Gooseberry is more than a story about a dog. This is about being young and queer, and all the ways it can be difficult but also wonderful. While not reflective of any of my own experiences (expect trying to train a dog) I imagine that many young readers will see themselves in this book. I love that this story exists for all of them. 

On a personal note, I don’t have anyone in my life who uses pronouns other than she/he/they. Listening to this audiobook felt like a learning experience through repeated exposure. That’s one of the coolest things about reading, you get to learn about people/places/things outside of your own lived experience.

Meet our main character B. They are living with some not-so-great foster parents at the start of the story. They are nonbinary and have some traits that suggest they are autistic, and probably definitely anxiety. A lot of anxiety. These foster parents basically force B to go to a block party that they have no interest in attending. But in the end, it’s kind of a good thing they went because they ran into the best dog ever, Gooseberry. Although the fosters are complete buttheads, lucky for B they decide they aren’t a good fit. Shortly after, B goes to live with a new couple, Jodie and Wisteria! With the help of some amazing school friends and their new fosters, they learn how to thrive. Oh, and of course, Gooseberry gets adopted by B and their moms.

I loved loved loved the parallel between B and Gooseberry’s lives. This story somehow made me incredibly sad and happy the entire time.

Unrelated to the book but definitely related to this review— I just read Robin Gow’s bio on fae’s website and omg he’s amazing! I immediately signed up for their newsletter.