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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I absolutely loved this. My favorite Julie Murphy book to date, hands down.
Ramona knows that she's poor (and her options are therefore limited). She knows she's a lesbian. And she knows she stands out (when you're already 6'3", why not add blue hair to the mix?). And she's totally okay with all of this. She knows pretty much how her life is going to go - after she graduates high school, she'll continue to work at a local restaurant and live in the trailer park with her sister and father. Just like always.
But now Ramona's sister, Hattie, is pregnant, and her jerk of a boyfriend has moved into their already-too-small space. Senior year is starting, and with it comes some new opportunities, the return of an old friend, and a new attraction - to a boy?!
I can see why this plot is problematic for many people: Ramona is confident in her sexuality, and having a male love interest "fix" her... many people are reading this as the author saying that people who claim to be gay just haven't met the right hetero partner yet. Having read the book, though, I disagree - Ramona isn't being "fixed," because there's nothing wrong with her (and the other LGBT characters in the book aren't portrayed in a negative light). Instead, Ramona is questioning everything about her life that she thought was set in stone, and realizing that it's totally okay to not label yourself, if that means that you put yourself into a box. Her friend Ruth likes the labels - she proclaims herself a homoromantic demi-sexual, and likes to be able to know who she is, that she's not weird or wrong, but just this other thing (that actually, totally exists, and if I'm part of this group, then maybe I'm not alone). But Ramona is feeling restricted by the labels she put on herself, and is learning that it's okay for her to not be stuck in a box -- even if that box is one of her own construction.
But now Ramona's sister, Hattie, is pregnant, and her jerk of a boyfriend has moved into their already-too-small space. Senior year is starting, and with it comes some new opportunities, the return of an old friend, and a new attraction - to a boy?!
I can see why this plot is problematic for many people: Ramona is confident in her sexuality, and having a male love interest "fix" her... many people are reading this as the author saying that people who claim to be gay just haven't met the right hetero partner yet. Having read the book, though, I disagree - Ramona isn't being "fixed," because there's nothing wrong with her (and the other LGBT characters in the book aren't portrayed in a negative light). Instead, Ramona is questioning everything about her life that she thought was set in stone, and realizing that it's totally okay to not label yourself, if that means that you put yourself into a box. Her friend Ruth likes the labels - she proclaims herself a homoromantic demi-sexual, and likes to be able to know who she is, that she's not weird or wrong, but just this other thing (that actually, totally exists, and if I'm part of this group, then maybe I'm not alone). But Ramona is feeling restricted by the labels she put on herself, and is learning that it's okay for her to not be stuck in a box -- even if that box is one of her own construction.
Don’t remember much about this one but it was a bit cliche.
Although at first I didn’t think Ramona and I had much in common, I was surprised to find out how much we actually did. A YA novel about sexual fluidity was a much needed breath of fresh air as I’ve had to grapple with similar concepts myself over the past couple of years. You go, Julie Murphy!
For those out there who are worried about this book, I can tell you that no boy turns the main character straight. I don't think I'm allowed to quote an ARC, but suffice it to say it is a nuanced exploration of sexuality for teen readers, and I don't see anything wrong with that.
A wonderfully written book on the complexities of defining your identity. A story of friendship and love, with layered issues. I really appreciated how it portrayed the realities of being a teen living in poverty.
Okay, so now that I have read this book, I can say that my initial impression of it was not 100% accurate. . . but it was also much, much better than I was expecting. This is more of a 4.5, but I'm keeping my 5 stars to balance out the ratings. The romance is a much smaller part of the book than the blurb might indicate. Ramona makes it very clear throughout the book that she is still very much into girls, but she's into Freddie too and Ramona is very much finding herself. By the end of the book, Ramona hasn't decided on a new label yet, but to me, personally, this book read very much like the story of someone who is still exploring their sexuality and within a few years will feel much more sure of themselves, and I think it's fairly heavily indicated through the text that Ramona will probably ID as bi or queer one day.
Ramona Blue is about growing up in a small town, expectations, poverty, and finding yourself. I think an excellent comp title for this book is Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler, and if you like one you'll probably like the other.
Ramona Blue is about growing up in a small town, expectations, poverty, and finding yourself. I think an excellent comp title for this book is Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler, and if you like one you'll probably like the other.
I love the worlds created by Julie Murphy. In this one a teen girl, Ramona, stands out in her small town. Remarkably tall and with blue hair, Ramona isn’t ashamed of who she is and she’s been out as one of two lesbians in her high school for long enough no one even blinks twice. But when she starts to develop feelings for her friend Freddy, she begins to question.
Although this gets close to the “lesbian saved by the right man” trope and has received criticism for it, I didn’t feel that come through. Instead, it read like any YA story as a character learning who s/he is attracted to and being surprised when it is not the person they expect.
I especially like how the author handles poverty, making it a central part of Ramona’s life, but not the central focus of the story.
Although this gets close to the “lesbian saved by the right man” trope and has received criticism for it, I didn’t feel that come through. Instead, it read like any YA story as a character learning who s/he is attracted to and being surprised when it is not the person they expect.
I especially like how the author handles poverty, making it a central part of Ramona’s life, but not the central focus of the story.
Really enjoyed this one--motored through it on our snow day! Ramona is an interesting character and the cast of family, friends, and others is interesting and nuanced. Touches on a lot of themes without making it A Book About. . . or being preachy. I like Murphy's writing, tho occasionally a sentence will suddenly hit an awkward note. Overall, a very good book!