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avacadosocks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Racism, Death of parent, Outing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Grief, Chronic illness, and Biphobia
Minor: Transphobia, Car accident, Vomit, and Cancer
laurenfro22'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? It's complicated
4.75
Of the contemporary YA books I've read, this is certainly my favorite. Johnson does a fantastic job getting the reader into the headspace of a queer, Black, teenage girl navigating high school and the looming transition into college. The characters are vibrant and I could feel the immediacy of their struggles. High school is often a lot of small fish feeling big in an even smaller pond. Johnson captures those weird interpersonal struggles, cliques, hopes, dreams, and heartbreaks in a way that feels real and true to the high school experiences.
The scenes of conflict, particularly about Liz's queerness, were very stressful. Especially being outed so publicly; high schoolers can be awful and as painful as that was to read about, it felt realistic. Johnson's depiction of Liz and Mac's push and pull, young love, breakup, and reunion is classic, and wonderfully specifically queer. The book has a good message and great characters delivering that message.
I think some folks may see the story as cringe-y or struggle to get into it - I think it's not for everyone. As someone who came out later in life, this is a book I wish I had in high school, a story where I could see my emotions and tumult reflected back to know I wasn't alone. Despite the story being centered around prom and its lead up, I appreciated the depth Johnson gave to her plot through her side characters and the clear importance of music, discussions around mental health, and very frank examination of intersectionality.
This is well worth the read. It is a feel good YA novel with heartbreak and love, bravery and growth, and deserves every golden crown.
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Racism, Toxic friendship, Biphobia, Cancer, Mental illness, and Outing
brookey8888'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
I honestly loved all the topics discussed and all the different relationships. I felt like that was really relatable(the friendships). I thought the romance was super cute and it wasn’t the center of the story. This is mostly just a story about a black lesbian coming into herself and being more confident, which I just love and am happy there are stories like this.
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Misogyny
astoryofpages'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: Bullying, Death of parent, Cancer, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Anxiety, forced outing, hospital, needlesthetealdeal's review
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent and Cancer
lennie_reads'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
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Bullying
Minor: Cancer
zombiezami'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Vomit, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Bullying, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident and Cancer
elinmln's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Homophobia and Medical content
Minor: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Death of parent, Racism, and Vomit
competencefantasy's review
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, Medical content, Cancer, and Transphobia
leahlovesloslibros's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When her scholarship falls through, and the only way left for her to pay for college is to win the scholarship that comes along with being crowned prom queen, Liz is forced to put herself in the running. The new girl at school, Mack, is also in the running....and Liz is falling for her. Can she land both her dream school and her dream girl, or will she be forced to choose?
I found Liz to have many relatable qualities, at least for me personally. I was raised in a middle-class family where both of my parents worked and we depended on financial aid to help us through college, while many of my peers came from upper-class families that included a lot more privilege than I would ever know. Additionally, I was a total music nerd in high school, and never would've considered myself someone who would run for prom queen, much less actually win the title. Finally, I can remember so many of the feelings that came along with my first "real" (self-aware) girl crush and the relationship that followed; the dynamic between Liz and Mack bright up some nostalgic moments for me. Overall, I enjoyed not only the story, but the fact that the minorities fought for what they believed in, even when the school tried to shut them down.
Graphic: Death of parent and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Transphobia, Racism, and Homophobia
Brief Harry Potter reference