Review: The Boy Maeve

How often have you read the opening lines of a book and instantly been drawn in? And how often has that initial spark of intrigue been maintained throughout the entire story as it turns and twists in every possible direction?

The Boy Maeve by Kai Ash does exactly that.

Intriguing from the first sentence to the last, this debut novel is an unusual blend of coming-of-age, contemporary queer fiction, magical realism and mythology.

Maeve was adopted as a toddler and remembers little, if anything, of his birth parents or early years.  He’s a loner with his life made more difficult in the knowledge that he’s a boy in a girl’s body – and nobody will acknowledge it.

Nobody, that is, except the largely unpleasant Jeremy – who sort of has to acknowledge it because they are Maeve’s imaginary friend.

Then again, are they imaginary? Maeve has believed this since Jeremy first appeared but now he doesn’t know what he believes anymore.

Maeve’s realisation that Jeremy is in fact ‘real’ – and his confusion about how they managed to hide this from Maeve for fourteen years – is only one cog in the rapidly escalating chain of weird events.

First, we have the sudden death – by her own hand – of Beattie, the woman Maeve always thought was his biological grandmother.

Then we have the overnight change of Maeve’s hair colour to bright orange.

And now Maeve’s teachers have started behaving in extremely un-teacher-like ways and teaching a curriculum that is suddenly all about Scotland and Gaelic language, mythology and history.

What is going on?

Maeve has no idea – and neither will the reader. The threads are all there but they’re criss-crossing and tangled in such a way that when you think you’ve discovered something, you suddenly realise you haven’t.

Who is Maeve, really? Who was Beattie? Where did they come from? And what is Jeremy up to?

Intrigue! And it keeps you reading.

In this beautifully written debut novel, Kai Ash has crafted a very clever story, seamlessly and respectfully weaving in queer and transgender themes alongside identity, relationships, and acceptance.

The overarching question that runs through The Boy Maeve is one of belonging. In a time where we have multiple ‘worlds’ open to us, how do we choose where to devote our time? And why, for that matter, do we have to make a choice in the first place?

Set in Brisbane in 2002, the story has a strong and recognisable grounding, which is then elevated with references to the ‘fey’ world and the use of Gaelic language throughout. It seems like an odd mix, but it works.

Although I feel the book should carry a trigger warning for suicide, The Boy Maeve is a refreshing affirmation of transgender identity, and highly recommended for readers 13 and above.

Title: The Boy Maeve
Author: Kai Ash
Publisher: Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, $21.99
Publication Date: 26 May 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761212468
For ages: 13 – 18
Type: Young Adult Fiction