Review for the In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill

*I was given a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review"

My Rating: 4.25 stars

CW: talks of coming out, transitioning, and gender dysphoria, transphobia/homophobia

Super cute right from the jump. The dialogue, the narrative, the way the author just writes it, it’s so much nicer than the book I’d just finished before this (at the time of writing this review, that was The Empress, a review which I’ve posted).

Edward Underhill is a really engaging author, to start, and Darby, his protagonist, is such a breath of fresh air. You can tell he’s written by an Own Voice because he’s complex and multi-layered. Additionally, Underhill also subverts how a lot of male authors (in my experience) write queer women and non-men in general, Olivia and Joan in particular. They’re also complex and allowed to be these full beings with good relationships. The book also feels genuine in that the author writes for the age group he’s a part of, sure, some of it is a bit sappy and cringy, but in a realistic way. Real friend groups are like that, real narratives are like that. The problem with some of these narratives when there’s a generation gap between author and character is that it feels disingenuous, very “hello fellow kids” when the author could easily write characters who are their own age and not have to copy-and-paste from urban dictionary. Underhill doesn’t try-hard, his dialogue feels real and natural. It’s not trying to be punchy or lyrical or overly whimsical or purple-prose-y. It’s just…real.

Darby himself is relatable, it doesn’t feel forced, or performative, his struggles feel genuine and immersive and it doesn’t feel like a “poor millennial” schtick that keeps cropping up in books and TV. He feels like a real person with realistic struggles. Darby’s identity struggles never leave him, his identity is present in both his joy and his struggles. When someone like Underhill is writing, a transman writing a transman, complexity is allowed in a way that cisgendered and straight writers don’t always comprehend. He’s proud and happy in his body, but geography matters to his sense of safety.

We see the value of an own voice again in how the people around Darby view his identity. There’s a misconception that it’s either all love or all hate from individuals. Everyone falls in a more fluctuating place. Darby’s mom is realistic too, but their interactions are still so healing.

The concept itself is a fun twist on a common premise, rather than a character entering a time warp in a town, doing a day over and over again, or entering through some magical place and transporting back in time, Darby’s time warp is limited to the titular bookstore. Which I thought was super brilliant, and for the bookstore to be connected to Darby and an integral part of his identity was refreshing too.

I think Darby’s emotional journey was done really well too. He has a pretty realistic reaction to what happens-entering a bookstore that is stuck in 2009. He has this crisis of community, his identity is pretty set for him (his journey there in flash backs was really nice to see too). But it’s his friendships and relationships with other queer people that is what he struggles with. And he sees that in his younger self too.

I also liked Michael and Darby’s relationship development, it actually felt realistic and healthy, I’ll admit, I tend to only read MLM books written by men or nonbinary people, just as I only read sapphic books from women or nonbinary people, I make exceptions of course, and I go in warily. But Underhill’s writing is an explanation why, queer men write more authentic stories about queer men, they don’t infantilize or fetishize queer men, they give complexity to development of character and relationships, and their characters don’t come off as cartoonish. Darby’s feelings for Michael are realistic and organic, and the way their identities interact with each other feels authentic.

Underhill manages to make side characters that are not only fleshed out, but likable while being flawed. The abundant ratio of queer women and queer non binary folks to straight characters within the cast of characters is so refreshing. He writes them in healthy relationships, avoids stereotypes about bisexual women, and puts time into the descriptions of gender expression for his non-binary characters. It doesn’t come off like he just threw in identities to check something off.

I will acknowledge that both main characters are white, and the characters of color are all secondary. And I really can’t speak to the portrayal of queer women of color, as a queer white woman. So I did shave some of a star for that.

I also felt like Michael came off a bit annoying at times, he’s a great love interest, but he definitely gets to be a bit annoying at times. I like him enough, but he definitely had his moments where I wanted to strangle him for how he treats Darby at times. I don’t know if I’d forgive Michael like Darby forgives Michael.

In addition, I also thought Darby could’ve been less weird about he interacted with his younger self. I genuinely see the weirdness that Younger!Darby feels about it. I didn't really enjoy the ending much either. Overall, I think this book did really well with what it had, but there were some ways it fell short.