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A review by jess_justmaybeperfect
Oh! You Pretty Things: A Glam Rock Romance by Jane Hadley
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh! You Pretty Things is the love story between Arthur Ohashi and Jim “call me James” Novak, University of Minnesota students.
Told entirely from Arthur’s point of view, the book begins in 1970, when Arthur meets Eve, a complicated young woman, who wants him in her band, The Tarts. James and Deb are also members. Arthur’s best friend, Tomiko, has her moments too. (More on Tomiko, Deb, and Eve below.)
In the first half of Oh! the reader gets to explore friendship, music, school, parties, drugs, alcohol, family, religion, race, and sex, right along with Arthur. Arthur is extremely new to sex. His innocence thrills Eve and seems to intrigue James. Arthur learns painful and lovely lessons along the way. The consent is expert level and even when complicated, the sex is very hot. There is a group scene so monumental it could be used as the basis for a dissertation on sexual and gender identity and awakening.
The second half of the book is where the romance really picks up. After a thrilling but messy trip to Chicago to record an album, Arthur and James get time alone together, to talk, tell the truth, explore their feelings, meet Arthur’s parents (who, frankly, deserve an essay of their own), and fall in love. It’s romantic, hot, funny, and touching. Then, when James is offered an opportunity he’s been promised for years, Arthur refuses to ask him to stay and James refuses to ask to be asked. It’s angsty, grand, sweet, and funny all at the same time. Plus, the epilogue will thrill you! (Seriously though, my kingdom for Mr. and Mrs. Ohashi.) There’s even a secondary romance.
This book is staggeringly good. Gender, sexuality, queer awakening, white feminists, power imbalances, found family, amazing parents, the generational consequences of violent xenophobia and racism, college life, growing up, first love, true love, found family, and a real love letter to the Twin Cities. Arthur and James, and their crew, rocked my world. READ THIS BOOK!
p.s. The footnotes at the end of the book are required reading.
Side characters:
Eve is a challenging character. She’s a (white) feminist, encouraging to her friends, fun, and sexy, but can be manipulative and even cruel, especially to James. But what Hadley does with Eve is more nuanced than the classic bad girl character. She’s young, finally free, an object of lust, struggling to find her own identity, and working within the power structures to which she has access.
Deb is a woman who knows herself, knows her friends, and isn't afraid to speak her mind. While her role is perhaps less impactful than Eve’s, I read her as the rock of the group, the one who really keeps them all together.
Tomiko, Arthur’s strongest connection to his youth and family, is the window through which his past, present, and future meet. Their friendship is crucial to the story. Plus the role she plays in the epilogue is a thing to behold.
Told entirely from Arthur’s point of view, the book begins in 1970, when Arthur meets Eve, a complicated young woman, who wants him in her band, The Tarts. James and Deb are also members. Arthur’s best friend, Tomiko, has her moments too. (More on Tomiko, Deb, and Eve below.)
In the first half of Oh! the reader gets to explore friendship, music, school, parties, drugs, alcohol, family, religion, race, and sex, right along with Arthur. Arthur is extremely new to sex. His innocence thrills Eve and seems to intrigue James. Arthur learns painful and lovely lessons along the way. The consent is expert level and even when complicated, the sex is very hot. There is a group scene so monumental it could be used as the basis for a dissertation on sexual and gender identity and awakening.
The second half of the book is where the romance really picks up. After a thrilling but messy trip to Chicago to record an album, Arthur and James get time alone together, to talk, tell the truth, explore their feelings, meet Arthur’s parents (who, frankly, deserve an essay of their own), and fall in love. It’s romantic, hot, funny, and touching. Then, when James is offered an opportunity he’s been promised for years, Arthur refuses to ask him to stay and James refuses to ask to be asked. It’s angsty, grand, sweet, and funny all at the same time. Plus, the epilogue will thrill you! (Seriously though, my kingdom for Mr. and Mrs. Ohashi.) There’s even a secondary romance.
This book is staggeringly good. Gender, sexuality, queer awakening, white feminists, power imbalances, found family, amazing parents, the generational consequences of violent xenophobia and racism, college life, growing up, first love, true love, found family, and a real love letter to the Twin Cities. Arthur and James, and their crew, rocked my world. READ THIS BOOK!
p.s. The footnotes at the end of the book are required reading.
Side characters:
Eve is a challenging character. She’s a (white) feminist, encouraging to her friends, fun, and sexy, but can be manipulative and even cruel, especially to James. But what Hadley does with Eve is more nuanced than the classic bad girl character. She’s young, finally free, an object of lust, struggling to find her own identity, and working within the power structures to which she has access.
Deb is a woman who knows herself, knows her friends, and isn't afraid to speak her mind. While her role is perhaps less impactful than Eve’s, I read her as the rock of the group, the one who really keeps them all together.
Tomiko, Arthur’s strongest connection to his youth and family, is the window through which his past, present, and future meet. Their friendship is crucial to the story. Plus the role she plays in the epilogue is a thing to behold.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War