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Review: Ode to My First Car by Robin Gow

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Ode to My First Car by Robin Gow

Ode to My First Car
Robin Gow
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Published June 20, 2023

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About Ode to My First Car

By the critically praised author of A Million Quiet Revolutions , this YA contemporary sapphic romance told in verse is about a bisexual teen girl who falls in and out of love over the course of one fateful summer.

It’s a few months before senior year and Claire Kemp, a closeted bisexual, is finally starting to admit she might be falling in love with her best friend, Sophia, who she’s known since they were four.

Trying to pay off the fine from the crash that totals Lars, her beloved car, Claire takes a job at the local nursing home up the street from her house. There she meets Lena, an eighty-eight-year-old lesbian woman who tells her stories about what it was like growing up gay in the 1950s and ’60s.

As Claire spends more time with Lena and grows more confident of her identity, another girl, Pen, comes into the picture, and Claire is caught between two loves–one familiar and well-worn, the other new and untested.

My Review

Last year I read A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS, which is also a novel in verse by Robin Gow. I really enjoyed the epistolary format in which the story is written. ODE TO MY FIRST CAR also has an epistolary feel to it since every poem is addressed to Claire’s first car, which she wrecks just before the story begins.

It felt really easy to understand Claire’s feelings and needs. Even though I didn’t always agree with her, I still totally understood where she was coming from and what led her to conclude certain things. I also really liked her brother and the relationship that develops between them.

Her relationship with Lena was really great, too. I feel like I have seen a lot more stories featuring mentorship lately, whether that comes in the form of a teen having a mentoring relationship with an adult, or a teen having a mentor relationship with an older teen. It’s a cool element to see in books, and those are often some of my favorite relationships. I liked that Lena isn’t a grouchy old lady (though I love the stories about those, too!). She’s a little bit closed up, and obviously has some wounds in her past, but I loved the gentleness in her approach to Claire and in the way Claire kept showing up for her, even though Lena didn’t want to intrude into her life.

All in all, I think I might like this one even better than A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS, but I think they’re both really well done.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Claire is bisexual, but her family doesn’t know. Her best friend Sophie is transgender. Other characters are queer as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Two girls talk about wanting to have sex and challenge each other to have sex that summer. In one scene, two girls make out in the car, and Claire reports they also have sex (off-scene).

Spiritual Content
Claire is supposed to go to Mass with her family but hasn’t been going. After her car is wrecked, she has to ride with them to church, but she doesn’t enjoy it or feel connected to it in any spiritual way.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of a car accident. References to homophobic or biphobic comments. One peripheral relationship has a lot of flags for toxic/abusive behavior. Claire doesn’t witness any of that happening, but she hears about it and is worried/unsure of what to do.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of ODE TO MY FIRST CAR in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Going Bicoastal
Dahlia Adler
Wednesday Books
Published June 13, 2023

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About Going Bicoastal

A queer SLIDING DOORS YA rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she’s always wanted) or LA with her estranged mom (and the guy she never saw coming).

In Dahlia Adler’s GOING BICOASTAL, there’s more than one path to happily ever after.

Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)

How’s a girl supposed to choose?

She can’t, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines – one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she’s always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.

My Review

The thing I keep thinking about with this book is how smart it is to show two separate relationships at once, one with a girl and the other with a boy, to represent bisexuality. Showing both relationships side by side really makes the point that both are options and that one identity contains both possibilities at the same time. It is such a cool way to emphasize that point.

I also really liked Nat as a character. She’s artistic and sweet, a little bit of a people pleaser, and she’s in the midst of trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She feels like everyone else has it all figured out, which makes her feel like she’s somehow already behind. She brings her whole heart to a relationship and shows up to help her friends when they’re in need.

Though the story follows two separate timelines, there are things that appear in both stories, which I also thought was cool. It made those moments feel like they were pretty central to what would become Nat’s life story. I liked seeing the way some things played out at different times but often in a similar or the same way.

All in all, I’d definitely say this is a great summer romance to put on your reading list. It’s fun and sweet, with celebrations of music and food, so there’s a lot to love about it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Natalya is Jewish and bisexual. She’s part of a diverse friend group.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Kissing between a boy and girl. Some scenes talk about making out without shirts on. In two scenes, it’s clear the couple have sex, but the description of the event is largely kept private, with a couple details giving us an idea of what goes on.

Spiritual Content
Natalya celebrates Shabbos every Friday night with her dad as well as other Jewish holidays. Her mom, though, is not religious, and it has been a point of conflict between her, Nat, and Nat’s dad.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
References to teens drinking at a party. At a show, Nat’s girlfriend uses a fake ID to get alcoholic drinks for them.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of GOING BICOASTAL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Something Like Possible by Miel Moreland

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Something Like Possible
Miel Moreland
Feiwel & Friends
Published May 23, 2023

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About Something Like Possible

In this compelling YA contemporary from author Miel Moreland, a bisexual teen’s path to political staffer stardom is in jeopardy, until she convinces a cute new candidate to team up with her on the campaign trail.

On the worst day of her life, Madison is dumped by her girlfriend, then fired as said (ex)girlfriend’s campaign manager… plus she accidentally rear-ends the student government advisor—the one person whose good word might help her win a spot at a prestigious youth politics summer camp.

But Madison is nothing if not a girl with a plan, and she isn’t going to let a little thing like heartbreak (or a slightly dented bumper) get in her way. Soon, she has a new junior class president candidate to back—although the two of them might be getting a little too close on the campaign trail. Between navigating her growing crush and corralling a less than enthusiastic election team, Madison has had it with unexpected changes to her carefully laid plans. But when she and a group of queer classmates discover a pattern of harassment within the student government, Madison’s forced to shift gears once again.

Something Like Possible is a love letter to ambitious girls, queer solidarity, and how to keep moving forward when the world seems set on pushing you back.

“For every ambitious girl who has been told that they are “too much,” Something Like Possible is a validating promise that you are enough.” —Marisa Kanter, author of As If On Cue

My Review

I think the book’s strongest part is its characters, especially Victoria, Amrita, and Madison. I love how they relate to one another and their different mannerisms and voices.

Madison is fifteen years old throughout the story, which is an interesting choice for YA and one I don’t see often. I liked the decision to tell the story from a younger character’s perspective, and at first, I thought maybe that was to position the book for lower YA audiences. It did have some f-bombs in it, though, which maybe means it’s not intended for lower YA? I’m not sure.

I enjoyed the political campaign elements of the story a lot more than I expected. I liked that Madison was so thoughtful and had such specific ideas and plans. It was cool watching her figure out how to be flexible with what she wanted, too. I liked that she was unapologetically nerdy about politics. It’s so much fun to read books about a topic where someone is really passionate, and you kind of learn things along the way without setting out to do that.

Overall, I liked many components of the book: the school campaign, the solidarity that grew between characters, and the sweet romance between Madison and Victoria. I think fans of THAT’S DEBATABLE by Jen Doll will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Madison is bisexual. Diverse cast of minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

References to sexual assault. Some descriptions of inappropriate hugs, touches (on top of clothes), and grooming behavior.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
See sexual content. Madison sees cuts on another girl’s arm and realizes they’re from self-harm.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SOMETHING LIKE POSSIBLE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, , , , , , , ,

Imogen, Obviously
Becky Albertalli
Balzer + Bray
Published May 2, 2023

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About Imogen, Obviously

With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship.

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

My Review

I feel like I have so much to say about this book. First, let me talk about the romance and self-discovery story that the author expertly delivers. I think I’ve only read maybe half of the books Becky Albertalli has written, but every one I read is well-crafted. And every one seems to be better than the ones before. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like the earlier books… just that I’m even more engaged with each subsequent one.

Imogen’s character pretty much had me at hello. She’s a sweet, anxious girl who struggles with people-pleasing (totally relatable!), and she continually strives to listen and learn as a queer ally. I adored the connection she makes with Tessa and the way their friendship and the possibility of more develops. I couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out for them.

Can There Be Too Much Emphasis on Politics?

Like Immy in one scene of the book, I feel a little uneasy even seeing that headline. Let me, hopefully, explain what I mean. One thing the book (deftly, if sometimes painfully) explores is the gatekeeping that can sometimes happen in the queer community. Who’s allowed to call themselves queer? Who’s faking? When is it okay for someone to remain closeted? Is there a threshold of prejudice someone must face for being queer before they can be respected for their identity?

The book asks a lot of questions like this, and gives readers a lot of time to think about their answers. I like that because of the identities of the chosen cast of characters, the story gives space to people having different viewpoints. Without ever stating that queer people aren’t a monolith, we see this in action. I loved that, though at times some of the ideas discussed were painful or toxic.

I also felt like the painful/toxic ideas got addressed. Sometimes it didn’t happen as immediately as I hoped, but it did happen. Sometimes this meant Immy speaking up for herself, and other times it meant someone else challenging a hurtful idea she’d internalized. Which feels like evidence of a healthy friend group to me.

Writing From Experience

In 2020, Becky Albertalli released an essay on Medium in which she talked about some of the issues that come up in this book, specifically about the way that people assume things about someone’s identity and how damaging that can be, even when the conversation is part of a larger, important one. I couldn’t help thinking about this article when I read certain scenes of IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY. I don’t want to judge which things were incidental to the story and which were things she purposely included from her own experience. But I’m grateful for the things this book will add to those conversations about identity.

Conclusion

All in all, I think this was a sweet, engaging story of romance and self-discovery. I love that it explored some queer issues and discourse often debated online, and that it gave readers a minute to pause, digest, and challenge ideas at their own pace.

Content Notes for Imogen, Obviously

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Imogen’s sister is a lesbian. She has a Brazilian American friend who identifies as pansexual, and another who identifies as bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
One character is Jewish and mentions attending holidays and celebrations.

Violent Content
Some homophobic and biphobic comments.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol before and during a college party.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

No Filter and Other Lies
Crystal Maldonado
Holiday House
Published February 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About No Filter and Other Lies

You should know, right now, that I’m a liar.

They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.

But they’re still lies.

Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.

Except it’s all fake.

Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.

But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.

But it might already be too late.

My Review

I had a hard time getting into this book. The writing and the voice are both strong– which I expected, since I loved Crystal Maldonado’s debut, FAT CHANCE, CHARLIE VEGA. I just didn’t really like Kat very much, especially at the beginning.

She knows she’s a liar, but she isn’t ready to face the ways her lies hurt the people closest to her. As she wrestles with love, including her own self-love, she does a lot of growing. By the end of the story, I liked her a lot.

Her family dynamics are complicated and messy, and I found I liked that element of the book. It made Kat’s character make a lot of sense. I think it was also a big part of what made her realize the harmfulness and ugliness of her own behavior.

On the whole, I think FAT CHANCE is still my favorite book by this author, but I did enjoy reading this one. I think fans of books like THE 9:09 PROJECT by Mark Parsons or TELL ME EVERYTHING by Sarah Enni should check this one out.

Content Notes for No Filter and Other Lies

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Kat is bisexual and Puerto Rican on her dad’s side. One of her friends is also Puerto Rican. Her best friend is Indian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene they realize they are heading toward having sex and stop. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One of Kat’s friends makes fat jokes about her until she confronts him about it. One boy punches another boy in the face at a party.

Drug Content
Kat and her friends go to a party at her best friend’s house where teens drink alcohol. Kat and her best friend both drink too much and make some choices they regret later.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of NO FILTER AND OTHER LIES in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Sea is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Sea Is Salt and So Am I
Cassandra Hartt
Roaring Brook Press
Published June 8, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sea Is Salt and So Am I

West Finch is one hurricane away from falling into the sea.

Yet sixteen-year-old Harlow Prout is determined to save her small Maine hometown. If only she could stop getting in her own way and find someone, anyone, willing to help. But her best friend Ellis MacQueen “fixes” problems by running away from them―including his broken relationship with his twin brother, Tommy. And Tommy’s depression has hit a new low, so he’s not up for fixing anything.

In the wake of the town’s latest devastating storm, Tommy goes out for a swim that he doesn’t intend to survive. It’s his unexpected return that sets into motion a sea change between these three teens. One that tests old loyalties, sparks new romance, and uncovers painful secrets. And nothing stays secret in West Finch for long.

My Review

This book wrecked me so badly. In a good way, I think? Haha.

It’s got big emotions. Secrets. People who desperately care about each other but somehow go to great lengths to do anything besides deal with the ways they’ve hurt each other. I couldn’t stop reading it. I thought about it for days after I finished reading it.

The writing is so steeped in feeling. It’s got an amazing small town setting, where everyone is waiting for storms to hit and knowing they might destroy the places they love. The story is complex. It’s deep. It’s unforgettable.

And then the ending. I… don’t even know what to say.

The ending is great, just…. abrupt? I love the book, and I’m not unhappy with the ending, I think it just left something unclear that I wanted more completely spelled out for me. But even that doesn’t dim the incredible journey that reading this story was for me. I loved it.

I think readers who enjoy books with big emotions and small towns packed with secrets will love this one. Fans of John Green or Kyrie McCauley should absolutely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Tommy has depression. Ellis is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing betwen boy and girl. Kissing between two boys. A couple scenes show people kissing without shirts and reference sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – Trigger warning for suicide attempt.
One character tries to die by suicide by swimming away from shore.

Drug Content
Tommy is on medication for depression but isn’t happy with how it makes him feel. He stops taking the medication at one point. He drinks beer with Ellis at one point, which he isn’t supposed to do on his medication, either.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE SEA IS SALT AND SO AM I in exchange for my honest review.