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Drama Girls
The church girl and the drama geek. Two wildly different worlds come together as two girls fight for love!
Chloe:
I tried to be good. Go to church. Stay out of trouble. They told me to avoid temptation when I got to high school, but that was before I met Sarah.
Now I'm dealing with scary new feelings and doing things I never could've imagined a year ago. Starring in a play. Standing up to my youth pastor. Kissing a girl.
My whole world has been turned upside down, and I think I love it!
Sarah:
I figured love was something that'd have to wait for college when I came out. Girls who are into girls were in short supply in our small town. Then I met Chloe. Sweet. Innocent. Beautiful.
Totally unaware that she's into girls.
Don't get involved with church girls. Too much baggage. Too much crazy. It was a good rule to live by, but Chloe's breaking down all my barriers and making me break all my rules!
The quiet church girl discovering her sexuality and the out and proud drama geek who's falling for her. Can they overcome their differences for a chance at love?
Chloe:
I tried to be good. Go to church. Stay out of trouble. They told me to avoid temptation when I got to high school, but that was before I met Sarah.
Now I'm dealing with scary new feelings and doing things I never could've imagined a year ago. Starring in a play. Standing up to my youth pastor. Kissing a girl.
My whole world has been turned upside down, and I think I love it!
Sarah:
I figured love was something that'd have to wait for college when I came out. Girls who are into girls were in short supply in our small town. Then I met Chloe. Sweet. Innocent. Beautiful.
Totally unaware that she's into girls.
Don't get involved with church girls. Too much baggage. Too much crazy. It was a good rule to live by, but Chloe's breaking down all my barriers and making me break all my rules!
The quiet church girl discovering her sexuality and the out and proud drama geek who's falling for her. Can they overcome their differences for a chance at love?
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2017
61 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 21, 2017
That was a lot of fun. It was YA, but still. *Really* loved the author comment at the end. There's still so much damn prejudice out there. Especially in the religious circles and she addresses it there very nicely. Loved the book.
July 14, 2017
A little trip down memory lane
This story is rather nostalgic for me. Much of my high school years were split between church youth group and drama club. I brought a few of my friends from drama with me to youth group even. My experiences were from a long time ago and not in a really strict denomination, but I had many friends who were defying their church rules when we went to see movies together or to the school dance. By high school I stopped wondering if they worried about it when we were in drama club together.
In addition to the fond memories, I enjoyed the strong characters, excellent chemistry, and wonderful use of historical perspective Mia Archer employed in "Drama Girls". Also, as with many of her recent YA novels, there is a strong sense realism to the story that makes it seem more special. It just seems grounded in a personal truth on a deep level, even if the events and characters are entirely fictional. I've always enjoyed Mia's writing, but I feel lately I've enjoyed it even more.
I received an ARC copy of "Drama Girls" in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This story is rather nostalgic for me. Much of my high school years were split between church youth group and drama club. I brought a few of my friends from drama with me to youth group even. My experiences were from a long time ago and not in a really strict denomination, but I had many friends who were defying their church rules when we went to see movies together or to the school dance. By high school I stopped wondering if they worried about it when we were in drama club together.
In addition to the fond memories, I enjoyed the strong characters, excellent chemistry, and wonderful use of historical perspective Mia Archer employed in "Drama Girls". Also, as with many of her recent YA novels, there is a strong sense realism to the story that makes it seem more special. It just seems grounded in a personal truth on a deep level, even if the events and characters are entirely fictional. I've always enjoyed Mia's writing, but I feel lately I've enjoyed it even more.
I received an ARC copy of "Drama Girls" in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 30, 2017
Sweet, high school lesbian romance.
Chloe and Sarah find each other in drama class on the first day of the new school year. Chloe's upbringing has been so sheltered that life outside her church's youth group continuously embarrasses her. Her transition, from middle school to high school, has set her back on her heels. Stepping outside her good girl persona, Chloe selected a drama class instead of debate. Sarah's starting her junior year in high school. She's already dealt with coming out as a lesbian and has gotten over the crush that she had on her straight, best friend. Sarah and Courtney (Sarah's hetero BFF) share an interest in acting and the school's drama club.
A gender bending update on an old play pulls Chloe into Sarah's orbit. Sarah is assigned to mentor Chloe in the class. Working together on a project brings Chloe and Sarah closer. Being cast as the leads in a lesbian themed play provides ample opportunities for them to explore their developing feelings for each other. A hostile youth minister, a disgruntled BFF and a protective single mother provide challenges to this budding romance. However, the allure of first love and heartwarming kisses works as repellents to these obstacles.
Drama Girls is a good novel. The characters, storyline and writing are consistently excellent. As a lesbian romance about young women, it hits its marks. It is flat in places and the POV alternates between Chloe and Sarah by chapter. I enjoy new books by Mia Archer, but they do share a level of predictability. I don't look for high drama from these books, just time spent enjoying a well written romance.
Chloe and Sarah find each other in drama class on the first day of the new school year. Chloe's upbringing has been so sheltered that life outside her church's youth group continuously embarrasses her. Her transition, from middle school to high school, has set her back on her heels. Stepping outside her good girl persona, Chloe selected a drama class instead of debate. Sarah's starting her junior year in high school. She's already dealt with coming out as a lesbian and has gotten over the crush that she had on her straight, best friend. Sarah and Courtney (Sarah's hetero BFF) share an interest in acting and the school's drama club.
A gender bending update on an old play pulls Chloe into Sarah's orbit. Sarah is assigned to mentor Chloe in the class. Working together on a project brings Chloe and Sarah closer. Being cast as the leads in a lesbian themed play provides ample opportunities for them to explore their developing feelings for each other. A hostile youth minister, a disgruntled BFF and a protective single mother provide challenges to this budding romance. However, the allure of first love and heartwarming kisses works as repellents to these obstacles.
Drama Girls is a good novel. The characters, storyline and writing are consistently excellent. As a lesbian romance about young women, it hits its marks. It is flat in places and the POV alternates between Chloe and Sarah by chapter. I enjoy new books by Mia Archer, but they do share a level of predictability. I don't look for high drama from these books, just time spent enjoying a well written romance.
October 9, 2017
3.5 Stars, rounded up
This is a really good story with really relatable characters. Living in a small town and being queer is hard because you never know how they’re going to react, but always expect the worst. I also really relate to Chloe’s experience with her mom; I was always worried about how my parents would react to my own queerness but the reality is that they still love me and just want the best for me, for me to be happy and in a healthy relationship. Luckily I have never had to deal with anyone like Pastor Dave in my life, but I can definitely seeing him being inspired by real people, and the damage someone like him can inflict, especially on young, different kids and teens.
My problems largely lie with editing. Commas were a thing sorely lacking and some weird capitalization happened from time to time. There’s also a continuity error near the end because when Chloe’s Mom meets Sarah she introduced herself as Tracy, but Pastor Hall calls her Monica.
Overall I enjoyed the story and the pacing and development of the relationship between Chloe and Sarah felt well done and very organic. Some stuff in story got repetitive, but still flowed well and felt like a solid conclusion.
This is a really good story with really relatable characters. Living in a small town and being queer is hard because you never know how they’re going to react, but always expect the worst. I also really relate to Chloe’s experience with her mom; I was always worried about how my parents would react to my own queerness but the reality is that they still love me and just want the best for me, for me to be happy and in a healthy relationship. Luckily I have never had to deal with anyone like Pastor Dave in my life, but I can definitely seeing him being inspired by real people, and the damage someone like him can inflict, especially on young, different kids and teens.
My problems largely lie with editing. Commas were a thing sorely lacking and some weird capitalization happened from time to time. There’s also a continuity error near the end because when Chloe’s Mom meets Sarah she introduced herself as Tracy, but Pastor Hall calls her Monica.
Overall I enjoyed the story and the pacing and development of the relationship between Chloe and Sarah felt well done and very organic. Some stuff in story got repetitive, but still flowed well and felt like a solid conclusion.
February 7, 2018
Drama Girls was one of the few non-erotica lesbian books I found on Kindle Unlimited. It had a nice (even though kind of cliché romance-wise) plot and looked like a good read. Oh, boy.
I'm not gonna say it's terrible. It really isn't. It deals with homophobia, sexuality and religion, LGTB high school life as a whole. It's not awful.
But it isn't that great either.
If I could sum it up in one word, I'd say... 'meh'. It's a cool story, but it is also everything you'd expect from the title. A cliché high school romance (with the difference of being about two girls instead of Troy and Gabriella). It has no depth, it's predictable. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially with the lack of representation in YA media.
It was a nice read, but I could have lived without it.
Either way, representation is always nice.
I'm not gonna say it's terrible. It really isn't. It deals with homophobia, sexuality and religion, LGTB high school life as a whole. It's not awful.
But it isn't that great either.
If I could sum it up in one word, I'd say... 'meh'. It's a cool story, but it is also everything you'd expect from the title. A cliché high school romance (with the difference of being about two girls instead of Troy and Gabriella). It has no depth, it's predictable. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially with the lack of representation in YA media.
It was a nice read, but I could have lived without it.
Either way, representation is always nice.
February 4, 2018
This is the perfect book for YA. The questioning of the main characters is realistic. Also the fact that the author shows both the negative of religion and positive. Yes there are bad people out there but not all are bad. The character of Chloe is especially well written and I feel would be helpful for many young people who can relate to the situation she is in. Also no sexual content so a good starter book.
February 11, 2019
Once again Mia Archer delivers exactly what her public love. Cute with a happy ending - this is not a spoiler where this author is concerned!
Keep writing them and we will keep reading them. As for the folks who want sex and angst, there are many other authors who will give you this.
Keep writing them and we will keep reading them. As for the folks who want sex and angst, there are many other authors who will give you this.
February 5, 2018
Lovely story
Made me realize how many parallels there were to my own high school. My only complaint was the mum's name changing from Tracey to Monica
Made me realize how many parallels there were to my own high school. My only complaint was the mum's name changing from Tracey to Monica
October 16, 2021
An okay read. I feel that the story was too fast paced. It was like I was skipping chapters because almost everything happened off pages.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews