Such a good book. I personally don’t know much about what it means to be intersex, so I loved learning more and reading Kristin’s story. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

So I actually bought an ebook copy of this book for a diverse book event several months ago, but I wanted to read a hardcover copy instead of using my Kindle, due to eye strain. I reserved a library copy when I saw this book on the list for #ReadProud. It’s been on my TBR list for way too long, so I had to rectify that situation.

Kristin was such a great main character. I learned a lot about what it means to be intersex because of this book, so yay for that! I love being able to open my eyes to new things, to be able to understand things more, to keep my mind open/accepting of everyone. My heart hurt for some of the things Kristin had to endure. People, especially teens, can be so cruel.

I’m glad she had a great support system built of family and friends to turn to. I definitely cried during emotional parts in the book. So fair warning, you might cry too. I just know Kristin is going to be okay, especially because her support circle got bigger as the book continued. It really goes to show you that some people are actually good.

There was some romance in the beginning of the book, and then some at the very end. I like the romance at the end better. The ending was perfection. I was beyond happy that Kristin was in a better place emotionally, and that things were starting to look up for her all around.

I can’t say for certain, but I think Darren will be an addition to my book boyfriend list. He was super sweet, but I feel like I didn’t get to see enough of him. I wanted more! I also really loved his mom. Kristin’s dad was another great character; he’s kind of intense after what happened with Kristin’s mom (no spoilers), but he’s so accepting/supportive after Kristin received her diagnosis. More parents should be like him. In addition to these characters, I loved Gretchen, Jessica, and a few others.

I didn’t make many status updates on Goodreads while devouring this book in two days, but here’s a quote I loved: “One day I would find my own place. I couldn’t run there, though, because it didn’t exist yet; I had to build it myself, out of forgiveness, truth, and terrifying gestures of friendship.”

Final note: An amazing book! I’m so glad I picked this book for the final #ReadProud weekly challenge. Get yourself a copy of this book ASAP. It’ll open your eyes and your heart.

I loved this book - it dealt with issues that are near and dear to my heart as I work with kids from the LBGTQIA community. Having a YA book that LBGTQIA kids can identify with, as well as others learn from as well as enjoy the story, is huge. Kudos to the publisher and author for a job well done. LOVED IT.

Kristin is an 18 year old NY high school student who is an excellent hurdler. She lost her mother to cervical cancer when she was in 6th grade. When her first time with her boyfriend, Sam, doesn't go as expected, Krissy makes an appointment to see a gynecologist. It is there she finds out she is intersex. This is my first book with an intersex character and it was incredibly interesting to read about Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, even from a fictional standpoint. I definitely want to learn more about AIS after reading this book. I felt that this story was a little more realistic feeling, in that Kristin was not met with compassion and understanding when word got out that she was intersex. The disgusting way the teens reacted really seemed authentic. Of course, there were some here and there who did not treat Kristin any differently after her diagnosis, but again... the reactions seemed true to what I would expect. I was hooked with the story and loved the characters. The plot and characters were very fleshed out and it made for an easy read. I highly suggest this book to anyone looking for a great story and anyone wanting to read about someone with AIS.

So continues my read-through of all the intersex novels I can get my hands on. This one was different in that the author is also a practicing surgeon, which meant the medical side of things was addressed succinctly and with the feeling of knowledge.

Interestingly, though, there was less medical 'stuff' in this book than in many I've read before. I think this was a deliberate choice. Kristen's story was her own story, and it had little to do with the medical side of her diagnosis excepting with regard to the information, and it had little to do with surgical requirements excepting how they related to the family history of cancer.

Kristen is a popular girl at her school, with an athletic scholarship in the bag and the cutest boyfriend to boot. All of this is shaken when she attempts to have sex for the first time with said boyfriend and the pain of it leads her to seek out reasons why.

Having read other intersex novels, I really came into this with the understanding that Krissy gains only by the end of this book: that AIS is relatively straightforward in terms of intersex diagnoses. It really took me reading the reactions from her classmates and those who would have her disqualified from running 'because she's a man' to have me really appreciate its significance. I wonder whether this was because I'd read about other intersex conditions before, or whether the writing of it made it come across as less serious than it was.

That said, I loved all the supporting characters. Faith is a given, of course, but I was surprised by how decent Darren and even Vanessa turned out to be. It made for a really nice change with regards to teenage drama novels. The popular girls turned out to be more than just 'the mean girls', and even Sam the ex-boyfriend shows enough regret so as not to seem the moustache twirling villain.

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kristin Lattimer is popular, pretty, athletic and newly voted homecoming queen. After a botched attempt at sex leads her to the gynaecologist she finds out she’s intersex. Kristin is full of questions. Does this make her a man? How will this affect her future? And most importantly what will everyone think? When her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school Kristin is tossed into turmoil struggling to deal with her identity while navigating a hostile environment.

