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mandareads222's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Religious bigotry
siebensommer's review against another edition
3.0
i knew that i could never truly be seen by these boys, be respected by these boys, if they didn’t also want me. that was the power i needed to maintain over them.
some fun content and one gut wrenching chapter that comes without a warning in the middle of content about pop culture.
didn’t follow jg before and can only say - high key good for her!!
didn’t love that it felt like the essays didn’t really belong together in one book but were written as single works - meaning i got an explanation of how she met her friend three separate times e.g.
also still find it messed up to be ‘speculating’ abt a celebrity’s sexuality and posting theories as ‘proof’ that that celeb is lying about their personal life and to actually be thinking you are doing an okay thing. the reasoning that TS would greatly profit from coming out is a) not the point and b) maybe not true since she does still have loaaads of hyperchristian fans there and also does more than anything profit from heteronormativity in her fandom
not saying that i wouldn’t 100% love if she came out as a bi queen, just saying that making someone else’s sexuality your business and thinking you’re not as problematic as others who do that… think again pls
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Outing
teaserena's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual content
montyalmoro's review
1.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
kshertz's review
3.5
For me, this was so much fun because I got to relive my entire childhood with all the pop culture references and reliving AOL, the Internet, etc. I really related to a lot and I liked the references because mine were the same. So why not 5 stars? There’s some man bashing that makes it not inclusive and I also feel like this is a memoir that should come out when this person was much much older and it would be more reflective and awesome. Plus, therapy girl. We all need it. Go to it. But I definitely felt it was light and I enjoyed it and I recommend for reminiscing if you grew up like me.
Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Outing
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
4.0
There was this one chapter about lesbian yearning that I felt SO called out by that I had to stop listening and collect myself before continuing to read it. I loved the way Gutowitz delves into queer female celebrities and the treatment of them in the early 2000s because I think that is so worth examining - basically, we owe Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson a massive apology.
Another great aspect of the book is the relatable way the author writes about the early days of the pandemic. It was a really funny way of putting it, but also sad. There is also a section where she writes a letter to her younger self, which broke my heart and made me laugh at the same time.
I had some minor issues with the book, but overall really enjoyed it and recommend it.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Biphobia and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Islamophobia
hmatt's review against another edition
3.5
Unfortunately, I feel like the collection starts strong, but loses steam as it goes. It does a good job balancing the memoir-y bits with the broader cultural talk in, for instance, the essay about the FBI showing up on the author's doorstep. Towards the end of the collection, though, there are a number of strictly autobiographical "essays" that I just didn't get anything from. There is a real gap in the collection with regard to, well, any other sapphic voices besides the author's. I think I would have been more engaged in the collection as a whole if she had swapped out some of the autobiographical sections for broader perspectives on how pop culture influenced the experience of growing up queer in the naughties.
This is short, though, and the audiobook is narrated (importantly, narrated well) by the author, so I'd still recommend going in for the whole thing.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
The description of rape is contained to one essay, "I Know This Now". In an earlier essay, the author describes their own experiences viewing pornography as a minor.mallory10100's review
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Dementia, and Classism
i highly recommend this!!prideandparchment's review against another edition
4.25
But there are some pretty overdramatic parts near the end I got annoyed by (how can someone freak out by Taylor Swift THAT MUCH?)...
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
caseythereader's review
4.0
- GIRLS CAN KISS NOW is a hyperfocused deep dive into growing up and coming out in the 2000s. Gutowitz breaks down the journey lesbian culture and visibility took in those years, from hidden secret to loud and proud.
- I'm a few years older than the author, but so much of her experience of growing up as a suburban white girl receiving conflicting information about what being gay meant (and therefore being unable to discern whether you were gay) resonated deeply with me.
- A lot of really rough stuff is covered here, from generalized lesbophobia to forced outing, but this essay collection is actual laugh out loud hilarious. I kept reading passages aloud to my spouse, trying not to snort laugh at descriptions of furtively using the family computer or falling into lesbian TikTok.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Minor: Transphobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol