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befsk's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, going into this book, but whatever it was, it's not what I got. I think I was expecting a YA LGBT book with a protagonist who swims? And when I started reading it was LGBT and the protagonist is too poor to swim and she's slowly discovering she might be less L and more B from the LGBT? Which is okay but I'm not really sure what we're looking to achieve here. At the halfway point, a plot was yet to appear, other than Ramona's sister being pregnant. I guess the romance between Ramona and Freddie was a plot, but consider that we disparaged rom-com films earlier in the book, so it seems churlish to have the only real plot be entirely focused on romance. It was a coming-of-age plot, generally, but coming-of-age-but-poor is not really a plot that keeps me personally hooked. I did that myself, it wasn't fun. So this book was a bad mixture of confused expectations and a lack of direction.
It was just sorta forgettable as a book, because of the reasons above. It never really went anywhere and I didn't know what message it wanted to impart. Was it about being poor? About letting yourself get stuck in a small town mindset because of family? About being gay in southern small town America? About deciding you're not as gay as you thought you were? About dating a black guy? Was it just that we wanted to say a little bit about all of these subjects and as a result, the whole thing was washed out and watered down? Whatever it was, it didn't really fully work for me, as a reader.
The insane list of 50ish authors in the acknowledgements pages was certainly an eye opening experience though. The author world is such a club.
It was just sorta forgettable as a book, because of the reasons above. It never really went anywhere and I didn't know what message it wanted to impart. Was it about being poor? About letting yourself get stuck in a small town mindset because of family? About being gay in southern small town America? About deciding you're not as gay as you thought you were? About dating a black guy? Was it just that we wanted to say a little bit about all of these subjects and as a result, the whole thing was washed out and watered down? Whatever it was, it didn't really fully work for me, as a reader.
The insane list of 50ish authors in the acknowledgements pages was certainly an eye opening experience though. The author world is such a club.
mrlsdevos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
readerrinta's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
elliereads97's review
5.0
this was so wonderful and heartrending!! also hecka relatable, it's abt a girl who id's as a lesbian before she falls for a guy, which is quite literally the story of my current relationship with my boyfriend. amazing
this gave me serious dress codes for small towns vibes: strong queer girl protagonist, struggling with identity/labels, and her quirky and close-knit friend group with that lovely small town setting. ALL of which i'm just a sucker for. i can't wait to read more julie murphy in the future!!
this gave me serious dress codes for small towns vibes: strong queer girl protagonist, struggling with identity/labels, and her quirky and close-knit friend group with that lovely small town setting. ALL of which i'm just a sucker for. i can't wait to read more julie murphy in the future!!
rdh217's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
dariayune's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What a nice experience. I don't think I have ever read a book where a character questions their sexual orientation after having "come out". And I am a sucker for coming of age and diverse character-stories
boooksforbreakfast's review
4.0
Hello, my name is Ramona, I am also six feet tall and bisexual/queer (whatever Ramona wants to label herself as in this book). Yeah, I definitely felt like the main character while reading this haha. I really liked this book!
carog's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0