“The whole reason transsexuals transition is because gender matters so incredibly much.”
I’ve been sleeping on this book for days. I had a book hangover after reading it, and I have to warn you: it’s intense.

Reese is a transgender woman and her biggest dream is to be a mother.
Ames is a man who once was a transgender woman. He is dating Katrina - a cis woman - and she’s pregnant. And she’s unsure about the pregnancy. Reese and Ames dated for years, and he has an idea: to introduce Reese to Katrina and work on some kind of “triple parenthood”.

We’re introduced to Ames and Reese before, during, and after transitioning. And in Ames case, detransitioning.
We’re also introduced to a new idea of parenthood, the dream of motherhood for Reese and what she’s determined to do to become a mother.

Three things about this book:
-I have learned SO MUCH about the process of transitioning, what transgender men and women go through, the things they have to deal with. It was emotionally exhausting reading about it, I can't begin to imagine what it is to be in their skin.
-It took me wayyy longer than usual to read this book. It took me forever to understand the timeline. And it’s very slow paced, which is something I’m not used to.
-It wrecked me emotionally.

Highly recommend it!

4.5

Detransition Baby
First of all, let me say the first half of this book was a struggle for me to get through. It felt overly wordy with offshoot stories that went on for pages without contributing anything to the story. I wanted more of Reese (the main character) but all I was getting was Katrina & Ames/Amy. But once I got over the 50% mark I was hooked!

Detransition, Baby (also, how good is this title?) is definitely a character driven novel that does more of exploring the dynamics, emotions, & thoughts of the three main characters than following any sort of plot. If you have never read a book about trans women, or one written by a trans woman, I highly suggest this novel. It gives you a deep-dive look into that community & the struggles they face throughout their lives regarding relationships, motherhood, & friendship.

Reese was a wonderful character, with so much emotional realness & my only complaint is that I felt like the novel didn’t focus enough on her.

Huge thanks to @netgalley & @oneworld for my advanced reader ebook copy! This book is currently on shelves!

Amy and Reese are two trans women who were together until Amy detransitioned. Now living as a man, Ames, is dating his boss, Katrina. Ames gets Katrina pregnant and decides to ask Reese to raise the baby with them. I went into this book expecting a story of making an unconventional family. That is not what this book really is about. Once I got over my disappointment about the story not being what is advertised I enjoyed the book.

The book delves into the pasts of Amy and Reese. It tells the story of their failed relationship and what it's like to be trans. There were passages that needed a lot of editing. The whole metaphor about Ames and the orphaned elephants is longer than the article it references.

I've never read a book that kept me physically present in my own body like this one did. By that I mean it made me aware of things I don't question about my identity and why I don't. It was a different reading experience for me. I think this is an excellent book for anyone to learn about others and themselves.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

Detransition, Baby is my second read by Torrey Peters, and I've enjoyed both books (the other one was Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones)! This book is funny, complicated, sad, and chaotic in a good way. The characters are well-rounded and unlikeable in the best way - they are messy, but I was rooting for them. I couldn't put the book down. Sometimes the tangents make it hard to keep track of things, but it worked out well enough. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but this was still such a good read. I'm looking forward to seeing what Torrey Peters does next!

CW - infertility, abuse, internalized transphobia, fetishization, attempted suicide, outing, cheating, miscarriage, grief, mentions of: HIV, suicide

There was a lot, a LOT to think about, and take in after reading this book. The topics being so current mixed with a fictional story is an appropriate vehicle.

This is such a raw, complex, and honest look at white trans identity, gender, family, and relationships. At times funny and at other times heartbreaking, Peters stunningly crafts a beautiful and multi-layered narrative that seamlessly follows the three main characters through their pasts and present learning how to be, and how hard it can be to find oneself within a limiting society.

I don’t even know what else to say about this book besides read it.

While books with LGBTQ main characters can have widespread appeal, I worry that “Detransition, Baby”, with such a heavy emphasis on transgender life, the least understood and least respected “queer” identity, will end up being a niche book, appealing primarily to readers with an interest in the transgender lifestyle. The author does not portray James/Amy/Ames and Reece, or the other trans characters, as being representative of the trans community in general. However, their actions, behaviors, hopes, dreams, beliefs, and fears seem realistic. Ames reasons for de-transitioning also come across as realistic, as does Ames struggle to come to terms with his new identity, which still straddles gender lines in some respects. Both in her writing and in her comments in the afterword, it is evident that the author wants to provide an honest portrayal of the transgender lifestyle, including the negatives and dangers.

I hope I am wrong that this books proves to be a niche book and that readers who are less interested in the transgender lifestyle are willing to give the book a chance. While the story is heavily focused on the transgender lifestyle, as well as the issue of de-transitioning, the story also addresses a number of universal themes. When Ames learns his girlfriend, Katrina, is pregnant by him, which he thought was impossible because of the years of hormones, he struggles with whether he can be a parent, especially a father. This fear is common among prospective parents. Katrina has experienced a miscarriage and is of “advanced maternal age”, with all the worries and fears those situations bring. Reece desperately wants to be a mother, but it is not an option. In addition to the serious topics addressed in the story, there are also some very funny moments and some heartwarming moments. “Detransition, baby” is well worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This was a fascinating glimpse into the world of trans women and how motherhood and detransition affect them. Reese is an out and proud trans woman who wishes she could be a mother. Ames is Reese's ex who has detransitioned. Katrina is a cis woman who is now pregnant with Ames' baby.
I love how family was reimagined as these three woman discussed what would happen with the baby. It's slow paced, but still a captivating read. However, I couldn't connect with all of the characters and (for once) wasn't a big fan of the open ending.
Overall, it was a good read. it dealt with heavy topics such as transitioning, gender, and abortion.

This book was enjoyable but a little hard for me to follow at times. Trans representation in and of itself is important and great to see in books. Representation of a character who struggles with gender identity to the point of detransistioning is remarkable.

It took me longer than usual to read this book because of how chaotic it was at times. I am glad that I finished and I will recommend it to friends in the future.

This novel is a smart, messy, visceral, and wonderful exploration of gender, sexuality, and relationships. Peters creates an intimate narrative centered on identity that serves as a reminder of the varied experiences of trans people and trans experiences.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it made me feel a bit uncomfortable and confused while reading. While I respect others’ choice of how they live their life sexually/gender etc., I felt awkward reading it and decided to put it down a few pages in.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters feels like a long awaited novel. With so many stories about trans youth becoming more common and popular in Young and New Adult literature, it was frankly past due for a Literary Adult novel to come out featuring adult trans and trans questioning individuals. The writing in this book is phenomenal, perfectly highlighting the complicated and messy trio of characters this story features. Above all, this is an incredible story about gender and motherhood, with a premise which fundamentally breaks the traditional concept of the nuclear family.

The triad of main characters in this story all offer a different facet to womanhood and identity, and are tied together through past memories and current desires. Reese is a trans woman who desires the comfortable life of upper class motherhood. Reese is a complex character who is fueled by jealousy. She is quick to judge others with little disregard with how her own past actions affect others. Despite this, Reese is a natural caretaker with a knack for caring for infants and children--something that certainly ties into her desire to care for her own child someday. Amos, Reese's ex, has recently de-transitioned and is introduced as the recent divorcee of Katerina. Amos has a complicated relationship with gender. He has hopes that identifying as a man rather than a trans women will be easier, but comes with its own challenges. The most glaring challenge Amos faces in the novel is getting his ex wife pregnant. Fearing commitment and fatherhood, he convinces Katerina to attempt a parenting triad with an individual who is committed to parenthood: Reese. These interactions are at times tense and cautious, as Katerina is a cis Asian American woman pregnant with a man she previously viewed as adhering to the gender binary. Despite this, all three members are willing to work together to figure out if a baby together is truly right for all of them.

The best moments of this novel are moments of honesty that are bluntly shared throughout the story. Reese's theories on trans and cis identities, Amos' moments of debating his gender identity, and Katerina's reminders of how race and sexism also shape the cis experience emphasize how all these characters are different and the result of an intersectional society. It's great to see how each character interacts in uncomfortable situations, with their flaws splayed out for the reader without apology. At times this story can feel slow as it transitions back and forth between the past and present, but overall, it builds to a very well rounded and nuanced modern story.

For fans of Pose and Disclosure, this book will be a treat while offering new concepts to chew on. This book is currently on a couple Best sellers lists, which comes at no surprise for me as a reviewer. On a completely separate note: the cover is gorgeous. Make sure to get a copy from your local bookstore as soon as possible.

This novel moves beyond character-driven to a true character study of two formerly coupled trans women — one who desires nothing more than to be a mother, and one who has detransitioned and is increasingly uncomfortable with his(her) current pending parenthood.

The characters are chaotic, messy, and real. They exasperated me as much as they endeared me. The story didn’t shy away from uncomfortable, unflattering, gritty moments.

The issues the novel explored were given a lot of depth. I especially connected with the way it explored the role gender plays in all of our lives, the relationship between sexuality and womanhood, aging and identity, and being vs doing. This isn’t a book full of fun, likable characters, but it is a book full of dynamic, vibrant, and sometimes horribly frustrating people you will probably recognize pieces of yourself in.

I did think the writing was a bit much at points, and the author’s voice would break through and overpower the established characters. The novel could do with a little tightening up, but I’m excited to read whatever Peters writes next.

Torrey Peters’s DETRANSITION, BABY is a novel that everyone needs to be reading and talking about! It is a provocative, raw, and wholly original exploration of gender, sexuality, motherhood, and the expanding definition of family. Witty and sexy as well as emotional and vulnerable; DETRANSITION, BABY is unlike any other book out there! Trust me, you need to read it!

Set in New York City, the story focuses on three people whose lives entangle around an unplanned pregnancy. Reese, a trans woman who has always longed to be a mother, was formerly in a relationship with Amy, another trans woman. But their relationship ended when Amy chose to detransition – return to the gender assigned at birth after living as the other gender. Now living as Ames, he is in a relationship with Katrina, a cis-woman, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant. The novel jumps back and forth between Reese and Amy’s past relationship and the present day as the three characters explore the best plan for the pregnancy.

DETRANSITION, BABY is a book only a trans woman could write. Peters lays bare the deep emotions, fears, and desires of the trans femme characters and expertly navigates around the hot button issue of detransitioning. Ames’s detransition is discussed in a nuanced and honest manner, making sure there is nothing stereotypical or inauthentic about how Ames is represented. Y’all know me, I’m into character-based books and this book has some of the most interesting and complicated characters I’ve read in a long time!

I guarantee that DETRANSITION, BABY will make people uncomfortable, which is a great thing! It pushes against societal norms forcing the reader to reevaluate their understanding of parenting, family, gender, and sexuality. It provides a view into the trans femme experience that is not written like a “how-to-guide” for cis-gendered readers. In fact, it feels like this was written for trans folks and that as a cis person I am lucky to be reading it! And it does all this while being so funny and so hot and so heart-wrenching and just so good! READ IT!

This book started off very strong. After the first chapter (which is long), I was convinced this would be my next binge read and five star book. I really liked the author's writing style and I was curious to see how Reese and Amy/Ames would work out the pregnancy situation.

As soon as I got to the middle of the story, it dove deep into the history of Amy and Reese - how they met, what their relationship was like, what they were doing when they met - and the graphic sex was just a little too much for me. It was around this point that I started feeling like the author was overly detailed in her descriptions - almost like she was trying to prove her abilities.

I ended up skimming a lot of the book and it's unfortunate because I felt like this was an area of LBTBQ+ that hasn't been explored yet and I was interested too see Peters' take on it.

Reese and Amy nearly had it all--a loving relationship, an apartment, and safety in each other: something extremely difficult for trans women to find. But that all changes when Amy decides to detransition and become Ames. Now Reese feels lost and alone, turning to her old patterns of sleeping with men who treat her poorly. And Ames isn't particularly happy either, though he's found a sort of comfort in his relationship with his boss, Katrina. But when Katrina discovers she's pregnant--with Ames' child--Ames is forced to confront a lot of his fears about masculinity and fatherhood. He also wonders if it's a chance for family. Reese has always longed for a baby; could he, Reese, and Katrina raise this child together?

"Somewhere, somehow, Amy did the impossible. She got herself a baby."

I love that this diverse book was my 300th read for Netgalley. I love love love that there is a story about trans women being celebrated and heralded on "must read" lists. I enjoyed so much about this book. Reese and Amy are detailed and realistic characters who--to me at least--did not seem stereotypical or one-dimensional. I felt like I learned so much reading their raw, emotional, and lovely story.

The tale of Ames becoming a parent--and wanting to involve Reese--was an interesting and dynamic one for me. I could completely understand Reese's longing for motherhood and how she felt on the outside looking in. This part of the book was original and fascinating. Pieces of the story were utterly hilarious, despite some of the serious subject matter. There is a chapter where Reese attends an essential oils party with Katrina and other straight/cis women that made me laugh out loud. Peters captures her voice so perfectly. There's a vulnerability and realness to Reese that makes her a captivating character from the start.

"Reese had already diagnosed her own problem. She didn't know how to be alone. She fled from her own company, from her own solitude."

The hardest part for me about this book had nothing to do with its subject matter (if that's a problem for you, you're the problem), but the fact that it veers between the past and the present, going on tangents about Reese and Amy's past. Sometimes it seemed like it just needed a strong edit, with someone willing to strike about half of those passages. Or perhaps I just wanted to get on with the present, the impending baby, and Reese, Katrina, and Ames' story. I'm not sure. But I was nearly compelled to skim some of these long passages. It was just a lot. And then, after all that, the book just sort of ended, to me, without much resolution, and I felt a bit betrayed.

Still, do not get me wrong. This is an excellent and important story, and more such stories like this need to be told. I definitely recommend it, and I bet any forthcoming books from Peters will only get better and better. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for my copy of this book!

DETRANSITION, BABY follows the story of Ames, a man who detransitioned from womanhood, his pregnant girlfriend Katrina, and his ex-girlfriend Reese, a trans woman, and how they attempt to navigate the facts of Katrina's pregnancy while exploring the concept of queerness and motherhood to a dizzying degree.

I find this book conflicting, maybe partly because of or especially because of my own transness. The book is well-written, in a jumpy, almost chaotic way that kept me bouncing from timeline to timeline and between compelling characters. It really gets at the heart of some complicated subjects like queerness and motherhood, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the issue for me was that sometimes the moments in which Peters delved into certain topics felt like they went on for a little too long, dragging the pace down noticeably though not in a completely debilitating way. Overall, I found the characters vivid and engaging and the book itself to be one that held my attention and refused to let me look away, even in the moments where it felt uncomfortable to keep watching.

Wow, what a powerful and beautiful story. Complicated and messy but loveable characters and relationships, bingeable prose. love love love.

This book is phenomenal. I could tell from the first page that I was going to love this book, or I could at least tell that I would thoroughly enjoy it. It's immediately apparent that the author’s writing was witty and engaging. The premise behind this story is fundamentally mind boggling, at least speaking as a cisman. The story centers around these three key figures: two trans women, or one transwoman and her ex trans partner who has now detransitioned back into a man. After the break up, “he” gets with a cis woman, and she ends up pregnant. While “he” may be living a life as a man, his gender is still not that simple. At the prospects of being a “father”, he devises a plan to create nontraditional relationship between his new lover and his old girlfriend. The story focuses on how this dynamic plays out, but it spends much more time in flashbacks giving us context of our two main trans characters. For many, this book may be difficult because it lacks significant plot, but for those who are interested in a character study, this is the perfect book for you. Our characters are complex and problematic but also lovable. It only gets better when you add on to that the complex conversation about trans issues, what it's like to be trans, and the sacrifices you have to make if you're trans. It really challenges the traditional heteronormative idea of a relationship, of a family, and what it means to be a mother or father. This book is the best book I've read all year. Granted it's late January, but it's still really damn good.
Check out my video review of this on my YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/mE7BbExXIso.

Detransition, Baby is the debut novel from Torrey Peters and it is provocative, messy, and entirely whipsmart.

It explores themes of gender, sexuality, motherhood, trans identity, and ultimately, the role and influence of femininity in the lives of the three main characters. Reese is a trans woman who has longed to be a mother, Katrina is a cis woman who finds herself pregnant and unsure, and Ames, the tie that binds, is a man whose past as a trans woman leaves him reluctant to fully embrace the idea of fatherhood.

Ames is the tie that binds in that he has an affair with his boss, Katrina, and she becomes pregnant. In deciding how to proceed, he proposes a novel family dynamic and ask his ex Reese, to be a mother as well. He is offering her the thing she’s always wanted but couldn’t have on her own. Is it wacky enough to work? What follows is a story alternating between present day (after conception) and years ago, when Ames was Amy and living with Reese. Between the two timelines you learn what brought the lovers together and ultimately tore them apart.

One of the themes throughout the story was the dynamic between men and women in traditional gender roles centered around dominance to the point of violence. Reese has a drawn out relationship with a man who clearly styles himself as an alpha and his control over her - to the point of slapping her - gives her a feeling of being a petite and fragile woman. The idea was nuanced and yet struck me as clear as day because for Reese part of being a woman is feeling frail next to a big, strong man. This performance is all part of engendered expression despite the obvious flaws. Seeing femininity through the eyes of a transgender woman character opened my eyes to aspects I’d breezily ignored as being inherently feminine.

Peters’ writing is sharp and cutting, and she presents her characters as they truly are - deeply vulnerable with all their flaws and secrets on display. I look forward to more from this author! If you like books that are fast paced, character driven, and explore the intersection of human relationships and identity, then this book is for you.

Thanks to One World and Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.