**This review may contain spoilers**
On my journey to read as much as I humanly can before 2021 ends, there will be really phenomenal books and ones that fall a bit flat. That’s just a given with reading. Not every book will meet the somewhat odd standards I’ve found myself reaching for, and that’s okay. Some will far surpass them. Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary fits comfortably in the middle of these two categories, being a simple and sweet read with the slightest tug on the heartstrings.
Lee’s Meet Cute Diary follows 16-year-old Noah, a trans boy who runs a Tumblr blog called… the Meet Cute Diary. This “diary” details meet-cutes (rather cliché ways of meeting that end with the two individuals involved dating) that Noah makes up in an effort to give other trans youth the hope and reassurance that they can also find love, as that type of romance is not heavily touched on in the media. Through this diary and a summer trip to Colorado, he meets Drew, and, as you probably guessed, they end up falling for each other. The book follows the three months of romance and how Noah navigates the relationship, family, friends and the Meet Cute Diary.
The one negative thing I’ll say about this book is that the narrator, Noah, is a bit annoying. There were times where I would feel frustrated with his actions or how he treated other people, but reminding myself that he is 16 helped a bit. The book was also very fast paced, so if there was an issue pertaining to how Noah treated someone, it was very quickly resolved.
The fact that there was a queer happy ending in this book that wasn’t necessarily expected was really nice. Although I won’t say exactly what happened, I was very pleased with how the book ended. It kept me hooked despite the characters not being incredibly fleshed out, which is usually what I end up reading for.
What I will say is that this book definitely isn’t for everyone. The writing was very quick, some of the characters aren’t super likable, and at times, the storytelling can fall a little flat. Overall though, I did enjoy Meet Cute Diary as a lighter LGBTQ+ read. It also explored some different cultural aspects, but it felt like they could just be thrown in at random times (typically, when characters were eating food). Although this book had its rocky spots, I liked it a lot, and I’m excited to see what Emery Lee comes out with next.