None of the Above

I thought this book was not only easy to read and enjoy, but taught me about the subject of intersex individuals. It's a really good book.

I'M IN LOVE! Seriously. I can not believe this is her first book. I mean wow! I've ready 23 books in 5 months and I'm not sure I read any of them in 3 sittings in less than 24 hours. I'm really sad it's done. I love the characters, the story, the message, the humor, the pain, the writing style, the dialogue... all of it. I think everyone should have to read this book. It should be in every school. Every parent should be given one at the hospital. I can't gush enough. I'm so impressed. Bravo debut! She'll be an auto-buy author of mine forever. JUST SO GOOD!

This book took my world by storm. From page one of None of the Above I was captivated. The characters latched onto my heart any wouldn’t let go. The fluid writing style had me flipping pages faster well into the night. I wasn’t expecting to love this book or these characters so much but I couldn’t help but love everything about this story. Kristin’s story of learning that she is an Intersex Individual was both poignant and moving. The questions and thoughts rolling around in Kristin’s head really have us questioning what it means to be male or female, and Physical Gender vs. Gender Identity. Kristin’s story become exponentially more devastating when the entire school finds out that she is intersex. Kristin finds herself in the middle of an identity crisis all while losing her closest friends, her boyfriend, and truly questioning who she is. Throughout her crisis she finds there is an unexpected constant; the son of her father’s ex-girlfriend Darren who goes to school with Kristin. When her friends and peers turn their back on her Darren shows increasing support of Kristin and befriends when she needs him most. There are points throughout this story where Kristin is a bit whiny and wallowing in her sadness, and it can get a bit old. To be honest I can’t really say that I would be any different had I been in her shoes. She goes through a monumental change and morphs into a strong, resilient, and empowered young woman. I couldn’t be prouder of this character and her growth. The author did a tremendously fabulous job creating Kristin and developing her character throughout the story. The supporting characters are all great in their own ways. Kristin’s father and Darren are my two favorites of the supporting characters for that specific reason that they are supportive of her and what she’s dealing with. They are patient and kind and are willing to help her work through and process the changes she’s going through. This book needs to be shared, loaned, and spread around. The teachings of acceptance, patience, and resilience is so valuable in todays society where there is so much intolerance. If you’ve read this book and enjoyed it I recommend reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; or if you’ve read that book and enjoyed it I recommend None of the Above.

I really, really like how I.W. Gregorio wrote the story about Krissy. It felt heartbreakingly real, the different stages she went through and how big an impact a diagnoses, like this one, has on everybody. And it shows that there is a lot of work to be done, getting better educated about the subject of being born intersex. I hope that this book can help with that. I certainly went to all the difficulties with Krissy, I felt disbelief, rage, frustration, betray.....and in the end, there was a little ray of hope. Well written and very sensitive is "None of the Above" a book I highly recommend everyone to read. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray!

Loved this book on so many levels. In part I picked it up to support a diverse writer and equally a book with a diverse subject. That alone would not make me enjoy a book. Great writing, the prose is not complicated, over sentimental, it hits the mark of being just right. Making an impact without going overboard. Hitting you in the gut when it needs too. I wanted to hurt someone/something when Kristin is first outed in school. The author made those scenes feel authentic. Can't most of us imagine (or fear) similar events happening for all sorts of "wrongs" others might judge us for, especially when we were teenagers? I could. I also many times wondered what I would have done if something like this happened when I was in school. Would I be the nice person I like to think of myself as? Or would I pretend I didn't see what was happening around me? What would I feel like if a doctor told me something life changing? Overall the author treated all these questions in ways I could relate to or understand. And the ending felt like it came right when it should and it felt right. Highly recommend the book.

None of The Above by I.W. Gregorio is a realistic fiction book about a girl who is intersex. The protagonist is Kristin Lattimer. She’s a high school girl who’s voted Homecoming queen, a state champion hurdler, with a full scholarship and a boyfriend Sam who is also Homecoming king. This story is told in the first person, through the eyes of the protagonist, Kristin. The author goes throughout the story being very descriptive with her emotions and feelings inside and out. Kristin’s high school career seems to be ideal and filled with perfect surprises. She has gone through all 13 school years with her two lifelong best friends, Faith and Vee. Sam, Kristin’s boyfriend is a well-rounded kid. This story takes place in a small city filled with kind people. When prom night rolls around, nothing went as planned. When Kristin won Homecoming queen, the rest of the night slowly fell apart. Sam and Kristin’s intimate plans became unbearable. She started to worry and wonder what was wrong. A suggested visit to an OB-GYN by Faith revealed the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that all though outwardly she looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes and boy “parts”. Not knowing how to process this, she goes to Faith for support. When Vee finds out, within the next couple days, the whole school knows… including Sam. In a week, Kristin loses her boyfriend, best friend Vee, all her school friends, and her full scholarship was being questioned. Later when she finds out the truth: that faith told her boyfriend and not Vee, she makes up with Vee and forgives Faith. In the process of coping with her diagnosis she reaches out to a support group and meets Gretchen Lawrence who was also diagnosed. Gretchen helped Kristin not feel alone with her situation and they become good friends. One night Gretchen invited Kristin out to a bar and Kristin’s biggest fear, actually happened. A stranger recognized who she really was and announced it loud and clear in front of the whole bar. Once she realized what had happened, it wasn’t so bad. Darren and all her friends supported her the whole way. After that moment Kristin decided to start a new chapter in her life. The main theme is to love someone for who they are and not what they are. As the author says “You fall for the person, not their chromosomes” I would compare this book to the Twilight movies because even though Edward was a “monster”, Bella still loved him despite the fact he’s a vampire. I would rate this book a 5/5 because it was well written and really touching. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes intense drama and life scenarios. It’s more for the mature group, anyone in the high school level due to the descriptive context and mature content.

I feel bad for not having liked this book but it was... bland. I think the subject this book is trying to talk about is *very* important, it does a really goob job at explaining what being intersex means and I'm pretty sure there isn't any other book that explains it all so well other than this one which is why 'None of the Above' is important. But at the same time the characters are not that good, they don't feel real, I couldn't bring myself to really care or feel anything for any of them, they were mostly all flat. Even the main character didn't made me feel anything, the entire book is from her point of view and yet I couldn't relate to her. And the story was boring too, nothing really happens. If you're looking for a book that will make you understand what being intersex means this is the book for you, but if you don't care about the subject matter and you're just looking for a compelling book with well-written characters then nope, that's not the one, sorry.

4? 4.5? This is a fabulous novel and is so important. It's so important for people to learn more about those who are intersex and what that is like, and this book hopefully provides some more visibility on the topic. So much of the focus of LGBTQ+ discussions leaves out intersex, leaving most people very unaware of what that actually means. This is manifested in the majority of Kristen's school. This story broke my heart and then slowly healed it again. I learned so much along the way, and it was just an emotional rollercoaster. The characters really add such a depth to the story and to the conflicts. I feel like there might be criticism about some of Kristen's friendships, but oh my gosh did I see my own middle/high school friend dynamics in there (minus the partying). And I would hate to think about how non-tolerant those in Kristen's school were, but to be honest, I don't find it surprising. High school can be so ruthless and terrible, and teens can be so quick to tear one another down. But I think another important experience and lesson to be learned here is that despite all the terrible people (or the good people who make bad decisions), there are also really decent and amazing people who don't care and will stick up for you. And seeing that in this book was such a treasure. I cried so much while reading this, but every tear was worth it. But before I forget or get sidetracked, I want to bring it back to this being about a girl who just founds out she's intersex and is struggling to figure out her identity when she feels it's being taken away. It is just so powerful, but it's also so impactful for anyone who goes through a time where they feel they're losing/they have lost their identity, even when it's something that doesn't truly define you or your personality. I just think this story was beautiful, and I couldn't put it down. That being said, there were large parts of the story that were pretty predictable, including that ending. And there were a few other things, but I think they are far outweighed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and while I don't know that it would make my Top 10 of 2015 list, it sure is amazing and definitely needs to be read by all.

None of the Above was a powerful and emotional read about a girl dealing with finding out that she is intersex. It is the first book that I have ever read with an intersex character, so I'm glad that this book exists, because it helped to shed light on a topic that I knew almost nothing about. This book was both a good read, and an educational experience. POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD Before reading this book, I knew just about nothing about what intersex really was. This book really shed light on it and helped me to understand better what it meant. I thought this book did a good job of being informative on the topic while also telling a story about a character. The character had to learn what being intersex meant, so the reader got to learn right along with her. I really liked this, because I think it was good that it explained being intersex, since a lot of readers weren't going to know what that meant and entailed. There was a lot of bullying in this book that was awful to read about, and a lot of it is because of ignorance. The people in Kristin's school don't know what being intersex means so they say she's really a man, and other things like that. I didn't like that people reacted so horribly instead of showing human kindness and decency to Kristin when she was going through a tough time, but I thought that it was very realistic. Maybe in some very progressive areas, no one would react badly to that, but in a lot of areas, people will react with ignorance to something that they don't understand. Darren was a great character, because he was someone who liked Kristin because she was who she was, and he didn't care what chromosomes she had. This was truly such a stark contrast to the reaction of the boy who was Kristin's boyfriend, Sam. Darren was a genuinely good guy, and I was rooting for him to have a relationship with Kristin, or I would have been fine with it remaining a friendship, too. I just wanted him to continue to be in Kristin's life in some way. I was a fan of the way that their story arc ended. I liked Kristin's father, and how he was doing the best he could do with things that were difficult for him. He wasn't upset that Kristin was intersex, but he knew she wasn't happy about it, and he wanted to be there for her, but sometimes he struggled with knowing the best way to support her through her difficult times. Also, she didn't always let him know everything that was going on, so he didn't know how tough things really were for her. If you like YA contemporary and want to read a book with an intersex main character, read this book.

THE STORY: Lisa: This book was so different than I thought it would be. I was actually hesitant to read it, strictly because of all the hype it was receiving. But when Becca said she was ready to start this one, I decided now was the right time. We jumped in and we both immediately fell in love with Kristin and her story. Kristin’s teenage years are going pretty amazing. She’s dating a guy, Sam, who she’s madly in love with, she was recently crowned Homecoming Queen, and she’s got a group of girlfriends that she has a blast with. When she decides to take her relationship with Sam to the next level, things change. It does go quite as she had planned, which leads her to immediately schedule an appointment to see a gynecologist. It’s at that appointment that she finds out she’s intersex and even has “male parts”. She’s only able to keep this a secret for a short time before the entire school finds out and her whole life changes for that point forward. Becca: I completely agree Lisa! I was a bit hesitant to start this one as well, I was worried that it would be dark and difficult to read. I was surprised and pleased at the way Gregorio wrote this, she handled such a challenging and intense topic so brilliantly! This was not full of angst and anger, but gave such a detailed picture of Kristin from her diganosis and through everything she was put through before and after. Don’t get me wrong, Gregorio did not paint a false picture of AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) and make it all rainbows and sunshine. We see Kristin go through all of the ups and downs and more downs. We see her grow and learn about this disorder, and as the reader we learn about it as well. It really was absolutely amazing! THE CHARACTERS: Becca: The character development in this story was outstanding! Especially Kristin! Gregorio worked hard to build this story so that we understood fully who Kristin was before her diagnosis and afterward. At the beginning Kristin is a bit of a self-centered, popular teen. After she finds about her AIS and how she is “different” all of that changes. As more people find out about her things change even more. It is always amazing to me when an Author can build a character and helo them grow and by the end, you cannot believe the person they were at the beginning of the story. Gregorio made that happen with Kristin and it was so beautiful. The secondary characters are essential to this story, her best friends, boyfriend and other teens she goes to school with all choose sides. The way that Gregorio wrote the reactions of the other teens was a bit hard to read in some places. It was necessary to the story and completely realistic. We also meet Krissy’s Father and Aunt who stand by her side and try their best to help her. This cast of characters that Gregorio creates are so diverse and unique. “My cheeks flushed, and I felt a wave of warmth throughout my body, but not because of the subject matter. Because she had used the word us. It was one of those times when you don’t realize how lonely you are until, suddenly, there’s someone by your side.” Lisa: I agree with Becca that the secondary characters were very essential to the story. I only wish that their relationships and backgrounds were explored a bit more so we could have a better understanding of them. They were such an important part of Kristin’s story, yet I felt like I really never really got to know who they were. Kristin, however, was developed quite wonderfully. Her str

