A wonderful, hopeful book that will definitely help some kids realize that they are trans and one that is going to build the communities those kids need. This is the kind of book that saves lives.

This was a really solid debut. I just love middle grade/ coming of age stories so much. Add in a queer cast and I am seated. Ollie was low key autism coded and high key asexual coded so I enjoyed going along their journey with them. They were certainly asking the tough questions that not many others are thinking of at that or any age.

Okay, I recommend this book, but I REALLY recommend the audiobook because Vico Ortiz, as always, knocks it the whole way out of the park.

So, I’m… agender, maybe, definitely not gender conforming anyway. And I ask a lot of questions when reading books, particularly books for kids, that tackle gender. This is mostly because I feel like kids’ books try to simplify gender, or even just hone in on a tidy answer about how to define what gender is. I have some thoughts about how Ollie’s interview project (based, it seems, on a project by the author) portrays womanhood. Most of the women in included in this book are more traditionally femme, and I would have liked to see a bit more diversity there. Not that this would have changed anything for Ollie’s ID, of course, but it ended up feeling slightly stilted in terms of characters who DO identify as women. This device is trying to pull double duty in both helping Ollie try to understand their own confusion, and in defining the amorphous thing that is womanhood (and gender in general). I think it was more successful in the former than the latter.

Other than that, I quite enjoyed this, although the end felt a little too easy in someways. I get why that is, though. We deserve happy conclusions right now. The middle is much more fraught, and while I sometimes wonder if I’m just too old to read Middle Grade books anymore, this one reminded me how much these stories still mean to me, and how much I wish I’d had more books like this back in my day. *shakes my cane at the sky*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC of this book!

I Adored this book, the growth of all the characters and Ollie's growth and learning through out the novel and learning to speak for themself and their friends.
The Narrator was wonderful, very clearly spoken and kept me very engaged in the storyline.
I look forward to more books by this author and read by this narrator.

If you are a queer or trans person, be sure that you are in a good mental health space before starting this book. I had to put this book down for a few days before coming back to it.

Olive is just a kid trying to navigate their young life and figuring out whether they are a boy, a girl, or someone else entirely. Without having adequate resources and examples of adults who are thriving as a non-binary person, Olive struggles with being constantly misgendered. Follow Olive as they learn to navigate life as a young non-binary person just trying to make it through the day.

Recommended for people of the queer and trans community, or readers trying to learn more about non-binary experiences.

(I received this ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.)

thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

Listening to this audiobook I can say it was nicely done with a Voice that made u care for the story you are listening to, the gentleness of their voice was soothing and nice to listen to.

This story is about finding yourself and your identity at a young age, wanting to know what defines you by who you are personality, gender, clothes, appearance (makeup etc), but nowadays we are told so much about different ways of being that I can imagine things being confusing.

I want to state that I am no expert or fully knowledgeable about not feeling comfortable with my own body, gender or any form of being able to question anything.

For a young teenager/ mid to late I can see this being a story that can be relatable for some when it comes to questions about who they are, and taking comfort in knowing they are not the only one with such complex emotions etc.

The book felt a little competitive at times but it was an interesting read

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

If it wasn't almost 0400 and this chest infection that won't quit wasn't making the prospect terrifying and agonising, I would be full on ugly crying right now. However, I am absolutely covered in goosebumps and my feels have been well and truly kicked in.

This...is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best and most beautiful books I've ever read!

Yes, this is a book aimed at younger readers and I am older with more of a penchant for the more adult kinds of disaster Queers and all kinds of horror, but this book is truly special and spoke to my Queer soul.

Ollie is a a mixed race kid with a single dad who, while it isn't directly referenced, comes off as neurodivergent with their difficulties understanding others, expectations, and the glorious hyperfixation with crustaceans and creepy crawlies that they drop facts about and picture themselves as. They are also navigating gender and Queerness and puberty and school with everything that brings with it.

This is a beautiful story of self-acceptance, overcoming adversity, finding your people and yourself that feels so incredibly important with how scary things are for trans and non binary folx at the moment.

I truly cannot express what it means to me knowing that some kid can listen to this and gain some understanding and perspective of themselves and those around them. It makes my heart swell.

There's a very sad and confused child in me who never had the words or understanding to be themselves. It's been a long process and I am living authentically and happy now, but the will always be a wound where the childhood I never got to have was. Reading this book went some way towards healing that child.

I really cannot say enough about how engaging, honest, entertaining, and informative, without ever being dull or preachy, this book is.

I'm speechless and so appreciative x

I needed this book, both today as an adult, and for my inner queer child. It brought tears to my eyes multiple times, I laughed so hard remembering how it felt to be 12. I felt so seen.

Ollie’s bluntness and their inner thoughts as they navigated figuring themselves out was so real and rang very true to mine and many others’ never ending journeys. I remember also making a list of things to do to be viewed as “normal” when I was a kid, and eventually throwing it away as I instead started figuring out how to be me.

Ollie’s story is one that needs to be told because it is so similar to many kid’s stories and I am so grateful to have had the chance to listen.

I wish I had this book in middle/high school. I would’ve cried for weeks. As a mom now, I did have a little a little. The narrator was perfect, the story was stunning, and I love this.

5/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “Ollie in between”. This book means so much to me 🖤 Even if i’m not experiencing exactly what Ollie was going through, there were a lot of times throughout the book where i saw myself in they/them. I highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone, especially to those who ever felt like they don’t belong. I will 100% buy this book to annotate it and add it to my collection ✨🌈

Very hopeful and sweet coming of age gender discovery for ollie! I wish I was this self aware and in-tuned with myself in middle school.

Thanks to RBMedia and Recorded Books for the audioARC.

🩵 trans, non-binary and queer kids
🩷 figuring out who you are
🤍 being brave enough to be who you are
🩷 queer kids gravitating towards eachother
🩵 autism rep, anxiety/panic attacks, half-Iranian non-binary MC

I just loved this. So many relatable things with Ollie's gender journey, even though they are 12 and I was ~20 when I started questioning my gender. This book questions what it means to be a woman, and shows that most women can't really give a satisfying answer to that.

This is a middle-grade book, but I think it works for any ages, and especially for people questioning their gender or people wanting to learn more about trans/non-binary experience.

The audiobook is narrated by Vico Ortiz, which I think was a perfect fit. I love the way they tell a story and I love their voice.

This could've been a heartachingly bleak read in this current climate of widespread and state-sactioned hostility against trans and nonbinary children. And not gonna lie, Ollie's justified fear and paralysis over their identity did gut me and took me back to similar feelings of shame and insufficiency as a genderqueer child. But ultimately this ended up being rather wholesome, with no particularly horrific tragedies befalling queer children, and transphobia of all ages being called out and put in their places, but not magically converted out of their bigotry. I like that for a middle grade book, even if it lacks nuance for even a slightly older young adult reader. Ollie's interview project, akin to the author's which led to both of their gender journey, is super interesting in revealing how everyone in the spectrum of gender is isolated in their own ways, and that was refreshing to see in a middle grade book. That said, the part I wish would be been explored a bit more was about their Persian side of the family and what that heritage brought to the table of the gender questioning beyond just the food and the vague memories of a deceased mom. The choice of Vico Ortiz as the audiobook narrator is always brilliant and really allowed Ollie's personality to shine through and make them so easy to empathize with. Thanks to Netgalley for both an ebook and audiobook ARC.

This is the book I needed growing up 😭

I relate so much to Ollie, from being obsessed with National Geographic magazines as a kid to experiencing anxiety/panic attacks to feeling not quite like a woman but not quite like a man. I wish I had the same level of self-awareness and access to resources Ollie did when when I was their age so I could have better understood what I was feeling at the time rather than just now starting to figure it all out in my twenties (but hey, better late than never right???)

One of my favorite parts was how differently the ladies answered the “what does it mean to a be a woman?” question throughout the book. It was cool hearing all their unique perspectives, and served as a good reminder that there’s no right way to “be” a gender.

Since I listened to the audiobook version, I also want to add that I really enjoyed the narrator and they seemed like a fantastic choice to voice Ollie!

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the audio ARC! 🫶🏼

I wanted to read the book since the first time I saw it and was really happy when I finally had the chance to do so.

It was interesting to follow Ollie around learning more about gender and how many options are out there. This book is a middle grade and I think it did an amazing job in showing the struggles the children and teens have growing up. This book should be a required read in school because I think it could help a lot of people to understand more about struggles when it comes to gender identity and that there aren't just "Boys" and "girls". I would also recommend this book not only to middle grade readers. It's a great book for everyone who struggled themselves with their gender identity or wants to see more perspectives and widen the own horizon when it comes to identity, especially if you are a teacher or a parent.

This book is not only about finding yourself but also about finding your real friends and a place where you belong.

I loved listening to the audiobook because it felt a lot of times like Ollie was telling me the story right away and that I had a glimpse in Ollies diary.

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for this Auido Arc!

I really felt like had I been more self-aware as a child I would have been Ollie. Everything about them is so relatable and how they experience gender and sexuality and friendships and hobbies is so similar to me that I really felt right at home with this book. It absolutely wrenched my heart strings a little bit and I am so happy that I got a chance to read this and that it exists for other people to find.

My autism as a kid and teenager was more of the just do what others are doing and everything will be fine and in a way Ollie is like that as well but they recognize that something is different with them. I didn't notice that as a child. I just tried to blend in and do what my two friends were doing. so seeing Ollie start this book with two main friends who both end up being a bit disappointing and finding a group of friends that is so much more inclusive was really heartwarming. I loved their relationship with their sister and their super awkward definitely autistic dad.

this one does deal with some queer phobia and transphobia from both other students and from Ollie's grandparents. I understand that could be difficult to read so if that is going to be triggering maybe skip this one. I will say that it's all dealt with and Ollie is supported so do it that what you will.

One of the big highlights for this for me was Ollie's interviews with women in their life. and then reading the authors know at the end that this is something they did in college was really fascinating for me. I love that the general consensus is that no one really knows what womanhood is and that felt very relatable as an AFAB agender person.

this is very much a character driven book and there's not a ton of plot going on. I would classify it almost as a slice of life but where Ollie is dealing with their mom's death and figuring out their own gender, autism, and sexuality as a preteen.

Iranian American MC, autistic, aspec questioning, nonbinary

I'm a little late to the game on this one, but this book (and the audiobook, itself) is everything that I wish I'd had when I was younger. This is what I want to hand directly to burgeoning queer youth who feel like they don't fit in or are afraid to take up space. I think books like this will encourage them that they are exactly who they need to be and that it's okay to explore who that person grows into.

A heartfelt story about a nonbinary child who is on the cusp of puberty and fears the changes their body faces any day with their 13th birthday quickly approaching. Old friendships grow apart as new ones emerge and Ollie asks the question over and over to the adult women around them, "What does it mean to be a woman?" The answers are just as complicated as you'd imagine, but what emerges from their findings is a message pure and confident.

This is a story that will speak to any young person navigating the tricky pre-teen/early high school years. While the emphasis of this book is uplifting LGBTQIA+ youth, there are important messages to be found about fitting in, bullying, disordered eating, and so much more. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone of ANY age who has ever struggled with their identity (or who might currently be struggling with it). I cried multiple times throughout the book, especially with Vico Ortiz as the narrator. They nailed all of the voices and Ollie's internal monologue!

I feel so seen by this book and wish I had it when I was younger.

Ollie is a preteen discovering themself and their gender identity as they deal with complicated friendships and interview women in their life about what it means to be a woman.

Even if you don’t identify as nonbinary, anyone who’s felt like an outsider can relate to Ollie. There are a lot of lines indicating they may be neurodivergent that I found incredibly relatable (I especially appreciated the animal facts and laundry chair). Throughout listening to the book, I was constantly transported back to middle school where I often felt different and didn’t understand what was wrong with me, especially as my childhood friendships were crumbling around me. .

Despite feeling like they don’t know who they are, Ollie still has a strong sense of self. Through their inner monologue, we see how they have a great sense of right and wrong even in conflicts where they are a bystander. As they question their appearance, their thoughts are ultimately positive (“I like how I look”). It honestly makes Ollie a really good role model for kids experiencing the same feelings of doubt.

The interview format where Ollie asks “what makes you a woman?” is genius because we get so many different perspectives and they tackle things like internalized misogyny and gender stereotypes. I thought they were all very approachable introductions to feminism for a younger reader.



The audiobook really brought Ollie’s voice to life, especially considering so much of the book happens inside of Ollie’s head. As I listened, part of me was shocked that it was written and read by adults because Ollie’s internal voice felt so real.

There is so much well-done representation in this book that the world sorely needs. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to share this with.

Ollie In Between is a beautiful coming of age story. I loved so much to watch Ollie find their people to love and fiercely defend them. I was particularly glad to listen to this as an audiobook because it felt like I was along with Ollie in their own diary.

This story was eye-opening for me to understand better how young persons that struggle with their gender identity feel like. Ollie is struggling to understand whether a boy or a girl or something else. The right questions are for sure asked by Ollie and I loved their friends I hope that Ollie find the right balance in the future and find the happiness and acceptance they deserve.

I struggled a bit with the audiobook narrator, thus I cannot rate the audiobook higher than this.