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A review by claudiaslibrarycard
The Queer Girl Is Going to Be Okay by Dale Walls
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I had really high hopes for this debut novel, The Queer Girl is Going to be Okay by Dale Walls. It's a story of Dawn who, with the help of friends Edie and Georgia, is making a documentary about queer love to enter a film contest for a major scholarship.
Dawn lives in Texas and is hiding her own queer identity from her religious family. I enjoyed and resonated with the descriptions of life in the South, especially around cultural expectations and religious values. I also thought the author did an excellent job creating a lens into what it is like to be Black and Texan, two identities that are not my own.
Edie and Georgia get a fair bit of character development as well the MC Dawn, but I think the character development overall was wonky and uneven. I wanted more growth and nuance, and this gave more happy ending life is great YA vibes. That said, I also wanted more fortitude from Dawn about standing up to her family's value system. Do I know that's not always realistic? Yes, but I think that brave conversations are something teens really do need to read.
Unfortunately, this didn't hit the right notes for me personally. I'd revisit this author because as a debut, this is a promising start.
Dawn lives in Texas and is hiding her own queer identity from her religious family. I enjoyed and resonated with the descriptions of life in the South, especially around cultural expectations and religious values. I also thought the author did an excellent job creating a lens into what it is like to be Black and Texan, two identities that are not my own.
Edie and Georgia get a fair bit of character development as well the MC Dawn, but I think the character development overall was wonky and uneven. I wanted more growth and nuance, and this gave more happy ending life is great YA vibes. That said, I also wanted more fortitude from Dawn about standing up to her family's value system. Do I know that's not always realistic? Yes, but I think that brave conversations are something teens really do need to read.
Unfortunately, this didn't hit the right notes for me personally. I'd revisit this author because as a debut, this is a promising start.