A review by skudiklier
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I mostly liked this and thought it was well-done. There were some things I didn't like (like
changing Poppy's pronouns and name back at the drop of a hat without her even explicitly saying that
) but I like that at least it ended on a more nuanced note. A bunch of the reviews for this book were disappointing though, and I wish it were made more clear by the book that supporting your kid in being trans from a young age isn't the wrong move. Anyway. Overall I liked it, it was nice, it was well-written. Just not perfect. 

Oh also, if you're trans, a very specific part of this is really hard to read. Look at the spoiler in my content warnings for more detail. 
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