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A review by notlikethebeer
Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter
5.0
This was amazing. Really, truly amazing. Just... wow.
Melt My Heart is about Lily Rose: artist and ice cream seller. She's just finished sixth form, she's going out with a Totally Hot Guy, and the summer stretches out ahead of her. Which all sounds good in theory... But in reality it's maybe not that simple. Her twin sister fell for Totally Hot Guy first, things keep getting weird with her best friend, and she thinks she might be the only person ever to not want to get the grades for university. It's a rollercoaster of emotions for Lily Rose!
This book kinda reminded me of Jordi Perez's English counterpart, which I loved. It's not just that the protagonist is queer and fat, but also the look at fashion and teen jobs, I think. I will take queer YA in any form, and I'm actually a really big fan of American novels, but it was also really refreshing, as a queer Brit, to read something with a context so familiar to me.
I really loved Lily- but I loved her even more because she wasn't perfect. She screwed up, and people got annoyed at her, and that was all totally valid. Often, when people challenge or confront a protagonist, the reader is invited to be on the protagonists side. In Melt My Heart, however, whilst fully loving Lily, I wasn't always on her side in arguments: and that's what I want! I want to see protagonists challenged and allowed to grow, and Melt My Heart did that so well. I also reaally liked that all of the characters were made so three-dimensional; each of them had their own issues and problems, and even characters like Daisy, who were presented as being so together, had their own stuff going on. They all felt so human and real.
In terms of representation, this book ticks some obvious boxes, but also some less obvious ones. Lily is a fat, bisexual woman, and both of these facets of her identity are really well explored throughout the book. I especially loved the bisexuality rep- although MMH is kind of a coming-out-story, it's also not really, because Lily's sexuality never feels like a big deal at all. Definitely, saying that she's bi doesn't feel like a spoiler, and that's the way it should be. Lily also shows the complex emotions that come with being fat in a fatphobic society: her own love for her body, but also the negativity she picks up from others, and the way that these intersect. And, at all times, the book is never just about Lily being fat, or Lily being bisexual: there's way more to the story than that! That's where the less obvious representation comes in too I think. This is a story about twins who love each other, but who are also each trying to be their own people. This is a story about not really knowing what you want to do with your life, when everyone around you seems pretty set. This is a story about navigating friendships and relationships, all at once. This is a story about small towns in England, with their unique experiences, and their flaws as well. There is SO MUCH going on in this book that isn't always portrayed elsewhere, and I adored it all.
I will say- I am a white reviewer. There may well be issues with the portrayal of Cassie, and the racism/fascism part of the storyline, and in no way am I going to negate those. I did feel that the poster storyline ended maybe a little too hastily, and that Lily's actions at times could be seen as a bit White Saviour-y. I'm also really keen to read more reviews as they come, and see what other people, particularly those better placed to evaluate these aspects, have to say about it all.
I do think the writing was a tiny bit clunky at times, particularly in regards to conversations. Having said that, I don't think the copy I read was fully formatted properly, so that didn't help!
Overall- cannot wait to see this book out in the real world. Cannot wait for people to read it. I can see this really changing people's lives, and I know it will get into the hands of people who really need it.
Melt My Heart is about Lily Rose: artist and ice cream seller. She's just finished sixth form, she's going out with a Totally Hot Guy, and the summer stretches out ahead of her. Which all sounds good in theory... But in reality it's maybe not that simple. Her twin sister fell for Totally Hot Guy first, things keep getting weird with her best friend, and she thinks she might be the only person ever to not want to get the grades for university. It's a rollercoaster of emotions for Lily Rose!
This book kinda reminded me of Jordi Perez's English counterpart, which I loved. It's not just that the protagonist is queer and fat, but also the look at fashion and teen jobs, I think. I will take queer YA in any form, and I'm actually a really big fan of American novels, but it was also really refreshing, as a queer Brit, to read something with a context so familiar to me.
I really loved Lily- but I loved her even more because she wasn't perfect. She screwed up, and people got annoyed at her, and that was all totally valid. Often, when people challenge or confront a protagonist, the reader is invited to be on the protagonists side. In Melt My Heart, however, whilst fully loving Lily, I wasn't always on her side in arguments: and that's what I want! I want to see protagonists challenged and allowed to grow, and Melt My Heart did that so well. I also reaally liked that all of the characters were made so three-dimensional; each of them had their own issues and problems, and even characters like Daisy, who were presented as being so together, had their own stuff going on. They all felt so human and real.
In terms of representation, this book ticks some obvious boxes, but also some less obvious ones. Lily is a fat, bisexual woman, and both of these facets of her identity are really well explored throughout the book. I especially loved the bisexuality rep- although MMH is kind of a coming-out-story, it's also not really, because Lily's sexuality never feels like a big deal at all. Definitely, saying that she's bi doesn't feel like a spoiler, and that's the way it should be. Lily also shows the complex emotions that come with being fat in a fatphobic society: her own love for her body, but also the negativity she picks up from others, and the way that these intersect. And, at all times, the book is never just about Lily being fat, or Lily being bisexual: there's way more to the story than that! That's where the less obvious representation comes in too I think. This is a story about twins who love each other, but who are also each trying to be their own people. This is a story about not really knowing what you want to do with your life, when everyone around you seems pretty set. This is a story about navigating friendships and relationships, all at once. This is a story about small towns in England, with their unique experiences, and their flaws as well. There is SO MUCH going on in this book that isn't always portrayed elsewhere, and I adored it all.
I will say- I am a white reviewer. There may well be issues with the portrayal of Cassie, and the racism/fascism part of the storyline, and in no way am I going to negate those. I did feel that the poster storyline ended maybe a little too hastily, and that Lily's actions at times could be seen as a bit White Saviour-y. I'm also really keen to read more reviews as they come, and see what other people, particularly those better placed to evaluate these aspects, have to say about it all.
I do think the writing was a tiny bit clunky at times, particularly in regards to conversations. Having said that, I don't think the copy I read was fully formatted properly, so that didn't help!
Overall- cannot wait to see this book out in the real world. Cannot wait for people to read it. I can see this really changing people's lives, and I know it will get into the hands of people who really need it.