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dandilion_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Police brutality and Sexual harassment
klbreyfogle's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
This is one of the best wlw books I’ve read! I liked the main characters and thought they were very compelling plus I’m always a sucker for a happy ending . A good coming of age story that combined the difficulties of being queer in the 50s with those of being Chinese during the Cold War and Red Scare. Overall, highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racial slurs
letters_from_gabriella's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
4.0
This book would’ve been a 5 star read if it weren’t for a few sections that felt unnecessary to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
aspencross's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
4.5
Love, betrayal, disappointment, hope. All emotions that I felt while reading this. The ending for me, while probably realistic for the time period, was not as much of a happy ending as I hoped for. But you had to read the epilogue to get that semi-happy ending. The relationships throughout this book moved well within and around each other. I really enjoyed the timeline of historical events within the US to give better understanding for the cultural and political climate the characters were living in. Also, from the Author’s note she did a lot of research to make sure she provided an as acurate portrayal as possible and I respect that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
rachaelcandoit's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really loved this story. I have a lot of gaps in my history knowledge and so a lot of this information was newer for me to read. I loved Lily the main character and the relationships that she explores throughout the book.
Her perspective was so interesting to me and I was fully immersed in her story.
Minor spoils:
The romance was incredibly sweet and I thought the characters were adorable in exploring their sexuality and love for each other.
I also feel like I gained a lot of insight from reading from this perspective - especially during this time period. A lot of what it covers wasn't really taught in school and I feel like that this history is important for everyone to know.
Her perspective was so interesting to me and I was fully immersed in her story.
Minor spoils:
The romance was incredibly sweet and I thought the characters were adorable in exploring their sexuality and love for each other.
I also feel like I gained a lot of insight from reading from this perspective - especially during this time period. A lot of what it covers wasn't really taught in school and I feel like that this history is important for everyone to know.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Deportation
Minor: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, and Deportation
egnolan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
scarletthequeen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Xenophobia
churroeon's review against another edition
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
3.75
i would like to mention that i did enjoy this book. i love learning about gay history and i believed the author was successful in illustrating 1950s gay culture and even gave the reader some background knowledge on lesbians, their roles, etc. I loved that! however, i just feel a little dissapointed in the story, especially the ending... i will dive into some spoilers so be aware
im not much of a person who likes sad stories because i really love happy endings! but honestly, i absolutely endored how the author depicted Lily's emotions while her and Kath were separated. i was able to feel what she was feeling and honestly!!!! i felt my heart hurt!!! thats really rare because i feel like authors just dont know how to do that anymore, but Lo really did so i gotta give her props. but when Lily was gone for a year and her and Kath met up i felt like it was rushed? like so we didnt see each other physically, only by letters or phone calls, and here we are together reunited. all that i am given is that they love each other (awesome i love that) and that we will meet again at a restaurant later today. thats it??? nothing else? i felt like more emotional writing could've been applied here. the author knows how to write impactful scenes, why didnt they do that here? kath and lily have not seen each other in a year and were separated. i feel like there should've been some more meat towards the ending because it felt rushed. there is potential and im sad it wasnt achieved.
overall, i have to give this book a 3.75. i was expecting more, but it was a fun read nonetheless :3
overall, i have to give this book a 3.75. i was expecting more, but it was a fun read nonetheless :3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship
kajoreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Solid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Alcohol, War, and Deportation
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
readingqueerly's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Lesbians in the fifties. What's not to like? You know... Apart from the obvious but shhhhh.
The first half of this book went quite slowly for me, though that might be a me-problem as I've been struggling with a slump. But the second half of this book just flew by. The chemistry was palpable and during several moments I truly felt the complicated mix of emotions the characters were experiencing. The excitement of meeting someone special, the fear of knowing what that means because the special someone is not who you're supposed to want. The relief to find a community in a world that is not ready for you and the desperation to be together despite all odds and intervention from the law.
A really good YA/NA book with immense growth for the main character about very real problems that are still relevant to modern day.
The first half of this book went quite slowly for me, though that might be a me-problem as I've been struggling with a slump. But the second half of this book just flew by. The chemistry was palpable and during several moments I truly felt the complicated mix of emotions the characters were experiencing. The excitement of meeting someone special, the fear of knowing what that means because the special someone is not who you're supposed to want. The relief to find a community in a world that is not ready for you and the desperation to be together despite all odds and intervention from the law.
A really good YA/NA book with immense growth for the main character about very real problems that are still relevant to modern day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia