3.5 stars

The thing about this book is that Jeremy and Lukas are both very clearly teenagers. They're flawed and they're selfish and they're truly just trying to figure it out. Both do things that hurt others with no regard for the consequences, but they're also both going through a lot of pain and change. So, yea, sometimes Jeremy and Lukas are hard to like and hard to root for, but they're also just so incredibly real. They don't always (if ever) go about things the right way or with the right intentions, but they're really just trying to survive and make it to the next day. They both have this big mentality that being Homecoming king is somehow going to fix everything that has ever been wrong and they will stop at nothing to achieve this goal. They will bowl over their friends and their enemies and each other just to reach this goal.

I think this book does a really great job at showing you these deeply flawed character and not just showing your their reasons, but also shows them facing real consequences for their actions. Both Lukas and Jeremy have to stop and understand what they've done at various points in the book and really consider how their actions affect others. While I don't always love how selfish they can be, I do love that the author makes them accountable for it.

The characters were so frustrating in this book, to the point where they were just being plain selfish and absolute assholes to the side characters. However despite that I still enjoyed this. I still enjoyed reading about their challenges and their frustrations

May The Best Man Win was not what I was expecting. It was dark with mean-spirited characters when the cover and synopsis had me thinking it would be a fluffy light rom-com. Once I got used to that shift I found myself really invested in who would win homecoming king, even though I didn’t particularly like either boy running.

I really wanted to like this book but it didn't live up to the hype.

This book was overdramatic. The main relationship, while it felt real and I felt what the characters felt, in the end, there was not enough conversation between the characters. Also, there were SO MANY interesting side characters that didn't get enough exposure. But most importantly Jeremy was such an annoying character that was just so irritating listening to this book.

The narrator did an amazing job

Unfortunately I went in thinking this was a romantic comedy and therefore my expectations were different than what they should’ve been and this greatly colored my reading experience. I had a tough time reading it story wise. However I will say that the audio narration is excellent and I highly recommend this narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, ZR Ellor, and Avi Roque (narrator) for the opportunity to listen to May the Best Man Win in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook using the NetGalley Shelf app. The voice actor, Avi Roque, does a fantastic job with the voice change up for both perspective chapters of Lukas and Jeremy. You know which is which, just by the way Avi portrays these characters through the narration. A splendid person to listen to.

Jeremy and Lukas dated once, but that was before Jeremy came out as transgender. Not knowing how Lukas would receive the news, Jeremy broke up with him before the big reveal. While there are a few other transgender students at the high school, Jeremy is the only one who is actively going through hormone therapy, a legal name change, and preparing for a full transition as some point (sooner rather than later). Because he is transgender, he often gets picked on or even still referred to as a girl, which makes him livid.

Lukas is a football star and plays a major role on the Homecoming Committee. Senior year is the last chance for Lukas to gain the title of Homecoming King. It would look great on applications and prove that he is the top dog of the school. When his ex, Jeremy, decides to run against him, their past haunts their present, and their rivalry becomes so antagonistic that the Homecoming dance nearly gets cancelled.

Will these boys be able to cool things down enough to have a fair vote and save homecoming, or will their past relationship hinder too-hot feelings for either to step down? Someone has to win the vote...but who will it be?

I absolutely loved this book. It has a lot of spirit to it, and the two perspective characters are very powerful in the way they think and see the world. Jeremy is transgender, and the reader gets to see how he thinks and feels about being transgender and what goes through his mind (and daily life) with this perception of himself. Lukas had a lot of love for Jeremy, before his transition, and his internal thoughts in relation to Jeremy in the present are quite interesting. This book sheds light on both perspectives and really shows the internal struggles that young people go through, despite whatever the struggle may be. I know a few people who I already plan to recommend this book too, as this is a perfect slice of pie for them. This is a quick read, and the audiobook made this an absolutely enjoyable ride. These are great characters, and the messages sent through the novel are great for any reader looking for more of the LGBTQ experience.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an early version of the review copy for May the Best Man Win in exchange for an honest review.

Before we begin, here's a list of things I'm not: trans, autistic, a teenage boy. There are probably a lot of better reviewers to listen to but let's talk about why this book took me a month to get through.

If I had to describe May the Best Man Win, I'd probably say a lot of good ideas with a very poor follow through. A lot of serious stuff happens here that is instantly thrown to the side to watch our two unlikable leads 'flirt' and it really doesn't work.

For just one example, let's talk about Lukas's autism. Again, I've never been diagnosed with ASD so I won't be talking about whether or not it felt like good representation, but the treatment of it here is lacking at best. A lot of Lukas's inner monologue in the first few chapters is centered on his relationship with his dead brother or his autism diagnosis and both plots are quickly forgotten. Obviously not all autistic characters' stories need to be about their autism, but May the Best Man Win poses itself as such early on but refuses to follow through on themes. Autism is only brought up when Lukas is talking about his difficulties reading people and the way the school doesn't support his neurodivergence and we end the story where Lukas hasn't accepted his autism, no changes have happened at the school, and he's just basically forgotten about one of his main internal battles and not mentioned it for chapters. It'd be one thing if it was only the autism plotline, but it happens so many times to so many 'conflicts' in this that it was difficult to ignore how much was pushed aside just so we could root for Lukas and Jeremy to get together.

So since the book focuses on Lukas and Jeremy's relationship, let's talk about that. I think it's an easy trap to fall into as an author where since you've spent endless hours with your characters living in your head, you assume readers are as in love with them as you are. Lukas and Jeremy do start out as exes so there is an established relationship there, but they do garbage after garbage thing to themselves and their friends where if entered already loving them maybe it'd be easy to root for them to figure out, but since I didn't have that I was just beyond frustrated with both characters and neither of them ever really make up with it despite an apparent 'happy' ending.

Jeremy is a transgender, gay teen who just transitioned the summer between junior and senior year. Right before he confessed his truth to his mom, he had a very public breakup with his long-term boyfriend, Lukas. Now, to prove his masculinity, Jeremy is taking on the task of becoming home coming king. Of course, this means facing off with Lukas, who has his own reasons for becoming homecoming king.

I liked this book, lots of heavy moments and eye opening scenes. There was representation involving the LGBTQIA+ community and autism. It had moments of humour, but also moments of intense pain and sadness.

Jeremy's character jumped off the page, continuously trying to assert himself, to prove himself, to be what he believes a boy needs to be, often times at expense of his own happiness. His fear of being deadnamed, misgendered, his body dysphoria, makes him avoid the things he loves that society deems to be for girls. His identity is weaponized against him and his school does little to protect him from bullying. You could feel his rage, especially through the audiobook. It was easy to understand why he pushed others away, and his inability to love himself because of his dysphoria means he feels no one else can love him.

Lukas was such a sweet, troubled character. He has been made to feel ashamed of his autism and tries his hardest to hide it from everyone (except for Jeremy); he feels this way because his parents always preferred his "perfect" older brother, who bullied Lukas, and who recently died. Jeremy broke up with Lukas at the funeral, and since that day Lukas has been slowly falling apart. He feels he needs to be perfect in order to heal the rift in his family, which is affecting his health and his mental health. So many times I wanted to slap the adults in his vicinity who did nothing to help him. His parents were awful, yes they had lost a son, but they were completely ignoring their other son, who is clearly suffering and at his breaking point.

This is another one of those novels where a lot of things could have been avoided if the two mains communicated with each other. There was also a bit of repetition, which I found distracting. I would also love one young adult book where there could be at least one adult who notices and tries to help, or where parents aren't completely inept. I understand that there are a lot of bad parents, but what about the good ones? Where are they?

An interesting, deep, emotional story written in dual perspective (my favourite). Being in both characters heads created empathy for both Jeremy and Lukas. Their chemistry was intense and their relationship was so supportive and beautiful. I liked that Lukas understood Jeremy, even after everything between them had imploded. Jeremy tries to distance himself from Lukas, but he cannot seem to break their tether and notices when Lukas is floundering.

This book was SUPER cute. I assumed I could predict the ending in the first few chapters of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised with the slight twist in the end. I appreciated the characters' journeys. I would recommend this book to students, especially my LGBTQIA+ students (lots of representation).

This book is a toughie. On one hand, I obviously think that the representation is phenomenal and ZR nailed the way that most teenagers miserably fail at communication. Because what is being a teenager if not one degree off from knowing the truth with your crush. I went into this book thinking that it would be, at its core, a rom-com. Especially based on the way the cover shows Jeremy and Lukas I thought that it would be a lot of fun and bantering when in reality this book got dark. I think that this book is super important and the fact that we get both points of view is something that I think adds a lot to the plot and tension of the book.

I have a lot of empathy for both characters because I remember what it is like to be in love with someone and know that neither one of you is telling the whole truth because you're afraid or frustrated or you just don't know what you feel so I think that the author did a great job with conveying that. I know that someone who is not trans I can't speak to the experience of what Jeremy goes through. I think that both Jeremy and Lukas are well-rounded and fleshed-out characters.

Something that was kind of frustrating with this book was how unlikable Jeremy got at times but I also know that he's in his first year after coming out as trans and taking hormones for the first time and getting used to the way that your body is changing his got to be a wild ride. So when reading his points of view when he was just completely self-destructing I tried to have a lot of empathy but I also know that it's okay to not always be over the moon about every single character that you read. I think that he is a phenomenally written character. It just happened that it's not always like his personality. Both Jeremy and Lukas felt like they were constantly on Catastrophize Mode™ but I also have to remember that they're in their senior year of high school and everything always feels like it's high stakes at that point in your life. Overall I think this was a good book and I will continue to read other books that ZR Eller publishes in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me access to an ARC of the audiobook. I enjoyed the narrators that were selected for this novel.

This is definitely not going to be a book for everyone. And this is definitely suffering from the fact that it was wrongly marketed as a cute rom-com. Because this is FAR from a rom-com. This is in fact a messy, coming of age story about two teens struggling to find their place and making many (many) mistakes along the way.

I will be completely transparent, this book starts off rough. In fact around the 18% mark I nearly DNF'd this book. Jeremy is extremely unlikeable at the start of this book. He is so closed off and wrapped up in his own life that he harms everyone around him, including his closest friends. And while Lucas is slightly softer, he makes equally terrible and harmful decisions.

But as the story progresses, these messy boys soften and acknowledge the mess they've created. And there are so many important discussion and themes woven into this story. This really explores what it's like not only like as a trans individual, but what it's like for those around them as well.

Z.R. Ellor does such a fantastic job highlighting what it means to be different from a million different angles - friends, family, significant others, classmates, and the person themselves. You really get to see what Jeremy's life is like and why he is the way he is. Because while he is unlikeable, his actions aren't wholly unwarranted. He deals with everything from straight up transphobia to more subtle (but frequent) microagressions that lead to him being closed and steely. And you Lucas's perspective on being neurodivergent and how that impacts the way he lives. Because in the same way that being trans has impacted how Jeremy interacts with the world, Lucus' disability has altered his. He is set on keeping his autism a secret, despite in not only harming him but those around him as well.

This book gets really heavy and it can be difficult, and often infuriating, to read. But in the end I completely fell for these main characters. I love how they eventually come together and learn to let down their walls, without needing to be perfect in the end.

This story is raw and rough around the edges, much like being an actual teenager. And I think this story is one that is really important to sit with and question why it's so uncomfortable. But definitely don't let this cutesy cover convince you it's something it's not - this is not a fluffy romance! But it is a story that will make you think. And I can't wait to read more from ZR Ellor in the future.

Review is live on Goodreads and will be posted to my blog on 7/4 @ 1pm

I knew while reading this it was going to be another hard book to rate. It deals with very difficult topics and appears, that it could be a rom-com. But it is not. It's about rivals who are exes trying to be homecoming king.

The narration was great but I just didn't buy in to the story itself so it was hard for me to love this audiobook.

In this contemporary YA debut by author, ZR Ellor comes “ May The Best Man Win” the story of a trans boy who is battling his ex-boyfriend for the title of Homecoming King. The novel’s attention to detail is impeccable as the characters were fleshed out and held my attention the entire time reading. Jeremy Harkiss’s journey to self-discovery was believable and importantly relatable. A teenager reading this novel could identify with his character regardless of their gender identity and emote compassion and empathy towards others. Jeremy is quite the comedian and gave me plenty of laughter throughout my reading experience. Jeremy is the person who we want to be while his ex-boyfriend Lukas Rivers is close to who we are as the reader. Lukas is assessing his sexual identity and going through the motions as an ordinary teenager would. The chemistry between these characters was on-point and filled with the many experiences and emotions that occur in teenage romantic relationships. The romance is everything as each character is shown to address what love is and how he may express it. The audiobook’s narrator (Avi Rogue) was engaging and fit perfectly to the tone of the novel. The narrator’s tone lent to the themes of the novel and added personable touches when shifting between characters. The novel has elements of sexual and gender identity, grief, anxiety, and depression. I highly recommend this novel and gave it a strong 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Id like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

I really wanted to love this book. I really did. A trans MC running for his school’s homecoming king against his ex?! It’s literally what YA romance dreams are made of! But this wasn’t it.

First for the good stuff: It’s told in the alternating point of views between Jeremy and Lukas. The representation was there. I think it’s great that a variety of teenage readers could be able to see themselves represented in this story. I loved the idea of this second chance romance with enemies to lovers thrown in too but...

Jeremy is just so selfish the entire book (not to say that queer and trans people have to be perfect or inspirational at all times) but Jeremy is completely self centered for the whole book. He is constantly a bad friend to people that care about him, complains that no one likes him and he’s unlovable, and then never really takes any steps to do better (besides saying Sorry, I’ll try to do better) 🤨

Lukas is way more endearing at first because he’s the kind of guy that wants to make everyone else happy (this kid tries to put the world on his shoulders) but then he becomes just as frustrating. Cheating on exams and then letting his best friend take the blame. Losing his wallet with a school bank card with $30,000 in it and worrying more about how he’s going to get back at Jeremy and become homecoming king than finding it?! 🤯

I don’t even know if I was rooting for Lukas and Jeremy to get back together because the enemies in enemies to lovers was just so extreme. They spent almost the entire book sabotaging each other and not just little pranks either- doing truly hurtful things. Also none of the characters faced any consequences for their actions. It was just way too convenient that they all got off scot free for everything horrible they did. 😠

For a character driven book with unlikable characters, I expected a lot more in terms of character growth or redemption. The only redeeming thing is that they are in fact teenagers so there is still hope that they will mature and not be terrible a-holes forever 😬

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC. I always feel bad when I give a negative review but I needed to be honest.

unfortunately, I don't have much to say. At some point, I got distracted and lost a whole piece and I completely forgot to take notes :(
However, I will say that from what I took in this book had amazing
- Trans(FTM)Rep
- closeted/coming out rep
I can totally see this becoming an lgbtq+ staple book

Ugh, my heart! These characters... this is definitely one of those enemies to lovers romances that you just can't help but swoon and cheer for the characters when they end up together. And to top it off, its LGBTQ+.

Thank you for the arc!

*DISCLAIMER* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. I only accept books I think I’d like because life is too short to waste on bad books. That said if I don’t like a book, I’ll say so, free or not. With that out of the way, onto the review:

I honestly couldn’t decide if this was a 3 or a 4 star book for me. We’ll call this a 3.75.

I expected a more lighthearted book than I got. Teen years are hard enough without coming out as trans. Most of his classmates seem to support Jeremy. The few who don’t are serious jerks about it. Jeremy’s ex Lukas is trying his best to support Jeremy and even though he has no clue why Jeremy broke up with him. He also is trying to figure out his own sexuality as he’s still attracted to Jeremy even after he came out as trans.

There’s a lot of difficult (and triggering) subjects touched about from bullying to sexual assault, misnaming, misgendering, homophobia, transphobia, and the death of a sibling.

The school leadership in this story allowed severe bullying, even while acknowledging they it and knew it was an issue. Basically, life is a mess at this high school. But Jeremy has decided to make a name for himself by running for prom king — against Lukas.

Jeremy isn’t the most likable character. He seems selfish when facing Lukas, knowing that he was struggling with his own serious issues. In some ways I understand, coming out has to be so difficult and makes you go on the defensive. On the other hand, he knew Lukas a long time, knew he was hurting, and didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt even as he all but begged for a chance to just talk.

The attempts to sabotage each other’s campaigns for prom king were way over the top.

In the end, it’s a decent story. Some of it is way too over the top, some sweet, some infuriating.

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN by ZR Ellor is a moving story of two boys, who used to date, competing for Homecoming King at their high school. The attention-loving cheerleader, Jeremy, is trans and dealing with a host of issues as he and the people around him adjust to his identity. Lukas, the football player who never could live up to the legacy of his older brother, who recently died, is dealing with a complicated family situation and trying to conceal his autism. They both have plenty of obstacles to get to the crown and will have to reckon with their unresolved feelings about one another, as well.

This book has a lot to praise, most significantly the important representation within both the two main characters and the supporting cast. Readers from myriad backgrounds and identities will see teenagers like them on the page. It's nice to see characters with serious flaws and supporting characters with thought-out arcs and full lives, even if much of it is off the page. We also see the characters face discrimination, which happens in various forms and in a range of severity.

At times, the two narrators become redundant and occasionally contradict themselves in expressing their thoughts and feelings. They also make major blunders and have huge blindspots that don't always feel realistic. The characters become insufferable and the plot contrived at times because of this. And the back half of the book seems to have a few too many climactic moments.

As far as the audiobook experience goes, Avi Roque does a nice job distinguishing between the narrators' voices and creating moods and sustaining tension. They start off a bit stilted and unnatural but warm up as the book goes on.

In the end, I'm so glad this book is out in the world, and while it's not without flaws, I'd strongly recommend it for teen readers!

2.5-3 stars
Trigger Warning: Transphobia, dysphoria, homophobia, friendship, ableism, death, toxic friendships, academic cheating, SA & grieving.

Jeremy, newly out as transgender, is determined to show everyone who he is. And he believes winning homecoming king will do just that and show up; the school, his mom and the transphobic people around him. His only rival is his ex-boyfriend, Lucas.
Lucas is reeling from losing his brother, the perfect son, and being single after Jeremy breaks his heart. He thinks hiding his autism and becoming the ideal son will win over his family and get him a good school - and homecoming king will do that.
Both racing for the crown will make more mistakes than anything, but maybe they can come together and fix them in the end.

I liked the narrator, although they were a little slow in my tastes!

The story was cute, and I liked that it had a lot of Representation & diversity (whether it was good or not is another story). However, even though it had some diversity, I considered it really stereotypical, especially when characters say they want to avoid that. The story dragged on and had many red herring for the plot, which I would have enjoyed a lot more than how it went. I predicted a lot but did enjoy some of it.
I will give it to the story; they had many thought-provoking or inspiring quotes.

Jeremy -Even though I saw and supported Jeremy with pushing back against the transphobia at his school, in his home and his memories; he is bullied, told to stand aside and take abuse and dealing with his anger issues -that never really got addressed and really should have.
I appreciated all this, but I disliked this character ( I realize before, aka past me, he was a people pleaser, and he has every right to be selfish and put himself first). He crossed the line way too many times. He used and abused his friendship with Naomi & Ben, and he didn’t explain to Lucas why they broke up for a long time and was cruel, in my opinion, to him. Also, he drifted into toxic masculinity quite a lot, and he was a shitty friend.
He didn’t change or redeem himself that much in my eyes, and that was so upsetting because I had such hopes that that was what this book would hold for both boys, but nothing happened with Jeremy. I wanted Jeremy to be themselves and be ok with liking the things he does without pretending he doesn’t, like saying crying isn't manly WHEN IT IS.

Lucas - I want this boy to get a new family; throw away his family. They are trash. Being seen as the black sheep and not loved like his deceased brother by anyone in his family. He pushed himself so hard, and so many people who should have been understanding were so ableist.
While he was my favourite of the two, he was also a shitty person; he manipulated people, he was so narrow-minded with winning against Jeremy and cheating on a test. He sacrificed his wants too much, and his apologies were repetitive, and he kept doing super things/shortcuts.
Also, can he get therapy for his family, his sexual assault (he was used for the credit card)? Please!
Both boys need therapy!

Naomi & Sol were fascinating, and I loved the glimpse into their lives. I want more from them, or I wanted more interactions with the main leads as I feel they all have such a connection that it could drive each character or the story so much more. They were pushed to the side just to appear sometimes, and I was sad.