Bullying
The theme of bullying occurs recurrently in this book. Sage is bullied regularly due to her gender identity. Actually, she is born differently but experiences severe bullying after identifying herself as transgender. Although she is used to victimization, Sage never expects to be bullied by her close friends such as Logan. Unluckily, Logan is among the group of people who bullies Sage.
Love and Relationships
Logan is in love with Brenda for three years. However, their relationship becomes messy when Brenda cheats on him. Logan decides to dump her but is unable to move on easily. Things take another twist when Sage is enrolled in Logan’s school. Logan and Sage become an item almost immediately. However, their relationship changes for good after Logan learns that Sage is transgender.
Learning how to React to Anger and Conflict
Logan gets angry after Sage reveals to him that she is transgender. However, he learns how to react to anger and reaches out to Sage to mend fences. Logan is depicted as a male character who conforms to patriarchal expectations. Therefore, he experiences internal conflict when apologizing to Sage, who is a female.
Betrayal
Brenda betrays Logan by cheating on him after dating him for almost three years. Cheating on someone you love amounts to betrayal. Therefore, Logan is betrayed by Brenda. Logan also betrays Sage after she reveals to him that she is transgender. The revelation enrages Logan, who lashes out at Sage uncontrollably.
The Transphobic Tropes
The transphobic trope is the recurrent theme in this book. Young transgender people like Sage are regularly subjected to brutality due to their sexual orientation. Sage is transferred to another school to avoid transphobic slurs from fellow students. When Logan realizes that Sage is transgender, he starts calling her names.
