Eighteen-year-old narrator Kristin Lattimer has it all: Sam, a boyfriend who loves her; two BFFs, Vee and Faith; and a kind, supportive widower father. But after she and Sam have painful intercourse, and Krissy goes to aa gynecologist for the first time, she discovers that she has AIS (androgen insensitivity syndrome).
I.W. Gregorio, a practicing surgeon making her debut as a novelist, clearly describes what Krissy goes through, both physically and emotionally, as a result of AIS. The heroine looks like a female but has some of the internal characteristics of a male. "[L]ife was a multiple-choice test with two answers; Male or Female. And I was None of the Above," Krissy thinks. She confides her secret only to her most trusted friends, yet somehow her diagnosis becomes known all over the school. Gregorio credibly describes Krissy's feelings of isolation and betrayal, and shows how a true friend or two and a sense of purpose help Krissy through this traumatic time of questioning her identity, her decision about whether to have surgery to remove the internal male characteristics, and how to face her classmates after the vicious comments they've made.
Gregorio never falters in her authentic portrayal of Krissy's journey to self-acceptance, and her characterizations of supporting characters as they are affected by Krissy's situation is spot-on. Pair this with Beyond Magenta for teens who may be exploring gender identity for themselves, and the people who care about them. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness