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A review by abitbetterbooks
Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I feel like this book was just okay! There were things I really liked and appreciated about it, and then there were other elements I felt were very weak. I didn’t love the book but I didn’t dislike it either. I guess you could say I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.
As a mixed Japanese & white queer woman, I’m a big fan of Hayley Kiyoko and had really high hopes for the representation in this book. I really wanted it to speak to me deeply and to feel seen by it and I just… didn’t connect with it or with Coley that much. I feel like I wanted a bit more about what her relationship with her mom was like or more about any Japanese culture or that they may have shared. Sometimes it felt too easy to forget that Coley was even supposed to be Japanese.
I really appreciated and enjoyed the 2006 setting, and I loved the LiveJournal entries, which felt so nostalgic and served as excellent character work. All of the music choices were perfect throwbacks and I loved all of the references. The setting felt very realistic and made the threat of homophobia that much more high stakes.
However, having just read The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan, which also centres around the topic of a mixed Asian girl grieving her mother’s suicide, it felt like this story fell a little short in comparison. The writing felt a little young and a bit uneven; Coley felt more 13 than 17 a lot of the time. There were some lines that stood out to me, and some really poignant moments though! In particular I liked the development of her relationship with her father and the fights & disagreements they have felt visceral and raw.
This would be a good read for fans of Hayley Kiyoko or those looking for more sapphic YA stories!
As a mixed Japanese & white queer woman, I’m a big fan of Hayley Kiyoko and had really high hopes for the representation in this book. I really wanted it to speak to me deeply and to feel seen by it and I just… didn’t connect with it or with Coley that much. I feel like I wanted a bit more about what her relationship with her mom was like or more about any Japanese culture or that they may have shared. Sometimes it felt too easy to forget that Coley was even supposed to be Japanese.
I really appreciated and enjoyed the 2006 setting, and I loved the LiveJournal entries, which felt so nostalgic and served as excellent character work. All of the music choices were perfect throwbacks and I loved all of the references. The setting felt very realistic and made the threat of homophobia that much more high stakes.
However, having just read The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan, which also centres around the topic of a mixed Asian girl grieving her mother’s suicide, it felt like this story fell a little short in comparison. The writing felt a little young and a bit uneven; Coley felt more 13 than 17 a lot of the time. There were some lines that stood out to me, and some really poignant moments though! In particular I liked the development of her relationship with her father and the fights & disagreements they have felt visceral and raw.
This would be a good read for fans of Hayley Kiyoko or those looking for more sapphic YA stories!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion