Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by orchids
Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and Clarion Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!
Just Lizzie follows the life of the titular character Lizzie as she goes through all sorts of jarring life changes such as moving out of her childhood home, her brother moving away to college, and her childhood best friend drifting away from her as she starts dating. As Lizzie's environment is changing all around her, Lizzie starts examining her goals and motivations, she quickly realizes that she thinks differently from her fellow classmates, particularly when it comes to crushes and dating. After doing research for her science projects and stumbling upon plants and animals that reproduce asexually, Lizzie feels like all of her questions about her identity are answered. However, Lizzie now finds herself having to navigate this newfound identity label and how this could potentially affect her relationships with her friends and family.
There were so many aspects of the book that I loved including the complexity of all of Lizzie's relationships with her peers and the adults in her life Although I feel like elements of Lizzie's internal monologue felt repetitive and sometimes inducive of eye-rolls, it still felt very true to the middle schooler experience. As an adult I wanted to shout, "Lizzie!! Just talk to your teacher/parent about your feelings!!" but her reservations about speaking up were very characteristic of a pre-teen, and in the end, she grew from her mistakes and feels more confident about speaker her mind and being true to herself. All in all, I feel like this book is a spectacular cornerstone of asexual representation, particularly in the middle-grade/young-adult genre, where representation like this is severely lacking. I can wholeheartedly see that this book will have an impact on the next generation!
Just Lizzie follows the life of the titular character Lizzie as she goes through all sorts of jarring life changes such as moving out of her childhood home, her brother moving away to college, and her childhood best friend drifting away from her as she starts dating. As Lizzie's environment is changing all around her, Lizzie starts examining her goals and motivations, she quickly realizes that she thinks differently from her fellow classmates, particularly when it comes to crushes and dating. After doing research for her science projects and stumbling upon plants and animals that reproduce asexually, Lizzie feels like all of her questions about her identity are answered. However, Lizzie now finds herself having to navigate this newfound identity label and how this could potentially affect her relationships with her friends and family.
There were so many aspects of the book that I loved including the complexity of all of Lizzie's relationships with her peers and the adults in her life Although I feel like elements of Lizzie's internal monologue felt repetitive and sometimes inducive of eye-rolls, it still felt very true to the middle schooler experience. As an adult I wanted to shout, "Lizzie!! Just talk to your teacher/parent about your feelings!!" but her reservations about speaking up were very characteristic of a pre-teen, and in the end, she grew from her mistakes and feels more confident about speaker her mind and being true to herself. All in all, I feel like this book is a spectacular cornerstone of asexual representation, particularly in the middle-grade/young-adult genre, where representation like this is severely lacking. I can wholeheartedly see that this book will have an impact on the next generation!