I think this book tried to tackle a topic that it wasn't quite prepared to tackle. It was a good try, but this was a miss for me.

The positive was that I liked that it was a representation to begin with. And the fact that it was a YA book that even broached on those topics, which I think is helpful for teens, but it wasn't my favorite book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

Ever since her mother left, Arden Grey has been struggling. Especially since her father and brother won’t acknowledge it. To top it off, she’s also being harassed at school about her sexuality, which most people don’t know about. In fact, Arden doesn’t even know what labels fit her.

The only thing that’s helped is her best friend, Jamie. But when Jamie starts dating someone new, their friendship starts to unravel. And Arden tries to figure out if it’s something wrong with her or their relationship. But it also leads to Arden thinking about her own relationship with her mother. And whether it was the relationship she remembers.

Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Arden Grey to review! Stoeve’s debut, Between Perfect and Real, was one of my favorite reads of 2021, so I was excited to get to this one! I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Where Stoeve really excels is at writing their characters. Not only is Arden a fully fleshed out character, but the secondary characters are as well. Especially as Arden explores her sexuality and tries to branch out from her friendship with Jamie. The shifting friendships and relationships are extremely relatable for high school, and Stoeve just nails teenage-hood overall. Almost everything about this book felt like an authentic teenage experience. The examination of toxic relationships also feels authentic, and it's such an important topic to include in teen books..

I cant wait to hear your thoughts on this one. Thank you to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest review. reviews, statements and recs are all my own.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

(This title is being reviewed as part of my backlog of ARC reads.)

Qualifying Personal Statement: While I know some demisexual and asexual people, I myself am not asexual and do not claim to speak for the aro/ace community. I reward this book as part of my effort to read OwnVoices titles with LGBT+ protagonists since I am part of the LGBT+ community myself and feel comfortable identifying with main characters who are LGBT+.

Asexuality is one of those letters in the LGBT+ spectrum people have a hard time understanding. Even though I know people who are aromantic, asexual, and demisexual, I still have issues from time to time wrapping my head around what it must feel like to never think about sex or to have the idea of sex make someone feel extremely uncomfortable. This book does an incredible job of letting us see through Arden’s (our titular character and the protagonist) eyes how she views her asexuality (of which she’s not 100% sure of but she’s getting there) and what asexuality means and feels like for her. (It should be said, however, that asexuality doesn’t always feel the same way to every ace person.) It also does an even better job of showing us how uncomfortable the world is to navigate as a teenager when almost every other teenager (including your bestie) is soaked in juvenile humor and hormones.

What it doesn’t do such a good job at is the family angle. There’s a huge thread running through this book of abandonment, low self-esteem, and low self-confidence due to Arden’s mom leaving her, her brother, and her father at the beginning of the book, but I didn’t feel as if the family itself was integrated as well into the book as her bestie or the other ties she makes in the book are. I also felt as if the toxic relationship, abuse, and harassment angles could’ve (and maybe even should’ve) been explored a bit more.

All in all, I think it’s a great YA read in the OwnVoices category and if you feel as if you might be asexual you really should pick it up. You might find some kinship here.

Thanks to NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids, and Amulet Books for granting me access to this book.

Emotional, raw, and begging to be put in the hands of teenagers everywhere! Arden’s story is one that everyone can benefit from hearing

I appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish and I thought their afterward was quite touching.

I just didn't like Arden. She makes no effort to make friends, or even treat others as people (she often refuses/doesn't bother to learn names, rude). Even when they do try (I am referencing cute Emma here, she tried so hard) Arden cares not for their efforts. I also don't like that she was a bad sibling. When you think your sibling has been abused you need to ask. You need to have the hard conversations, especially when they are younger siblings.

This was kind of a last-minute pick for me, but ARDEN GREY seemed like a book that I didn’t want to miss. I’ve read a few other books with photographer narrators– TELL ME EVERYTHING by Sarah Enni and BREATHING UNDERWATER by Sarah Allen are the two I remember off the top of my head– and I’ve enjoyed all of them. And complex family relationships are another pretty sure-fire win for me in a book.

I guess all that to say that I had pretty high expectations when I went into Arden Grey, and the author absolutely delivered on them. Arden’s shyness and small social circle, her struggle to connect with others, definitely resonated with me. I felt like she was on a clear emotional journey, and I wanted to be there for every minute of it.

As she finds new friends and the confidence to share her photography with others, she’s also grieving a lot of changes in her family and personal life. Her relationship with Jamie really struck me. Knowing someone you love is in a bad situation, but won’t leave it is truly heartbreaking, and the pages of ARDEN GREY really capture both the grief over the loss of friendship, the fears and worries that something is deeply wrong, and the helplessness that comes from being a bystander that’s shut out for trying to speak the truth.

Arden also faces huge changes in her family. Her parents have separated, and her brother isn’t doing well. She can’t figure out how to reconnect with him or her dad. Then Arden’s brother opens up to her, breaking open a family secret and asking Arden to accept it. Arden reels. She struggles. She grieves even more. But she also learns. Listens. Tries new things. Tries to find ways to heal. She’s a hero. I love her.

Most of the abusive relationships or situations happen off-scene or are briefly recounted in memory. I think this helps keep the story from centering on an abuser. It also means we must trust Arden, her brother, and Jamie for their descriptions of what happened and how it made them feel. This resonated with me, too, because that’s very often the position friends or family members are in, where we’re trying to understand what happened and what it means.

On the whole, yeah, I loved this book for its deep, wrenching emotional journey through difficult relationships and facing abuse.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is genuinely very good, with a very good main character voice and excellent side characters as well. Arden reminds me a lot of myself as a teenager, and the ace/aro representation here in Arden is incredible. I'm really glad this book is out and incredibly glad that I got to read it.

I think this book is absolutely vital for libraries and teen readers (and even adults!). Some moments in this book had me worried about the handling of abuse and how people were acting, but it all came together so well. Every time I was nervous about something being portrayed a specific way without mentioning xyz, it would come up later. The way asexuality was discussed and portrayed was so wonderful. If I had a book like this when I was younger it would have probably made my life so much easier. I can't be too specific without spoilers that I feel are important to the progression of the book, so I'll just say that each topic was handled with specific care and attention, and I highly recommend this.

I truly loved reading this book.

I thought the characters were so well written. The writing was emotional and delicate, and the relationships were heavy and complicated.

I loved watching Arden grow throughout this novel.

Sometimes when I read books I picture them as movies, whether they’re big budget action or low budget indie films. This would make a beautiful film, one of those quiet movies, Arden with her film camera, the loud sound of the shutter. The bustle of everyone moving around the school while she sits quietly observing. I could visualize it so well in my mind.

I was frustrated with Arden’s friendship with Jamie at times, but I think it was this perfect depiction of people growing up and having different experiences at different times, branching off to different people. While it was broken through most of the novel, it was really glad to see that pieced back together in the end.

Overall, I just can’t say enough how much I loved reading this. I read it in about 2.5 hours, it’s a quick read.

Arden Grey hits all the emotional notes in a rolling gut punch of a book.
This novel deals with several abusive relationships, so be aware of the potential content!

Arden is sixteen and confused. Her mom abruptly leaves their family, her brother is staying out all night and drinking, and her Dad won’t talk about any of it. Topping this, her best friend, Jamie, a trans man, has his first girlfriend and Arden isn’t sure their relationship is the healthiest, especially when Jamie’s girlfriend won’t let them hang out anymore.

This novel is a coming of age story through and through, and it needs to live on shelves so it can find its readership with our students. Aro/Ace spec is the number one request I get from students, and I cannot wait to put this quiet gem in the hands of my kids.

Arden Gray is a thoughtful, heartfelt story about a girl shrinking away from and eventually facing down the hardships that come with relationships. At the start of the story, Arden's mother has been gone from her family for a few months, and as the novel progresses, readers start to see and understand that perhaps Arden's mother was more than just critical.

As Arden is coming to terms with the dynamic with her mother, she is also struggling to maintain a friendship with her best friend Jamie, a trans boy who has recently gotten into his first real romantic relationship. And if that isn't enough, Arden is also trying to figure out what it means to be asexual in a world and at a time when everyone expects otherwise.

The first half of Arden Grey is pretty slow and Arden as a narrator is difficult to fully grasp. She's so depressed and numb and withdrawn that I found it hard to connect to her (like the other characters in the book). That's a testament to the author's skills in terms of characterization, but it did take me far too long to become invested in the story. There also isn't much that "happens" in the first half. Then the second half is just constant changes and events, one after another. I wish there had been a little less exposition at the front half, because overall, the book is fairly short. It was 55% over before real movement started to occur.

I would still recommend this for some library collections, particularly if you're looking to expand your aro/ace representation. There is also a lot about relationship dynamics, abuse, control and power that might be really helpful for folks to read who are having trouble recognizing and identifying that in their lives, particularly because the relationship issues Arden faces (specifically with her mom) don't scream stereotypical abusive dynamics. However, I would only put this book in the hands of dedicated readers who stick out books even if they're not connecting for a while.

In a world where sex sells, Arden Grey isn't sold. When her best (only) friend gets a girlfriend, she doesn't know how to handle being taken out of his life. And while her dad still talks to her mom on the phone, Arden hasn't heard from her since she left. All she has now is a dad who's depressed, a brother who doesn't want to talk to anyone, and an old-fashioned camera that's become her only comfort. The world she captures through the lens, however, leads to a path out. To new connections and repairing old ones. All she has to do is take a chance.

I really enjoyed reading "Arden Grey" and wow do I wish this was a book that had been around when I was in school. I appreciate the fact that ace/aro stories are finally hitting the market, but it isn't a book about an ace character, it's a book about a character who happens to be ace. Yes, there's coming to terms with that and what it means, but it wasn't the books only claim to fame. I love the way photography was a central element, how important friendship was to the central part of the story, and how sometimes abuse isn't obvious, and how you can move forward. It felt like a warm, perfectly imperfect snapshot of life. And I appreciate the additional resources at the end for those who feel like they might be in bad relationships.

Ever since her mother left, Arden Grey has been struggling. Especially since her father and brother won’t acknowledge it. To top it off, she’s also being harassed at school about her sexuality, which most people don’t know about. In fact, Arden doesn’t even know what labels fit her.

The only thing that’s helped is her best friend, Jamie. But when Jamie starts dating someone new, their friendship starts to unravel. And Arden tries to figure out if it’s something wrong with her or their relationship. But it also leads to Arden thinking about her own relationship with her mother. And whether it was the relationship she remembers.

Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Arden Grey to review! Stoeve’s debut, Between Perfect and Real, was one of my favorite reads of 2021, so I was excited to get to this one! I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Where Stoeve really excels is at writing their characters. Not only is Arden a fully fleshed out character, but the secondary characters are as well. Especially as Arden explores her sexuality and tries to branch out from her friendship with Jamie. The shifting friendships and relationships are extremely relatable for high school, and Stoeve just nails teenage-hood overall. Almost everything about this book felt like an authentic teenage experience.

The examination of toxic relationships also feels authentic, and it's such an important topic to include in teen books. Even if their friendship was a little on the rocks, Arden was still willing to be there for Jamie. And his relationship allowed Arden to see some of the darker sides of her relationship with her mother. These are such important issues to explore in teen books, and Stoeve did it with grace.

My only complaint is that the pacing could have allowed the story a little room to breath. Slowing down some of the moments would have allowed even more space for the important issues that Stoeve touches on.

All in all, this is a lovely book that looks at identity, relationships, and high school. Definitely pick it up when it comes out later this month!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the book in exchange for a review.

There are many things in that book. Knowing that Arden Grey has reached her breakpoint. Her mom leaving her, being harassed, and her best friend has started to date someone is like an actual life for any teenager or anyone else. Luckily, her photography work doesn't stop her for anything.

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. I finished it in two sittings but that wasn’t because I was necessarily enjoying it.

Arden Grey is a sixteen-year old girl who is having a tough time all around. Her best (and only) friend is dating a girl who really doesn’t like Arden, her mother up and left the family, and she’s trying to navigate being asexual. She has to unpack a lot of deep-rooted insecurities and past trauma and try to find where she belongs in her school, family, and in her own life.

There’s a lot happening on these pages, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that it really is up and down the whole time, the pace sometimes feeling too fast for my brain to catch up. I understand Arden feeling frustrated by her BFF Jamie getting sucked up into this new relationship but it just seemed to go from zero to one hundred almost immediately.

This book does a lot about identifying what an abusive and toxic relationship looks like, those that are romantic, as well as platonic and familial. It’s important for teens to be able to read about all of these on paper so they can recognize them when they’re happening. Most people assume they’d be able to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship, but this book shows many of the nuances that may be overlooked at first.

Ultimately, I’m glad I read this book. Where I’m finding myself a little frustrated is that I finished reading this book two days ago and the details of it seemed to fade almost immediately. I wish this book just had a little bit more, which is a wild statement given that I said earlier that this story has a lot going on. I think I just needed everything to slow down and for the moments and pacing to be stretched out a little bit more.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Arden Grey was a bit of a difficult book for me. I enjoyed some of the elements of the story; I loved that Arden was a photographer and her journey with overcoming her nervousness of sharing her photos with others. I also liked the scenes of her with her brother and the relationship that was demonstrated between them. And I do think that this book approached some serious topics that can be helpful for young adults to read about and not feel alone in their own situations. Other than that though, I didn't find myself connecting with much else in the book. Personally, I found the main cast of characters frustrating and I had a hard time staying invested in their storylines. There's only so much high school friend group drama I can take before I tap out.

I appreciate the representation in this book, but sometimes I felt like it was not coming across as natural and felt almost forced in areas. I hate to rag on the author or the story, because I do understand how important it is to tell stories like this, but personally, it just didn't work for me and sometimes felt out of place.

All that being said, I think this book will really work for some people, but for me, this book was a disappointment.

This book hit me emotionally in the best possible way. I was already a big fan of Stoeve's after reading Between Perfect and Real, and this author has done it again with another beautiful YA title that focuses on relationships (healthy and unhealthy) and offers nuanced and sensitive portrayals of each character.

I really love Stoeve's writing. Their books are realistic in a way that isn't always easy to read, but with hopeful endings. This was a very different but equally powerful story as Between Perfect and Real, and it feels just as personal and well thought out as that book.