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Forward March
What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?
Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:
1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn't even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she's not sure she even wants him to win.
But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.
With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.
Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:
1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn't even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she's not sure she even wants him to win.
But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.
With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 22, 2022
32 people are currently reading
5936 people want to read
About the author
Skye Quinlan
2 books115 followersSkye Quinlan (they/them) is a queer, autistic author of YA fiction. They’re an avid reader, have an absurd amount of crystals and gemstones, and if they’re not tending to their garden, you can usually find them playing Animal Crossing. Skye lives in Ohio with their wife, two dogs, a snake, and two lizards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
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May 20, 20212022 is really gonna deliver me the asexual rep I've been craving, huh??
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June 12, 2021marching band??? sapphic??? excuse me while i celebrate the union of the two parts of my teenage self
June 1, 2022
Thanks to Page Street Publishing for an ARC book for an honest review.
Author Skye Quinlan immediately sets the scene in the first chapter of main character (and totally precious nerdy band lover Harper McKinley) having her photos used to catfish, including most unfortunately the ever-popular Margot Blanchard at Harper’s own boarding school, but luckily Harper has her great and comic but sweet friend Nadia at her side to help her get through this humiliation where she feels her parents would be extremely dismayed. The author has such an easy writing style that you’re sucked like a tornado into this book before you realize it, getting the air sucked out of you like Harper endures with her asthma. It’s refreshing how the author doesn’t have Margot be an all-out-brat whom we hate, but, like all the well-rounded characters, you want to feel for them in their own struggles too. Captivating read full of emotion, comic relief, and even some Doctor Who and Family Feud. You’ve been warned. 😊
Author Skye Quinlan immediately sets the scene in the first chapter of main character (and totally precious nerdy band lover Harper McKinley) having her photos used to catfish, including most unfortunately the ever-popular Margot Blanchard at Harper’s own boarding school, but luckily Harper has her great and comic but sweet friend Nadia at her side to help her get through this humiliation where she feels her parents would be extremely dismayed. The author has such an easy writing style that you’re sucked like a tornado into this book before you realize it, getting the air sucked out of you like Harper endures with her asthma. It’s refreshing how the author doesn’t have Margot be an all-out-brat whom we hate, but, like all the well-rounded characters, you want to feel for them in their own struggles too. Captivating read full of emotion, comic relief, and even some Doctor Who and Family Feud. You’ve been warned. 😊
November 6, 2021
I feel so torn about this book. The ace rep was amazing but I legitimately hated every single one of Harper's friends with a burning passion. If you're like me and have a hard time with "forgive and forget" then this will be one hell of a frustrating read for you.
BUT if you can make it through feeling frustrated and pissed off and highkey wanting to murder 80% of these characters, you'll also get a super sweet sapphic romance, the best brother cameo, sibling banter and some seriously sweet moments that almost make up for the scowl you'll be wearing for the other parts of the book.
BUT if you can make it through feeling frustrated and pissed off and highkey wanting to murder 80% of these characters, you'll also get a super sweet sapphic romance, the best brother cameo, sibling banter and some seriously sweet moments that almost make up for the scowl you'll be wearing for the other parts of the book.
April 4, 2022
So when I was in high school I was VERY much a marching band kid for better and worse. I was even section leader my senior year and we won the state championship for marching band in my state's largest division that year. I disliked a lot of high school but marching band was often the bright spot in high school for me. (bonus points for first person to read this review and guess what instrument I played). So for me a YA wlw novel about marching band kids seemed like it would be a really fun read for me, and for the most part it was!
Forward March follows Harper McKinley, a saxophonist in her private boarding school's marching band. When she learns one day that someone has been using her name and pictures to catfish Margot Blanchard, a drummer, she is shocked and embarrassed. But over time and growing closer to Margot maybe there is a spark there she didn't expect. But this is made all the more complicated in the fact that Harper's father is a republican running for president, and her mother is dean of her school- and neither would be happy about their daughter dating another woman.
So this book was pretty adorable and had a lot of the staples of a great YA book. To begin with the romance, I was super into it and I loved how it laid out. Harper and Margot were so cute and lovely, they pulled on my heartstrings over and over. And their development was so gradual it was great. I also really enjoyed how they handled Harper being asexual as an aspect of their relationship. I'm not ace myself so I can't necessarily give a firsthand account, but it seemed to me they handled it well.
Also I really enjoyed the friend dynamics? I don't think everyone will because the best word to describe it all is MESSY. But as a survivor of queer high school marching band relationships, it all felt very real to me. These aren't perfect friendships necessarily but they felt real. I particularly was intrigued by Bellamy, not a perfect person but a really interesting one.
My main criticism of this book was how it handled the politics. Harper's father is a republican senator running for president. The book does day directly that Harper isn't a fan of her dad's politics, and it tries to paint him as a nicer republican. The book (or at least my reading) tends to take it for granted that the reader will have a distaste for republicans, and don't get me wrong I do. But I think the book failed to really address WHY we don't agree with him or other republicans. Perhaps Quinlan didn't want to get the book bogged down in politics or a political discussion and I get that, but with anti-trans bills being passed in states across the country a LGBT book that doesn't discuss how one party is actively making life worse for queer people misses the mark. Also there didn't really seem to be any comeuppance to Harper's parents for how they have treated her and her brother. I just wish there was more here in the book.
Also a small note, this is just picky as someone who was in marching band- it kinda confused me what the band was doing at times. The book made it seemed like they learn sets to new pop songs every couple weeks where most modern marching bands learn a specific show for a semester and compete that one show in competitions over the course of the semester. There were no competitions in this book- just football games really. That just seemed a little off to me but it's something most readers won't necessarily notice.
I really did enjoy this book overall. It's a lovely YA novel that will pull at your heart, and made me nostalgic for my own band experiences. 4/5
Forward March follows Harper McKinley, a saxophonist in her private boarding school's marching band. When she learns one day that someone has been using her name and pictures to catfish Margot Blanchard, a drummer, she is shocked and embarrassed. But over time and growing closer to Margot maybe there is a spark there she didn't expect. But this is made all the more complicated in the fact that Harper's father is a republican running for president, and her mother is dean of her school- and neither would be happy about their daughter dating another woman.
So this book was pretty adorable and had a lot of the staples of a great YA book. To begin with the romance, I was super into it and I loved how it laid out. Harper and Margot were so cute and lovely, they pulled on my heartstrings over and over. And their development was so gradual it was great. I also really enjoyed how they handled Harper being asexual as an aspect of their relationship. I'm not ace myself so I can't necessarily give a firsthand account, but it seemed to me they handled it well.
Also I really enjoyed the friend dynamics? I don't think everyone will because the best word to describe it all is MESSY. But as a survivor of queer high school marching band relationships, it all felt very real to me. These aren't perfect friendships necessarily but they felt real. I particularly was intrigued by Bellamy, not a perfect person but a really interesting one.
My main criticism of this book was how it handled the politics. Harper's father is a republican senator running for president. The book does day directly that Harper isn't a fan of her dad's politics, and it tries to paint him as a nicer republican. The book (or at least my reading) tends to take it for granted that the reader will have a distaste for republicans, and don't get me wrong I do. But I think the book failed to really address WHY we don't agree with him or other republicans. Perhaps Quinlan didn't want to get the book bogged down in politics or a political discussion and I get that, but with anti-trans bills being passed in states across the country a LGBT book that doesn't discuss how one party is actively making life worse for queer people misses the mark. Also there didn't really seem to be any comeuppance to Harper's parents for how they have treated her and her brother. I just wish there was more here in the book.
Also a small note, this is just picky as someone who was in marching band- it kinda confused me what the band was doing at times. The book made it seemed like they learn sets to new pop songs every couple weeks where most modern marching bands learn a specific show for a semester and compete that one show in competitions over the course of the semester. There were no competitions in this book- just football games really. That just seemed a little off to me but it's something most readers won't necessarily notice.
I really did enjoy this book overall. It's a lovely YA novel that will pull at your heart, and made me nostalgic for my own band experiences. 4/5
June 28, 2022
This was so good!!
Rep: white midsize lesbian asexual-questioning cis female MC with anxiety and asthma, vegetarian Black Canadian lesbian cis female side character, bisexual nonbinary side character, Indonesian sapphic cis female side character, white pansexual polyamorous cis female side character, Black Canadian autistic cis female side character with anxiety, white achillean cis male side character who is a recovering alcoholic, white achillean cis male side character.
CWs: queerphobia/queermisia, racism, classism, panic attacks, medical content, toxic friendship, bullying/online harassment, outing, toxic relationship (familial: parent/child), mental illness (anxiety, depression and PTSD), acephobia/acemisia. Minor: alcoholism, mention of past self harm, suicidal thoughts, vomit.
Rep: white midsize lesbian asexual-questioning cis female MC with anxiety and asthma, vegetarian Black Canadian lesbian cis female side character, bisexual nonbinary side character, Indonesian sapphic cis female side character, white pansexual polyamorous cis female side character, Black Canadian autistic cis female side character with anxiety, white achillean cis male side character who is a recovering alcoholic, white achillean cis male side character.
CWs: queerphobia/queermisia, racism, classism, panic attacks, medical content, toxic friendship, bullying/online harassment, outing, toxic relationship (familial: parent/child), mental illness (anxiety, depression and PTSD), acephobia/acemisia. Minor: alcoholism, mention of past self harm, suicidal thoughts, vomit.
March 13, 2022
I was so intrigued by this book ever since it was announced – of course, as you know, I’m a sucker for sapphic contemporary novels, but, living in Scotland, marching band isn’t really a thing here, so I was really curious to read this book on its release. The novel follows Harper who loves being a part of her school’s band, yet has the shadow of her mum being the dean and her dad’s political career looming over her. When Harper finds out that someone is impersonating her on Tinder, she starts to panic – students aren’t allowed dating profiles and her match is fellow drummer in the school band, Margot, but Harper isn’t even sure if she likes girls. But after getting to know Margot, Harper starts forming a friendship with her, but this could put her whole life, and her father’s political campaign on the line.
First and foremost, I loved the setting of this book – Harper studies at a prestigious private school headed by her mother, and I love boarding school books. I’m not quite sure what it is about them but they always seem to heighten my enjoyment of a book! I loved getting to follow Harper through her band rehearsals and study hours in her dorm, as well as playing her saxophone at school football games and even visiting a renaissance fair. It really was so fun and I think it also fed really well into the tricky friendships in the book, as well as Harper’s feelings of being stifled and not being able to figure herself out in her own time.
When I looked at a couple of reviews for the book, I noticed that some people didn’t love the difficult to navigate friendships that Harper has throughout the book, but I thought they seemed really natural. To some, the drama in Harper’s friend group may seem slightly contrived, but I thought that it was perfectly written – teenagers can be cruel for no reason and the falling outs and making back up again were so realistic to me, and I really feel that so many teens reading this book will be able to relate to Harper in their own lives. Furthermore, I really enjoyed seeing Harper gain new, strong friendships throughout the book, finding people she can rely on and who love her for who she is, and not because of who her parents are.
Of course, I have to mention the relationship. I thought Harper’s coming out journey was written so well and was handled with so much care and the on-page asexual and lesbian rep is going to be so valuable for younger teens who are also questioning their sexuality. The romance is pretty slow burn and grows off of a strong, stable friendship, and if you know me, I love friends to lovers! It was a super healthy and adorable romance and it was exactly what I was looking for going into this book!
However, I did have a couple of issues while reading. The main one being her father’s political opinions. From the start, and even in the synopsis, it is established that her dad is running for the Republican party – a right wing group. Though at times throughout the book, Harper admits that she is not a fan of his politics, it was not developed on enough for my liking. I can understand that maybe the author didn’t want this to be a really political book, but when it is really important to the story that he is running for President as the Republican candidate, I think that it’s really important to discuss how harmful the Republican party’s politics are. And this is especially true since Harper divulges that both of her parents are homophobic, and that this directly affects her throughout the book. It didn’t feel like enough for me and I think that some good political discussion would have really done well in the book, because after all, teens aren’t fragile, they know about politics and it affects their lives, so why gloss over it? I also thought that the ending was a bit rushed and that the other person having a crush on Harper was a bit unnecessary to the whole plotline and didn’t make much sense with what we’d read about them so far, but I can look past that since the other reveals worked well in my opinion.
