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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
This is an absolute gem. Really heartfelt and just bubbling with teenage angst and rebellion but also an adult awakening of working out what is right and wrong and also not allowing to follow someone just because they don’t agree with or feel threatened by someone’s desire for the same person. I feel this is an amazing and eye opening read.
4⭐️
This book has a lot of things I didn’t know I wanted but also that I really needed.
Gay rights activism in the 70s? Check
Dual perspectives told through letters? Check
Just a couple of gal pals helping each other through awkward teenage years and also through finding their own voices to stand up against people who oppress them? Check
Those same gal pals secretly harboring feelings for each other? Check check check.
Seriously though, finding a YA historical fiction that I like is rare, much less finding YA queer histfic that I like.
Some things were a tad bit over the top, but you get that a lot in YA anyway and I don’t mind it. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who wants a sweet f/f romance with themes of gay-rights empowerment front and center
TW for homophobic family and homophobic slurs
Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of this book from the publishers but all opinions are my own
This book has a lot of things I didn’t know I wanted but also that I really needed.
Gay rights activism in the 70s? Check
Dual perspectives told through letters? Check
Just a couple of gal pals helping each other through awkward teenage years and also through finding their own voices to stand up against people who oppress them? Check
Those same gal pals secretly harboring feelings for each other? Check check check.
Seriously though, finding a YA historical fiction that I like is rare, much less finding YA queer histfic that I like.
Some things were a tad bit over the top, but you get that a lot in YA anyway and I don’t mind it. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who wants a sweet f/f romance with themes of gay-rights empowerment front and center
TW for homophobic family and homophobic slurs
Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of this book from the publishers but all opinions are my own
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is an own voices sapphic romance so I don’t want to dissuade anyone from this book with my negative review, because the lgbtq own voices books aren’t as popular as ones written by straight ppl oops. I just didn’t enjoy the execution, but I think that’s just a personal thing
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Summer, 1977. The California Pen Pal Project is in full swing between two Christian schools, one based in Orange County, one in San Francisco.
Tammy Larson and Sharon Hawkins are matched, each believing that the other is a conservative Catholic student. Tammy is a closeted lesbian, living with family who are heavily involved in campaigning for notorious anti-gay activist Anita Bryant. She writes diary entries in the form of letters to Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician running for election in San Francisco.
Sharon lives with her brother Peter, who is gay, and their mother who has no idea. When Peter gets involved with the campaign to keep Dan White from being elected, Sharon becomes involved too and discovers some things about the world and herself, through the underground punk music scene in San Francisco.
I adored this book. Both girls lived very different home lives, but both escaped through their letters. The backdrop of the very real political landscape in San Francisco in 1977 and the punk music of that time combine to form a heavy, nostalgic, hopeful coming-of-age story that will stay with me for a long time.
Stunning.
Tammy Larson and Sharon Hawkins are matched, each believing that the other is a conservative Catholic student. Tammy is a closeted lesbian, living with family who are heavily involved in campaigning for notorious anti-gay activist Anita Bryant. She writes diary entries in the form of letters to Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician running for election in San Francisco.
Sharon lives with her brother Peter, who is gay, and their mother who has no idea. When Peter gets involved with the campaign to keep Dan White from being elected, Sharon becomes involved too and discovers some things about the world and herself, through the underground punk music scene in San Francisco.
I adored this book. Both girls lived very different home lives, but both escaped through their letters. The backdrop of the very real political landscape in San Francisco in 1977 and the punk music of that time combine to form a heavy, nostalgic, hopeful coming-of-age story that will stay with me for a long time.
Stunning.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book. I knew it was epistolary style, which is my favorite. Sharon and Tammy were randomly paired as pen pals during the summer. This story it told through diary entries and letters to one another.
Tammy is a closeted lesbian living with her ultra-conservative, Christian family. They have even joined political campaigns against LGBT people. Sharon is still trying to figure her life out. She lives in San Francisco with her closeted gay brother and her mom.
Tammy and Sharon both had very distinct voices. I loved that it was super easy to follow who was speaking. I loved watching their pen pal letters grow into a friendship and then more. All of the side characters were interesting and had their own voices, too. There were a couple I would love to learn about if they had their own novel!
Music from Another World was a super quick read that was easy to follow. I’d recommend it if you like LGBT novels or historical fiction – this was set in the 1970s when Harvey Milk was elected.
Thanks again to Inkyard Press for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour! This was a great read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Tammy is a closeted lesbian living with her ultra-conservative, Christian family. They have even joined political campaigns against LGBT people. Sharon is still trying to figure her life out. She lives in San Francisco with her closeted gay brother and her mom.
Tammy and Sharon both had very distinct voices. I loved that it was super easy to follow who was speaking. I loved watching their pen pal letters grow into a friendship and then more. All of the side characters were interesting and had their own voices, too. There were a couple I would love to learn about if they had their own novel!
Music from Another World was a super quick read that was easy to follow. I’d recommend it if you like LGBT novels or historical fiction – this was set in the 1970s when Harvey Milk was elected.
Thanks again to Inkyard Press for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour! This was a great read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.
Music from Another World by Robin Talley is one of the best books I've had the opportunity to read so far in 2020. It's an engrossing epistolary YA LGBTQ+ historical fiction story told primarily in a series of letters and diary entries between pen pals and personal entries written to Harvey Milk. The journeys that both Tammy and Sharon take are both powerful and heartbreaking. I have to admit that it's crushing to know the real life fate of Harvey Milk, especially with how much he means to the people of the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community as well as our leading cast. It's quite easy to become attached to Talley's cast of characters because they're all so well developed. I don't know about you, but I need more historical LGBTQ+ stories in my life, especially more recent history like this. I'm also going to have to read more of Robin Talley's works in the future.
Music from Another World by Robin Talley is one of the best books I've had the opportunity to read so far in 2020. It's an engrossing epistolary YA LGBTQ+ historical fiction story told primarily in a series of letters and diary entries between pen pals and personal entries written to Harvey Milk. The journeys that both Tammy and Sharon take are both powerful and heartbreaking. I have to admit that it's crushing to know the real life fate of Harvey Milk, especially with how much he means to the people of the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community as well as our leading cast. It's quite easy to become attached to Talley's cast of characters because they're all so well developed. I don't know about you, but I need more historical LGBTQ+ stories in my life, especially more recent history like this. I'm also going to have to read more of Robin Talley's works in the future.