Reviews

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

hayleyrhiannon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

3.75

lostinfrance's review against another edition

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3.0

A professor (and friend) that I respect and who works with Latinx rights recommended this book, so I had the library order a copy...and finally got my hands on it. I expected something different and I was not disappointed. This is the kind of book I would want in my classroom for my students to pass around....a book that centers on a Puerto Rican college student who grew up in the Bronx, but also discusses LGBTQIA rights, pronoun preference, white privilege, exploring your sexuality, how sexuality is fluid, questioning everything....something most high school students need to hear-- and from a teacher who often tries to explain this stuff, maybe a book that discusses it will be absorbed better than a loud "old" white teacher.
This is the story of Juliet who grew up protected by her large Puerto Rican family in the Bronx and decides to travel to Oregon to do an internship with her favorite feminist writer. While in Portland, Juliet ends up questioning many of her beliefs and is forced to find herself and what she believes. She is forced to confront white privilege, out herself to family and find comfort in her own skin (or at least start to).
Read: if you enjoy YA and want a new, pertinent perspective.

kevinmccarrick's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5

blowp0p's review against another edition

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5.0

Content warnings: drug (marijuana) usage, mentions of cutting, equating women with having vaginas, lots of talk of feminism, intersectional feminism, polyamorous relationships, lesbian relationships, alcohol usage, cigarette smoking, medical issue discussion, microaggressions, discussions and mentions of racism, talks about allyship, talks about safe spaces, mentions of pregnancy, talks about privileges, talks about consent, brief mentions about sex, nudity mentions, mentions of alternative medicines (acupuncture and oils and meditations), mentions of politics, mentions of 9/11 and the after effects of the attack and first responders, mentions of religion (both Christianity and Judaism)

Review can be found here at Blow Pop's Book Reviews.

simonisafangirlie's review against another edition

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5.0

I love all the descriptions of people in this book!!!

literary_lyette's review against another edition

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emotional informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75


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bucklace27's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0


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sophg82's review against another edition

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2.0

read for class!
mmm...not for me. I just found the narrative voice very tiring and it got a little preachy/ripped straight from tumblr sometimes. I thought the takedown of white feminism and the importance of surrounding yourself with other queer women of color was wonderful and great to read in a YA novel, but it took sooooo long to get there! harlowe was annoying, racist, and transphobic from day 1 but it took us all summer to get to see her that way! also thought the juliet/kira romance was super rushed and underdeveloped, wish that was a bigger part of the book! overall, this definitely wasn't for me and I wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't reading it for class, but I'm still impressed by the mature themes that were crammed into this YA book

queeerlybeloved's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

5.0

"womanhood was radical enough for anyone who dared claim it.“ 🤍🤍

this book was so beautiful. it’s been on my TBR forEVER and i’m so happy i finally finished it. i have so much love for Juliet and her curiosity and her beauty and her queerness and her attitude and her way of exploring the world and herself and the way she sticks up for herself. she has flaws, sure, but who doesn’t? the arc we see her make is so beautiful and so powerful, so impactful. the questions she asks herself, the ones she asks the people she cares about and the people around her. the connections she makes. the realizations she comes to, especially the one where she realizes someone else can’t change her worldview for her. the romance she has!!! with someone who sees her beautiful brown everything!!! i just loved it and her so much.

i also loved how there was a romance, but that it wasn’t the primary focus. this is a love story, don’t get me wrong, but it’s primarily one between Juliet and herself. between Juliet and her mind, her body, her spirituality, her place in the world. and Then it’s a love story between her and Kira. which was so sexy and tender and pure and loving and vivid. 

such a necessary read!! and so happy i read it during hispanic heritage month. 

lammeyb's review against another edition

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informative 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? Yes

4.5