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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
This book has been on my radar for years now because BokksandLala loved it so dearly. I was excited to finally pick this up, but I was a little weary going into it because I am slowly moving out of Young Adult. I was blown away by how much I was enthralled reading these high schoolers' stories.
This book mainly follows Billie: a tomboy preacher's daughter who is trying to sort out her identity in a very conservative, small town. Billie always thought she would end up with her friend Woods, and they could be happily married and stay in their hometown forever. But, Billie starts to maybe possibly have feelings for Janie Lee, but what does liking a girl say about her? And does she even like Janie Lee, or is their friendship just special? "Dress Codes for Small Towns" follows Billie and her group of friends as they try to find out who they are, all while trying to save a 100 year old tradition in their town.
I was a little skeptical that this book would be a cliché YA love triangle, and be solely focused on the high schoolers finding their "one true love", but this story is SO much more than that. One may argue there is a bit of a love triangle, or a love square, but the real story is so much deeper than that. It is hard enough to try to figure out who you are at seventeen, but Billie's adversities are compounded by the fact that her father is the preacher in a small town where everyone talks. When Billie makes a mistake, it is magnified and the town calls into question Billie's father's capabilities of running a church if he cannot control his own daughter. Religion can be a touchy subject to write about, especially in today's world, but I loved the representation in this story, and the pushback and questioning from the characters. Being not straight does not make you any less of a good person, and people who hide behind religion to justify their hate are cowardice. High school is hard enough without having an entire town watching and waiting to rip you apart for every decision. This judgment from the town people causes an inevitable rift between Billie and her father, which made me so sad to see. He is under so much stress to be the perfect preacher, that he is dropping the ball on being a good father. It is not that he entirely disagrees or in unsupportive of Billie, but he fears the backlash and judgment from the town so much that he chooses to turn his back on Billie. This fear is almost worse that him simply being unsupportive, because he is letting everyone else come between him and Billie. My favorite part of this whole story is the theme of friendship. Billie has managed to have a group of five friends who are willing to do anything for her, and she for them. It is often our friends who see us through our hardest times, and I loved seeing this group ban together for all sorts of challenges.
This story was impeccably written and perfect for anyone who has questioned who they are and what their place is.
This book mainly follows Billie: a tomboy preacher's daughter who is trying to sort out her identity in a very conservative, small town. Billie always thought she would end up with her friend Woods, and they could be happily married and stay in their hometown forever. But, Billie starts to maybe possibly have feelings for Janie Lee, but what does liking a girl say about her? And does she even like Janie Lee, or is their friendship just special? "Dress Codes for Small Towns" follows Billie and her group of friends as they try to find out who they are, all while trying to save a 100 year old tradition in their town.
I was a little skeptical that this book would be a cliché YA love triangle, and be solely focused on the high schoolers finding their "one true love", but this story is SO much more than that. One may argue there is a bit of a love triangle, or a love square, but the real story is so much deeper than that. It is hard enough to try to figure out who you are at seventeen, but Billie's adversities are compounded by the fact that her father is the preacher in a small town where everyone talks. When Billie makes a mistake, it is magnified and the town calls into question Billie's father's capabilities of running a church if he cannot control his own daughter. Religion can be a touchy subject to write about, especially in today's world, but I loved the representation in this story, and the pushback and questioning from the characters. Being not straight does not make you any less of a good person, and people who hide behind religion to justify their hate are cowardice. High school is hard enough without having an entire town watching and waiting to rip you apart for every decision. This judgment from the town people causes an inevitable rift between Billie and her father, which made me so sad to see. He is under so much stress to be the perfect preacher, that he is dropping the ball on being a good father. It is not that he entirely disagrees or in unsupportive of Billie, but he fears the backlash and judgment from the town so much that he chooses to turn his back on Billie. This fear is almost worse that him simply being unsupportive, because he is letting everyone else come between him and Billie. My favorite part of this whole story is the theme of friendship. Billie has managed to have a group of five friends who are willing to do anything for her, and she for them. It is often our friends who see us through our hardest times, and I loved seeing this group ban together for all sorts of challenges.
This story was impeccably written and perfect for anyone who has questioned who they are and what their place is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail