Becoming Ted is a heartwarming and feel-good novel about a 40-something man who pursues his lifelong dream of becoming a drag queen after his husband of 20 years leaves him for a younger man. It’s a story of friendship, romance, and mustering up the courage to be truly and unapologetically yourself, and it’s an absolute delight to read.

Ted Ainsworth won my heart pretty much from the first page. It’s clear how much he gives of himself to the people he loves. For example, even though he hates ice cream and dreams of becoming a performer, he agrees to manage his parents’ ice cream shop to make his parents happy and allow his sister to pursue her dreams of superstardom. He adores his then-husband Giles’ good looks and charisma, and thinks only of how lucky he is to be married to such a man. He leads a comfortable, if vaguely dissatisfying life, punctuated mostly by his weekly Fri-date with his best friend Denise to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Ted’s rather lukewarm combination of comfort and dissatisfaction is deeply relatable to anyone who’s ever gotten stuck in a rut that’s just too safe to climb out of. Fortunately for Ted, he does get forced out of his rut when an idyllic Sunday morning is interrupted by the revelation that Giles has been cheating on him, and worse, actually wants to leave him for this other man.

Ted’s heartbreak and major drop in self-confidence feels very real, and his journey to fulfilling his drag queen dreams and truly come out as fully himself is an absolutely rousing tale that’ll make you cheer him on all the way. I love how Matt Cain details all the little insecurities and doubts Ted experiences at each stage of his drag queen journey, and I especially love how Cain shows all the love and support Ted gets along the way. Community plays a major role in Ted’s story, and it’s heartwarming to see so many people, both old friends and new, step up to give Ted the boosts he needs.

Ted’s romance with Oskar is equally heartwarming. Throughout the story, we see little glimpses into Ted’s life with Giles, and fairly quickly realize that Giles isn’t actually as perfect as Ted had initially believed. There are many instances when he puts Ted down, or makes Ted feel self-conscious about the things he enjoys doing. So seeing that relationship contrasted with the one gradually blooming with Oskar makes you even happier for where Ted’s story is headed.

Oskar is far from perfect. He comes from a super conservative Catholic upbringing in Poland, and as a result, is still reluctant to live openly as a gay man. As sweet as their first few dates are, Ted raises a really valid concern that Oskar’s secrecy about their relationship feels a bit like going back into the closet for Ted, which hurts given how much he’s risked to come out of the closet in the first place. And when Ted finally risks revealing his dream of becoming a drag queen, Oskar’s response is… well, it wasn’t great, but it was understandable. In fact, it’s kudos to Cain’s masterful craftsmanship that, in that moment, we feel for Oskar just as much as feel for Ted.

Overall, this is a delightful, heartwarming, heart-expanding book. A fitting choice for Pride Month, and a lovely read year-round.

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Thank you to Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.