A fascinating perspective on parenthood and gender, this book raises new and interesting questions about what it means to be a woman and a mother. I enjoyed the complexity and realism of the characters. I would have liked a bit more plot though -- in the end it felt like it hadn't really gone anywhere.

Peters, a trans woman herself, writes with intimate detail about trans culture in a way that I’m sure will be startlingly familiar to many who live that reality, but are likely to be revelatory for many people outside of it. With wit and intelligence, she illuminates the pleasures, pains, and psychological pressures of her trans protagonists as they navigate the world. Her willingness to speak her characters’ truth is what makes the book feel important. In addition, Reese’s irreverent discourses on femininity and the performative aspects of gender identity offer an alternative lens with which to view one’s own relationship to gender. I came away from the book feeling both more in touch with my own gender, and more questioning of my relationship to it.

Full review available at Bookbrowse.

Longlisted for the 2021 Women's Fiction Prize

This book has made history as the first MtF transgender author being nominated for the Women's Fiction Prize. The story itself is also about transgender characters. Sit tight, this will take a little explaining as it is tad complicated, as life often is.

Reese thought her life was in a pretty good place. She had a decent job and lived in New York with her girlfriend Amy. Reese and Amy were both MtF transgenders who "came of age" in the modern age where they could benefit from many of the advancements made by their transgender predecessors. They had their circle of transgender friends. Reese longs to be a mother to make life with Ames truly feel like a family. Then Amy decided to detransition and became Ames. Reese broke up with Ames/Amy and has been fighting feelings of depression ever since and seeks companionship in the arms of married men.

After the breakup, Ames is also not quite satisfied. He starts a corporate job where he begins a relationship with his boss, Katrina. Katrina is a recent divorcee who finds a connection with Ames. Ames enjoys Katrina's company but he still yearns to have Reese back in his life in some way. Then Katrina announces she is pregnant with Ames' baby and Ames sees this as a way to bring Reese into the picture.

Wow. This was quite a book. I thoroughly enjoyed this and it really hit the mark in my quest to read more diverse books. The story had numerous flashbacks so we could see how the characters got to where they are in present day. The threads were all expertly woven together to result in a stunning, moving and often raw story about 3 people brought together. The author did a great job establishing the back story of each character, that helped shed some light on how they think and interact as adults and why they sometimes make the bad decisions that they do. I will definitely be seeking out more books by Torrey Peters.

What to listen to while reading...
Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey
Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley
Some Girls are Bigger than Others by The Smiths
Transgender by Crystal Castles
Girls & Boys by Blur

4.75/5 stars? Reviewing this book is really difficult because there is just so much that went on in this book. This could be seen as a character study, a study on a theme, and a study on a community. It's about how much a person (or a community) has to be situated in context -- not just the context of the past, but also the present, and with space for the future. This was a messy book about messy characters in messy situations and its reflective of how messy reality really is and how complicated people are. There were aspects of the book that one could critique, certainly, but I think it all adds in to this theme of life and people being messy and complicated. I do think that parts of this book will read really differently for queer people than trans people. Parts of this book are really unapologetically trans -- you don't get the 101 and if you aren't aware of the culture, you may be a little lost. But there are other parts where it is directly about the cishet community. The whole book really acts as a conversation about community, but also about gender (gender at large, but also specifically Ames/Amy's gender), about motherhood and the need to be mothered. This is such a complex and interesting book. I could see it not being for everyone, but I really enjoyed it and found it so fascinating. I'm already planning a reread to unpack it more eventually. The only thing I was really unsure about was some of the conversation about race. Some of it did seem good, but some of the comparisons that happened, I would like to see some biracial trans perspectives on.

CW: transphobia, hate crime, abuse, discussion of miscarriage and abortion, forced outing, suicide, drug use mention

So Detransition, Baby was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. It did NOT disappoint. Even as a LGBTQ+ ally I had never considered the idea that there might be people out there who essential detransition due to various reasons. It had never occurred to me. This book really opened my eyes to a lot of ideas and emotions that I might not have otherwise been exposed to.



In addition to learning, Detransition, Baby is a fantastic novel. It's warm, yet also scorching. Irreverent, but completely timely. Everything in it, from the dialogue to the power of manipulation to the subtitles of human friction, it glorious. It was well worth the wait to read, and I read it over 2 days, focusing only on this book. It made me mad, sad, angry, and, at times, exposed, due to my naiveté.



Fantastic overall.



5/5 Stars

I feel like I've seen reviews everywhere mostly glowing, and this book was definitely seen as 'one to watch' for 2021. The narrative circles three people, Reese, a transgender woman, Ames her former partner who was a transgender woman before transitioning and meeting Katrina, a cis woman of color who becomes pregnant. The story is told in parts, dipping in and out of Ames and Reese's shared past as the three try to navigate a new family dynamic. Overall, I enjoyed the book: the characters and what they each grappled with - gender, motherhood, race, sexuality, trauma - was compelling, and I liked the structure of the narrative. However, some of the opening sections were a little clumsy in their execution and I found the use of dialogue to be particularly tricky - their manner of speaking just felt clunky and too book-like in parts, taking me out of the story. So basically, flawed but a pretty good read.

This was funny and complexly layered, really enjoyed this! We spoke about it this month on the Reading Women podcast too — tune in to hear more

This novel provided such refreshing perspective on gender, sexuality and motherhood and the spectrum of possibility that exists even when society does its best to restrict these realities. I genuiny appreciated the points of view of all the characters which were fresh, flawed, and funny often all at the same time.

An incredible book. Ames' story is presented with nuance and empathy, a feat that could only have been accomplished by a trans author. An excellent look at gender identity

Detransition, Baby is like nothing I’ve ever read before, mostly in a good way. It was chaotic, messy and constantly had me reflecting on my lack of knowledge of transgender life. As a cis-mostly het woman, I spent a lot of time feeling clueless and ignorant while reading this, which is great. That’s what books are for, expanding your mind past your own experiences. It made me realize I need to do better with exposing myself to different kinds of stories.

I’m going to be honest and admit that I don’t feel comfortable dissecting and critiquing this book, because of my own ignorance on the topic. Books like this are essential and important, and I will absolutely be talking this book up to patrons at my library.

I was in love with the story, the messy characters, and the writing. Just a trifecta of brilliant work. I truly loved everything about this and I had never heard of detransition before.

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Oh man, what a book! Reese and Amy are lovers. Reese is transgender and living as a woman now....They have a nice life together, better than nice. But, Reese wants more, as in a baby.. Amy starts questioning herself in the relationship and soon becomes, Ames, (in other words, a guy.

Reese is not so happy with Amy for this, this isn't what she thought their life would be. In her sorrow and self-pity,.... she starts sleeping with random men! The relationship becomes strained and ends. Ames starts dating Katrina, who gets pregnant. Here's where it gets crazy, Ames knows thats the very thing to make Reese happy. Do these (mixtures of women/men) find a way to live and love together? Would taking it to the next level of a trio woork?

Very unique book, especially in these times where anything goes! 4 stars!

I loved the messiness of the three women’s lives as they explored their identities as mothers, friends, and lovers. For me, this was my first novel about trans women — my first book ever by a trans woman was Janet Mock’s memoir, which I highly recommend — and I appreciated the criticism and outspokenness of one of the main characters regarding the state of feminism, LGBT rights for trans folks, and womanhood.

💁🏻‍♀️ Some of Reese’s unfiltered trains-of-thought were hard to read bc of how raw they were. Especially when she talks about accepting violence from her partners bc she feels more akin to womanhood through that kind of fragility — the thought is so fcked up but it makes me ask myself what makes a woman a woman? What is the relationship between womanhood and vulnerability? Is there a relation with struggle? With pain?
💁🏻‍♀️ When Amy/Ames talks about “juvenile elephants,” it reminded me of the debilitating effects of structural racism on younger generations of marginalized BIPOC. When a whole generation of role models are brutally removed, how do you think violence becomes normalized in younger generations?
💁🏻‍♀️ The whole premise of the book teeters on Amy/Ames’ idea of a new family structure but the author nvr explains how/why Amy/Ames suggests it. And while it does seem far-fetched but I really like that Amy/Ames questions the atomic family structure and tries so hard to redefine family
💁🏻‍♀️ DB opened my eyes to seeing how hard it is for trans women to not only fully express their gender but also to be externally accepted by others as women. It also struck me when Reese said there were only 3 career paths for trans women 😭
💁🏻‍♀️ I really appreciated this book for all the greys and in-betweens, but I didn’t like the writing or the chapter breakouts

DETRANSITION, BABY, is so unlike any novel I’ve ever read before, and that’s why it is so incredibly important. This book kept me engrossed from page 1 and as trans lives continue to be in jeopardy, delicately humanizes a topic that we desperately need to humanize.

I will be featuring this on my IG in March and will post a link to my review at that time.

Provocative read for sure . This book was mostly a character study and less plot driven. An important and timely read. This book was graciously provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thought-provoking and interesting. I can't give a book without an ending five stars, which is one of the reasons this isn't a five star read. Also it was hard to like one of the main characters which. Sigh.

What do you get when you cross three women - transgender and cisgender - who’s lives become intertwined when one of them ends up pregnant? You get Detransition, Baby!

This was such a New York book filled with strong Type-A personalities and a quick and witty dialogue! I love that this book exists. It’s Queer, it’s messy, it’s emotional, and it’s a really in-depth character analysis of our three women, Reese, Amy, and Katrina. This book also gives us an inside look at the modern transgender woman’s POV and explores motherhood and what that means when you are not a cis hetero woman.

I did feel that it was too...wordy? You know that viral TikTok “Woke People on Social Media Nowadays” and it’s just the guy saying a bunch of words but overall he’s not saying anything? I don’t want to say that Peters is not saying anything, per se, but it felt like a lot of EXTRA was included and some parts I just wanted her to get on with it. What is that writing style called? Does anyone know wth I’m even trying to say? 😭 Another book that immediately came to mind while I was reading this was Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, which also felt a bit “wordy”.

Overall, the beginning was solid, the middle I struggled with a bit, but by the end it picked up again, and I’m really happy I picked this up! There’s a lot of good in here.

Thank you NetGalley & One World Books for the eARC!

Detransition, Baby is a fascinating, visceral look at the issues and challenges facing the trans community, with characters at numerous points along their journey and with varying levels of identity and examination. They must work to try to understand each other and their choices where they effect them, and wrestle with what desires and drives are "truly" them as well as vestiges of their former selves or absorbed from societal constructs of what they "should" be/have.

Reese is a trans woman who is very sure of her womanhood -- so much so that she is a mother figure to newer entrants just figuring out how to get by, and even craves a baby herself. The story bounces around in time, juxtaposing her relationship with one such trans woman (Amy), and years later when Amy detransitions to again live as a man (Ames). Ames gets his boss pregnant and decides the only way he can be a parent is if Reese is in the picture as well.

Ames' boss is interested and they meet and get close through registering for gifts and other things, and negotiate a number of race and gender misunderstandings that alternately bring them together and push them apart.

This is a great book to help humanize some of the debates around workplace benefits, bathrooms, pronouns, and so many other things going on in our world as we evolve.

Detransition, Baby is packed full of so much life that it's difficult to describe with brevity. There are four central characters: Reese, a trans woman who aches for motherhood, Reese's ex-lover Amy (presently Ames, the titular detransition character), Ames' boss-cum-girlfriend Katrina, and most importantly, Katrina's unnamed fetal pregnancy. Ames assumed he was sterile after years of estrogen replacement living as Amy, and in a cross between panic and love, he attempts to join all four together as a new model of family. After mapping out this uncharted dynamic, we slosh back and forth while Peters takes us from key points in Katrina's pregnancy and those of Reese and Amy's failed relationship. Peters handles the time jump with ease. While this is fairly common literary tactic, I find it's often jarring and moderately confusing, at least initially while the characters are being built and the story finds its legs. That is not the case here.

I don't want to give away anything additional in the plot here because Peters develops it so beautifully. There is so much intimate care and detail put into these characters both externally and internally that I absolutely cannot describe it with any real resonance here. Each character is granted the space to explore their own personal traumas and quandaries about sexuality, gender, race, identity, relationships, family, and mourning without being crowded or rushed. The kicker? It manages to be funny and achingly genuine while prompting you to question your own beliefs about each of those impossibly difficult topics. It's unbelievable.

While I'd certainly say this is written for the trans community (especially as Peters is known for being apart of the trans literary movement by releasing previous novellas on her website at no charge), it's absolutely accessible to anyone. Each character is offered the chance to self-reflect on their mental and emotional processing of conflict in the text as Ames and Reese gently envelop Katrina into queerness 101. if you are not very familiar with LGBTQ+ culture or trans-related terminology, there's plenty to allow you to comfortably navigate the text without feeling like there's a lesson purposely interjected. This is for you too. This is a story that needs to be amplified.

Peters' official debut is executed with mastery. The thoughtfulness, care, and raw honesty Peters put into Detransition, Baby will be with me for a long time. It's heartfelt, complex, and dynamic while being....well, queer. It will make you laugh as it energizes you to dismantle the way our binary systems are created. I hope it will make you want to speak up the next time you need the push.

Every time I sit down to talk about Detransition, Baby, I write pages and pages of reflection. I can’t stop thinking about this smart, funny, emotional book. Some other descriptors: Tender! Nuanced! Sad! Hard! Intimate! Biting! Ow!

Thanks @oneworldbooks for my free e-copy.

Reese, a white trans woman, her white detransitioned ex Ames, & his Chinese Jewish cis divorced boss Katrina attempt to build a family. Taking place during Katrina’s pregnancy & in flashbacks, I was always intrigued to find out where the book would go next. The book was driven by the compelling unfurling of Reese & Ames’ pasts.

These are messy, imperfect, exasperating characters. They’re also lovable people trying to understand what they want in the world. Some fav topics covered: Clashing ideas of womanhood & femininity. Masking hard feelings w intellectualism. The roles sex & kink can play in exploring gender identity.

Peters uses social comedy to slowly reveal the complexity of being a trans woman in the US, distinct from the tidy media narrative where transitioning magically fixes everything. DB fully turns gender on its head and reveals the difficulties AND joys of being trans.

There is full acknowledgment that these are singular experiences of two white trans women.
Peters: “It's important to talk about the fact that what I know, and what I'm writing about, is largely white trans women, and a culture that's largely inhabited by white people. (...) That actually provides me, as an artist, with freedom, because I can say bitchy things. And I feel comfortable being bitchy about things that happened inside of my own culture. (...) I need to make those demarcations. Not just because it's, politically, the right thing to do, it's important for the quality of the art, to be specific and to be incisive as to what's happening.”
I feel hopeful that readers will leave this story knowing they also have to pick up books by trans WOC, trans SWs, etc. Let’s hope the Big Five catch up.

Highly recommend going down the rabbit hole of Peters’ interviews. Some gems: DB serving as a “test case” for her future; cis people engaging in “gender play;” how trans people, not TERFs, own the concept of detransitioning.