Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Girl Meets Boy

I think some of this went right over my head, but I really enjoyed what Girl Meets Boy had to say.

At its centre is the idea of myths: the myth of gender, thinness as the ideal beauty standard, and largely the myth created by corporate marketing. I found this last concept in particular incredibly interesting: isn’t the goal of marketing to turn a product into a myth, to sell the myth of this ideal person we will become if we buy the right thing?

It’s also a strong commentary on the attitude towards homosexuality of the time, particularly lesbians. It made for an interesting read looking at it from 2023. The main character’s sister, Imogen, spends an entire section of the book debating with herself about the right words to use, how to be okay with her sister being queer and how to be politically correct.

It’s brought down slightly for me because I did find the writing style a bit inaccessible at times, with entire pages where I really just had no idea what it was trying to say.

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bricharis's review

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adventurous reflective fast-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

3.75

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A modern-day retelling of the story of Iphis and Ianthe set in Inverness in the early noughties that is about love in its many forms and speaking up against injustice. I loved that the stream-of-consciousness style of the narration made this book fairly easy to read and really brought out the personalities of the two sisters who narrate it, and the evolution of their relationship is just as heartwarming and sweet as the romance in the book. Ali Smith also perfectly captures what it is like to grow up surrounded by casual sexism and homophobia and how it can have significant repercussions in later life where it impacts not only one’s opinions of others but also one’s own self esteem. A great read for anyone looking for a beautifully written, low-stakes but nonetheless powerful sapphic romance.

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maureen's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

4.5

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