Pitching Meet Cute Diary

A rethinking of the modern fairy tale

What makes Meet Cute Diary stand out from other young adult fiction (YAF)?

A unique benefit of Meet Cute Diary is how approachable it is for students to interact with and read. The young adult novel highlights a diverse spread of characters and touches on the impact of social media and romance in teen life. A recent study conducted by Piper Sandler Companies found that of 10 000 participants, the average teen in the United States spends approximately 4.2 hours on social media daily (Piper Sandler 19) demonstrating the impact of the internet on teen life.

In an interview, author Emery Lee comments that protagonist Noah’s internet persona and real life are separate until Noah begins fake-dating Drew. Lee further explains that Noah’s “internet persona is based on a bed of lies” (Lee Q&A). Unfortunately, this separation between real-life and social media is not a purely fictional issue. In an article published by the “Child Mind Institute,” Dr. Steiner-Adair notes that “Self-esteem comes from consolidating who you are.” Therefore, if you have multiple identities (online and in reality), “you spend [more time] pretending to be someone you aren’t” (Ehmke). Social media and the internet provide constant streams of photoshopped images, filtered videos, and ideas of perfection that are often unrealistic or unattainable. Moreover, having more identities increases the challenge of feeling secure and confident in yourself. Challenges of identity are particularly prevalent in young adults. Therefore, the subtheme of social media is so effective in Meet Cute Diary.

Lee's novel would also be an asset to the ENG 3390 syllabus because it is attached to other multi-media resources like the video trailer and Spotify playlist. Allowing students to interact with the novel on visual and audio platforms compels students to interact with the material uniquely. Perhaps it also could lead to a future assignment in which students can make their own playlist for the novel. The playlists could be founded in the student's experience while interacting with the text. Or, students could create a playlist from the perspective of the characters. This assignment would provide a fun outlet for students to express their creativity and experience with the book.

Why does Meet Cute Diary matter?

Meet Cute Diary matters for so many reasons. However, the most prominent benefit of the story is that it is written from an authentic voice and contributes to a sparse area of literature that needs to be expanded and explored. 

In Meet Cute Diary, author Emery Lee includes characters to which e can personally relate. Like protagonist Noah Ramirez, author Emery Lee is multi-racial, transgender, and a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Noah is white and Japanese on his mom’s side and Afro-Caribbean on his dad’s, whereas Lee is from a Black/Asian/Latinx background. 

Even the events within the book are embellished experiences of eir life. Most locations in the book are from a trip Lee took the summer before e wrote the book. Then, the restaurant that Noah and Drew go to is based on a store Lee found on Google Maps (Lee Q&A) while writing. E also found inspiration for Noah’s internet presence in eir past experiences on Tumblr and admitted to having a few blogs in the past. Currently, Lee is a Youtuber, writer, artist, and kid-lit author. 

Lee aims to diversify fiction with eir writing and fight for equality. Equality, is a goal which e can achieve by sharing authentic experiences e has had within eir communities like e does in Meet Cute Diary.

A key passage from the story

A memorable moment from Meet Cute Diary:

“​Don’t you feel liberated?” I ask. “I mean, now that you don’t have to lie to yourself anymore?”

“Yes and no?” E runs a hand through eir hair and says, “I don’t feel as much like a fraud, but I also still kind of do. Being between labels sometimes feels like I don’t belong anywhere, or I’m just making something out of nothing because I don’t like what society asks of me. I know it’s ridiculous, but it doesn’t always feel like that.”

Devin pauses a moment before flashing me another smile and saying, “But thank you for saying that. It means a lot. Hell, it kind of feels like maybe I came out for a reason.” (Lee 237)

This passage from Meet Cute Diary occurs about halfway through the book. When Devin first introduces himself, e tells the other characters that e uses "he/him/his" (Lee 176) pronouns. Devin later shares with Noah that e feels uncomfortable with the pronouns "he/him/ his" and wants something more neutral. Therefore, Devin switches to they/them pronouns (Lee 200) before shifting to using "e/em/eir" pronouns (Lee 233). The changes in the pronouns Devin uses exemplify how gender is fluid. Modern Queer theory challenges the categorization of people and finds there to be multiple truths and ways of being. Moreover, limiting the pronouns Devin uses would restrict eir identity and self-expression. 

The process of "coming out" or choosing how to identify oneself publicly is a personal choice and experience. But, seeing a mirror in which others are experiencing a similar thing can be helpful and comforting for readers. In the passage, Devin exposes the discomfort e feels around labels and the pressure e feels to conform to normative societal expectations. 

This passage exemplifies how Meet Cute Diary focuses on challenging and important topics while simultaneously providing mirrors to readers experiencing similar emotions or windows for readers trying to understand the experiences of others.

How does Meet Cute Diary relate to important themes within YAF?

The title of this database is Windows and Mirrors: Diversity in Books for Young Readers. But, what is a window and mirror in a literary context? The article “What Are Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors?” cites Emily Style as the creator of the idea of “mirrors and windows." An idea that was then furthered by Rudine Sims Bishop to relate specifically to children's literature. A literary window allows readers to “view into someone else’s experience… [and] a mirror is a story that reflects your own culture.” (We Are Teachers) When authors incorporate literary windows and mirrors into their books, readers can connect to the material with their own identity.

In Meet Cute Diary, author Emery Lee includes a plethora of diverse characters of different races/ ethnicities, gender identities, and sexualities. By adding diverse characters, e provides a mirror through which members of these communities can connect and relate to the story. Additionally, because the book has broader themes like the multiplicity of identity and pressures of social media, readers who do not identify within a diverse group can also relate to the story. The story acting as a mirror is partially touched on in the book when the narrator and protagonist Noah reflects: 

“I wonder if there’s one little trans kid in the group who’ll find that much more confidence in coming out for having known Devin. Hell, if some trans girl I never knew personally could inspire me to embrace myself in high school, I imagine Devin opening these kids up to pronouns now will make all the difference. Imagine knowing that being trans isn’t just a thing, but a thing you’re actually allowed to do. I wonder if I would’ve found myself sooner.” (Lee 179)

In this passage, Noah acknowledges the power of sharing a similar story with someone else. When a person or story acts as a mirror for someone, it proves that person is not alone in their experience or emotions. Knowing that you are not the only one can positively impact ones' life. Lee also admits that the character of Devin is very similar to eir friends in real life. But, even if readers cannot relate personally to the characters in Meet Cute Diary, the book still provides a great window into the life and struggles of trans youth and teens in general.

In Meet Cute Diary, Lee takes a different approach to trans literature. In ENG 3390, Professor St-Jacques introduced the “We Need Diverse Books”, a website dedicated to sharing diverse texts for children. Alaina Lavoie from the website interviewed Emery Lee about Meet Cute Diary. Lee said that in all the trans literature e has read, e has “never read a book where the trans character didn’t experience identity-based trauma.” (Lee Q&A) Therefore, Lee intended for Meet Cute Diary to be a novel in which “transness just is... instead of focusing on all these struggles about identity.” (Lee Q&A) E recognized traditional trans stories that focus on overcoming conflicts of identity are “important and cathartic, but . . . [e] wanted to contribute to trans stories about anything else.” (Lee Q&A)

In ENG 3390 in 2022, guest speaker Angel Matos discussed queer theory and darkness in queer literature. In his presentation, Matos focused on happiness. He discussed how the concept of happiness is impacted by normative definitions of what a “happily ever after” is. Similarly, within Meet Cute Diary, protagonist Noah also questions the concept of happily ever after. Throughout the book, Noah works to redefine his prior perception of what a fairytale is to meet his modern-day life. 

But wait, there's more!

Raving reviews!

The following reviews are sourced from Emery Lee's webpage on Meet Cute Diary: 

“A poignant, heartfelt story about the complexities of identity, growing up, and defining ourselves.” -Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures 

"How lucky are we that this sweet, subversive, utter delight of a book exists? Meet Cute Diary is here to flip tropes and flip hearts." -Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee unpacks how complicated and ever-evolving exploring gender can be against a fun backdrop of your favorite relationship tropes and teenage mishaps. The diverse cast of characters, pronouns and gender expressions creates opportunities for readers to finally see themselves represented in a book. It's abundantly clear that Lee wrote this story with love and tenderness for eir community. Meet Cute Diary is both about, and for, helping transgender youth feel connected, seen, and worthy of not just an epic meet cute, but a happily ever after.” -Aiden Thomas, Author of New York Times Bestseller Cemetery Boys

Sources

Ehmke, Rachel. “How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers.” Child Mind Institute, 1 Mar. 2022, https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/. Accessed 26 March 2022.

Emery. “Meet Cute Diary Soundtrack.” Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Y62YcZxQDKucswejfuWuX?si=ebf31e7693c745ba. Accessed 26 March 2022.

Lavoie, Alaina. “Q&A With Emery Lee, Meet Cute Diary.” We Need Diverse Books, 13 Apr. 2021, https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-emery-lee-meet-cute-diary/. Accessed 26 March 2022.

Lee, Emery. Meet Cute Diary. Quill Tree Books, 2021.

Piper Sandler Companies. “Taking Stock With Teens: 21 Years Of Researching U.S. Teens GenZ Insights.” October 2021,
https://piper2.bluematrix.com/docs/pdf/3bad99c6-e44a-4424-8fb1-0e3adfcbd1d4.pdf utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top. Accessed 26 March 2022.