This is such a charming, tender, yet powerful read!

We follow Grace, a high school senior who has recently come out as transgender. She is returning to school after coming out at the start of the summer, and settling in with a new name, new friends, and a new social standing now that she’s no longer on the football team.

Every aspect of Grace’s life and story was approached with such rawness and honesty, and Zeller didn’t shy away from the messiness and contradictions of everyday life. The ‘issue’ of trans people in sports is a contentious one, but the story was told with humanity and nuance.

A standout feature for me – and the moment I knew this would be a truly excellent book – was with the first flashback scene. The book was mostly written in first person, but the flashback scenes, which all featured Grace pre-transition, were in second person. This was an inspired decision, which really hammered home the way Grace’s sense of self shifted as she transitioned.

This is a really beautiful book, that doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but always looks for the truth and the humanity in the question. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I’m always here for more transfem books in traditional publishing, especially YA, so this was a very welcome read! I absolutely loved the character exploration that we got, as our main character Grace explores being an out trans girl, returning to the sport (football) that she played for years, and exploring identity and sexuality alongside all of those things. We get a flawed main character (because teenagers are flawed) who you can’t help but love, and an exploration of being a trans girl in the modern day. I loved seeing Grace’s queer friends and the general exploration of friendships, as well as the way teens were allowed to just be teens. This was also just a great audiobook experience in general and I enjoyed Jen Richards’ narration a lot! I would definitely recommend this book in general and specifically the audiobook!

3.5 stars.

This was such an endearing read. It was so easy to immediately care about Grace and her journey. While I don't have any knowledge about football, I was still invested in seeing Grace navigate being on the team, post transitioning. I really appreciated seeing how much football and being in that environment shaped Grace, for better and for worse.

I really loved Grace's friends on the team, as well as her queer friends that she made after coming out. Her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Zoe, felt very layered and complex, but ultimately quite sweet.

I really enjoyed my time with this book and think it is a solid debut. I'm looking forward to seeing what Victoria Zeller does in her sophomore novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Levine Querido, and RBmedia for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Grace returns to her high school football team just a few months after transitioning.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a powerful, honest portrayal of a trans girl's high school experience.

The story is raw and deeply engaging, capturing both the beauty of Grace stepping into her identity and the painful realities she faces along the way. It doesn't flinch from the discrimination and transphobia that come with her journey, but it also highlights her resilience, strength, and the moments of joy and new friendships that make it all so compelling.

This is a vital, moving story about becoming yourself even when the world tries to stand in the way.

One of the Boys is the tale of a trans girl who played football before transitioning, and has to find her way back to the game and reevaluate its importance in her life and if it’s still a good fit. Very cute story. Good narration.

This story was so good and told extremely well. The narrator, Jen Richards, did what I believe to be an amazing job at showing the emotions that our main character, Grace, was experiencing. I loved how I felt like I was genuinely meeting all the different characters, the way each personality was shown was just so special, and this audiobook allowed me to feel like I was in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia, the author Victoria Zeller, and the narrator Jen Richards, for an audiobook ARC!

Absolutely LOVED this book. The audio was FANTASTIC. Jen put so much heart into this story, and I felt everything she did.

Also - More trans girl stories!!!! This is still one of the best Ya contemporaries I’ve read this year. Absolutely fantastic and I’m still shocked this is a debut. Incredible story,

I loved Grace’s journey throughout this book. I loved the flashbacks and how you can see that she changed. Absolutely adored her relationship with her dad and how it grew. The captains!! Obsessed with them. Dray being her biggest supporter?? Closely followed by Ahmed?? Yes. God I love the friend group dynamics SO much. The fierce love between they was too real and I KNEW IT (about Dray) and let’s just say a few lines about him and HIM had my little queer heart squeezing.

I smiled, laughed, got choked up, and felt anger several times. This book had me wanting more and more. I cannot WAIT to read more from this author.

This is a timely book from a unique voice on the hot-button issue of high school sports, and I appreciated the narrator being "own Voices" to narrate for the first person perspective of a trans girl.

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, Levine Querido, Victoria Zeller, and Jen Richards (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of One of the Boys in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is told from the first-person perspective of Grace Woodhouse, a girl who recently came out as transgender entering her senior year in high school. Formerly, she loved playing football, and she still has a passion for it. When the offer presents itself, she aims to continue playing on the same team she has played for throughout high school. She knows there may be some remarks, criticism, or discrimination, but she loves the sport so much, she has to at least give the continuation a shot. She does notice a few months out of practice and on estrogen that her kicks aren't as great as they used to be, but her determination is there, and nothing will stop her from pursuing her passions.

One aspect of the novel features flashbacks to times before her transition. The author uses a unique second-person perspective, using "you" which is how Grace's past self is portrayed, but also puts the reader into a somewhat different mindset for those sequences. I find this novel extremely relevant today, considering the various rules/regulations that discriminate against M>F transgender women in women's sports due to "unfair physical advantages." I like the way the novel addresses the hormone therapy and how that effects the body, which is something that doesn't seem considered in these women's leagues. Regardless, discrimination is discrimination. I love the fact that the novel is about Grace's passion for the sport and the need to play ball, aiming to take focus away from her transition as she continues to play and even consider her after high school plans.

What a novel. A testament to the transgender experience, high school relationships, and of course, the iconic sport of American football. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the way everything about the story was portrayed through the character's perspective. Also, shout out to the audio narrator, Jen Richards, whose voice and persona fit the character and essence of the novel so well!

A must-read for LGBTQ teens and sports lovers!

Grace Woodhouse used to be one of the top-ranked high school kickers in the country--but that was a different life, before she began her physical transition. But when her old football team has a real shot at winning state, her teammates beg her to come back. Grace loves football, but does football love her?

I loved everything about this book. The characters were hilarious. Grace and her friend group were well developed and supportive. You can tell that this book was written with a deep love of football, but the technical aspects of the game never got in the way of the plot. The prose was smooth and well crafted. There was definitely transphobia in this book, from microaggressions to the macro, but there was also a ton of support, love, and joy. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was excellent. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

Before a couple concussions and spraining every joint in my body, I played roller derby. Trans athletes were my friends and teammates. It was such a gift to share the track with so many incredible people. It was a joy to build something with them and bring our authentic selves, win or lose.

Everyone should get to experience the support and love of a team. Everyone should get the chance to be their authentic selves. Trans people are a gift. Trans stories are a gift. Trans youth (and adults) need our support. Let's show them.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Even though I know nothing about football, this book made me feel like that was the least important bit. Grace’s story is both sad, yet triumphant. It really goes to show that when your friends have your back, there is nothing you can’t accomplish. In 2025, it is a terrifying world for trans and queer people. It was nice to read and believe a story where the trans kid comes out on top and perseveres against all odds.

Would recommend to readers who enjoy queer fiction, YA, high school drama, and maybe a little football.

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

I have hated football since I was a small child dragged across counties for my brothers' football games, so I am a hard reader to win over to a football book, but One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller did it. We follow Grace Woodhouse who gave up her potential future as a star athlete to transition, losing her team, her identity as a football player, and her girlfriend in the process, but none of them want to give up on her. At times, the teen boys in this book felt a little idealized, but this book is a spark of hope for the future of women in sports, and the future of trans athletes. Narrator Jen Richards broad the broad cast of characters to life seamlessly and allowed the emotional story to land with a punch. Overall, a sweet and uplifting story we need right now, even if I still can't say that I, personally, love football.

Hoping this is on everyoens TBR this summer! Such a great read and wonderful audiobook.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The representation was very well mapped out and flowed nicely. At first I thought Grace’s experiences were very farfetched, but as the story progressed it really turned out to be very relatable. I loved the narrator!!! This was a great coming of age book to listen to and finish during pride month!

I finished the book satisfied, delighted, and excited about it.

I completely fell in love with Grace's character and her self-discovery. The development of her relationship with the sport she once loved, with the teammates she considered friends, and her new friendships.

And this is where Victoria Zeller's great work comes in; there was a good balance between the sports scenes and the chaos and teenage drama. This was accompanied by some narrated scenes from the past that helped us understand Grace a little better. These scenes had me with a lump in my throat because they were narrated in the second person, revealing the comments and thoughts that tormented our protagonist.

Without a doubt, the ending of the book is the one that stays with me the most. I don't want to spoil too much, but I do want to mention that it shows the impact of "small revolutions," doing those things that we know make us happy and fulfilled, but that may go beyond what society expects of us.

This is a highly recommended read.

4,25 stars!!

I’m so happy this book exists. It belongs on every YA pride month reading list, and in schools for kids to have access to year round. It’s a cute and wholesome book about being trans and playing sports, with a mostly accepting and supportive community around. It’s sweet and deals with the tough stuff in a careful but validating manner. It’s a little bit verbose, there are really so many details about everything (e.g., how the locker room looks, the rules of football, grandma’s garden, etc.) that it bogs down the actual storytelling and could make the book seem intimidatingly long. It’s not a tough book to read by any means, it’s easy and fun and paints an empathetic picture of a trans experience that I imagine would be super helpful for young people who are either going through something similar or trying to understand a perspective they don’t have a lot of experience with yet.

A solid YA sports coming of age debut about Grace, a trans girl who re-joins her old football team and has to negotiate being a girl, hurt feelings from old friends and what her future in football might be light after high school. The trans rep was well done, I liked learning more about high school football and seeing more female players. Recommended for fans of books like Home field advantage, May the best man win or Like other girls. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

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 there.

Contemporary fiction is not usually what I read and enjoy most but this one was a great read. The way the author writes it's just really effective and really compelling. The characters are really well flesh out, everything is extremely realistic and we have character development for all of them.

But what I loved most about the book was Grace and her journey, how much she grows, how she fight for what she wants and all of the relationships and reactions to her fight.
This is an important novel, that tells a great message written with care.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! It was very engaging right from the beginning. Really well done for a debut especially and expertly narrated by Jen Richards, Victoria Zeller's voice worked for me all the way through. I look forward to whatever she puts out next.

To be honest, I rarely pick up YA stories that are not also romances but I'm so glad I got to read this one. And it's one of those sportsy books that makes me care about the game (even when I know literally nothing about the game) and feels written in a way that feels accurate.

The story has just the right balance of hope and challenges that make it feel real. Grace is figuring things out - she makes mistakes, she has some struggles - but you always feel that she is going to be okay in the end. Grace's friends and other supporters are wonderful and charming (if sometimes flawed). And all of that makes it easier to stomach the transphobes that sadly make the story sadly authentic.

Bonus for the Buffalo-adjacent setting - an area I've visited many times and thus felt familiar.

Read this book & thank me later!

This is one of my top tier reads of the year and of all time. I love this book so much. I think it sat a fantastic example for great allyship, parenting a trans kid, & trans sports awareness. The ride or die fellow athletes & friends really made this book next level. The writing & pacing are perfect & Jen Richards’ narration is STUNNING.

This is on my list of queer YA books that all adults need to read.

A major thank you to Recorded Books, Victoria Zeller, & Jen Richards for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.