A review by lostinfrance
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

3.0

A professor (and friend) that I respect and who works with Latinx rights recommended this book, so I had the library order a copy...and finally got my hands on it. I expected something different and I was not disappointed. This is the kind of book I would want in my classroom for my students to pass around....a book that centers on a Puerto Rican college student who grew up in the Bronx, but also discusses LGBTQIA rights, pronoun preference, white privilege, exploring your sexuality, how sexuality is fluid, questioning everything....something most high school students need to hear-- and from a teacher who often tries to explain this stuff, maybe a book that discusses it will be absorbed better than a loud "old" white teacher.
This is the story of Juliet who grew up protected by her large Puerto Rican family in the Bronx and decides to travel to Oregon to do an internship with her favorite feminist writer. While in Portland, Juliet ends up questioning many of her beliefs and is forced to find herself and what she believes. She is forced to confront white privilege, out herself to family and find comfort in her own skin (or at least start to).
Read: if you enjoy YA and want a new, pertinent perspective.