I thought Davis did a fabulous job of telling this story. Reading about Ysabel and Justin coming to terms with what this means for their family, their confusion over what happens from here on out felt totally real and I couldn’t put this book down.
Their father, Christopher Nicholas likes to dress up as a woman and when he’s dressed up as a woman prefers to be called Christine. It was an eye opening story about a pair of twins who’s lives are turned inside out after their father comes out about being a cross dresser. I requested this book for review so long ago that by the time I picked it to read, I had forgotten what it was about.
Over the course of spring break, Ysabel and Justin will be forced to come to terms with their dad’s new life, but can they overcome their fears to piece together their happy family again? But their father has a secret-one that threatens to destroy the twins’ happy family and life as they know it. Ysabel’s jewelry designs have already caught the eyes of the art world and Justin’s intelligence and drive are sure to gain him entrance into the most prestigious of colleges. Teenage twins Ysabel and Justin Nicholas are lucky. Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Not unless you need insight into transgender issues.Rowena’s review of Happy Families by Tunita S. Where would you shelve it and why? YA Fiction
Who should buy this book? Public libraries, an additional purchase for high schools To whom would you recommend this book? ANyone who likes family dramas will like this one. There was a weird connection between one of the kids and another girl and it seemed to come out of nowhere. I also really didn’t understand the non-primary relationships. What didn’t you like about the book?I normally like books written in multiple perspectives but this one was confusing. The author did a great job portraying this as a long and difficult journey for the entire family. I’m also glad to see the family in therapy. The teens just aren’t sure how to reconcile their experience with the father they’ve always known with the woman he knows inside. I found the confusion and general unease to be very authentic. This time the teens are struggling to understand what it all means for their parent. Most novels tend to focus on teens struggling with gender issues. This is an important topic and I’m glad to see it well addressed in a YA book. Happy Families is about a family, especially two teenagers, struggling to accept the father’s trangender lifestyle.
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