​Ani Abrams lives in the egalitarian town of Garden City.  Garden City's founder, Anne Hutchinson, created it as a safe haven for women as well as a town that is supposed to be run by women and have women business owners.  Ani doesn't necessarily care about that, she would rather swoon over cutie barista Nick Lake with her best friend Johnny.  However, when Ani and Johnny attend the Founder's Day party at the Hutchinson's house, Ani discovers a strange set of red handprints and the following day, the defamation of Anne Hutchinson's statue is discovered, leading police right to Ani's door. Ani keeps showing up at the scene of the crime where the person being deemed the "Vag Vandal" has struck.  When Ani is accused, she decides to investigate for herself. Ani finds out several dark secrets about her town and gets a few dates with Nick out of it as well. 


Garden of Earthly Delights is an intriguing mystery set in a unique community.  I was really intrigued by Garden City as a whole, how it was founded and what this meant for women in Garden City today.  I wish there was a little more history included, although it wasn't necessary for the story. Ani's character was very much the typical teen and far from perfect in her decisions and thought process which made for an interesting investigation into the Vag Vandal.  The mystery of the Vandal was definitely compelling, from what they vandalized, to how and why they seemed to be framing Ani. The writing creates a fast-paced story and increases the suspense with a series of strange events.  I had an idea of who the vandal might be by the end, but was still surprised as everything came to light. Overall, Garden of Earthly Delights is a fun, young adult, mystery thriller that anyone can enjoy. 
 

​Miles is a sixteen year old high school student and if that isn't hard enough, they also just transitioned from Melissa to Miles.  This led to a celebration from Miles' two lesbian friends, Rachel and Paige, confusion from their parents and a breakup with boyfriend, Shane.  On top of school, Miles is getting ready to compete in a regional classical piano competition.  For New Years, Miles resolves to win back his ex and beat his arch nemesis at the piano competition.  A new classmate, Eric and a new piano instructor, Stefania, throw Miles for a loop.  Eric and Miles seem to have an instant connection, Eric even asks Miles' pronouns when they first meet.  Stefania pushes Miles in a good way for his piano competition.  Miles has to figure out who he is and what he stands for so he can figure out how to win the piano competition, his relationship with Eric and his relationship with himself. 


Always the Almost is a young adult coming of age story focusing on newly transitioned Miles.  I love that the focus was not on Miles' transition or the inevitable strife it caused with others, but on Miles figuring out who he was and what makes him happy, just like any other teenager.  I also enjoyed that Miles' passion was music and that did not change as he transitioned, but his transition did impact the emotions he could access while playing.  Miles' character, while representing trans and queer youth,  was very much a typical teen, focused on friends, wanting an ex back and beating an opponent at the piano competition.  I admired Eric, a queer character with a very calming presence, great personality and also dealing with issues of his own. Rachel and Paige were awesome and shine a light on lesbian relationships, I wish their relationship would have been equally focused on, especially with the drama near the end.  Overall, Always the Almost is a story of finding joy.  It is clear the author put his own emotions and experience into the story and gives representation to more youth. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.