A review by wlwlibrary
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was wonderful, but, despite the many pages, I was left feeling as if the story was incomplete. However, I loved the story, and the illustrations were beautiful. I feel like there are very few books that I can follow this one up with, partially because of the feeling of incompleteness, but also the uniqueness of this novel. I’ve seen very few books where sapphic characters took centerstage consistently, not just through one or two main characters. 
Plain Bad Heroines is a beautiful exploration of queer friendships, sapphic love, and the sometimes-blurry space in between. This book made me laugh out loud one moment and be terrified the next. It’s a complex journey, but a fun one to take. The author does a very good job of not allowing characters’ identities become lost due to the length, and casually renews the reader’s memory of them. 
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would have liked a little more closure, but it’s a good one nonetheless.
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