Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
I didn't realise this was still in my to be reviewed shelf on NG until I done some shelf tidying today!
no rating - due to changes in personal reading preferences, I will be leaving this book unread and unrated.

This was beautiful and touched on so, so many important discussions surrounding race, sexuality, gender, and identity with nuance and care—while also being blunt when necessary. An expertly woven tale that is sure to resonate with readers.

I really, really loved this book. The book tackles race, gender identity, sexuality, mental health, friendship, relationships...all without feeling like it's doing "too much." I especially loved the portrayal of white anti-racism as something that is possible to do, and the way it shows how to move forward after messing up, which is something any ally WILL do. I felt like I learned from reading this book, but it was also a really sweet, touching story about love and friendship.

This is an excellent book that deconstructs white privilege and cis privilege. I love that Gold thoroughly explored racism and transphobia without ever featuring a hate crime or something else equally as tragic. Both Aisha and Kaz are compelling and kind and such a joy to read about.

The story is wonderful, and characters are very real and powerfully, beautifully created. The issues resonate with all of us who struggle with who we are, and I highlighted so many passages, such as “I wished everyone would stop looking at my body as if it meant so much about me because it didn’t.” If we truly grasp that and see that understanding bloom in others, how much suffering we would avoid! The love story is a great one and the conflicts, hurts, surprises, successes and joys envelop you through excellent writing. And most importantly: here is a story that shows us how to live better with ourselves, and with those we love.

I love fantasy and mythology and LGBTQ books and thought this would be perfect for me. It was good, no denying that. But I felt like there was a little more this book could give. It didn't break any new ground and that's what I want and need out of my YA books.

<i>'But we're not the same,' Aisha said. 'Our differences should be strengths, like superheroes. They don't have all the same powers, but they learn to use all their powers together to be greater than they can be alone.'</i>

This was a really good book. I haven't read much/enough YA with such frank discussions of racism, and this was very educational, packing a punch by being told through a narrative. Kaz and Aisha meet in 8th grade and this story spans the first couple of years of their friendship as they navigate race, gender and sexuality. The author states that in terms of race, this is a story about a white person learning to be an ally. It's told through a really heartwarming friendship and through superhero analogies, using an X-Men villain to try and understand / fight against internalised racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia. I'd recommend this book.

*Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.*

First of all, I have to say that this book is really, really important. For several reasons. Any white person should read this, especially if they’re cis and straight. And I will now explain why.

There are two main themes in this book, gender identity and race. Kaz is a white teen who’s mainly been around other white people all of their life. Until Aisha moves into their neighbourhood, a black bisexual girl who makes Kaz question everything they’ve learned about race and especially black people. The two of them soon become best friends, learning more about each other and their environment as they grow older.

Kaz learns a lot about race and racism, and the reader learns alongside them. Kaz learns how to be an ally step by step, what to look out for, what to say to which people, where and how to win arguments. How to help black people. Racism is portrayed in so many forms, the outright, obvious racism, but especially the subtle that people might not notice. Unless they are on the receiving end. This story makes the reader more sensitive to the latter kind of racism, the one that is pretty much anchored in every white human. That has been taught for generations and that we might not notice, but the people suffering under it notice only too well. Aisha, who is really smart and wants to become a doctor, is underestimated by almost every white person she meets, especially teachers. She gets angry, but knows that she can’t really do much about it. But Kaz can and they do.
Aisha and her family help the white people who are willing understand, help them becoming better. And Kaz helps protecting Aisha anywhere they go together (which is pretty much everywhere).

And Aisha helps Kaz figuring out their identity. While Aisha’s family is accepting her the way she is, Kaz’s family is a whole other thing. Kaz’s brother, Brock doesn’t even really try to understand Kaz or Aisha, he is racist and a queerphob but says about himself that he is neither. Their mother’s way to acceptance is a long one, but I’m pretty sure she’s trying her best. Luckily, Kaz has their grandmother Milo’s support. Milo is such a great, fierce character who doesn’t take shit from anyone and constantly wants to learn how to make the world a better place for minorities. Kaz is figuring out their gender through the whole of the story and is nonbinary, but they don’t want to label themselves.

So Aisha and Kaz learn a lot from each other, but from friends and family as well. They actively look for sources that might help them understand, they talk a lot to accepting family members and to a trans lesbian college professor as well. Just… there is so, so much to learn in this book. About gender and race and the history of both (in the US). There are definitions, explanations, examples, etc. It’s informative and helpful with characters that will make you cry.
Plus there’s a lot of superhero stuff mixed in with the story.

Generally, this book was really, really diverse. Kaz is nonbinary, Aisha is a black bisexual girl who has two lesbian aunts and a trans cousin, they have trans and gay friends, there’s the trans lesbian college professor, an Asian American girl, a queer Indian American girl.

So yeah, I hope this explains why especially white people should read this. And when they did, think about what they’ve just learned from this book written by a nonbinary author.

A powerful and important young adult book that examines gender, sexuality and race and how they intersect.
This is the story of Kaz and Aisha who become best friends over their mutual love of comic books and dogs. As they begin to wonder if the friendship is something more , Kaz realises that things may be more complicated than either of them imagined. Aisha has been out to her family for years, and they accept her completely but Kaz not only has to figure out changing feelings for Aisha, but also if she is a boy, a girl or something else entirely, since it seems to change almost every day. If that is not enough, she has started to notice that Aisha being black sometimes means she is treated differently, and so she begins to confront her own internal biases and try to make the world a better and safer place for the girl she loves, starting with school.
At the heart of this book is a really strong and sweet romance between Kaz and AIsha, based on friendship, trust, acceptance and attraction, but the journey to that romance is not an easy one for either of them and I loved how willing they were to fight for it and for each other. Clearly the book is not all sweetness and light, there are some truly hard hitting moments , and I admire the author for the way she handles them. It is a very thought provoking book, not just for the young adults it is aimed at, but for the grown adults too, and one that I would recommend wholeheartedly .Any book that could provoke the emotions this one did while I was reading is sure to stay with me for some time.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I wavered quite a bit before requesting this novel and in the end I’m glad I did because it was an enjoyable story as well as giving me a lot to think about. Kaz is in the eighth grade when Aisha and her family move in across the road. Their first meeting of her is tainted with a man yelling at Aisha for not controlling her dog even though it’s not actually her dog. It’s not long before Kaz realises that Aisha would be subject to this kind of treatment on a regular basis because she’s one of the few black kids in a predominantly white neighbourhood and school. Kaz adores Aisha and develops a crush her but holds back from telling her because they’re not secure in their own identity yet.

Aisha comes from an educated, open and supportive family and has been out as a lesbian since she was twelve. Kaz, their mother and brother don’t have the same kind of relationship but fortunately their grandfather’s wife, Milo, is wonderfully woke and willing to learn what she doesn’t know. Kaz hasn’t figured out where their comfort in themself lies. They are cis female but not always sure that’s how they feel.

There are so many complicated aspects in these two young people’s lives, over and above the normal difficulty of teenage-hood, that they have to learn about and face. The racism that Aisha has to deal with is often subtle and covert which is so much harder to identify and fight because there is enough leeway for deniability. Kaz has an incredible journey to trying to figure out how they see themself and how they want others to see them. The beauty in this novel is seeing how Aisha and Kaz assist each other in their respective process of discovery and each other’s battles.

Speaking as a white person, we often don’t see or acknowledge the privilege or advantage that the colour of our skin affords us. Often, it is only when we have a good friend, partner, spouse or child that we begin to notice the inconsistencies of treatment, even when our environment purports to be one of equality. This is one of the aspects that this novel gets across in a way that is engaging, thought-provoking and enlightening.

I’ve made it sound a little heavy but in fact the sweetness of their relationship counterbalances the more serious aspects.

Book received from Netgalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

This was very, very good. Gold has a way with using aspects of her character's personalities to help really get across what they are feeling, or even to foreshadow. It always makes for an interesting read. With this outing, it's no different. She uses her characters' love for comics as story elements in fun and creative ways.

