.”
~~
Hopeless Romantic is not quite what I was expecting, but I learned a lot. I really liked how it taught me without being preachy or heavy-handed about it. I did find it a bit slow in parts, and sometimes a little too prose-heavy, but, on the whole, Gideon creates a world that was easy to get lost in for a few hours.
~~
In a blink, he saw Katie as a young boy who hated basketball, as a teen who loved Blink 182, and then as an adult who really, really wanted to do something with music because nothing else made sense. But Nick also saw her now, in his living room, in the middle of a pillow fort they had made with her hair still slightly damp from a shower after swimming all night.
In all of these worlds, she was beautiful.
“I . . .” Nick wanted to tell her he loved her. It was no longer a question of I think I’m falling for you; it was I am so deeply in love with you it’s terrifying. But he couldn’t open his mouth. She already knew how he felt. And he could only hope one day she’d say it back too.
~~
If you’re looking for an outside of the box, hopeful romance with well-fleshed out characters, inclusivity, some sweet romance and sexy times, and a HEA, you should check it out.