This Is How It Always Is - Target Book Club Edition

This will appeal to the Clinicians, Parents of Trans Children, Individuals who want to understand what the Parenting experience is like and in my opinion anyone who wants to care! The writing style and rhythm of the writing takes a little getting used to, but it is well worth it! It may not bug you, but for me it was something to overcome. Ultimately, I felt like she was writing our lived story!

I wanted to like this book so much. Unfortunately, the reality is that it's full of needlessly long-winded passages, poorly developed characters, the parents refer to their trans kid in uncomfortable ways, includes a ruthless and unnecessarily detailed description of violence against a trans woman, and a healthy dose of racism in part 3. It was focused on the parents virtue signaling rather than communicating with their daughter, the writing predictable and clumsy while trying to be quirky and endearing. It made me uncomfortable as a trans person to read, and I genuinely hope the author realizes it doesn't come off as the love letter to her trans daughter she intended. It had a few moments of coziness and endearing connection, but the bad, uninformed, and just plain tone-deafness of the novel really overtook the positives. I wouldn't recommend it to teach or entertain anyone

I have not even finished this book yet, and it is already one of the best books I have ever read. It is so important to read no matter what your age or your situation. It is elegantly written and so unapologetically honest.

This is such a beautifully written story about a family’s love. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend! 💛