The Princess of Baker Street
Mia Kerick
Published by: Harmony Ink Press
Publication date: January 22nd 2019
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
“Always wear your imaginary crown” is Joey Kinkaid’s motto. For years, Joey, assigned male at birth, led the Baker Street kids in daring and imaginative fantasy adventures, but now that they’re teenagers, being a princess is no longer quite so cool. Especially for a child who is seen by the world as a boy.
Eric Sinclair has always been Joey’s best friend and admirer—Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel—but middle school puts major distance between them. As Eric’s own life takes a dangerous turn for the worse, he stands by and watches as Joey—who persists in dressing and acting too much like a Disney princess for anybody’s comfort—gets bullied. Eric doesn’t like turning his back on Joey, but he’s learned that the secret to teenage survival, especially with and absent mother, is to fly under the radar.
But when Joey finally accepts who she is and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies make her life such a misery that she decides to end it all. Eric, in turn, must decide who he really is and what side he wants to stand on… though no matter what he chooses, the consequences with be profound for both teens, and they’ll face them for years to come.
Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?
Joey is a guy who wants to be a girl. The story is told from Eric’s point of view. He’s a guy that wants to stay under the radar. He has his own problems and doesn’t want to be noticed. Growing up Joey was the life and soul of the neighbourhood, but school can be cruel. Joey is different and an outcast in middle school. Nobody sticks up for him, not even himself. He’s the butt of all the jokes and people tend to avoid him. This includes Eric who actually really likes him. The book flashes back to the younger days mixed with the bullying of the present day.
The princess of Baker Street is nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes and I have to say I was a little disappointed. In fact, Joey is a big Disney fan and likes to dress up as a princess giving him the name Princess of Baker Street.
I liked the idea of this book. This is my first transgender read and I’m a fan of the documentaries I’ve seen on TV, but the focus was too intense on the bullying in this book. It made me want to fight for Joey. It’s an emotional read about acceptance or the lack of.
Joey and Eric are paired together in Geography. They re-gain their friendship but it’s a secret. Eric’s life is also falling apart, but in a different way. He needs Joey but he is too scared to admit it. This book was intense and not as sassy as the cover/title. I couldn’t put it down and I really wanted to know what happened, but also it had me wanting more for the main two characters. It’s hard to rate a book that causes so much emotion. I hated it and loved it in the same breathe. It’s realistic but so cruel. This book really gets you thinking. It is a romance novel, but it’s so much more. I would recommend this book but be ready to want to fight for these two young guys. The Princess of Baker Street isn’t a fairytale. It’s raw and ugly.
4 stars out of 5. I wish the world wasn’t so cruel. I wish Joey didn’t have to hide who he was. I wish transgender people could just be who they are and the world leave them to it.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour.
The princess of Baker Street is nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes and I have to say I was a little disappointed. In fact, Joey is a big Disney fan and likes to dress up as a princess giving him the name Princess of Baker Street.
I liked the idea of this book. This is my first transgender read and I’m a fan of the documentaries I’ve seen on TV, but the focus was too intense on the bullying in this book. It made me want to fight for Joey. It’s an emotional read about acceptance or the lack of.
Joey and Eric are paired together in Geography. They re-gain their friendship but it’s a secret. Eric’s life is also falling apart, but in a different way. He needs Joey but he is too scared to admit it. This book was intense and not as sassy as the cover/title. I couldn’t put it down and I really wanted to know what happened, but also it had me wanting more for the main two characters. It’s hard to rate a book that causes so much emotion. I hated it and loved it in the same breathe. It’s realistic but so cruel. This book really gets you thinking. It is a romance novel, but it’s so much more. I would recommend this book but be ready to want to fight for these two young guys. The Princess of Baker Street isn’t a fairytale. It’s raw and ugly.
4 stars out of 5. I wish the world wasn’t so cruel. I wish Joey didn’t have to hide who he was. I wish transgender people could just be who they are and the world leave them to it.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour.
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—one in law school, another a professional dancer, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son, heading off to college. (Yes, the nest is finally empty.) She has published more than twenty books of LGBTQ romance when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing scholarship essays. Her husband of twenty-five years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it’s a sensitive subject.Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled people in complex relationships. She has a great affinity for the tortured hero in literature, and as a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of tortured heroes and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to her wonderful publishers for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Her books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine, and have won Rainbow Awards for Best Transgender Contemporary Romance and Best YA Lesbian Fiction, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, a Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award for Young Adult e-book Fiction, among other awards.
Mia Kerick is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com or visit at www.miakerickya.com to see what is going on in Mia’s world.
Great review, Danielle! This sounds very well written, thought provoking also! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me today and for the great review of The Princess of Baker Street!!
ReplyDelete