Uglier

Starred review from October 15, 2023
A 16-year-old artist leaves her small-town Oklahoma home and enters a new school--and a new life--in this second installment in Vincent's YA series. Identifying as gender nonconforming, Nic Summers gets misgendered frequently and has had to deal with schoolmates and even family members who are far from understanding. But when she leaves her home to attend a private academy in suburban Oklahoma City, her expectations are high. Not only does she hope to finally find her true self--and fully understand her as-of-yet uncertain gender identity and sexuality--she yearns to find people with whom she can identify and connect. Nic quickly finds happiness at the school--she meets a teacher who takes her passion for art to the next level and a small group of friends who share the same interests. She even meets a mysterious boy, Mack, upon whom she immediately starts crushing. But the same prejudice, hatred, and ignorance that plagued her back home find her and her friends at her new school, and Nic is forced to deal with people who are willing to go out of their way to torment her, destroy her relationships, and derail her burgeoning career in art. An impressively honest and intimate first person POV powers this story of a young person struggling with gender and trying to find their place in a world that is seemingly determined to "erase" them. Anti-trans legislation, book bans, and the blind hatred passed down by some parents ("red state training") to their children are all referenced in this novel, which doesn't pull any punches about the dangers growing up different, especially in small town America. "'They really are coming after us, and it's not just me. It's all of you.'" A powerfully moving YA novel that will hopefully enlighten as much as it entertains.

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July 29, 2024
Vincent’s heartfelt follow up to Ugly finds Nic Summers headed to boarding school in Burnside, Oklahoma, to escape the small-minded cruelty of her hometown high school. Sixteen-year-old Nic is gender nonconforming and hopeful this fresh start will be just that—“a perfect opportunity to reinvent myself.” But, while the bigger school affords more opportunities, Nic’s up against the same rigid thinking she’s been tortured by at home, constantly being misgendered and facing rejection, all of which prompts her to wonder why “my mere existence seem to be a problem for some people.”
Nic is still the same lovable, unwavering hero that she was in Vincent’s last book, despite the cost she suffers for simply trying to be herself. That cost is painful to watch, as Nic’s self-confidence—always intimidating for any teenager—takes blow after blow when people around her are unaccepting and judgmental. Things pick up when Nic meets Mack, a cute boy she instantly connects with, until a local bully picks a hurtful way to tell Nic that Mack was a girl when he was younger, leaving Nic to wonder why she didn’t realize he was trans—and how she can make up for the damaging way she handled the news. Nic’s journey is paralleled with Mack’s in many ways, affording the two several beautiful opportunities to explore themselves—and each other—with empathy and warmth.
As always, Vincent handles character transformations brilliantly, touching on their experiences with grace and a deep understanding of gender fluidity. Nic’s evolution at boarding school is a true rebirth, gifting her with gentle, compassionate friends, a chance to explore her love of art (and even apply for a coveted mentorship), and, most importantly, that elusive self-acceptance that helps her grow into a more confident, assertive teen—culminating with their final realization that they’re agender. Readers will be eager for more of Nic in the future.

Takeaway: A gender nonconforming teen comes into their own in this moving story.
Comparable Titles: Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All the Best, Jules Machias’s Both Can Be True.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A