Stay Gold

by Tobly McSmith

Book Overview

Debut author Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who's going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she's counting down the days until graduation. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Becky Albertalli, and Jenny Han.

Pony plans to fly under the radar this year. Tired of getting too much attention at his old school after coming out as...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062943170
• ISBN13: 9780062943170
• Release Date: May 2020
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.8" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

just another book about trans trauma

A lot of this book centers around trans trauma, and one of the most important plot points is a LITERAL HATE CRIME. I would definitely not recommend it to any trans readers for this reason. The main message of this book is pushed from the start: being out is necessary for all trans people, even if it makes them uncomfortable and results in them being in wildly unsafe situations. This is an unhealthy message, for obvious reasons. Trans people do not choose to be trans, and it has never been their responsibility to suffer publicly in order for cis people to be ~inspired by their bravery~. Additionally, a lot of the characters' relationships are underdeveloped. Even after reading the book, I still question why the main character's best friend borderline bullied him about not being out -- why were they even friends??? Why does the main character intentionally say homophobic things to try to fit in when he could just as easily...*not*? This book was overall just...frustrating. Would not recommend.