In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill Book Review

Tabitha Tomala
Jun 12
2 min read

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Book cover for In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill — In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill

In Case You Read This Blurb

Arden isn’t excited about moving. Los Angeles was an easy place to fit in and find a supportive queer community. But Winifred, Michigan? That sounds like a much more difficult place to exist.

Pasadena, California, is the perfect city for Gabe’s reinvention. Everyone knew everything about him in small-town Shelby, Illinois. Gabe, who wants to be out and proud, can’t wait to relocate.

When Arden and Gabe randomly meet in the lobby of a motel in Nebraska, it feels like fate. Both are trans, but more importantly, both are huge fans of the band Damaged Pixie Dream Boi. Clearly, the universe is trying to tell them something. Right?

But after an incredible evening of hanging out, the pair part ways only knowing the other’s first name. And as both boys struggle to adjust to their new homes, their thoughts keep being drawn back to their time together. Is one perfect night enough to bring Arden and Gabe back to each other, or will the boys need some help to find each other again?

In Case You Read This Book Review

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

In Case You Read This is such a beautiful and touching story. The entire time readers will be engaged in Arden and Gabe's tale, cheering them on in their daily lives and desperately hoping alongside them to see a reunion. The romance element is so well written, and while it is an element of the plot, it slowly develops and focuses on the basis of friendship and understanding.

Told from the perspectives of two characters, Arden is moving from a big city to a small town, while Gabe is doing the exact opposite. This brilliant plot device allows readers to see how the characters adjust to their new lives and how they find their way to lasting relationships. It also shows a snippet of how everyone's experience of coming out and being trans is different.

The inner monologues with anxiety and uncertainty are heartbreaking. Both are concerned not only about finding one another again but finding a place to fit in with their new communities. And Edward Underhill does not shy away from showing how some people will treat the characters, and how unfair some situations can become. But the underlying message of acceptance, love, and found family are the strongest elements of the story.

I could barely put down In Case You Read This. I had to know if Arden and Gabe would reconnect and if the spark they first felt would still be there if they did. Edward Underhill is quickly becoming a favorite author. The LGBTQ+ representation and excellent writing are not to be missed.

To Purchase: Bookshop | Author's Website

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