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The Summer Love Strategy
A sweet and swoony YA rom-com about two friends making a pact to find summer romance like they’ve seen in the movies—and finding love where they least expect it along the way!
Hayley always has a crush. The problem is, her crushes never like her back. After her latest unrequited love—a girl from her basketball team—gets a boyfriend, she decides she’s done falling for girls who are unavailable. Her best friend, Talia, wants romance too, but rarely gets crushes on anyone, and she’s tired of watching Hayley get her heart stomped on over and over. So the two girls make a they’ll help each other find summer love by putting themselves in situations that always lead to romance in movies.
To help carry out their summer love strategy, they make a list of all the places they could find their real-life the beach, the Pride parade, the pool, a MUNA concert, and a party. But as they go to each place and try to find the one , it seems like they just can’t catch a break—they don’t know how to talk to cute strangers, someone mistakes Hayley as straight, and Hayley does a truly unfortunate DIY haircut (that she cannot be held responsible for––it was a crisis!). But when Talia and Hayley finally manage to score dates, will they be able to get out of their own way and really dive into the romances they deserve? Or is summer love not as far off as Hayley thought?
Hayley always has a crush. The problem is, her crushes never like her back. After her latest unrequited love—a girl from her basketball team—gets a boyfriend, she decides she’s done falling for girls who are unavailable. Her best friend, Talia, wants romance too, but rarely gets crushes on anyone, and she’s tired of watching Hayley get her heart stomped on over and over. So the two girls make a they’ll help each other find summer love by putting themselves in situations that always lead to romance in movies.
To help carry out their summer love strategy, they make a list of all the places they could find their real-life the beach, the Pride parade, the pool, a MUNA concert, and a party. But as they go to each place and try to find the one , it seems like they just can’t catch a break—they don’t know how to talk to cute strangers, someone mistakes Hayley as straight, and Hayley does a truly unfortunate DIY haircut (that she cannot be held responsible for––it was a crisis!). But when Talia and Hayley finally manage to score dates, will they be able to get out of their own way and really dive into the romances they deserve? Or is summer love not as far off as Hayley thought?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2024
21 people are currently reading
2023 people want to read
About the author
Ray Stoeve
5 books194 followersRAY STOEVE is the author of The Summer Love Strategy, Arden Grey, and Between Perfect and Real. They also contributed to the young adult anthology Take The Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They created the YA/MG Trans and Nonbinary Voices Masterlist, a database that tracks all books in those age categories written by trans authors about trans characters. When they’re not writing, they can be found gardening, making art in other mediums, or hiking their beloved Pacific Northwest. Find them online @raystoeve and www.raystoeve.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
October 8, 2023
Content warnings: on page panic attacks, anxiety.
Rep: cis, white, lesbian MC with ADHD and anxiety. Trans girl, white, love interest who's also autistic. Plenty of POC, plenty of queer, plenty of non-binary rep, and everyone (but like 2/3?) characters are neurodivergent - it's amazing.
People will say "this is SO YA/teen" but that's a GOOD thing! The MC is 15 throughout the majority of this book. She turns 16 around the halfway mark. It's filled with big feelings, and big emotions and that's exactly what it is like being a 15 year old - feeling like there is nothing that can go right, and plenty that can go wrong. I fricken LOVED this book.
Hayley was so relatable and such a fun person to read about. She's 15, she's enjoying her summer. She loves basketball, her friends, and she wants to stop crushing on a cute straight girl and find someone who will actually like her back!
There are some beautifully written scenes in here regarding coming out - Hayley's youngest sibling, Sam, comes out as nonbinary during the book and it made me tear up.
There's so many fun, cute things throughout this book, and there are peppered in harder moments like feeling not enough. Which are all relatable for teens.
This was just really lovely.
Rep: cis, white, lesbian MC with ADHD and anxiety. Trans girl, white, love interest who's also autistic. Plenty of POC, plenty of queer, plenty of non-binary rep, and everyone (but like 2/3?) characters are neurodivergent - it's amazing.
People will say "this is SO YA/teen" but that's a GOOD thing! The MC is 15 throughout the majority of this book. She turns 16 around the halfway mark. It's filled with big feelings, and big emotions and that's exactly what it is like being a 15 year old - feeling like there is nothing that can go right, and plenty that can go wrong. I fricken LOVED this book.
Hayley was so relatable and such a fun person to read about. She's 15, she's enjoying her summer. She loves basketball, her friends, and she wants to stop crushing on a cute straight girl and find someone who will actually like her back!
There are some beautifully written scenes in here regarding coming out - Hayley's youngest sibling, Sam, comes out as nonbinary during the book and it made me tear up.
There's so many fun, cute things throughout this book, and there are peppered in harder moments like feeling not enough. Which are all relatable for teens.
This was just really lovely.
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February 1, 2025thank you to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for the advanced digital arc of this one.
this is out May 7, 2024
--
i'm struggling with this one.
when i heard that this book featured a femme lesbian and her trans best friend making a pact to find love during their summer on the beach, pride, and especially at a MUNA concert, i was in.
unfortunately, for as much this book did making sure you knew the very specific identity of every single character that walked through a page, a very real person, Naomi McPherson from MUNA, was misgendered around the halfway mark.
i do not know if this was the author or an editor that didn't do research but Naomi McPherson has been using they/them pronouns for years and for a book that's supposed to be queer and joyful i kinda think that's inexcusable.
i very much hope that this will be corrected in the final copy, which i will check out upon release and edit my review accordingly.
--
update - removing my 1-star rating as it's been reported that it was updated in the kindle version.
this is out May 7, 2024
--
i'm struggling with this one.
when i heard that this book featured a femme lesbian and her trans best friend making a pact to find love during their summer on the beach, pride, and especially at a MUNA concert, i was in.
unfortunately, for as much this book did making sure you knew the very specific identity of every single character that walked through a page, a very real person, Naomi McPherson from MUNA, was misgendered around the halfway mark.
i do not know if this was the author or an editor that didn't do research but Naomi McPherson has been using they/them pronouns for years and for a book that's supposed to be queer and joyful i kinda think that's inexcusable.
i very much hope that this will be corrected in the final copy, which i will check out upon release and edit my review accordingly.
--
update - removing my 1-star rating as it's been reported that it was updated in the kindle version.
June 30, 2024
Cute story with fantastic trans and non-binary representation. It also has a lot of neurodivergent rep, too. And queer kids who are unabashedly queer. It was all a little refreshing while also being a little too much at the same time? Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and this scenario was unheard of when I was a kid, but I find the whole trend in books of entire friend groups existing that are comprised of mostly queer (and in this case neurodivergent) folks a little forced. And that’s not a bad thing. I think it’s actually good. But in terms of my ability to suspend disbelief, I struggle with it, if I’m honest.
But I’m also glad books like this exist, even if it doesn’t necessarily work for me, an adult who is not the target audience. I’m ultimately happy that this book gives representation to a groups of people who don’t often get to take up space in our stories, and definitely not often enough in meaningful and positive ways, and especially romantically.
I liked this but didn’t love it.
But I’m also glad books like this exist, even if it doesn’t necessarily work for me, an adult who is not the target audience. I’m ultimately happy that this book gives representation to a groups of people who don’t often get to take up space in our stories, and definitely not often enough in meaningful and positive ways, and especially romantically.
I liked this but didn’t love it.
September 23, 2024
Neurodivergent femme lesbian and autistic trans demi lesbian best friend make a summer love pact to find romance and end up finding each other. It was just as amazing as that one sentence makes it sound.
I will say this book is the most allo book I've read in a very long time. As someone who is demiromantic and asexual I feel like I had some whiplash from our main character's constant crush having ability. Like she immediately imagines herself with these people and it blows my mind that people actually experience that.
I've seen some reviews talk about how some of these labels feel forced but I think a lot of that is stemming from our own inability to grasp what teenage hood looks like now. Most of these reviews have been from adults and I know that a decade or two ago a friend group of mostly queer people who are out and loud and proud was non-existent and so to read stories about it are both heartwarming and heartbreaking for me personally. I love it though. I love knowing that kids now are able to know themselves in ways we could only dream of when we were their age. I love seeing all of the neurodiversity and acceptance of ADHD and autism and gender and sexuality and it just makes me so happy.
This book is the definition of queer summer joy and I relished it.
I will say this book is the most allo book I've read in a very long time. As someone who is demiromantic and asexual I feel like I had some whiplash from our main character's constant crush having ability. Like she immediately imagines herself with these people and it blows my mind that people actually experience that.
I've seen some reviews talk about how some of these labels feel forced but I think a lot of that is stemming from our own inability to grasp what teenage hood looks like now. Most of these reviews have been from adults and I know that a decade or two ago a friend group of mostly queer people who are out and loud and proud was non-existent and so to read stories about it are both heartwarming and heartbreaking for me personally. I love it though. I love knowing that kids now are able to know themselves in ways we could only dream of when we were their age. I love seeing all of the neurodiversity and acceptance of ADHD and autism and gender and sexuality and it just makes me so happy.
This book is the definition of queer summer joy and I relished it.
May 27, 2024
me as a teen vibes kinda
December 16, 2023
I love how inclusive this book is, it was wonderful to read a story with a variety of characters. Unfortunately, this book just was not for me: I personally didn’t enjoy the writing and the story just felt a little flat. Such a shame as the representation is there and I really wanted to love it, but the pace was too slow, and I wasn’t hooked.
Thank you NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2025
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ now playing - "silk chiffon" - muna, phoebe bridgers
"𝘪𝘧 𝘪 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪'𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
╰┈➤ 4.5 ★
they say don't judge a book by it's cover, but when my eyes fell upon this, i just knew. I KNEW it was going to be something that ends up on my shelf. and when i read the synopsis, i was even more thrilled.
so much representation - autistic and ADHD, anxiety, lesbian, trans, nonbinary characters - and all of it is done well. it felt refreshing to see anxiety depicted realistically, especially when it comes to dating. as someone who is both autistic and an anxiety-haver, i found myself relating to the main character, hayley, a lot. my heart ached for her in that scene when she was overwhelmed with anxiety following the day of a panic attack and her teammates undermined her, making discouraging comments about her forgetting the keys to the gym.
talia, also, was written well! i dock .5 stars from my rating solely for the reason that i wished to see her around a little bit more, outside of the summer love plan. i don't know, i wouldn't have minded the book being a little bit longer than this for the sake of building her character up so we can see what she's like outside of dating. the first chapters put a lot of strain on telling us, not showing, their bond. an additional chapter or two before it jumps into the plot would've helped strengthen it instead!
this is really special for all the neurodivergent queer folk, and i really do hope this one gains more traction as i see this becoming really important to other people like me.
"𝘪𝘧 𝘪 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪'𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
╰┈➤ 4.5 ★
they say don't judge a book by it's cover, but when my eyes fell upon this, i just knew. I KNEW it was going to be something that ends up on my shelf. and when i read the synopsis, i was even more thrilled.
so much representation - autistic and ADHD, anxiety, lesbian, trans, nonbinary characters - and all of it is done well. it felt refreshing to see anxiety depicted realistically, especially when it comes to dating. as someone who is both autistic and an anxiety-haver, i found myself relating to the main character, hayley, a lot. my heart ached for her in that scene when she was overwhelmed with anxiety following the day of a panic attack and her teammates undermined her, making discouraging comments about her forgetting the keys to the gym.
talia, also, was written well! i dock .5 stars from my rating solely for the reason that i wished to see her around a little bit more, outside of the summer love plan. i don't know, i wouldn't have minded the book being a little bit longer than this for the sake of building her character up so we can see what she's like outside of dating. the first chapters put a lot of strain on telling us, not showing, their bond. an additional chapter or two before it jumps into the plot would've helped strengthen it instead!
this is really special for all the neurodivergent queer folk, and i really do hope this one gains more traction as i see this becoming really important to other people like me.
December 7, 2025
It was okay, nothing revolutionary. For a book that was less than three hundred pages, it could have been shorter 🤐. The third act breakup was unnecessary, the characters were too many and Hayley and Talia were a little bland for main characters and when more was explored about them, it felt very surface level. Loved the LGBT and anxiety representation though 🫶🏽.
May 30, 2024
This was a cute read! Definitely felt like a high school summer book!! Love how diverse the entire cast is!! It is wonderful seeing queer, neurodivergent young adults thriving, living their best lives!!
May 22, 2024
Thanks a lot to Edelweiss for the ARC.
Unfortunately, that was a dnf for me. I wanted to love this book so bad. It’s filled with beautiful representations and it was handled well as well. It didn’t feel like forced representation, for we already live in a diverse environment anyway. It was balanced perfectly.
However, the writing of the book completely threw me off. Sometimes I’m able to ignore the writing style if I’m enjoying the story and the characters, but it was almost impossible with this book. It’s good to have a book focused on teen characters, however, they felt more like “how adults think teens are like” rather than actual teenagers.
Just because the book is set in our current timeline and is more modernized doesn’t mean that it should have social media type of dialogues or text-like writing. (writing OK instead of okay for example). Yes, we do text in our own way and among friends we use inside social media language or pop culture jokes. However, our vocabulary isn’t limited with that. It started to feel like reading a Twitter thread rather than an actual book.
I’d also like to add how disappointing it was to see the characters make an assumption on a friend’s gender and sexuality based on stereotypes. A specific fashion style doesn’t mean one person identifies as a specific gender or so. People can experiment with different fashion styles without it being related to their identity. It was extra to see it by a queer author. Maybe it was their own experience, however, it’s never nice to generalize things or lean on stereotypes to figure people out.
Unfortunately, that was a dnf for me. I wanted to love this book so bad. It’s filled with beautiful representations and it was handled well as well. It didn’t feel like forced representation, for we already live in a diverse environment anyway. It was balanced perfectly.
However, the writing of the book completely threw me off. Sometimes I’m able to ignore the writing style if I’m enjoying the story and the characters, but it was almost impossible with this book. It’s good to have a book focused on teen characters, however, they felt more like “how adults think teens are like” rather than actual teenagers.
Just because the book is set in our current timeline and is more modernized doesn’t mean that it should have social media type of dialogues or text-like writing. (writing OK instead of okay for example). Yes, we do text in our own way and among friends we use inside social media language or pop culture jokes. However, our vocabulary isn’t limited with that. It started to feel like reading a Twitter thread rather than an actual book.
I’d also like to add how disappointing it was to see the characters make an assumption on a friend’s gender and sexuality based on stereotypes. A specific fashion style doesn’t mean one person identifies as a specific gender or so. People can experiment with different fashion styles without it being related to their identity. It was extra to see it by a queer author. Maybe it was their own experience, however, it’s never nice to generalize things or lean on stereotypes to figure people out.
April 4, 2024
~~Thank you to Edelweiss and ABRAMS for the ARC!~~
I can't lie, I got a bit hyped about this one.
A YA sapphic romance with a trans girl love interest? That immediately got me, because I feel like trans boys and nonbinary main characters/love interests have been far more prominent in YA the last few years. Additionally, I've read both of Stoeve's previous works, and, while I had mixed feelings on them, I thought I would still enjoy this.
I'm sorry, but this was so boring.
Despite it having all the right things for me (i.e., friend-to-lovers, a diverse cast of characters in terms of skin tone, sexualities, and neurodivergence, and the super support all around during mental health struggle moments), I could not bring myself to care. I think it was because the writing was very flat, and most of the side cast felt bland beyond what is told to us by Hayley. I dunno, I felt completely disconnected from the story and felt way too done with it by the halfway mark.
Overall, this definitely was not for me, but I still hope any trans girl teen who reads it feels validated and loved by seeing themselves represented as the love interest.
I can't lie, I got a bit hyped about this one.
A YA sapphic romance with a trans girl love interest? That immediately got me, because I feel like trans boys and nonbinary main characters/love interests have been far more prominent in YA the last few years. Additionally, I've read both of Stoeve's previous works, and, while I had mixed feelings on them, I thought I would still enjoy this.
I'm sorry, but this was so boring.
Despite it having all the right things for me (i.e., friend-to-lovers, a diverse cast of characters in terms of skin tone, sexualities, and neurodivergence, and the super support all around during mental health struggle moments), I could not bring myself to care. I think it was because the writing was very flat, and most of the side cast felt bland beyond what is told to us by Hayley. I dunno, I felt completely disconnected from the story and felt way too done with it by the halfway mark.
Overall, this definitely was not for me, but I still hope any trans girl teen who reads it feels validated and loved by seeing themselves represented as the love interest.
July 14, 2024
The Summer Love Strategy is one of those books where we as readers seem to get what’s going on before the characters do.
Hayley and Talia have been best friends since they were born. They know everything about each other, and have a seemingly rock-solid friendship. When they make plans for the summer they decide they are going to make a concerted effort to get dates and fall in love.
What follows is rather inevitable.
The Summer Love Strategy seems to be working, but neither Hayley nor Talia seem to be that excited by its results. In fact, they both seem to be struggling with things…and, of course, it’s because they each have a crush on the other and aren’t sure how to deal with it.
From start to finish this was a book that made me feel so old. Their attitudes to dating and life in general are unfailingly positive and accepting. Their angst stems from insecurity - which I’m sure many will identify with - but their everyday experiences of dealing with their identity were a long way removed from what I think the reality is for many. It shouldn’t be that way, so perhaps books like this are part of moving towards a less intolerant society.
Hayley and Talia have been best friends since they were born. They know everything about each other, and have a seemingly rock-solid friendship. When they make plans for the summer they decide they are going to make a concerted effort to get dates and fall in love.
What follows is rather inevitable.
The Summer Love Strategy seems to be working, but neither Hayley nor Talia seem to be that excited by its results. In fact, they both seem to be struggling with things…and, of course, it’s because they each have a crush on the other and aren’t sure how to deal with it.
From start to finish this was a book that made me feel so old. Their attitudes to dating and life in general are unfailingly positive and accepting. Their angst stems from insecurity - which I’m sure many will identify with - but their everyday experiences of dealing with their identity were a long way removed from what I think the reality is for many. It shouldn’t be that way, so perhaps books like this are part of moving towards a less intolerant society.
May 11, 2024
This review was a bit difficult for me to write. This book was well written and captured what it can feel like to be a teenager trying to figure out who you are and the best way to relate to others. For me as an adult, that wasn't very fun to read about. Being a teenager can be hard and overwhelming and it's not really something I want to revisit. However, I'm not the target audience for this book! I could see it being incredibly comforting for an adolescent to know other people shared their feelings and experiences.
I also thought the mental health issues were handled with care and accuracy. I dealt with generalized anxiety as a teenager and I worried about a lot of the things that Hayley worries about. A lot of Haley's worries are about relationships but adolescence is a very socially focused time. I did like that the book talked about learning how to have relationships with different people and communicating.
I think if you want to know what it feels like to be this age and a bit anxious or you are a teenager this is a great choice! I think if you mostly enjoy YA with older characters this one won't be for you. The main character is 15 and definitely deals with 15-year-old problems.
Thanks to ABRAMS Kids for the eARC! All opinions are my own.
I also thought the mental health issues were handled with care and accuracy. I dealt with generalized anxiety as a teenager and I worried about a lot of the things that Hayley worries about. A lot of Haley's worries are about relationships but adolescence is a very socially focused time. I did like that the book talked about learning how to have relationships with different people and communicating.
I think if you want to know what it feels like to be this age and a bit anxious or you are a teenager this is a great choice! I think if you mostly enjoy YA with older characters this one won't be for you. The main character is 15 and definitely deals with 15-year-old problems.
Thanks to ABRAMS Kids for the eARC! All opinions are my own.
January 15, 2025
I'm way too old for this novel; I'm not a fan of generations below mine being told or taught to self-diagnose autism.
July 1, 2024
edit: thought more about this book and not liking the second half as much as the first and i’m knocking this down to 2.5. i really enjoyed this authors other books but i felt like this one was doing too much and i couldn’t tell if the characters were 12. 16, or 25 at times. some conversations felt really young and some felt really old.
this was the type of situation where i read the perfect book at the perfect time. it was so “people be cute have good time”, famously my favorite genre. i had been feeling a lot of uncertainty/doubt about a lot of things in my life and even though this book was about teenagers (embarassing) reading it was just like “ok hannah it really is all gonna be okay”. i loved the first half. the main character was so anxious about everything but that’s really what it’s like being 15/16 sometimes!! and also a little felt like me as a teenager (i know my bestie from high school is reading this…hi loser i dare you to read this book). in the second half i liked it less, probably because i know enough about friendship and feelings to just KNOW how much people were gonna end up unintentionally hurting each others feelings, and because there was a certain trope i don’t love but probably would’ve been more obvious to me if i’d actually read the blurb. also basketball! there really was no antagonist, it was a big group of friends who really cared about each other and had big feelings and wanted to do the right thing but sometimes made mistakes - which is really just how it goes! anyways. i’ve liked everything i’ve read by this author so it was nice to read their newest book, a good start to the summer read.
this was the type of situation where i read the perfect book at the perfect time. it was so “people be cute have good time”, famously my favorite genre. i had been feeling a lot of uncertainty/doubt about a lot of things in my life and even though this book was about teenagers (embarassing) reading it was just like “ok hannah it really is all gonna be okay”. i loved the first half. the main character was so anxious about everything but that’s really what it’s like being 15/16 sometimes!! and also a little felt like me as a teenager (i know my bestie from high school is reading this…hi loser i dare you to read this book). in the second half i liked it less, probably because i know enough about friendship and feelings to just KNOW how much people were gonna end up unintentionally hurting each others feelings, and because there was a certain trope i don’t love but probably would’ve been more obvious to me if i’d actually read the blurb. also basketball! there really was no antagonist, it was a big group of friends who really cared about each other and had big feelings and wanted to do the right thing but sometimes made mistakes - which is really just how it goes! anyways. i’ve liked everything i’ve read by this author so it was nice to read their newest book, a good start to the summer read.
May 31, 2024
*gifted ARC* This was precious 🥹 Adding this to the list of books that help heal my inner child. I loved reading about high school kids having a group of queer and neurodivergent found family type friends. It was more healing than I realized it was going to be 😭 Also, reading about how all of the friends really cared about each other and knew each other’s accommodations was so special. No one treated it like it was a burden and it was just so effortless and seamlessly integrated into the story. Stimming, meltdowns, panic attacks, not liking to be touched, new gender and sexuality realizations, consent, so many things that show care between friends that some people can make us feel like is “too much” or “too hard to learn” or “annoying” presented as so average to the friends in this book. I had a great time 😭✨ Thank you for this 💖
May 21, 2024
2.5 stars
Cute, wholesome and inclusive
However... I found the dialogue of the teens to be unrealistic and far more mature/educated than a real 15/16 year old. I also appreciate the diversity but it was just too much. It read like the author was going down a checklist of things to include: lesbian, trans, bi, nonbinary, pan, demi, autism, adhd, anxiety disorder, throw in a little classism, I'm sure there is more I missed.
Cute, wholesome and inclusive
However... I found the dialogue of the teens to be unrealistic and far more mature/educated than a real 15/16 year old. I also appreciate the diversity but it was just too much. It read like the author was going down a checklist of things to include: lesbian, trans, bi, nonbinary, pan, demi, autism, adhd, anxiety disorder, throw in a little classism, I'm sure there is more I missed.
March 31, 2025
A super fun queer friends to lovers YA summer romance with great neurodiversity and trans rep as two friends try to find love over the summer and discover they might just have it where they weren't looking for it. Great on audio by a new fav author! Highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Want to read
February 12, 2023From the rights report: "a YA romance in which Hayley and Talia, two best friends who decide to help each other find love by emulating rom-coms, end up falling for each other instead."
June 5, 2024
Firstly, I want to thank the author, Ray Stoeve for sending me a free audiobook code for Audiobooks.com in exchange for a review. My full, more in-depth review is on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@field.of.hats...
This was a very light, sapphic, high school romance with a massive queer cast. The writing style threw me off at first because I don’t usually read high school romances, but it definitely reflects the high school environment, so it makes sense. The story was a very typical romance plot, but I personally love the best friends trope, so it was very enjoyable.
All in all, I don’t have anything specific to say about this one. It was fun, it was queer, and it was a fantastic start to pride month!
This was a very light, sapphic, high school romance with a massive queer cast. The writing style threw me off at first because I don’t usually read high school romances, but it definitely reflects the high school environment, so it makes sense. The story was a very typical romance plot, but I personally love the best friends trope, so it was very enjoyable.
All in all, I don’t have anything specific to say about this one. It was fun, it was queer, and it was a fantastic start to pride month!
July 3, 2024
- two queer bffs make a summer pact to both find love after struggling to find romance
- the representation in this book is INCREDIBLE! just about every character is queer, & really good mental health rep, too
- i would have loved this book as a teen, but it reads VERY young, especially reading this as an adult
- the representation in this book is INCREDIBLE! just about every character is queer, & really good mental health rep, too
- i would have loved this book as a teen, but it reads VERY young, especially reading this as an adult
May 28, 2024
3.5 ⭐ cute. It's very conscious about how you can't assume someone's identity based on their looks, which was nice.
March 28, 2025
This book is very YA. Not really steamy or spicy, just butterflies, anxiety, and first crushes. It is perfect for kids who are on the spectrum, adhd, or otherwise neurospicy. Anxiety and panic is also addressed, as well as figuring out their identities and queerness. It is so heartwarming to read about, with acceptance and love from their parents and peer group. The writing isn’t amazing, but it is very thoughtful.
Read
June 26, 2024such a cute & fun YA sapphic romance/coming-of-age story with queer & trans & neurodivergent representation
September 29, 2024
I really wanted to like this more than I did. Maybe such communities full of queer/neurodivergent-supporting families and teammates and random strangers exist somewhere today? The wokeness pouring out of this one just felt a little too overtly constructed for me. Otherwise, the premise and the characters are cute, and all the queer people get a happy ending. Yay!
July 10, 2024
I'm not really a fan of the trope friends-to-lovers but I thought I'd try this novel out. I'm glad I did. It was better than I expected. (I know I rated it a three but it's a very STRONG 3 it's really more of a 3.75) Part of the reason I don't like friends-to-lovers is for the exact thing that happens in this novel. One of the girls (Hayley) realizes she likes her best friend (Talia) and then DECIDES TO NOT TALK TO HER FRIEND ABOUT ITS. I understand how nerve wracking it would be to suddenly have a crush on your best friend and NOT WANT things to change but the pain that the MC's of these kinds of novels face is NOT worth it in my opinion. Maybe I feel like this though because I actually took a shot and, although it didn't end how I wanted, I felt much better about everything in the end.
I really liked all the representation in this novel too. Sometimes it felt like people were being described with TOO MUCH detail but that's not a bad thing. Hayley sounds like a very perspective person so it made sense that she would notice so many details about people as she's people watching (which she does often).
Also, why did it seem like they were ALWAYS eating in this story. There were so many descriptions of food and sitting somewhere at a restaurant that it was a little funny actually. SO MANY breakfast settings lol
I really liked all the representation in this novel too. Sometimes it felt like people were being described with TOO MUCH detail but that's not a bad thing. Hayley sounds like a very perspective person so it made sense that she would notice so many details about people as she's people watching (which she does often).
Also, why did it seem like they were ALWAYS eating in this story. There were so many descriptions of food and sitting somewhere at a restaurant that it was a little funny actually. SO MANY breakfast settings lol
January 24, 2024
Look......... This is a good book. But reading about characters that are like a year younger than me in books that take place in 2023/24 is not something that I can do. It's just a personal ick, but I think that a lot of other people will definitely enjoy this book about two girls who are obviously in love with each other and do not realize it.
September 30, 2024
An incredibly sweet queer ya romance, I love the fuck outta this. It’s, like, kindness pornography.
November 16, 2025
𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟓/𝟓 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌈 This story was genuinely so comforting to read. The amount of representation in this book is immensely abundant, and it matters so much to me as a trans woman. It seems like everyone knows some kind of friend in the LGBT community, or has a family member that is LGBT, and the neighborhood feels like such a safe haven. Much like the colors of the rainbow, the overall tone of the book felt very vibrant and full of color. It made moments of hopelessness and disarray feel that much more impactful and heartbreaking.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖 ⚠️⚠️⚠️
🏀 The characters are also written so considerably well. Starting with Hayley, the protagonist of the book. She is an anxious, love-stricken, mess of a lesbian, but she is so endearing. She has so many moments that really resonated with me; moments that made the book feel that much more real. Her sheer panic and history with liking Leia, and the authentic fear of rejection from her family for her sexuality being the impetus for her fear of losing Talia and her friend group felt so real. That moment in her life, although gradually hinted at throughout the book, really culminated in the scene where she finally tells her mom that she likes Talia, in a beautiful moment between them. Basically every moment between them felt like a warm embrace. Her thought process behind pulling her friends away and being completely avoidant of them amidst her panic was also heart-wrenching. I felt the panic attack she endured during the double date. I felt her moments of blurred helplessness and consternation. Her days of seeing everyone's texts but never replying to them. Her emotions may not make sense to someone who was on the receiving end of it--like her friends--but the sense of understanding is very much prominent after seeing her thought process, and the book does acknowledge it as flawed too. Sometimes people feel like the best thing they can do in situations like this is to avoid everyone in the hopes that the problem will dissipate.
🔐 If there's anything that's a key takeaway from this book that I got, it's that it's never a good thing to bottle up feelings. Leaving anything inside thinking that the problem will go away will only lead to an exponentially uncontrolled avalanche that will affect things even outside of your friendship or relationships. We see this happening with Hayley and how it affected her basketball practice. Her leaving her keys during practice was truly a heart-dropping scene; her team's disappointment and ire towards her in that moment felt awful. I truly felt heartbroken for her in those moments, because it mirrors moments that I went through. Again, it all feels real.
💭 I cannot overstate just how much I enjoyed reading from Hayley's perspective. Something she does throughout the book is fantasize about the future without it even being certain, or have random memories of the past in relation to what she is experiencing. Her emotions are very complex, and she has moments of reflection, remorse, and reconciliation. These moments, such as her coming to terms of jealousy seeing Talia with others, or apologizing to Bri for yelling out at her for an understandable reason after hearing her justification, are highlights of this. Her growth throughout the book is very noticeable, and I am so happy she got the happy ending she deserved--making all of these little considerations to truly have that one-to-one moment with Talia. I was smiling the entire time they confessed their love to each other after the horrifying incident at the party. Their friendship is beyond cute. It truly felt wonderful seeing them help each other out with the strategy, and just be there to comfort one another. It reminded me a lot of the friendship I have with my best friend, who recommended me this book to begin with! The vibrancy of these comforting moments between them truly juxtapose the moments where they are in strife with one another, and that enhances the reading experience for me. It makes instances of resolution feel truly satisfying.
♾️ Talia herself is such a beautifully written character. Major points for her being trans, of course. She is just such a comforting woman, and I'm so happy her identity isn't ever questioned; it's just accepted. The scene where Hayley and Talia are just at the MUNA concert together was so wonderful, and it also felt cathartic for me to read. Having recently been to my first concert, the emotions I have almost perfectly mirrored Hayley's. The scene very realistically displayed the feelings and energy present at this kind of setting. Huge highlight for me, and Talia's autistic traits are also very respectfully written as well! Another highlight I'd love to point out is the texts between her and Hayley on their first day enacting their strategy. The affirmations between them and how they felt similarly despite only seeing Hayley's anxious perspective at first was such a good scene. The fact that she's also a curly black-haired woman-loving-woman also just adds to how much I see myself in her.
🥰 Their friend group is also such a lovely cast of characters! Jacob is such a sweetheart; Kev has humorous moments of his own; Bri and Karina are also very sweet, and looking back I totally see the "breakup" they had as foreshadowing for the fallout Hayley and Talia had, considering they were both stirred by miscommunication. I also loved the scene where Bri talked some sense into Hayley by saying "Fuck Rose." Those two words alone gave that moment so much more power and emphasis, especially enhanced by the shock that came afterward. I loved the moments of everyone being together, supporting one another, and the sheer comfort that exuded from their combined trust.
💕 There's so many other little arcs and coinciding storylines that I thoroughly enjoyed, which will all be laid out in this one section. Hayley has such a delightful family--I especially thought the moment between her mom and dad reminiscing about how they got together was really cute. Sam's frightening conflict of using they/them pronouns was also genuinely so heartfully well-written, and it again had that theme of closing off everyone that loved them. I felt extremely happy for them being accepted. The plot between Hayley and Mel was also so devastating, Mel not working things out with Hayley because she wanted to give her ex another chance (truest wlw moment). The thoughts Hayley had seeing Talia talk with Rose were so accurate, and I'm glad she at least reconciled with her after the double date disaster. Finally, I really enjoyed how Hayley and Sherika's relationship with one another evolved throughout the story. At first it's full of devastation and avoidance, and then overtime it morphs into mutual trust, respect, and appreciation.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⚠️⚠️⚠️
🏳️🌈 Overall, this book is absolutely wonderful. I adore the themes of miscommunication, closing oneself off, emotional fear, friendship, and acceptance that this book comments on. It does it to an exemplary degree. The characters are all incredibly endearing, and I genuinely didn't feel any disdain towards any of them. It made this book that much more of a comfort read for me. The relatable struggles and mannerisms with both Hayley and Talia were also incredibly authentic and made them both meritoriously written characters; I loved them both so much. This is the best possible book I could've started off with, and it really made me fall in love with reading again, just like when I was in middle school. This book is incredibly important to me, and I can see it being immensely important to anyone that is queer and needs characters to relate to, struggles to resonate with, and a comfortable setting to distract themselves in. I cannot string enough high praises for this book enough; it is such a heartwarming and gratifying read!
🌈 This story was genuinely so comforting to read. The amount of representation in this book is immensely abundant, and it matters so much to me as a trans woman. It seems like everyone knows some kind of friend in the LGBT community, or has a family member that is LGBT, and the neighborhood feels like such a safe haven. Much like the colors of the rainbow, the overall tone of the book felt very vibrant and full of color. It made moments of hopelessness and disarray feel that much more impactful and heartbreaking.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖 ⚠️⚠️⚠️
🏀 The characters are also written so considerably well. Starting with Hayley, the protagonist of the book. She is an anxious, love-stricken, mess of a lesbian, but she is so endearing. She has so many moments that really resonated with me; moments that made the book feel that much more real. Her sheer panic and history with liking Leia, and the authentic fear of rejection from her family for her sexuality being the impetus for her fear of losing Talia and her friend group felt so real. That moment in her life, although gradually hinted at throughout the book, really culminated in the scene where she finally tells her mom that she likes Talia, in a beautiful moment between them. Basically every moment between them felt like a warm embrace. Her thought process behind pulling her friends away and being completely avoidant of them amidst her panic was also heart-wrenching. I felt the panic attack she endured during the double date. I felt her moments of blurred helplessness and consternation. Her days of seeing everyone's texts but never replying to them. Her emotions may not make sense to someone who was on the receiving end of it--like her friends--but the sense of understanding is very much prominent after seeing her thought process, and the book does acknowledge it as flawed too. Sometimes people feel like the best thing they can do in situations like this is to avoid everyone in the hopes that the problem will dissipate.
🔐 If there's anything that's a key takeaway from this book that I got, it's that it's never a good thing to bottle up feelings. Leaving anything inside thinking that the problem will go away will only lead to an exponentially uncontrolled avalanche that will affect things even outside of your friendship or relationships. We see this happening with Hayley and how it affected her basketball practice. Her leaving her keys during practice was truly a heart-dropping scene; her team's disappointment and ire towards her in that moment felt awful. I truly felt heartbroken for her in those moments, because it mirrors moments that I went through. Again, it all feels real.
💭 I cannot overstate just how much I enjoyed reading from Hayley's perspective. Something she does throughout the book is fantasize about the future without it even being certain, or have random memories of the past in relation to what she is experiencing. Her emotions are very complex, and she has moments of reflection, remorse, and reconciliation. These moments, such as her coming to terms of jealousy seeing Talia with others, or apologizing to Bri for yelling out at her for an understandable reason after hearing her justification, are highlights of this. Her growth throughout the book is very noticeable, and I am so happy she got the happy ending she deserved--making all of these little considerations to truly have that one-to-one moment with Talia. I was smiling the entire time they confessed their love to each other after the horrifying incident at the party. Their friendship is beyond cute. It truly felt wonderful seeing them help each other out with the strategy, and just be there to comfort one another. It reminded me a lot of the friendship I have with my best friend, who recommended me this book to begin with! The vibrancy of these comforting moments between them truly juxtapose the moments where they are in strife with one another, and that enhances the reading experience for me. It makes instances of resolution feel truly satisfying.
♾️ Talia herself is such a beautifully written character. Major points for her being trans, of course. She is just such a comforting woman, and I'm so happy her identity isn't ever questioned; it's just accepted. The scene where Hayley and Talia are just at the MUNA concert together was so wonderful, and it also felt cathartic for me to read. Having recently been to my first concert, the emotions I have almost perfectly mirrored Hayley's. The scene very realistically displayed the feelings and energy present at this kind of setting. Huge highlight for me, and Talia's autistic traits are also very respectfully written as well! Another highlight I'd love to point out is the texts between her and Hayley on their first day enacting their strategy. The affirmations between them and how they felt similarly despite only seeing Hayley's anxious perspective at first was such a good scene. The fact that she's also a curly black-haired woman-loving-woman also just adds to how much I see myself in her.
🥰 Their friend group is also such a lovely cast of characters! Jacob is such a sweetheart; Kev has humorous moments of his own; Bri and Karina are also very sweet, and looking back I totally see the "breakup" they had as foreshadowing for the fallout Hayley and Talia had, considering they were both stirred by miscommunication. I also loved the scene where Bri talked some sense into Hayley by saying "Fuck Rose." Those two words alone gave that moment so much more power and emphasis, especially enhanced by the shock that came afterward. I loved the moments of everyone being together, supporting one another, and the sheer comfort that exuded from their combined trust.
💕 There's so many other little arcs and coinciding storylines that I thoroughly enjoyed, which will all be laid out in this one section. Hayley has such a delightful family--I especially thought the moment between her mom and dad reminiscing about how they got together was really cute. Sam's frightening conflict of using they/them pronouns was also genuinely so heartfully well-written, and it again had that theme of closing off everyone that loved them. I felt extremely happy for them being accepted. The plot between Hayley and Mel was also so devastating, Mel not working things out with Hayley because she wanted to give her ex another chance (truest wlw moment). The thoughts Hayley had seeing Talia talk with Rose were so accurate, and I'm glad she at least reconciled with her after the double date disaster. Finally, I really enjoyed how Hayley and Sherika's relationship with one another evolved throughout the story. At first it's full of devastation and avoidance, and then overtime it morphs into mutual trust, respect, and appreciation.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⚠️⚠️⚠️
🏳️🌈 Overall, this book is absolutely wonderful. I adore the themes of miscommunication, closing oneself off, emotional fear, friendship, and acceptance that this book comments on. It does it to an exemplary degree. The characters are all incredibly endearing, and I genuinely didn't feel any disdain towards any of them. It made this book that much more of a comfort read for me. The relatable struggles and mannerisms with both Hayley and Talia were also incredibly authentic and made them both meritoriously written characters; I loved them both so much. This is the best possible book I could've started off with, and it really made me fall in love with reading again, just like when I was in middle school. This book is incredibly important to me, and I can see it being immensely important to anyone that is queer and needs characters to relate to, struggles to resonate with, and a comfortable setting to distract themselves in. I cannot string enough high praises for this book enough; it is such a heartwarming and gratifying read!
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