A review by kategallo
Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough

4.0

I had so much fun reading this! It ticked all of my favourite YA/contemporary boxes - feminism, empowerment, a big 'fuck you' to sexism and sexual harassment, and lesbian main characters. Not only that, but I was shocked to discover that the book is set super close to my area of Sydney! It was very accurate with the 'rich, upper-middle class' stereotypes that we get around here, especially the poncey, conservative Mosman-dwellers of the North Shore. I loved the character development of both Will & Harriet as the book progressed, and the fact that they are both humanised in each other's eyes the more they interact. While there were certainly a few trope-y scenes, particularly in the end, the plot was intriguing and the issues at hand were realistic. It covers a lot while still being a relatively light-hearted read, thanks to Gough's great use of humour throughout.

This book hit so well on the influence of wealth and status on the happenings of school politics, and that teachers can and will get away with a lot of terrible things if it means the school's reputation isn't compromised. I've always been a believer in students, especially girls, standing up for what they believe is right. In that sense, it does break my heart that there is

Spoiler

disloyalty/cheating

in this book, regardless of how well-deserved or insignificant it was. That's always a theme that I can't reconcile with, and it sucks that it was in here. Please stop normalising that in YA/queer contemporary, it's the worst.