Stay Gold Audiobook By Tobly McSmith cover art

Stay Gold

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Stay Gold

By: Tobly McSmith
Narrated by: Theo Germaine, Phoebe Strole
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Debut author Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who’s going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she’s counting down the days until graduation. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Becky Albertalli, and Jenny Han.

Pony plans to fly under the radar this year. Tired of getting too much attention at his old school after coming out as transgender, he’s hoping for a fresh start as a Hillcrest High senior. But it’s hard to live your best life with the threat of exposure lurking around every corner.

Georgia is beginning to think there’s more to life than cheerleading. She just wants to keep a low profile until graduation...which is why she promised herself that dating is a nonstarter for the foreseeable future.

Then, on the very first day of classes, the new guy and the cheerleader lock eyes....

In this moving, honest debut from Tobly McSmith, one transformative relationship opens the eyes of a whole town - and opens the door for Pony and Georgia to celebrate their truths, even when it feels hard.

©2020 Tobly McSmith (P)2020 HarperTeen Coming of Age Difficult Situations LGBTQ+ LGBTQIA+ Essentials Literature & Fiction Romance Feel-Good Funny Tearjerking Heartfelt

Featured Article: The Best Trans and Nonbinary Listens


As our society becomes more inclusive, some of our most underrepresented communities are getting a much-needed opportunity to tell their stories. For this list, we’ve come up with some of the best trans and nonbinary listens, across all genres and age categories. And because we know that authenticity is important to listeners, our selections are almost exclusively written by queer, trans, and nonbinary authors.

Featured Article The Best Trans and Nonbinary Listens

Editor's Pick

Feel free to fall in love
This YA debut from Tobly McSmith stole my heart, and broke it, too. We follow the story of Pony, a transgender boy going stealth while navigating new kid status at a small Texas high school. He quickly falls for one of the most popular students, a cisgender girl named Georgia who also starts crushing on him, all while wrestling with whether he will share his past with his new peers. Growing up in a small Texas town myself, where I was a racial minority, frequently othered, and at times bullied, this story struck a chord with me. I was team Pony from the very start, hoping that he would settle into his new life easily, but he faces very real challenges from his family, friends, and fellow students, who can’t see the person for all the gender norms. The emotional toll of not being his fully realized self, compounded with the constant threat of physical danger associated with being himself, felt so visceral. You get a window into the reality for many transgender people as they simply try to live their lives, and the bravery that act takes. I hope you’ll give this profoundly moving, uplifting, and hopeful story a listen.

Engaging Storyline • Relatable Characters • Important Representation • Emotional Depth • Well-developed Subplots
Highly rated for:
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Tobly did an extraordinary job writing this book. I fell in love with Pony and Georgia. Without giving anything away this book is heartbreaking and heartwarming. The LGBTQ+ community deserves representation and this book is a great addition to anyone’s audible or physical library. The world is often unkind but this book helped remind me that there are good, pure, exceptional humans who love unconditionally out there. Stay Gold.

Must Read

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This was very well done beginning to end and I highly recommend this book. Perfect narrators and such a great message on top of it! Awesome job Tobly! Congratulations!

Loved every minute! Well done!

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This is an entertaining story, and an eye opening look into what life feels like to a transgender teenager. It’s one thing to meet trans individuals or read about issues they face in the news. This book gives an inside look into the kinds of issues and emotions trans teens might face every day. The ending comes together quickly in an “happily ever after” traditional romance sort of way, which seems less realistic, yet it conveys the importance of standing up for each other and each person’s uniqueness.

I also recommend the book, George, which gave me my first insight into what transgender means.

A book everyone should read

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I believe this is a book for everyone to read and enjoy! It gives me a lot to think about as an ally. I just genuinely loved this book and recommend it to everyone!

I LOVed this book!

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I loved the story. At sometimes it was really cringy and I had to put the phone down but it was a good story. I loved the reference to the Outsiders. I loved that book

Great story I could really relate to Pony.

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I have to say that this was a very well done story. This story I give an A++ for originality, proformance, and hitting issues that need to be discussed everywhere in the world. As a cis pansexual male I support everyone who have to deal with issues and daily struggles like these. I will always be an ear to those who need it. Pony is by far one of my most favorite characters. Shout out to Tobly McSmith for being a voice for every trans kid out there. Let your voices be heard. Love you all!!! 😊😊😊

I love this omage to the Outsiders

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stunning love letter to the LGBTQIA community, such an important read and listen, I can't wait for the next book by this author

emotional and relevant

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This would honestly be an amazing Netflix show or movie. I could definitely see that happening and we could really use more trans reputation. I can only imagine how it would have felt for me to have a book like this to read when I was in high school. Please keep writing more beautiful trans/non-binary love stories!

Truly Beautiful - I hope it gets film or tv rights!

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I really liked this whole story. I thought Pony was beautifully written, and I enjoyed getting to know him. Highly recommended.

Great YA coming of age/ romance novel. Read it!

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This was a great story! The author did a remarkable job making it all real. Looked forward to every moment in the book.

Excellent!!

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