Juniper Lane

by Dylan Morrison, quaedam (Illustrator)

Mim Robinson never expected to find herself back on Juniper Lane, the opulent suburban street where she spent one hazy childhood summer, nor to be taken in by her aunt after a nasty break-up. She certainly didn't expect to find herself striking up a strange, unexpected friendship with the intimidating Nadia Bahjat, the only other twenty-something on the street. But now that she's here, Mim thinks she might just do anything to stay – no matter the cost.

Meanwhile, Nadia, a professional chef and a perennial disappointment to her parents, has been forced by her father's illness to return to Barn Ridge, Ohio. Though she loathes her wealthy, seemingly perfect neighbors as much as she always has, she's increasingly finding her growing friendship with Mim a balm to heal old wounds. But the longer she stays on Juniper Lane, the more she begins to suspect that when it comes to her family, not all is as it seems.

An innovatively structured queer romance that encompasses both a cutting satire of suburban American life and a nuanced depiction of the psychological aftermath of abuse, Juniper Lane is a moving paean to the freedom of embracing the chaotic uncertainty of adulthood.

Genres: LGBT, Queer, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Lesbian, Adult

289 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2016

Reviews

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

rep: bi mc, poc lesbian li

OOH HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH

my favourite thing tho?? apart from this being a love story btwn a lesbian of color & a bi girl ofc (they actually used! the b word!)!! and apart from this being such a btf tale of growing up & childhood nostalgia & finding urself... so my favourite thing is how they were both broken & yet didn't wait for the other to save her but rather: they each were the push the other needed to save herself

[autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd read:
i really cant recommend this highly enough. if you like gay ladies, if you like richly developed characters growing up and growing together, if you like beautiful, beautiful prose, i promise you'll love this book (almost as much as i do).

1st read:
dylan morrison is my favorite author ever oh my god. this book was so beautiful; the characters, the language, the falling in and out and in again - everything about this book was just absolutely gorgeous.

[Lauren James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and romantic in a hazy summer kind of way. Intensely character focused, with a great critique of suburban America. I really enjoyed this one. Good work again, Big Bang Press!

[Sofia Soter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy when I got the book, and I am even happier now that I've read it. After years of reading Dylan’s fiction online, it was touching to read this amazing novel, chock full of what makes everything he writes so incredible - interesting characters (so flawed, so confused, so real), beautiful prose, the right balance of drama & fun. Thank you, Big Bang Press!

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

it took me a long time to read this book. basically a whole month. this is not a long book and i am not a particularly slow reader. if i'd sat down and read, i could have devoured it in an afternoon if i wanted. but... i wanted it to last. i needed to take my time reading this story. savouring it was part of reading it for me. i needed this book. it came at a perfect time in my life, and i relate to it more than i knew i would going in. i... i don't actually have all the words to explain right now. i might need to sit with it a bit longer. but, i am so happy it exists. i am so happy i have my own copy that i can go back to over and over whenever i want. this book is lovely, and important, and just... hit the fucking spot at the exact right moment.

please read this book. it is beyond lovely. and painful. and it begs to be read.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mim is running away from her life and ends up in Juniper Lane. Nadia is forced to come home to Juniper Lane. They meet and it's pretty much hate at first sight. A meetnotcute if you will. Until it isn't.

I have to confess that I am incredibly tired of lgbtq media having to be about this whole coming out sob story. Not that it isn't hard or an important story but to me representation is seeing people like me in every day stories. In just a regular life doing regular things. Dealing with more than just their sexuality. We have jobs, exes, and drama with family that has nothing to do with our sexuality.

And that is exactly what Juniper Lane is. Their is no dramatic gay reveal or how to deal with the fallout after. Nadia and Mim's sexuality is almost incidental. The story is about two women and how they find each other just when they need it the most. It's also about family and the guilt that comes with it no matter how hard you try. And how you can't come home again.

It's a short book but so much is neatly crammed in that it feels longer. In the best way. Every character is note perfect, each one fully fleshed out to be real people you've probably met. It's also hilarious and I still laugh a little when I think about the cat scene.

And the writing is beautiful. There are phrases that I want to steal and repeat to people. Kady Morrison has a brilliant way with words. It's great storytelling but also really great writing. The way she chooses words and phrases to fit the story are perfect.

Definitely recommend.

[DeLani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really going to miss these characters. Even though the resolution of the novel was so satisfying, I would have been happy to continue reading about their lives' for months after the book's end.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: Jewish bi mc, Arab American lesbian mc, Black side character

CWs: past toxic relationship

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

quién está llorando yo no estoy llorando tú estás llorando
(omfg este libro es tan LINDO)

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 estrelas!

Juniper Lane foi indicação da Jú, que tem um gosto literário muito parecido com o meu, então pra ser sincera, eu já sabia que eu ia gostar. Não tinha o que dar errado, com a premissa do livro e a indicação dela. E não deu mesmo!

Esse é um livro que trabalha bastante o desenvolvimento das personagens. Cada capítulo é em um mês, e a história inteira acontece ao longo de dez meses. Claro que algumas coisas mais importantes vão acontecendo, mas assim, não tem um enredo muito cheio de coisa. O que importa aqui é conhecer as personagens, como elas se relacionam, e o amor que surge entre elas.

No início, pensei que a personagem principal seria a Mim. O primeiro capítulo (todos são em 3ª pessoa) era da perspectiva dela, e não sei, ela me deu ares de protagonista. Mas terminando a leitura, sinceramente, acho que quem ficou no centro das atenções foi mesmo a Nadia, com sua história familiar complicada, as coisas que tem que aguentar pela família, e como isso acaba de certa forma afetando sua relação com a Mim.

Assim, é um livro lindo. O romance é slow burn - beeem lento -, mas quando acontece, a única reação possível é falar um "awwww" e desejar tudo de bom pra esse casal. São duas mulheres reais, no sentido de que consigo imaginá-las num mundo real, com suas dores, suas cicatrizes, e elas se "curando" juntas.

E para finalizar, gostaria de fazer uma menção honrosa às ilustrações entre os capítulos, que são muito bonitas, e ajudaram a imaginar as personagens e algumas das cenas narradas.

[K Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, gentle, rather lovely romance between two women deeply hemmed in by who other people think they are and want them to be. The book moves at a slow, deliberate pace that really worked for me -- I found myself absorbed almost without realising it, and every step of the love story resonated with me.

[Glyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edit as of May 2021 — btw the author is a trans-man and uses he/him! I updated my review to use his current pronouns.

Old review beings:

This is a good book -- but not a very good romance novel. (if I could, I'd give it 2.5 stars because I feel like my massive 'eh'ness towards it overpowers most good feelings)

Some context: this is a piece of queer fiction published via a kickstarter project, which aimed to give fanfic authors a chance to publish their own original work. The author is this book is known by the web handle "gyzym," and I have been reading his work since 2005.

So, needless to say, I had a "shut up and take my money" reaction when I heard that they were publishing his stuff. In the past, he wrote some gorgeous reworked fairy tales, and I still wish I had a print copy of them.

This... isn't nearly as good.

Don't get me wrong -- there's good stuff in here. One particular scene, of two women having a shouting match over one's murder-cat, had me chuckling to myself. In general, I enjoy the take-that attitude towards wealthy suburbanites. Another good moment is lead woman B wearing a Halloween costume to compliment that of lead woman A, which I found very sweet.

I just wish there was more romance. It feels like an afterthought, developed in the margins. The book ends (spoilers, I guess) with a kiss between the two and tentative plans for a road trip.

In fact, what I found quite upsetting, is how lead woman A spends a significant chunk of the book having an affair with a married man. Which I find kind of gross (especially since it's later described as him using her as a toy which he throws away when he gets bored), and it's off-putting that the book handles it in such a blase manner. I know she does it to get over her abusive ex, but it still makes her kind of a shitty person, so I'm surprised that she's supposed to be one of our leads. Frankly, I feel like the other woman (the one I refer to as lead woman B) deserves better.

