I really loved this YA rom-com about a pageant queen who falls for a nonbinary fan convention goer when their paths cross in the same hotel. There were a lot of things that I absolutely adored about this novel - it was a light romantic read that also didn't shy away from addressing things like bullying and homophobia.
The characters are well developed and I really connected to both Teagan and Kay and rooted for them for the whole story!

I thought this book was absolutely amazing! A fanfic author and a pageant queen meet when their event fall at the same place on the same weekend. Except besides being a pageant queen, Teagan is also a huge nerd and wants to be at the comic convention just as badly. Teagan likes pageants, and the $25,000 scholarship the winner of this pageant gets - that could pay for university, but she doesn't like the strictness that goes along with them. That means no going out past curfew, no sneaking over to the convention, and no mentioning of the fact that she's gay. However when she breaks the rules a bit and ends up at a con party, Teagan runs into Kay and both of their weekends change. Teagan is so excited for GreatCon so they can finally meet their fandom friends in real life and enter a writing contest that could help start a hopeful writing career. They also want to try out new pronouns over the weekend, after being referred to as she/her for most of their life they want to try they/them pronouns to see how it feels. Also on their list of things to happen over the weekend - wear more masculine-presenting cosplay, and kiss a girl. The last ting on the list seems a bit daunting until they run into Teagan. I loved seeing both Teagan and Kay find a bit more of themselves and become more confident throughout the weekend. They both put themselves out there and pushed out of their normal boundaries they were stuck within before. The only thing I didn't love was that Kay got outed by their high-school bully. That wasn't a thing that was really talked about after it happened and I would've liked to see it be a discussion at some point. I know that kind of thing is a real situation that can happen to people and I would've liked to see Kay actually address it instead of pushing it away and overlooking how big of a deal it actually is. I don't think they truly addressed their feelings about it. I do think the story ended really well and I was overall happy with the outcome. Kay didn't seem to be bullied when she went back to school and the ending with Kay and Teagan made me really happy.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wish this book didn't end. This is a love letter to loving things, and I'm here for it. Teagan and Kay's story was so sweet, I would recommend this to everyone.

This was a really cute, light, YA read that had fun characters and a quick moving plot. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

“When the emotion in my heart makes it onto the page, and it makes its way into other people’s hearts, I feel more seen than I ever do in face-to-face interactions.”

Fanfiction writer Kay is ecstatic to be spending the week at GreatCon with their fandom friends. On their to-do list is to try out they/them pronouns to see how they fit and kiss a girl for the first time. Little do they know, the hotel is also hosting the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant, and their own personal bully is Miss North Carolina. If Madison connects Kay to their online persona, she could out them to their entire town. Teagan is Miss Virginia, and she badly needs the pageant prize money to go to her college of choice. She’s also a major GreatCon fan and a closeted lesbian, and for some reason, Miss North Carolina seems to have targeted her as her biggest competition. Teagan can’t afford to lose this pageant, but when she sneaks into a con event and meets Kay on the first night, sparks fly. It’s only a weekend, but it could change everything for both of them. I received an invitation to read a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press. Trigger warnings: bullying, homophobia, forced outing.

I’m so glad I got an invitation to read this book because I’m not sure I would have found it on my own, and it’s one of my favorite YA romances so far this year. As a Tumblr person myself, I always love it when the fandom elements of internet culture are accurately represented in fiction, and hanging out with Kay and their fanfiction-writing, cosplaying, Sherlock- (basically) loving friends feels a lot like hanging out with my own fandom friends. I love the way fandom culture gives the characters a safe space to be their truest selves and how supportive they all are of each other (which isn’t to say that fandom doesn’t have its ugly sides, but this isn’t the book for that negativity). I’m not as familiar with the pageant side of things, so I can’t speak to its authenticity, but I feel like England tries hard to balance the obviously negative sides with some of the positives that people may not know about, like the platforming for their causes or how empowering it is for Teagan. I enjoyed getting to know more about both worlds.

It’s fairly fast-paced, or maybe it was just that I didn’t want to put it down. The stakes are high enough on both sides to keep the tension up, since while fandom culture may be a safe place to come out, the real world often isn’t, and Kay and Teagan may both face a backlash if their identities become public. The romance is a little fast (as expected, since the book takes place over a weekend), but their connection never feels forced. These are not perfect characters, and I like that the story gives them space to make mistakes, say the wrong things, and let their own biases come out (sometimes in ways that are extremely hurtful), and then learn to apologize and be more accepting. It’s a cute, positive, and ultimately hopeful read, and I can think of at least one fandom friend in my life who needs a copy.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

This book has a permanent place in the spot in my heart that exists just to love nerdy, queer fandom books. If you read and loved Ashley Poston's Once Upon a Con books, Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, Down With This Ship by Katie Kingman then you'll love how this book highlights the amazing world of fandom. And if you're a fan of Julie Murphy's Dumplin' or Miss Meteor by Anna Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia you'll love how the story takes on pageant culture and it's complicated relationship to feminism. It was a little insta-lovey but still so adorable.

This book is like one big, warm hug for my queer, fandom-loving self. I honestly wish I was able to read this when I was 16/17 years old and writing fanfiction while questioning my identity. I’m so happy that a story like this exists for younger readers who will find solace in these characters!

I really loved that this story showed how fandom can be an amazing place to explore different aspects of yourself all while relating to fictional characters. Fanfics are often scoffed at for not being ‘real writing’, but the feelings that fic authors put into their pieces are immensely real!

Despite these great qualities, I couldn’t connect very closely with the characters. I think it’s because a lot of the choices they made were slightly annoying to me.

Overall, I give this book a solid 3/5 stars because it was heartwarming at times. Plus, I hope younger queer people can read this and connect with it more than I did.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book before release!

Teagan is Miss Virginia in the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant. Kay is an internet famous writer in The Great Game fandom and is attending their first GreatCon. What happens when both events are held at the same hotel?

Writing: England's writing style is fun, refreshing, and draws the reader in. Their writing does a phenomenal job at conveying the atmosphere of the setting, the tone of the characters, and the relationship between those present in each scene. It made reading this book highly addicting and difficult to put down.

Characters: The characters are very real and flawed, which makes for a great reading experience. They have feelings that consume them, they have biases that come out, they show excitement, anger, grief, betrayal. It paints a realistic picture of everyday life. Both Teagan and Kay have to hide a part of their lives, which I believe will resonate with a lot of queer people. Teagan hides her sexuality from the pageant world, as well as her geeky side, in order to avoid being kicked out of the pageant. Kay hides their sexuality and gender identity from their life back home in order to survive in a small conservative town.

Setting: Miss Cosmic Teen USA. England did a wonderful job at showing both the stereotypes and realities of pageants, including the conservativeness of the judges, the unjustness when it comes to who is allowed to compete, and the spectrum of personalities represented in pageant girls. GreatCon. This convention reminds me a lot of the bookstagram community. The con-goers embrace all people no matter where they come from, what they look like, their romantic and sexual orientations, their gender identity, etc. Of course they have biases and flaws as well, but the overall atmosphere screams community as they come together as internet friends and connect over their favorite fandoms.

Plot: I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Tea & Kay's story. We get alternating chapters from both of their POV's so we can fully experience both the pageant storyline and the convention storyline. Without going into spoilery detail, there are a lot of lessons to learn from what happens in this book. Things go wrong that will make you angry, upset, and anxious. But you will also feel relief and joy as the story progresses and things resolve. I was very satisfied with how everything plays out and enjoyed the mix of emotions it all made me experience.

Rep: lesbian MC, questioning nonbinary lesbian MC, supporting queer characters, supporting bipoc characters.

CWs: bullying, public outing, challenged homo/transphobia, off-page parental death

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: March 1, 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the earc of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This book. This book!

This book manages to pack every wonderful, freeing feeling of being surrounded by fandom friends and being your authentic self that attending a convention entails. From karaoke, to decorating your silly little hotel doors, or simply getting to meet and be in the presence of your pocket friends for the first time, this book had me reminiscing about every favorite con memory I possess. After the last few years and all the cons being putting on hold, this had me tearing up a few times because I miss this feeling SO much. England captures that con feeling perfectly and it's lovely to get swept up in.

Kay and Teagan meet when a fan convention for a popular Sherlock Holmes tv show is held in the same hotel as the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant takes place. Kay has A List of things they're determined to accomplish at this con, and when they bump into Teagan, Miss Virginia in the pageant and a fellow secret fandom nerd, sparks fly. Teagan is hiding many things- her sexuality, her love of all things nerdy, etc., to make it through this final pageant and land a scholarship to the school of her choice. As the pair tries to enjoy their time together and make it through the weekend under the radar, they are met with several obstacles.

This was just SO FUN. I love the con atmosphere, as well as the taking on of all the stereotypes of both pageant girls and people in fandom. It's a celebration of being who you are for you, not who you try to be for others. The side characters are fabulous, and I swear I know people like all of them in my fandom circles. It's incredibly relatable and has something for everyone.

I couldn't put this down. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

Absolutely adorable! It's a little Once Upon a Con and a little Spoiler Alert, and completely cute. Really nailed the Fandom and con elements. Sure, there was some predictability, but this was so fun to just breeze right through, I loved it.

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

I’m torn between 3.5 and 4 stars. Overall I enjoyed this read and the author does a great job showing the cultures that surround both fandom conventions and beauty pageants. It does seem a bit more skewered with the understanding the reader has at least some understanding of fandom spaces. (There are a lot of ‘fannish’ terms used here that someone may not follow if not at least have a general understanding of fandom.)

The story is told from the two main characters' POV. Kay, who is non-binary and prefers the pronouns they/them and is using the convention (for a fictional tv show about Sherlock Holmes) as a chance to come out using those pronouns as they haven’t done so before. The story doesn’t go into a lot of detail about their backstory but we do learn that their mother is not very understanding of them. (Note - this book is probably the first I’ve read told from a non-binary character and I felt like I learned a bit about what it’s like to live in our society as non-binary. As such it gave me a new empathy; something I greatly appreciated.)

The second main character is Teagan who is a beauty pageant contestant that identifies as a lesbian but is very much still in the closet. She has solid plans to come out as soon as she’s no longer working the pageant circuit but for now, feels it’s a necessity to remain closeted.

Because this is a love story under the backlight of both the geek convention scene and the beauty pageant scene the reader can determine how the ending will go pretty much going in. My biggest disappointment is not that - it was obvious! - but that the “arch enemy’ character was so one- dimensional and the minute she’s introduced I kept waiting for her to do - pretty much exactly what she did. I think the story would have had a lot more nuanced and emotional pull if she had a bit more to her than just being the ‘racist, homophobic mean girl’ trope to her.

That said all of the other side characters are great - you get a good feel for Kay’s friends and how they’re supportive of her and each other. Teagan’s best friend isn’t as fleshed out as Kay’s friends are but when she is on the page she reads like someone who would have your back in hard situations.

Finally, the other thing that disappointed me is a scene while at the convention (trying to write this without actual spoilers … ) Teagan has a moment of reflection about something she witnesses and as a reader, I didn’t really get the sense that her thoughts are resolved and I would have liked to have seen that. (Hope that’s vague book enough… )

To be completely fair I'm not the target audience for this story so those things may have stood out more to me than someone else. Despite these two issues I really did have fun reading this book. If you like YA, stories about geek spaces, LGBTA representation, or just a quick afternoon read you might like this one.

Remi K England has written the book that everyone should read. Full of great characters that show immense growth in such a short span of time to breaking down barriers, this is the book for 2021.
The One True Me and You destroys stereotypes at the same time as teaching about pronouns and how easy they are to use in everyday life. However, most importantly for me, was the self discovery journey that we got to join Kay on. It felt like healing to me. A wonderful must read book from a debut author.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC for this title!

I really, really enjoyed this book, I could hardly put it down yesterday.

Firstly, I just love books set in and around fandom. In that sense, it did give me vague memories of The Princess and the Fangirl, with the convention centered around a fictional TV show, in this case a modern cop-procedural Sherlock Holmes adaption called The Greatest Game (like Elementary or BBC's Sherlock, but better), this this book is also heavily invested in the the world of fanfiction around this show, and I love me some fanfiction talk, as well. I enjoyed how it's understood and talked about how queer-inclusive fandoms like this often are, but also that there are also toxic elements to it.

I also liked the look at beauty pageant culture, which I know much less about (and most of my knowledge came from Miss Congeniality and Some Girls Do. How there are absolutely those toxic stereotypes there, but it's also about sisterhood, and helping people, and maybe that beauty queen is hiding the fact that she's actually a gay fangirl...

The two protagonists were engaging and fun to read. Teagan who's confident in her identity even as she knows she still has to present a certain image, at least for one last pageant. Kay, who's questioning just about everything, from their gender to their sexuality. Their meet-up was very sweet, and I like that they obviously seem to be into one another early on, even if Kay is still trying to figure themself out through it.

The supporting cast was great, for the most part. You definitely get more of a feel for Kay's friends (Ami, Cakes & Lady) seeing either you're with Kay's POV, or you're with Teagan who's hanging out with Kay and probably their friends. Jess is less solid as a character, but she's great as a best friend, tirelessly having Teagan's back. Even Miss Oregon, who you don't get much of, but what's there is good. NC/Madison was pretty much your generic bigoted mean girl. Nothing wrong with that, really, but also nothing overly memorable about her, either.

If there was one thing that was a little exhausting, it was Kay's yo-yoing of their feelings about Teagan. I get it, it was new territory for them, but it somewhat tiresome at times, and the intensity of the argument in the last quarter felt somewhat forced in, particularly in regards to how things were wrapped up.

This book is definitely a love letter to fandom, to fanfiction and having faith in oneself, and was wonderful. 4.5 stars.

A non binary main character!?! Love it.

This was such a fun book. I love being able to see young people exploring their sexuality and gender through the lens of a beauty pageant and a Fandom Con. It was really interesting to see the exploration of how those dynamics play together. Seeing the inner turmoil that young people feel when coming to terms with their gender and sexuality would be really a great read for anyone looking to understand that journey more.

I also liked this book, tackled the trauma that outing someone can inflict on their life. I think that's really important to address.

I actually love this book so much that I really don't want to give anything away with my review, so suffice it to say I think it was excellently written. The characters were rich and complex, and I think that anyone with nonbinary young people in their life would really benefit from picking this one up.

There were many elements I loved about this book - non-binary main character and their coming out experience in a safe space, emphasis on queer safe spaces, challenging notions about antiquated traditions like pageants. I did not like the very stereotypical villain and I do not like forced outings - they seem to be overdone in queer YA.

Full disclosure: I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up and almost didn't get past the first chapter....but I'm SO glad I did (once I realized there was a geeky con/beauty pageant crossover I was hooked)

For a book that covers so much internal termoil and serious topics, this was honestly a really fun read. I love the mashing of pagents and fandom culture and queer culture and all the really hard dynamics in all of that!! Both Kay and Teagan are deeply likable characters--a giant nerd and a giant nerd/beauty queen. The kinda of people I would have loved to have befriended as a teen.

I loved the dynamics of young people exploring their gender and sexuality through fandom. This story feels real and important and like I CANNOT wait to gift it to the young non-binary ppl in my life. This book is sweet and fun to read and totally appropriate for teen and adult readers!!

It feels weird to say that this is the second queer beauty pageant book I've read recently, but I'm so excited that all these stories exist and are readily available (and this one was honestly, truly delightful!)

I can't say enough about how much I loved The One True Me and You by, Remi K. England. Kay and Teagan are fantastically crafted characters who you are rooting for from page one. The combination of the fandom convention and the beauty pageant was so enjoyable that I was smiling as I read. This is a book you don't want to miss!

The book was a good read I enjoyed the authors writing style as well as the story.. Im excited to see and read other books by this author.

"The One True Me and You" is amazing in so many ways. Teagan (Miss Virginia) is a pageant girl and artist who plans to earn a degree in art therapy, but she is also a closeted lesbian (because being queer is not passé in the pageant world) who loves fanfic. She is in Orlando, Florida for the Miss Cosmic Teen Scholarship Competition. The $25,000 scholarship for the winner, along with other scholarships and winnings, will allow her to attend college for free, and allow her to finally be open about herself. Her father knows and her pageant bestie, Jess (Miss Pennsylvania), knows, but otherwise it is a closely guarded secret.

Kaylee writes fanfic based on The Great Game, the widely popular and latest Sherlock Holmes tv show adaptation, and they have built up quite a following among fellow fanfic fans. Kaylee and their best friend, Ami, are in Orlando, Florida for GreatCon, the convention for The Great Game. They are looking forward to meeting some of their online friends in person and enjoying the convention. Kaylee thinks they are nonbinary and wants to use this convention as an opportunity to ask people to use they/them pronouns for the first time; Kaylee will be part of a panel of fanfic writers during the convention. Kaylee was also convinced to submit an original Sherlock Holmes retelling to a contest in connection with the convention and they stand a good chance of being a finalist.

Though Teagan and Kaylee have never met, they share the same nemesis -- Madison, Miss North Carolina. Kaylee and Madison are from the same North Carolina town and attend the same school, where Madison torments Kaylee. If Madison spots Kaylee and figures out their Tumblr name, and therefore access to their queer fanfic, she will make things even more miserable for Kaylee. Teagan gets along with most of her fellow pageant contestants, but not Madison, who is cruel and vindictive towards other contestants, and would enjoy discovering that Teagan is a lesbian and "outing" her to the pageant community.

Although she knows it is risky and probably unwise, the fortuitous coincidence of the pageant and GreatCon taking place at the same hotel at the same time is too great an opportunity to pass up, and she sneaks down to a Friday evening Cosplay Karaoke event, where she meets Kaylee and there is an instant connection. Teagan becomes the first person Kaylee asks to use they/them pronouns, the first of several "firsts" over the weekend. The story alternates between Teagan and pageant activities, Kaylee and fanfic convention activities, and their time together. It should be obvious that at some point Madison is going to spot Kaylee and Teagan together, which is going to have negative consequences for both of them, test the strength of the burgeoning relationship, and force them to make some rather consequential choices.

The author does a great job of explaining and portraying the pageant world and the fanfiction/convention world in understandable and positive manners, while acknowledging the flaws of both worlds (especially, the pageant world preference for cisgender white women who are conventionally beautiful). The author also does a great job of explaining nonbinary identities and the struggles nonbinary individuals experience trying to figure out themselves and where they fit in the queer spectrum. The fanfiction world, at least in this story, has a very high LGBTQ+ presence, and so most of the characters are very accepting and supportive. [Not being part of the fanfiction world, I do not know how representative the story is of the actual fanfiction world].

The supportive nature of so many of the characters and the community portrayed in the book really resonated with me. Teagan and Kaylee, in their internal dialogue and/or in comments to others, emphasize that they feel like their true selves when taking part in convention activities and letting their guard down. Teagan is able to allow the disparate parts of her personality to meld together, instead of having to wall off parts of herself in order to maintain the required image of a pageant contestant. Kaylee is able to be open about and explore themselves. When they allow themselves to be vulnerable, and that vulnerability is met with acceptance, they realize how much freer and fulfilled they feel. Of course, they, and their friends, recognize that when they return to their "normal" lives, especially because they have been more open with their identities, they will face struggles and prejudice; but they might also discover they have more allies than they realized.

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

I absolutely love the genre of prolific fandom creator finding love, self-confidence, and IRL acceptance. This book checks all those boxes. The external conflicts - Teagan competing in the pageant, Kay attending the con - are beautiful backdrop for the main event: these two people exploring their identities and values and attraction. Kay testing out they/them pronouns in a safe community. Teagan letting her nerdy side out.

My only content complaint is that the major antagonist doesn’t face enough consequences for her actions. But that is honestly forgivable, because it’s the way things happen in life and both Teagan and Kay figure out how to deal with the fallout. (And yes, I’m being as vague as I can on purpose here).

Overall, an adorable rom com with plenty doses of hard-hitting queer identity searching. Highly recommended.