Meet Cute Diary, is a quick but entertaining and such a good read. The book is super cute. Absolutely love it.

Thank you to Quill Tree Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

3.75 stars

Sigh. I had very high hopes for this book, and I was a bit disappointed. I'm going to start off by talking about the things I didn't like as much, and then the things I loved so I can end on a good note.

The not-so-good:
1. Noah, the protagonist, is just on the edge of unlikable. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt because he's sixteen years old, and teenagers are, for the most part, very self-absorbed and mostly concerned with their own problems. It's not unusual to be more aware of your own problems than anything else going on in the world. But there were too many moments for me where Noah lashed out to his friends and family in sometimes cruel ways, and it didn't sit right with me. Or reacted to something in a manner that was far too harsh for what the situation warranted. And sometimes he was called out for it. But I still found it to be too much. It just made him a little unsympathetic in my eyes. I was still rooting for him throughout the book, but I also wanted him to treat his family and friends a little nicer!
2. The coincidences. Some elements of the plot were a little too convenient. Things happened that were huge coincidences and it got to the point where it took me out of the story a little bit.

And now, the awesome stuff!
1. The rep: We get trans and non binary rep as well as characters who are bisexual, asexual, lesbian, and an androphile (which is a word I just learned! It's a way to describe your attraction exclusively to men without bringing your own gender into it).
2. Neo pronouns: One of the characters uses neo pronouns, which a lot of people are unfamiliar with, and it's the first time I've seen this done in a YA book. (mild spoiler ahead?) Devin, who is non binary, settles on the pronouns e/em/eir, which are completely gender neutral, after e decides that none of the "standard pronouns" (he/him, she/her, they/them) feel comfortable. It's done really well in the book, and Noah, the main character, never questions Devin's choice of pronouns even while e emself isn't quite sure which ones feel most comfortable.
3. Transphobia is NOT a main part of the plot! So many times, trans writers are expected write about their pain and how hard it is to come out and the reactions of cis people to the fact that someone they love is trans. That doesn't happen in this book. When we start the story, Noah is already out to his family. They have accepted him for who he is, and while there are minor moments where Noah questions whether they are 100% accepting of his identity, there is no outright hostility from anyone. There are a few minor moments of transphobia, but for the most part this is a story of a trans teenager finding love and joy. And I love that it exists.

I want to emphasize that I am really really glad that this book exists! Trans kids deserve love stories just as much as cis kids, and probably need them even more. We need more books like this where a trans teenager can find love and have a happy ending without going through a bunch of suffering first. I am so happy that this will be around for a long time to come and I hope that it finds the kids who need it the most.

Also, I look forward to whatever Emery Lee writes next, because while I did have some minor issues with this book, I think it was a promising debut and a good indicator of what's to come.

*I received this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Meet Cute Diary follows Noah who runs a blog about meet cutes for trans stories. However, the stories are completely fictional. Noah, who is trans, is also trying to find his own summer romance in Denver. Through many blog issues, we find that Noah is struggling under accusations that his blog posts are fake or stolen from other people. Under this stress, he meets Drew who offers to fake date Noah in order to prove the blog to be true. But through it all, Noah just wants to see what being in love is actually like instead of playing a role.

This book was so charming and wonderful to read. I went through it so quickly just to find out what would happen next. However, there were a few things that kept me from completely enjoying it. I found Noah to be very selfish and unmovable when it came to some parts of his life. The first being his brother. I liked that Brian was such a huge advocate for Noah when he came out as trans. It's so important to have that ally. However, Noah was constantly focused on Brian's relationship with a woman and how annoying it was. I understand the idea, but Noah was always so focused on his own relationships that it felt forced.

The true carriers of the book were the side characters. The people that Noah meets and interacts with along the way. I don't really want to give a lot of it away because it's important to discover on your own, but they truly kept the story alive. One of my personal favorite parts was the discussion of pronouns in the book. Finding a way to truly be honest with yourself and who you are is so important in books for teens. Being able to casually or even seriously consider what you want to be called and what makes you a person is not talked about enough. There are so many teens who struggle and having that representation in a book is important to them and to help them have that discussion with friends and family.

