It's a lovely warm novel about the kind of friendship that feels like family. The thing is, though, the serious issues pair so well with the humour. The book also considers the ugly truths of healthcare and insurance, when it comes to Jordan's paraplegic father - the many ways the U.S. Jordan is not trans she is a cisgender girl who struggles to fit into the narrow confines of femininity. Jordan discovers her own bisexuality over the course of the novel, and also considers the parallels between her crossdressing and being transgender - then proceeds to dispel the myth that the two are the same, and acknowledge her own privilege. The author's writing is strong as she explores privilege, race, wealth, sexuality and gender identity. Noteworthy is the perfect mix of important social commentary AND absolute hilarity. After facing rejection after rejection for musical parts because of her Alto 2 range, she makes an impulsive decision: disguise herself as a boy and become the newest Tenor for an a capella group - the Sharpshooters. The story is about Chinese-American Jordan, a scholarship student at her fancy east coast boarding school for the arts. But, as it turns out, that's exactly what I was doing here. It's not like the reader is sat chuckling like a moron as they turn the pages. Normally, books that people describe as 'laugh-out-loud funny', I don't take literally.

I was tentatively reading a few chapters of my arc to get a sense of whether this book was for me or not, and I just couldn't stop laughing. Humour is extremely subjective, but this is exactly the kind that speaks to me. I had so much fun reading this book! For me, it's another Simon vs. I wasn't sure if it would be too cutesy for me, or focus more on musical technicalities than I have the attention span for. Monday morning was the worst possible time to have an existential crisis, I decided on a Monday morning, while having an existential crisis. With her secret growing heavier every day, Jordan pushes beyond gender norms to confront what it means to be a girl (and a guy) in a male-dominated society, and-most importantly-what it means to be herself. Jordan finds herself enmeshed in a precarious juggling act: making friends, alienating friends, crushing on a guy, crushing on a girl, and navigating decades-old rivalries.

Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for. A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. But when her low Alto 2 voice gets her shut out for the third straight year-threatening her future at Kensington-Blaine and jeopardizing her college applications-she’s forced to consider nontraditional options. Jordan Sun is embarking on her junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts, hopeful that this will be her time: the year she finally gets cast in the school musical.

Noteworthy by riley redgate