Plus I was upset by the lack of discussion about the fact that lead woman A has massive untreated anxiety issues. Apologizing all the time isn't healthy, and it isn't ok, and I'm disconcerted that it isn't really addressed.

Also lead woman B exhibits some meanness towards bi women/biphobia (looking back with regret about her 'fucking so many bicurious women' or some such) which I found bewildering, considering the author himself is bi. Which, on that note, lead woman A comes off as incredibly straight until she mentions "oh btw I'm bi" and even then, she just... doesn't feel like it.

Uhhh what else... There's some interesting stuff here, I imagine, about moving past an abusive partner -- or would be, if I didn't dislike the character so much. The book also has lead woman B struggling with her emotionally abusive parents, though I feel like this isn't really solved or on the path to being ok one day, by the end of the book.

Oh and I wish the illustrations were in colour. I know that'd be super expensive but I feel like they're not nearly as impressive in black and white.

So, yep. My overwhelming feelings towards this book is to be let down. I'm curious to see if this author gets more original stuff published -- he’s won my loyalty to a point that I'll still read whatever original stuff he does next (not his fanfic anymore, because his current otp is a NOTP of mine).

EDIT: I FORGOT TO ADD but the entire book is center-justified which... is kind of terrible at times. it results in the text l o o k i n g l i k e t h i s so short sentences can fit in the same space as the other paragraphs. It means the ebook is actually unreadable. also I found a typo at one point. so that's sure a thing.

(p.s. I made a new shelf - 'technically romance', because it's not romantic slop, but it also isn't good romance so it doesn't deserve a spot on my 'legit romance novels' shelf)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Words can't express my delight at a queer romance - one where nobody dies or has an Angsty coming out even. Certainly there's a place for that, but it wasn't what I wanted and I'm glad Kady Morrison didn't go there. Instead we get two young women in my own age range struggling to handle personal issus in their lives and finding just one safe place for themselves with each other. The backdrop is a ridiculous suburban rich-person neighborhood that neither fits into very well for various reasons but which they both have to deal with.

What I really liked about Juniper Lane is that the struggles the girls went through are very relate able and, well, messy. There's no wand waving that can fix Nadia's relationship with her parents, no magic healing cock - or vagina in this case - that can make Mim get over the abusive relationship she'd recently escaped. They struggle with these things and any successes or failures they make are their own choices, their own flawed but determined attempts to cope. The friendship and love they find help them, certainly, but at no point is there a moment where Mim confronts Nadia's parents for her or where Nadia tells Mim to avoid someone she thinks Mim is stupidly hanging off of. They just let one another make their own choices and try to be there for each other how they can be. I appreciated that.

The more minor negative of the book was that typos cropped up pretty frequently, to the point I think I'll take a pen to my copy next time I read it. Sucks to those of you who exclusively got the ebook, but at least they're not TOO jarring. Given te delay between the release of the first Big Bang Press book's release and this one, I assume there had been some sort of issues that cropped up in production and that edits fell a bit to the wayside to just get the book out. Oh well. I found the story worth it enough to just move on.

Another thing though for those who've read it. Was mrs. Warwick supposed to be named Diane or Donna? I noted the switch but was too lazy to flip back and check. Am I mixing two characters up or did the woman really rotate her first name halfway through the book?

Anyway - ultimately I would recommend this book, particularly to struggling 20-something's and high schoolers who could do with some truthful acknowledgement of the struggles life can bring, especially within your personal relationships. And especially for high schoolers or middle schoolers or whoever who, like my younger self, would've liked to read a book like this where two women can find love in each other.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading online works by Morrison for years now, and there's a very distinct way she's able to gut-punch you with her words, that this book delivers in abundance. I was kind of uncertain about the first few chapters (honestly probably b/c overidentifying with Mim, orz), but once you really start getting a sense of the characters and what makes them tick, it takes off.

It feels like a very personal piece of work, which doesn't just refer to the subject matter, but also in how it's handled — with empathy, with a sense of commiseration. Yeah, people can be so petty, weird, messed up, and disconnected. But those connections can be built and fostered, and ultimately thrive.

(quaedam's illustrations, as always, have a lovely solid feeling to them — heavily defined lines and shapes, with flat but evocative colors... I really need to take a look at them not on my phone, haha)

(cw references to sexual assault, drug abuse, emotional abuse(?))

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I was so excited to read this book because I adore the author's style. Mim and Nadia were flawed in different ways and I really enjoyed seeing them grow together.

[Willow L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has written one of the best pieces of fiction, let alone fanfiction, I've ever read. "What We Pretend We Can't See", a Drarry masterpiece. I was so excited to find out that he's written a book, and one I could buy! It was fantastic to slip into Dylan's writing again, and to learn about this little town and all these characters. I especially loved the representation for all kinds of identities. I also loved the art through the book! Very pretty!!

However, despite how much I appreciate a good grey character, complex women, and taking the piss out of suburban rich fuckers, I found the pacing of this book to be troubling. It alternated between really slow and really fast, ultimately being a slowburn romance between the two main characters, but depicted in such an odd way. And they say show don't tell, but I think this book did too much showing, and not enough telling. I think it lacked detail in places, and just...necessary context in others. The first time Gale is introduced, Mim somehow already knows her first name despite never being told? That's just one awkward example. I think dual POVs was a great choice for this, but I just wish this book was longer and more fleshed out. It would have easily made it more of a stand out 4 stars than a pretty basic 3. Enjoyable, fun, lovely prose, but ultimately lacking in detail and proper pacing.

[Adi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't really what I was expecting. I thought it would be a romance novel--I don't know what gave me that impression (maybe the fact that it says "romance" in the description), but instead it's mostly a character study of two people, plus a whole lot of the most basic social commentary you've ever read. It's like, suburbia is bad and fake. I got it the first dozen times; you really don't need to repeat it roughly three times a chapter.

But I guess my main problem was that I didn't care about the characters. They just... did not feel like real people. I've sat here for a few minutes now trying to pinpoint what exactly it was that Mim and Nadia were missing, and I think my conclusion is that, just like in Wuthering Heights, it seemed like the author came up with a story/character arc, and then just wrote whatever they needed to in order to fill in the blanks, without bothering to really flesh out the details in a way that would make it seem realistic. That kind of thing works fine in a fun romance novel, but not so much when you're trying to write a serious character study.

Anyway I didn't, like, actively dislike this book. It was just kind of boring and basic, so two stars.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for having some really good emotional through lines at the core of this book. The way that Mim and Nadia had to evolve around their hardships was really well done and properly painful and messy. A lot of the rest of the book felt like it relied on a set of story beats that were assumed more than they were shown. I just felt like there could have been more sinew in developing people’s relationships beyond the big emotional moments - particularly Nadia and Mim’s. It would have been easy to cut a lot of the parts of this book that are meant to be satirical about rich suburban living. Saying that socialites can have shallow lives and concerns isn’t saying anything new, even if there’s a bit of depth thrown in there at the end, ish. Also the writing was beautiful but often had just one too many clauses to the extent I got lost in sentences.

[Allie Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! It’s a fun romp that deals with serious topics in a way that’s nuanced, humanizing, heart-achey and funny. My copy has multiple dog ears from pages that described a hard-to-pin-down, familiar feeling so accurately and specifically that I felt seen and like I needed to be save that passage so I could come back to it over and over later on. I’m also a sucker for an ensemble comedy/ Gilmore Girls-esque pack of side characters in a community, and I’m so glad I spent time with every one of these characters while reading this book this summer. I miss it already and can’t wait for the next book by Dylan Morrison!

[Merrilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think about this book regularly and I have since I first read it several years ago. It's just such a stunning achievement of a book. I love it so, so, so much. I have never felt so seen as I had reading this. Please, please, please read this book. I can not recommend it enough. I nothing I can say is as good as the words inside it.

[Soph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more from this book! The ending wasn’t very satisfying, a lot still felt unresolved. I also could very much tell that this writer was on Tumblr during a particular era of fanfiction. The style was so obvious in the writing!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt real and sad

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

sometimes your favourite fanfiction author writes a novel and it's perfect. not often! but that's what happened here.

[Bryn]

This just did not grab me, although I can imagine it might work well for younger readers. [Jan 2020]

[Mazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

delightful and aching and warm

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t get into the book enough to give it a review.

[Raeven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that feels like falling in love in your small hometown during a hazy, long summer

[mari 🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wish it had a little bit more of a plot but i thought the characters were done well!! specifically i really like how both of the mcs resolved their own internal issues before the romance really blossomed, anyways not really something i would read again but it was def entertaining!

[Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me with strong mixed feelings! In general, I adored the things it clearly wanted to do and it had good writing, but something about it really didn't work for me. While I love to think about this story and how it looks from the back, I hated the experience of reading it. The illustrations by quaedam were gorgeous.

The theme from the first few pages on until the end is abusive relationships (domestic partners, friendship, family). It starts with Mim on the aftermath of leaving an abusing relationship then planes over other types of relationship, going through all the ugly and awkward shades of estrangement, self-worth, self-destruction, mirroring abuse onto others, discovery and recovery. The end goal is firmly about healing and building new ties.

The characters are well written, intentionally damaged and feel fully humans. However, I also disliked reading each and every character as well as their interactions with each other. What was probably meant as a "getting off the wrong foot" meet-cute felt hateful. Banter sounded like unidirectional insults, making one side look just a bit too mean and the other just a bit too desperate for me to appreciate any of it. The satire of suburban wealth felt caricaturist in an otherwise balanced writing of flawed things. There were sometimes too many suspension points in dialogues but other times gorgeous images within overall solid writing. Romance-wise, it took me the whole book to start to accept the main relationship as a budging friendship between very hurt people, but I couldn't find it in me to cheer for it even though I initially read this book thirsting for F/F romance.

What elevated this book was all the characters' personnal roads to self-assertion and steps towards recovery, uncertainty and awkwardness and all. I was very glad of their explicit queerness and the representation of many types of relationships between a wide array of multigenerational characters. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the gorgeous illustrations, which had been a selling point. Elegant, on-point, detailed and sharp, they brought scenes to life and stayed with me.

All in all, this is a book that was hard to swallow but left me with a great aftertaste. It didn't click for me but probably will work really well for another audience. If you think it might be you, absolutely give it a try!

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very character focused book that I honestly enjoyed. The satire is spot-on for life in suburbia, which was amusing to read about. The dialogue is fantastic and really pulls the whole thing together. The writing is fantastic and really pulled me into Mim and Nadia’s worlds.

There is so much complexity to the characters, and you see how much pressure everyone is under to perform and be perfect, and how their outer facades just hide how messed up they all are. It’s amazing. The cast of supporting characters brings Juniper Lane to life in a way that feels familiar.

The romance aspect was very…slow burn, I guess? Nothing happened between Mim and Nadia until the very end, which would have been fine for me if I felt like the rest of the novel was pointing in that direction. It wasn’t until the last 40 pages or so that anything between them was even remotely hinted at. There’s plenty of discussion about Nadia being a lesbian and Mim comes out to her as bisexual – and actually used that word, hallelujah! So the queer representation and the interracial relationship were all positive aspects.

But the book is billed as a queer romance, which sure, it is. But really, the story is about Mim and Nadia individually as they come to terms with their families, their selves, their pasts, and their futures. There is so much fantastic depth and humanity to these characters, their lives, and the lives of the people around them. The story was about that more than anything, though it helped at the end that these women found something meaningful and hopeful with each other. I just wish we could have seen more of that before the book abruptly ended on a wishful note of them going on a road trip together and figuring things out together.

The underdeveloped romance that seemed to happen out of nowhere at the end is the only reason why this isn’t five stars for me (as well as the cheating storyline, which is an aspect that is never my cuppa). I just wanted more for their story now that they had both dealt with some frankly abusive situations. I wanted to see them actually fall in love, but I didn’t get that. I just wanted more overall, but I suppose that was me loving the characters and the whole book.

Honestly, it’s probably my favorite read of January simply for the characters and the overall story. (Also, the illustrations inside are gorgeous and I wish I could see them in color.)

Tumblr ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram