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clovetra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
now i want to start this off by saying i did not like elsie. i don't think she reaches the realm of protagonists i love to hate, but i will say i found her quite.... insufferable.
like girl....
another point is how elsie bounces between crushes is so annoying to me. girl what are you doing??? š ive defo done that before........... as a child. like fully 12 years old. what are we doing here.
i also found this book to be a bit..... rushed in some aspects? the ending defo felt rushed, and that it went from 0-100 in a split second. some parts of the story dragged on and on and on, for instance with ada & the explanation of the in-universe comic book, and other parts rushed too quickly, like with her po po & uncle! like i want more of that!!!!
i will say tho i love me some queer rep esp with a cultural element. i related a lot with elsie's worry about coming out to her family, but i will say that it wore thin on me the more i progressed through the book.
i truly did enjoy this book and gobbled it tf up! i loved joan, but honestly i found i didn't care about the plot.... i just wanted to read about joan. she captivated me.
ill be real, im lacking words to describe how i felt about this book. on one hand i read it whenever i had the chance & it never felt like it was dragging, and that this was an overall "easy" (lighthearted & comfy) book to read..... but on the other hand it was a bit predictable and lacked substance. i don't know what i was expecting though because this was a very cute read i would defo recommend snuggling under your covers for. i just think this wasn't my style - sadly i think ive started to reach the point where Y/A is wearing thin on me which BREAKS MY HEART!
i reckon honestly if i read this book even 3 years ago i would've loved the shit out of it. but now im an adult doing Adult Thingsā¢, this book seems a bit too.... happy? š im too cynical and this book was too happy for my perpetually grumpy ass.
i would defo recommend this book its super cute fluff that warms ur little heart!!! im just a massive cynic + im also beginning to realise i don't like the romance genre as much as i used to
anyways cynthia so if you see this thank you for giving us the lighthearted teen lesbian romance society needed.
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so perfect. Perfect to finish reading it on my birthday with a smile plastered on my face. I need more heartwarming stories like this.
Thank you so much, Cynthia for writing this heartwarming story of Elsie (and Joan; of course!). I must say, I love the ending. Nothing more to say about their dynamic. You are brilliant!
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
rosereadsalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
mel_muses's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
āIf you still recognize me, I must be doing something right. It means I havenāt changed so much that Iām no longer myself after all.ā
IYSRM follows Elsie, a bi girl in the UK who has just one summer before starting at Cambridge for uni. Elsie is determined to use this summer to finally admit her crush on her Internet best friend, Ada. But then her childhood best friend comes back into the picture and Elsieās summer turns into a whirlwind of evolving feelings, family secrets, and an attempt at reconnecting long-lost loves.
Elsie has so much of me: a queer girl who struggles to make friends, but when she does, itās with her whole heart. An awkward person who uses fanfiction and fandom as an escape from her life, as something to keep her going. Even in our differences, thereās something about her thatās striking: where Iām obsessed with mounds of queer books, sheās obsessed with a queer-coded comic series. And as someone who is also academically-driven, I felt her need to escape into fiction in such a matter of fact way. Where I donāt crush on people, Elsie most certainly is in love with Ada. I can relate to that feeling of loving someone across thousands of miles, even if it isnāt romantic.
There are also so many parts of Elsie I donāt ā and canāt ā understand. I am not Chinese like Elsie, nor do I have trauma from a toxic relationship like she does. But the fact that she exists for other people too and has touched the lives of my friends ā Meilin and Naomi, who I read this with, and Micah and Cel, who I associate with this story ā makes this book needed.
But beyond the characters, I loved the journey Elsie goes on, trying to reconcile who she was with who she is with who she wants to be. The romance, the friendships, the family relationships are all handled with such nuance and care. Thereās something so special about how feelings evolve, how they can bloom into something unexpected and make you realize some of the most personal discoveries.
This book is for all Elsies out there: I hope you find that there will always be someone who recognizes you.
Trigger Warnings: homophobia and biphobia (internalized, targeted, microaggressions), toxic relationship recounted, off-page grandparent death, off-page disownment, internalized racism, fetish for Asian women by an off-page side character
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Death
axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Biphobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
emily_mh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Death, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Major: disownment Moderate: loss of a loved one Minor: divorce, climate change, menstruationemilycrowleyyy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
linnea1801's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Death
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And thatās just one story-thread; Elsie is also uncovering her own family secrets, rekindling a relationship with an old friend, dealing with a past toxic relationship, and trying not to neglect her current best friend in the process. All in the summer between graduation and starting uni. Definitely a stand-out in YA queer contemporary!
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Grief
luananki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders