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laughingrecord's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Biphobia and Emotional abuse
on2yf's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
morepeachyogurt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
5.0
this was so cute!!! it got kinda sad at points but that’s my jam so ! if you’re looking for a cute strangers to friends to lovers book i’d check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
acedragonrider1's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Really liked this book, though I thought the bookshop scenes were boring
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
marjokat's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Outing
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Hate crime, and Violence
lauragc's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
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
1nvisiblestring's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i absolutely adored it! i loved the characters and how it was written as letters. the ending made me so happy even though it wasn't super happy and i will never not recommend it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
set in 1970s america where there is a lot of homophobia, mentions of sending gay teens to therapy or electro-shocking them to 'fix' themstegosaurus_babe's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug use
elwirax's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
**3.5/5
PROS:
A true slow burn romance which I absolutely love in books
I really enjoyed the gay historical content. As someone who knows the bare bones of gay history it was great to broaden that knowledge and this book did it well.
The manner in which this was written (diary entries and letters), kinda confused me at times and I had a hard time distinguishing whose perspective I was in. However, I did think that this format made the story much more impactful and it was great seeing Sharon and Tammy bond through these letter to eachother.
CONS:
The characters were good (great bi and lesbian rep) but they weren't particular well rounded and fell flat in some aspects. For this reason I would recommend this to younger YA readers, although I know that many older readers can still get something out of this book.
The whole middle section was a bit slow to get through and while it wasn't terrible my reading experience was slightly hindered.
Some of the dialogue was too modern
which slightly threw me out of the 70s setting (was good in the sense that I could relate a bit more though).
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book. It showcased two girls not only bonding over a shared love for punk rock but also through their own experiences and resiliance in the face of oppression. The gay history in this book was fantastic- from Harvey Milk to Anita Bryant to prop 6 to Pride marches- and I'm glad I could educate myself further on some of the most important historical moments in gay history.
That being said if not for middle section of this book and how slow it was to get through this would've been a solid 4 stars. However, I can only give it 3.5.
PROS:
A true slow burn romance which I absolutely love in books
I really enjoyed the gay historical content. As someone who knows the bare bones of gay history it was great to broaden that knowledge and this book did it well.
The manner in which this was written (diary entries and letters), kinda confused me at times and I had a hard time distinguishing whose perspective I was in. However, I did think that this format made the story much more impactful and it was great seeing Sharon and Tammy bond through these letter to eachother.
CONS:
The characters were good (great bi and lesbian rep) but they weren't particular well rounded and fell flat in some aspects. For this reason I would recommend this to younger YA readers, although I know that many older readers can still get something out of this book.
The whole middle section was a bit slow to get through and while it wasn't terrible my reading experience was slightly hindered.
Some of the dialogue was too modern
which slightly threw me out of the 70s setting (was good in the sense that I could relate a bit more though).
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book. It showcased two girls not only bonding over a shared love for punk rock but also through their own experiences and resiliance in the face of oppression. The gay history in this book was fantastic- from Harvey Milk to Anita Bryant to prop 6 to Pride marches- and I'm glad I could educate myself further on some of the most important historical moments in gay history.
That being said if not for middle section of this book and how slow it was to get through this would've been a solid 4 stars. However, I can only give it 3.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Emotional abuse