By Laurie Frankel
Publication Date: 2017
Genre: Contemporary, Literary, 🏳️⚧️
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐¼
As part of my great 2026 reading challenge to clear out my digital library, I picked up This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I can’t quite remember how this book ended up on my radar. I was likely sold on it because it was a Reese’s Book Club pick!
Going in completely blind, having never read anything by Frankel before, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional ride this book takes you on.
The story follows Claude, the youngest of five boys, who loves wearing dresses and dreams of being a girl when he grows up. His parents, Rosie and Penn, want nothing more than for him to be whoever he wants to be. However, they aren’t quite sure how to navigate the rest of the world’s reactions, so they decide to keep it a family secret. Until, of course, the day comes when keeping that secret is no longer an option.
This book is about so much more than revelations, transformations, and fairy tales. At its core, it is a deeply moving story about handling big changes, facing the unknown, and the fierce, unconditional love of a family trying to do their best. It kept me thinking long after I turned the final page.