annabi's review
4.0
3.5 stars
took me forever to finish it but definitely worth the read! the story followed a pretty Classic© teen narrative but I appreciated that colbys sexuality wasn't THE MAIN FOCUS of the book, there was no "oh shit im gay!" it was more like "I love this girl who doesnt love me back waah!" the writing was straightforward and fine. I feel like the characters lacked dimmension in some cases (I felt like we Really only knew colby and van, and maybe her dad) but the novel clearly wasn't written to, like, change the way u see life as u know it. I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters, right?
the biggest problem I had was that half of colbys problems couldve been dealt with a lot faster if she'd just!!! communicated and !!! wasnt so immature!!! but I think that was bigelows point, teens arent mature normally and she grew a lot by the end of the novel. also MO WAS SUCH A GOOD ADDITION TO THE BOOK definitely added an original aspect to a pretty typical narrative. I'd recommend to people who just want a short, simple story and need more lesbian books in their life
took me forever to finish it but definitely worth the read! the story followed a pretty Classic© teen narrative but I appreciated that colbys sexuality wasn't THE MAIN FOCUS of the book, there was no "oh shit im gay!" it was more like "I love this girl who doesnt love me back waah!" the writing was straightforward and fine. I feel like the characters lacked dimmension in some cases (I felt like we Really only knew colby and van, and maybe her dad) but the novel clearly wasn't written to, like, change the way u see life as u know it. I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters, right?
the biggest problem I had was that half of colbys problems couldve been dealt with a lot faster if she'd just!!! communicated and !!! wasnt so immature!!! but I think that was bigelows point, teens arent mature normally and she grew a lot by the end of the novel. also MO WAS SUCH A GOOD ADDITION TO THE BOOK definitely added an original aspect to a pretty typical narrative. I'd recommend to people who just want a short, simple story and need more lesbian books in their life
allweatherreader's review
4.0
This book is just lovely. Not a lot happens in terms of plot, but both the setting and the characters are likeable and realistic, and it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling.
dessy331's review
4.0
Lesbians and rescue dogs. I'm convinced this book was written for me.
First of all, it was a very compelling read. I sped through it, though I'm not sure whether that's a testament to it's greatness or the simple fact that it was tailored to my interests. Either way, it was a very quick and enjoyable read.
Colby was a flawed and frustrating character - but felt real. After getting her heart broken at the beginning of the novel, she is sworn off making connections and falling in love - and she sticks to that. She's very stubborn and big-headed and a tad bit selfish. But it's understandable, you really do get where she's coming from and she feels really human, in a way. People are flawed, they're not always likable, and sometimes their flaws are what make them lovable. The growth you get to see from Colby in this novel is so great and I really rooted for her to change and to let Amelia - and love - in. Her family and money issues were really interesting and added a lot to the story, it was nice to get to explore those things. I quite related to her.
I like that Colby's friends are largely all queer too. Usually in these books, the main character's friends are all straight and they're the exception. It's nice to see a group of queer friends portrayed, but not in a stereotypical sort of way. I dunno, I liked that. Van was such a good friend, so supportive, and I'm really glad that she owned up to how she'd been treating him and apologized. I also really liked Rachel, and I'm glad that she wasn't villainized - I mean, obviously Colby wasn't overly fond of her for a while, but she wasn't made out to be the bad guy. I feel like they were all realistic portrayals of teenagers, all flawed and still learning. I liked that there was some variety, they weren't all gay or lesbian-identifying, there were some - like Rachel and Amelia - who didn't use a label or know what exactly they were just yet (which is super realistic, I mean they're only in high school - how many queer teens in high school have their shit figured out?) There was even mention of a two-spirit individual (a very very brief mention, over online chat), so yay for diversity.
Speaking of Rachel, I was worried about the slight biphobic undertones I was picking up on in the beginning. Colby gets dumped by Rachel (with a pretty flimsy excuse, admittedly) and soon after begins dating a boy from their school. A shitty situation for anyone, obviously, but Colby goes on to accuse Rachel of being "a straight girl using her for experimentation," despite Rachel being an active member of the rainbow alliance and clearly having been interested in girls too (not that that's something she has to prove.) Clearly, this is Colby channeling her insecurity and feelings of rejection into discrediting Rachel's identity, to make herself feel better and righteous about her anger and jealousy - an obvious case of biphobia. I was worried that the author wouldn't address this and just move on, pairing Colby with a nice, Out and Proud Lesbian whom she didn't have to worry about running off with a boy and breaking her heart again. But luckily, she didn't do any of that, in fact Amelia - the love interest - was pretty much in the same boat as Rachel, closeted and not totally sure about her identity, and Colby was just going to have to deal with that. Instead, Colby was forced to grow and mature and face her own fears and insecurities - and stop pushing them off onto other people. Which is good because the Rachel thing is something I just couldn't root for her with, she was really frustrating about that - which was done purposefully, Colby is not meant to be the good guy in that situation, at all. In fact, you see that she's kind of a jerk - those things are clearly painted as flaws of Colby's character and not simply brushed aside. Very smart, I'm glad the author tackled that issue, in a natural, honest way.
The romance was also so sweet and adorable, I loved them together. When Colby wasn't being a big dumb jerk, that is. I'm glad Amelia didn't take any of her crap, despite how sweet and shy she was. I liked that Amelia asked for time to examine her feelings before jumping back in to things with Colby, that was very smart and mature of her. They're a really good match, much better than her and Rachel could have been, which Colby came to realize. Their back-and-forth exchanges were really funny and super cute, I just ate up their scenes together. I also really enjoyed the familial relationships in this book. Colby's dad is largely absent and you see the affect that that has on her and her life, and to see them grow together at the end was so great. One of my favourite parts of this book was their little impromptu road trip, it was much needed and resolved a lot of things within the story. It led up to a rather satisfying ending.
Aside from a few minor issues, such as with the too-quick pacing at the start of the novel, the unrealistic generosity of the vet with Mo's medical costs and that I wish the love interest would've been introduced a little sooner, I really really enjoyed this book. It's such a heartwarming and sweet story, I adored it.
First of all, it was a very compelling read. I sped through it, though I'm not sure whether that's a testament to it's greatness or the simple fact that it was tailored to my interests. Either way, it was a very quick and enjoyable read.
Colby was a flawed and frustrating character - but felt real. After getting her heart broken at the beginning of the novel, she is sworn off making connections and falling in love - and she sticks to that. She's very stubborn and big-headed and a tad bit selfish. But it's understandable, you really do get where she's coming from and she feels really human, in a way. People are flawed, they're not always likable, and sometimes their flaws are what make them lovable. The growth you get to see from Colby in this novel is so great and I really rooted for her to change and to let Amelia - and love - in. Her family and money issues were really interesting and added a lot to the story, it was nice to get to explore those things. I quite related to her.
I like that Colby's friends are largely all queer too. Usually in these books, the main character's friends are all straight and they're the exception. It's nice to see a group of queer friends portrayed, but not in a stereotypical sort of way. I dunno, I liked that. Van was such a good friend, so supportive, and I'm really glad that she owned up to how she'd been treating him and apologized. I also really liked Rachel, and I'm glad that she wasn't villainized - I mean, obviously Colby wasn't overly fond of her for a while, but she wasn't made out to be the bad guy. I feel like they were all realistic portrayals of teenagers, all flawed and still learning. I liked that there was some variety, they weren't all gay or lesbian-identifying, there were some - like Rachel and Amelia - who didn't use a label or know what exactly they were just yet (which is super realistic, I mean they're only in high school - how many queer teens in high school have their shit figured out?) There was even mention of a two-spirit individual (a very very brief mention, over online chat), so yay for diversity.
Speaking of Rachel, I was worried about the slight biphobic undertones I was picking up on in the beginning. Colby gets dumped by Rachel (with a pretty flimsy excuse, admittedly) and soon after begins dating a boy from their school. A shitty situation for anyone, obviously, but Colby goes on to accuse Rachel of being "a straight girl using her for experimentation," despite Rachel being an active member of the rainbow alliance and clearly having been interested in girls too (not that that's something she has to prove.) Clearly, this is Colby channeling her insecurity and feelings of rejection into discrediting Rachel's identity, to make herself feel better and righteous about her anger and jealousy - an obvious case of biphobia. I was worried that the author wouldn't address this and just move on, pairing Colby with a nice, Out and Proud Lesbian whom she didn't have to worry about running off with a boy and breaking her heart again. But luckily, she didn't do any of that, in fact Amelia - the love interest - was pretty much in the same boat as Rachel, closeted and not totally sure about her identity, and Colby was just going to have to deal with that. Instead, Colby was forced to grow and mature and face her own fears and insecurities - and stop pushing them off onto other people. Which is good because the Rachel thing is something I just couldn't root for her with, she was really frustrating about that - which was done purposefully, Colby is not meant to be the good guy in that situation, at all. In fact, you see that she's kind of a jerk - those things are clearly painted as flaws of Colby's character and not simply brushed aside. Very smart, I'm glad the author tackled that issue, in a natural, honest way.
The romance was also so sweet and adorable, I loved them together. When Colby wasn't being a big dumb jerk, that is. I'm glad Amelia didn't take any of her crap, despite how sweet and shy she was. I liked that Amelia asked for time to examine her feelings before jumping back in to things with Colby, that was very smart and mature of her. They're a really good match, much better than her and Rachel could have been, which Colby came to realize. Their back-and-forth exchanges were really funny and super cute, I just ate up their scenes together. I also really enjoyed the familial relationships in this book. Colby's dad is largely absent and you see the affect that that has on her and her life, and to see them grow together at the end was so great. One of my favourite parts of this book was their little impromptu road trip, it was much needed and resolved a lot of things within the story. It led up to a rather satisfying ending.
Aside from a few minor issues, such as with the too-quick pacing at the start of the novel, the unrealistic generosity of the vet with Mo's medical costs and that I wish the love interest would've been introduced a little sooner, I really really enjoyed this book. It's such a heartwarming and sweet story, I adored it.
heatherblakely's review
4.0
Another 3.33/3.5 that I'm rounding up (come ON, Goodreads! Partial stars in 2015!).
I was very happy that this wasn't a coming out story. Don't get me wrong--I think coming out stories are important, but I also think teenagers need to read about other teenagers who are comfortable enough with their sexuality to have coming out not be a huge thing (and because so many adults read YA and don't necessarily need a billion coming out stories). This book centered around Colby and her relationship with her father, her relationship with her new dog, and her feelings about her dead mother. There were residual feelings about a breakup, and some stuff happening with another girl, but the bulk of the book focused on the other important things in Colby's life. This was a quick, refreshing read, and a great coming-of-age story.
I was very happy that this wasn't a coming out story. Don't get me wrong--I think coming out stories are important, but I also think teenagers need to read about other teenagers who are comfortable enough with their sexuality to have coming out not be a huge thing (and because so many adults read YA and don't necessarily need a billion coming out stories). This book centered around Colby and her relationship with her father, her relationship with her new dog, and her feelings about her dead mother. There were residual feelings about a breakup, and some stuff happening with another girl, but the bulk of the book focused on the other important things in Colby's life. This was a quick, refreshing read, and a great coming-of-age story.
choirqueer's review
5.0
After reading the author's other book, I had to read this one IMMEDIATELY. I knew it was about a queer teen girl, and was already excited to read it for that reason alone, but what I didn't know when I picked it up was that it is about a queer teen girl RESCUING A DOG, and once I realized that's what it was, I couldn't put it down. This story is just beautiful, encompassing a wide range of emotional realities, with unforgettable characters (human and canine). Highly highly recommend.
cw: the dog is seriously injured during the rescue (graphic descriptions of injury; only good things happen to the dog after that!), death of a character's parent (occurs before the story takes place, but is a major theme of the story), queerantagonism (mostly internalized/projected)
cw: the dog is seriously injured during the rescue (graphic descriptions of injury; only good things happen to the dog after that!), death of a character's parent (occurs before the story takes place, but is a major theme of the story), queerantagonism (mostly internalized/projected)
heykellyjensen's review
3.0
This was really sweet!
Colby's girlfriend Rachel just broke up with her, and to make matters worse, Rachel's already found herself a boyfriend. Colby wants to avoid Rachel now, and she does so by spending as much time with best friend Van as she can, while also avoiding ally meetings. One afternoon while out with Van, a stray dog wanders toward them, and when the dog becomes spooked, he's hit by an oncoming car. It's then Colby knows she needs to take this dog under her care, even if it means telling a few lies.
Bigelow's debut is a novel about relationships -- about the relationships between people, especially family and friends, and the relationships between humans and animals. Colby is a lesbian, and there's a sweet romance that buds between her and another girl. But it's not an easy relationship. Colby isn't necessarily a sympathetic character; at times, she's completely selfish, she tells lies, and she uses a lot of excuses to get out of responsibilities she has (to herself and to other people). The relationship between Colby and her father is fantastic, even if it's not easy. It's not easy because neither Colby nor her father are easy people. Both have things they want, and both realize there are things they need to do in order to succeed for themselves as individuals as themselves as a family without mom. The grief sits heavy between them, but it never defines their relationship.
One of the big elements of the story I loved was that Colby comes from a lower class family. She lives in a trailer, and her friends do not. But this is never, ever a big deal. Colby likes that her friends live in houses, but it's never a thing pointed out to readers. it's just reality; it's just how these people live and interact. It doesn't define them as one thing or another (as in, Colby CAN interact and befriend people who have more money and it's not a big deal).
This book is sweet without being saccharine. It's a fairly clean read (there's one scene between the girls where Colby mentions that Amelia put her mouth in a place no other girl had had her mouth) and I'd be comfortable handing it to younger teen readers. But because there is so much here, it's a book older teen readers will enjoy, too.
My only reservation is that at times, it felt like there were a few info dumps, especially in regards to the death of Colby's mother. But those spots are not too lengthy, and because the book itself has a swift pace, it's not a deal breaker.
Pair this one with Michael Northrop's Rotten for the obvious: a relationship between a teen and their new pet dog. But there's also a LOT of interesting parallels where it comes to social class, family relationships, and more. Although the voice isn't as strong and although there aren't as many hurdles to jump in terms of acceptance of Colby's sexuality, I can see readers who enjoyed this book also enjoying Kirstin Cronn-Mills's The Sky Always Hears Me.
Colby's girlfriend Rachel just broke up with her, and to make matters worse, Rachel's already found herself a boyfriend. Colby wants to avoid Rachel now, and she does so by spending as much time with best friend Van as she can, while also avoiding ally meetings. One afternoon while out with Van, a stray dog wanders toward them, and when the dog becomes spooked, he's hit by an oncoming car. It's then Colby knows she needs to take this dog under her care, even if it means telling a few lies.
Bigelow's debut is a novel about relationships -- about the relationships between people, especially family and friends, and the relationships between humans and animals. Colby is a lesbian, and there's a sweet romance that buds between her and another girl. But it's not an easy relationship. Colby isn't necessarily a sympathetic character; at times, she's completely selfish, she tells lies, and she uses a lot of excuses to get out of responsibilities she has (to herself and to other people). The relationship between Colby and her father is fantastic, even if it's not easy. It's not easy because neither Colby nor her father are easy people. Both have things they want, and both realize there are things they need to do in order to succeed for themselves as individuals as themselves as a family without mom. The grief sits heavy between them, but it never defines their relationship.
One of the big elements of the story I loved was that Colby comes from a lower class family. She lives in a trailer, and her friends do not. But this is never, ever a big deal. Colby likes that her friends live in houses, but it's never a thing pointed out to readers. it's just reality; it's just how these people live and interact. It doesn't define them as one thing or another (as in, Colby CAN interact and befriend people who have more money and it's not a big deal).
This book is sweet without being saccharine. It's a fairly clean read (there's one scene between the girls where Colby mentions that Amelia put her mouth in a place no other girl had had her mouth) and I'd be comfortable handing it to younger teen readers. But because there is so much here, it's a book older teen readers will enjoy, too.
My only reservation is that at times, it felt like there were a few info dumps, especially in regards to the death of Colby's mother. But those spots are not too lengthy, and because the book itself has a swift pace, it's not a deal breaker.
Pair this one with Michael Northrop's Rotten for the obvious: a relationship between a teen and their new pet dog. But there's also a LOT of interesting parallels where it comes to social class, family relationships, and more. Although the voice isn't as strong and although there aren't as many hurdles to jump in terms of acceptance of Colby's sexuality, I can see readers who enjoyed this book also enjoying Kirstin Cronn-Mills's The Sky Always Hears Me.
caseey's review
4.0
Ah, this book was so sweet and brimming with lovable characters. I adored Colby and though she did frustrate me at times with her habit of pushing away all of the people who were queuing up to help her, it was understandable why she felt the need to. She was a sympathetic character but also so cool and genuine; she was the kind of person I'd want as a friend.
One thing I thought was excellent about this book was that a big deal wasn't made of Colby's sexuality; though the difficulty of coming out as a teenager was touched upon, the romance in the book was otherwise just told like one between two straight characters in any other piece of young adult fiction. Colby happened to be a lesbian but there was so much more to her and the book than that.
I finished this book with a smile on my face. It was beautiful and of course extra brownie points go to any book that features an adorable dog.
One thing I thought was excellent about this book was that a big deal wasn't made of Colby's sexuality; though the difficulty of coming out as a teenager was touched upon, the romance in the book was otherwise just told like one between two straight characters in any other piece of young adult fiction. Colby happened to be a lesbian but there was so much more to her and the book than that.
I finished this book with a smile on my face. It was beautiful and of course extra brownie points go to any book that features an adorable dog.
evanbernstein's review
5.0
'Starting From Here' is a fantastic Young Adult story. The characters are believable, relatable, and they draw you straight into their world. The writing is heartfelt and really tugged at my memories of what it was like to be in high school. Thankfully my life was fraught with less struggles than that of Colby, so it allowed me to have a lot of patience and compassion for her. Which isnt' to say I forgave her for all the idiotic choices she makes, but that is what makes her and her story so interesting to read: I can be completely compassionate and still see her (and myself) learn from her mistakes.
I highly recommend this book to all people, young and old, who enjoy a good young adult book.
(I should probably add that I am friend's with the author, but that doesn't change how much I loved reading this book)
I highly recommend this book to all people, young and old, who enjoy a good young adult book.
(I should probably add that I am friend's with the author, but that doesn't change how much I loved reading this book)
libraryanned's review
3.0
Well the dog didn't die, so that was good. Otherwise the book was just fine. It covered heavy issues, but still managed to feel lightweight. And it didn't feel unique enough to stand out and make an impact. I am already getting it confused with another book I just read on the same sort of topic. Not saying that it is a bad book. It isn't. Just forgettable.