hannahjreidel 's review for:

We Were Promised Spotlights by Lindsay Sproul

3.5

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Some reviews described this book as similar to the Miseducation of Cameron Post and I would concur with that opinion. This isn’t a cheesy romance novel like I was expecting it to be but that expectation was probably on me. There are moments of love and closeness, but at its core, it’s about the societal expectations of a small town’s “perfect princess”. It’s about what’s expected of one and the braveness it takes to fight those expectations, which I found resonated deeply with me. While many lgbtq books focus on finding one’s identity or coming out, Taylor knows her identity and we rarely see this fear of coming out to friends and family, it’s more focused on her innermost feelings about those around her and how they treat her (before and after coming out). It’s a beautiful book, however I don’t feel I could give it 5 stars, as the ending seemed rushed and unfulfilling. While the audience watched her contemplate her “romances” with Brad and Susan, her relationship with Heather seemed rather rushed and an attempt to make it the cheesy romance novel I thought it was going into it. Although I am a sucker for a sapphic YA romance, I felt the book would’ve been better if she left by herself and didn’t kindle a new romance.<spoiler >