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A review by horrorbutch
The Melody of You and Me by M. Hollis
5.0
4.5 Stars actually.
I honestly don't know where to start? I loved this story. A lot. I actually loved it so much I made a picspam for it, just so I could spread some love for it.
First off I will tell you about the stuff I loved, loved, loved in this book. It is so cute and fluffy. It's just really sweet, but just enough, it doesn't go overboard and becomes teeth-rotting or anything like that. I needed a story like this and I can assure you, you probably do too.
We have the main character Chris, a pansexual girl, who works in a bookstore. Her pansexuality was mentioned quite a few times and it was wonderful. Sadly there is no explanation of pansexuality in the book itself, which might make it hard for people who've never heard of it to understand, but this is just a very minor thing. There's also another multiple-gender-attracted side character (Mayte, Chris' roommate, she's also black) and a short mention of bi- and pansexual not being the same, but I would have wished for some more about it. Anyway, Chris is quite lost. She dropped out of University a while ago, leaving the course of Computer Science she actually just studied so she had something to study, and broke up with her girlfriend of three years. Now she just drifts and she has no idea what she wants to do in the future. Her mother's constant calls don't help her figure this out and she pulls further and further away from her family, which leaves her even more isolated. She felt so real and I loved that she was a 20-something MC, who didn't have her life figured out, her commentary on the fact that as soon as you turn 18 you're supposed to know exactly what you want from life and also take it, when it's something that not that many people already know.
Josie is a Filipino lesbian, who does ballet and reads a lot. I adored the scene where Chris visits her and admires all books by Filipino authors Josie owns. Josie is really wonderful, she is nice and she supports Chris with her life, even in the end indirectly helping her figure out what she wants to do with her future.
There is also talk about female masturbation and the stigma around it, dismissal of the "we can't date if you're not out" trope, which was so great and about how a breakup from a toxic relationship can be freeing, especially if you don't talk afterward. I also loved the scene where Josie calls out her sister for saying she always knew she was a lesbian "bc she never dated boys": "There are lesbians who date boys before understanding the roles that heteronormativity tries to force them into." I cried a bit when I read that sentence.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was that there was a time skip of six months just after the girls met. During that time they developed a bit of a friendship and Chris developed a crush, but sadly it was not explored and I felt a bit sad about that. Other than that I adored this novella and even now, a day after reading it, I can't stop smiling when I think of it.
I honestly don't know where to start? I loved this story. A lot. I actually loved it so much I made a picspam for it, just so I could spread some love for it.
First off I will tell you about the stuff I loved, loved, loved in this book. It is so cute and fluffy. It's just really sweet, but just enough, it doesn't go overboard and becomes teeth-rotting or anything like that. I needed a story like this and I can assure you, you probably do too.
We have the main character Chris, a pansexual girl, who works in a bookstore. Her pansexuality was mentioned quite a few times and it was wonderful. Sadly there is no explanation of pansexuality in the book itself, which might make it hard for people who've never heard of it to understand, but this is just a very minor thing. There's also another multiple-gender-attracted side character (Mayte, Chris' roommate, she's also black) and a short mention of bi- and pansexual not being the same, but I would have wished for some more about it. Anyway, Chris is quite lost. She dropped out of University a while ago, leaving the course of Computer Science she actually just studied so she had something to study, and broke up with her girlfriend of three years. Now she just drifts and she has no idea what she wants to do in the future. Her mother's constant calls don't help her figure this out and she pulls further and further away from her family, which leaves her even more isolated. She felt so real and I loved that she was a 20-something MC, who didn't have her life figured out, her commentary on the fact that as soon as you turn 18 you're supposed to know exactly what you want from life and also take it, when it's something that not that many people already know.
Josie is a Filipino lesbian, who does ballet and reads a lot. I adored the scene where Chris visits her and admires all books by Filipino authors Josie owns. Josie is really wonderful, she is nice and she supports Chris with her life, even in the end indirectly helping her figure out what she wants to do with her future.
There is also talk about female masturbation and the stigma around it, dismissal of the "we can't date if you're not out" trope, which was so great and about how a breakup from a toxic relationship can be freeing, especially if you don't talk afterward. I also loved the scene where Josie calls out her sister for saying she always knew she was a lesbian "bc she never dated boys": "There are lesbians who date boys before understanding the roles that heteronormativity tries to force them into." I cried a bit when I read that sentence.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was that there was a time skip of six months just after the girls met. During that time they developed a bit of a friendship and Chris developed a crush, but sadly it was not explored and I felt a bit sad about that. Other than that I adored this novella and even now, a day after reading it, I can't stop smiling when I think of it.