A review by kim_j_dare
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

4.0

From what I can make out, Juliet was (self)published by Riverdale Avenue in 2016, and can I just say how thrilled I am that Penguin/Dial realized what a treasure this story is, and is republishing it much more broadly next month?

So many teens are going to connect with Juliet’s self-searching and humor and insecurities and love. Her journey from the Bronx to Portland, Oregon, where she has a summer internship with the author of Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind brings her opportunities for more self-growth than she ever thought possible. And a lot of that self-growth comes from the realization that intersectionality between feminism and racism isn’t so clear-cut.

Not only is this a wonderful story of LGBTQ+ discovery, it’s a great primer on micro-aggressions and the well-intentioned idiocy of white folks (myself most definitely included).

The only reason it’s a 4 instead of 5 is that *occasionally* the conversation is laid on a little thick. Never pedantic, but not always realistic.

Thank you, Edelweiss, for the electronic ARC!