kpwxx's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Bullying, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Biphobia, Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Sexual content, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Excrement, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
finesilkflower's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Tegan and Sara Quin both have a similar prose style that is at times flowery but emotionally honest, and effective at evoking of the highs and lows teenagerhood: the joy of creation and of falling in love; the fraught relationship between sisters; the heartache of breakups; the excitement of exploring music, drugs, and sex; the stuck suburban longing for something more. This book does not paint this time period in a rosy way - the Quins have not forgotten the turmoil and confusion of leaving the nest and not knowing how things will turn out - but other former teen 1990s alternative lesbians will find recognition in the music references and perfectly remembered moments of queer becoming. I think at times that the authors are a little too allergic to nostalgia, tempering all their past moments of triumph and joy with present-day weary warnings about how it won't last and how their past selves don't know how much difficulty they have ahead of them, and a little more leaning into the positive might have made the book feel more balanced and less dreary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use
Minor: Violence and Vomit
More...