Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary. Sure, I’ve read plenty of LGBTQ books but it took me until Meet Cute Diary for me to realize that I’ve legit been missing out on the T of it all with a side of nonbinary. And I’m a better person (yes, I’m gonna say that non matter how cheesy it sounds) for reading and living this experience with that of the protagonist in the book.
Now, I personally can’t speak for the accuracy of the transgender and nonbinary components of this book. I myself don’t identify as such and think that transgender and nonbinary reviewers should be the first and foremost ones you should read when it comes to accuracy. But even then, Meet Cute Diary made me feel welcome to this extraordinary experience and like something that I can wholeheartedly understand and want more of.
Noah is an absolute delight. Yeah, they might be a little new to all of this, but they’re trying and living their honest truth. The trans blog they run, Meet Cute Diary, is what tropey dreams are made of and it left me wanting more. Who doesn’t want romantic meet cutes where the world tilts on its axis and the stars align? I know I do and I found myself wanting to read an actual blog just like this on Tumblr with reenactments on Tik Tok because why not?
A blog like the Meet Cute Diary is something important. Why? Because everyone deserves to have that feeling, that certainty, that one day they’ll meet someone who appreciates them, loves them, and accepts them for who they are. That feeling shouldn’t be relegated to cis people alone. Everyone, including trans people, should have that possibility in their future if they wish it to be and that’s what the Meet Cute Diary is doing for those in the book and those reading.
I remember how important and game changing it was the first time I read a LGBTQ romance that didn’t start with pain and the angst of coming out with a side of them never getting a happy ending. I felt loved, accepted, and so much less lonely in the world for it. I think Meet Cute Diary can and will do that for transgender people who need that little push or helping hand to make them feel the love and acceptance I felt all those years ago.
That isn’t to say that things aren’t complicated in Meet Cute Diary. They are, especially when you’ve got a fake dating AU going on. Noah and his counterpart Drew have committed themselves to something bigger than the two of them combined and the understand that. And their expectations class with their reality, their feelings, and the world around them. But it still feels like something worth reading and investing in.
And on an important side note, it isn’t all about the romance or the possibility of romance. Noah has a friendship in Becca that doesn’t just disappear when things get cute and romantic. Noah has a brother named Brian who is trying his best to understand his trans sibling. And there’s even a side bit with Brian and his girlfriend and how Noah feels a little left out by their relationship.
Point being, Meet Cute Diary has layers. It’s a love story, it’s an exploration of one’s true self, it’s a tale of friendship, and it’s the beginning of what I hope is a continued trend of transgender stories that inspire and change the lives of those reading them. Because if it changed me, I can’t even begin to imagine what this story will do to someone who is trans and looking for a little acceptance in this world. That’s what this book is.
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee is available for purchase now.
