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anne11angel's review against another edition
3.0
As a Hayley Kiyoko fan, this was a fun read for pride. I enjoyed listening to her read the audiobook. That being said, if you're not here for Hayley, this book might not appeal. There are a few cheesy YA tropes that didn't land great with me.
sydneypeca's review against another edition
3.0
About a 3.75
This novel is one that is so special to me. Hayley Kiyoko is one of the first artists who ever got me out of my imposter syndrome about my sexuality. Growing up I didn’t have queer media until I hit high school. Enrolled in a performing arts program, nearly all of my friends were gay or a part of the lgbtq+ community and all of them knew about this part of themselves long before they went into high school. I did not. I had never dated, never understood a crush from a planted obsession. I had friends who were considered “boy crazy” and I would pick and choose boys like them to have crushes on. It was never real, never something that was actually inside of me, but rather something I did to fit in. I thought this was how everyone felt. That they saw someone and said I suppose they could be of interest to me. I never assumed it was something that just happened. Everyone I knew who was LGBTQ+ just knew it about themselves. I didn’t. When the music video for girls like girls first came out it hit me in the deepest ways. I had looked at friends of mine who were girls as the two actresses did in the music video. I had preferred their company, gotten jealous over their boyfriends, and lingered too long when I shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t be gay. I would know. Because everyone who I knew told me that I would know. But I didn’t. Girls Like Girls is so special to me because it helped start me on my journey battling my imposter syndrome. It helped me recognize that maybe I was queer and I just didn’t realize it because I hadn’t been exposed to more of the world until too late in life. So, going into this review just know that I am biased and jaded because this music video - and song itself - is a part of young Sydney’s journey into learning and accepting that she is queer. That she is a girl who likes girls.
This novel is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s a young adult novel and thus I wasn’t expecting the finest of quality of writing, especially since it is Hayley’s debut novel. Writing lyrics is a whole different beast than writing literature. For a debut novel I thought it was still very well done. The writing is simple and there were awkward shifts in timing here and there however I didn’t feel like it was entirely discombobulated. Though sometimes interjections for blog posts and such annoy me, I actually enjoyed getting to see inside of Sonya’s mind here and there.
At first, I’ll admit, I was a bit annoyed at Sonya’s character but I had to remind myself that these are teenage girls and, honestly, they read very much the age that they were. When I was seventeen I was writing blog posts with just as many grammatical errors and colloquialisms as Sonya does in this novel. I also have been where both Coley and Sonya have been before. I’ve been there as a teenager and I’ve been there now in my later twenties. Falling for someone who has fallen for you but just can’t meet you where you are at is one of the worst pains there is. Throw in on top of that the fear of coming out especially in a world that villainizes people just for loving someone of the same gender? It’s not dramatic at all to behave the way Sonya does. As for lack of communication, they’re teenagers. Life feels like it’ll stop, like you will possibly disintegrate and die when you care for someone, fall for someone that society has told you that you can’t be with. Does it mean I enjoyed these moments in the novel? Absolutely not. They were painful and reminded me of multiple scenarios in just the past few years of dating but they also were real and important.
I think the abuse that happens in this novel is sort of glossed over in the end and that’s the only thing I wish had been dug into a little bit more. I think the mental health aspect was resolved in a better way especially with SJ but the abuse that is written of… we needed more than just Coley to say it was wrong in more than just two lines that are immediately glossed over. The book could’ve been just a little bit longer to discuss this.
Coley and Sonya are good for each other. I think this is the sort of romance that young people need to read. One that’s messy and shows that you can work through if you just talk and be brave. Being brave is hard. Being brave is dangerous. Being brave can hurt you especially as a part of the LGBTQ+ community but who is anyone else to decide who we love? Who is anyone else to decide our happiness?
I hope Hayley considers writing a sequel. I think this story would benefit from having a continuation of Sonya’s journey into accepting that she is queer and working through some of her traumas. I want to see Coley thrive at a new school and see more about her new life. In the end, I’m so happy this book is out there in the world. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it everything I needed it to be? Yes. Easy.
This novel is one that is so special to me. Hayley Kiyoko is one of the first artists who ever got me out of my imposter syndrome about my sexuality. Growing up I didn’t have queer media until I hit high school. Enrolled in a performing arts program, nearly all of my friends were gay or a part of the lgbtq+ community and all of them knew about this part of themselves long before they went into high school. I did not. I had never dated, never understood a crush from a planted obsession. I had friends who were considered “boy crazy” and I would pick and choose boys like them to have crushes on. It was never real, never something that was actually inside of me, but rather something I did to fit in. I thought this was how everyone felt. That they saw someone and said I suppose they could be of interest to me. I never assumed it was something that just happened. Everyone I knew who was LGBTQ+ just knew it about themselves. I didn’t. When the music video for girls like girls first came out it hit me in the deepest ways. I had looked at friends of mine who were girls as the two actresses did in the music video. I had preferred their company, gotten jealous over their boyfriends, and lingered too long when I shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t be gay. I would know. Because everyone who I knew told me that I would know. But I didn’t. Girls Like Girls is so special to me because it helped start me on my journey battling my imposter syndrome. It helped me recognize that maybe I was queer and I just didn’t realize it because I hadn’t been exposed to more of the world until too late in life. So, going into this review just know that I am biased and jaded because this music video - and song itself - is a part of young Sydney’s journey into learning and accepting that she is queer. That she is a girl who likes girls.
This novel is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s a young adult novel and thus I wasn’t expecting the finest of quality of writing, especially since it is Hayley’s debut novel. Writing lyrics is a whole different beast than writing literature. For a debut novel I thought it was still very well done. The writing is simple and there were awkward shifts in timing here and there however I didn’t feel like it was entirely discombobulated. Though sometimes interjections for blog posts and such annoy me, I actually enjoyed getting to see inside of Sonya’s mind here and there.
At first, I’ll admit, I was a bit annoyed at Sonya’s character but I had to remind myself that these are teenage girls and, honestly, they read very much the age that they were. When I was seventeen I was writing blog posts with just as many grammatical errors and colloquialisms as Sonya does in this novel. I also have been where both Coley and Sonya have been before. I’ve been there as a teenager and I’ve been there now in my later twenties. Falling for someone who has fallen for you but just can’t meet you where you are at is one of the worst pains there is. Throw in on top of that the fear of coming out especially in a world that villainizes people just for loving someone of the same gender? It’s not dramatic at all to behave the way Sonya does. As for lack of communication, they’re teenagers. Life feels like it’ll stop, like you will possibly disintegrate and die when you care for someone, fall for someone that society has told you that you can’t be with. Does it mean I enjoyed these moments in the novel? Absolutely not. They were painful and reminded me of multiple scenarios in just the past few years of dating but they also were real and important.
I think the abuse that happens in this novel is sort of glossed over in the end and that’s the only thing I wish had been dug into a little bit more. I think the mental health aspect was resolved in a better way especially with SJ but the abuse that is written of… we needed more than just Coley to say it was wrong in more than just two lines that are immediately glossed over. The book could’ve been just a little bit longer to discuss this.
Coley and Sonya are good for each other. I think this is the sort of romance that young people need to read. One that’s messy and shows that you can work through if you just talk and be brave. Being brave is hard. Being brave is dangerous. Being brave can hurt you especially as a part of the LGBTQ+ community but who is anyone else to decide who we love? Who is anyone else to decide our happiness?
I hope Hayley considers writing a sequel. I think this story would benefit from having a continuation of Sonya’s journey into accepting that she is queer and working through some of her traumas. I want to see Coley thrive at a new school and see more about her new life. In the end, I’m so happy this book is out there in the world. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it everything I needed it to be? Yes. Easy.
audreyau3's review against another edition
3.0
The first five chapters were hard to get through for me, but from chapter 6 it got my interest. The chapters are short, which I love, and I loved that it also has part where you read their social media page. I love how the story is inspired by the videoclip of Hayley Kiyoko’s biggest hit, but eventhough I’ve seen the clip I did not know what to expect from this book. Pretty good book for singers first book but also has an anticlimax.
svalletutti's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book perfectly captures what it’s like to have your first real crush as a young queer person. The obsessiveness, the longing, the all consuming feelings, it showed this all so well.
While the book did have some issues with pacing and some of the wording felt a bit off, I did still really enjoy this book.
While the book did have some issues with pacing and some of the wording felt a bit off, I did still really enjoy this book.
percypenndragon's review against another edition
5.0
From hearing the song first, then watching the music video, to finally reading the story; Hayley Kiyoko really does a number on my soul. As someone who's still closeted to my mom (the only person whose opinion really matters to me) I yearn for the day I can completely allow myself to love who I want to love without being scared. This book gives me that hope.
An honest 10/10. Will read again.
An honest 10/10. Will read again.
alexaabbott's review against another edition
4.0
I feel healed after finishing this book. Kiyoko did such a great job reflecting the feelings of a first love and how terrifying that can be. The audiobook, read mostly by Kiyoko herself, was fantastic. I can’t express how much this book meant to me. It was nostalgic and hopeful and healing and protective. It wasn’t the most well-written book out there, but it was beautiful. The vibes were immaculate.
mmatcha_'s review against another edition
4.0
Girls like Girls ran so Good Luck Babe could walk. What a masterpiece by Hayley Kiyoko
mickbutnotjagger's review against another edition
1.0
dialogue felt like it was partially written by chat gpt but other than that it was a cute story. the final chapter was exactly the same as the music video so that was cool.
bekkiikilham's review against another edition
2.0
The start of the book felt particularly juvinille to me, however around the midpoint of the book the writing got more into the swing of things and this went away.
One phrase that did start to annoy me as the number of times it was said increased was 'bumfuck nowhere Oregon'. I understand it was meant to be a cool phrase but it just got to me for some reason haha.
The ending was potentially a little rushed, as if some sort of conclusion needed to be reached. I would have liked it to be fleshed out a little more.
I think this book encompasses pretty well what it's like to be confused about a first relationship with a same sex partner. I think it's refreshing to see that Coley was confident in her love and didn't question if she should be straight or not. She was just happy to be in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed the acknowledgements section at the end of the book as you can really tell how much heart Hayley put into both this book and the song Girls like Girls (which I conincidentally absolutely loveeeeee). I'm so happy that Hayley has found her life partner who continues to inspire her.
Overall a sweet, non taxing, quick read.
One phrase that did start to annoy me as the number of times it was said increased was 'bumfuck nowhere Oregon'. I understand it was meant to be a cool phrase but it just got to me for some reason haha.
The ending was potentially a little rushed, as if some sort of conclusion needed to be reached. I would have liked it to be fleshed out a little more.
I think this book encompasses pretty well what it's like to be confused about a first relationship with a same sex partner. I think it's refreshing to see that Coley was confident in her love and didn't question if she should be straight or not. She was just happy to be in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed the acknowledgements section at the end of the book as you can really tell how much heart Hayley put into both this book and the song Girls like Girls (which I conincidentally absolutely loveeeeee). I'm so happy that Hayley has found her life partner who continues to inspire her.
Overall a sweet, non taxing, quick read.
gartnerj6400's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early.
Before I started reading this I didn’t have low expectations but I didn’t have high expectations either. I briefly remembered the music video this book was based off of and in my mind writing music and writing books are different. Both are equally difficult, just in their own way. But excuse my language, holy shit, I was actually blown away.
Coley(17) is one of the main characters who recently moved to a new town where her stranger of a father lives after her mother passed away. There she meets Sonya and her group of friends Alex, Trenton, SJ and Brooke. Coley struggles with self worth/love, living with a father who abandoned both her and her mother, the loss of a parent and lots of other topics that many people experience.
Sonya is the other MC who struggles with accepting her sexuality and dealing her douche of an ex boyfriend Trent.
This book is an absolute delight and will hopefully help people feel seen if they relate to Coley and Sonya. I know I personally did! This book is fantastic and I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while. Wonderful writing and highly recommend reading this!!
Before I started reading this I didn’t have low expectations but I didn’t have high expectations either. I briefly remembered the music video this book was based off of and in my mind writing music and writing books are different. Both are equally difficult, just in their own way. But excuse my language, holy shit, I was actually blown away.
Coley(17) is one of the main characters who recently moved to a new town where her stranger of a father lives after her mother passed away. There she meets Sonya and her group of friends Alex, Trenton, SJ and Brooke. Coley struggles with self worth/love, living with a father who abandoned both her and her mother, the loss of a parent and lots of other topics that many people experience.
Sonya is the other MC who struggles with accepting her sexuality and dealing her douche of an ex boyfriend Trent.
This book is an absolute delight and will hopefully help people feel seen if they relate to Coley and Sonya. I know I personally did! This book is fantastic and I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while. Wonderful writing and highly recommend reading this!!