A review by bookshelvesandtealeaves
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

emotional informative 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

3.5

I really loved Juliet’s journey in this one. I loved that she was really at the start of her journey, that she was constantly learning and asking questions, that her mind was open to new and confusing things. I loved everything about her story. I really wanted to give her a hug.

I loved her summer fling with Kira, too. Kira was such a great character, such a great person for Juliet to fall into for a little while. She listened and she loved and she didn’t judge and they were just so good together. I’d have honestly taken another 100 pages of this book just for them.

I loved the overall message about feminism and in particular how damaging cis, white feminism is. I think this is really important and I feel like I learned something reading this book, which is always a win and something I hope I can take with me. But I do think the message got lost a little beneath a lot of hippy stuff that I couldn’t vibe with.

And that’s sorta why this isn’t rated higher for me. I didn’t really like any of the other characters. Harlowe drove me absolutely mad even before she bared her problematic soul. I couldn’t vibe with any of these characters. It was just…too hippy-ish for me. There was a superior air surrounding it all that went beyond Harlowe and her irritating brand of white hippy feminism.

I do still think this book is important and people should absolutely read it. It was just one I struggled to fully connect with at times.