Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

Girls Can Kiss Now: Essays by Jill Gutowitz

31 reviews

bi_n_large's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

Funny, relatable, and informative, this essay collection about queer women in pop culture was exactly what I needed this pride month. It was a really great way to wrap up my month of (almost) all queer books!

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.
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ecn's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

One of my favorite books from this year! If you’re queer, grew up in the 2000s, and are obsessed with pop culture, this book is for you. I already want more.
If you’re a fan of The 2000s Made Me Gay, you’ll love this.
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aus10england's review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

I’ve been looking forward to reading this one for a while! Love the author, so no surprise that this would be good. 
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literaryrambles's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

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keelin's review

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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readingthroughinfinity's review

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.0

 This is a razor sharp, humorous collection of essays about the intersections of 90s, 00s, 10s pop culture and queer culture. Jill Gutowitz shares her experiences as a lesbian, from her teenage years to present day, and blends them together with critiques of the media and its vilification of queer people (specifically lesbians). She discusses representation, or the lack thereof in TV and film, and how she hopes we're moving towards a queerer and more inclusive future.

A fun, short read, with lots of humorous moments, I liked the fact that Gutowitz doesn't pull her punches when it comes to denunciation of the press, social media, and organisations that are supposed to fight for justice.

I wish this book had been more inclusive of intersectional identites, though, because while it focuses on lesbian culture, there was little to no mention of trans and non-binary lesbians, and no real discussion of the difficulties that BIPOC lesbians face.  This also feels like a very Western-centric book and doesn't really make any attempt to look at pop culture outside of the US and Europe, which feels like a missed opportunity. 
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megansoetaert's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

4.25

  • yeah it’s very millennial, but that’s fine??? she’s literally talking about queer women in modern pop culture. lmao. but as a genzennial i feel like i’m close enough where it’s not too cringe??? u know?
  • overuse of Black slang (aka what gay men have already co-opted…)— her voice comes off as very white woman
  • i def disagree with her opinion that her speculating about taylor swifts sexuality is fine bc the intent isn’t bad… it’s none of your business we’re not owed any personal info from celebrities 
  • yearning 🥺 it’s hard to be a queer woman
  • the reflections on her emotions as she was beginning to understand her sexuality… i feel that
  • the end of the book (and the acknowledgments) made me tear up bc she loves her girlfriend so much and i love MY gf so much 😭
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hmatt's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

As a millennial queer, I found most of these essays funny and/or relatable, and I enjoyed the reading experience. Some highlights for me included the essay on "outing" culture a la Perez Hilton vs. current online fan speculation and the "listicle"-style sections on the top sapphic paparazzi photos and things that are Lesbian Canon.

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. 
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mallory10100's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

god i LOVED this!! one of the most relatable books i’ve ever read 
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