Review: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

On September 30, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan–out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start–doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?

I’ve wanted to read a Jennifer Dugan book for a while – I’ve heard so many good things about her books, especially Hot Dog Girl. I saw a collection of her hardbacks for sale at YALC, and couldn’t help but snap them up! I picked up Verona Comics, Melt With You, and Some Girls Do, which was the first one I decided to read.

I liked the idea of this book – with two distinct female characters. I was really excited to read about Ruby, a girl who both competes in beauty pageants and also loves mechanics. As a runner myself, I was also looking forward to reading about Morgan, a track athlete.

She shakes her head. “Because Tyler is a boy,” she says softly. Resigned.

This book was super easy to read and I read most of it in less than a day. There was some tougher subjects tackled, including homophobia and abuse. The biggest issue I had with this book was that I didn’t find myself relating to either of the main characters. They both had a lot of issues and at times I felt like they were messing each other around quite a lot.

There was definitely some growth throughout the book, and I did enjoy the amount of side-plots which added extra layers to the story. The amount of interests both girls had did make them quite 3 dimensional, and I liked reading about Ruby’s love for cars and Morgan’s love for running.

“And girls aren’t supposed to like other girls.”
“Well some girls do,” I say.

Overall, this one was an enjoyable read, but definitely wasn’t perfect by any means. I would have liked a little more depth to the story, and the characters to be a little more likeable.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: I Hear the Sunspot (#1-#3) by Yuki Fumino

On September 10, 2022September 9, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Because of a hearing disability, Kohei is often misunderstood and has trouble integrating into life on campus, so he learns to keep his distance. That is until he meets the outspoken and cheerful Taichi. He tells Kohei that his hearing loss is not his fault. Taichi’s words cut through Kohei’s usual defense mechanisms and open his heart. More than friends, less than lovers, their relationship changes Kohei forever.

This review covers my thoughts about I Hear the Sunspot, I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness and I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 1.

I’ve heard some great recommendations for I Hear the Sunspot, and although I’m not the biggest manga reader, I decided to finally pick this one up. My friend Courtney had also recommended them to me, and so far, they haven’t let me down.

I Hear the Sunspot is a super sweet, ultra slow-burn LGBT romance between two young men, who notice their close friendship change into something more. The friendship felt honest, emotional and natural, and I loved seeing the ways they interacted. The dialogue felt relatable and the way the pair slowly grow closer over the first few books feels real.

Although I felt the second volume, Theory of Happiness, didn’t quite pack the same punch and became a little convoluted with the introduction of a larger friendship group, it definitely picked up with Limit Volume 1, which became my favourite in the series so far.

In my opinion, the third instalment in this series best encapsulates the tender and difficult journey of Kohei’s hearing disability, and I loved the introduction of this into the workplace. We don’t often see disability portrayed in this way, but the discussions it introduced felt meaningful and honest.

I’m really looking forward to continuing with the series and can’t wait to see how the pair progresses.

I Hear the Sunspot

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 1

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Jay’s Gay Agenda (#1) by Jason June

On September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

There’s one thing Jay Collier knows for sure—he’s a statistical anomaly as the only out gay kid in his small rural Washington town. While all this friends can’t stop talking about their heterosexual hookups and relationships, Jay can only dream of his own firsts, compiling a romance to-do list of all the things he hopes to one day experience—his Gay Agenda.
Then, against all odds, Jay’s family moves to Seattle and he starts his senior year at a new high school with a thriving LGBTQIA+ community. For the first time ever, Jay feels like he’s found where he truly belongs, where he can flirt with Very Sexy Boys and search for love. But as Jay begins crossing items off his list, he’ll soon be torn between his heart and his hormones, his old friends and his new ones…because after all, life and love don’t always go according to plan.

Do you ever just want to….throw a book against a wall? Because that is exactly how I felt with this one, over and over again. It’s not often I rate a book lower than 3 stars. I either know what to avoid, or I can find some good in it. Sometimes I slip up though, and want to try a book that could go either way. And there is just not enough good in this book for me to actually say I liked it.

Jay is one of the most self-centered and annoying characters I have ever come across in fiction. He repeatedly lies (or at best, emits the truth) to everyone around him without realising it is only going to end badly. He cheats (honestly one of the worst tropes I personally could ever read about), but with the softest, most vulnerable and kind hearted boy ever, which just made it so much worse.

My whole body wanted him, my entire soul too, and it hit me that an item on the Gay Agenda always should have been to find Albert.

I understand that the aim of this book was to write a coming-of-age novel about a gay teen who has never been around other queer people. I get that it was trying to be sex-positive and open about finding yourself and making a lot of mistakes in the process, but it really backfired in my opinion. There was a lot of diversity, including a gender queer side character, but I also found an issue early on in the book that made me uncomfortable from then on.

The gender queer side character, Max, has a conversation with Jay about pronouns. Max says, I quote, ‘I’m an open book, so none of the pronouns really feel one hundred percent right. But you can address your Gay Guide as he/him or she/her. My body is male, my energy is feminine, and I’m down for paying tribute to both.’. So we’ve addressed that Max uses multiple pronouns, but for the rest of the book, Max is only referred to as he/him. By the narrator (Jay), and by other characters. What was the point of having a character using multiple pronouns and having a conversation about it if they’re never going to be used?

After noticing this, I looked into the author, who also uses he/him and she/her pronouns. So this feels like something that should have been celebrated rather than ignored, and makes me worry if it was changed further down the line in editing or proofreading. If anyone else has read this I would really appreciate a comment letting me know if you think this is an issue too/picked up on it! I have had a lot of conversations with others about this while reading, and I would love to hear any other viewpoint.

To find the guy who could set my spirit and sexuality on fire all at the same time.

This book wasn’t all bad, and did have some interesting conversations about stereotypes and sexuality. I also loved some of the side characters, and these two redeeming qualities are the only reason why my rating is two stars rather than one.

★★
2 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

On June 7, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words:I love you.
Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.
As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

I will never not love this series. Heartstopper has been close to my heart for a few years now, after a friend recommended to the Webcomic to me and I read all of the comic published to date in one go. I dropped off the Webcomic a while ago and I wasn’t sure how far through Volume 4 I was when I stopped reading, but it turns out I was around halfway through. So some of this ended up being a reread, and some was a brand new story!

Although these books are very fluffy and cute, they never shy away from difficult subjects. Volume 4 is definitely the heaviest yet, and does an amazing job of exploring some really difficult topics such as mental health, coming out, eating disorders and being in a psychiatric hospital. I love, love, love the way Heartstopper deals with these subjects, as they are so accessible and easy to read even though the topics are heavy.

Heartstopper Volume Four: Amazon.co.uk: Oseman, Alice: Books

As always, I adore the characters so much and in particular, Nick’s mum is a favourite. I also love that this one has the addition of Henry, who is an absolutely adorable puppy! Tori, Charlie’s older sister, is also the most amazing side character.

Overall, my favourite part of this volume is how Nick and Charlie demonstrate how to be strong for each other even through the toughest times, how to support each other from afar and that relationships aren’t just for the good parts. I love how well this was discussed and was so beautiful to see. This didn’t quite beat volume 3 for me, which remains my favourite, but is a definite close second!

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

On May 14, 2021May 12, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.
What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.
Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.
Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.

This book was so entertaining and so much fun! I loved the concept of this and the whole feeling of the theatre, I felt like it was captured so well in the book. We follow Mel, who is the stage manager for a show where everything starts to go wrong. The cast blame it on the curse, because in the last show they did, Mel’s girlfriend broke up with her during performance. Because of this, they make Mel promise to not date anyone before their spring performance of Les Mis….and then along comes Odile Rose.

Although the logic is absolutely through the roof with the superstitions in this book, it was honestly super creative and I really enjoyed it. It did feel a bit silly at times how everyone was acting with the amount of superstitions, but it was also super funny to read about and I can really see why the cast got so wrapped up in believing in it all.

I also really liked Melody as a main character. She did have her issues (including the major one of not being honest with her closest friends) that annoyed me slightly, but I just couldn’t help but see myself in her. Her stubbornness, work ethic and passion reminded me of myself and because of that I just couldn’t not like her. Even though she was a terrible friend and girlfriend in places, I completely understood why she acted the way she did.

I just loved how this book was so casually gay. There was no discussions of coming out, Mel was just bi. And her dads were gay. Obviously, I have nothing against coming out stories. They are very important and much needed. But I also really appreciated how this book was just so unapologetically gay from the off, and there was little-to-no discussion about it in the book. It was just part of who Mel was.

I would definitely have enjoyed this more if I happened to be a theatre geek, and I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is as I imagine it would be even more fun for you than it was today. But I still found myself really invested in the world of theatre and I really wanted to read on. The writing was funny and lighthearted, but also had some brilliant speeches that packed a punch.

Overall, this one isn’t groundbreaking. But it’s creative and a lot of fun, and I really liked it for what it is. If you’re looking for an entertaining, kind of far fetched sapphic romance, look no futher! Bonus points if you also love theatre.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

On April 30, 2021May 5, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

This powerful YA memoir-manifesto follows journalist and LGBTQ+ activist George M. Johnson as they explore their childhood, adolescence, and college years, growing up under the duality of being black and queer.
From memories of getting their teeth kicked out by bullies at age five to their loving relationship with their grandmother, to their first sexual experience, the stories wrestle with triumph and tragedy and cover topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, inequality, consent, and Black joy.

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

This is not something I would usually pick up, but I’m really glad I did. This is a memoir targeted at teens about George M Johnson’s life, from beginning to present day. I really enjoyed how this was chronological but also sectioned into topics such as friends, family, relationships etc. Every section included a very hard-hitting experience that happened to George, which felt very well written.

The best word I can think of to describe this book is ‘honest’. As soon as I picked this up I could sense that there was just no filter to be had, which was really important to me. George doesn’t shy away from any topics because, as stated in their author letter at the start of the book, if they went through these experiences at such a young age, there is no saying other teens won’t have as well. And those teens will benefit from knowing they are not alone.

This was highly readable but also covered some very heavy discussions, approaching them in a very forthright manner. Although I am definitely not the target audience (I imagine those who will relate strongly to this book are Black, queer teens), I felt like I learned a lot about the experiences George has already been through in the first 33 years of their life. The writing has a very no-filter attitude, which I really appreciated and stood out in this kind of genre. It explored so many important topics, including suppressing who you are even when you have a supportive family, growing up and learning more about your sexuality and gender identity, and being Black and queer. I will definitely be recommending this one as it felt like such an important book and a must-read!

I struggle to ‘rate’ non-fiction, especially when it comes to a personal recollection of somebody’s life, but I thought this was brilliantly written and loved the honesty. Even though this was not quite geared towards me, it honestly feels like the kind of book everyone would benefit from reading, but especially gender nonconforming folx. This is the kind of book that will save and change lives, and I hope is read and appreciated by many.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Autoboyography by Chrstina Lauren

On April 22, 2021April 20, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.
But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.
It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

Okay, I expected to like this book. I didn’t expect to love it. This has been on my shelves for a long time and I’m so glad I picked it up out of my TBR jar recently because it finally forced me to read, and thoroughly enjoy, this story.

This book has very similar vibes to Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, which I liked but didn’t love. The gripes I had with that book luckily didn’t appear in Autoboyography, and I really loved the story. I was absolutely addicted to this book and read it in a couple of days, even though I was reading it alongside two others. Once I hit the 200 page mark, I was hooked. I became so invested in these characters and I just wanted to know what was going to happen, and found I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished the book.

Tanner and Sebastian were just so adorable. Neither are perfect, and both definitely have their own issues. But they are both teenage boys figuring out their sexualities, their religions and their place in the world. Of course they are going to make mistakes and decisions that are not always the right one’s, and I love how this book worked out these mistakes with the support of the side characters.

I don’t actually care if you break my heart, Sebastian. I went into this knowing it could happen and I gave it to you anyway.

I really liked how both ends of the scale are portrayed here – Tanner is secure in his sexuality and his identity and is supported by his family in that. Also, his family is not deeply religious. Sebastian is Mormon, largely influenced by the church and his family, who are very closed in their viewpoints and would not be happy to find out Sebastian is, in fact, attracted to guys. This book is told largely from the point of view of Tanner, but in no means overshadows what Sebastian is going through in terms of figuring out his sexuality.

I also really enjoyed the cast of side characters, including siblings, parents and even teachers. They all have different outlooks on the world and nothing is shied away from – the discussion of religion in this book is particularly heavy and hard to read about at times. Some of the discussions among Sebastian’s family are particularly painful to read later in the story. If I did have any small complains about this book, it’s about how Mormonism is portrayed, however I am not educated enough on the topic to discuss any further! I also found that coming from outside any religion, I did have to search a few terms from this book, as I didn’t even know what LDS stood for.

But I don’t want you to break your own. You have so much space in your heart for your church, but does it have space for you?

Overall, there was just so much I adored about this book. The two main characters really carried this story in a way I didn’t expect and I found myself rooting for them so much that I had tears rolling down my cheeks as the story ended. The side characters were also brilliantly written and diverse, and I did for the most part love the friendship Tanner had with Autumn. The plot was fast paced and I could never completely guess where it was going, which is why I couldn’t put it down! Bar a few small plot holes and discussions that didn’t sit quite right with me, I absolutely loved this book and I will definitely be recommending it to friends.

CW: heavy discussion of religion, homophobia, sex (not particularly graphic/mentioned before or after)

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

On March 16, 2021March 15, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

Goodreads | Blackwell’s

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

What I’m slowly realising about myself as a reader is that I am definitely becoming more fussy when it comes to contemporary books. I had very high expectations of this book, especially because it felt like the most talked about contemporary of 2019 in the book community/on bookstagram. Maybe it just didn’t quite reach the high expectations I had for it, but I sadly didn’t quite feel the connection I was craving when it came to this book.

That being said, I can see why this book was so well loved. For a start, it’s just so refreshing to see an alternative history of the American presidents. Trump just doesn’t exist in this world, and that itself was such a joy to read about. Instead, we have a female president and a bisexual Latin FSOTUS, which felt like a breath of fresh air. Enter Henry, the Prince of England, and Alex’s (FSOTUS) enemy.

Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too.

Both Alex and Henry are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, and end up falling in love with each other. There is a lot of coming-out and coming-of-age discussions in this book, that also centre around being in the royal/presidential family. Although I can’t account for how realistic any of the handling or discussions around the sexuality of either of the characters, I did find them it all very entertaining to read about. It also really made me step back and think ‘wow, would it really be such an issue having a gay prince/bi FSOTUS? Huh, yeah, I guess it would‘. Reading this (completely unintentionally) around the same time as Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah also pushed this to the forefront of my mind.

I liked the characters in this book a lot, but I also felt slightly disconnected from them. I often had to double check which character was Henry and which was Alex, which may say more about how much I was paying attention to the story than about the book itself. Although I liked the wider cast of characters, I also felt disconnected from them sometimes. It was at times like these where I realised the book was written in 3rd person, and it did cross my mind that this book could have gained something from maybe being 1st person with alternate points of view. I also want to point out I felt like the enemies-to-lovers plot was a little rushed in my opinion, but I did enjoy reading about Alex and Henry’s relationship. There is a lot of smut in this book, but I don’t feel like it was overdone.

I kinda wish people still wrote like that. History, huh? Bet we could make some.

This book had some amazing quotes, and I really loved the writing. However, it felt a little long at times and it could have been more of a page turner with shorter chapters, in my opinion. I definitely did have goosebumps reading the end of this book, and I liked a lot about it. I just didn’t love it as much as I was maybe hoping to.

NB/CW: It is definitely worth noting this book is New Adult and contains somewhat detailed M/M sex scenes. Also contains alcohol use, mentions drug use, discussion of death of a parent.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

ARC Review: Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean

On February 4, 2021January 31, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

My name’s Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain:
1. My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they’re not doing a great job of pretending that they don’t anymore.
2. They’re both keeping a secret from me, but I can’t figure out what.
Things aren’t going great for Archie Albright. His dad’s acting weird, his mum too, and he all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad’s pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away.
Together with his best friends, Bell and Seb, Archie sets off on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey to try and fix his family, even if he has to break a few rules to do it…

Thank you to Simon & Shuster and Waterstones for a copy of this book in exchange for honest review.

Happy book birthday to this beauty, which is released today!

I’ve been so excited to read this book after seeing the beautiful ARC copies going around. I was lucky enough to be part of a Zoom Q&A through work with the author, who spoke so beautifully about this book and made me so excited to read it. I picked it up almost immediately and couldn’t put it down, reading it in around 24 hours.

This book was so much fun and so beautiful. It is the epitome of a modern and diverse adventure story, and is centered around London Pride. It really transported me back to the magic of the only Pride event I have attended, which happened to be Dublin! I am so happy to be safe in the knowledge this will help so many young people learn about LGBTQIA+ relationships and diversity. Archie, the main character, is so charming and lovable, and the tone of this book draws you in immediately. I love how Archie spoke to the reader directly, it made me feel very involved in the story.

I love how Archie and his two best friends, Bell and Seb, are discovering the world of Pride, and I imagine it will teach so much to young readers who are also navigating this world for the first time. It has such a diverse cast of characters, as two of Archie’s older friends are gay, and they meet all kinds of beautiful people at Pride, including trans people, non-binary people and drag queens who help them along the way. The conversations the trio have with these people are so heart warming and accessible to the reader. Some of the other conversations that Archie has with those closer around him were also beautifully written and will stick in my head for a while to come.

This was my first middle grade book of the year, and I’m so glad it happened to be this one. Reading this gives me so much hope and excitement for the way literature is changing for children, and becoming so much more diverse. This was beautiful, emotional and full of love, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

On January 28, 2021January 31, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees.
Although it is (mostly) much easier for Jo to fit in as a straight girl, things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school. But Jo couldn’t possibly think of breaking her promise to her dad.
Even if she’s starting to fall for the girl. Even if there’s a chance Mary Carlson might be interested in her, too. Right?

I picked this book up almost a year ago in Gay’s the Word while on a tour around some of London’s bookshops, as I’d seen good things about it and it appealed to me! Although this book wasn’t perfect, it made for an enjoyable contemporary with some deep and meaningful discussions. This story follows Joanna, who moves from being out and proud in Atlanta to being in a much more conservative small town. Her dad is in a new marriage, and asks her to lie low for the last year of high school because of possible judgement from those in and around the family.

This story was a journey of self-discovery for Joanna, who initially feels her life is much easier pretending to be straight and therefore not being judged by everyone she meets. But then she meets Mary Carlson, who makes her question whether it’s really worth staying closeted for the sake of those around her. I really liked the message this book portrayed of having to come out more than once. This is something LGBTQIA+ people face every day, all of their lives. There is not just one big coming out and you’re done. There will be more places and more people and that will involve more worry and concern about how they may react and the judgement you might face. Joanna definitely faces coming-out more than once throughout the course of this book!

I want to feel proud and happy about my selflessness.

Joanna’s relationships with those around her really develop throughout this novel as she begins to question everything again, despite already having an out and proud life back in Atlanta. I really enjoyed Jo’s relationship with her new stepmother, and seeing how they connected throughout the story was so heartwarming. Although her dad was not without his problems, I really liked his willingness to understand his daughter at the end of it all.

Reading about a character with a connection to faith was really interesting and I don’t feel like it’s something we see a lot of in YA. Although I’m not religious myself, I didn’t feel like Joanna’s own views overpowered her story, or that I couldn’t relate to her as a character. Although I felt some of the characters were problematic, there is an undertone of acceptance that meant I couldn’t judge them as much as I felt I would have done in other situations.

But sadly, there is a few things I disliked about this book. The plot seemed far-fetched and frankly, I don’t know why Jo really followed along for so long with what her dad was asking of her. The situation her dad put her in also felt really unfair and made me feel quite uncomfortable at times. I also feel like the ending was rushed, not thought out, and that the character of Deirdre was unrealistic and lacking in any character development. It almost felt as though she was only placed into the end of the story to allow for the ending to happen the way it did, and was not really mentioned throughout the rest of the story or given any opportunity to be more than her actions in the scenes that showed up in the book.

But what happens when being selfless takes away a big part of your self?

Overall, this was a diverse contemporary with some hard hitting discussions that felt like they were handled fairly well. I’m glad I picked it up and I flew through it super fast, so if you’re looking for a quick but hard-hitting sapphic romance this one could be for you!

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The Books are Everywhere

Tag: lgbt

Review: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

Review: I Hear the Sunspot (#1-#3) by Yuki Fumino

Review: Jay’s Gay Agenda (#1) by Jason June

Review: Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

Review: The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Review: Autoboyography by Chrstina Lauren

Review: Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

ARC Review: Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean

Review: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown