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A review by briarrose1021
Have We Met? by Camille Baker
5.0
I chuckled in so many places while reading this story, cringed in other (appropriate) places, even teared up in a few, because this book was just that relatable. Sure I'm not exactly like Cori, but I have had similar experiences, and I certainly remember going through my own process of truly figuring out who I am and what I wanted in life.
Which is why it surprised me that there were so many 1 and 2 star reviews. Of course, when I looked at them, I realized that what those reviews really didn't like was that not every character was straight, gender-, and hetero-normative. There were people in this book, which also meant there were different expressions. The fact that so many reviews put this down to being "woke" or "pushing the liberal agenda" just shows that they don't want to admit that straight & white isn't the only (or even the normal) way to be. I feel sorry for their short-sightedness and hope they can open themselves up; they would have so many more experiences, wonderful experiences, if they did.
I also particularly liked the one reviewer who complained that they couldn't identify with the main character in this book at all, and thus gave it a low rating. I had to laugh, because how many books have I read over the years where all the women walk boobily into the room and stared breastily at the obviously hotter-than-normal male that they will immediately sleep with? So many, and I have never done those things, nor can I identify with it. Yet, the stories were still read - some enjoyed, some not - because that's what was available. Not every book is for every reader, and that's okay. But, I don't think it's fair to fault the author and give them a bad review because that single book didn't represent you. There are way too many people out there for a book to accomplish that. If anything, the fact that there were so many different identities represented in this book says to me that, if you couldn't find *someone* to identify with, you were actively looking for reasons not to identify. And that is sad, because it means you are robbing yourself of enjoyment over some perceived slight at the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters.
So, if you want a fun, sometimes heavy, sometimes light-hearted story about a young woman figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life, then you'll probably enjoy this story. If even the hint of anything gay has you clutching your pearls and swearing at the libtards and their erasure of public decency, then just move along. This book isn't written for you anyway.
Which is why it surprised me that there were so many 1 and 2 star reviews. Of course, when I looked at them, I realized that what those reviews really didn't like was that not every character was straight, gender-, and hetero-normative. There were people in this book, which also meant there were different expressions. The fact that so many reviews put this down to being "woke" or "pushing the liberal agenda" just shows that they don't want to admit that straight & white isn't the only (or even the normal) way to be. I feel sorry for their short-sightedness and hope they can open themselves up; they would have so many more experiences, wonderful experiences, if they did.
I also particularly liked the one reviewer who complained that they couldn't identify with the main character in this book at all, and thus gave it a low rating. I had to laugh, because how many books have I read over the years where all the women walk boobily into the room and stared breastily at the obviously hotter-than-normal male that they will immediately sleep with? So many, and I have never done those things, nor can I identify with it. Yet, the stories were still read - some enjoyed, some not - because that's what was available. Not every book is for every reader, and that's okay. But, I don't think it's fair to fault the author and give them a bad review because that single book didn't represent you. There are way too many people out there for a book to accomplish that. If anything, the fact that there were so many different identities represented in this book says to me that, if you couldn't find *someone* to identify with, you were actively looking for reasons not to identify. And that is sad, because it means you are robbing yourself of enjoyment over some perceived slight at the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters.
So, if you want a fun, sometimes heavy, sometimes light-hearted story about a young woman figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life, then you'll probably enjoy this story. If even the hint of anything gay has you clutching your pearls and swearing at the libtards and their erasure of public decency, then just move along. This book isn't written for you anyway.