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Hey, Dollface
Sometimes Val and Chloe wondered if their friendship was too close.
Val and Chloe don’t fit in at their fancy private school in Manhattan. Together, they ditch school, visit cemeteries and thrift shops and have sleepovers during which they confide all their secret thoughts. Lately, Val has all kinds of questions. Especially about sex. So Val turns to the two people who have always given her the most honest answers possible: her mother and Chloe. Unfortunately, not even Val’s mother—an adult!—has all the answers. Val starts to think that maybe she’s not “normal” at all. Because she has some other feelings for Chloe. Feelings that she never expected to have. Would Chloe think those feelings were wrong? And her biggest question of all: How do you separate loving someone as a friend and the other kind of love—or do they cross over sometimes?
Acclaimed author Deborah Hautzig’s 1978 novel is an unforgettable exploration of friendship and love—and all the invisible lines that come with them.
Val and Chloe don’t fit in at their fancy private school in Manhattan. Together, they ditch school, visit cemeteries and thrift shops and have sleepovers during which they confide all their secret thoughts. Lately, Val has all kinds of questions. Especially about sex. So Val turns to the two people who have always given her the most honest answers possible: her mother and Chloe. Unfortunately, not even Val’s mother—an adult!—has all the answers. Val starts to think that maybe she’s not “normal” at all. Because she has some other feelings for Chloe. Feelings that she never expected to have. Would Chloe think those feelings were wrong? And her biggest question of all: How do you separate loving someone as a friend and the other kind of love—or do they cross over sometimes?
Acclaimed author Deborah Hautzig’s 1978 novel is an unforgettable exploration of friendship and love—and all the invisible lines that come with them.
151 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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590 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 11, 2007
My mum brought me this home from the library, withdrawn. I don't think she knew what it was about. It's about two girls who are friends but sometimes get a little intimate with each other, basic are we gay, maybe we're not, maybe we're just teenage girls. I was really obsessed with this book and read it over and over, but I always wished they'd just be gay and get together.
October 7, 2021
Ienjoyed this coming of age book on two 15 year old best friends living in NYC and going to the same private girls school that neither of them like or particularly fit in. As I was reading this well written story, I could not place the period it was written in or for, only now seeing that it was indeed written in 1978 which of course amplified the uncertainty of girls maybe liking other girls, even by the adults questioned by our narrator about these 'feelings'.
Good story, likeable characters in this pleasant short novel.
Good story, likeable characters in this pleasant short novel.
June 5, 2007
I remembered this book being a lot more explicit when I first read it at 9 years old than when I re-read it in college. It's not, really, beyond a bit of confused groping.
A relatively realistic portrayal of girl/girl sexual exploration as a teenager. No rainbows, no pride parades, just the awkward, nameless fumbling that many kids do. Very much worth a quick read if you can find a copy, it's been out of print for years.
A relatively realistic portrayal of girl/girl sexual exploration as a teenager. No rainbows, no pride parades, just the awkward, nameless fumbling that many kids do. Very much worth a quick read if you can find a copy, it's been out of print for years.
April 4, 2021
Grade: C+ (as historical fiction or a period piece)
In 1978, sophomores Val and Chloe are new to their private school. Val questions whether the friendship might be something more, in a time when homosexuality was thought to be abnormal.
HEY, DOLLFACE should be viewed as a period piece, because the attitudes about homosexuality are so antiquated, otherwise teens today won't be able to relate to the story. Like narrator Val, I was a sophomore when HEY, DOLLFACE was released. I remember having similar questions, not about a friend, but about my sexuality. It wasn't considered "normal". As a contrast, an adult male hitting on a teenage girl was considered "normal". Like Val, when it happened to me, I never thought to tell an adult, but unlike her, I was too ashamed to tell anyone. What could have been a brave foray into the story of two girls exploring their sexuality confused me as a teen, and felt like a cop out in 2015. I wonder if censors made write Deborah Hautzig change the ending or tone down the lesbian angle.
HEY, DOLLFACE would be a good novel discussion in a history of the LGBT movement or as part of a discussion of then and now. I'm not sure I'd recommend the book to teens if they weren't interested in the how far gay rights have evolved.
THEMES: friendship, homosexuality, history
ETA: I also listened to the audiobook.
In 1978, sophomores Val and Chloe are new to their private school. Val questions whether the friendship might be something more, in a time when homosexuality was thought to be abnormal.
HEY, DOLLFACE should be viewed as a period piece, because the attitudes about homosexuality are so antiquated, otherwise teens today won't be able to relate to the story. Like narrator Val, I was a sophomore when HEY, DOLLFACE was released. I remember having similar questions, not about a friend, but about my sexuality. It wasn't considered "normal". As a contrast, an adult male hitting on a teenage girl was considered "normal". Like Val, when it happened to me, I never thought to tell an adult, but unlike her, I was too ashamed to tell anyone. What could have been a brave foray into the story of two girls exploring their sexuality confused me as a teen, and felt like a cop out in 2015. I wonder if censors made write Deborah Hautzig change the ending or tone down the lesbian angle.
HEY, DOLLFACE would be a good novel discussion in a history of the LGBT movement or as part of a discussion of then and now. I'm not sure I'd recommend the book to teens if they weren't interested in the how far gay rights have evolved.
THEMES: friendship, homosexuality, history
ETA: I also listened to the audiobook.
August 14, 2018
Val starts attending a new school. She is lonely until she meets and befriends a fellow artist, Chloe. Soon the two are inseparable. Val becomes confused about their relationship. Are they too close?
This is the first book I've ever read about the confusion teens face when they feel attracted to a person of their own gender, and it was a powerful and well-told story. It's a tiny bit dated, as it was first published back in the 70's, and I think it would (possibly) be much easier to talk to parents and teachers and others about a same-sex attraction now than it would have been then. Nevertheless, it would be a perfect read for anyone who would like to see what it feels like to be in Val's shoes, full of questions, unsure about who to talk to and what to do.
This is the first book I've ever read about the confusion teens face when they feel attracted to a person of their own gender, and it was a powerful and well-told story. It's a tiny bit dated, as it was first published back in the 70's, and I think it would (possibly) be much easier to talk to parents and teachers and others about a same-sex attraction now than it would have been then. Nevertheless, it would be a perfect read for anyone who would like to see what it feels like to be in Val's shoes, full of questions, unsure about who to talk to and what to do.
April 25, 2015
val and chloe are both new at their swanky prep school, and fast become besties. as they grow closer and share their experiences, they become attracted to each other in a way that is confusing and frightening for both of them. are they perverts? lesbians? just curious? in denial?
i found this when i was weeding the teen fiction section- it is old, beat up, and hadn't gone out in years but i decided to give it one last read. i wasn't super impressed with the writing or dialogue, and the 2 main characters are hilariously naïve, but i found it strangely charming anyhow, in a “this is so ridiculous and out-of-date that I have to love it” kind of away. i mean, the title of the book is "hey, dollface" which in itself is very, very hilarious. also, the author is wearing a necktie in her photo, which is definitely appealing. and i did appreciate hautman's point that people are not necessarily 100% straight or 100% gay.
but- as fun as it was to read, it was definitely time to weed it. the guidance that valerie receives when she asks parents and teachers about homosexuality are too narrow-minded for the present.
i found this when i was weeding the teen fiction section- it is old, beat up, and hadn't gone out in years but i decided to give it one last read. i wasn't super impressed with the writing or dialogue, and the 2 main characters are hilariously naïve, but i found it strangely charming anyhow, in a “this is so ridiculous and out-of-date that I have to love it” kind of away. i mean, the title of the book is "hey, dollface" which in itself is very, very hilarious. also, the author is wearing a necktie in her photo, which is definitely appealing. and i did appreciate hautman's point that people are not necessarily 100% straight or 100% gay.
but- as fun as it was to read, it was definitely time to weed it. the guidance that valerie receives when she asks parents and teachers about homosexuality are too narrow-minded for the present.
March 30, 2012
this is a re-read....this was my fav book in my preteen years and I had forgotton so much of it....I was surprised to realise on hindsight how much this book had influenced me... I was absolutely chloe :) an excellent book, I would highly recommend.
October 29, 2019
The close friendship between two high school girls leads to same-sex attraction.
"How do you separate loving as a friend and sexual love — or do they cross over sometimes?"
Although it is incredibly tame by modern standards, this story was probably ahead of its time in the 1970s when it was published. Val and Chloe are kindred spirits, and they quickly become close friends. When a same-sex attraction develops between them, they question and explore, but ultimately neither redefines herself as gay ... at least not within the confines of the novel.
The tone of the story is gentle and thoughtful rather than fraught. The high school drama is relatively low key, and there is a lot of introspection and rumination. Despite being a bit dated, this is still an excellent story for young people who may be questioning or curious. It's unique in that it focuses on same sex-attraction between two individuals who continue to self-identify as straight, which introduces the idea that one can experience these feelings and even have a same-sex relationship within having to define oneself as one thing or another.
"How do you separate loving as a friend and sexual love — or do they cross over sometimes?"
Although it is incredibly tame by modern standards, this story was probably ahead of its time in the 1970s when it was published. Val and Chloe are kindred spirits, and they quickly become close friends. When a same-sex attraction develops between them, they question and explore, but ultimately neither redefines herself as gay ... at least not within the confines of the novel.
The tone of the story is gentle and thoughtful rather than fraught. The high school drama is relatively low key, and there is a lot of introspection and rumination. Despite being a bit dated, this is still an excellent story for young people who may be questioning or curious. It's unique in that it focuses on same sex-attraction between two individuals who continue to self-identify as straight, which introduces the idea that one can experience these feelings and even have a same-sex relationship within having to define oneself as one thing or another.
October 9, 2022
I read this book for a paper I'm writing on the representation of lesbians in YA literature of the 70s and this was a very interesting and pleasant read.
March 3, 2018
How do you separate loving as a friend and sexual love—or do they cross over sometimes? (loc. 1744)
This was first published in 1978 and really has to be viewed through that historical lens. In the present day it’s a little eye-rolling—the book treats this idea of blurred lines between friendship and romance as revolutionary, and it reads as pretty simplistic. But for 1978…here you have two girls who are able to navigate some degree of queer attraction within a friendship and come out of it stronger and without a particular need for hard-and-fast labels. That’s not a half-bad outcome for any decade.
This was first published in 1978 and really has to be viewed through that historical lens. In the present day it’s a little eye-rolling—the book treats this idea of blurred lines between friendship and romance as revolutionary, and it reads as pretty simplistic. But for 1978…here you have two girls who are able to navigate some degree of queer attraction within a friendship and come out of it stronger and without a particular need for hard-and-fast labels. That’s not a half-bad outcome for any decade.
December 11, 2024
I was looking for a particular book I read as a tween and thought it might have been Annie on My Mind, but a reread proved it was not--though I read that one as a kid too. What I was looking for was, in memory, bitchier and more tragic than Annie. Commenter Rainbowheart suggested it might be this book, and I was very grateful for the suggestion.
I read/inhaled this book immediately and it was indeed the one I was thinking of. A pair of teenage girls in NYC bond over a shared sense of alienation and become very close. I read this at 12 or maybe 13, when the idea of homosexuality was somewhat opaque to me but also seemed relevant. Now, on reread, this story is much less romantic and fraught than I remember. When I read this originally, it was almost certainly the first time I read about a girl putting her hand on another girl's breast, and while that's literally all that happens, it seemed erotic beyond measure. I remembered the girls having a fight, a break-up, and that isn't in evidence on reread. I recalled that Chloe plays tennis with a BOY, and it's a huge betrayal, except that isn't even remotely how it happens. Basically, my 12-year-old self created huge drama out of this story, and I remembered it that way for over 40 years, and it's just not that overblown.
I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to reread a book that had a huge impact on me as a young person, even though the impact seems to have been somewhat embellished by my 12-year-old perspective.
I read/inhaled this book immediately and it was indeed the one I was thinking of. A pair of teenage girls in NYC bond over a shared sense of alienation and become very close. I read this at 12 or maybe 13, when the idea of homosexuality was somewhat opaque to me but also seemed relevant. Now, on reread, this story is much less romantic and fraught than I remember. When I read this originally, it was almost certainly the first time I read about a girl putting her hand on another girl's breast, and while that's literally all that happens, it seemed erotic beyond measure. I remembered the girls having a fight, a break-up, and that isn't in evidence on reread. I recalled that Chloe plays tennis with a BOY, and it's a huge betrayal, except that isn't even remotely how it happens. Basically, my 12-year-old self created huge drama out of this story, and I remembered it that way for over 40 years, and it's just not that overblown.
I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to reread a book that had a huge impact on me as a young person, even though the impact seems to have been somewhat embellished by my 12-year-old perspective.
September 23, 2015
Val is the new girl at school. She's trying to make friends, but it's difficult. But then she meets Chloe, with whom she instantly clicks. They become best friends and tell each other everything. Val begins to realize that she's developing feelings for Chloe, but she's not sure how to tell her. She doesn't want to scare her, but she wants to find out if Chloe feels the same.
A tender, realistic story that would appeal to the teens of today, even though it was written a long time ago. Val is a relatable character - both naive and sophisticated, and Chloe is charming. Their tale of friendship will resonate with many readers questioning their own thoughts and feelings.
A tender, realistic story that would appeal to the teens of today, even though it was written a long time ago. Val is a relatable character - both naive and sophisticated, and Chloe is charming. Their tale of friendship will resonate with many readers questioning their own thoughts and feelings.
October 9, 2008
This one catches you off guard because you just can't believe you're reading something so sweet and heartbreaking about two girls falling for each other, that doesn't end up making you hurl.
Sometimes I want to scream the name "Chloe Fox" like Kirk in The Wrath of Khan
"FOOOOOOOOOOOXXXX!!!"
Sometimes I want to scream the name "Chloe Fox" like Kirk in The Wrath of Khan
"FOOOOOOOOOOOXXXX!!!"
December 16, 2011
so there's enough that i liked about the book (thrift store shopping, strange fashion of preppies looking grunge-y, NYC, prep school...) that i can give it 3 stars. but being written in 78, the dated advice received by the main character is frustrating and sometimes offensive. so it's a soft 3 stars. not exactly recommendable.
December 3, 2018
I probably read this book at least 100 times between junior high and high school. It's where I first saw the name Chloe and had no idea how to pronounce it since comparing it to Phoebe another name I couldn't pronounce did very little to assist.
Cue a lifelong obsession with New York and art school girls.
Cue a lifelong obsession with New York and art school girls.
November 3, 2023
i read this when i was figuring out my sexuality and it was the most accurate representation that i could find at the time (years ago) and it still holds a place in my heart
May 5, 2023
This is my second time reading this book and I honestly still really enjoyed it, just not as much as the first time. This book is defiantly dated. The views on LGBTQ+ relationships and thoughts are, well, uhm, let's just say they're time period appropriate. Val's thoughts are seen as abnormal and she doesn't know how to feel about her friend Chloe. This book may have been good for its time, but it's just so dated that it's almost laughable. The main motif I found was the journey of self-realization. This entire book consists of Val trying to figure out the difference between love in a romantic and platonic way. Honestly, for the time, I would give it 4.5 stars, but given, yk, how it's 2023 and not 1978, I had to knock it down to 3. I'd only really recommend this book to someone who would be interested in reading it as more of a relic rather than a book to help them find themself.
August 5, 2018
Definitely a dated coming-of-age story. The writing was all over the place and confusing. I had a difficult time connecting with the leads or understanding their all-of-a-sudden attraction. This is one of the first lesbian-themed YA novels and it's definitely showing its age. I'm glad I read it for that historic perspective, however this is no breakthrough in writing. For that, I'll simply re-read the vastly superior Annie on My Mind.
Read
January 4, 2025hell yeah first book of 2025 out of print teen lesbians. surprisingly sweet and charming . was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness used around their budding sexuality
May 14, 2025
I think we all went through this as girls
This book is heavy reading for young adults but it’s needed. I think all girls face these kinds of issues as adolescents. Girls need to know they aren’t weird for having feelings that scare them. It’s an important book.
This book is heavy reading for young adults but it’s needed. I think all girls face these kinds of issues as adolescents. Girls need to know they aren’t weird for having feelings that scare them. It’s an important book.
September 24, 2019
I’m joining a YA book club and reminded why I haven’t joined a book club before. I have to read books other people pick. Ugh. This was drab and outdated.
January 9, 2020
The writing is decent enough but the story is lackluster. And it’s definitely dated at this point. Much preferred Annie on my Mind.
December 29, 2022
Le doy un 3.5
No me mata la historia pero fue una lectura muyyyy fresca, ligera y que me hizo recordar a mi yo de 12-14 años.
Muy recomendable
No me mata la historia pero fue una lectura muyyyy fresca, ligera y que me hizo recordar a mi yo de 12-14 años.
Muy recomendable
June 4, 2025
cutesy little quick read of somewhat coming of age lesbians, very late 1970s and always interesting to read pre-aids crisis queer literature
September 29, 2020
I read this when I was a young almost teenager... I remember being a little confused. I did 'like' it though. the story itself made sense and I liked the fact that it felt more 'real' to me. My mum gave it to me... made me wonder what she thought. Though, I should say... I read an awful lot and my mum was bringing books home all the time, so it may've been that it was just another young teens that she thought I might like.
May 23, 2020
This raiting is purely subjective. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing too bad with this book, but somewhere in the middle, I just got bored.
September 5, 2014
Deborah Hautzig’s HEY, DOLLFACE was originally published in 1978, and there’s a patina of nostalgia that permeates the story. Valerie Hoffman is a tenth grader at a new private school in New York City when she meets fellow newcomer Chloe Fox. From the start, Val is intrigued by Chloe’s name, and it becomes clear very quickly that the two of them have an awful lot in common. By Christmas, they are the closest of friends, sharing sleepovers, excursions into the city, and dreams of running off and becoming gypsies together. But when Val begins having daydreams about Chloe, she begins to wonder what it means. Could her feelings for Chloe be sexual, and could Chloe be having those same feelings for her?
I use the word “nostalgia” in describing this book because it reminded me very much of my own high school days in the late 1960’s. There are references to watching the Million Dollar Movie on TV, going to Woolworths, and reading about actress Hayley Mills. There’s also something charmingly innocent about Val and Chloe and their blossoming relationship. They do talk about boys (both of them have dates during the course of their sophomore year), but most of their attention is definitely on each other. The question posed by the novel is one Val tries desperately to find an answer for: Do the feelings she’s having for Chloe mean she’s perverted (i.e. a homosexual)? Hautzig’s point is that people shouldn’t be defined by any particular feelings they may have, nor should they be labeled as one thing or another based on what other people think. As Chloe puts it, “We don’t have to fit into any slots. So let’s stop trying.”
Ultimately, I got a kick out of HEY, DOLLFACE because of all the memories it stirred up about my own coming-of-age. These days (and let’s be honest, a lot has changed in the lives of teenagers over the past 35 years) most sixteen-year-olds have had a lot more sexual experiences than either Val or Chloe have had. Their relationship, and their outlook on sex and love, seems charmingly innocent when juxtaposed against today’s much more fractured, media-saturated world. Neither Val nor Chloe have cell phones (which won’t become commonplace for twenty years), and neither of them has ever heard of “texting” and “Tweeting” and “Facebook.” It’s nice to read a book about teenagers that really is about face-to-face relationships and genuine feelings.
That said, HEY, DOLLFACE doesn’t try to explore the reality of a homosexual relationship. Whatever Val and Chloe feel for one another, they are not lesbians (at least not yet). Hautzig’s goal is to affirm for her readers that deep and powerful feelings are part of what love is all about, whether they’re for your best girlfriend or the guy you’re crushing on. There’s nothing perverted or wrong in loving your best friend – even in holding her, kissing her, and daydreaming about her. These aren’t things most teens can talk easily about, which makes this novel important – even if it does seem a few decades out of date. Val and Chloe’s story is a powerful and believable one, and their relationship – including all of the fear and excitement it entails – is one that is as meaningful today as it was in 1978.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
I use the word “nostalgia” in describing this book because it reminded me very much of my own high school days in the late 1960’s. There are references to watching the Million Dollar Movie on TV, going to Woolworths, and reading about actress Hayley Mills. There’s also something charmingly innocent about Val and Chloe and their blossoming relationship. They do talk about boys (both of them have dates during the course of their sophomore year), but most of their attention is definitely on each other. The question posed by the novel is one Val tries desperately to find an answer for: Do the feelings she’s having for Chloe mean she’s perverted (i.e. a homosexual)? Hautzig’s point is that people shouldn’t be defined by any particular feelings they may have, nor should they be labeled as one thing or another based on what other people think. As Chloe puts it, “We don’t have to fit into any slots. So let’s stop trying.”
Ultimately, I got a kick out of HEY, DOLLFACE because of all the memories it stirred up about my own coming-of-age. These days (and let’s be honest, a lot has changed in the lives of teenagers over the past 35 years) most sixteen-year-olds have had a lot more sexual experiences than either Val or Chloe have had. Their relationship, and their outlook on sex and love, seems charmingly innocent when juxtaposed against today’s much more fractured, media-saturated world. Neither Val nor Chloe have cell phones (which won’t become commonplace for twenty years), and neither of them has ever heard of “texting” and “Tweeting” and “Facebook.” It’s nice to read a book about teenagers that really is about face-to-face relationships and genuine feelings.
That said, HEY, DOLLFACE doesn’t try to explore the reality of a homosexual relationship. Whatever Val and Chloe feel for one another, they are not lesbians (at least not yet). Hautzig’s goal is to affirm for her readers that deep and powerful feelings are part of what love is all about, whether they’re for your best girlfriend or the guy you’re crushing on. There’s nothing perverted or wrong in loving your best friend – even in holding her, kissing her, and daydreaming about her. These aren’t things most teens can talk easily about, which makes this novel important – even if it does seem a few decades out of date. Val and Chloe’s story is a powerful and believable one, and their relationship – including all of the fear and excitement it entails – is one that is as meaningful today as it was in 1978.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
October 9, 2014
It's hard to rate this book. As a relic, I might rate it higher; as a story now I might rate it lower. I went somewhere in-between.
A look at life, falling for friends, and romantic/sexual tension between two female best friends.
In a way it feels like a full-circle. This book mentions the moral issues of homosexuality--or at least the ambiguity of beliefs about it--and what gives the words surrounding it a negative connotation. In the time since, many of those words were re-claimed and have been used with pride.
But currently there seems to be a growing group out there who are back to preferring no labels, which tends to look on occasion like what Chloe and Val had, although they specified "not lovers"--but that is in one moment of teenage thought, and who is to say for the future? The book doesn't; it stops rather abruptly after that.
From my current perspective in my little queer bubble, it almost looks like reading a modern look on not using labels. How to be two not-straight-but-please-no-labels girls with Feelings and Attraction between you. It was a little surreal to find myself thinking that: two very different pictures of young queerness that, through enough time and changes within a movement, come to look a little similar.
And then there's me in the middle going "Oh, what's wrong with calling a spade a spade? Just kiss and make up already!" But of course if they were my teens I would be supportive and empowering and yada yada yada. As a reader I get to shake my fist and roll my eyes, thankfully, or else I might explode.
A look at life, falling for friends, and romantic/sexual tension between two female best friends.
In a way it feels like a full-circle. This book mentions the moral issues of homosexuality--or at least the ambiguity of beliefs about it--and what gives the words surrounding it a negative connotation. In the time since, many of those words were re-claimed and have been used with pride.
But currently there seems to be a growing group out there who are back to preferring no labels, which tends to look on occasion like what Chloe and Val had, although they specified "not lovers"--but that is in one moment of teenage thought, and who is to say for the future? The book doesn't; it stops rather abruptly after that.
From my current perspective in my little queer bubble, it almost looks like reading a modern look on not using labels. How to be two not-straight-but-please-no-labels girls with Feelings and Attraction between you. It was a little surreal to find myself thinking that: two very different pictures of young queerness that, through enough time and changes within a movement, come to look a little similar.
And then there's me in the middle going "Oh, what's wrong with calling a spade a spade? Just kiss and make up already!" But of course if they were my teens I would be supportive and empowering and yada yada yada. As a reader I get to shake my fist and roll my eyes, thankfully, or else I might explode.
July 29, 2019
It was around then I began to realize that there was some current between Chloe and me that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before; it was a vague, clouded feeling that I couldn’t quite place or identify. It didn’t happen all of a sudden; it was more like moments of dim awareness, followed by a gradual recognition that it was there without my understanding what it was.
Deborah Hautzig’s Hey, Dollface, written while she was a student at Sarah Lawrence College, was originally published in 1978, one of the first books of its kind. I’ve only ever seen it on one list of LGBTQIAP+ YA, although it was just reprinted in 2010 (and subsequently released as an ebook) — it’s been largely overshadowed by Nancy Gardner’s Annie on My Mind (which deserves the recognition it gets). I would most likely never have found it if my father hadn’t left a copy of it on my bed in mid-2011. It’s a very short read: my paperback copy from 1980 is only 118 pages.
(You can read the rest of my review at YA Pride.)
Deborah Hautzig’s Hey, Dollface, written while she was a student at Sarah Lawrence College, was originally published in 1978, one of the first books of its kind. I’ve only ever seen it on one list of LGBTQIAP+ YA, although it was just reprinted in 2010 (and subsequently released as an ebook) — it’s been largely overshadowed by Nancy Gardner’s Annie on My Mind (which deserves the recognition it gets). I would most likely never have found it if my father hadn’t left a copy of it on my bed in mid-2011. It’s a very short read: my paperback copy from 1980 is only 118 pages.
(You can read the rest of my review at YA Pride.)
December 2, 2025
I found this book in one of many boxes abandoned in a storage room at our church for an upcoming book sale (of all places), when I was around 12 or so (1984?), and read it a million times. The original cover was very 70's, and this book was awesome, especially since I've always been a confused Chloe. Not sure why people keep complaining about how antiquated the presentation of LGBTQIA+ teen issues are, when it was WRITTEN IN 1978. Of course they were....Hey Dollface is a time capsule. Also, old YA books about the queer community are valuable to show our kids and grandkids and say, "Look how far we've come over the past four decades" and "Imagine how far we can go in the next four."
The writing is poetic, descriptions are killer, characters are imperfect and intriguing. There are no Mary Sues. The setting of NYC in 1978 written in "real time" is magical.
It's also a bold move to have an imperfect ending. YA love stories are so scared to not have the HEA anymore.
The writing is poetic, descriptions are killer, characters are imperfect and intriguing. There are no Mary Sues. The setting of NYC in 1978 written in "real time" is magical.
It's also a bold move to have an imperfect ending. YA love stories are so scared to not have the HEA anymore.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews