ARC Review: None of The Above ♥ A Change in Young Adult

None of The Above
L.W Gregorio

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 7, 2015)

• ISBN-13: 978-0062335319
• Genre: Young Adult
• Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles
• Source: e-ARC was sent via Edelweiss. 
• Synopsis: A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she's intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between. What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant? When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him. But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts." Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?
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• Kristin Lattimer discovers she is intersex during a trip to the gynecologist. For those who aren't aware of this phenomena, please allow the psychologist in the making to explain.. Intersex is a condition where an individual has both female and male anatomy parts. That doesn't mean they qualify with two genders though, usually it's only one. Kristin outwardly looks like a girl, and she believes she is one too - however, she has testicles. The truth about her intersex "diagnosis" get's leaked in her high school and she gets bullied. It bothers me when people say diagnosis like it's an actual disease .. It's not bad to be intersex though. It is a medical condition only because it's not ordinary, otherwise physically there isn't anything wrong with the individual, but emotionally they might still suffer.

• I've read real-life scenarios about many individuals who are intersex so I found None of The Above quite interesting from the usual fluffy reads. If someone is intersex, it's better if the individual decides to undergo surgery once they're older so they are aware which gender they relate more to. I've read about a child's parents who had a child who was intersex, and they decided for the child to undergo surgery and remove the male parts. As the child grew older, she felt more like a he.. So later on, she discovered she was actually born as an intersex, and she related more to being a male. Then she went through surgery for the second time.. Emotionally, people who are intersex can suffer a lot. If the society we all lived in was more accepting and open-minded, people would never have to confirm their own identity and bullying won't exist. 

• I really liked the novel None of the Above: the title, concept, and plot was fantastic. This isn't a novel about seeking one's identity, it's about confirming one's identity to others and fitting in. It's something different in young adult, and I believe not only teenagers, but adults and parents should read this as well. It raises more awareness and challenges the stereotypes of intersex individuals. The plot might seem common with the bullying, but the concept of intersex is pretty unique in young adult. I can easily see a change and the powerful impact this novel will make on Young Adult. I do like the direction it's going in, it does raise more awareness through a positive approach.

•  Kristin Lattimer is the kind of person who's kind and nice to everyone, people seem to love her. She's popular, and a track star - I liked that she was shown as acclaimed perfection but then she finds out she is intersex and almost everyone hates her now. Many teenagers can relate to her character because she is just an ordinary teenager who is living her life.. I also liked Kristin's dad who was more than supportive to her, it didn't bother him that she was intersex, what bothered him the most was her risk of cancer. The story explains more of this in detail. 

• Kristin & Sam are a happy, perfect couple .. but then everything changes. Kristin's boyfriend Sam annoyed me quite a bit. Sometimes, I felt he was with her because she was pretty and popular. It made me pity Kristin once her boyfriend turned away from her yet, she kept on chasing him. I wanted to scream STOP IT, YOU DESERVE BETTER. However, I could understand because she feels unaccepted and lonely. It's hard to go from the popular person to the least likable person now.. It's rather upsetting when people turn away from you when you need them the most. I did like the other romance that came later on in Kristin's life. It felt more sweeter and more understanding.

“Love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

•  The plot is a bit ordinary since it's common in reality; it's still wonderful regardless. Bullying occurs once Kristin's secret is leaked out to the whole school - people can be so ignorant to the concept of intersex. If an individual is intersex, it doesn't mean they're an homosexual or bisexual - that usually doesn't have a connection to being intersex, some individuals can be but most intersex people are heterosexual so these stereotypes are stupid. It's a birth defect, it doesn't determine sexuality. If you think it does, please throw ice water on yourself and read a textbook about intersex with an cool mind.  It bothers me when people don't know the background information on something yet think so negatively about it. People mainly kids name-called Kristin "freak" or "faggot" which was quite harsh. Bullying seriously hurts, it needs to stop. I really hope some individuals educate themselves with this book and by simply using the internet. 

• Overall, None of The Above is a realistic young adult novel, I haven't read a book like this before, although I have studied the concept. I love how the author balances educating readers through the informative messages - I liked how the author explored the social side of intersex. None of The Above is more of a self-discovery novel than a romance novel. Kristin already relates more to being a female, but she was having trouble fitting in still. It bothered me how Kristin was chasing Sam even after he had rejected her, the hope she still had for someone who was quite ignorant was saddening. The book also ends on an open note which depresses me, I wanted to know what happens next in Kristin's life now. I have a slight problem with the endings of books these days. 

• I can understand why the author chose to write an open ending though because Kristin's life is still moving forward, it doesn't have a happy ending yet, however, she has reached the point of being contempt and satisfied. Overall, I would recommend that everyone should read this novel at least once in their lifetime! It's an eye opener for sure, I do look forward to more of the author's incredible work, I would rate None of The Above 4.5 butterflies. I could see it becoming a bestseller soon.

Recommended for fans of Golden Boy, and Annabel.

• Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures.. 
  
  
  “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness.” —George R.R. Martin 
  
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