A review by librarymouse
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is the second time I've read and loved this book. The first time I read it was a week before I got a concussion. I don't remember a lot of details about that summer and I didn't remember much about On a Sunbeam prior to this read through, except for the feeling of how much I loved it. This was one of the first books I've read that is actively, lovingly queer. The queerness in this story isn't a controversy or a point of being othered. It just is, and it is beautiful.
That being said, it doesn't downplay the impact of issues like misgendering and the need for mutual respect. Tillie Walden does a wonderful job with Jules's righteous anger at their temporary boss's disregard for El's pronouns and her viewing El's selective mutism as an act of insubordination.

Romance isn't a genre I normally gravitate to, but Mia and Grace's love story circumvent most of the romance genre's tropes that disinterest me.
Mia and her found family being willing to risk their lives for the possibility of Mia being able to see Grace again, if only to say goodbye, redefines the limits of what someone would do for the one they love.
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