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richy_qu33r_readzz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Love the musical interludes in the audiobook edition. “Who does she think she is, lesbian jesus?” So cool to see a music video come to life.
schirinsideris's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, where do I start? This book is good, even made me tear up at one point, but there wasn’t enough build up between the main love interests to constitute such an angsty book in my opinion.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This book would’ve been such a different experience if there was a more slow build up between Coley & Sonya. The intensity of the both of them was a lot towards the end, and I had just hoped that a strong foundation would’ve been the reason behind that.
They’re cute, don’t get me wrong, but when you read it as an adult, the intensity and the lust really reminds you of the good ol’ teenage romance— passionate, but temporary.
Would’ve loved a little more continuation at the end, as I felt that Sonya could’ve spoken to Coley about how she felt/struggled while she was away. I just wanted to see some growth, even if it was minimal. I wanted to see how Sonya handled things with her friends, and how did she continue to show her love for Coley despite figuring herself out still. There was just a lot of missed opportunities, and it wouldn’t feel right to have it in the form of a 2nd book. This read could’ve been a lot longer, and I personally think it should’ve because there is a potential with this plot.
END OF SPOILERS!
I grew up on Hayley’s music. Her music video ‘Girls like Girls’ truly revolutionised the LGBTQ community at a time where things were still rather timid. Her confidence in her videos & the message behind them was absolutely vital for any lesbian/queer kids who was growing up in that era.
Hence why I was so excited when she announced this book! But with a heavy heart, maybe I had too high of an expectation from a debut book. I do hope Hayley continues to hone her craftsmanship, both music & story telling, because I did enjoy the book— but the mistakes of a rookie writer definitely stood out like a sore thumb.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This book would’ve been such a different experience if there was a more slow build up between Coley & Sonya. The intensity of the both of them was a lot towards the end, and I had just hoped that a strong foundation would’ve been the reason behind that.
They’re cute, don’t get me wrong, but when you read it as an adult, the intensity and the lust really reminds you of the good ol’ teenage romance— passionate, but temporary.
Would’ve loved a little more continuation at the end, as I felt that Sonya could’ve spoken to Coley about how she felt/struggled while she was away. I just wanted to see some growth, even if it was minimal. I wanted to see how Sonya handled things with her friends, and how did she continue to show her love for Coley despite figuring herself out still. There was just a lot of missed opportunities, and it wouldn’t feel right to have it in the form of a 2nd book. This read could’ve been a lot longer, and I personally think it should’ve because there is a potential with this plot.
END OF SPOILERS!
I grew up on Hayley’s music. Her music video ‘Girls like Girls’ truly revolutionised the LGBTQ community at a time where things were still rather timid. Her confidence in her videos & the message behind them was absolutely vital for any lesbian/queer kids who was growing up in that era.
Hence why I was so excited when she announced this book! But with a heavy heart, maybe I had too high of an expectation from a debut book. I do hope Hayley continues to hone her craftsmanship, both music & story telling, because I did enjoy the book— but the mistakes of a rookie writer definitely stood out like a sore thumb.
menadreams's review against another edition
2.0
2.75 ☆
Representation:
Lesbian mc, sapphic LI, sapphic side characters
Tw/Cw:
Suicide, Depression, homophobia, use of homophobic slurs, internal homophobia, use of drugs.
Honestly, I had high expectations on this book thanks to the Girls like Girls music video, which was my obsession years ago, but then after really thinking about it, my expectations dropped a lot, Hayley isn't a book writer, she's a song writter, it's different.
She did well, but there's nothing especially noteworthy about this book over others.
Shout-out to the audiobook, in my opinion it was especially good, I am not referring to the content, I am referring to the production, I loved the sound effects, they made the experience so much better.
I can't explain how I felt when I heard that the love interest was called Sonya, it's just that the name suited the girl in the music video 100%, it was the most perfect name she could give her, but I didn't like Sonya, I understood her, I share many of her behaviors or traumas, but still, she was pampered and very used to others revolving around her and what she wanted.
The characters over all were mid, they were even a little annoying and most of them were bland and they lacked character development.
It's a good way to spend time, but it's not a story we haven't heard before.
Representation:
Lesbian mc, sapphic LI, sapphic side characters
Tw/Cw:
Suicide, Depression, homophobia, use of homophobic slurs, internal homophobia, use of drugs.
Honestly, I had high expectations on this book thanks to the Girls like Girls music video, which was my obsession years ago, but then after really thinking about it, my expectations dropped a lot, Hayley isn't a book writer, she's a song writter, it's different.
She did well, but there's nothing especially noteworthy about this book over others.
Shout-out to the audiobook, in my opinion it was especially good, I am not referring to the content, I am referring to the production, I loved the sound effects, they made the experience so much better.
I can't explain how I felt when I heard that the love interest was called Sonya, it's just that the name suited the girl in the music video 100%, it was the most perfect name she could give her, but I didn't like Sonya, I understood her, I share many of her behaviors or traumas, but still, she was pampered and very used to others revolving around her and what she wanted.
The characters over all were mid, they were even a little annoying and most of them were bland and they lacked character development.
It's a good way to spend time, but it's not a story we haven't heard before.
ghostiellie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
taylormorgantm's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.0
lierenprotectionsquad's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.25
abireads07's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
megboehlke's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
ethanzo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Hmmmmm, 3.25 stars. I love Hayley Kiyoko so much, and even as someone who is not wlw, I was raised on this music video. I think this was a good prologue to the music video itself, but not necessarily a great standalone book. I was very uninterested in the first 25% or so, though in my opinion, it did get a little bit better with time. I don't think this was bad, but it was very obviously a first-time author's story.
Coley was slightly unbearable at times and a bit too sarcastic and snarky (and to be honest, a little cringey), but I didn't hate her. Sonya is almost entirely insufferable for a good part of the book after having been a fairly good character for the first half or so. Alex was a good addition, though I feel like his storyline was cut extremely short and never concluded. Trenton was a bit of a trope when it comes to villains. He was very one-dimensional, like I feel most cisgendered straight teen boys can be, so I can't necessarily fault that.
I had a decent enough time. I do think the music video did the storyline better, but having context for it was pretty fulfilling, so I'm not mad. With everything she's learned, I'm BEGGING Lesbian Jesus to write a book around What I Need with Kehlani because that is such a pivotal music video in my soul.
Coley was slightly unbearable at times and a bit too sarcastic and snarky (and to be honest, a little cringey), but I didn't hate her. Sonya is almost entirely insufferable for a good part of the book after having been a fairly good character for the first half or so. Alex was a good addition, though I feel like his storyline was cut extremely short and never concluded. Trenton was a bit of a trope when it comes to villains. He was very one-dimensional, like I feel most cisgendered straight teen boys can be, so I can't necessarily fault that.
I had a decent enough time. I do think the music video did the storyline better, but having context for it was pretty fulfilling, so I'm not mad. With everything she's learned, I'm BEGGING Lesbian Jesus to write a book around What I Need with Kehlani because that is such a pivotal music video in my soul.
kingthyby's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I couldn't stop reading the book. The plan was to read the first few Pages and I read the whole book in 1 sitting.
I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide