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It took me a while to decide that I really liked Beast. It's funny, it's charming, but it's also a tough read. Transphobia isn't skimmed over, and some of the bullying and trans-shaming was nauseating to me as a cis reader, so I can only imagine how upsetting it might be for trans readers.

That being said, I personally think it's a very important book. The darker aspects of the story draw sympathy for Jamie, allow her to tell her side of the story, and - ultimately - normalize teen trans relationships. And though I'm making it sound like a really awful tale of horror and bullying, for the most part it's a really sweet, heartwarming romance between two people who have been born with an appearance that doesn't match what's on the inside.

However: absolutely definitely DO NOT expect a Beauty & the Beast retelling. You will be disappointed. There's really nothing to link this story to the old fairy tale beyond the fact that Dylan's nickname is "Beast" and it's all about discovering how appearances can be far from the full story. Other than that, though, it's hard to find parallels between them.

The story is narrated by Dylan (AKA "Beast"), a fifteen-year-old boy who looks like a thirty-year-old man. He's not just tall but huge, and his enormous frame is covered with hair. He's spent his life being judged for the way he looks - having people assume he's a footballer at best, and shrink away in fear at worst. Truth is, he's really smart and aspires to be a Rhodes scholar, but no one would ever think it by looking at him. Everyone just sees the Beast.

When a bad day ends with him falling off a roof and breaking his leg, he's sent to a therapy group for those who self-harm. There he meets the pretty, snarky Jamie, who, through text conversations and meet-ups, he begins to fall for. In a breakdown of communication, Jamie believes that Dylan knows she is trans, but as it turns out, he is clueless until the day he introduces Jamie to his popular, good-looking friend, JP.

Dylan is shocked and Jamie is hurt as they both realize they misunderstood each other. What follows is a brutal look at transphobia in a high school and the real threat to the safety of trans women, as well as Dylan's journey to understanding that Jamie is the same person he always thought she was; the same girl.

Dylan shines in this book because he's such a lovable doofus, creating comic moments with his horny teenage boy narrative:

She laughs.
I laugh.
We share a laugh! Time to buy prom tickets.
***
I get inside the library and listen. If I happen upon Fern “by accident,� it’ll be less weird than if I plow over to her table and am all, HI. IT IS I. I AM HERE.

I also really love what was done with the secondary characters, though I never came to like JP. Dylan's relationship with his overbearing but well-meaning mom made me smile. She was trying so hard to be there for him and understand him, even if she went about it in a terrible way. Her love and worry for him was obvious throughout the book.

Most of all, I liked the realism portrayed by the author. Dylan feels, to me, like a typical teenage boy who has issues with his appearance. Jamie is likable and easy to love through Dylan's eyes. Perhaps some readers will disagree, but I was thankful that the book allowed Dylan to address some of the questions a teen boy in today's world would probably have in this situation. He considers the "Am I gay?" aspect, and while this is frustrating to educated readers, it also allows him to conclude that he isn't - he is just a boy who fell for a girl. A good and needed message, in my opinion.

I honestly think Beast is a smart book, equal parts light, dark and educational to its teen readers. Trans books unfortunately tend to fall into two categories - either a horror story, or a utopian world we have yet to see in reality - but this one manages to be both realistic and positive. Transphobia is real; trans-shaming is real; but so is love, and it isn't defined by XX/XY chromosomes.

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