Just Happy to Be Here follows Tara, the first out trans girl at an all-girls private school. All Tara wants is to just be treated like one of the girls but that proves to be harder than expected. With being the first trans girl to ever go to Ainsley Academy, she’s finding it hard to balance her wish to be like all the others while also wanting to stand out. When she tries to apply to be a Sibyl, part of an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, Tara finds herself faced with a much larger struggle on what girlhood really means and whether the prestige club should even exist in the first place. When Tara’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight, she will have to decide whether she’ll keep her head down or blaze a trail by finding her own voice to inspire the world.
Tara’s voice stands out from the very first page of the book, but what struck me most was how self-aware she is. While she offers funny, often snarky commentary about what is going in her life, she also doesn’t shy away from calling things what they are, even if it takes her a while to get there. From the very first scene where you can tell her so-called friends aren’t what they seem, Tara tries to find excuses for the ways others treat her. It’s heartbreaking to see her justifying transphobic behaviour or even wondering whether she herself is the problem and while it is at times unbearable to read, it also mirrors so well what society often tells us, to just expect this to be part of life and move on, not making a fuss about it. But, as Tara soon learns, speaking up for herself takes guts yet is worth it to learn who her true friends and allies are.
It’s a messy, convoluted journey of self-discovery, fails and successes and learning where your boundaries are (and especially how to set them) but Tara gradually learns to speak up for herself and not let others determine her trajectory in relationships, school and most importantly, in life. I loved how, especially in her budding relationship with Felicity, she gets the freedom to speak her mind and be revered for it.
Another aspect that is sure going to keep readers invested is the way family relationships are portrayed. Tara’s parents hearts’ are in the right place, but they often don’t get things right when it comes to supporting Tara. I enjoyed the nuanced portrayal of parents trying their best but messing it up sometimes anyway and the communication that needed to happen for Tara to feel like she’s not alone in the fight against a government that is trying to deny her what she needs. I think there was still a bit more to get out of the people in Tara’s life when it comes to character building and development but that was only a minor gripe of mine.
My personal favourite part of the story was—who would have thought—the old-fashioned sisterhood that Tara wants to be a part of. I would have wished here for even more insight since the beginning was a bit convoluted (you get thrown right into the action which makes for fun storytelling but a bit more background info might have helped and I got lost a few times but overall, it was such a fascinating frame for the story to have Tara vying for a spot in the club only to then question its validity overall. Paired together with Tara’s penchant for finding comfort in the words of great activists (you get a lot of amazing quotes in here and I didn’t know a lot of them), this added a nice layer of depth to the coming-of-age plot.
Fans of Tobly McSmith are sure to devour Just Happy to Be Here, a timely and engrossing queer slice-of-life story by Naomi Kanakia.
Just Happy To Be Here is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 2nd 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In this YA standalone perfect for fans of Tobly McSmith and Meredith Russo, the first out trans girl at an all-girls school must choose between keeping her head down or blazing a trail.
Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.
That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.
Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.
Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?
