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beccaand's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia
moodreaderlesbian's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I started reading this book right after finishing Not My Problem and at first I felt like they were similar and didn't really vibe with that so I kinda put it down for a week or so and then picked it up again and doing this was probably one of the best ideas I've ever had because separating the two really helped me enjoy both.
Since I wasn't out and proud in high school as I lived in a very conservative town I related a lot to how Ruby is trying to stay away from the whole "am I queer?" thing because it's safer not to even acknowledge the situation. However I also related to Morgan because online and at home I was an lgbtq+ rights activist, even before I knew I was queer. So with that in mind, I feel like I understand both sides here. But because of this I often chose sides and ultimately didn't really side with either Ruby or Morgan. Okay, I ended up siding with Ruby because I feel like especially with her past in her old school and her ambitions to bring meaningful change to queer youth Morgan definitely didn't treat Ruby fairly when she told her she didn't want to go public and come out and show PDA and all that. That was a shitty move I'm not sure I could forgive in real life. It was a bit of a Happiest Season situation and I didn't really support that plotline either but what can you do? Also, I get that she is a teen and teens make stupid mistakes but when you pride yourself on being this queer rights warrior treating closeted people like shit doesn't cast a good light on you. Also I think telling the pride club folks about the Ruby thing wasn't fair either. A secret is a secret. Either keep it or don't agree to the whole thing. It was an easy read (for me but check trigger warnings please) and I definitely recommend it. Also Billy is the best character in the whole book. Stan Billy y'all!
Since I wasn't out and proud in high school as I lived in a very conservative town I related a lot to how Ruby is trying to stay away from the whole "am I queer?" thing because it's safer not to even acknowledge the situation. However I also related to Morgan because online and at home I was an lgbtq+ rights activist, even before I knew I was queer. So with that in mind, I feel like I understand both sides here. But because of this I often chose sides and ultimately didn't really side with either Ruby or Morgan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Outing and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia
emmaaiello's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
kelsreadsthings's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i think it was a cute read. i liked ruby's story and development more than morgans. the writing felt a bit rushed at the end and i couldn't keep track of the timeline. ruby's friends didn't really seem to have much of a purpose in my opinion, and i wish they were included more and i knew more about them. it felt more like everly and marcus were the "token black friends." i'm not a fan of the miscommunication/not listening in this book either, but i get it's for conflict. morgan bothered me quite a bit at some points and was incredibly frustrating. maybe that's just her thing but as a reader it was hard to digest. i just wanted her to listen to ruby one time and by the end i wasn't over the moon about the solution. overall, not too awful but it was just lacking in so many areas. however i want to try reading dugan's other works in the future because i really like her writing style. this one is just not my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content
ruby_reads1's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
3.0
Some things Morgan did rlly annoyed me she should have given Ruby a chance way earlier
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
annabellely's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i honestly did really like this book, it was really cheesy at times & predictable but it was wholesome. the way they incorporated queer and family issues into the book was well done in my opinion and empowering.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Outing
Minor: Alcoholism
toofondofbooks_'s review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought that this book was a precious snapshot of first love, coming out, and changing your little corner of the world. Ruby and Morgan were adorable and frustrating together, but also they were complete people on their own. I loved the cast of side characters who were there to support the girls, particularly Morgan's friends from her LGBT Pride Club and Morgan's former stepfather, Billy. This is just a very sweet slice of queer girl life, and I loved it.
I deducted a star just because I didn't think there was anything particularly special about the writing. I didn't think it was bad, but it also isn't the thing that I'm going to think about when I think about the book in the future. The character work, however, I think was really good.
I deducted a star just because I didn't think there was anything particularly special about the writing. I didn't think it was bad, but it also isn't the thing that I'm going to think about when I think about the book in the future. The character work, however, I think was really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Outing
readwithanne's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
hellokitty's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Car accident
kdscolley's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.0
While this was a pretty decent fast read, there were some things that didn't sit well with me on a personal level.
I felt for Morgan, who had her whole life turned upside down when she was outed at her private Catholic school. There's a lot to be said about having to handle all of that at 17 and the turmoil that will make a person feel. However, she had a really supportive environment and people to accept and understand her. She let the trauma of being someone's "experiment" really hold her mindset in a pretty childish way. I guess it is YA, so her reacting childishly and having this "I'm out and you need to be too" while understandable that she didn't want to be a secret, she wasn't listening to the person she said she loved. She was only seeing the situation from one side. Hell, she didn't even know Ruby's home life, so it was just a lot.
Ruby though, that girl was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her mom making her feel like she was a huge burden because she gave up her pageant life to have a child at 16 was just really hard to read. She was doing something she didn't enjoy because her mom wasn't the best/most understanding. I loved that she had Billy on her side. Him telling her that he divorced her mom and not her nearly broke me because she really didn't see it and needed someone on her side.
I felt for Morgan, who had her whole life turned upside down when she was outed at her private Catholic school. There's a lot to be said about having to handle all of that at 17 and the turmoil that will make a person feel. However, she had a really supportive environment and people to accept and understand her. She let the trauma of being someone's "experiment" really hold her mindset in a pretty childish way. I guess it is YA, so her reacting childishly and having this "I'm out and you need to be too" while understandable that she didn't want to be a secret, she wasn't listening to the person she said she loved. She was only seeing the situation from one side. Hell, she didn't even know Ruby's home life, so it was just a lot.
Ruby though, that girl was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her mom making her feel like she was a huge burden because she gave up her pageant life to have a child at 16 was just really hard to read. She was doing something she didn't enjoy because her mom wasn't the best/most understanding. I loved that she had Billy on her side. Him telling her that he divorced her mom and not her nearly broke me because she really didn't see it and needed someone on her side.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse