First off, the cover (and the photo they chose) is absolutely iconic!
It’s a perfect fit for this novel and a brilliant choice overall.

I came across a comment where Jennifer mentioned that some people didn’t like the book’s title, but I actually think it was a smart decision. In fact, there were many thoughtful choices made throughout this book.

Having read Mad Honey, I realize I might be in the minority in not being its biggest fan. It also took me a moment to connect Jennifer as the co-author of that book as well. While I haven't had the opportunity to read Jennifer’s first memoir, I was aware of its existence. I think that’s why I expected Cleavage to be more of an essay rather than a memoir, and was a bit surprised to find it was, in fact, a deeply personal narrative.

Though Cleavage is beautifully written and highly engaging, I did find myself wishing for more—specifically, more about Jennifer's life both before and after her transition. What worked particularly well in this book was her exploration of how she viewed boys and men while growing up surrounded by them.

That said, the narrative sometimes felt a bit winy and could have used a clearer direction. Nevertheless, it’s a compelling story with such important things to say.

Cleavage was a significant read for me for a variety of reasons, one of the main ones being that, given the current political climate in my country, this book is likely to be banned soon.

3.5
Thank you Celadon Books for the ARC

As a young bookseller more that twenty years ago, I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Jennifer Finney Boylan’s pivotal coming out story, She’s Not There. While her latest work, Cleavage, is billed as an excavation of gender, I find that what really lies beneath the hefty title is an exploration of her transness met with the wisdom of aging. While her prose is stunning, I struggled a bit with the time hopping nature of the vignettes. I would find myself dug into a deeply personal narrative, only to be shifted out of that story into a memory. While ultimately these threads are woven together, some of these jumps felt a little self indulgent. Boylan’s exploration of her trans experience is set against her understanding of both her whiteness and socio-economic status, and she is often in awe of her luck at finding herself in a position of privilege while others in the trans community struggle to find safety. I applaud Boylan’s capacity to take the long view of her experience and lay it against what it means for any of us to be called man or woman. I would round this read up to 3.5 stars. Thank you to Celadon Books (Macmillan) and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Rated 4.5 stars on StoryGraph. Cleavage is a memoir comprised of short stories. The author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, came out as a trans woman in her 2003 memoir She's Not There. She quickly skyrocketed to fame and became a spokeswoman for trans rights. In this memoir she discusses gender, her two children, her wife whom she married pre-transition, her childhood, her daughter coming out as trans, her teen and college years, and so much more.
I absolutely loved this book. It was an amazing experience to read the writings of a trans woman who has been out for decades. It was gorgeously written, she has a way of talking about things that don't seem related and I can't tell how they'll connect and weaving them together beautifully. I would highly recommend this. I think whether you're trans or cis, queer or straight, you'll benefit from reading this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of this book.

This is not my first book by this author, but I did not read her first memoir. And I didn't really think this was going to be so much of a memoir as a comparison between how she was viewed/treated when she previously presented as male versus now. That is what I was expecting. And yes, there was some of that in this book, but there was a lot more. I enjoyed how she wove in clever references to various pop culture items and her stories of past interactions. However, there were multiple times when the same personal references were repeated and that was a bit annoying. After reading the acknowledgements it made more sense as several of these essays had been previously published. But, for me that detracts from a book's enjoyment. I didn't want a bunch of essays. I wanted a cohesive look at Men, Women, and the Space Between Us.

This was pretty interesting, though it was a little different than I was initially expecting! I think the author's comparisons between what views on and acceptance for different genders are now, compared to what they were in the 2000s were poignant and relevant. It is a memoir of course, so there are a lot of personal aspects to this that I don't know how widespread they would be, but I still found it intriguing and something that varies from what I usually read!

4.5 stars!!

How important this voice and this story going out in the world at this exact moment is is not lost on me. The transgender community has been, and will continue to be amidst this incoming administration, faced with fear for choosing to be their true authentic selves. Voices like Jennifer's and other members of the trans community will be so important as we continue to move forward. I appreciate the bravery of sharing stories like this one so allies like myself can have the words and resources to pass on to others. Important and incredible read!

I loved the title of this book! (although according to the author, that feeling was not universal). I have read and enjoyed Jennifer Finney Boylan's work, both before and after her transition. I was looking forward to this book to get her perspective on life as a man and later as a woman, but it didn't really work for me. I felt like I was reading random excerpts from her diary, in no particular order. It felt a little thrown together, without a theme. I couldn't help but compare it to "Tomorrow Will be Different" by Sarah McBride, which was a wonderful memoir about her journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Ms. Boylan’s. I have followed her writing since She’s Not There. I especially loved her voice in Mad Honey, the recent novel with Jody Picoult. She is an incredibly good writer, with the ability to explain things clearly and concisely, along with wit and humor.
This book (and all of her books regarding transgender issues) should be required reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

I really enjoyed this book - it was well written and very engaging. Sometimes the story wandered, but she always wrapped it up nicely by the end

I found this to be a very interesting and informative read. Jennifer Boylan tells a good story and is very open in her transitioning and about her family. I do feel like I was a little behind the eight ball so to speak because I hadn't read her previous novel. Overall this was an entertaining read and I would recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about transgender people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Boylan covers a bit of familiar ground here (if you've read her previous memoirs), but with added context, so that the old information gains new urgency. The top takeaways are: 1.) Don't underestimate the necessity of a good, kind, and loving partner; and 2.) Don't assume you don't know any trans people. Someday, we won't make assumptions about gender based simply on a visual assessment that's often made before a person is even born. But that day isn't here yet.

Jennifer Boylan is an expert on the effects of gender on all parts of life. She spent her first forty years as male, and the past 25 as her authentic self, female. Having written four other books dealing with her transgender journey, Cleavage addresses the frightening situations people who’d begun to relax into their authentic selves, that 2025 and the politics of the USA present.
I first encountered Jennifer Boylan’s writing with the book she co-authored with Jodi Picoult, Mad Honey, so wasn’t surprised at the warmth, compassion and humor exhibited in Cleavage. Her intelligence and positive experiences lend authenticity when she speaks with a kindness that isn’t often represented in connection with what is presented about trans people. We don’t suffer through militance, violence or even voyeurism that so often dominates the discussion of transgender rights in the news is present here. Instead, a fact based, friendly accounting of the difficulties and benefits Jennifer has faced is presented.
Jennifer was granted that basic human right of having people who love her support her along her journey, and this book presents that love and acceptance to anyone reading it. It is the kind of book that makes you want to sit down with the author and tell stories. Cleavage does one thing very well… normalizing this segment of our population in a way that is not threatening and allowing the positive contributions of people who are different than we are, to be recognized, valued, and appreciated.
As a bonus, the book had some great writing advice! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Celadon Books, for the opportunity to read Cleavage in advance. The release date is February 4, 2025.

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Finney Boylan's work, and this book impressed me as much as her others. Her voice is so crucial, and it's so heartening to read her words.

As Finney Boylan points out, the word cleavage is its own built-in contranym. By choosing to use the iconic Loren/Mansfield shot as the cover, she opens up speculation about the book's content and focus and goes in completely the opposite direction. Having grown up as a boy, she always knew she was a girl, and thanks her first memoir became a poster child for the process. Here, she generously shares her current life as well as what it has meant to experience life "from both sides now." Still married to the same woman she married as a man, who loves her essence and what makes her a human being, this is a transformative argument for accepting who you are and living a full life because of it.

It’s been a while since I read a nonfiction book but from the moment I heard about this from a friend, I knew I had to apply for the ARC. As the author points out, there are plenty of books about the initial transition phase but not many I’ve (personally) heard discuss decades after across a decent amount of time. Topics ranging from unique food combinations and eating disorders discussed in the same chapter, flow together and resonate that life is a spectrum. The ability to self reflect on one’s life is difficult as is, but the author does it with such grace, you can tell it was pondered upon. All I can really say about this book is that it’s incredibly impactful and is a necessary read. Experiencing life across both sides and understanding what that can mean to a person, leads to the destruction of societal norms. The more effort we as a society put into breaking what is deemed “normal”, the ability to create a safer space will follow.


Pub Date: Feb 04 2025

ARC provided Celadon Books and NetGalley. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Publishing February 2025

I thought that it was an interesting read. I will say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the emphasis right in the beginning on weight. It seemed like a weird trope for women. Like trying to prove a point or a connection? But in a very weird way.

I kind of wish that I read the first book that she wrote before I read this one. Maybe there would have been a little bit of a understanding or background if I read it. Not to say you needed to read her first book to understand this one. But it would have been nice to have both!

I feel that I wish that there would have been more chapters dealing with her daughter and her having the conversations that they did towards the end of the book. Those tidbits of information were fantastic and really really thought provoking. But it was so short that I wished I could have read more on their relationship and how it evolves. And how conversations between the two of them on this topic happen and look like.

Also, I need to know more about her wife from her wife's perspective. The little that I got was great but I need more. And maybe that was what the first book was about?!

I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard at times. And I didn't like how it started. But I was happy that I stuck through with it and read it. It offers a super interesting perspective. And one that I don't always get to listen to or read. I was excited to be picked to read this book.

I was at first interested in this book due to the co authoring with Jodi Piccault as 8 had ready Mad Honey. I did not realize the background of Ms Boulanger.
A well written book especially about her growing up feelings as a boy. It was her observations of the other boys, teenagers and college age men that I found the most interesting.
I was also intrigued with her marriage and continual relationship with her wife.
And oh boy! When her own child made their own grown up decisions.
Her explanation of the word “cleavage”, while interesting did not jive with the picture on the cover. Yes, I got it, but I don’t think the picture went with the overall tone of the book.
I am so glad I read this book

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Jennifer Finney Boylan for providing this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The first thing that drew me into this book was admittedly the cover and title. The famous photo of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren paired with “Cleavage” in bold letters - who wouldn’t be drawn to that!

But it was the stories Jennifer told that kept my interest. From tales of her childhood, shooting off rockets, to the universal female experience of despairing over pants sizes, she wove together a unique tale of coming out as a trans woman at the turn of the 21st century, and all the experiences she’s dealt with in the 25-odd years since then.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for permitting me to read this work prior to its publication date.

In a world where the mortality rate of transgender people is high than that of cisgender people, it is an honor and privilege to bear witness to a life as unique and loving as Jennifer Finney Boylan's life. This work recalls her life before, during and after transition, addressing marriage, parenting, teaching, publishing and overall living. I appreciated her observations of the way her body and relationship to everyday things (for example, food) changed as she embarked on her journey for her mind and body to reach their most idealized versions of themselves.

I enjoyed this book but felt it was very, very similar to the author's earlier book Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs.