Before anything, I do want to give a shoutout to this author for including a content warnings list at the beginning of this book. This covered particularly heavy topics, but I think we as a whole should normalize content warnings at the beginning of media.
That said, this wasn't the book for me. It was very dark and featured young teenagers (14-15) doing drugs, having sex, self harming, etc. Which yes is a thing that happens and I don't think it's necessarily something that should be avoided when writing fiction, but I'm rather uncomfortable with it. If it was personal discomfort, I would probably still be forgiving and rate it a bit higher, but I think a lot of it was just left there without being unpacked properly and can be kind of harmful, like some of the self-harm and the relationship between a 14 and 18 year old.
Few of the characters are that likeable and a lot of the adult figure are just written very awkwardly? Beyond just being uncomfortable with the subject matter, I had a hard time going through this because I wanted Wylie to turn out okay, but I was also not his biggest fan and as the book went on, I could tell that a lot of issues were going to be kind of swept aside instead of actually acknowledged.
I think this could be a pretty cool premise and it's both wild and very neat to think that we can have a period piece set in 2001, but overall, it felt unpolished at best and harmful at worst.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this ebook for review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF at 40%

This book is a perfect read for someone, just not me.

I think if you identify with any of the characters based on the synopsis, a coming of age story that’s different from the stories we’ve heard over and over, or are looking for those vibes of the early 2000s, this might be for you.

I just wasn’t as interested in the story as I was in the synopsis and didn’t find myself connecting to the characters. I did like the writing style because it wasn’t overly complex and easy to read.

I might give this book another try in the future and I’d probably try another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the cover. The colors, the lowercase letters, I love it all.

This book is so so important. I feel like books like this should be a staple in middle schools everywhere. This an important topic.

Overall, I'd definitely read more books by this author.

I pick stories about other people’s life experiences because I enjoy having a glimpse into what it’s like to be them.

Call Me Him was a real, harsh , heart breaking look into the life of a Trans boy living in the early 2000s.

The book gives you a lot of content warnings and resources for dealing with those warnings ahead of the story which is wonderful and necessary in this case.

Even with the warnings my heart wasn’t ready for what I endured. However, I have no room to
judge someone else’s life story and I am in awe that someone could share this with the world.

As someone who had been sexually assaulted, I’m not ready to tell my story to others, but this has given me hope that maybe one day I can tell my story.

**Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**
"Call me him" by River Braun is a heartwarming coming of age story of a young Trans boy finding his identity in the early 2000s.
I loved this story, it kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Was Wylie going to get through everything? Would he end up alright? And Alex, Wylie's best friend was a great character who showed the complexity of friendship at that age and helped Wylie so much.
My only problem was the main love interest, who was really toxic and 18 (the main character was 14) and the only person who seems to have a problem with them is Alex, but Wylie doesn't listen.
Overall, I am giving this 4/5 stars.

This story centers around Wiley, a trans teen living in the early 2000s. Wiley is 14 living a world that doesn’t accept him or understand him. His friends and family aren’t supportive or caring. Wiley just wants to be Wiley.

I really wanted to like this book. I think all kinds of trans stories should be told. We all have different experiences and it’s important to learn all the different paths one can take. Wylie is loud and abrupt and there’s something that connected me to him. Wylie has difficulty finding where he fits in. That is true to a lot of teens especially those that don’t society’s idea of normal.

I usually set aside any opinions on any mistakes that would be fleshed out during editing because ARCs are not the finished product. This time it was hard to put it aside. The story jumps around a lot without giving clear transitions from one point to another. It disrupted the flow of the story. I know it’s incredibly hard to be a self published author. Self published authors don’t have as many resources available.

I will continue giving books by this author a chance. There is some good potential here that just needs to be refined.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

My least favorite thing about most LGBT, especially trans books is that they always end up having some big trauma scene in them even if the book is marketed as a cute and lighthearted story, which takes everyone by surprise in the worst of ways and leaves so many people with triggered trauma in their wake; But this book started right off the back with all the trigger warnings and that is amazing, so this book is already above all the others. Plus the author left hotlines and a reminder to the reader that we are all loved. Beautiful. The book even starts off with a pretty triggering scene and yet I feel it was handled very well.

The book, despite having more traumatic experiences, transphobic comments and a variety of queer characters than any other I've ever read and yet the author handled them insanely well, first by telling us they were coming and then by having the characters not be defined by those experiences and instead used them to bring awareness to how hard it truly is to be openly queer or even just look like you are.

I immediately knew I loved Wyiie. He was so funny and frankly a badass which really drew me to him. We don't get to see many trans guys with his personality in fiction. Wylie is youthfully stupid - [smoking Marijuana out in the open while also skating in an area he knows cops frequently harass skaters] - but most teenagers are stupid especially those with no guidance or love in their homes. he is a big mouthed risk taker and I have been waiting for this sort of trans character to be written, something is author did an amazing job at. Wylie is a very real character that I enjoyed being in the head of and his humor was a delight, even in times of distress.

[ALEX IMMEDIATELY KNOWING WHO WYLIE WAS EVEN WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE THE WORDS FOR IT. YES. ] Alex is a great example of how kids turn out if you simply don't instill prejudices in them and instead educate them. And I really love that Wylie has guy friends, even though they're assholes. That's something a lot of trans guys aren't written with in any trans story I've read.

I don't like the way that trans MCs always have to have a counterpart point of view. They're always stupid, not very entertaining and frankly end up being transphobic if not starting off that way and even if they aren't I just don't care what they think; But I gave Alex a chance and I am really glad I did. His point of view and him as a character was amazing - [the way he felt bad about mentioning boys don't cry, which he only mentioned out of a way to help Wylie feel represented, but immediately realized that is the last movie a newly out to himself trans guy should be watching,] just goes to show the sort of person Alex is and I think he's amazing. Something else in Alex's point of view that I loved was [his questioning of his parents' and his own sexuality.] Theirs' is such an open household that he's allowed to wonder and experiment with no problem even if it's only a thought. I wish every child had this experience.

The friendship between Wylie and Alex brings me so much joy. They're so comfortable around each other and supportive and also just two 14 year old guys which is something we never see fictional trans guys apart of. The author's writing is astonishing really. And I'm really glad Alex didn't turn out to be Wylie's love interest. Straight trans guys are rare in fiction and trans guys having close friendships with others guys are even harder to come by so I am glad the author developed that instead.

Reyna was one of my favorite characters. She was absolutely amazing, just the best person ever and I see a lot of myself in her. In my adult years if I ever came across a situation like this I would behave in a very similar manner and make sure the youth got the care and treatment they needed.

[The little party celebration Echo threw for Wylie's first injection of puberty blockers brought me a lot of joy. The way they did it because they know how much he would appreciate such a monumental moment being celebrated by someone...just wow.]

[I love that we got to watch Wylie go to therapy and develop better coping mechanisms. His development throughout the book was so beautiful to watch. And his valedictorian speech was perfection. Everything a graduation speech should be, and anyone can relate to it no matter what they're going through or at what time during their lives that they hear it.

"My name is Wylie Masterson. Call me him."]

A very nice story about friendship and trust with a transgender boy as main character and the friends who helped him get to be seen, come to himself, heal, find love and become the man he is.
I liked very much how each character's POV protrayed their insecurities and confusions, their rage and angst and their feelings and personalities.
I appreciate so much that the author had displayed some content/trigger warnings at the begining of this book, such as, drug abuse, physical and emotional abuse, self harm, dysphoria and misgendering, so more sensitive readers could be displeased.
Still this is a very nice story and many, maybe all, transgender people dealing with family issues and low self steem can identify.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I think the representation at the age of 14 is really important for young members of the trans community, however I was very uncomfortable reading this book. The trigger warnings at the start were very much appreciated, but there were many aspects of the book that felt very inappropriate for the age range this is being marketed to.

Edited review:
The first time I read this book, I DNF at about 5% and I wrote the review you find below. When I finished another book today, this one took my attention on my ereader again and I decided to give it another try. I shouldn’t have done this. Because now I DNF at 15% after reading the same things twice from Wylie’s and Alex’s POV. This time I rate it after all because I think the writing is not that well. I won’t put this edited review on Goodreads though because I didn’t finish reading it.

First review:
I wanted to like this book. A lot. Because the premise is good, a fourteen-year-old trans guy who is searching for his identity and wants to be a boy badly. But his mom still sees him as a girl. And the trigger warnings at the beginning were phenomenal, so few books do it like this. Huge compliment! So I was ready to give a wonderful review! But I can’t give a high rating because of the premise and early trigger warnings.

The story took me by surprise, in this case not a positive one. Wylie is fourteen and one of the first words on the first page was peripheral. Huh, I thought? This is a fourteen-year-old talking. And he talks about peripheral vision? It made me cringe and immediately doubt the story. And it didn’t make it better for me when Wylie lit up a joint going to school, twice (!), even after an encounter with the police (who were homophobic and cruel by the way). And then he shared a joint with his friends, still the same one he lit up twice? Or another one? Huh? I thought again. It’s still early morning! And then when the first bell rang Wylie gave his friend Cam an oblong, white pill ... Huh????. And we’re not done because then Wylie considered for a moment sneaking away to smoke another joint. Yes, another one, at what? 8.30 A.M.? It’s not that I don’t want to read about fourteen-year-olds smoking pot and using pills (although it feels really uncomfortable). It’s just that I didn’t feel the context and all those huh’s made me drop out of the story again and again. And I only read a few pages until then.

I almost never DNF a story but I decided to quit this one. I don’t think this story and I will be friends ever. So I won’t rate Call me him and I hope other readers will like this more than I did.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After this bumpy start I fought myself to read the whole story. I don’t like not finishing books, especially not when a writer or a publisher trusts me with an ARC. So I finally read it, luckily it’s a fast read but I have to admit I skimmed pages. And I never connected to Wylie, the way I wanted too. In the end, unfortunately I only can rate it two stars and that’s mostly because of the premise and the trigger warnings.

I received an ARC from the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Indipendently Published, for the chance to read and review this book.

TW: transphobia, misgendering, drug use and abuse, sexual assault, body dysphoria, bullying, self-harm, anxiety and depression

"Call me him" is an intense story about a transgender male, struggling with authority, puberty and family. I really appreciated the fact that the author put the trigger warnings right away. So few books do that, so that'a a plus. The story is interesting and intense, told by two POVs, the main character Wylie and his friend Alex. But even though this is an important story, a strong one, I couldn't get involved, because I couldn't like the writing style and the characters.

Interesting story about a trans boy. This takes place in the early 2000s so it's even more scary for Wylie to live and be who he wants.

Notice - DNF at 20%

***I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I tried to give this book a fair shot. I picked it back up a few times and just couldn't get into it. The way the book is formatted makes the dialogue hard to read. It's not spaced correctly so it reads like a run on sentence.

The book is written in two alternating POV. A few times the POV basically goes over the exact same scenario that just happened word for word.

I think the idea for the book is well intentioned but poorly executed.

2/5🌟: i thought i would love this one, like please give me all the trans main characters, but - not like this. the postive things: trigger warnings on the first page, various trans characters including a non-binary love interest. the writing was very simple, which i guess is okay for a younger audience. unfortunately, there were two perspectives (wiley and his friend alex) but there was no point to alex's perspective, everything evolved around wiley anyways and nothing else happened to alex. side characters kept changing which was annoying to keep up with and at last, wiley gets involved with a 18-year-old and i'm not comfortable with these power dynamics.

Call me him by River Braun.
Wylie was born a girl but she feels like a boy and wants to be a boy? Can he?
This was an emotional read. I did find it hard to read at times so I put it down when I felt like that. I didn't have any favourite characters. The story was ok. I loved the end part with Wylie's graduation and his speech. You will need tissues when reading this book. 4*.

An engrossing novel that tackles some really tough topics such as transphobia, body dysphoria, misgendering, sexual assault, and substance abuse. Braun did a great job of writing an entertaining, emotionally raw story that is also educational and informative. Many trans teens will be able to relate to Wiley, feel seen in their experience, and potentially learn something. I really did love this book, I didn’t rate it five stars for a few minor plot-related reasons but as a YA novel about trans representation, experience, and visibility I’d rate it among the best.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC approval of this book!

I adored CALL ME HIM, I really did. I was only prevented from giving it a full 5-star rating due to the icky normalised sexual relationship between an almost-15 y/o and an 18 y/o. I kept expecting someone to raise it as a red flag, to find out, and it become the issue it is. Wylie, the MC, his friend only noticed more when the person Wylie dated carved his name into their wrist to keep him with them forever. Weird. Kind of gross and super icky.

Despite that, and it's an effort to try to ignore that so I can focus on the positives of the book, CALL ME HIM was a book I read in almost a single sitting. It's emotional, compelling, strong, unforgettable, and what every trans kid at that age needs to read--big minus the god-awful relationship thrown in at the very end. Wylie was a strong MC, who faced more than his fair share of hardships. All he wants to do is forget about everything the world wants to remind him of: as a trans boy, he's not good enough--not for himself, his friends, his family. He's already into fairly regular drug use when the story starts, but spins into a more dangerous use of it as the story progresses.

When he meets Alex, Wylie is welcomed into a world of acceptance, hope, love, and the promise of exploring future transitioning. Alex's mum is a therapist, who supports him, rather than puts him down. She helps him--the family welcome Wylie like their own. Maybe it's just my gay trans brain but I thought the author would roll with a bisexual awakening through Alex and Wylie--that's where I thought the romance subplot would lie, which, in my opinion, would have read stronger. However, that's not the path the author took. Of course, there is betrayal, which adds to the final battles of the story--and they were executed perfectly.

This is the book I needed to read when I was 14 and being trans wasn't a thing I knew properly, and told my friends for the first time, too young to think it was a thing to walk away from me over, and I wasn't yet old enough to know being trans was okay and it wasn't going to change and that was okay too. That being trans would change my life--sometimes for the better or the worse. Either way, it was being truer to myself.

CALL ME HIM was beautiful, emotionally-wrecking, hard to read at times, and a big sign for other trans kids that says, "Hey!!! I know things are garbage right now but just hold on, okay? There are good people to help you and want to see you thrive!!!" I'm very happy to have read this book.

This was very emotionally raw and immediately drew me in to the story and troubles of the main character, who was very well written. However u felt that the pacing was a bit too slow which meant I didn't feel as engaged with this as I really wanted to be.

Maybe this story just wasn't for me, but I barely finished this one. It was tiring to read it, with the protagonist being very "woe is me" about life. I couldn't really relate to much of anything these kids did -- is this what high school is like now? I didn't think I was that far removed from life as a teenager, but now I'm starting to wonder. I feel like this was written by someone who played a Tony Hawk video game at one point, and then declared themselves an expert on what skaters like to do with their time. My one praise for the book is that there's a lot of queer representation, with lots of opportunities to educate readers on identities. I appreciated that at least.

DNF
The writing felt bland and simplistic. And this book was very unrealistic to me, so much of it didn’t make sense. And so much of the drama felt like it was just there for shock value. As a trans reader this book felt like another trans sob story about how being trans is so sad and terrible. I had to DNF because I’m tired of reading tragic trans stories and would rather read books about trans joy. Maybe there was a happy ending, but it just wasn’t worth it for me to keep reading and find out