I Love You Just The Way You Are
By Riely Rian
If she liked you back, would you pursue her?
Would you want to be her boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Absolutely. There’s nobody like her. And I don’t
mean the transgender part. I mean her, you know? Just her.
There’s something beneath that armor. She hasn’t let me in, so I can’t be certain, but I can feel it. There’s something about her that makes it worth trying despite all the rejection…”
Kellan, star quarterback and secret manga artist, has fallen hard for Maddie, a trans-girl and Twitch streamer. They’ve gone to school together for years, but Kellan never noticed her until she started presenting as her authentic self. Now she’s all he can think about, even as the rest of his world is crumbling.
But she’s terrified that he’s deluded, not seeing her for who she really is. Will she take a chance and let him in? Will they be able to overcome a cruel society that would rather erase Maddie than accept her? Or will Kellan walk away when the pressure becomes too much?
Written by #OwnVoices transgender author Riley Rian, “I Love You Just the Way You Are” is a timely coming-of-age novel about opening your heart and discovering the power and magic of love.
Hi there, I’m Riley, transgender author and aspiring Instagram star (not really, but it would be cool). And, yes, I’m writing my bio in 1st-person because I’m that awesome.
If you enjoy queer lit with lots of angst, heart, and mostly happy endings, you’ve found the right place. I started writing when it dawned on me that I was a girl trapped in a ridiculously large male body. It took me until I was 33 to figure this out, but I’m a slow learner so whatever.
On my very first night of writing, when I was huddled over a legal pad in the feeble light of a Himalayan salt lamp, I met Maddie, my main character in “I Love You Just the Way You Are.” I would come to realize later that she was a part of my subconscious that I had buried long ago. When I was a teenager, I used to wear makeup and dress fem, but that all came to an end when I was bullied pretty harshly. Somehow, I forgot about who I was and tried to be an adult dude. Needless to say, I was depressed for most of my early adulthood. Then, finally, my egg cracked and it was like someone opened a door to Heaven. And I’ve been writing every day since.
My overarching goal is touch your heart with my words. I want you to reach the last page of one of my books with wet cheeks and a sense that while the world isn’t a perfect place, there is hope, and finding true love is possible.
When I’m not crying in front of a computer screen while dragging my characters through hell only to (maybe) give them a cute ending, I enjoy hiking and watching Minecraft streamers with my 10-year-old son. Like, literally, I enjoy laying horizontally on the couch and consuming digital content. I’m a product of my times and I refuse to apologize.
Follow me on Instagram (@rileyrianbooks) and TikTok (@riley_rian_books) to stay up to date with my latest shenanigans.
To the day I die, to the very last breath I take I will never forget what he said to me, his voice as soft and tender as an oat milk latte. He took both of my hands, gently holding them across the table.
“Maddie, no matter who or what you are in this world, there will always be people who are going to reject you. They’re going to tell you that you’re not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not something enough. And that’s everybody’s experience queer or not. It just gets more fun when you add being a transgender girl on top of that.”
He smiled, and I smiled back, but it was more of a mirrored expression as I leaned forward with rapt attention, feeling that he was about to tell me something very important and I really wanted to soak it in.
“But you can’t let that stop you. Because this is your life as much as it’s anybody’s else’s. And if you don’t live your truth, you’re going to suffer in your lies. It’s far easier to take the punches with your head held high than it is to cower in the corner pretending to be something your not. That’ll kill you from within.
“My advice to you is to come out when you’re ready. It’s not my place or anyone else’s to force you to come out. Don’t let anybody, including me, push you into doing something you don't want to do. I’m here for you and we can talk anytime you want. 24/7. I’m honored that you chose to share yourself with me first. That’s not something that’s lost on me. You know, I didn’t have anybody to talk to when I was your age and I wish I did. Things would have been a hell of a lot easier.”
First, I want to thank Riely Rian and Kate Rock Book Tours for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
WOW!!! WOW!! WOW!! Riely Rian’s I Love You Just The Way You Are is such a beautifully written story that made me smile ear to ear and put love in my heart. I have read many books in the LGTBQ+ genre but none of them touched my heart the way Riely’s did! You could feel how passionate they were about their characters and the story they were sharing just by reading it. I just couldn’t get enough of the story.
Let’s talk about Riely’s cover shall we? OMG it is beautiful!! It is fun, colorful, youthful, appealing to the eye, and gives us an idea what Maddie looks like. Big kudos to the talented graphic designer who created the book cover!! They are talented!
Riely did a fantastic job with this story and I was totally blown away!! They picked real characters that many will find relatable in more ways than one. They addressed some very important issues with some hidden messages thrown in the mix.
Some of the advice and messages that were given really hit home and made me think.
This is a book about self discovery, acceptance, and standing up for what you believe in.
The friendship between Maddie and Kellen is one of the most beautiful budding relationships I have ever read before. The way that Kellen went above and beyond to make Maddie happy just melted my heart! That was a huge gesture.
I felt like a fly on the wall all giddy when they shared their first kiss. Oh and Riely’s intimate scenes between Maddie and Kellen were very classy and beautiful.
At the end of this book Riely shares his own personal story on how Maddie came to be.
I highly recommend I Love You Just The Way You Are to be put on your TBR list as it is a must read. This is my first time reading them and it won’t be my last. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for their readers.
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