Meet Cute Diary is definitely a book for everyone.

Rating: 3/5

I don't really know what to say about this one. I thought about DNFing this book at 50% but I decided to keep reading, which worked out great because I loved the last half of the book, but that first half was kinda hard to push myself through.

So I guess I start with the first half.

Right off the bat, I was thrown off by the youngness of the protagonist Noah. He's sixteen but he reads a lot younger and has many, many flaws. Which was kind of annoying at first but as he grew throughout the story and learned, I came to really enjoy his character. But wow is he super naive, selfish, and self-centered! It definitely felt overdone to me, but again this was a big focal point of his character arc. Now, Noah is a trans teen who writes a blog all about these fake meet-cutes, and we love the representation (which I personally can't speak on but, correct me if I'm wrong, I do believe the author is trans, and ownvoices reviewers seem to be saying that the trans rep is well-written). But, Noah ends up meeting a guy who he fake dates in order to save his blog, which I enjoy a good fake-dating trope, but I absolutely hated this dude and you could see all of the red flags from miles away, so yeah, this definitely hindered my enjoyment for the first half of this book. Luckily, this relationship isn't the "real" one.

Anyway, besides not enjoying either of the two main characters for the first half of the book, I am glad to not have DNF'd this book and kept trudging through because I loved all of the themes throughout this book. I loved the trans joy, the supportive families, the wonderful ace and nonbinary love interest who was exploring pronouns, and I was actually surprised to find that I loved the little camp scenes with the kids!

All in all, if you are interested at all in this book, read it! It's a very important book for teens exploring their identities and we need more books like it! So while this wasn't wholly my cup of tea, I am still glad to have read it and I am happy for all the other reviewers out there who are loving it and talking about how much it means to them!

This book was everything. It was so cute and Noah was just so likeable. As a cis-gendered person, this book seemed so eye-opening to me and I enjoyed getting Noah's perspective. His reality is going to hit home with many in the LGBTQIA+ community.

I thought this book was good. I loved seeing a trans main character, and I loved that every time Devin changed pronouns, they would change on-page. Devin and I have had similar experiences with constantly changing pronouns and I loved seeing em change their pronouns and Noah excepting em every time. I loved Noah's brother being accepting. What I didn't like was the actions of the characters sometimes. I think it would've been pretty easy for Noah to say on his blog that the stories were fictional. He didn't really need to fake date, Drew. I also got kinda annoyed with him a lot, he seemed very immature all the time.

Thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Actual rating is 1.5/5 stars.

This story follows Noah, who runs a popular blog on Tumblr entitled "Meet Cute Diary", full of stories about trans people finding love. Problem is, it's all fake. Noah's blog attracts the attention of several trolls who point out how wrong the stories must be (despite them being right) and Noah struggles to keep up the illusion until he meets Drew, who is willing to fake-date for the sake of his blog.

I wanted to like this story since it's got great LGBT+ & BIPOC representation, but...there were parts of the story and its characters that I didn't personally care for. The romance didn't feel....that real, if that makes any sense.

The narrator was really hard to like, he was pretty self-centered and obsessed with his blog, his immature behavior was called out several times but no changes were made. I felt like he was unnecessarily harsh toward his brother though. His interview with the bookstore owner was so ridiculous, I know he hadn't done job interviews before but dang, he was terrible at it! Though, his parents seem pretty nasty so it's no surprise Noah ended up as self-centered as them, ha.

Very minor and stupid nitpick but I didn't like that two characters were named Devin and Drew. I kept mixing them up...lol..

Every time I’ve seen Emery Lee or another author talk about this book, I’ve gotten that swooping feeling in my stomach of anticipation. Excitement. It’s Step 1: The Meet Cute. “The moment Fate brings you together and you connect with this person - even if just for a moment - in a way that you never connected with anyone before.” That was how I felt every single time I saw this book cover.

Meet Cute Diary tells the story of Noah, a trans boy who runs a popular blog with fictional meet cutes of other trans people. He has romance and relationships down to a science. In theory. In actuality, Noah is a hot mess whose ideas of love don’t always coincide with what he actually needs and wants.

What was refreshing that most about this book is what was initially giving me pause while reading it. Noah isn’t always the most likable character as far as conventional tropes go. He’s messy, anxious, and makes super questionable decisions. But then I realized that this is reflective of almost every teenager, especially those who are queer and/or trans and trying to find their footing. There are times when Noah lashes out at his friends when he’s feeling stressed about other things. Who amongst as a teenager didn’t take out our frustrations on those friends who were just there to help us? What Noah is going through in this book doesn’t necessarily excuse all of his behavior, but it definitely contextualizes it.

What I loved the most about Meet Cute Diary and what I keep coming back to is that it just allows teens to be teens, especially those who are trying to figure out themselves and their genders. The discussion of pronouns is so important as is the fluidity of someone wanting to change their pronouns and test the waters to see what’s the best fit. I rarely see that done in books, let alone done in a way that is effortless and shows how easy using someone’s correct pronouns is.

Emery Lee has been an absolute force in talking about this book online while also being very open about the representation in this book. It adds a rich layer and complexity and all of it shines through the storytelling and enriches the world e has created.

The further I get from this book, the more it has settled deep within my bones. I made it to Step 12: The Happily-Ever-After.

5 stars.

This was a cute YA read.
I like seeing a growing number of books being published with gender and sexual diversity. This was a sweet romcom about love, a supportive family and finding yourself .

Meet Cute Diary is a fun summer read! Emery Lee created a great cast of diverse characters that I quickly grew to love. The main character, Noah, definitely has his flaws but they ring true to teen logic and made me chuckle. Lee thoughtfully explores gender and the many ways one can be trans, all without transphobia taking center stage which was refreshing. Noah's conversations about gender with his coworker Devin were a highlight and I'm sure will help both trans and cis kids better navigate these topics in their own lives. A charming and impactful read!

I loved this. I devoured it in a day. This is a book I wanted growing up. I looked for myself in queer but cisgendered characters growing up and I loved seeing two trans characters as main characters in this book.

The characters feel authentic and they talk like actual teenagers. They’re immature and selfish and that’s pretty normal.

I also love that this is just a fluffy rom com that happens to have gender diversity and sexuality diversity. Supportive families, no major violence against characters, no dead naming, no forced outings. I’m not going to say those stories aren’t important too because they are. The queer experience is multi-faceted and doesn’t look the same for everyone.

It makes me happy to know there are queer YA readers out there who will pick up this book and possibly relate and find a part of themselves in it.

Such a sweet and beautiful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

What a sweet read! Noah is a bratty teenager, but like so many bratty teenagers, he is focused on finding True Love. Hence, his Meet Cute Diary blog where he wants to show that trans people can have cute meet ups and happily ever afters. When he runs into Drew, Noah is convinced that Fate is pushing them together in the ultimate Meet Cute. But, then there's internet drama, parental drama, sibling drama, work drama all apparently conspiring together to make Noah's summer miserable.

Strangely enough, what I truly enjoyed about this book is how Noah is written as a teenager--self-absorbed, bratty and selfish. Instead of being the pinnacle of REPRESENTATION, he's just a kid trying to figure out himself and his life. It feels so much more honest than the YA stories where the protagonist is loved by all and blessed for every step of their life. There's nothing inherently wrong with reading wish fulfillment characters, but it's also nice to read honest representations of people as they actually are.

Meet Cute Diary takes rom-coms to another level. Dealing with the ups and downs of platonic and romantic relationships on top of exploring gender and defending against transphobia and internet trolls? Yes, all of that please!! Stubborn and fierce Noah was a joy to read the POV was, and it was heartbreaking watching him push Becca away and lose his boundaries all for a rose-tinted idea of what romance is. Unfortunately I can't gush too much without getting into spoiler territory, but I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Noah's happiness.

