In The One True Me and You Kay, a fanfic writer attending the GreatCon fan convention, and Teagan, a contestant in the Miss Cosmic USA pageant, arrive at the same Florida hotel for the weekend. Kay is hoping to win a writing contest, begin using they/them pronouns, and work up the courage to kiss a girl. Teagan is hoping to win the pageant so she can pay for college and finally come out as a lesbian. When Teagan sneaks out after curfew to attend the convention, their paths cross and they feel an instant attraction. As they begin text flirtations and secret hangouts, they realize they have a lot in common, including a mutual enemy, Miss North Carolina who goes to school with Kay and competes against Teagan. The novel explores the confusion and alienation each feels, although the fan/fic culture is much more accepting of queerness than the pageant world. Teagan and Kay are very relatable as they experience first love and attempt to find themselves in the process.

The One True Me and You follows Teagan and Kaylee over the course of one weekend in Orlando. Teagan is competing in the Miss Cosmic Teen Pageant and Kaylee is there for a fandom convention called The Great Game. Kaylee, a fanfic author, is hoping to spend their weekend getting more comfortable with their sexuality – kissing a girl for the first time, using they/them pronouns, and getting up the courage to talk more about their work. Teagan, competing in what she hopes will be her final pageant, has a shot at winning the pageant and taking home the $25,000 scholarship prize - but she has to do it while keeping her sexuality a secret and overcoming her competition. When Teagan and Kaylee meet for the first time, sparks immediately fly and they spend part of their weekend sneaking around to hang out with each other, and learning more about love and about themselves.

A little bit coming-of-age, a little bit self-discovery, and a whole lot of teen romance and angst in the best possible way, this book is filled with queer awesomeness, lots of fashion fun, and an appreciation for the fanfic world. This is England’s debut and they definitely have a knack for capturing teen feelings and personalities, and I absolutely cannot wait to read what they write next!

A huge thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress and @wednesdaybooks for an eARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

What happens when a fan convention for a Sherlock TV show (complete with its own rabid fan pairings) and a beauty pageant take place at the same hotel at the same weekend?? Queer love, cosplay pageants, and amazing evening gowns, of course!

Teagan, beauty queen competing for a scholarship that will pay for college, is surprised by the fan convention for her favorite TV show that she is a secret fangirl of is in the same hotel as the pageant. Sneaking out to experience some of the GreatCon leads her to Kay, a popular fanfic writer who is using the convention to figure out their gender identity and sexuality -- and kiss a girl. They make an instant connection, but both are nervous about it being public - Teagan because she is worried that being gay will sink her chances of winning the pageant, and Kay because one of the pageant contestants is also a mean girl from her high school who bullies her constantly.

I loved these characters. Teagan and Kay were both so precious and I loved them trying to find their way through their respective challenges, also coming to terms with some misconceptions they had about the world around them. I also liked that there were mostly only good pageant contestants profiled, since the pageant full of catty women trope has been overdone. I liked that there were a lot of positives to the pageant and that Teagan genuinely liked competing instead of only doing it for the prizes. I also loved the fanfic of it all, and it made me wish that the fanfic community had been this vibrant when high school me was writing (probably terrible) stories back in the day. (It also made me wish that I had kept up with it and still wrote fanfic!)

My one quibble with this book is that I felt the central conflict was papered over a little quickly. I would have liked to see more of a conversation with Teagan and Kay, since there was a lot for them to unpack that a quick "sorry" wouldn't fix. I also would have liked to see more of their friends (and would not say no to an expanded universe of characters!).

Overall, this was a very solid romance/contemporary debut, and I really enjoyed it! Definitely going to check out more of their books!

CW: homophobia/enbyphobia, bullying, death of parent (off-page), suicide (off-page)

This book is all about acceptance and being true to you. I really enjoyed both Teagan and Kay. I think the author did a wonderful job of writing queer characters who were flawed and realistic.

They each were hiding who they truly were to those around them, but for different reasons. Kay's journey of discovery was heartwarming and thrilling. I was so happy for them as they figured out things and began to feel comfortable in their own body. Teagan on the other hand was confident, but because of her involvement in pageants, she had to hide her true self from most of those surrounding her. Seeing her embrace herself and incorporate that into her pageant life brought a smile to my face.

The secondary characters who were friends to both Teagan and Kay were wonderful. They added depth and support. I loved the backdrop of the Con as well. As someone who's been to multiple cons, I wish I went to one like this. The acceptance and tight-knit community really made it special. Also as a huge AO3/fanfic reader, seeing this accurately portrayed in a book made me so happy.

Content warnings from the author: http://mkengland.com/writing/#otmy

Teen fanfic author Kaylee is so excited for the upcoming fandom for multiple reasons- not only do they get the chance to meet internet friends IRL, but they are also using this as a chance to try more masculine cosplay, try they/them pronouns for the first time AND they hope to kiss a girl. Teagan happens to be staying at the same hotel…only instead of going to the convention, she’s participating in a beauty pageant. When Kay and Teagan bump into each other on night one, there is an instant connection, but they are both keeping so many secrets and can’t afford to get spotted.

There is so much to love about this story. Watching these two teens grapple with their identity and sexuality while also finding a safe space in each other. The message of being true to yourself is one that is so important and I loved that both characters had flaws and didn’t fit into stereotypes one might expect. They were so real and lovable and I feel like so many people will be able to relate to them. Although this is a super fast romance that takes place over a single weekend, it didn’t feel forced and the instant attraction and bond wasn’t rushed. This sweet coming of age story is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Happy pub day to The One True Me and You by Remi K. England!

What happens when a fandom convention and a beauty pageant take place at the same hotel over the same weekend? For Teagan, Miss Virginia, it’s a temptation she doesn’t need. She hates tiaras and loves fandoms, but needs to keep herself buttoned up for one more weekend so she can win the $25,000 scholarship she needs for college. She doesn’t want any truths to come out that would mar her image with the judges, including the fact that she’s gay. For Kaylee, it’s the opposite. The weekend is the one chance away from their small southern town where they can be themselves, try out new they/them pronouns, meet online friends irl, and maybe kiss a girl for the first time to see if it feels right. And oh yeah, their fan fiction is in a contest where the winner will get their story published in an anthology. What happens when the two meet, and there’s fireworks? And will a mean pageant contestant from Kaylee’s hometown ruin everything?

This was a very fun, inclusive YA romance. It was interesting to see the inner workings of a fandom convention and equally fun to be inside the pageant world (two guesses which of those I’m likely to know anything about). Both main characters had the greatest friends who really stole some of the spotlight and made you remember how important it is to have someone in your corner who always has your back.

I did strongly prefer one of the characters, and looked forward to their POV scenes. The other main character grated on me a bit and the choices they made at the end—while understandable—didn’t make them any more endearing. I’m not sure that by the end I was actually rooting for this relationship, but I was rooting hard for one of the characters.

I would recommend it to any YA readers looking for a diversity in their stories or a great friendship arc or huge lovers of fandoms or fan fiction (this one was a Sherlock Holmes reimagining). I don’t know if I’d recommend this one on the romance aspect alone.

Thank you to @WednesdayBooks and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of this one in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've been putting this one off for ages as I find the cover a bit garish but I finally read this - on pub day no less! - and really enjoyed it. I loved the fandom and pageant aspects equally and especially all the conversations and narrative around queerness. This was a great read and one I definitely could've used when I was this age.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was absolutely ADORABLE! I loved the concept, the characters and the voice was so clear and aided the prose with the flow. This is rom-com at it's finest. A great balance of heartfelt and funny, this will give your heart a hug. I highly recommend picking this up for a good read!

The One True Me and You is a queer coming-of-age YA romance that takes place during a weekend where a small fandom convention and a beauty pageant take place.

CW: public outing, homophobia, sexism, grief and loss depiction, gender dysphoria, death of a parent from suicide (past)

I love how Remi K. England examines what it's like to explore your gender identity and how to grapple with homophobia in small towns. This was a fast romance because it takes place in three days, but I enjoyed that it was more insta-attraction vs. insta-love. With Kay and Teagen bonding over fandom and questions about their identities, it added depth and allowed for their relationship to progress faster than it otherwise might normally.

I love that this is a book that exists for young adults to read, especially those that are questioning their identities. I loved how realistic and flawed these queer characters are and that we got both Kay and Teagen's POVs.

I definitely recommend checking this one out, especially if you're a fan of fanfic!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is perfect for fans of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, fanfic writers, and anyone in a fandom! The One True Me and You shows the best and worst parts of being in a fandom. Being in a fandom allows you to make genuine friendships and connections, but sometimes fandoms can be toxic. This book portrays both of these things very well!

Another thing I love about this book is the theme of acceptance. This book is all about being your true self, accepting yourself, and accepting others. Kaylee learns how to be their authentic self by using they/them pronouns. If you’re looking for a sweet sapphic romance, then check out this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The One True Me and You follows pageant queen Teagan and fanfic author Kaylee on a weekend trip to a pageant and a con that are taking place in the same hotel. Exploring themes of beauty, identity, self-love, and fandom, this sweet YA rom-com is a fun, quick read for anyone from the Tumblr era.

Wow, I felt like I stepped back into 2014-2015 for a minute there. The mention of Clexa fully gave me whiplash, and as a Sherlock fan, it was wild to see the characters discussing fics and ships for a Sherlock-esque show that they all loved. Even the interactions between Kay and messages from Anons dragged me back in time. Personally, I was all for it, because fandom spaces are incredible and I think it's so fun and nostalgic to see that thriving culture on the page. But if you're not a fan of fan culture, or if Tumblr was never your thing, or if you're generally embarrassed by these hallmarks of internet days gone by.... then this book isn't for you. (I think it's silly, in this day and age, to be embarrassed by the fact that you loved something, or by the way you interacted with other people who loved the things you loved, but to each their own).

Going off of the fact that this book was one huge time jump back to 2014, I do think that this is a book that a lot of people who lived through that era needed, particularly regarding issues of identity and self-love. I'm not quite sure how relatable this may be to modern teens, though. While the struggles of finding one's identity and loving oneself are certainly part of the modern teen experience, setting them against the backdrop of an era that doesn't quite exist anymore, at least not really in the same way, may make it difficult for a younger audience to relate enough to see it through to the end.

Regardless, I deeply enjoyed my time with this book, from the characters to the cosplay, and I'm excited to see what Remi K. England does next.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really liked the premise and thought that the writing was nicely done. I found the main characters complex and intriguing. There are multiple elements that make Kay and Teagan feel very genuine and relatable. There is a sweet beauty to this cute story that really moved me emotionally. That being said, I wish the pacing had been slower and I really wish that this book didn't have such a dated feel to it. Today's adolescents are all about what is current and on trend and I'm afraid that could severely dampen this books appeal for them and honestly, I think that is tragic.

This was such a good, affirming, joyful book!

As someone who is active in fandom but has never been to a con, and who spent a lot of years questioning my identity (queer: nonbinary, bi ace), I really identified with Kay and felt very seen. They are like my younger self, and the atmosphere of the con was incredible.

While I didn't have much in common with Teagan, she was easy to like and I was still rooting for her breaking away from the strict mold the pageant forced her into.

The story had its ups and downs of course but I felt so much queer joy radiating from the pages and wrapping me in this blanket of acceptance and it was so soothing.

There are also some great messages about not judging people based on what they look like or enjoy doing. And the fandom representation is so good. Such an accurate portrayal of a03 and tumblr and writing fanfiction. I want to go to a con now.

I would recommend this to every teen who is questioning their identity or knows someone who is. Sometimes you just need a dose of joy and affirmation and that's this book in a nutshell.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an e-arc for review.

I am giving this book 3 stars. I've been debating about rating this book because there were some really great things about this book and some things that I just didn't like. I, in 2022 cannot handle this being about Johnlock. I just can't, I thought I left this ship behind in high school, but here I am being reminded of tumblr. That being said, this book did get a lot of aspects of fandom SPOT ON! Like the fanfic, wonderful! I also did enjoy the characters. Overall this was a cute, quick read and I would recommend it, but I would give a warning about the Johnlock to anyone I would recommend it to.

I enjoyed this, novel but wasn’t in love with it. It’s a quiet but powerful story without a lot of plot. It takes place over a weekend where our two main characters meet at a hotel; one for a fan-fiction type of convention and the other for a pageant.

Teagan, the pageant girl, is publicly a lesbian but has another secret: she’s a secret fangirl. And she knows of our other main character, Kay’s work on Tumblr.

Kay, our other main character, is a senior in high school and has recently come out as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns. They are still figuring themself out, but can’t help but fall for Teagan over the course of their weekend together.

This was a fun, queer story with the clear messaging to not be afraid to be yourself and take chances. Both Teagan and Kay won recognition and awards at their own conventions and also won the hearts of each other.

I liked that I saw character growth from everyone in the story and both our main characters had supportive friends around them. For me, I just wish there was a bit more to the plot but I also know it was more to focus on these characters and their identities, so I know other people will love this novel.

Joyful, fun, queer YA love story that was a pleasure to read. It was about a beauty pageant contestant and a nerdy Con attendee whose events are both happening in the same Florida hotel. Kaylee is a shy fan fic writer who is still figuring out their gender identity and sexual orientation, and Teagan is chafing at being a closeted lesbian because if she comes out of the closet it would trash her chances of winning the pageant and getting a college scholarship. Naturally the two meet and fall for each other. They share a common enemy, the wicked Miss North Carolina, another pageant contestant who would be thrilled to out both of them and ruin their lives. So there's a lot of slapstick-esque skulking around and hiding to avoid her and also the pageant chaperones, which was fun.

