Name: Emelie's review of None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
Item: None of the Above
Rating: 4
Author: Emelie

I. W. Gregorio

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she's intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between. What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant? When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him. But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts." Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

None of the Above

Angela Vang

Emelie

Aaliyah Jenkins

This is an important book for people like me who have had little to no exposure on what it means to be intersex. As someone who is constantly trying to become more aware of the world around them, this book was a breath of fresh air. I genuinely enjoyed the story and it I felt like my eyes were opened, and ultimately what more could I have asked for. This book started a conversation for me. I am more aware now than I was before I read this book, and I am above all excited that I now have one more tool in my arsenal to help me navigate through this world we all call home.

jess

the plot itself wasn't anything special, but the issue that the plot took on was a FANTASTIC issue to deal with. we don't hear much about intersex individuals, and it's so relieving to see a book dealing with gender in that sort of way.

the plot was similar to many coming-out-stories, but it was compelling and the fact that it wasn't about sexuality was really nice. nice diversity, we need more.

Maria Luiza

** spoiler alert **
           This was an interesting book. I couldn't put it down but I also can't say I liked it. 

I got really educated on the subject and for this I'm really thankful for. However, the plot was kind of obvious from the beginning. Even the assault scene at the end, who Kristin was going to end up with (and really, did he had to have a girlfriend and break up with her? Couldn't he just have been single? I really hate this trope) and who was actually lying to Kristin. 

Also, it was really frustrating seeing rape jokes and "run like a girl" jokes on a book supposed to be so woke. I know even woke people sometimes say shit like that but it just felt out of place.

All things said, it was really enjoyable and a quick read, and I'm thankful I know more about this community.

Chrissy

The premise of this book was very intriguing but I found the writing style lacking. I'm not one to discuss writing style too often because I don't think of myself as someone who is good at interpreting the different types but I noticed in the beginning I thought it read pretty juvenile and I kept thinking the Krissy was 15 instead of 18. With that aside I found this a very interesting and important read, I feel like I learned from this book and I feel others who are not educated on intersex will too, this book included some real intersex people which lead me to do some research of my own and I always appreciate that in a work of fiction. There is a focus on getting support from others and seeking friendship from those who will stand by you. I loved Gretchen, a character Krissy becomes friends with, she was a great role model and helpful to Krissy. 
I find some of the events that took place so believe and that's what makes it so sad. High school can really suck, you just have to find the right people to be by your side. 
I found the ending pretty predictable but I was also sad for it to just end there. I would have liked a little more from the story but I do see that it did achieve what I feel like the author meant to achieve.

Jessica Williamson

3.75 Stars

This book destroyed me in the best way possible.

Krissy's character just blew me away. I feel so protective of her. There were parts of the story where I just wanted to reach into the book and beat the ever loving crap out of people. 

Here's the one negative thing I have to say about this book. Nothing surprised me. There weren't any big reveals or twists or anything like that. I pretty much knew where everything was going from the dance scene on. 

That being said, there is so much that happens in this book that just reached out to me and I can't even tell you how many times I was crying. From anger, from happiness, from sadness. It was all there. This book gave me ALL THE FEELS.

I like where the book went and I like how we got there. The different doctors' visits and explanations into Intersex and what that means, it was all so realistic. You felt like you were sitting in the dr's office with Krissy, you could see her confusion, feel her panic. It was so heartbreaking and yet, so well written. 

I'll just leave you with this beauty 

"...love isn't a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes."

Rebeca 

5 stars!! 

This book was soooo good!!! I haven’t had much time to read much due to work but I recently had my wisdom tooth taken out and thought this would be the perfect time to read since I wouldn’t be going back to work for a few days and I’m so glad I chose this!!! It was informative and at the same time i couldn’t put it down. The main character’s emotions were felt completely and the author did a good job with that. I would recommend this to anybody.

Ariel Himboi

When I first hauled this book from BookOutlet I was amazed to see a young adult book in the perspective of anintersexteen coming into terms with her condition as well as the family and romantic drama that her life entails. The story certainly read like young adult, in a style that really had me hesitant to keep reading. I felt that the story would lose its purpose, and while it did in the end, I was very happy to have finished it nonetheless. 

Some points about the book I like is that ignorance was mentioned quite often from the doctor and both the new friends that Kristin, our main protagonist,makes along her journey as her secret gets spread around the school.

Now, I should have known that the story would be a little bit more lighthearted than a regular novel as it is brewing on teeens to adult. The subject was serious and I do think that the author did a good job od educating the readers and writing a story that really showed certain aspects of the MC's life and her daily challenges, as well as dealing with depression. 

There were certain times especially from the beginning that I did dislike Kristin. At this point I was fed up with her constant self-deprivating thoughts and making excuses as to why she could not love herself. I realize now that it is a feeling we all share, of being scared and unsure of everything. Her world did turn upside down. But I couldn't help but feel annoyed that along the way she received an abundance of support from peers and family, and yet she did not listen to them.

Towards the end past 200 pages I was happily noticing the differences in the character development, for one Kristin was making friends. Kristin was acknowledging her diagnosis and was making small efforts to put herself in a positive situation.

There were times in this book that I was emotionally invested in the story and characters, but the ending sorta fell flat. Disappointing is an understatement to how I felt. I know that this is a young adult book, but I felt before that the author was smart enough not to make this a center romance, and that we could have a strong female lead who didn't rely on romance to "fix" her thoughts or self esteem. 

Sure, the friendhsip was cute and I liked where things were going, but I am a stickler for pointing out when books give female leads "boys" who make the girl realize she's amazing, and that because she is loved by a boy, she is fine. I felt that while Kristin was on her way of becoming stronger and taking a step towards ignorance and living her life to the fullest by conquering names and faces, all that of a wonderful story was dumped when the romance took over the last few chapters. 

I want to give credit to the sdtory building and good driven characters, but I expected more out of this story, and was hoping I would get more out of it than I did. What was all of it for, if in the last 30 pages Kristin found "Love" to be her soul inspiration to do something?

I choose to believe that the author has more of Kristin in her, but I am sadly mistaken to think this story would ever be written a different way. 

It was a good book, positively 3*'s, but could have been more.

Christina Hufford

Review originally posted on blog here.

I loved it. Very emotional, very true, very fair — I loved that the author is a practicing surgeon, it gave that much more authority and sincerity to the writing. The main character, Kristin, finds out she’s intersex and has to deal with her perception of her own identity suddenly tipping upside down — and you realize that it wasn’t so much her identity that changed, but it was how everyone else suddenly treated her that totally upended her world. While cruel and disappointing, the way she was bullied rang true: people can be so quick to turn on friends and loved ones as soon as a “weakness” or “difference” crops up. If someone is labeled as “Other”, their feelings and bodies and rights get dismissed. “They’re Other, they’re Strange, they’re Abnormal so we don’t have to treat them as a human anymore.” None of the Above really exposed that side of people. I hope people pay attention to this book. And consider the human element when they balk at and bully someone for having a life, body, or identity different than their own.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Jointly reviewed with my co-blogger, Becca!

“That was When I realized that life was a multiple-choice test with two answers: Male and Female, And I was None Of The Above.”


THE STORY:
Lisa: This book was so different than I thought it would be. I was actually hesitant to read it, strictly because of all the hype it was receiving. But when Becca said she was ready to start this one, I decided now was the right time. We jumped in and we both immediately fell in love with Kristin and her story.

Kristin’s teenage years are going pretty amazing. She’s dating a guy, Sam, who she’s madly in love with, she was recently crowned Homecoming Queen, and she’s got a group of girlfriends that she has a blast with. When she decides to take her relationship with Sam to the next level, things change. It does go quite as she had planned, which leads her to immediately schedule an appointment to see a gynecologist. It’s at that appointment that she finds out she’s intersex and even has “male parts”. She’s only able to keep this a secret for a short time before the entire school finds out and her whole life changes for that point forward.

Becca: I completely agree Lisa! I was a bit hesitant to start this one as well, I was worried that it would be dark and difficult to read. I was surprised and pleased at the way Gregorio wrote this, she handled such a challenging and intense topic so brilliantly! This was not full of angst and anger, but gave such a detailed picture of Kristin from her diganosis and through everything she was put through before and after. Don’t get me wrong, Gregorio did not paint a false picture of AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) and make it all rainbows and sunshine. We see Kristin go through all of the ups and downs and more downs. We see her grow and learn about this disorder, and as the reader we learn about it as well. It really was absolutely amazing!

 
THE CHARACTERS:
Becca: The character development in this story was outstanding! Especially Kristin! Gregorio worked hard to build this story so that we understood fully who Kristin was before her diagnosis and afterward. At the beginning Kristin is a bit of a self-centered, popular teen. After she finds about her AIS and how she is “different” all of that changes. As more people find out about her things change even more. It is always amazing to me when an Author can build a character and helo them grow and by the end, you cannot believe the person they were at the beginning of the story. Gregorio made that happen with Kristin and it was so beautiful.

The secondary characters are essential to this story, her best friends, boyfriend and other teens she goes to school with all choose sides. The way that Gregorio wrote the reactions of the other teens was a bit hard to read in some places. It was necessary to the story and completely realistic. We also meet Krissy’s Father and Aunt who stand by her side and try their best to help her. This cast of characters that Gregorio creates are so diverse and unique.

“My cheeks flushed, and I felt a wave of warmth throughout my body, but not because of the subject matter. Because she had used the word us.
It was one of those times when you don’t realize how lonely you are until, suddenly, there’s someone by your side.”

Lisa: I agree with Becca that the secondary characters were very essential to the story. I only wish that their relationships and backgrounds were explored a bit more so we could have a better understanding of them. They were such an important part of Kristin’s story, yet I felt like I really never really got to know who they were.

Kristin, however, was developed quite wonderfully. Her struggles, her emotions and feelings, her fears and worries, even her hopes and dreams, all were extremely realistic and were felt right off the page. I have difficulty with emotional stories in general since I take on the feelings and emotions of the characters far too much… and this story was no exception. My heart was breaking for Kristin and her struggles. I’m happy that the entire story wasn’t sad and depressing though. In fact, it had a very content and uplifting message enclosed as well. Kristin is an MC that you can’t help but fall in love with, and because of that this story will have a huge impact on a lot of people.


OVERALL:
Lisa: I.W. Gregorio took such a sensitive, never-talked-about topic and made such a gorgeous story out of it. I’m so happy this story was told. Teens and adults alike will definitely benefit from reading a story like this. I honestly didn’t know much about AIS going into this story, but now after reading it I’m left with a pretty clear understanding of what it consists of and how a person’s life can be influenced by the diagnosis. A very strong debut from a shining author that I hope to see more from in the future.

Becca: Lisa is so right! I feel much the same as she does, I left this story feeling that I really understood AIS and that this novel will open a lot of people’s eyes. I loved that the entire story wasn’t dark and that it had a very positive message. My one small complaint? Lisa and I were both a bit shocked when it ended, the ending just seemed to pop up and I was I said out loud… “WAIT?! It’s over?!” I definitely needed more from that ending and would read a sequel if Gregorio ever wrote one. I really feel like there is more to tell in Kristin’s story. However, I have really become a fan of Gregorio’s writing and will be on the lookout for more by her in the future.

“Love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

(Thanks to Balzer + Bray for the review copy!)

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Angela Vang &
None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

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