Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Life is good for fifteen-year-old Mick Mullins—at least on the surface. He’s the perfect son to his supportive parents and plans to follow in their footsteps and become a police officer. He has plenty of friends in the neighborhood and even gets along with his sister. But buried beneath the golden boy is a girl named Michelle, and she desperately wants to step into the light. Mick knows revealing she is really Michelle might ruin some of the most important relationships in her life, but she must take that chance, and she can’t wait much longer. Her body is developing into a man’s, and she can’t bear to let that happen—even though she worries about the repercussions of her decision.

 

But every choice comes with risks as well as rewards. Mick is Grandpa’s favorite—and the only male grandchild. Will her ailing Grandpa be able to handle learning about Michelle? Michelle is forced to make an impossible choice: her beloved Grandpa’s life or the one she knows she must live.

 

Book Review

There is a lot of confusion in any teenager’s life, what with all the physical changes and trying to define what to do with a life that used to be determined by others. This story about fifteen-year-old Mick deciding to come out to let everyone know that he is Michelle touches on all of them – plus it adds the layer of being trans and determining what the best way forward is. Michelle knows she does not have forever to make the decision – physical changes are forcing her hand on that front. Of course she is afraid of rejection and the pain of losing friends. But she is also a very considerate girl and everyone else’s needs (like her grandfather’s ill health) are as much factors in coming up with a plan as her own safety.

Michelle’s story is one that focuses on her thoughts and personal relationships, rather than the bigger picture of a transphobic society and potential issues for her safety. Yes, they are mentioned, but they are not the author’s focus. It made sense to me, because a lot of teenagers are more focused on themselves than the outside world. Michelle’s pain of facing physical changes she hates but cannot stop (unless she can get hormone treatments), the fear of disappointing her career-focused and hard-working cop parents, and her uncertainty around what will happen once she does live as a girl are all powerfully described and realistically dealt with.

Michelle and her thoughts (told in first person) had me captured from the first page. On one hand she is so determined to become a cop, never doubts that’s who she wants to be when she grows up. On the other hand, she has all these doubts about letting everyone see who she is deep down, fearing they will like Michelle less than Mick. Her thought processes as she navigates the decisions she has to make, her feelings as she encounters a variety of reactions to her revelation, and the suspense around what her beloved grandfather will say when he finds out held me spellbound. The author did a great job taking me on a journey into Michelle’s mind and heart, helping me to understand what she went through.

The ending of the novel may not be as “perfect” for Michelle as I would have wished, but it gave me hope. And really, considering the uphill battle Michelle faces, that is about all I could have hoped for. For Michelle, at her young age, “the end” is not yet in sight. After coming out she still has a tough journey ahead, and I liked that the author left it at that. This stage, Michelle’s first steps into revealing who she is inside, is completed and that makes for a good ending. Not that this stops me from wanting to find out more about how Michelle deals with what lies ahead of her, but the emotional relief and satisfaction at the end of the book are considerable and definitely enough for me for now.

If you are interested in what it might be like to be a trans girl, if you want to find out more about the kinds of everyday decisions she might have to make as she decides whether (and how) to come out, and if you’re looking for an emotionally powerful read that will allow you a glimpse of what it feels like to face a decision that will determine how everyone sees you for the rest of your life, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It is one of many stories of a largely misunderstood group of people, and it confronts the problem head-on.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Harmony Ink Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 230 pages/78279 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	31-October-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.harmonyinkpress.com/books/mick-michelle-by-nina-rossing-505-b