Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father’s image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger.
One big
problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn’t grow up in this town, and
he has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren’t exactly with the in-crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing,
these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling
to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and
engage with voters—and even start a new romance. But with an
investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to
silence him, and a bully front-runner who stands in his way, Mark will
have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are
just as dangerous. (Pub Date: Jun 1, 2021)
It's such a happy occasion when you're able to read a book by a transsexual about a transsexual, that's why you gotta love the promotion of ownvoices reads. And guess what? That isn't even in the top 5 of things you'll love in this book.
Though there are a lot of mentions of Scandal and The West Wing, the dynamics reminded me a lot of The Politician (just not so weird). In Mark's case, though, his intention had been to go unnoticed by his schoolmates, pretty much satisfied with his underground queer club pretending to be a French club, until he witnessed the bullying of a colleague and he couldn't not act against the unfairness of their Utopia school (that's the name, ironically, but Mark notices he was the one thinking he was in utopia). So he gets his friends together and they campaign for him to become president of the student body, which will lead him to get closer to Ralph, one of his friend's twin brother. The catch is that Mark was born the daughter of a uprising politician who won't accept his son is transsexual, and he moved to Utopia exactly to finally be able to live as Mark, his real self. Won't that election expose him and his family's secrets?
A good part of the book is about Mark's conflict with coming out as a trans kid, only two of his friends really know the truth and though it bothers him that the others don't, he's not sure if it'll change things and he's really proud of himself that he could pass as a cis male. Knowing trans people myself, but from an earlier generation, I wasn't ready for being trans to be a deal you could keep secret (unless you haven't transitioned, I mean), and isn't it amazing that kids nowadays can actually be Mark? I wonder if this is the kind of story that can only be told now, raising a new discussion of how to behave if you find out your friend is trans, for example. This books deals very well with that and I hope that part isn't utopia.
We've got a lot to discuss as the book goes on, so the reader gets his stomach full with food for thought. But the characters are also great. Though it would usually be hard to identify with the rich and intelligent Mark, he's dealing with so much inside, the contrast is beautiful (as long as you're not in his skin). All the politics present is also fun and reminded me a lot of us waiting for the results of the 2020 presidential race. Bravo to the author for being able to insert that fun and expectation in a written story you could just skip to the results. I wonder if school elections can really get that intense haha.
This doesn't deserve full stars because I still think the book lacked in some aspects. It had a trans kid as a main character, yes, but the story itself wasn't so different. You knew what would happen and where it would get us, so it could have brought a few plot twists. Though I liked the main couple, I thought their romance was also lukewarm, it wasn't a must for a 5-star book but it could have brought it closer. Most of all, the book often got lost in itself making it drag in some parts, unless you ended up skipping them, so better editing would have been welcome. The feeling that I was reading The Politician with a more sane cast was everlasting as well, and though I like the series, I preferred if the book had its own thing.
Despite my critics, I still feel the book is made of win and deserves a chance. Recommended for anyone in search of a well written LGBT YA read.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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