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.

I connected w/ this, not as a nonbinary, but as a Trans Woman- The representation is just 🥹🤍 I totally had so many of these thoughts too growing up, so just being able to hear it through story is oof-
I’m not too critical on the story ‘cause it is Middle Grade, but their “friends” could catch these hands. They don’t deserve Ollie fr, but I’m so glad they were able to find their tribe 🫶🏽 And I just love the representation of queers of color!! I feel like it’s such a taboo in many of our cultures to be queer & it’s so heartwarming to hear a story where (some) of the family is actually supportive!! Overall such a cutesy, self discovery story that we as a community probably have all been through 😭😭😭
Vico Ortiz did such a phenomenal job characterizing each voice, very well done 🤍