School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Gr 3–7— In this middle grade debut, Lizzie is an eighth grader who is facing a lot of change. Not only are there shifts within herself that she is struggling to identify, but many external changes are affecting her relationship with herself and the world. Lizzie's family has had to move from her childhood home; her brother is more distant since entering college; and the girl's friends are all into crushes and dating, an interest she doesn't share. After a lesson in science on asexual reproduction serves as a catalyst for introspection and self-discovery, Lizzie embarks on a journey of exploring asexuality and how it applies to her. Written with clarity in plot development and relatable diction, Wilfrid fosters a character that readers have all known, seen, helped, or identify with in young Lizzie. This poignant depiction of a journey of self-discovery through the middle grade lens gives light to not only how emerging teenagers seek, process, and act with information, but how the voice of the younger generation is sometimes better to listen to instead of guiding. VERDICT A thoughtful coming-of-age exploration of a tween's experience with big life changes and asexuality; recommended for all collections.— Marcos Vargas

ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Lizzie's life is changing as she starts eighth grade; her family moved after a neighbor forced his way into their house, her brother left for college, and her friends are suddenly focused on boys and romantic relationships. Feeling none of the same pull, to boys or to any gender at all, she questions how attraction works. When a research project for school begins intersecting with asexual reproduction in plants, she begins to find herself in the subject. Unfortunately, Lizzie faces common challenges when talking about asexuality with others ("late bloomer" comments, disbelief, questions about trauma, comparisons to plants), though she starts finding support from her best friend's mom and the AVEN (Asexuality Visibility and Education Network) community. This is Wilfrid's debut novel, and in an author's note, she discusses her own asexual identity. This joins the ranks of middle-grade coming-out narratives that explore an identity beyond the more familiar gay, lesbian, and bisexual, and it reassures tweens and young teens that they aren't broken if they don't experience romantic or sexual attraction.

Kirkus Reviews

What does it mean if you're an eighth grade girl who doesn't "like" boys-or anyone, for that matter?Lizzie's tough year starts with a move following a neighbor's frightening harassment of her mother and her beloved brother's departure for college. Also, her best friend, Sarah Nan, is obsessed with boys and crushes, and Lizzie just doesn't get it. How do you start "liking" someone like that? What does "liking" even mean? Is some part of her missing? Learning about asexual reproduction in science class opens up a new world for Lizzie. But why can everyone accept her taking self-defense classes to manage her fear following their neighbor's actions but not her revealing she's asexual? Not even her mother or her favorite teacher validates her. How can Lizzie simultaneously cope with anxiety over the harassment, others' aphobia, and her own fears that asexuality will mean always being alone? Lizzie's feelings, struggles, and fears, arising from the author's own experiences (which she describes in her author's note), will ring true to many readers on the aromantic and asexual spectrums. Also poignant is Lizzie's lingering fear of men as she wonders why victims, not perpetrators, must move. Hope comes from her successfully navigating friendships and family relationships, taking a deep dive into research, and finding true mentors in unexpected places. Main characters are cued white. Some secondary characters are cued lesbian or gender nonconforming.A welcome addition to the growing number of novels exploring and embracing asexuality. (resources) (Fiction. 10-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

All that rising eighth grader Lizzie wants is to start the new school year on the right foot, especially following a traumatic incident with a neighbor that forces her family to move house. But her best friend Sarah Nan has grown distant after getting a boyfriend, and the rest of her classmates seem obsessed with dating. Certain she’s not gay, Lizzie doesn’t understand “Crushes. Flirting. What you’re supposed to feel inside,” and she knows her resistance to romance has nothing to do with her not being “ready to put yourself out there.” She starts taking a self-defense class and begins brainstorming for a school science project as she navigates anxiety over her sexual orientation. While researching possible topics, she encounters the term asexual and wonders if that’s the identity she’s been searching for. Everything clicks into place as she studies the asexuality of reptiles, plants, and other humans. Through Lizzie’s keen first-person voice and her interpersonal dilemmas, as well as her richly complex relationships with her teachers, friends, family, and classmates, debut author Wilfrid captures the indomitable spirit of one middle schooler struggling to better understand herself and the world around her. Resources conclude. Main characters default to white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lauren Scovel, Laura Gross Literary. (Nov.)