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A review by vaniavela
Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
funny
lighthearted
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
4.75
Late to the Party is a novel about friendship, self-discovery and experiencing things for the first time in your life.
Codi is an introverted American lesbian teenager. But after befriending a popular boy she decides it's time for a new change.
I really enjoyed this book. I feel that the author managed to capture a stage of adolescence. That feeling of falling in love, the silly laughs, the awkward moments, the arguments, the embarrassments.
I would say that this is a character-driven novel, which I love. The characters are complex, though some are more three-dimensional than others, which makes them seem real. Codi was a character that grew as the story progressed and I enjoyed reading that development of personality and self-confidence. Reading how she started to stand up for herself and raise her voice was a great step. I love that she's openly lesbian and her sexuality isn't necessarily the central plot. There's a lot of representation; there are lgbtq+ characters in the book, and I liked the mention and attention brought to certain issues in society regarding them, like there are girls who kiss each other to get attention from boys and about how bad that is.
I love reading about lgbtq+ romances, especially ones that aren't solely focused on coming out and fighting against homophobic society. I loved reading a very tender wlw romance. I love seeing people in the community have happy endings, it makes me feel like I can have that too.
One problem I had was that I had a hard time picturing what some of the characters looked like, since not enough information was given when they were introduced in the plot. So I spent half the time imagining them to my liking.
Another problem was the need to make the characters drink so often. I got the feeling that it came across as the only fun and cool thing they could do. It makes it seem like being teenagers is just that, or that to come out of your shell you need to party and drink.
Mind you, I really liked the romance between Lydia and Codi. I loved how they fell in love with each other. They were so adorable and cute.
Overall, I loved the book. I personally would have changed a few things, but I definitely recommend it to others.
content warnings | drug and alcohol use
representation | lesbian mc, bisexual panamanian major character, two gay black major characters, bisexual side characters
Codi is an introverted American lesbian teenager. But after befriending a popular boy she decides it's time for a new change.
I really enjoyed this book. I feel that the author managed to capture a stage of adolescence. That feeling of falling in love, the silly laughs, the awkward moments, the arguments, the embarrassments.
I would say that this is a character-driven novel, which I love. The characters are complex, though some are more three-dimensional than others, which makes them seem real. Codi was a character that grew as the story progressed and I enjoyed reading that development of personality and self-confidence. Reading how she started to stand up for herself and raise her voice was a great step. I love that she's openly lesbian and her sexuality isn't necessarily the central plot. There's a lot of representation; there are lgbtq+ characters in the book, and I liked the mention and attention brought to certain issues in society regarding them, like there are girls who kiss each other to get attention from boys and about how bad that is.
I love reading about lgbtq+ romances, especially ones that aren't solely focused on coming out and fighting against homophobic society. I loved reading a very tender wlw romance. I love seeing people in the community have happy endings, it makes me feel like I can have that too.
One problem I had was that I had a hard time picturing what some of the characters looked like, since not enough information was given when they were introduced in the plot. So I spent half the time imagining them to my liking.
Another problem was the need to make the characters drink so often. I got the feeling that it came across as the only fun and cool thing they could do. It makes it seem like being teenagers is just that, or that to come out of your shell you need to party and drink.
Mind you, I really liked the romance between Lydia and Codi. I loved how they fell in love with each other. They were so adorable and cute.
Overall, I loved the book. I personally would have changed a few things, but I definitely recommend it to others.
content warnings | drug and alcohol use
representation | lesbian mc, bisexual panamanian major character, two gay black major characters, bisexual side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia and Cursing