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Stay Gold
Stay Gold
Stay Gold
Audiobook9 hours

Stay Gold

Written by Tobly McSmith

Narrated by Theo Germaine and Phoebe Strole

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Debut author Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who’s going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she’s counting down the days until graduation. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Becky Albertalli, and Jenny Han.

Pony plans to fly under the radar this year. Tired of getting too much attention at his old school after coming out as transgender, he’s hoping for a fresh start as a Hillcrest High senior. But it’s hard to live your best life with the threat of exposure lurking around every corner.

Georgia is beginning to think there’s more to life than cheerleading. She just wants to keep a low profile until graduation . . . which is why she promised herself that dating is a nonstarter for the foreseeable future.

Then, on the very first day of classes, the new guy and the cheerleader lock eyes…

In this moving, honest debut from Tobly McSmith, one transformative relationship opens the eyes of a whole town—and opens the door for Pony and Georgia to celebrate their truths, even when it feels hard.


LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperTeen
Release dateMay 26, 2020
ISBN9780063012479
Author

Tobly McSmith

Tobly McSmith is the co-creator/writer of seven somewhat successful musical parodies, including Friends! The Musical Parody. Tobly was born in Texas. He now lives in New York City with his two cats, Buster and Bananas McSmith. Tobly is proud to be transgender.

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Reviews for Stay Gold

Rating: 4.084507042253521 out of 5 stars
4/5

213 ratings13 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Be prepared to cry continuously for the last 20-30 pages. Heart broken to the max and wholeheartedly recommend.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this so much! The pacing, the humour, and the heart of it all instantly made this one of my top reads for the year. Such a well-written story and the dual narration complemented it beautifully. It was messy and sad and beautiful all at once and I would push this on anyone.

    Content warnings: transphobia, violence, thoughts and discussion around suicide
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Simply beautiful! Such a moving story, grateful to the author for bringing this forward.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    this book is amazingly heartbreaking and moving :) love the own voices representation!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    TW : bullying, assault, transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, dead naming, suicide (thoughts of), characters being outed

    I really enjoyed this book, but I also have very conflicting feelings about it. I was so happy to read a book by a trans author, and I guess some things included resonated with the author's experience. But that fellow trans character who shames Pony, because he doesn't want to tell people he's trans? ... no. But I guess it illustrates well how people's opinions in the trans community widely varies.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    this book was amazing, it made me cry :,) . i would recommend to anyone.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely adored this audio book, the narrators did such an amazing job!!!! I could turn around and listen to it all over again. ❤️❤️
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was not prepared to be crying at work when listening to this! Beautiful story and will definitely be checking out more form the author. My only negative is Max is kind of toxic and while he did give a half apology I was not here for his character! It’s not okay to try and force someone out just because you’re out. Leave people to do things when they’re ready! That was some Leah from Leah on the offbeat kind of toxic behaviour.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Funny, impactful and a great experience that I had so many emotions towards
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Pony is starting a new school this year in an attempt at a clean slate - a place where no one knows he's trans and he can be more than just the Trans Kid, and hopefully avoid the bullying that comes with that label. Georgia is one of the most popular girls in school and a member of the cheerleading squad, but after a bad breakup over the summer, she's ready to reevaluate what's important, even though the thought of leaving cheerleading to be a journalist for the school paper scares her. On the first day of school, these two lock eyes, feel a spark, and both lives start to change.A loose (but clever and interesting) take on The Outsiders, with an excellent treatment of what it's like to be trans in a Texas high school, how it's great to feel ready to come out but also how it's absolutely valid not to be ready, and how even the most unlikely people can change their views. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is sort of a high school romance coming of age story from a trans male POV and from the viewpoint of the popular cheerleader that falls for him. It's not heavy on the romance. A good bit of time is given to telling about transitioning and the problems he faces. Since I haven't read this perspective much, I liked some of the extra info. If someone already knows all of this, it will probably get old quickly. Some characters had a problem with Pony being trans like his dad so there was that to deal with. Others gave him a hard time for not putting all his business out there to the public. One of the worst was his trans friend. I had a problem with the pressure that was put on him to be out.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Senior Pony starts a new school and immediately falls for the pretty cheerleader he sees as he arrives. She likes him too, the problems being that he is trans and she is recovering from a very public crash and burn breakup. It's all about being who you are, and the pressures around that. However reality and wish fulfillment mix in this book, it didn't really work for me, probably because it was high school and who needs that?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Refreshing, satisfying, deserving a spot on many library shelves, all describe this book. While the story happens in Texas, the characters and events happen daily all over the world. It's a sensitive and unflinching tale of a transgender boy, a cheerleader, their attraction and how their families and friends handle it. Yes, Pony's in denial in some ways, as is Georgia, but as the story unfolds, the real message is that love is love...And that's just fine.