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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A heartfelt summer queer YA love story that is equally light hearted music festival fun but also tackles some heavy issues from grief over the loss of a parent to gun violence to sexual assault/victim blaming. I was so there for this book about female friendship and first love between two young Black teens set against the backdrop of a Woodstock esque Music festival. Highly recommended for fans of Leah Johnson's other books and great on audio.
CW: gun violence, death of a parent, sexual assault/abuse
CW: gun violence, death of a parent, sexual assault/abuse
idk who wrote the second half of this book but it didn’t go well
In this novel we follow Toni and Olivia with dual POVs throughout the span of 3 days at a music festival.
This was quite disappointing for me. There were many parts of this book that I enjoyed of course but there was also definitely a lot of room to expand. This being told within such a short amount of time definitely has a lot of impact on that. This also caused for insta love, one of my least favorite tropes, and it didn't really sell me on it.
I really liked day one and seeing how how the story was being set up but the other two were hard to connect to, same goes for the relationship.
Now onto the better aspects of this! This book is so important to queer poc, (more specifically black queers). These stories should be heard and boosted always.
The character development in this novel was definitely a highlight and seeing the self growth was so much fun.
Music is a huge part of my life so this being a "love letter to music" was a lovely aspect of the book.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite book but if you're a fan of instalove and want a quick sapphic summer read, definitely check it out!
Thank you to the Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
3 stars.
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guess who just got their first physical arc in the mail?! this is so exciting omg.
This was quite disappointing for me. There were many parts of this book that I enjoyed of course but there was also definitely a lot of room to expand. This being told within such a short amount of time definitely has a lot of impact on that. This also caused for insta love, one of my least favorite tropes, and it didn't really sell me on it.
I really liked day one and seeing how how the story was being set up but the other two were hard to connect to, same goes for the relationship.
Now onto the better aspects of this! This book is so important to queer poc, (more specifically black queers). These stories should be heard and boosted always.
The character development in this novel was definitely a highlight and seeing the self growth was so much fun.
Music is a huge part of my life so this being a "love letter to music" was a lovely aspect of the book.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite book but if you're a fan of instalove and want a quick sapphic summer read, definitely check it out!
Thank you to the Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
3 stars.
—
guess who just got their first physical arc in the mail?! this is so exciting omg.
DNF @ 18%. Just not connected to the writing, story line, and characters, and not a big fan of music festivals/singing plot lines that arent musicals lol. Just not for me rn!
This is an absorbing read that left my heart aching for Toni and Olivia (and Imani). I love how much depth there is to both characters and everyone’s interactions. This could easily have been a much simpler summer love story, and I would have enjoyed that too, but instead it felt much more messy and realistic. I appreciated Olivia’s journey to recognizing both her faults (and the damage they’ve caused) as well as her self-worth. I know I’m the last one on the Leah Johnson train, but let me just confirm what everyone’s been saying: she’s a star.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Absolutely beautiful from start to finish. I wasn’t sure what to expect because it’s so different from Johnson’s debut, but it’s just as charming and full of heart, with characters who stick in your mind just as much.
“To the Black girls in the back row at live shows, to the queer girls still trying to figure it out, to the Midwestern kids who have yet to find a home in their bodies—it’s time to press play on our happy endings.”
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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:
Yes