Like a more queer Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow with more grit in the machine, and does very little to shake the “trans women are messy bitches” allegations. Thornton does, at least, deftly differentiate the voices of the three protagonists so they are messy in different ways. It is sometimes grating to spend time with such self-destructive characters - and credit to Thornton for the effective writing therein! - but it works well within the broader context of the book. The early IRC recreations are uncomfortably accurate, and ultimately A/S/L says a lot about the idea of not feeling like you deserve your friends, the self-doubt wrapped up in that, teenage fervour for something more grown up and grown-up disappointment with the compromises you make. It just seems odd to be presenting this as trans-exclusive feelings, cutting off the relatability to some degree.