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.
Tag: #sapphic
My favourite Books of 2021, part five. Malice by Heather Walter.
MALICE BY HEATHER WALTER
Malice is a retelling of sleeping beauty. It takes a spin on this well know tale and focuses on sleeping beauty and the dark fairy turning it into a sapphic romance if they were both the same age and in their teens. It follows the life of Alyce, imagined as the dark fairy living in a household of “graces” who are “good” magic wielders, and she is the only one who is a dark grace. One day Princess Aurora comes to Alyce in search for a cure for a curse that will kill her in exactly one year. From there sparks fly and everyone knows how the story is going to end right? I loved this novel, as it is a fantasy retelling, it did take some time to dive into its world, but I would say quicker than the usual fantasy and I read it in one sitting thinking it was a standalone, it was left on such a large cliff-hanger. Thankful the sequel is coming out May 2022! I really enjoyed see a LGBTQIA+ focused romance in fantasy and am very excited to see more of the romance in the sequel to coming out soon. I would recommend to those looking for a novel with the classic “good” and “evil,” but with the back story and from the point of view of the villain.
Trigger warning: Abuse, torture, death, violence, bullying, homophobia.
The falling in love montage by Ciara Smyth
The falling in love montage by Ciara Smyth Trigger warning: dementia, trauma. Age rating: 13+ Overall rating: 5 out of 5. Genres: contemporary, romance (Sapphic). A spoiler free summary Saoirse wanted to do a couple simply things for the coming long summer holidays: go to parties, watch movies and kiss her troubles away with other girls. Saoirse feels like she deserves a break after dealing with the pain of her mother’s dementia and slowly getting over her ex, Hannah. Here comes Ruby, the most beautiful girl Saoirse has ever seen, but Saoirse is not ready to commit to another relationship. So Ruby, the romcom fan and optimist challenges Saoirse to try a summer romance, just like in the movies. But what could go wrong with a falling in love montage with an ending date? Review This was such a sweet sapphic romance to read. I liked the realness of it with its darker themes of the trauma of the main character, Saoirse. The novel was easy to dive into the world and it was written in first person of Saoirse which allows for the reader to really feel the feelings of what the main character is going through. There were points throughout the book where I wanted to shout at Saoirse to do something or communicate [yes, there is miscommunication but, in a way, where it makes sense, is done well and it’s not cringey]. The author added other elements such as illness, it’s nice to see the diversity in that way too. I personally cannot say if it’s an accurate depiction, but it is not the main focus of the story. The parents of Saoirse are quite involved in the plot of the story, which is a nice touch. I really enjoyed the relationships, especially Oliver and Saoirse frenemy type. I loved the aspect of the big movie moments Ruby and Saoirse had to tick off their list, as another plus the author refenced many real movies [many I didn’t get since I’m not a movie watcher], but I’m sure if you like movies, particularly romcoms it will make the book just a tad better and the author added a large list of movies called, “Saoirse and Ruby’s Rom-Com watchlist.” There was great character development, obviously Saoirse as well as other side characters. There is one small side character named Barbara or Barb and she is such a loveable character I honestly wished she was more involved in the novel. The writing was easy to understand but had a lot of depth and overall, I really enjoyed this book. Quotes “As a great philosopher once said: shake it off.” “Oh wisht. You think I could work in the business of love this long and not get some of that gaydar? I’ve known some brides in my day who shouldn’t have been marrying grooms, that’s for sure. You still get the odd one here and there who doesn’t know it yet, poor dears. I try and give them a hint, you know subtle, would you not like a nice pantsuit, dear. That sort of thing.” “Whether that relationship lasts a week or fifty years is not what makes it special.” Recommendation If you want a sapphic read with big movie moments this book is for you. This novel is light-hearted and heavy at the same time, filled moments that will make you want to shout and laugh. Pros: I love when authors add the reader into the acknowledgments, it makes the novel special. This was done in this book. There was sapphic rep and it wasn’t set in the US, nothing against the US but it’s nice to see a different location. Cons: Not too many I can think of in the moment, apart from a little more diversity in the race department [if there was it wasn’t clear], but I’m not sure if it’s a valid complaint/con, since there is diversity in other categories.
Enna Mari 