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toofondofbooks_'s review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
First of all, can we talk about this cover? WOW.
Okay, now we can talk about the book.
This book is a YA historical fiction about two girls in the late 70s who are assigned pen pals by their schools. Tammy is gay in an incredibly fundamentalist Christian family and Sharon is in a similar household and has a gay brother. They get to know one another as the political landscape becomes more and more volatile toward the LGBT+ community even as Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay elected official in California.
I thought this book was good, but it took a little while to get good - at least 80 pages. I don't know if that was because I couldn't stop thinking about my last read or if it was the book's fault, though. Still, there wasn't really anything special about the writing in general.
I think the story is great and impactful, especially for young readers. I liked the two main characters and thought their individual journeys and their journey together were compelling and tied together in a sweet way. I do think, however, the book as a whole could've been more diverse. There were poc in the book, but they were in the background and not really developed at all. I also think that since transgender women of color were very key players in the early days of the LGBT rights movement, and it would've been nice to see that represented. Overall a decent read.
Okay, now we can talk about the book.
This book is a YA historical fiction about two girls in the late 70s who are assigned pen pals by their schools. Tammy is gay in an incredibly fundamentalist Christian family and Sharon is in a similar household and has a gay brother. They get to know one another as the political landscape becomes more and more volatile toward the LGBT+ community even as Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay elected official in California.
I thought this book was good, but it took a little while to get good - at least 80 pages. I don't know if that was because I couldn't stop thinking about my last read or if it was the book's fault, though. Still, there wasn't really anything special about the writing in general.
I think the story is great and impactful, especially for young readers. I liked the two main characters and thought their individual journeys and their journey together were compelling and tied together in a sweet way. I do think, however, the book as a whole could've been more diverse. There were poc in the book, but they were in the background and not really developed at all. I also think that since transgender women of color were very key players in the early days of the LGBT rights movement, and it would've been nice to see that represented. Overall a decent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Sexual content
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