It was so satisfying and uplifting to read a love story starring a non-binary main character--it truly made my heart feel lighter and happier. The depiction of nerds and fandom AND pageants was detailed and loving. I think if you liked Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good by Nancy Werlin, you would enjoy this novel. There were a few little details that bothered my grumpy, jaded, cynical self. 1) One of the fan fic writer characters is excited to have their story selected to be published in an anthology, and every fiber of my being was screaming "Open the contract and read it; do you even get a contributor's copy?" but we didn't go there. 2) The two MCs have only spent a few hours together, including fighting like snarling dogs but with very hurtful words, and then they're describing themselves as girlfriends? But honestly that kind of thing does happen all the time. 3) I felt worried that maybe "being out and proud" was possibly being a little over-glorified. For one of these high school student characters, it seemed like coming out could cause a lot of problems and there's no shame in making safety a priority. But at the end of the day, I was probably overthinking it, because this book is a romance. While the characters are very introspective and delve into a lot of issues, the point of the genre is that these two people get together and everything is happy. And who needs searing realism these days?

I gratefully received an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

While there were some editing choices that don't usually belong in a novel format, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable romance about two people finding themselves in fandom and overcoming misogynistic views on women expressing their beauty for themselves. I finished most of it in one day and was a pretty fun experience.

3.50 Stars. A very cute YA story. I’ve been having really good luck with YA lately so it has become one of my main go to categories to read. The rep has been great in them and that is something I felt like I wasn’t always getting enough of in some adult books. I was excited that this was a romance between a character coming to terms with being non-binary, and another character who is a lesbian. This ended up being a very sweet read, but it didn’t quite have the depth I was personally looking for. I do think it’s one of those books I would have loved as a teenager and I think it is one that should be in high school libraries.

This book has a lot of nice things going about it. It has nice main characters, nice secondary characters, nice storylines, and a nice pace that kept me reading the book. All that is good and I liked what I read, the problem was that there was no pop or spark, nothing that really gripped me and forced me to keep reading. I’m someone that loves YA to have a ton of emotions and really pull on my heart strings, but I can do sweet too. However, If the book is more on the adorable side, I still need something to take it to that next level, but this stayed very on the surface for me. I didn’t feel like we had a deep dive into the characters or their issues they had to overcome.

One slight issue for me is that it seemed like this book felt a little dated. When I say little, I mean little as in if this took place even 5 years ago, I think everything in it would have fit better. Everything felt just a tad off for 2022 standards –like the whole Tumblr thing-. I did think the Con and fan-fic writing storyline, vs a pageant was a good idea for a story. I believe people who are big fan-fic fans will definitely get a kick out of it.

TLDR: I would suggest this book for people wanting YA books that are low in angst and are very cute. If you are looking for something deep and emotional, this is not the book for you. This book is good for what it is, but it’s stuck in the “perfectly nice” category for me. If I had this book as a teenager, I think I would have loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

I love all things nerdy and fandom, and when I saw this queer mash up of fandom and pageant, I knew I had to read it. This was an easy, happy sort of read - not a lot of drama, and plenty of sweetness. I loved the friend groups and the peek into where different interests overlap in ways you wouldn’t maybe expect. Definitely recommend if you’re a fan of books set at conventions, if you want to see more non-binary characters, or if you want a sweet, sapphic, love story.

Y'all, I loved this book. Just loved it. I wish I could get into a time machine and go back and give it to my 22-year-old self.

The premise has some traditional romcom elements. Teagen is a beauty queen (literally) who desperately needs her pageant winnings to pay for college. She's also a secret supernerd. Kay is a rising star in the fan-fic world who aspires to be a published author, but who can't pursue their passions in their super-conservative, close-minded hometown. The two of them meet and flirting + hilarity and hijinks + a big misunderstanding + feeeeelings? ensue. Adorable. Except, oh yeah - Teagen is in the closet to everyone except her dad and her closest friend because gay + pageants don't mix, and Kay is exploring their gender and sexuality and seriously being bullied at school. Dude.

One of my favorite things about YA is the books can take big/nebulous/scary/complicated issues and turn them into very tangible scenarios. I sincerely hope authors do this on purpose - write books with big themes in digestible ways to give young people a dang lifeline. Because it's awesome. This book is awesome. The characters are smart and believable, there are awesome friendships that have nothing to do with romance, and nerds! Beauty queens! A thoughtful discussion of feminism (and *uses the word*)! An exploration of gender and sexuality (and they! are! different!) Just amazing.

Seriously, if you love romcoms, read this book. If you appreciate queer representation, read this book. If you're into fandoms and cons and any of those things, read this book. Just - read this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, and the author, for access to this awesome title in exchange for my honest review.