Starting from Scratch by Jay Northcote

Starting from Scratch (Housemates #5) by Jay Northcote

• Publisher: Jaybird Press, 2017
• Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
• Format: Ebook
• Page Count: 196 pages
• My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

accurate trans portrayal, hot sex, awesome people

Most people were obsessed with genitals. Gay guys were all about the dick and straight guys were all about tits and pussy. It was something you took for granted, a fact of life, until you realised you were trans and then suddenly began to see gender through a totally different lens. Definitions of masculinity and femininity became more flexible, less rigid, and not so focused on body parts.

This is my first attempt to read a sort-of-erotic M/M romance fiction, and also a first novel with a trans lead.

The depicted world is an absolute LGBTQ+ paradise! Everyone is incredibly nice and respectful of each other that I want to believe unconditional kindness still exists in the reality.

Ben’s struggles and conflicted feelings are so real and described in such detail that those parts should legit be a must-read for everyone to gain more understandings on what a lot of trans people go through. Also, the effort Sid made just to reassure Ben of the validity of his gender is very touching.

Maybe I looked for the wrong stuff in this book, because while I enjoyed the overall sensation it gave me, I was rather let down by the fact that there were little plot going on. This book is mainly about Ben trying to overcome his insecurities of sex life, so it is more on his gradual growth of confidence rather than an enthralling storyline. Of course, there are still plenty of passionate sex scenes going on.

If considering solely of the plot, Starting from Scratch is maybe a 3-star novel, but with all the rainbow, glitter, hot sex, and accurateness of trans representation (at least in my opinion), it is an overall 4-star book. [7 Jun 2018]