Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Some Girls Do

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

46 reviews

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan is fitting (in my opinion) for mostly a middle, high or even college aged group, particularly if you are looking for books with characters who are trying to make their voices heard in a society where LGBTQ+ voices are forced into a soft mute. One of the mc’s is a lesbian and another is queer but doesn’t have a specific label. Morgan Matthews moves to a somewhat small area during the last leg of her senior year. She’s comfortable in identifying as a lesbian and her private school didn’t exactly see eye to eye with her sexuality. Morgan meets Ruby, a girl who is coated with rumors about being trash, hookups only and untrustworthy, despite very people actually being in her circle. When the girls get close, a lot of feelings surface, some Ruby’s been forced to hide while Morgan wants to be open. I did enjoy the fact that Morgan & Ruby learn a lot not just about one another but the harsh reality that not identifying as straight in a predominantly white neighborhood can still have consequences that skin color can’t protect. I loved the glimpses we were given when it came to Morgan being a distance runner (I am too & I coach distance at my school) & Ruby fixing cars. The side characters were well rounded enough to pique my interest although I wish the diversity wasn’t secluded to just them. I think my main let down was, the situations the duo find themselves are mostly due to poor conversations and coping skills that aren’t portrayed in a healthy way.

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ok so I really can’t decide how I felt abt this - to be fair I finished it late last night and crashed so I didnt have a chance to write my review right after like I normally do. I finally got around to reading this cause my friend couldn’t remember what the ending was like and it was driving her crazy lol. I definitely get why she couldn’t remember anything from this book cause it’s been less than 24 hrs and I already am starting to forget a lot of what happens. For me this was surprisingly dark which isn’t a bad thing but not my personal taste esp when I’m not expecting it, and another drawback was I especially didn’t like Morgan that much and just overall didn’t really enjoy it particularly

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heidi21's review against another edition

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relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Honestly, this book was a mix between a Highschool movie and a Wattpad story the only difference was that it was lgbtqia+ . It was barely memorable tbh and i expected more ,beautiful cover though.

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maddisonsimmons's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

angsty. reminded me a lot of “keeping you a secret.” had a happy ending but a lot of angst.

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martereadsbooks's review

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

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sandy_21's review

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emotional medium-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

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colleensreadingadventures's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I feel like my love for YA Contemporary is waning and it makes me incredibly sad. I have found some amazing books in the past. It’s either YA Contemporary changing or it’s me that’s changing. But then I look back at some recent books that fall into that category that I’ve really enjoyed, and I wonder if it’s more that the genre is changing. Help me out people, am I alone in feeling this way? Am I the only one who thinks YA Contemporary has gotten a bit boring and repetitive?

Some Girls Do is one of the ones I feel ehh about. It started out promising…I was feeling like I finally got a winner on my hands! I had a big smile on my face. But then..nope…I found myself being let down again after the first couple of chapters.

Morgan a rising High School track star finds herself in a new school when her Catholic Private School made it obvious being queer is just not OK. She is not the type to hide in the closet so she’s moving on to a new team and school.

Ruby, who’s personality is a bit rough around the edges, is being forced to be a Serial Beauty Pageant Contestant by her mother while her true passion is working on cars. She has to keep her bi-sexuality buried because her Mom has made it clear her girl crushes are NOT OK.

When Morgan and Ruby first run into each other, literally pedestrian meets car, there is instant attraction but because Ruby can’t let anyone know her sexuality she is rude and brusque throwing Morgan attitude. And Morgan thinks the girl that gave her immediate sparks is a beast. So Morgan and Ruby are not off to a great start. But they are being consistently thrown together and their feelings start to show. The problem is Ruby can’t be “out and proud” like Morgan, Ruby doesn’t have the support system that she does. And Morgan is not understanding of Ruby’s dilemma and wants to let the world know they are becoming an item. These circumstances tear them apart and even though they really care for each other there may not be a way to fix their relationship with their difference in lifestyle choices.

Honestly the insta love rubbed me the wrong way. Ruby really knew nothing about Morgan and she was already mooning over her pretty much the first day!? Unrealistic! And it wasn’t mushy love because they constantly go at it, which was also annoyed the hell out of me. And honestly I got bored with how Morgan wanted to push her being out in everyone’s faces. I applauded Morgan’s strength and courage but she wanted everyone to live just like her. She had zero sympathy for Ruby, knowing how hard it is coming out, seeing the way Ruby lived without a supportive family like she was lucky enough to have.

Basically I really like the idea of the story behind Some Girls Do, but it needs a bit more development and better chemistry with the love interests.

Thank You Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read and review Some Girls Do.

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