Tag: #lgbtqia+books

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan 

Trigger warning: Homophobia, toxic relationships, trauma. 

Age rating: 13+

Overall rating: 5 out of 5

Genres
Contemporary romance. 

A spoiler free summary 
Morgan is track athlete forced to transfer after her private catholic school after being told being gay is against the school’s principles. Starting a new school, Morgan is ready to be proud and out. 

Ruby loves working on automobiles, especially her baby blue 1970 ford torio, but most of time she is stuck living out her mother’s dreams of becoming a pageant queen by regularly competing in pageants.

When Morgan and Ruby “accidentally” meet they are dawn to each other instantly and soon Ruby imagines a future she never thought could be possible, but Morgan is determined to be her true self and doesn’t want to hide a secret relationship, the very thing she promised she would be proud of. With both girls at different stages of their journey, will they be able to work it out or will it be something that will never work between the two of them?  

Review
Some Girls Do was such a sweet romance filled with many emotions from anger at the world, frustrated love, and happiness. Although many cliches were used it did not make the story awkward or hard to read. It explored the experience of some queer people while still making the story engaging and not only about the dark side of society. The way it was written was really engaging and some hilarious bits said by the characters, many of the characters were so sweet, the type of characters you would want to be friends with, and the emotional journey of the characters was amazing. Even though I knew how it would end I was kept at the edge of my seat and rooting for a happy relationship, but the struggles only made the ending that much better. I enjoyed the toxic relationships it explored and how the homophobia from close family can create immense internal homophobia and the extreme battles that come with. The author explored heavy topic like the ongoing bullying of queer children and the struggles of grown adults and the world telling people it is wrong and disgusting to be true. It was wonderful to see the characters blossom against the hardships that were thrown at them, yet they thrived in their queerness listening to the people in support. I enjoyed the aspects of both the disproving parents and the supportive parents of lgbtqia+ youth as those are both very real situations. Overall, I loved the cute romance and the heavy topics in which many lgbtqia+ youth face explored simultaneously. 

Quotes
“Oh, nothing. Just your daddy issues showing.”
“It’s kind of your one-stop shop when it comes to the gay.”
“Because you look miserable as I do today, and I think only love can do that to you.”
“…love is a trap. Love is getting knocked up and abandoned. Love is a handprint on a check and your entire childhood unwrapped in tulle. Love is letting someone have the power to hurt you in ways you haven’t even though of yet.” 

Recommendations
If you are looking for a cute sapphic romance that is written from two perspectives. May be relatable to many queer people in some way and as there is a closeted person and an openly queer one. It will take you on a small emotional rollercoaster and by the end it will make your heart flutter. 

Pros 
Queer representation! Not only are the main characters queer but so are some of the side characters. 

Cons 
Nothing particularly, maybe seeing a couple queer pocs side characters at least would have been nice, since those are very few and far between.