LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025
Named A Best Book of 2025 by Vox, Elle, NPR, Bustle, Marie Claire, Chicago Review of Books, Chicago Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Them, Xtra, and Autostraddle • Matty Maggiacomo’s March Book Club Pick
“A charming, sparkling, and very human novel that packs a heavy punch . . . This book is a hoot and a ride.” —Vox (A Best Book of the Year)
“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.” —Meredith Maran, Washington Post
“I flew through Woodworking, cheering for Abigail and Erica and their against-the-odds friendship all the way. Only Emily St. James could write a book so big-hearted and hilarious, an ode to authenticity and a must-read in our current times.” —Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
“A stunning, heartbreaking, hopeful book . . . It speaks to the challenges and gifts of visibility and the importance of community, no matter what that looks like. This story changed me.” —Chicago Review of Books (A Best Book of the Year)
“If you’re a queer reader or ally seeking a book that feels like a hug, pick this up ASAP!”—Marie Claire (A Best Book of the Year)
“Woodworking doesn’t offer easy lessons. Ugliness and hate rub shoulders with glimpses of freedom, growth, and transformation. Like St. James, I believe in the magic of television, films, and books to transform hearts, and I hope that for readers, her authentic, though fictional, stories might create a little space to counter the lies of those currently in power.” —LA Review of Books
“Far and away my favorite thing I read this year . . . a witty and multi-layered look at intergenerational trans relationships . . . St. James deserves a spot on the Mount Rushmore of transfeminine authors of our current moment.” —Xtra (A Best Book of the Year)
“Pristinely characterized, this debut novel is by turns funny and heartrending.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.” —VOGUE
“One of the most heartfelt, funny, and moving portraits of transition I’ve ever come across. Illustrating the very simple truth that we never stop growing up, Erica and Abigail’s friendship is as real as it comes. We can all only hope for a sisterhood like theirs.” —Imogen Binnie, author of Nevada
“Delightfully rendered . . . full of friendship, romance and chosen family.” —NPR (Books We Love 2025)
“The delightful story of an unlikely friendship . . . St. James enthralls with her depiction of what it’s like to be trans in a conservative and insular community, and the courage it takes for people to openly be themselves. This engrossing drama is a must-read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“I loved this book. I adored this book. This book is maybe my favorite novel I’ve read so far this year . . . overflowing with warmth and heart.” —Book Riot
“In Woodworking, St. James demolishes the simplistic closet concept, revealing lives that are marked by many transitions, and that pass through any number of gradations within the continuum of showing up, hiding, slipping under the radar, or openly demanding respect.” —The Atlantic
“Woodworking is a wonder of unexpected characters in complex relationships in a more-than-meets-the-eye small town in an unusual coming-of-age story—several actually—all of which would be great enough, but it also manages to celebrate trans lives without pandering or overgeneralizing, to offer hope without minimizing or sugar-coating, and to tell a story whose pages you can’t stop turning. Emily St. James’s debut is complicated in the best ways and straightforward in the best ways too, empowering, important, and even heartwarming in its insistence on that which is true for all of us, in spite as well as because of our differences.” —Laurie Frankel, New York Timesbestselling author of This Is How It Always Is
“St. James excels at crafting gloriously complex scenes that replicate the messy lives of all people . . . the trans-and-life- affirming story readers need.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Emily St. James is one of our most cherished writers whose work carries the kind of compassion, humanity, and braver world-building we need now more than ever.” —Amber Tamblyn, author of Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition
“With propulsive wit and unshakeable honesty, St. James debuts a novel unquestionably deserving of its place in the transfeminine literary canon.” —PEN America
“One of the funniest and most humane novels of the year . . . St. James integrates questions of identity, red-state politics, school culture, romance and belonging with heart and heft.” —Columbia Tribune
“Woodworking is a moving and big-hearted novel about people finding community as they find themselves—a reminder that coming of age can happen at any age. I loved these characters and the connections they formed. This is a tender, funny, page-turning story about trans women finding their way, in a world that needs all the softness and humor it can get.” —Lydia Kiesling, bestselling author of Mobility
“Delightful and sharply told . . . a sensitive but full-hearted portrayal of a community just trying to live freely and honestly . . . a literary debut that deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible.” —Paste magazine
“A new milestone in trans letters, Woodworking proves Emily St. James can craft stories just as brilliant as the ones she has written so beautifully about for over a decade. Sparkling, intimate, and life-affirming, this debut novel lands with all the quiet force of a secret spoken in a parked car. Not to be missed.” —Samantha Allen, author of Real Queer America and Patricia Wants to Cuddle
“With undeniable wit and a wealth of empathy, St. James tells a story about not only finding oneself, but what comes next.” —Electric Lit
“Heartfelt and winning.” —Autostraddle (A Best Book of the Year)
“A plucky little must-read.” —The Lesbrary
“A staggering debut that sinks its teeth into character-driven moments, allowing readers to exercise their compassion. Humorous and expressive, joyful and honest, it’s refreshingly heartfelt and vital.” —In Between Drafts
“A brilliant, heartwarming story.” —Gabrielle Bondi, Bustle
“Full of heart and humor.” —Cosmopolitan
“A delight . . . Emily’s prose is masterfully mimetic and deeply grounded . . . Woodworking has a big heart, and an incredibly important point to make.” —The Transfeminine Review
“A compassionate, nuanced exploration of identity and connection that transcends mere representation to achieve genuine literary excellence.” —The Bookish Elf
“This story of a trans woman coming out in small town South Dakota in 2016 isn’t just earnest and moving, but surprisingly funny and joyful—all without pulling any punches about the struggle to be yourself in a world that may not want you to be.” —Crooked Media Reads
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