None of the Above ~ Book Review

Title: None of the Above

Author: I.W. Gregorio

Published: April 7, 2015

Hardcover: 352 pages 

Goodreads Synopsis: 
A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Brief Overview: 

Kristen is a senior in high school who has it all- she is homecoming queen, a great track runner, a great group of friends, and a fantastic boyfriend. On Homecoming night, Kristen decides to have sex with her boyfriend and things turn out to be a disaster! She decides to go see a doctor and discovers that she is an intersex. Intersex means that you have both female and male chromosomes and Kristen also has boy "parts".  

My Thoughts:

I actually have never heard of this book until I saw it pop up everywhere on a Top Ten Tuesday, the topic was "the best diverse books". When I adventured this week to my library, I saw it sitting on the shelf, and I knew I had to read it. 
This was my first book with characters who are intersex. I think everyone should read this book. I am not very educated with individuals who are intersex and this was the perfect book to help me understand it. The author is a surgeon and this story was inspired by one of her patients. In the writing, you could tell that the author knew a lot about the medical side of this condition. It was very easy to understand all the terminology and I felt like I learned a lot after reading this book. This book is perfect for gaining awareness about intersex. I highly recommend reading it!

Things I Loved About This Book: 

• It felt very real- the characters dealt with their problems in a very realistic high school way. 

• The story has some great information and educated me on this condition. It helped me understand something I knew very little about in the beginning.

• The diversity in this book is done very well! I felt like I was reading something that I do not typically read. 

Things I Didn't Like About This Book:

• The characters roles were very predictable in this book. I felt like I knew the direction of the book within in the first few chapters.

• The ending was a little abrupt. I wanted a little more, a short epilogue would have been nice.

Favorite Quote:

"We were both silent for a minute. And I wondered for the first time whether "feeling feminine" just meant feeling good in your own skin."

Goodreads Rating:

Have you read this book yet?? Are you planning to add it to your reading list?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!!