Hello, Groin

by Beth Goobie

When Dylan Kowolski agrees to create a display for her high school library, she has no idea of the trouble it's going to cause—for the school principal, her family, her boyfriend Cam and his jock friends, and her best friend Jocelyn. And for Dylan herself. If only her English class had been studying a normal, run-of-the-mill, mundane book like Lord of the Flies instead of Foxfire things wouldn't have gotten so twisted. Then the world wouldn't have gone into such a massive funk. And then Dylan wouldn't have had to face her deepest fear and the way she was letting it run her life.

Hello, Groin presents a compelling, realistic and refreshing look at teen sexuality and one girl's struggle to make the difficult choices that face her.

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

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Beth Goobie is best known for her quirky and dark young adult novels. She's published several of them, beginning in 1994. Her novel Before Wings won the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Book Award in 2000, and was chosen by young readers for the Best Books list of the American Library Association.Much of the turmoil in Goobie's life has been laid bare in two books for adult readers, Scars of Light, which is autobiographical poetry, and The Only-Good Heart, a book of short stories. Both are built on the theme of cults, abuse, and emotional torture. They were, she says, both therapeutic for herself and a warning to others.

Reviews

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was dark and sad, and very realistic. I feel like I'm back in school remembering those years.



But there is a happy ending.

[Rocket · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me excited about YA fiction again. Originally, I picked it up and put it back, thinking the title was a little weird and the inside flap didn't sound that interesting. But something called me back to it, and I'm so glad I took it home with me.

Dylan Kowolski is 16 and things are pretty ok as far as she's concerned. She's doing well in school, she's got an awesome boyfriend who just happens to be one of the star football players and part of the in-crowd, and her volunteer job working at the school library's front desk is pretty decent as far as these things go. Everything is going as good as sophomore year of high school can possibly go. Or at least, that's what she's hoping. Because Dylan's got a secret. One she really won't even let herself say even in the private of her mind.

She's a lesbian. And has got it bad for her best friend since forever, Jocelyn.

The book follows Dylan, starting off with a confusion of thoughts that make you feel like you're in Dylan's shoes. Nothing is ever clearly said for a while about how she really feels about Joc. All we get in the beginning is Dylan's immense dislike of her best friend's boyfriend, a weird reaction to a conversation, and heavy guilt for her abstinence with her own boyfriend Cam. As the year progresses, Dylan continues to find herself in compromising positions, and endangering exposing her real sexuality, something she clearly is not comfortable with. It's not until the last couple chapters do things finally come out into the open.

Dylan herself is a fun and believable character. She's smart but doesn't push herself to stand out. She's comfortable with her position in the social strata and desperately trying to keep it that way. I have to admit, I was worried at first that she'd become like every other YA girl I've read: predicable; complicated in the simple way teenagers are, and obnoxiously whiney as it seems the YA universe has, unfortunately, degraded their girl's to be.

What really hit this character home for me was her palpable fear of being different. But even still, this fear was twisted in a way to make it unique from other things I've read recently. Her fear of coming out and being judged by her peers was real yes, but even that was overlapped by the terror of what would happen to her friends if she came out, particularly her boyfriend. Dylan is constantly showing us how great of a guy Cam is, and how lucky any girl would be to have him. And he is quite a catch: he's good with her 5-year-old sister, confident in her and consistently reassuring her all he wants is for her to be happy. And he means it too. Which makes Dylan all the more scared what people will think of him if she's revealed to be gay.

This book does the work that YA books want to do. It communicates across the social lines. . Because the message isn't just "Rah, Rah, Gay-pride!" It's about being who you want to be as a teenager. It's about accepting who you are and what comes with it. It's about listening to your body and letting it do what it wants you to do. It's about letting your emotions run whatever way they want to run. Because when emotions are shown, it's in a way that makes you feel 16 again. In every way - from the happy high of your crush touching your shoulder to the scrape-you-off-the-bottom low of dealing with the popular girls. And "Hello, Groin" does a wonderful job of showing that that's all ok.

Dylan fights through her own coming of age like any other teenager; with confusion and terror but also just enough spunk to make you really cheer when things go right. And things go so very right for this book.

[Malissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book (which is in our YA collection) because I was told it was a bit explicit and shocking. So, naturally, I *had* to read it :)

It's basically about a teenage girl (high school junior) who is fighting her ever-more-obvious romantic feelings for her best (girl) friend while dating a great guy for whom she just can't force herself to conjure up physical attraction.

I have to say that even though I was a bit uncomfortable at times, I really liked this book. Dylan is the kind of daughter that every parent wants. She's smart, responsible, thinks things through, cares about the feelings of others, and is a great older sister. Yes, the book is obviously about sexual orientation, and therefore sex, but I didn't think in an unnecessarily graphic way. In fact, Dylan doesn't even have sex in the book. She has had (with a boy she dated one summer), and there are a couple of scenes when she masturbates (hence the uncomfortable feelings for the reader). And even though I can't say that's something I *want* to read about, it serves an important function in that it,s during this "activity" that she first allows herself to think about girls rather than boys. I think it's far better that she explores these feelings alone as opposed to having actual sex.

I also thought that Dylan (and the book) portrayed a really healthy and mature attitude about sex in general. No, it doesn't really promote abstinence, and many of the high school kids in the book are having sex. But, it also doesn't really promote sex, just depicts it as a reality for many teens. At one point, Dylan says to her parents, "Anyway, why does that part of your body have to be treated like a wild animal that should be caged and controlled? Why can't it be about decency an honor and what's true and good?" Her boyfriend tells her at one point (during a deep heart to heart) that you live in your groin as much as in your head and heart and if you aren't "right" in your head and heart, you won't be right in your groin (sexual attitudes and actions) either. I thought this was a great perspective to give teens with raging hormones.

Overall, I really liked the book and thought that it would be good for a lot of teens (both straight and gay). It's not a book that every teen will want to read, and it's not for younger teens. But SLJ lists it as for grades 9 and up, so it's not meant for Jr. High kids anyway.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure how to preface this review of Saskatoon-based Beth Goobie’s young adult novel Hello, Groin except to admit it: I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, Hello, Groin is as earnest a teen novel as you’ll ever find. I really appreciated this quality. It’s also heartwarming as hell, which (young) adults or not, is something we all need a little bit of now and then. On the other hand, there were quite a few things that irritated me while reading this book—kind of like an itchy sweater. Mostly, it was the combination of shaky characterization and clunky storytelling that eventually got to me. Either of these on their own would have been frustrating, but the two together really took away from some of the positive experiences I had reading the novel....

Read the rest of my review on my website: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wor...

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a name like "Hello, Groin" it's got to be good! This book is one of YALSA's Top Ten Teen nominees, and was almost voted to be the next book discussed at the Teen Book Discussion Group I moderate, so I thought I'd better read it. And to my surprise, it is a page turner! Dylan is pretty, athletic, and in a steady relationship with a really good guy. But she has no attraction to him, and she is totally turned on by her best friend Jocelyn. What to do, what to do, what to do!?
I really felt for Dylan and her reluctance to come out. I just really hate the word groin!
Do Canadians have a different sensibility, or what? Gotta love them, with their goofy titles and acceptance towards gays and lesbians.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an OK book, but I hate that like a lot of YA books dealing with sexuality issues, everything is sort-of glossed over and everything turns out fine. There are no big problems for the character to deal with, which may be the case for some, but not many. Even her boyfriend doesn't freak too much when she tells him she's a lesbian. When the main character comes out of the closet, only one person has a minor problem with it - and it is a minor character to begin with, and the plot hints that he will get over it shortly. I was really disappointed with this book because I thought it could have done a lot more to actually deal with the issue(s) at hand.

[Sarah Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was D-U-L-L. At nearly 300 pages, the plot centers around Dylan, a high school girl who is realizing she might be gay, and the drama surrounding her choice of putting Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates over a silhouette of a girl's groin on for a library display. Dude, I'm a librarian, but controversy about a library display is not a great plot center. I kept thinking, "And this is why we think Canadians are boring..."

This books is noted as "daring" for its frank exploration a teen coming to terms with her sexuality, but for all it's swearing and easy talk about sex, it was quite dull. Right up there with Geography Club.

[sweet pea · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book has an awesome cover. after that, it mostly lost me. the plot concept is alright. the characters are interesting and well-developed. but the plot is cyclical, with the same ideas and themes being replayed over and over. even the part with censored books was more a way to revisit the same themes. it might be an interesting book for kids coming out. but i found it disappointing and not as rich of other books featuring queer teens. plus i abhor overly-happy endings.

[Shel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I've finally pinpointed what was missing for me with this book, the depth. For some reason I feel as though I barely scratched the surface of the characters involved.

I understood that Dylan was torn up, caught, and hard on herself, but I never really sympathized with her. It missed on the angst part for me.

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hello, Groin is almost a two part novel - One part Dylan coming to terms with coming out and dealing with the feelings she has for her best friend; and another part an anti-censorship rallying cry complete with a who’s-who of the banned book world!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to warm up with this one. The last quarter is pretty much where the good stuff happened for me. I liked the supporting characters better than the main one.

[J. Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this one - but overall, there were enough elements that lowered the score for me to mark it higher than I did.

I liked the main character, Dylan, for the most part. We spend a lot of time with her, as it's told from her first person perspective. And we get a lot of insight into her character, her thoughts, worries, fears, and so on. Every character we see is from her perspective. And this was both good and bad. It leads to some situations where it feels like an unreliable narrator. It also keeps us at a distance from a lot of the characters. We get to know Cam pretty well - I liked him for the most part, despite his douchebag friends. We get to know Joc sorta well, but I think we should've known her a bit more given everything that was going on. We get to know Dikker somewhat well, but I don't think his Hamlet fixation is ever really explained. And we get to know Dylan's sister and parents, and sort of her brother. We also get some decent time with the librarian, though she's almost too vague. Too...stereotypically quirky? Is that a thing? Because that's what comes to mind.

I liked the whole arc with the display and the books, and what Dylan was trying to communicate with it. It was well thought out - I liked how it played out, the air of mystery around it, the menace of being discovered. I kinda wish that had played a bit more into the book. I liked her interactions with her parents, both about the display, and when she comes out - it was nice to see that the main source of conflict came externally from the parents for a change. There really wasn't any angst from the family side of things except for maybe a few offhand comments from the brother - who, aside from standing up for Dylan and getting beat up a bit for it, doesn't really do much in the novel. And I liked Dylan's struggle with coming out, even if it feels a bit overdramatic given how lackluster the ending is.

But hoo boy.

Sheila, the stalker lesbian. What was even the point of that plotline? They catch eyes once, they kiss outside a dance, and then Sheila spends the rest of the book obsessively trying to get into contact with Dylan. Even at the end, when Dylan tells her she's dating Joc now, she's trying to get together with her, to the point of actually whining about it on the phone. It was...off-putting. I don't think it would be a bad thing to put someone else that catches Dylan's eye and makes her face off with gay panic. But the whole stalker element really left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since we don't really interact much with the other lesbian characters, outside of one lunch scene and the stuff with Dylan and Joc towards the end.

And then there was the ending itself, which just felt like it was wrapping everything up all nice and tidy like because it was time to end the book, and not because it felt like a natural stopping point. The main source of conflict just kinda deflates. Dylan tells on the phone girls and the jock squad and how they bullied a girl into changing schools (!) just for thinking that she might be gay (!!) even though they don't apparently bully the actual lesbians that are out at the school (?!?!) and then when the coach for Volleyball cancels the rest of the season (can coaches do that?) they all just kind of back down and don't antagonize Dylan or anyone else (?!?!). I mean, I dunno, maybe I watch too many drama shows, but with how awful they were acting for the entire rest of the novel, you can't expect me to believe that they'd just kinda give up. If anything, having the season cancelled like that would make them even more spiteful and likely to lash out. And come on - who else would report them? They would totally suspect Dylan.

And finally, the whole relationship between Dylan and Joc just...never felt real. It just sorta happens. And there's hints towards it, but Joc becomes such a non character that when they do eventually get together, it doesn't feel like an accomplishment. It just feels like it's what had to happen in the story.

There were elements here that I liked, themes that were fun to explore, and characters that were fun to read about. But for the most part, too many things made me take a step back and shake my head, and the ending just felt like it was hastily written. Especially the one page epilogue that doesn't feel at all necessary or provide any kind of insight.

[Amris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to sit with this book for a minute before articulating my thoughts. This is an interesting, if dated, coming-of-age story.
Now if you read this, be prepared for excessive use of the slur d*ke, as well as some weird self-hatred that isn't fully resolved by the end of the book.
Dylan, the main character, finds herself empowered when she reads Joyce Carol Oates' Foxfire . This prompts her to include the book in a display that is censored. There were some beautiful passages about books and censorship, which I appreciated so much I almost gave this book a higher star rating. Dylan's struggle with censorship is really a subplot in a larger narrative of her trying to come to terms with her sexuality and with the affection she has for her female best friend.
Here's my spoiler-y critiques: Dylan shares a random kiss with a girl at the dance. Dylan immediately knows the kiss was a mistake. The author vilifies the other girl, and she's depicted as a stalker. I really wish the author didn't go down this path. I think if she made the girl someone who was technically a fine romantic prospect, just not the person Dylan wanted to be with, that would have been a stronger narrative choice.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a semi-closeted queer kid, I read this book multiple times while I was in high school. Between its "explicit" nature, Dylan's confusion surrounding her feelings, the river bubble scene, and a wlw love story, Hello, Groin, brought me back again and again to feelings I desperately yearned for but hadn't yet been able to explore. This book was my guilty pleasure. I felt reading it the way Dylan felt reading foxfire, I'm sure (if my adult brain is properly remembering how that book made her feel, at least).

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what it is like to be a teenage lesbian. She creates a heartfelt portrait.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a refreshing, and incredibly realistic, coming of age (and coming out of sorts) young adult novel. Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. Something about it just seemed so authentic and so realistic. It made me really wish I had the opportunity to read it when I was younger; it definitely would have helped me.

The premise isn’t too complicated; Dylan Kowolski is a high schooler who is dating the popular football player Cam. Although not terribly popular herself, she has a best friend in Jocelyn, a girl she’s known since childhood. However, as she gets older, and expectations to have sex with her boyfriend mount, she becomes uncomfortable. This is compounded by a reading and library project of the book Foxfire. During this time, she grows as an individual and realizes more about herself and her sexuality.

So, overall, this book did most everything right. Starting with the characters, they are incredibly realistic and well written. Dylan herself is incredibly complex; she strives to be the best to her family and friends. While attempting to do so, she has self-doubts and constantly feels like she is falling short. This applies to her relationships with nearly everyone in the novel. Even her relationship with the library project is complex and in line with her other relationships.

The other characters are similarly written. Even though I was worried Cam would fall into the “jerky, popular football star” stereotype, he was really a lovely character with flaws just like anyone else. I actually found myself really enjoying his characters, more than most of the others. Then there are other characters like Jocelyn who, while drove me crazy at times, were also realistic and well-depicted characters.

I was quite happy with the way that sex was portrayed in this novel. It’s said it’s explicit, but it’s definitely not too vulgar and the way it’s used in the book makes sense. The book doesn’t include sexual themes just because. Every time it’s mentioned, it’s mentioned in a way that is relevant to a plot or a character. Overall, it didn’t shy away from sexual themes, but it didn’t include a vulgar sex scene. And it was very clear that the author has a realistic view on teenagers and sexuality because, well, teenagers don’t ignore sex.

I appreciated the way that Dylan slowly came about the realization of her sexuality. It definitely made sense, and again, it was a fairly accurate portrayal of questioning one’s sexuality. It also made Dylan as a character far more sympathetic, and I truly understood what she was going through.

The plot was straightforward, and I was happy with the way the book ended. Sure, it was happy, but it was also realistic. I think the book ending the way it did was fairly important considering it was written in 2006. Attitudes towards sexuality were a lot different back then.

The only reason it’s getting 4 stars instead of 5 is because there were a few things I didn’t like about it. At times, it was a bit slow, and as far as the romance, it was definitely slower paced. At one point there is a side encounter with a different girl. I wasn’t too happy with how that played out or how it was depicted.

Anyway, it was a great novel, especially if you consider the time in which it was written. I’d definitely recommend it to teenagers or older!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan has a loving boyfriend, a caring family, and a best friend. She's just starting high school and the little act of accepting the invitation to do a library book display suddenly throws her whole world upside-down.

I was recommended this through the Goodreads Recommendation setting, but upon reading reviews, I was worried. But then I ordered it anyway, and, honestly, I really enjoyed it, despite feeling shy about the cover. It was entertaining and realistic, almost too much so, as at times I started to get frustrated at Dylan's homophobic thoughts. But as she starts to relax, finally, it got much, much better, both for me as a reader, and for Dylan as a character.

C'mon...she's a librarian. Librarians don't freak.

And, of course, as Hello, Groin's about someone who loves books and is making a library display, well, I'm rather biased. But I do wish that we had rather than the stylized cover of a girl who I suppose is Dylan, I would have preferred to see her silhouette book display. It would've had more impact and at the same time would have made the image clearer to me.

What do I want to do? In the next five seconds, the next three hours -- what do I want, more than anything in the world, to do?

Dylan's journey as a character was engaging and while some of the bits could have been condensed, such as her back and forth relationship with her boyfriend Cam, it was enjoyable throughout. Her narration was well-done and I might be biased in this fact, but her story was just...I lack the adjectives, but touching (no pun intended) and heartwarming. Her romance, well, I don't want to spoil anything, but I loved the ending.

As long as the people you spend time with are just like you, you don't have to ask questions about yourself. It's only when you meet someone different than the questions start.

The discussion of sexuality in this book is rather blunt, as you'd probably assume from the cover. While the high school setting in itself felt a bit cliched, I liked how we got to know the different characters in the school, from the girls in the popular phone-tree clique, the jocks, the oddballs, etc. Each character did have a bit more detail to them, but I wish we had gotten to know them better.

But overall this was a great read that had an uplifting ending that made all the coming-out drama worth it.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Long Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

The title will make you laugh, the story will provoke you to think.

Dylan lives the good life: great family, amazing boyfriend, and a best friend she can rely on. That is until she confronts her real identity, when she admits to herself that she prefers girls rather than boys. Beth Goobie, in a stellar effort, portrays the life of a lesbian teenager too afraid of the repercussions upon her life if and when she comes out to her friends and family.

Dylan doesn't want to make her life any more difficult but her best friend, Jocelyn, has become presently absent in her life; she isn't able to give her boyfriend what he wants, no matter how hard she tells herself she can do it; and things only get more complicated when Dylan volunteers to design the new book display for the school library.

HELLO, GROIN, along with a voicing out of the wrongness of such a social taboo as being homosexual, is a fight for freedom from censorship. The display Dylan creates says something important, both to her and to certain others, whether they were contributors of ideas or the understanding kind. But when the school principal decides to censor parts of the display, rumors begin to spread about Dylan, and she begins to let her secret take control of her life, in a negative way.

Goobie does a fantastic job in portraying a character that is very much believable in her thoughts and actions. She speaks out against censorship and how hard it is on a person who, along with the regular angst and struggles of being a teenager, must also now ask herself who she is and whether or not self-sacrifice for the people around her is more important than making herself feel human and allowing herself to be, simply, herself.

HELLO, GROIN is a thought-provoking novel that asks questions that are important to face in this day and age of social faux pas and suggests a few select answers which readers should certainly take upon themselves to consider wholeheartedly. HELLO, GROIN is well told story by a great novelist.

[nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

the worst part of this book is the title. in high school i read their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston and i remember my teacher going off on how he hated the title, how it was a nice line from the book but it wasn't a reflection on the book as a whole in the least. there are so many nice and beautiful lines in this book that could have been adapted as the title instead of what was used. it makes the whole thing a little unappealing, too. lesbians spend so much time fielding unnecessary questions about sex that we don't really want to see books about us that highlight the area strangers seem to care so much about. sure this book is about more than that, but i shouldn't have to get over the title to read a book.
a few other things that made this book fall a little short: the dialog is tired & very much an idea of what teenagers talk like rather than ringing like a true teenage voice, the amount of slurs used, and specifically, how it portrays a child as being keenly interested on how gay & lesbians couples have sex when having the concept of them explained to her. i doubt a real child would be so interested in the same thing about straight couples and it's really just feeding into homophobic ideas.
beyond that, this book is a nice little read. it's short and gentle and about my favorite thing: best friends falling in love.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan has been coasting along in school just fine. She is not a popular girl, but she is not ridiculed either, and she has discovered how to ride the waves of high school social drama without standing out either way. That is, until she helps create a bulletin board for the school library. Her display is censored by the principal and soon Dylan is the talk of the school. What did the principal ask her to remove, and why is Dylan being so secretive about it? Dylan wrestles with the social demons as she seeks to discover why she made the board that way in the first place and what message she wanted to convey.

This was an interesting book. I always enjoy stories that mention other stories, as that seems to be an easy way for me to add to my "must-read" list. Dylan's moodiness got on my nerves at times, I will admit, but it got on other character's nerves, too, so perhaps I was supposed to be annoyed. I was quite impressed with Dylan's parents and their ability to walk the fine line between encouraging proper behavior in their daughter and also accepting her for who she is and who she is choosing to become. When necessary, Dylan's parents allowed her to face the consequences of her actions, but they also stood up for her when they thought she had done the right thing.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dylan thinks there's something wrong with her. She's been dating Cam for months, but feels nothing when he kisses her. Anytime Dylan is with her best friend Joc, her feelings explode. Convinced she is screwed up somehow, Dylan tries to fight her feelings and her true self.

Meanwhile, Dylan is asked to put together a display at school of book covers in the shape of a girl and boy. Without considering the consequences, she puts Foxfire over the girl's groin, a book about an all-women gang. Now she must worry about her secret getting out.

A thought-provoking novel about being difference, feeling wrong, and how much happier you can be when you stop hiding and fighting what you really are. Not unrealistic, but a little hard to take when secrets come out and the families all accept what's happening without too much drama.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It is seemingly another typical YA coming of age/coming out book, but this one has a smartness to it that I really enjoyed. There's a discussion through the entire book about sexuality and knowing and owning your own body, and it's not limited to just being gay. It's related to all teenagers, and in particular teenage girls. It's this idea that you shouldn't be ashamed of how your sexuality drives you and you're not a complete person until all things, heart, mind, and body, are linked up and working together. My one complaint is that the romantic subplot of the book was hindered by my least favorite barrier - the people involved just not talking to each other and instead assuming they knew what the other person must be feeling. And of course, assuming the worst. Communication, people!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

worst title ever, huh?? it was one of the better/best in the genre though (remember, this is not saying a lot). the librarian is the coolest adult in the book (of course) and the title does lead to an interesting theme - not sure you're gay? listen to your groin! it's good advice.

and damn do the canadians love alanis morissette! they are STILL talking about her. she was praised in this book, mentioned in coupland's 'girlfriend in a coma' and I watched the canadian version of dawson's creek/the oc the other day and they were jamming to her there! dude, alanis peaked on 'you can't do that on television'. someone tell the canadians.

[Aaron Dettmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, instead of typing Goobie, I accidentally typed Boobie…Hello Freud! I perhaps should have given it a higher rating. It was a little weird reading it as a guy – getting a glimpse into girl world. Also, perhaps because I’m currently helping out at the Boys and Girls Club, I was extremely conscientious that I was reading about kids in High-School, not people my own age. Normally, if the characters in the book are close to my age, I just think of them as being my age, but in this book I could never forget how much younger they were than me and what thoughts and actions they had / were doing.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something a little bit different about this book than most YA queer lit. I can't quite put my finger on it - maybe it's how calmly most of the characters take things (very Canadian?), the emphasis on what is actually dramatic, not just how teenagers see things. Like a good mix between the hindsight of adulthood and the acute sensitivity of teenager-hood. I can't give it four stars though because it just wasn't all that memorable. It's only been a week since I finished it and I'm already struggling to remember the details. The characters were likable enough, and there wasn't anything technically wrong with it. So I'll leave it up to you to decide.

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, funny, and quite intense! Hello, Groin tells the story of Dylan while she discovers that friendship can sometimes get in the way of love. So the heavy usage of the words dyke, fag, and other gay slurs made me horribly uncomfortable at times, but it worked. Dylan was a beautifully written character, who had her flaws. She wanted her feelings for her best friend, Jocelyn to go away; but it wasn't happening. I enjoyed watching her change and accept herself throughout the story. Joc and Cam were lovable characters, with Joc's sass and Cam's kindness; I did fall in love with them just as much as I did with Dylan:) Wonderfully sad story of how love changes us all.

[Theresa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO GOOD SO FAR!

Now I finished it, and it was still excellent. You know those books that hit a nerve because they're so good and they hit so close to home? This book did that for me, and I'm really glad. I didn't like all parts- some things made me squeamish, and some plotlines resolved themselves too easily, and some parts reminded me of other books (like Annie on My Mind), but the whole thing together was great.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just picked out this book because of the title. it looked interesting and i actually liked it. it was about a girl trying to embrace her homosexuallity. now it got a little pg-13 in some parts, so you kiddies should wait to read it!

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how real the story can relate to real teenagers and to see how the she tries to ignore her feelings. I feel that this book can catch all readers but it is special to girls who are questioning or already out.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent YA novel about a high school girl coming out; a lot of exploration of honesty and honor and literature. Not an adventure story but definitely one that will appeal to bookworms and lovers of things literary.