Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Some Girls Do

I enjoyed the pageant queen but actually women in stem storyline, but I felt like the amount of times her mom’s connection to pageantry was explained was, at least slightly, overdone.

I think the storyline is an important one for people to read, but

there also needs to be an understanding that no character in this book is a wholly good person (like the way Morgan acted is very hard to forgive for readers and should have been harder for the characters)

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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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wonderlandbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

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k_kris's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

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sophieissapphhic's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes included in this review are from an unfinished copy of the book.

Content Warnings: homophobia, internalized homophobia, emotional parental abuse, transphobia (minor), car accident (minor)

Overall Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Plot: 4 / 5
Writing: 3.5 / 5
Characters: 4 / 5
Setting: 5 / 5
Romance: 3.5 / 5
Themes: 5 / 5

“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m someone I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”

First there’s Morgan. Track Runner. Rom-com Lover. Openly Gay.

“In this universe, I love exactly two things: sleep and my car.”

And then there’s Ruby. Beauty Queen. Car Tinkerer. In the Closet.

I know I’m not supposed to judge books by their covers… but I judged Some Girls Do, and wasn’t disappointed!
Some Girls Do was my first Jennifer Dugan book, and I look forward to reading more from her. Told in alternating perspectives, this sapphic romance follows Morgan, a lesbian track star, and Ruby, a bisexual beauty queen who likes to fix up cars. After Morgan is kicked out of her Catholic School, she transfers to Ruby’s high school, where the two are undeniably drawn together.

As characters, Ruby and Morgan had distinct personalities and were well-developed with room for growth. The issues and situations they face are realistic, and above all, relatable.

… this is the story of what happens when two girls fall in love, but only one is ready to come out of the closet.

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decklededgess's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

trigger warnings: emotionally abusive parents, alcoholism, divorce mention, teenage pregnancy mention, sexual harassment from a “family” member, homelessness, homophobia, homophobic microaggressions, religious trauma, transphobia mention, slut shaming

Gosh i loved this book

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book!

Ruby is a beauty pageant star, but she really just wants to work on cars. Morgan is determined to help other queer kids after a struggle with her old school over her sexuality. When Morgan transfers to Ruby's school, their paths collide and they will have to decide what they want and what is most important in their lives--being together, or being loud.

I was instantly hooked by this fast moving rom-com! I loved that Ruby and Morgan were foils of each other, and how they instantly attracted like magnets. I was really interested in the struggle that Ruby had with her mother and whether or not she wanted to be out, and the struggles that Morgan was facing with her old school, her new track team, and trying to make a difference in the face of bigotry.

I did think some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a little more, as they all seemed pretty periphery and one-dimensional, but the main characters were awesome and I loved the writing and the plot! This is my favorite of Dugan's books so far!

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

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