“Be careful of letting others define who – and what- you are.” These are such beautiful words, yet challenging words to follow especially when you are a teen going through some hard bumps in life. Krissy had just made Homecoming Queen; this was the night…… there were special plans for this night, plans for just Krissy and her boyfriend Sam. They followed through with the plans yet something just didn’t feel right. Later, as Krissy tries to wrap her head around the words her doctor reports to her, the night with Sam becomes clearer. Krissy is XY, she has a unique genetic condition, she is intersex. Emotions run rampant in both Krissy and her father as they try to comprehend what this actually means and what they are to do with this information. She tries telling only her two best friends but that line of communication gets breeched and soon the whole school gets wind of the situation and Krissy can’t face what has become of her life. Her life will never be the same. What stood out to me the most about this novel was the way it touched on a variety of topics related to Krissy’s discovery of her condition, how she deals with it and how others deal with her. Like most individuals when they are diagnosed with an condition, they feel that others can visually see their condition just by looking at them. This occurred with Krissy also, as she immediately thought others could tell she was different just by looking at her. It’s funny how our minds do things like that. Then as Krissy tries to go about her day and as she thinks about her future, this dark cloud of intersex hangs over her and she can’t seem to get out from underneath it. A support group and some true individuals help her see that there are sunny days ahead. Krissy has to deal with individuals who can’t get past the name-calling and bullying becomes part of her life. Unfortunately, this book is life for some individuals and I felt for Krissy and I hated that she had to deal with all of these issues. This is not a disorder, like the author states in her notes located in the back of the novel, she states that a disorder means that something is wrong and I had to smile when I read that. She also makes the comment in these notes about terms and how we use them to label people. Terms, individuals thrown around so loosely, creating a label for individuals that we associate them with, creating then a stigma for that person in our mind. Unfortunately, it’s true.

This is such an important, well told story. I feel, even though I have never been through something like this, that it's a realistic portrayal of what a young girl would go through if suddenly her whole world was turned upside down. I think it's important to read this story. It truly opens your mind.

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.) “Could I please schedule surgery as soon as possible to remove my testicles?” This was an emotional story about a girl dealing with bullying, and trying to come to terms with an intersex diagnosis. “Did anyone ever mention anything to you about something called androgen insensitivity syndrome or AIS?” I really liked Kristin, she was such a sweet girl, and I really felt for her as her life just seemed to get worse and worse. The way people started to treat her was just awful, and the way her friends and boyfriend turned on her was just so sad. “Vinnie McNab, the guy who had the locker next to mine, was going to be pissed because they’d gotten some of the spray paint on his door, too. STAY AWAY TRANNY FAGGOT” The storyline in this was really good, and I thought the author did well to portray the fear and confusion that Kristin felt, other people’s reactions and their bullying of Kristin, as well as Kristin’s slow progression back to a place where she felt a little happier with herself. "At least two of the other teams in our division have already filed complaints with the athletic board, accusing me of cheating and demanding an investigation,” she told me. “I know that probably nothing will come out of it, but I’m sorry to say that we can’t allow you to run until we get things straightened out.” There was romance in this one, and I didn’t really like Sam all that much. He seemed to just be with Kristin because she was pretty and popular, and seemed like he was pretty desperate to have sex! I much preferred the slower hint of a romance that we got later in the book. “Get away from me,” he said without even looking up. “Sam,” I whispered, even though it hurt so hard to say his name that I wanted to scream. “Can we please talk?” “I’ve got nothing to say to you, you homo.” The ending to this was pretty good, and while Kristin was likely to have more hurdles in her future, I liked where the book ended. Kristin seemed to be really making steps in the right direction, and I was happy that she was going to cope with her diagnosis, and really get her life back on track. 7.5 out of 10 “Love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

I found this book super informative and interesting. Such a pleasant YA book with a real story that hasn't been overdone if done at all. Loved it!

Sometimes, when I read older LGBTQIA books, I get sad thinking of how long queer kids have gone with those books being their only options - books that seem to have sacrificed writing style or believability or realism just so that there would *be* queer books on shelves. Books that could totally destroy a spirit, or make it impossible to believe in happy endings, or gloss over difficulties or sex. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only realistic YA-marketed Intersex book (or perhaps one of two?), and it is so, so heartening to be in love with it; to know that if this is the only book Intersex kids ever discover (though the author does kindly direct to both MIDDLESEX and GOLDEN BOY in the back), they will have found a phenomenal one. This book is real. It is fun, and funny, and sad, and painful, and entertaining, and educational, and supportive. The characters feel like teenagers, the dialogue's spot on, and the information coming from medical professionals is interspersed in a natural way that books about largely untapped issues rarely manage. If I could make this mandatory reading for teens and adults alike, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

    I wanted to read None of the Above because it was a unique mix of medical issues and the emotional impacts that I crave. I haven't read much about intersex main character so was hoping to get a new experience and a portion of what someone dealing with these intense and huge personal identity crisis might be feeling like.    Kristin aka Krissy seems like an every day teenager for the first part when we get to know her. She has some family emotional issues since her mother passed away from cervical cancer, but she's for the most part let time heal that pain. She has two best friends, and a boyfriend who seems sweet and attentive to her. But I knew what was looming over her head from the synopsis, so it was nice to get a feel of who she was inside before everything was thrown into question. It is definitely in the category of things that you never expect to hear from your doctor.     When things went upside down on her they really got bad quickly. It really seemed like it separated who was actually her friends from everything else. I felt bad for her because she was so confused and torn up over her diagnosis that she had a hard time even wanting or feeling like she should defend herself. It really broke my heart even seeing one of her best friends having such a hard time with it and turning against her and as well as the boyfriend that had seemed so attentive and not being on her side.  Of course, there are some misunderstanding about who said or did what, and what was perceived as ill intent that really just was lies that covered up mistakes that should have came out in the open sooner. But that showed more growth in Krissy. She had to figure out who she was, who she wanted to be and how being intersex fit into that.       Maybe it is just that I am so far removed from high school but I really don't see how its such a big deal to others. then again maybe I also understand what the condition involves and I am emotionally connected to the character but I mean as a boyfriend I can understand why he would freak out at first but I mean I don't think it's really any reason to turn your back on someone. But I guess if you aren't secure with who you are, then you can't be with someone that isn't cut and dry and that is part of the male immaturity.      I did like that Krissy realized people who have been friendly even before the diagnosis but maybe she was just too busy and caught up in track, her friends, her school work that she didn't even notice the opportunities for other bonds and friendships to be made.     I like that even though she was in shock and depressed for a while, and made some decisions hastily, that she still considered what others told her. Even if it took a while for her to follow through. She eventually went to some counseling sessions that helped her sort things out a bit from an unbiased person as well as realizing she couldn't just keep hiding from the world. That it was okay to try new things, or go out and be with a new set of people. That she had to look around and see who was still on her side and not push them away.     I liked the subtle romance that forms in it but that it never took a front seat, that the issues as well as the family and friendships had to get worked on, as well as her character growth. I enjoyed the way that it ended and I would read another book with Krissy or by Gregario.  Bottom Line: Timely topic that explores the life of an intersex teen and the issues of gender. 

WOW....I mean WOW.  This story was so heart wrenching.  I don't even really know how to explain the feeling that I have right now regarding this book.  I was so enraged, and sad, and disgusted with human indecency during this book.   I was also totally and fully overwhelmed by the compassion I felt for the MC.  She was so "real" to me in this book. Being a teenager is hard enough.  I cannot even grasp how hard it would be to find out that you were intersex and that the whole school found out about it.  Why is it when people are so threatened by what they don't know.  Why can't teenagers grasp that when someone finds out something so devastating to them it would be easier to just accept and support them, rather than to discard and ridicule them.  This is where the human indecency was just too much for me to handle sometimes.   Kristen's whole world was turned upside down.  As if her life hadn't been hard enough loosing her mother to cancer, but then she finds out that she is intersex.  She has some male chromosomes.  Her boyfriends first reaction is to throw her to the curb....Because he thinks it makes HIM looks bad.  Seriously.  That is the first time I cried in this book.  I knew that this girls life was going to be put under a microscope, and torn apart by here peers.   Thankfully there are a few who stand by her and try to help her though it.  This book made me realize that I hope I am teaching my kids that no matter what people matter.  Their sex, their sexual preference, their color, race, religion anything, doesn't matter.  They are human beings.  A child of  God.  Nothing else should ever matter.  Love is accepting all people no matter their circumstance.   Kristen's struggle through this book felt so raw, and so real.  My heart ached during this book.  Until a few people...not very many, but a few people finally made Kristen realize she is still loved no matter what.  It helped redeem some of the human indecency in this book.  She wanted to be accepted and loved.  Just like ever other teenager in the world.  I am not saying all teenagers are easy to love...hehe.  Kristen was though.  She had a great heart, was a loyal friend, and just so happened to be dealt a different card than her peers. Her struggle to accept who she was made my tears flow freely.  I think there are so many great lessons to be learned from this book.  Awareness, being the most important.  When people understand things they fear them a lot less.  Even so,  it is never okay to make another human feel as though they don't belong.  Ever. I think that every child and parent should read this book.  It does have some language in it, and I never condone teenage sex, so it totally would have been a 6 star book for me if there wasn't, but even with that I think it is an important book to read.  It's a work of fiction, but it doesn't matter.  There is such a gripping message to this story, in my opinion.  Even the authors notes, and suggestions at the end of the book were so fantastic.  Touched me more than I can even explain in words. Source:  I bought this book for myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL feelings about the book. Content:  There is a little descriptive sex scenes, but not too graphic, and there is language.

There are books that get a lot of attention. There are books you see on every social media platform you’re a part of literally all the time, books that perfect strangers are always excited to talk about. Out of those books, very few of them actually live up to the hype for me, because I’m grouchy and slowly outgrowing the suspension of disbelief. However, every now and then, one of those books not only lives up to the hype, it actually blows my mind – None of the Above, the striking debut novel of I.W. Gregorio, was one of those books. From the very first page, our heroine, Kristin, has a voice that demands to be heard. I was immediately drawn in by the way she seemed to jump right out of my Kindle and into my head. When we meet her, she’s head over heels in love with her boyfriend, snug and happy in the middle of a trio, close to her father, driven by her ambitions and athleticism, and she already has her future figured out. Having read the summary, I was very close to putting the book down at around 10%, because Kristin’s life was so stable, and everything about it made sense, and I felt a strong sense of dread over what I knew was inevitably coming: the fallout. But I decided not to let myself be a wimp. I decided that I would put my heart in the hands of the uncannily talented I.W. Gregorio and allow it to be broken – and wow, am I glad I did. Full disclosure: this book made me feel things. I felt things I don’t think I’ve ever felt before. It calls to light some of the ugliest parts of people: homophobia, transphobia, intolerance, bigotry, cruelty, relentlessness. The subject matter sounds heavy because it is. Hidden within the simplistic prose of this book is a powerful message about the silent suffering of human beings across the world. This book is powerful. There’s no better word than that. It’s a swift, brutal punch right in the heart.

I loved this book! I always enjoy reading books that differ from the "norm," books that explore topics that most people just want to sweep under the rug and ignore. It's those things I find fascinating to read about. It's those things that I advocate. No one deserves to be pushed into a closet, bullied, ignored, or treated as less than. And while diverse books (gay, lesbian, transgendered, etc.) are becoming more popular and accepted, there are VERY few about intersex people. Kudos to Mrs. Gregorio for writing such an important and amazing book! This is a fantastic book. Even though the plot may have been a little typical (there is a happy ending), it's still worth reading. Kristin being intersex took the story to a different level and it's certainly something out of the ordinary for most people. I wholeheartedly recommend this book! If you'd like more information about what being intersex means, you can check out the author's website and please don't allow something that may be new and confusing to stop you from reading a really good book. You can read all of my reviews on my blog, KDH Reviews.

MY THOUGHTS Krissy is a normal girl. She's popular at school, has a great boyfriend, and she's an athlete with  full scholarship coming her way. But  a visit to the doctor changes her life forever when they tell her that's she's intersex, meaning that she's outwardly a girl, but has boy parts on the inside. Krissy tries to deal with this new information, keeping it underwraps, but the news gets out to the school anyway. Now, her entire life in unraveling and she has to deal with bullying everyday. All the while, she has to convince everyone, including herself, that she's still a girl. I picked up this book mostly because I have never heard of the term intersex, I didn't even know that this was a thing that existed. I was curious and wanted to understand this more. I think this is one of the reasons why this book needs to be important. I had no idea this existed, and I know other reviewers also didn't. This book does not only a great job at explaining what it means to be intersex, but gives a realistic look at what it's like.  This book is also very sad and made me incredibly angry. The main focus is on Krissy and dealing with being intersex, but there's also a focus on bullying. High School kids can be so horrible! The bullying that Krissy had to go through was cruel and no one should have to go through that. That's the sad and realistic thing, though. Many kids have gone through similar types of bullying and I wish that it wasn't like that! What really does define this book is how realistic it is. I keep using that word in my review, over and over, because this book is so very real! The characters, the plot, the entire book was done so it does not feel fictional, it felt like we were watching Krissy's story. I would also like to mention how this book is very emotional, but it's not all anger and tears. There are bright spots in the book and the entire time we're watching Krissy deal with this, we see Krissy grow and deal with this change in her life. Even though it's a bumpy road.  IN CONCLUSION Overall, this was such a realistic read and I was invested in Krissy's story. I do want more people to read this book. It will give more insight on what it means to be intersex and even talk about other harsh topics that I really think people should be more aware of. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to what else I.W. Gregorio writes.