None of the Above was definitely an interesting read. Learning about AIS and seeing how Kristin deals with her diagnosis kept me turning pages. Diversity is important and this book casts a main character that I’ve never personally seen before in young adult literature. This book has an important message, and the facts are interesting, but this isn’t a great book outside of that.

The characters are mostly flat. Kristin is naive and sort of dull. Faith is too good to be true. Vee is a bitch who’s only sort of nice to her friends. Sam is the classic jock. Darren is a loveable nerd. It’s hard seeing these characters interact when so few of their relationships are believable. How did Kristin not know her long-term boyfriend was a homophobe? Why is she so quick to forgive Vee when she’s said such cruel things?

The plot is pretty obvious, nothing surprising happens. The ending could use some work. It feels very abrupt. SPOILERS: There’s very little build-up. Terrible things happen and then boom, book over. Kristin deals with something terrible, is saved by a white knight, falls in love and is cured of her anxiety and depression. She’s ready to face the world again because the right boy wants her.

In short, this book covers important topics. It’s full of interesting facts, but it’s not a good story. A good read to learn some basics about AIS but not a book with rich characters or plot.

None of the Above is a wonderful contemporary novel which amplifies a voice we don't often hear in fiction, and importantly, YA fiction. This story is completely accessible to teens, but has enough depth to it to keep any reader engaged. Our protagonist, Kristin, finds out that she was born intersex. It focuses on other's immediate reactions, the way their perception of her changes, and her perception of herself.

Emotional, compelling and fun; I'd recommend this book to almost anyone. Particularly recommended to those looking for more unique voices in their fiction, or who have never heard of the term intersex and are looking to learn more about the diversity around us!

Intersex people are massively underrepresented, especially in a way that's sympathetic and well-researched. Despite my best attempts, Kristin is only the third intersex character I've come across (as far as I can remember; it's possible I've forgotten one or two). She's also the first whose external appearance isn't ambiguous -- it's her hormones and internal organs that are. Since this is one of the more common ways in which people are intersex, it seems odd that I haven't come across it in a book before.

In the light of that, I think the book tells an important story, and there was a fair bit of discussion about what it means to be a woman than I appreciated. I would've liked more acknowledgement of nonbinary people, but understandably given Kristin's concerns about her own situation, the focus is on how being a girl isn't defined by whether or not you have a uterus and XX chromosomes.

However, although I greatly appreciated this part of the book -- which formed the bulk of the narrative -- I found other aspects of it less engaging. It opens with Homecoming, something I find completely baffling as a Brit, and so that was immediately quite distancing. The book is very American, with concerns about sports-based scholarships for college that I obviously can't identify with on a personal level. I've read enough books set in the US by now to understand them, but it's still difficult to really relate on an emotional level. Especially as Krissy's approach to sport is... challenging to me, as someone who suffers from chronic pain. "Pain is weakness leaving your body" may be a motivational mantra if you're able-bodied, but it's meaningless and unhelpful in my own life, and so I found that a bit alienating.

Also, as a straight girl Kristin's priorities and concerns are very different from my own, and while her experiences with sex are extremely important in the context of portraying an intersex character, that didn't mean I liked or related to them. As an asexual and aromantic person, while I can see where she's coming from with the "will anyone ever love me if they think I'm a freak?", I still find it hard to engage with because part of me doesn't think it's a big deal. (Nor can I really relate to being certain of your gender identity even when others are questioning it; I've always been the one questioning it when other people seemed much more certain that I was a girl.)

Overall, this was a book that I felt was important for its narrative and focus on a shockingly underrepresented group of people, about whom there needs to be more awareness, but one which I struggled to relate to on a more everyday level due to the setting and characters.

I'm in the middle of a really busy uni term so this probably won't go on my blog until my exams are over, but this review is on Goodreads.

Oh my god I loved this book! I'd just like to say a quick thank you to Netgalley and Smith Publicity for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I believe that this book has a very good message and really opens the door to the conversation about what genders really are. I loved the way it was written and I loved how it was so predictable yet unpredictable all the same. I liked how it showed different reactions people could have to her diagnosis and how we watched her struggle even with her self identity after she found out. I feel like that really opened my eyes because I always assumed that if something like that were to happen I felt like you'd already be expecting it. I loved the character depth as well. The only thing I didn't like was the format on my iPad/iPhone. The line spacing was weird and sometimes made it hard to read. But the book itself was amazing. Thank you!

None of the Above is a powerful and compelling YA novel about a girl who discovers she is intersex aged eighteen. Kristin is a hurdler with a college scholarship and a popular boyfriend who finds out that her chromosomes aren’t what she assumed. She has to deal with her identity in the wake of this discovery and then when the whole school finds out she is intersex. The novel is an uplifting story about identity, learning who you and others are, and finding out who is really there for you.

Gregorio has written a novel that will make many people think, with many characters taking similar journeys of learning to understand different people and how some things—like gender—are far more complex than some people may imagine. Most of this is through the experiences of Kristin and through her and other people learning about being intersex, but there are also moments of discussion about things like homophobia and transphobia which focus on characters learning to be better towards others and to set aside assumptions and prejudices. Kristin herself is likable and interesting, somebody who isn’t even sure how to begin dealing with her own identity and her existence in relation to other people. The teenage characters are pretty typical of a YA novel, with various interests and dreams relating to school and college, which is important in a novel that tries to show how crucial acceptance is in a normal, everyday context.

None of the Above is an important book, taking an identity issue and makes it part of a YA narrative that is similar to many teenagers—dealing with who you are alongside possible mental health issues and life drama. It is similar to books like If I Was Your Girl, particularly in showing both the great and terrible sides to high schoolers and their ability to accept or ostracize.

Krissy and Sam are a couple attending homecoming with their friends, Faith and Vee whom is currently injured.

Yet on homecoming night, after having sex, Krissy is in a lot of pain. She makes a doctors appointment and knows the importance of getting checked out after her mum died from cervical cancer.

What she doesn't expect is to be told she has no cervix/uterus and that she really has small testicles instead as she has two small lumps. Devastated at the news she is not a girl but half girl and boy and awaiting further tests to confirm that she is possibly, intersex.

Her father struggles to take in the news as well because in some cases the undeveloped testes can be cancerous. However, takes comfort that Krissy won't die from cervical cancer alike her mum.

Krissy comes to realise that being neither man nor woman on her forms at the doctors makes her none of the above, so again she finds it a struggle to deal with. She finds a contact for an AIS support group and messages them with her number so she can be contacted.

Yet after bullying occurs, surgery options, losing people she was close to before she told her secretnand having her dream of college hanging in the balance just what future does she face?

This book, oh my, it was perfect. Truly original as I never even knew about intersex and what goes into the medical side of what the person he or she has to face. It was an emotional and shocking read not to be missed.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The time is ripe for a book of this caliber with all the changes occurring on political levels as well as within society itself. People talk more today and at younger ages about what gender means and how it defines their identity. I.W. Gregorio’s novel takes this societal shift and built her story around it to create a very personal outlook on something that even with all the progress still makes people uncomfortable.

Her writing evokes this intense emotional response as you sit on the front lines to watch the heartbreaking challenges her character Kristin faces. In some ways Kristin undergoes her own version of the Stages of Grief as the ‘normal’ life she thought she was living gets upended with a difficult diagnosis. Then before she truly has time to process what this means on a personal level her private life is leaked on a public level.

You can’t help but ride the emotional spectrum of anger, sadness and betrayal at what is done to this amazing and sweet character particularly as reality hits and you realize this could very well be a mirror to what is happening in society today. This book needs to be read, shared and remembered so that society can advance to where treatment like what Kristin faces in this book will become only a memory in history books.

I really, really like how I.W. Gregorio wrote the story about Krissy. It felt heartbreakingly real, the different stages she went through and how big an impact a diagnoses, like this one, has on everybody. And it shows that there is a lot of work to be done, getting better educated about the subject of being born intersex. I hope that this book can help with that. I certainly went to all the difficulties with Krissy, I felt disbelief, rage, frustration, betray.....and in the end, there was a little ray of hope. Well written and very sensitive is "None of the Above" a book I highly recommend everyone to read. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray!

Such a great YA contemporary. I'm always the kind of person who finds myself attracted to books that promise breathtaking fantasy, magic, prophecies and fast-paced action, and yet so many of those books feel like carbon copies of older works lately. Contemporary has been kicking fantasy's ass with powerful and important tales that need to be told.

Do you remember the controversy over Caster Semenya at the World Championships in 2009? Gender testing had found she had four times the normal amount of testosterone for a woman and "might be part-man". There were those who demanded that it was unfair to allow a woman with male parts to compete in female races. And there were those who were outraged at the way Caster was humiliated and paraded before the press when she was, in fact, a woman but has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS).

Well, this book is about a teenage girl called Kristin who has a full college scholarship, two best friends and a boyfriend who loves her. Until one night she tries to have sex with her boyfriend and something seems to be not quite right. A visit to the doctor reveals that she has AIS, will never get her period or have children, and has testicles inside her body. Having to come to terms with this would be hard enough, but when her secret is leaked to the whole school, she has to deal with all the bullying that follows.

Will her friends still support her? Can her boyfriend still love someone who has male parts? It's hard not to become so caught up in this story and feel sorry for Kristin at every turn. Kids are so ignorant and quick to judge, and Kristin is finding that out at the hardest time of her life.

The author doesn't miss this interesting opportunity to have a discussion about gender, identity and what it truly means to be either male or female. Is there any difference between men and women, beyond the way we treat them? It's an incredibly important book. Both informative and emotional, balanced between educating its readers and drawing them into the personal turmoil of Kristin's life.

There have been a couple of contemporary YA books lately that have made me emotional, but I've managed to hold off on any actual crying right until the end... and then I read the author's note about their reasons for writing this particular story and the tears just start to come. Fantasy might be full of fast-paced nastiness that has your eyes glued to the page but, believe me, real life does too.