Stay Gold By: Tobly McSmith

Stay Gold
Author: Tobly McSmith
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: May 2020
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 368
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
Pony just wants to fly under the radar during senior year. Tired from all the attention he got at his old school after coming out as transgender, he’s looking for a fresh start at Hillcrest High. But it’s hard to live your best life when the threat of exposure lurks down every hallway and in every bathroom.

Georgia is beginning to think there’s more to life than cheerleading. She plans on keeping a low profile until graduation…which is why she promised herself that dating was officially a no-go this year.


Then, on the very first day of school, the new guy and the cheerleader lock eyes. How is Pony supposed to stay stealth when he wants to get close to a girl like Georgia? How is Georgia supposed to keep her promise when sparks start flying with a boy like Pony?



Review:

First, I would like to thank Harper Collins Canada (HCC Frenzy) for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So let me just jump right in and say that I thought this was a pretty great YA novel about someone who just wants a life different than what it is right now. I think we can all relate to that in some way, which is why I think Pony was such a great main character to be written!

For me, I think Pony developed throughout the novel really well, and you see him go from this somewhat shy teen, to an outspoken one by the end of the novel. I also found myself wondering "What is normal?" when Pony would say that's the kind of life he wanted... a normal one.

Now... Georgia. She was quite the cliche type of girl and personally for most of the book I found her point of view to be annoying and very similar to Mean Girls. I do think she developed more as she spent more time with Pony, but I felt like she was trying really hard not to lose her friends because of social status. It wasn't until like the very end that she realized who she was. I think Pony deserved better than her personally...

There were definitely some tense moments, but I was almost wishing for some more drama to come through! I will say though, the relationship between Pony and his sister was AMAZING! Those are the kind of people you want in your life, and I seriously loved the dynamic of it all!

Overall, this was an emotional roller coaster and definitely Eye opening! There were moments where I really wished for more to happen to heighten the emotion, but I think this story was great. The beginning was a bit of a "lesson" it seemed to me, but ended up smoothing itself out throughout the book. I would definitely recommend picking this up.

That's all for my review, I hope you enjoyed it.

So until the next time, Keep Reading!

Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)