I'm so happy that this message of not only acceptance or meet cutes, but of love and hope, is going out into the world. It is books like this that I wish had been available to me while growing up.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC.

This book was so cute and everything I look for when reading a YA contemporary.

We are introduced to 16-year-old Noah Ramirez, who runs a popular blog called the Meet Cute DIary. In this blog he shares stories about trans couples finding love. However, the blog soon receives accusations of stealing stories; the only problem is that all of the posts are completely made up by Noah. This soon leads to Noah and his friends working towards clearing the blog of these accusations.

Things I loved about this book were that it had the fake dating and friends to lovers tropes which are two of my favorites. I also really liked the relationship Noah had with his best friend Becca and his brother. I was happy to see how positive and supportive they were of him. This book also had a lot of representation starting with a BIPOC and trans main character.

I really don't have anything negative to say. It was the perfect fluffy YA contemporary.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed Felix Ever After or are fans of Adam Silvera.

Trigger Warnings: transphobia, panic attacks, mentions of suicide

3 stars

WHAT I LIKED

I loved the diversity in Meet Cute Diary! According to the author's Twitter thread, Noah (the main character) is triracial (Black, white, & Asian), trans, and bisexual. Devin is Cuban, non-binary, asexual, and uses neo-pronouns. Becca is Cuban and lesbian. It's extremely important to have voices from underrepresented groups in the publishing industry, and I'm ecstatic by the increase in diversity over the past few years!

Brian and Devin are definitely my favorite characters in the book! They're both extremely supportive and, to be honest, deserve better romantic partners. I'm not going to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

Another aspect that I liked was the concept of an online Meet Cute Diary. I loved how it's "a beacon of hope for trans readers" (quote taken from Goodreads synopsis)!

I also really appreciated Noah's character development and growth.

In the beginning one-third of Meet Cute Diary, I thought that the fake-dating relationship between Noah and Drew was really cute.


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

The romance between Noah and Drew felt extremely insta-lovey. And this reader *points to myself* despises insta-love. It also felt slightly unrealistic...? Noah and Drew met twice before Drew randomly proposed the fake-dating idea. Okay then.

I didn't like Noah's character. As I mentioned before in this review, I appreciated his character development, but even then, it still wasn't enough to make up for my initial dislike for him. Why don't I like Noah, you ask? Well, he's self-absorbed. I, as a reader, got the impression that he believed his problems weighed more than anybody else's. He also spent a lot of his parents' money on coffee and then got annoyed when his parents told him to find a job and make his own money. He also has a tendency to lash out at people for no reason. (Keep in mind that, as of right now, I'm also a teenager.)

I'm also scratching my head at the fact that Noah got a paid job without letters of recommendation, interviews, application, etc. He had his older brother's referral, but I think that's it...?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I had an overall positive reading experience! However, it's not something that I would reread or recommend to everybody.

A cute romantic comedy with a trans main character! I hope trans teens and teens who don’t feel comfortable on a binary gender system will read this and feel seen and celebrated. Will definitely recommend for fans of Jenny Han and Adam Silvera.

Noah runs the Meet Cute Diary, a blog dedicated to sharing trans peoples’ meet-cutes. The only problem is, all the stories are fake -- just products of Noah’s own fantasies -- and some of his followers are starting to pick up on that. Enter Drew, the handsome bookseller who Noah had his own meet-cute with. Drew comes up with the idea to fake-date in order to save the blog. Is this really only about saving the blog, or will true love blossom like Noah hopes?

This book was laugh out loud funny. Noah’s voice is super distinct and his impatience for straight white people had me cackling (it also made me realize why so many white people were so offended in all their reviews of this book). He was annoying and bitter and angry and I loved him for it.

This book has pretty much everything you would want from a rom-com; fake-dating, romantic love, platonic love, and an adorable love interest.

Meet Cute Diary is great for fans of Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender and Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant.

TW: transphobia, suicide mention (not graphic)

Release date: May 4, 2021

Thanks to Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for this ARC!

Noah is Tumblr famous. Or at least his blog, The Meet Cute Diary is. The Meet Cute diary is a collection of stories celebrating trans love. And while Noah says that these are true stories they're actually made-up. When another blog starts debunking The Meet Cute Diary Noah knows he has to do something to save The Meet Cute Diary. When his identity is discovered by Drew, a cute boy that Noah has had TWO meet cutes with, Drew agrees to fake-date Noah in order to save The Diary, but as we all know, fake dating is never as simple as it seems.

So excited to buy and share this book with students. It's such a fun rom-com with meet cutes (of course!), fake dating, a love triangle, I had to put the book down a few times due to second-hand embarrassment, which is always a good sign that a book is pulling me in. It's wonderful to see a book not only showing the use of neopronouns but to see characters exploring their gender and pronouns.

This book didn't work for me--I found the pacing and the love story setup too forced. But I am so glad it is out in the world, and I suspect it will resonate and delight many readers.

I really wanted to like this book, but it didn’t happen. I enjoy rom-coms as a general rule. However, there were so many situations in this book that are not realistic, in my opinion. I could not overlook all of these things to enjoy the overall story.

Overall Rating- 2 stars
Main Character= 2 stars
Supporting Characters= 3 stars
Plot= 2 stars
Conclusion= 1 star


Potential Triggers:
Suicide is mentioned and panic attacks described on page

****Spoilers Included in review****

The overall premise of this book is that a 16-year-old trans boy Noah has a blog called –The Meet Cute Diary. The MCD is all about trans people having the “meet cute” of their dreams, the big problem is all of the submissions are made up by Noah. Somehow an internet troll has figured out that these stories are not real. Because of the troll’s harassing, Noah is losing followers and this is stressing him out. Now he is spending the summer in Denver with his older brother. Noah is originally from the Miami, Florida area, but his parents are moving to California. Noah is a very selfish character, who ultimately is hard to like.
Here is the first of what to me as a reader is not very realistic, Noah is 16 and his brother is very young just having finished his first year in college. Their parents leave the boys for the summer without any true adult supervision. As a parent myself, I was surprised at how hands off the parents were towards Noah. At the end of the day, Noah is a minor being allowed to party and basically take care of himself. In fact, at one point the parents even cut off his access to money because he is spending it unwisely. It struck me as odd that instead of calling up your child and letting them know they were wasting money, the way these parents handled it was to turn off the card letting him get denied at a store.
Since his funding was turned off, the parents expect Noah to get a job. This doesn’t seem unreasonable; however, it does lead to another unrealistic plot point. The first place Noah applies is at a local bookstore (this interview doesn’t go great). Somehow this bad interview leads to a blog post, which in turn leads to the boy working at the bookstore asking Noah if his is the moderator of MCD. This struck me as way too convenient. Noah’s own family doesn’t know anything about the blog, but a random stranger who he has spoken to very briefly figures it out and offers to fake date Noah to help save the diary.
The hardest plot piece for me to swallow as a reader is where/how Noah ended up getting a job. Noah’s brother has started working a summer day camp. He takes Noah into work with him (after orientation has been going on for a few days) and Noah is hired. Noah gets a job working with children without a real interview, no letters of recommendation, and no background check. I work in a school system and have family members that work for children’s camps, this is not how things are done!!
Not to mention, his supervisor at the camp is someone who came from the same school in Florida as Noah. They did not know each other during their time in Florida, but it is too much a coincidence as they end up not only in the same city but working at the same summer job.
All of these issues just kept adding up to me as a reader. Leaving me just wanting to get to the end of the book to find out who the internet troll was, and how Noah would fix the problem. But the book did not address this at all!! The whole premise of the book was saving the diary, but that became a very secondary piece of the story.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#MeetCuteDiary #NetGalley