Summer Official

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Opposites attract in this contemporary, sweet, sapphic romance about two girls who reluctantly come together for a summer challenge.

Heaven and Saylor could not be more different. Saylor is bubbly, popular, athletic, and always partnered up. Heaven is grumpy and artistic, prefers her skateboard to people, and has never dated anyone. So no one would believe they’d agree to spend the entire summer together.

Yet, that’s exactly what happened. When Saylor Ford breaks her arm at Basketball camp, distracted by her mom’s internet fame discussing Saylor’s newfound sexuality, she becomes determined not to spend the summer stuck at home with the woman. Her one saving grace is a girl she’s pretty sure can’t stand her but that she finds absolutely irresistible. Heaven Goo-Campbell. Thankfully, Heaven is willing to let Saylor in on her Summer Bingo challenge, but for a price. Saylor has to help Heaven establish a social media page showcasing her art for her future career as a tattoo artist.

They didn’t plan on the intimacy of spending each day together and the deepening feelings that followed. Soon, they become something more than a shared project. But can the girls even have a future together when Saylor is wary of bringing their relationship out into the light—too afraid that her mom’s status as a popular influencer will give Saylor and timid Heaven more attention than they can handle?

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

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

After years of meddling in her friends’ love lives, Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance to get her fix. Raised in Southern New Hampshire, Rebekah Weatherspoon now lives in Southern California where she will remain forever because she hates moving.

Her BDSM romance At Her Feet won the Golden Crown Literary Award for erotic lesbian fiction. Her novella FIT (#1 in the FIT Trilogy) won the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Erotica Novella, SATED (#3 in the FIT Trilogy) was nominated for the the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Digital Erotic Romance and most recently SOUL TO KEEP VSS#3 won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Erotica.

Her 2018 romantic comedy RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny received praise from both Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. You can look for her most recent romantic comedy XENI : A Marriage of Inconvenience now, and a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, A COWBOY TO REMEMBER, late February 2020 from Kensington Books. In the meant time, you can find Rebekah and her books on twitter at @rdotspoon and her website www.rebekahweatherspoon.com,

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO freaking adorable!! Summer Official is a slow-burn, sapphic YA rom-com that had me internally squealing by the time our girls finally kiss. It's sweet and thoughtful with characters coming of age and navigating the complexities of life.

Heaven is a shy, artistic teen who dreams of becoming a tattoo artist. Her dad always makes her a summer challenge bingo board that keeps things fun.

Saylor's mom is an influencer who made a 10 minute video CRYING when she came out. (in a supportive way, but still) She thinks she has the summer away from being in videos, until she breaks her arm the first week of basketball camp and has to go home. In order to escape her mom and all the content, she talks her way into joining Heaven's bingo board challenge, but along the way they fall for each other...

This was such a great rom-com and I liked the characters and the things they have to work through. Definitely one to read! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[anzhelika ୨ৎ]

pre-read:
this looks so cute! really excited to read it 🤭

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Rebekah Weatherspoon for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, first of all, this book features one of my favorite lines ever:

"I never regret a cake run. If you're queer, you deserve cake. I feel like that should be a rule..."

I would get this on a t-shirt if I could. Hard agree.

Overall, this is a lovely YA lesbian romance. Sporty Saylor breaks her arm at basketball camp, dooming her to a summer spent with her influencer mom who dominates her life. She turns to Heaven, an acquaintance; through their parents Saylor knows that Heaven's father has created a summer bingo challenge to entertain her (and force her out of her shell). Saylor wants in to avoid her mother. Anxious, artistic Heaven isn't so sure about having a "plus one," until Saylor agrees to help Heaven with the social media required in her quest to be a tattoo artist.

What I loved about this story is that it truly evokes the longing, yearning, and excitement that comes with your first youthful teenage (queer) romance. Truly, this story took me back. It also captures the fear that accompanies falling for the first time, too.

The bigger issue here is Saylor's awful mom, who is pretty horrible with her influencer lifestyle, even using Saylor's coming out by posting about it. Her actions keep Saylor from wanting to truly to commit to anything or anyone. I really felt for this kid!

Perhaps my only hesitation here is that the story wraps up a little too easily (thank goodness Heaven has good parents), but I'll grant that it's a teen romance: we deserve a HEA! I also wish I'd realized there was a first book in this series, featuring some oft mentioned friends, as it would have provided a little context, even though this can definitely stand-alone.

Still, this is a great YA story and a truly thoughtful lesbian romance!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group / G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in return for an unbiased review.

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Teen, Penguin Young Readers Group, & PRH Audio for the ARC ALC, all opinions are my own. :

This was a really cute & quick read/listen! 🥰

I really adored Saylor & Heaven, both secretly crushing on one another and neither thinking the other would be interested 🥹 I loved the development of their friendship, and more, as they spent time together.

I also loved how they were figuring out their paths, which is such a common element of teen years.

I also appreciated the messaging behind what it means to be online - Saylor’s mom is an “influencer” and we can see the impact that has on her children, and how negative the Internet can be when Heaven starts posting her art as well.

🎧 I really enjoyed the narration by Brie Carter & CJ Locks, both fit their characters personalities well.

✦ tropes & stuff:
☀️ summer bingo
🌦 grumpy sunshine
🙃 opposites attract
🎨 artist + athlete
❤️‍🩹 sports injury
🤫 secret crushes
💞 dual 1st person pov

🎧 audio + ebook | ⭐️: 5 | 🌶️: closed door |

📖 Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon
💜: contemporary YA romance (ff)
🎙 narrated by: Brie Carter & CJ Locks

*Connect with Me*
🤍 Instagram 🤍 Blog 🤍

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and perfect for summer

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounding up! very cute, easy reading.

[hailey ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the eARC! Always greatly appreciated.

3.75 ⭐️

This book was so cute! I liked the fact that it was a soft, sweet, and acquaintances-to-friends-to-lovers lesbian YA romance with two girls of color (Heaven is mixed with Asian and Black and Saylor is mixed with Black and White). Even though I liked reading about their summer, I wished the romance happened a little sooner than later, and that the bigger conflict happened sooner as well. I felt like the ending was kind of rushed, like I really wanted to see how their summer and fall were going to go but I understand it was supposed to be just the summer. I also feel like I would've liked it a lot more if I was younger, which isn't a slight at all, more so that this book is very YA and I read a lot of new adult and adult sapphic books. Getting to know the characters Heaven and Saylor and slowly start to notice their friendship and then relationship start to build was really fun, I just wish the timeline was a bit longer to experience their relationship more instead of just their friendship. If you're looking for a YA summery sapphic romance that features two young mixed black girls, I'd recommend!

[Jess Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an ARC from NetGalley, to be published April 2026

3.5 Star rounded up

If I was younger this would have been a 5 star 100%

I found this book really refreshing, lately I have been reading a lot of books and finding that the internal thoughts of the characters aren’t matching the age they are supposed to be. With Summer Official I felt like I was really in the 17 year old mindset throughout both Heaven and Saylor’s chapters. It was a great insight into the minds of LGBTQIA teens who are trying to navigate the reality of a first queer relationship in the society we live in currently.

I think the contrasts of the families and the contrast of outside pressures on the two girls was dealt with beautifully and showed the complexities of coming out as well as the complexities of your first love in such great detail that I felt like I was back in that headspace again.

I think this is a wonderful book for YA teens and I highly recommend it to anyone around that age wondering how to deal with their inner emotions.

So grateful to have received this early

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun opposites attract YA Sapphic summer romance between a sporty popular out girl whose whole summer plans get ruined when she breaks her arm and a moody, newly out, aspiring tattoo artist and skater girl with a secret crush on the popular one. What follows is a forced proximity slow burn friends to lovers romance that has the two girls working on a summer bingo card and slowing falling in love. It was sweet, had tons of charm and was so easy to root for the two FMCs! A perfect, lighthearted summer read that was also good on audio!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved everything Rebekah Weatherspoon has written and her YA books are no exception. I love that her characters are layered and the reader is learning about each person along with the love interest in the book. This story had a really fun plot- unlike anything I have seen done before. I loved the friendships and family dynamics. I rarely read YA romance, but this series is an exception. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was the perfect way to unwind and relax. I couldn’t put it down.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Justine]

OH MY GOD NEW REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON AND ITS A SAPPHIC ROMANCE!?!?!?!

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saylor's summer plans are ruined when she breaks her arm at basketball camp and is stuck at home with her mega-influencer mother, doomed to be a content creator until school starts again. Heaven's summer is looking a little different. She is preparing to become an intern at a tattoo shop, and is also planning to complete the bingo game her father puts together for her each year. But she's feeling very overwhelmed, even just with the thought of having to post her work on Instagram. When they run into each other at the store, Saylor decides to ambush Heaven and ask if she can tag along on her bingo quest. Saylor gets to avoid her mother, and in return she promises to help Heaven with all the business-related/extroverted stuff she needs to do. Of course, as the summer goes on and they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly and feelings grow.

This was a really sweet sapphic romance by the outstanding Rebekah Weatherspoon. She is better known for her spicier stories, but she really nails the tone in this one. We have mostly good parents, mostly good friends, and mostly good people. After some of the darker books I've read recently, this one was sweetness and light and everything I needed for the beginning of warmer weather.

[Cally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one is very cute, and a great fit for YA readers. I think the way the characters acted and felt, the problems they faced, and solutions were very realistic to teenagers, which is great to see. There's a lot of YA books I've read where the characters act far too old, and this one strikes a great balance.

I particularly loved the way that Heaven and Saylor pined for each other, it was adorable to watch their crushes on each other grow the longer they spent together.

I also enjoyed the idea of the summer bingo assignment, that sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.

My only complaint is that I wish we had gotten to see the reactions from the friends, it teased it at the end and I wish we'd gotten to see the actual reveal.

Overall, a fun and cute sapphic summer read perfect for YA readers. 4.2/5 stars!

[Selena Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. i was in it for the relatively innocent crushing for a little bit and then it was just like…..is this what kid/YA books are coming to? i LOVE that there are options with queer representation, but come ON. the writing itself was far from quality, even for a younger age group. the plot was fine, the bingo was cute, although the conflict with the saylor’s mom was just like…..do we not have bigger fish to fry in this world? idk maybe im too old to judge fairly. on that note, i don’t know if this book knows exactly what its audience is because it was straddling the line between closed-door intimacy and intensely frequent making out. all is fine and well but idk what age group would even mesh with this. also heaven’s home life was quite possibly the most unrealistic thing i have EVER heard. anyways, it was cute and gave me something to read so ill take it.

[Keisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This is an adorable, sapphic opposites attract YA novel. Already having secret crushes on each other, Heaven and Saylor agree to team up and help each other out regarding their respective dilemmas. This includes navigating social anxiety and parental boundaries when it comes to social media. There were bursts of confidence intermingling with insecurities. I loved that the characters acted like actual teenagers.

Characters from Weatherspoon's book 'Her Good Side' make appearances in Summer Official.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC

[Brooke! · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so so so cute!!! if you’re looking for the perfect sapphic romance that just brings you so much joy this is it!!! saylor and heavens bingo challenge is amazing!!! the end of this book was very very full circle to it and i love reading it! make sure to read this when it comes out next month!

[DaphaBelle Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Format: Audiobook 🎧
4.5 ⭐️. A cute YA sapphic romance about two teens who spend the summer together while taking on a summer Bingo challenge. This was such a sweet, feel-good read that had me smiling and saying "aww" from beginning to end. If you're looking for a light, heartwarming romance, this one is definitely worth picking up.

[Tiffany Blose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book!! I loved the main characters so much. Definitely wouldn’t won’t to live in Saylors shoes

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
RTC

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute summery read with a very interesting look into influencer families without it necessarily being abusive. I loved Heaven and need a sequel about their lives!

[megan manayan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can guarantee you that her name doesn’t need to be Heaven Goo-Campbell

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a soft, summery read
Loved that Saylor and Heaven both like each other but are too in their heads about it, i ate it up. The introvert/extrovert dynamic + slow burn + summer bingo setup made their friendship (and eventual romance) feel really natural and sweet.
I also loved the quieter moments, especially how the book handles coming out, privacy, and being online. The rainbow cake scene?? Adorable and lowkey emotional.
It’s quick, cozy, and a little tender, perfect!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an eARC on Netgalley

This is a delightful Sapphic summer young adult romance.


Heaven and Saylor, who have moved in close circles but not known each other well, despite Saylor's quietly unexpressed crush on Heaven. Both have initial plans for the summer that get thwarted, and then spend the rest of the summer getting to know each other, and slowly and gently falling in love. Weatherspoon does a great job of building their relationship bit by bit, moving from quiet individual longing to openly caring for one another. If you've read Weatherspoon's adult romances, note that the "spicy" level of this one is appropriate for its young adult context: it's not explicit, just emotionally intimate. Weatherspoon also does an excellent job of depicting young folks learning to advocate for themselves, articulating their own feelings, needs, and goals clearly.

Very enjoyable!

[Natasha P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into Summer Official hoping for a cute YA sapphic romance, and what I got was something that completely stole my heart. From the very first page, I was hooked, and somehow the story just kept getting sweeter, deeper, and more emotionally resonant as it went along. This is that perfect kind of slow burn—soft, yearning, and loaded with just enough angst to make every moment of connection feel earned.
Saylor and Heaven are truly opposites in the best way. Saylor’s bubbly, golden-retriever energy paired with Heaven’s grumpy, artistic, socially anxious introversion creates a dynamic that is powerful. Their relationship unfolds naturally as they spend long summer days together working on Heaven’s art and navigating the messiness of viral fame, identity, and fear of being seen. The tenderness between them? Immaculate. I loved how the romance never rushed itself, instead letting trust, attraction, and vulnerability build page by page.
What really elevates this book is the care poured into its representation. The BIPOC and queer rep is thoughtful and unapologetic, the social anxiety portrayal feels genuine and compassionate, and the body diversity is refreshingly normalized. Add in supportive friends and family, and you’ve got a world that feels warm, safe, and real—without losing emotional stakes.
I adored this story. Truly. I already know this is one I’ll be rereading when I need comfort, softness, and a reminder of how beautiful the world can be.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#SummerOfficial
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rivulet027 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! From the opposites attract to the mutual crush, that of course both girls don't believe will go anywhere, this book is so fun! The girls spending the summer falling for each other while doing a summer bingo challenge was a great set up! I liked how spending time together helped both Saylor and Heaven become more comfortable in their own skin and how this eventually allowed each of the girls to not only share their worries and doubts with each other, but eventually the courage to share those things with the adults in their lives. The supportive friends, meddling parents, and occasionally obnoxious (but of course loveable) siblings round out their world in very realistic ways. I also enjoyed the way pop culture references were worked in and used to help build the world the girls live in. I liked that a lot of the pressure Saylor feels is because as much as she doesn't love her mom being an influencer she's also very cognizant of the way her life has been improved by brand deals and the money her mom is bringing in. I also liked how this translated to Saylor being knowledgable when Heaven is trying to set up a business Instagram for her future tattoo apprenticeship. I preordered a physical copy before I even finished reading the e-arc from Netgalley. I also have the audiobook on hold through Libby!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It has perfect summer vibes. I really appreciated how Heaven was supported by her friends, family, and community. She was given the space grow and be independent while absolutely feeling comfortable telling her parents when things got to be too much. Saylor is great and has a deeply nuanced relationship with her mother. There are hints of the power imbalance and loss of agency that come with having a white influencer mother. I like that the story points this out and has the space for multiple possible futures with Saylor’s relationship with her mother.

All of this was a backdrop to the perfect summer romance—Saylor has had a crush on Heaven for forever. They are connected by their friend group but haven’t really spent time together. That all changes after Saylor breaks her arm at basketball camp and is over spending the summer as a content creator with her mother. She kind of sort of blackmails Heaven into hanging out with her for the summer. They support each other and help each other grow. All of this is done with so much care, even when they mess up.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Lisa Marie Tedesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little read! It was great to end the summer with. I enjoyed it very much. It’s nice to find something pretty low stakes and queer these days!

[Emmalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have high expectations for a book written by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Summer Official exceeded them and now I know my expectations weren’t high enough. I fell in love with Saylor and Heaven quickly and enjoyed reading about their developing friendship and romance. This is a lovely slow-burn, introvert/extrovert, acquaintances to lovers romance.

I want to talk about cake in a minute. The book starts with Saylor finding out her mother, a momfluencer, has posted a video crying with joy that Saylor has come out to her. Saylor is so distracted she trips over her own feet and breaks her arm, ending her planned basketball summer camp. Heaven’s summer plans are playing her father’s Summertime Bingo Challenge and getting up the courage to allow herself and her art to be perceived. In a desperate attempt to avoid getting dragged into making content with her mom, Saylor asks Heaven to let her join the Bingo Challenge, and in return, will help her with the social media and socializing. (Saylor also wants to get over her crush on Heaven). Heaven reluctantly agrees, rather concerned that Saylor’s energy will overwhelm her. (And also a little concerned that Saylor might figure out that Heaven’s tummy has butterflies whenever they’re together.) Saylor has the emotional intelligence to know when she needs to give Heaven quiet and space.

Ok. Cake! Now we get to the cake. Saylor confesses that her mother’s video about her coming out made her feel like something had been taken away. Heaven takes Saylor to a store to buy a slice of rainbow cake as a celebration that’s just for her.

We head back out to the parking lot, where Heaven opens the trunk of her car and places my slice of cake in its container on the flat surface. She sticks a candle in, lights it, and then holds it up for me to blow out.

“Happy Pride, you pretty princess. Welcome to the club.”

“Thanks. Should I make a wish?”
“Why not?”

I feel Heaven watching me as I squeeze my eyes shut. It’s silly but I make a wish. I don’t go full delulu and wish for the thing I want at that moment—for Heaven to kiss me. That’s a fanfic wish. Something that will never happen. She’s just tolerating me at the moment. So I go for something a little more practical. I open my eyes and then blow the candle out.

“Congratulations,” Heaven says, handing the slice back. “You’re gay.”

“Thanks. It feels so official now.”

I was already enjoying this book, but this moment is where I fell in love. It shows so much about who the girls are and why they fit together. Weatherspoon beautifully balances the sweet and the serious here. Your average teenager is struggling to establish themselves as a separate person from their parents, but on top of that Saylor feels like her life is being fed to strangers. Heaven hears Saylor’s feelings and buys her a piece of rainbow cake. It’s sweet and fluffy. The girls are funny. But underneath that are some very hurt feelings and some astute care-taking. They are each dealing with some serious issues, but they treat each other with care and kindness.

I received this as an advance reader copy from G. B. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

[kay.grace424 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m honestly not sure how to feel.

All of my thoughts rest on what the target audience is, because it is unclear to me. If the target audience is late middle school, I think this book fits well. If it’s intended for the age of the characters in the story, 17-year-olds/seniors in high school, then this book was written too young for it to fit that demographic. It’s been a few years since I was 17, but I know for a fact that if I read this at that age, I would’ve assumed it was for a younger audience. Which, again, if that’s the target audience, then it fits. It’s just hard to tell.

I read a review that said this accurately depicted what it was like to be 17, and I can’t help but disagree. Again, it’s been a bit since I was 17, but I was definitely having more complex thoughts on the regular than these characters were. Their thoughts were very surface-level, and I felt that they didn’t accurately depict what it’s like to be in the mind of a late teenager. The sentences themselves were pretty clunky as well and often not related to the ones around them, suffering from a lack of natural flow. Hence, I think the target audience might be younger.

In terms of plot, it was fine. The ending wrapped up way quicker than I was expecting, and it was so jarring; all of a sudden, the book was over. There were not really any huge plot points to begin with, except for Saylor’s conflict with her mom, which was resolved very quickly. Generally, this was very low on plot and high on young, teenage-romance vibes.

A message of the book, besides the romance, is the dangers of family vlogging and of being an influencer parent. The reason Saylor gets into bingo in the first place is that, after finding herself stuck at home for the summer, she wants to avoid being forced to be in her mom’s content. I personally am in the camp of considering family vlogging/influencing a form of child abuse, so I could really get behind the main message of the story. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, it’s definitely a conflict or aspect of a story I haven’t really read before, which I found interesting, and provides a unique parent-child conflict. I think that is the book's main unique story idea.

Again, all of my thoughts rest on who the target audience is. If it’s later middle schoolers (12-14), I think this book fits that demographic well and is a cute and lovely sapphic romance between two biracial girls, which could be some amazing representation. If the target audience is the characters' age, I think it will read juvenile, as it did for me. I’ve never felt more aware of not being in the target age demographic of a book than this one. I’d recommend this for children in that younger group, and not really anyone else, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the advanced copy! I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[Sapphic Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 Listened via Libby / OverDrive

okay so. this is not my usual corner of the sapphic fiction world — no blood, no demons, no one dying dramatically in anyone's arms. summer official is a YA rom-com, and i went in knowing that, and i still came out the other side genuinely charmed.

saylor and heaven are biracial california lesbians spending the summer before their senior year, and they could not be more different. saylor is popular, bubbly, and freshly out — courtesy of her influencer mom, who filmed a ten-minute crying video about it without telling saylor first. heaven is goth-adjacent, perpetually single, deeply committed to her skateboard and her art, and has exactly zero interest in saylor's social media circus. what she does have interest in: completing the summer bingo card her dad made her and landing an internship with a tattoo artist. saylor, inconveniently, turns out to be genuinely useful for both. also inconveniently: they've both been quietly crushing on each other for months.

the romance is sweet and the slow build works. but what i kept coming back to was how the book handles what it actually looks like to come out right now. saylor has a support system that is, frankly, almost aggressively good — her mom (cringe as she is) recruits black lesbian mentors for her so she doesn't have to navigate this space alone. heaven came out at five and never looked back. the people closest to them are supportive, sometimes to a cringey degree. and yet saylor still struggles — because the internet exists, and being the daughter of a viral influencer means the negative comments find her anyway. it's a really honest portrait of how even the most "ideal" coming out can still be hard when the world is watching.

heaven, for her part, is an only child and a rainbow baby, and it shows in the most endearing way. she has been given everything, and she knows it, and she is still somehow not insufferable about it. i loved her.

3.5 stars. this isn't my genre and i won't pretend otherwise — but i respect it enormously for what it is, and realistic, joyful queer stories for young readers matter. a lot. if you are a teen or were a teen who came out in harder circumstances than saylor's, you might feel a pang reading this. that's not a bad thing.

tropes: grumpy x sunshine · slow burn · coming out · opposites attract · online harassment
content warnings: online harassment, parental boundary violations (well-meaning but still), referenced off-page intimacy between minors

this book is for: readers who loved her good side or anyone who wants sapphic YA that feels genuinely of this moment — social media era, messy family dynamics, and all

🎧 narrated by brie carter & cj locks