I LOVE Julia’s first book and this one is just as great. The illustrations are so clean and simple but evoke a lot of emotion and really reflect the writing. Very honest, heartfelt story with many moments that are relatable to anyone - trans or not - issues such as breakups, family problems, first dates, friendships, insecurities and so on.

I wish the panels were longer but there was something of a time constraint. Each three part panel was done once a day for six months. As short as the panels are though, they give a lot of information.

I hope to see more of Kaye’s soon!!

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book fits quite well with the Andrews McMeel Publishing brand of comics, along with work by Sarah Andersen, Cassandra Calin or Debbie Tung. In fact, I think people who love Rupi Kaur will probably enjoy this comic.

The art is slightly simpler than other than that of Calin or Andersen, maybe more similar to that of Tung. This is not much of a problem in itself, however, the drawings aren't very expressive either, so they don't communicate anything by themselves: everything must be made explicit by the narration. This contrasts with the cartoons in Cat's Café, where you barely need words to tell the story. The competing narration by the author and dialogue makes the reading experience muddy: it's like hearing two people talk at the same time, about the same thing, in different ways, and trying to pay attention to both. If the drawings were more expressive, the dialogue would be unnecessary and the narration would suffice; but even if they aren't, it would've been better to just write the author's thoughts (as she does) and skip the dialogues, which are banal anyway.

All of this would have made this comic slightly below average, but not bad. The real problem is the story itself. This is basically a look at one year in the author's life, but the author lacks any self-awareness. It's hard to write something interesting or compelling in that situation. She repeats the same Instagram-esque lines, whines about everything, complains about everyone, shows no appreciation of anyone, isn't interested in anyone's life. There's a parade of characters behind her, most of them unnamed, that exist simply to tell her "You're the best!" Not one of them has interests or lives of their own beyond fawning over her. She doesn't seem to support anyone around her, even though she demands constant attention from everyone.

It reads as an immature 14 year old, not a woman in her 30s who is capable of self-reflection. That doesn't make for good reading.

I received a digital ARC (advanced reader copy) in exchange for a honest review.

My Life in Transition is Kaye's story of continuing transition and is chronologically after Super Late Bloomer. I did not read Super Late Bloomer but I am a long time fan of Up and Out. The book was very evocative and showed Kaye's relationships, family conflict, and moving on with life. It was bitter sweet; heartwarming, heartbreaking, and real. The book was born from Kaye's personal project of creating a comic every day for six months.

The formatting was the main issue I had with this book. Each page has a single 3 panel comic so the book is very short while each page could easily fit 2 comics (to save paper for printed copies). Even though this started as a personal project, there seems to be little editing afterwards and doesn't have a professional feel. Some of the plot lines were also difficult to follow and there were also a couple comics where parts of the dialogue was blacked out (I'm assuming it's someone's name) so it was difficult to understand those parts of the story. I really like the idea behind this book but the overall result is really unpolished. Also, the author is posting all the comics on Instagram so I can't really recommend this book to friends.

I really enjoyed this Own Voices comic. The art is really sure but the subject matter is meaty. I learned a lot from reading this and getting a new perspective about life.

'My Life in Transition' is a biographical comic on the author's experience as a trans women which chronicles almost half a year. It shows snippets of the thoughts and experiences she faces everyday. I personally felt this book is relatable for anyone, trans or otherwise, while giving an insight into the life of a trans person. Issues like acceptance, dysphoria were addressed here , which was eye opening for me. I really loved the art style as well.
Transition is a scary and nerve wracking process which isn't really grasped by many, and I feel this comic would be the perfect tool for the same.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and I will never truly comprehend the struggles that people in this community face, I think this book gave me a little bit of perspective on the issue. The book shows the real experiences of Julia Kaye, following her life as a trans woman for 6 months. Although many situations in this book are new to me, prevailing themes of being a HUMAN shine through. These themes are able to make the book relatable to almost everyone in some ways. On the other hand, the unique hardships Julia faces in "My Life in Transition" evoke empathy in the reader, that may be cause for activism. The art style of this book is adorable and intriguing, making it even better.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this collection in exchange for an honest review!!

I really enjoyed this collection!! I think I may have found a new comic author/artist to obsess over. This collection shows the struggles of a Trans woman learning to love herself and find happiness. It's not all butterflies and roses, it talks about some rough stuff like dysphoria and anxiety. The best part for me is that there are pieces of her story than anyone could relate to. This is funny and eye opening and a series that I would definitely enjoy seeing more of!

Love this follow-up to Super Late Bloomer! My daughter is trans and we are really close, but reading Julia's books gives me fresh insights into the internal struggles my daughter faces. You don't have to relate to the author's specific insecurities to appreciate them or enjoy the artwork. I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book, and as I did with the previous book, I'll be buying a finished copy for my daughter. Highly recommend.

My Life in Transition is a collection of short biographical comics strips, with three panels covering each day over the course of roughly half a year.
Julia Kaye chronicles the way she feels each day, mostly in relation to her experiences as a trans woman who started transition three years ago.
Topics feature dating and relationships, family, transition, dysphoria, as well as healing, grief and forgiveness.
The art style is simple and effective. I have not read any of the author's other works, and I sometimes struggled with the context of the comics and who was who, as characters generally weren't really introduced (which makes sense, as these seem to have sprung from a sort of diary in comic form.) Since the style was so simple, a lot of the characters also looked very similar, which additionally made me mix them up. This was however not detrimental to getting the point each comic was trying to get across.

Super Late Bloomer was about Kaye learning and accepting and deciding to transition and now My Life in Transition is well, her life in transition. Daily comics over a 6-month period of Kaye navigating her world. There's ups and downs, ins and outs. A lot of relatable pages for anyone, transgender or otherwise. I enjoyed learning more about the daily experiences, and struggles, of being a transgender person.

I am really bummed that I could not download this title to read. I tried to download it on multiple platforms with no success. I hope to one day be able to read this title.

A great illustrated comic filled with life!
I am trying to read more queer books this year and this book gives a perspective of a trans person who is transitioning. I love the comics and the fact that in 3 panels so much could be communicated.
I liked how the topics were not just limited to her transitioning but also her love, dating, and heartbreak! It was pure delight. I found some comics on dating to be very relatable.

I wonder why the comics were not colored, I believe it's an artistic choice but I would love to see the colored version of these. It would be so more lively, especially the self-love ones!

Thanks, Netgalley and the author for providing an advance copy for review!

This was such a nice autobiographical comic to read as a trans person transitioning. So many of the things Julia talks about experiencing, I related to heavily, especially about her experiences with relationships. I feel like most trans memoirs focus on the big moments and feelings, so I enjoyed reading these tiny daily snapshots into what living as a trans person is like.

I received an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley.

After reading this comics collection, I somehow regret not having read Super Late Bloomer first. However, with the emotional foreword Julia Kaye included, I feel I managed to create the bigger and more complete picture of the story and the daily struggles and situations Julia faced and is still facing.

I've been trying to be better about vocally setting my personal boundaries lately. To address what is unacceptable behaviour and advocate for myself. To have more self-respect than to let other people walk all over me.

I've been taking time to look inward to the core of my being. I'm asking questions and starting to better understand myself. I'm so much stronger than I give myself credit for.

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. One day you'll look back and it'll all make sense. But for now, just keep moving.

This is growth done right.

Honesty is a trait I value in people the most, and this collection is, by far, the most honest one I came across recently. It is very relatable with everyone going through a rough time in life, dealing with grief, loss, break up, anxiety, misunderstanding of the world, misunderstanding of themselves, acceptance or a lack of it. And above all, every time people addressed Julia wrong hit my nerve, just as it may have hit hers. Why? Why people give themselves the right to make choices and "correct the wrongs" on behalf of other adults, fully physically and mentally developed people? Live and let live! We should be able to make our own choices and decisions, and we should all be supportive of them, without any judging. Show some support and love; the world has already become an ugly place, and we don't have to add more to it.

I truly enjoyed the three-panel comic concept; it sets the daily atmosphere right and gives us a good overview of the daily happenings. Seeing Julia blossoming into an emotional young woman, experiencing happiness and sadness, joy and pain, hurting and healing, all wrapped up in one, made my heart full of same emotions. This collection reminds us that we all go through many similar feelings and struggles in life, but we fight back, and we stand tall. We are brave! We are powerful!

This comics collection is a real gem, a book that could help many young trans people, to let them know we are in this together. It radiates warmth, love, support, and understanding.

I thought this book was a great introduction to Transition, and all the emotional and physical issues that come along with the territory.

Julia was great at explaining her thoughts and concerns throughout her everyday occurrences; from break-ups to hook-ups, moving to confronting her depression and body dysphoria days. The addition of (REDACTED BLACK LINES) was an emotional rollercoaster; though Julia could have completely omitted the character, and never spoke about them, Julia informs reader about (REDACTED) and how they did not accept her; refusing to talk to her after she came out, and showing us that even though they treated Julia badly, she still wanted to maintain a relationship with her family. Julia did a phenomenal job of visually showing us the pain of nonacceptance,

I will be definitely purchasing this, as well as Super Late Bloomer, and am excited for my library's readers to be able to access these books!

Sometimes, it's particularly hard to judge a book because it is someone else's personal story of their journey. That is the case for me with MY LIFE IN TRANSITION by Julia Kaye. The story is not only a bout Kaye's transition but the struggles involved. I think that for someone going through the same transitions, the book would be super helpful to allow people to know they are not alone. And it's "graphic novel" form really does allow for it to appeal to even those who are not big on reading. It may also be a good book for those who love someone transitioning, to see some of the stresses that one goes through without having to actually put their loved one on the spot asking what feels like too many invasive questions.

I enjoyed Super Late Bloomer, Julia's first collection of comics about her transitioning, so I was delighted to read this ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley. Again, I love the heart in Julia's comics, the very palpable way she conveys both the lows of anxiety and self doubt but also the highs of new love and discovering self-love. How wonderful to be invited to glimpse her continuing journey.

The following is my Goodreads reviews and is oriented more towards potential readers than the publisher:

"Just as wonderful as 'Super Late Bloomer'! Picking right up where that collection left off, this covers topics such as painful breakups, newly dating as your authentic self, and the beginning of a new relationship. It also covers the difficulties of a non-supportive family, and building a chosen family. The author's way of illustrating dysphoria is excellent, and helps me understand it more as a cis ally. I look forward to reading more from this author, and will reccomend this one along with the first!"

I find it quite hard to review LGBTQ+ titles. There is this sense of belonging and there is this imposter syndrome. I am cis-gendered bi: there are always moments when dysphoria sinks in and internalised homophobia that seeps its way into my life. So, even when I could not relate to trans experiences, I still felt heard reading through this three-panelled comic strips depicting every day of Julia's life for six month's straight. The collection couldn't be anymore whole than this: it is about "the beauty and pain of love and heartbreak, struggling to find support from bio family and the importance of chosen family, moments of dysphoria and misgendering, learning to lean on friends in times of need, and finding peace in the fact that life keeps moving forward."

Brutally honest and intimate, My Life in Translation is a collection full of hope- focussing on the end of the early transition period and after. It "shows how you can be trans and simply exist in society. You can be trans and have a successful future. You can be trans and have a normal life full of ups and downs". Titles like this are super important, for all the obvious reasons. It is a quick read, that feels like a hug to everyone who is on the journey to learning to express or expressing themselves. And whether you are a part of the community or an ally, this should be one of your must-reads this year!

Rating: 4.25/5

I haven't read Super Late Bloomer, so this was my first time reading Julia Kaye's comics. But this book can be easily read as a standalone, and I really enjoyed it.

One of my favourite comics in this collection was the one where a little kid completely accepts and validates Julia as a woman. It just radiated joy. Overall, I liked how balanced this collection was - there's so much trans joy, but also difficult issues, like the comic about her grandmother who she's not out to. As someone who's not out to their grandparents either, that one really hit home. Another comic that really spoke to me was about how after coming out as trans, you start to change as a person because you can finally be honest about who you are.

Overall, I think it's so impressive how Julia Kaye was able to convey so many of the joys and complexities of being trans in three-panel comics.

CWs: sexual assault, gender dysphoria, mentions of misgendering, estrangement from parents/family