This book is beautifully written and amazing depicts an underrepresented story. I loved the characters, they felt real and their journey felt so natural I feel lucky to have read this book and will definitely be looking for more by this author.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a really well done coming of age novel that touches on the fight for trans rights within the sporting world. The book switches between present first point of view in the eyes of the main character, Grace, while also showing her struggles with discovering herself in the past, shown in second point of view. Normally, second point of view can be a bit hard for me to read. However, the author wrote these passages fantastically,

I am not so much of a football fan myself, but you could feel the love (and hate) for the sport through the author's writing. This book really captured how something you love can treat you horribly. I really felt that this story is one that everyone should read. It was both uplifting while also soul crushing as Grace navigates her life both inside and outside of the sport. Overall, a very beautiful book on self discovery.

The perfect trans YA novel does not exi—

OK, it might be a stretch to call One of the Boys perfect. For one thing, there can be no One True Trans YA Novel because there is no One True Trans Experience, of course. What we need is a plethora of diverse experiences. But I have to say, considering I never played any sports in high school and know nothing about football and transitioned at thirty, somehow Victoria Zeller’s story of a trans girl in high school playing football hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Levine Querido for the eARC.

Grace Woodhouse has come out as trans over the summer before her senior year of high school. She thought that meant leaving football behind forever—but she was wrong. When her former teammates inveigle her into rejoining the team, Grace must discover if there is still room for her in this hypermasculine sport. At the same time, she’s navigating this whole “being a girl” thing while also processing a breakup and, oh yeah, she might be getting scouted for a college team? But no pressure.

Zeller’s writing just hits. Her style has a satisfying sufficiency to it, neither overly descriptive nor too sparse. And every so often, she says something that really resonated with me:

If things had gone differently—very differently, the way I wish they had in retrospect—I might have been teammates with Riley.

Chills down my spine as I read those words, which capture the complex emotions a lot of trans people feel no matter what age they transition. Living as your authentic self is its own kind of joy, and I am so immensely happy to have figured out who I am—yet that happiness will always be accompanied by the bittersweet wistfulness of wondering what I could have had if I had realized all of this sooner.

Now, I don’t know if Zeller’s writing will have the same power for cis readers. I can only speak to my experience of this book as a trans woman, of course. I hope it does. I hope cis people read this book and see our struggles, like when Grace’s ex dead names her accidentally in a conversation:

“It’s okay,” I said, even though I felt like I’d been punched in the throat.

This is the perfect simile, and this moment is a perfect example of the grace (pun intended) we trans people are expected to display in the face of microaggressions like this. And this is an example where the microaggression was accidental—Grace and her ex are on good terms! Yet it happens, and even when you know there is no malice behind it, it’s painful.

All of this happens against the larger backdrop of how Grace’s team, friends, and school handle her transition. One thing I really love? The unremarkable acceptance, for the most part, of Grace and her transness. In the current political climate, it’s tempting to succumb to the idea that everyone is openly hostile to trans people. The reality, which Zeller ably captures here, is that most people … don’t care. They will use your correct name and pronouns and accommodate you even if they don’t quite accept or (as is the case with some of Grace’s teammates, at least at first) don’t understand. The hardcore transphobes are loud and shitty, but they are a minority.

Indeed, although Grace’s transness obviously runs through every page of this book, it isn’t the main source of conflict. That comes from her relationships, as it should. Grace’s return to football, which consumes a lot of her time, strains her newfound female friendships that have been a source of strength and solace. Similarly, Grace’s ambivalence about pursuing a college football career, while connected to the celebrity conveyed by her status as a trans athlete, is ultimately about something much deeper: her relationship to the game.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any readers that Zeller is writing this during a time of intense scrutiny of trans people (especially trans women) in sports. (I recently reviewed Fair Play, by Katie Barnes, if you want a primer.) One of the Boys sidesteps some of these issues by Grace playing in a sport that is, while nominally co-ed, effectively a boys sport. If Grace were instead joining Riley on the girls soccer team, that would be a different set of challenges. Nevertheless, she still faces undue scrutiny and notoriety. Yet it all comes down to feelings, or as Grace and her teammates call it, feelingsball.

Everything I know about football comes from my repeated viewings of Remember the Titans. That was a movie, which had swelling music by Trevor Rabin and lots of visual cues to convey tension and get the audience invested in the pivotal games. Zeller has to do that all with words … and, incredibly, she succeeds. I learned more about kicking than I ever knew. More importantly, I actually have a better understanding now of the kind of camaraderie and investment that young men put into football. This belies the stereotypical views I have held about football since long before I realized I wasn’t a man. Yes, Zeller’s depiction showcases the more toxic, overly macho aspects of the game too—but it goes deeper than that. She makes a strong case for why Grace would want to continue playing well into college.

This makes the ending even more poignant. I love the ending of One of the Boys—all of it. Everything, from Grace’s decision about college to her relationship status to some of the developments with minor characters. Zeller avoids trite, contrived resolutions in favour of decisions that make sense for her characters and also show promising maturity. Some of these resolutions are very happy, others feel bittersweet—thus perfectly capturing the tumultuous nature of this time in one’s life. High school graduation marks a time of transition (pun intended) for all of us. We all have to decide what parts of ourself to keep and what parts to leave behind.

This novel is not perfect. I wish we had seen more of Grace’s dad, for example, and how he was advocating for his daughter. The whole kerfuffle around the podcast and the resulting protest action, while very realistic, felt really compressed for time. Yet these are minor quibbles.

I want this book to be a movie so bad.

One of the Boys made me laugh and made me cry. Whether we’re talking sports stories, trans stories, or high school stories, by any measure this novel is excellent and one of the best I have read this year.

A Beautiful Tribute To Football and Friendship

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

First off, let me say that as someone in their thirties who knows next to nothing about football, I am far from the target audience of this book. When I realized just how big of a role football would play in the story (which honestly I should have known going in from the cover and synopsis, any surprise I felt is totally on me), I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about!

One of the Boys achieved something that not even Taylor dating Travis could for this OG Swifite-it helped me "get" football. Zeller's deep passion for the sport comes through on every page, and that passion is contagious. I don't think I will ever look at football quite the same way again.

But you don't need to appreciate football to enjoy this beautiful coming-of-age story. It will appeal to anyone who loves rooting for the underdog. I also think its themes of blazing a trail and carving out your own space will resonate with readers of all ages.

I loved how all of the characters felt like real people, especially Grace. She was messy, passionate, and hilarious as she navigated the ups and downs of her recent transition and her return to the boys' football team. I adored the fact that most of her teammates were so supportive of her, as well as the fact that many of her friends both on and off the team were queer. The ways Grace's friends showed up for her and for each other were genuinely heartwarming.

The only reason this wasn't a five-star read for me was because as someone who doesn't follow football, I felt a little lost in the sports jargon at times. A few explanations sprinkled into the text would have gone a long way toward helping me fully understand what was happening, especially during the game sequences.

Still, this is a fantastic book that belongs on every YA trans reading list. I hope it gets the wide recognition it deserves!

One of the Boys is so needed right now. This is a messy, joyful, genuine trans coming of age story, starring football kicker Grace Woodhouse who is back for her senior year of high school after coming out and transitioning over the summer.

Being an out trans athlete in high school is not easy, and this book doesn’t shy away from that reality. Grace deals with bullying from bigoted teammates and opponents, ignorant coaches and school administrators, skyrocketing attention from the media, a changing body, new friendship dynamics, and so much more. But this book is more uplifting than it is about hardship. Grace has an incredible community of queer friends and fervent allies, including the captains of her football team, her single father, and even football coaches who want to help her advance as a player even after coming out.

In a world where girls like Grace have become scapegoats for bigots, One of the Boys is so important. Trans kids are just kids who deserve love and support and a chance to fulfill their dreams, just like any other. Victoria Zeller has written a book that every queer kid or educator should read. 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a well-done book. It shows how the main character, Grace Woodhouse, is just a teenager trying to navigate her last year of high school. Of course, it's relevant that she's trans, but she's more than that. She's an athlete, a student and a friend. And most importantly, she's just like every other teen, trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be, even if it means making hard decisions.

Thank you NetGalley and Levine Querido for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I read this book during the Trans Rights Readathon and had such a good time.

This lovely book shows us how it is to be a trans teen in high school. This specifically was interesting to me because I only transitioned after high school going into uni. Sometimes I feel glad that I only transitioned later, not having had that experience with teenage bullies. But other days I mourn for the days I lived feeling miserable not knowing what was up and not being able to live like the real me. Seeing a story from someones perspective who is actually out during high school was thus really interesting to me to read about.

Grace felt like she had to quit football to be accepted to live as a girl. But from the book early on it's clear how much that hurts her. It always used to be her passion and giving that up hurt a lot. But her mates didn't just give up on her and their friendship and still call her over to hang out. The way she is hesitant to hang out though was thoroughly familiar. When I transitioned to a man I really felt like I was supposed to hang out with the boys from that point onward. But whoever decided that is the supposed rule sucks and Grace realizes that too, slowly hanging more and more out with her old football friends. Seeing her accept that you don't need to give up everything masculine from your old life was freeing to read and I loved to see that growth in her.

That didn't mean that growth was flawless though, and she struggles managing her time and making sure to still hang out with her newer queer friends too. Seeing her struggle with this and learning how to manage it all was all too relatable and I think she ended up doing quite okay.

I also really enjoyed how this book handles making choices for the future. A big part in this book is Grace looking for a potential scholarship and her decisions around that. It is a big question for her and very understandable so, and the book definitely made it clear that choosing this is hard for her. The way she worked through her difficult feelings and found her way was beautiful to be a part of and I was so full of feelings at the conclusion of her choice.

Concluding this is a book about a trans teen that is trying to find her way after coming out and I would recommend it to anyone who might be wanting to be a part of such a journey.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I think the LGBTQIA+ representation as a whole was the best part about this story. Zeller did a great job of making the high school experience within the community feel authetic without going too over the top with it. That for me was really the only thing that kept me reading though. Outside the representation, the story is a little boring to me personally. I didn't realize how much football talk would be in here and it didn't really work for me.

I can see how important this story will be to so many teens and adults, so I would definitely recommend it!

I sincerely believe this is an important book. We need more inclusive stories geared to young audiences.

While I did enjoy One of the Boys, I did have a few issues with. First, I really do not care much for football at all (of course this is not the author's concern) and there is a LOT of it in this novel. Second, I found that the dialogue lacked natural flow and it was sometimes even a little grating. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was a little younger.

Of course, I still think this novel is worth picking up and is a important read for younger audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Im not typically one for sports themed novels but this book was so funny and entertaining to read. It is a beautiful coming of age novel and reading Graces story as she comes into herself was raw, accurate to the trans experience but most importantly beautiful. Trans youth deserve more books like this and Im so thankful to Victoria for creating a novel that highlights trans people in such an organic light.

I don't know if there is a book that could be more directly written for me. I am a huge college football fan (and even more specifically enjoy the podcasts and bands referenced in the book). I think this book does an excellent job of portraying football and playing high school football in a realistic and believable way which I feel is often not the case in most books, let alone books that also deal with LGBTQ+ issues. Furthermore, the experiences of queer characters in this book felt very authentic as well as different from some of the more often told versions of these stories. I found the book at times to be incredibly funny while also having serious and sad moments. I have several students in mind who I think would really enjoy this book and am excited to buy it for my school library once it is published!

No notes. I absolutely devoured this book. Grace was such an interesting character. She wasn't perfect but she persevered and definitely finished the book with more sense of self and having accomplished something I don't think Grace of last June would have thought possible; she took control of her life.

The relationships all the characters had with each other felt so real and I appreciate every side character had their own journey interwoven with Grace's and stood on their own rather than just as props for the FMC.

Side note: as somebody who spent 5 years in Buffalo for school this book transported me back to WNY.

Thank you so much to Levine Querido and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

This book was incredibly out of my comfort zone, nonetheless I gave it the benefit of the doubt. After all a book all about American football can’t be that bad for someone who is not American nor a sports fan, right?
I will say that this is in fact a very American book. The way the characters behaved, talked, interacted, how they approached certain situations was all very different from how I or the people I grew up around would. This is not to spread negativity but rather be surprised and somewhat amused by the cultural differences.
As I mentioned above, I’m not a sports fan, know absolutely nothing about American football. For me the sports aspect of this book wasn’t too interesting, but I also didn’t really realise just how crucial football would be to the plot.
Sadly I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance subplot either. It wasn’t bad, on the contrary I quite appreciated the representation of trans lesbians. I just simply didn’t really care for it.
One thing I really did like is how Grace’s relationship with her teammates was approached. Your values and interests and people you love don’t really change after you transition. I really liked how Grace acknowledged that and so did her teammate friends, how their dynamic did not change regardless of her gender.
I also really liked how Zoe and Grace approach their relationship, the resolution they reached I believe was the best it could’ve been considering the very complicated nature of their relationship.
Overall this book is definitely worth reading if you love sports ya sprinkled in with some trans struggles. In a world where trans people, especially trans women face tonnes of discrimination and hate this is a very brave and needed book to put out for young readers. Hate is learned and if we prevent young people from falling victim to far right ideology our world will only become more loving and accepting towards everyone.

I really loved and enjoyed this book! I think it was a great story about a trans girl discovering herself and navigating the world. I would certainly recommend everyone read this book.

The day has come when a character in the book I read is a Pisces, like me, and lo and behold, it is a favorite book. One of The Boys has all the elements that I love to see in queer YA and it's an absolutely beautiful book.

Grace Woodhouse is a trans girl who is very much learning who she is, because she always thought her path was all drawn-out before. I loved how the story allowed her to explore so much of herself and I think it's particularly beautiful how it showed that we're always allowed to come back to things we thought we left behind, find out how we feel about them and ultimately do what feels best even if it's the path that we wouldn't have imagined for ourselves before.

I recently realized that stories about queer jocks are something I really enjoy and Grace is definitely one of my favorite characters in that category. She has two distinct friend groups and part of her journey in learning to be herself also includes learning to value and love each of those friends equally, realizing that they're all very important to who she is. Also, she has the most amazing friends: my hope is for all trans folks and especially trans girls to have people like Dray, Ahmed, Kaeden, Riley or Tab beside them, people who would loudly support them all the time.

I also really liked how different the romance subplot was in this book. A highlight of this story is how much it allows for people making mistakes and making amends for them, how the characters all learn to respect each other and care for each other however different it may look from one person to another.

I didn't know much about football coming into this and it sometimes got really technical, but I didn't mind because I find it pretty cool when a book feels like it's written for those who are familiar with the universe it's set in. It's still pretty easy to keep up with regardless and the book in general is so well-written that you feel all the excitement and tension of the games.

I highly recommend this book to anyone reading this but especially to all the queer kids who've had to conciliate aspects of their identity that they thought wouldn't go well together. Yes, they can and this book is proof that it is beautiful when they do.

Thank you so much to Levine Querido and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC.

A really well-done YA novel about making the transition to who you really are. It’s painful, it’s scary, it’s transformative, it’s uplifting, even though we know Grace’s journey is ongoing. A stellar debut novel by Victoria Zeller, who tells the story of Grace Woodhouse, a talented high school football player who lots to worry about, including whether she can kick a field goal in the clutch. She can, but she also is in the process of figuring out who she is after figuring out who she isn’t. This is a beautiful novel about surprising friendships, queer joy and pain, high school angst, and just going through it. This book seems to tell a real story of a trans girl’s ascent into to womanhood - it is so hard, so uncertain, so shaky - but Grace handles it, ultimately, with, well, grace and peace. While I am not a football fan, I appreciate the clear look at the sport, at high school athletics in general, at theatre kids (my loves), at dealing with friends, a-holes, coaches, and parents. Victoria tells about the experience of coming to terms with transness through the lens of being an American high school kid. It’s so hard, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Just a lovely book for readers of all ages and experiences.. Thanks to Levine Querido and NetGalley for the eARC.

I really loved reading this book. It's such a heartwarming and emotional ride. You can feel the love that was put into writing Grace's story and I adored the entire cast of characters and the friendships! Such a lovely read and I highly recommend it.

First time author, Victoria Zeller has written a very unusual book. It is a queer sports book like none I have ever read. Our main character, Grace is a trans girl who was until recently a guy kicker on a rural football team in a small town in upstate New York. Grace quit the team after a bad ending to a great season the year before. She also quit because she was transitioning. When her teammates come to her to rejoin the team, she is torn between her love of football and the anxiety of the spotlight that a trans football player would naturally incur. We see Grace struggle with trying to find her place both in the football world and the queer world. This book is a wonderful read for any young men or women who are struggling to fit in and love sports. I highly recommend it for high schools with a balanced collection of queer fiction. Although a little nichey, this book can certainly find an audience.

I loved One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller. I was completely hooked by Grace’s raw, real journey. I care so deeply about these characters: Grace, Zoe, the queer kids, the football kids, .... Even though, as a European girlie, I couldn’t have cared less about football at first, the writer’s genuine passion for the sport made it feel meaningful and even emotional for me.

Grace’s story is an exploration of identity, resilience, and self-acceptance. The support she receives from her friends, teammates, and especially her father feels authentic and heartwarming. The writer's use of second-person narration, texts, and social media elements made the story feel real without trying too hard.

One of the Boys is a powerful, necessary read about the right to live authentically, both on and off the field. It’s a book that will mean so much to so many young readers. It's important to celebrate queer kids and promote stories where they can see themselves in. I can’t wait to see what Victoria Zeller does next!

Thanks to NetGalley, Levine Querido, and Victoria Zeller for the opportunity to read this early!

Grace has it tough after coming out as a trans girl. She's still on her journey to find herself, but with her new friends Riley and Tab, she has found herself a place where she can feel safe. However, Grace misses football in her new life and when the captains of her old team make her an offer to rejoin the team, she finds herself in a difficult place to decline. Will Grace rekindle the flame with her old sport, and if so, what would be the consequences?

I got to admit that the trans representation alone made me interested in the story to start. I didn't have any special expectations for it whatsoever, but the story took me by the hand and led me places I sometimes didn't expect to go.

What did I love about it?
- I love a good sports story. Even though I am not as well versed in American football as a Belgian.
- The first chapter immediately catches with the interaction between the scouting coach and Grace. It also immediately touched on the topic of deadnaming in an interesting way from the viewpoint of an outsider.
- The flashbacks or 'before' chapters have interesting perspective usage with the ‘you - your’, like you are the person in the chapters.
- The struggle of a trans person is depicted beautifully, both on the internal and external trials a trans person might face.
- Love that the game of American football gets explained for people who don’t know how it works. It was very welcome.
- Loved to see Grace’s support circle. I was super glad that she had people looking out for her.
- Oh the podcast format chapter gave me so much joy.
- Grace's teammates rallying behind her was the best to read.

All in all I thought this was a beautiful story. I think it has great potential to be an example for the trans community especially when it comes to sports, as this is often a difficult topic and isn't represented often, so applause for the author on that! I hope to read more compelling stories from this author in the future.

At last I want to thanks Netgalley, Levine Querido and Victoria Zeller for the eARC. I really hope to see this book do well when it releases and I will definitely keep an eye out for future releases by this author!