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.

I loved this! The combination of a queer coming of age story with a little secret romance and a lot of community support is perfection. This book combines the angst of being a teenager and feeling out of place with the desire to hold on to things that no longer fit in a way that is incredibly relatable. I love this friend group so freaking much. I couldn't keep all the football players straight, and definitely not the theater kids, but that feels like a feature and not a bug. The way Grace names people thinks like tarot let me know she struggles to keep everyone straight too. There are some tough parts to this book, but thats true of life, especially when you're trans. This is such an impressive debut, and I look forward to reading more from Zeller in the future.

I enjoyed this book but I also have a few mixed feelings too. I thought it was a very realistic in it's portrayal of both the teen experience and the trans experience. I REALLY appreciated all the nuance that was acknowledged in this book. I also really appreciated the small slights the trans main character experienced that felt true to life. Sometimes queer books love to feature on big powerful moments of bullying, prejudice, and discrimination and this book has some of that, but it also does a great job of showing how all the every day little things that the people around you do, even those with good intentions, can chip away at you.

My mixed feelings about the book are mostly about how unlikable the MC is. I don't think she started out unlikable at first, but the further into the book we went, then less I liked her and the less I wanted to root for her. I'm not totally opposed to unlikable main characters, however, I find myself approving of unlikable characters in lit fic more than any other genre and I feel like that's because those stories are less likely to be about the individual characters and their arcs and more likely to be about bigger sweeping statements and commentary on humanity, society, etc.

Of course real people are as complicated as Grace is in this novel so I can absolutely forgive her flaws, but contemporary YA novels are often made up of generous doses of idealism and fantasy (in the not real life sense, not the wizards and dragons sense). Deviating from this norm isn't inherently bad, more something I'm not really used to which probably detracted from my enjoyment more than I would have liked it to.

That being said, there's also something a bit refreshing when all the characters have a flaw or two.

And I would say that the character development here is good. And not just for our main character. Even the characters who had really small roles and little to no development felt genuine, such as Grace's father.

I also want to complement the pacing of this book which was PERFECT. The story unfolded with timing that was interesting and not too predictable.

I recommend this for those looking for sincere queer stories.

CN. Transphobia, Homophobia

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

I am a simple trans gal. You show me a new book with a trans character and I want to read it. If only they were all as good as One of the Boys.

Grace Woodhouse is a high school girl relatively recent to her transition. Last year she was the star kicker of the football team, but she was incredibly unhappy with where she was at. When her old teammates ask her to rejoin the team her already complicated school year becomes even more complex. Thankfully, she has friends, new and old that have her back.

This book destroyed me in so many wonderful and positive ways. I was beyond moved by the support and defence Grace receives from the majority of the people in her life and welled up a number of times.

My somewhat guarded gushing about this book led to an amusing exchange that made me stop and think:

Brina: Third of the way in and loving it. It's a little nicey nicey, but we're allowed that as a treat.

Willow: Love that we see pleasant things as a cheeky treat lmao

Like, this is such a good point. We are allowed to have books about trans characters that are positive and fun. Sure, Grace experiences transphobia, homophobia, and other trials and tribulations over the course of the book, but this is a narrative about her finding her own feet and her kith and kin that support her, and that's beautiful.

An incredibly easy to read YA novel with so much heart and a brilliant exploration of a trans experience.

Wonderful stuff!

I loved this book! The characters strength and resilience were beautiful to read. As a native upstate/western/central New Yorker I loved all the local references too! It also resonated with me as a trans person that has done things that were typically thought of as something that only people of my assigned gender at birth do.
I listened to the audiobook version and liked the voices the narrator used for the different characters.

*4.5
I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It sounded good, but sports books are usually a hit or miss for me. What I did not expect was how much I absolutely loved it. As a trans masc person, I both saw myself in grace, while also learning more about the experience of trans women. This book felt like a sucker punch, in the best way possible.

Something I absolutely need to mention is the use of 2nd person narration in some chapters. It is something that is so hard to do right, but when it is done right it is done well. I have only ever seen 2nd person narration used well once before, but damn was it used well in this too. it had the perfect effect of feeling like Grace could be you, and and made you feel like you were in her shoes a lot more, even if you were not a trans woman. This was probably one of my favourite things about this book, and I absolutely loved it

Last I have to mention the narration. The ARC I received was specifically an audiobook ARC, and I am so grateful that it was. Jen Richards did an absolute amazing job at embodying Grace. I also adored that they actually chose a trans woman to be the narrator for this. It was really great.