Kaz Adams has a bit of a secret, well, two actually. One is that they don't know whether or not they are male or female; the second is that they are hopelessly in love with their best friend Aisha Warren. They're also starting to tune into some of the more racist attitudes in town because they're so in tune with Aisha and an infamous police shooting that occurred extremely close to their suburban (and very white) neighborhood. Kaz is working through their feelings for Aisha and their coming out in terms of their gender identity in private, but they realize in so many ways that Aisha isn't afforded that luxury. Kaz must navigate all this, be there for the person they love most in the world, and tell her how they feel.

I love how complex this book is; there is a lot of stuff crammed in these 2000 pages. Even far out of my teens, there's a lot of things that Kaz goes through in her learning to be a good ally that I see a lot in myself. Kaz also becomes a teacher when it becomes their turn to reveal their gender identity, too. It is a great balance that is wrapped up in the fact that Aisha and Kaz want to protect their people. It's reiterated throughout the book in so many ways that Aisha and Kaz are soulmates, but it doesn't get too dramatic about it. It's in all of their interactions, spoken and not, that they just are meant to be together. And I love it because its just so gosh darn sweet.

This is a straightforward romance with a lot of complex issues to help beef up some of the fluff. Throw in some comic book nerd-isms, and you've got a pretty great YA novel.

In the Silences by Rachel Gold
Rating: 3/5
Queer: YES! VERY MUCH SO! Main character is a white nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns, love interest is a bi black girl, and there is a diversity club with other sexualities/genders!
ARC: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Kaz is a white nonbinary kid who falls for their bi black best friend. Together, they navigate the world with discussions of gender, sexuality, and racism.

Review:

Listen, I really, really, really, really, really had high hopes about this book. The cover is so cute. The description is great. And I was screaming at all the diversity (specifically: gender and sexuality). But this book just didn’t do it for me.

I want to preface this with the fact that I’m white. I understand that the world is systematically racist, and that there isn’t a single white person out there who doesn’t have to continuously work at not being racist. I consider myself an ally, and I know there is always going to be work to be done to not be racist. To unlearn things that have been taught to me, whether on purpose or not.

And I can appreciate that Kaz is an ally.

I’m also nonbinary, so I can appreciate Kaz’s gender journey. They figured it out way before I did.

But this book dragged for me. I felt like there was very little plot and the characters had no depth. They liked comic books, yes. But otherwise, they were defined by their gender, sexuality, and race. The book heavily discusses these three things (more heavy with gender & race). It left very little room for character development, growth, or a story. It felt like most chapters were just them experiencing something either racist or transphobic, discussing how it wasn’t cool, perhaps teaching that person what they did was wrong, rinse, and repeat.

The ending felt like a white saviour. I understand why Aisha (the bi black girl) didn’t need to be there for Kaz’s discussion of systematic racism. Because it shouldn’t be on POC to educate white people. However, having this dramatic speech just felt very much like a white saviour coming in to save the day.

I think if this book had touched on racism and gender, still in depth but not quite as heavily, and there had been a bigger plot, it would’ve been a much easier read. It felt very repetitive and like it was from a formula.

The casual transphobia also hit a little too close to home, but I loved the allies who stood up.

Anyway, ALL THAT SAID, this book is seriously important. The discussions of racism and transphobia are so, so, so important. Especially in today’s day and age. This book would’ve likely had a bigger, more profound impact on me had I read it when I was in elementary/high school. I think this is definitely a good book to give young kids and teens to teach them things about being a white ally and a trans ally.

It just didn’t draw me in like I had hoped.



Content Warnings:
* Racism
* Transphobia
* Discussion of police brutality
* A lot of ignorant people

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It dealt with topics that I did not know a lot about l. It deals with race, gender and sexuality. I feel as though I have learned a lot from reading this book and for that reason alone I feel like it should be available for every young adult to read to educate themselves on the difficulties others are going through at this time. With Aisha dealing with race issues and Kazs gender struggle, it is very informative. There are some hard moments to read and it is based on true facts but there are some uplifting moments. It is a sweet G rated young adult novel and I think it is one that everyone should read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!

I adore this author for correctly representing so many factors of the LGBT community.

this is a fantastic YA read.

What an amazing book! It deals with very serious issues of insidious brain-washing that leads to non-acceptance, stereotyping, marginalization and discrimination on multiple levels and is breathtakingly brilliantly written.

Aisha Warren, and African-American, has just moved into an overwhelmingly white neighbourhood. She meets Kaz Adams and the two become instant friends. Kaz is struggling with gender issues trying to get a grasp on what she is.

To write more of the synopsis would be actually narrating the story, and that would never do justice to this book.

The racial issues that Aisha faces are heart-breaking. The relationship between Aisha and Kaz is caring, nurturing, supportive, uplifting, protective, loving and totally #goals. Both the MCs are assertive and amazing. Written in first person from Kaz’s PoV, it made us admire and empathise with Kaz, but fall in love with Aisha.

Definitely a must-read.

Read this for an education on gender and racism.

Kaz and Aisha meet in the 8th grade and become fast friends. They grow and learn from one another. Kaz struggles with gender identity. She also begins to have romantic feelings for Aisha, who happens to be black. Through their relationship, Kaz begins to open her eyes to the real modern and prevalent racism that exists regardless of how 'woke' people claim to be.

I have never been a cartoon or comic book fan. So it was really difficult for me to fully get into this one. I can appreciate that they used this as a way to further understand and cope with things they were going through.

The book seemed over informative to me. It was overload. I definitely took away some things. Especially things as they related to Aisha and the racism encountered. Just the fact that parents have to raise their black children to understand racism and how to deal with it from a young age, is just crazy to me. I never thought about it and I don't like it now that it has been brought to my attention.

The gender stuff... I related most to Mr. Warren in this. I understand people are finding new ways to identify and I truly think everyone should just live their true selves happily. But even after everything Kaz internalizes, researches, etc... I have to say that I still don't get the pronouns they/them. I got the message about them being acknowledged now as grammatically correct. I understand how agender/nonbinary people would feel uncomfortable being called him or her. But why not create specific and unique pronouns? I may be ignorant about this, but wasn't there a Zee and Zed or something like that once?

This was a well written book. It reminded me of a classic style coming of age story. The Kaz/Aisha relationship was sweet. They were good kids and that helped us feel sympathetic to everything they were encountering. I would have liked the book to feel less like a lesson, but I did enjoy it. Took me out of my comfort zones at times. It showcased some things I hadn't considered. And I'm pretty sure that was what the author had hoped in accomplishing.

<i>I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review</i>

A really well executed YA novel with depth and feeling that touches many diverse topics but manages to give a coherent and strong message to young people and adults alike. The characters are beautifully written, the plot interesting, the young romance sweet, the family dynamics amazingly well done.
Read it! It's more than well worth your time. Highly recommended.

So much accurate representation of various aspects of the LGBT community all in one book! Bravo to the author for clearly knowing what she was talking about.

In the Silences was one of the best YA books I have recently read. It was well researched and written. There were many topics discussed and debated throughout the story, especially by the main teenage characters, Kaz and Aisha. While Kaz was dealing with gender identity, Aisha was the target of racism. Throughout the story, they tried to enlighten, not only each other about their struggles, but their family and peers as well. Together they formed a formidable team.

As I was reading this book, I kept thinking about the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” (from the musical South Pacific). This song was about racial prejudices-how children were not born to hate and fear-but were carefully taught to do so. The author effectively demonstrated these prejudices in action…by children and adults alike. The author also demonstrated how the actions of just one person can make a difference. Kaz tried to right these wrongs by becoming a type of superhero to Aisha.

I think teenagers, as well as adults, will enjoy reading this book especially with the many comic book characters interspersed throughout the storyline. Superhero characters are very popular and relatable. Perhaps anyone who reads this book will take on that superhero role and make a difference to those that are simply targeted for being who they are.

I was fortunate to teach in a very diverse multicultural school. Books such as this one were the norm, not the exception. But in many less diverse schools, that is not the case. The information and messages contained within this book are important and should be in all school libraries/classrooms to be read and discussed. Highly recommended!