Overall, this was a really fun, unique addition to sapphic YA contemporary that I think so many young people will benefit from and love and I can’t wait to see what Skye Quinlan releases next!
Thanks to TBR and Beyond Books, Page Street Publishing, and Netgalley for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
First and foremost, I loved the setting of this book – Harper studies at a prestigious private school headed by her mother, and I love boarding school books. I’m not quite sure what it is about them but they always seem to heighten my enjoyment of a book! I loved getting to follow Harper through her band rehearsals and study hours in her dorm, as well as playing her saxophone at school football games and even visiting a renaissance fair. It really was so fun and I think it also fed really well into the tricky friendships in the book, as well as Harper’s feelings of being stifled and not being able to figure herself out in her own time.
When I looked at a couple of reviews for the book, I noticed that some people didn’t love the difficult to navigate friendships that Harper has throughout the book, but I thought they seemed really natural. To some, the drama in Harper’s friend group may seem slightly contrived, but I thought that it was perfectly written – teenagers can be cruel for no reason and the falling outs and making back up again were so realistic to me, and I really feel that so many teens reading this book will be able to relate to Harper in their own lives. Furthermore, I really enjoyed seeing Harper gain new, strong friendships throughout the book, finding people she can rely on and who love her for who she is, and not because of who her parents are.
Of course, I have to mention the relationship. I thought Harper’s coming out journey was written so well and was handled with so much care and the on-page asexual and lesbian rep is going to be so valuable for younger teens who are also questioning their sexuality. The romance is pretty slow burn and grows off of a strong, stable friendship, and if you know me, I love friends to lovers! It was a super healthy and adorable romance and it was exactly what I was looking for going into this book!
However, I did have a couple of issues while reading. The main one being her father’s political opinions. From the start, and even in the synopsis, it is established that her dad is running for the Republican party – a right wing group. Though at times throughout the book, Harper admits that she is not a fan of his politics, it was not developed on enough for my liking. I can understand that maybe the author didn’t want this to be a really political book, but when it is really important to the story that he is running for President as the Republican candidate, I think that it’s really important to discuss how harmful the Republican party’s politics are. And this is especially true since Harper divulges that both of her parents are homophobic, and that this directly affects her throughout the book. It didn’t feel like enough for me and I think that some good political discussion would have really done well in the book, because after all, teens aren’t fragile, they know about politics and it affects their lives, so why gloss over it? I also thought that the ending was a bit rushed and that the other person having a crush on Harper was a bit unnecessary to the whole plotline and didn’t make much sense with what we’d read about them so far, but I can look past that since the other reveals worked well in my opinion.
Overall, this was a really fun, unique addition to sapphic YA contemporary that I think so many young people will benefit from and love and I can’t wait to see what Skye Quinlan releases next!
Thanks to TBR and Beyond Books, Page Street Publishing, and Netgalley for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
April 25, 2024
3.5 stars. I really liked this for the most part. Skye Quinlan’s writing style is an absolute joy, Harper and Margot are adorable together, and I loved the ace rep! I did have some questions about Harper’s dad and what his values really were, and Evelyn’s character just flat out confused me.
Now, the marching band aspect of the story…let’s just say it was nothing like my own marching band experience. If you’re a band geek expecting detailed descriptions of band camp, competitions, and, well, anything band-related that feels high-stakes…you won’t find that here. The marching band in this book was more of a pep band that just revolved around football, and the program didn’t seem to be taken very seriously. Skye Quinlan has stated that they were in marching band, though, so most likely their marching band experience was just different from a lot of people’s.
I will definitely be reading more of Skye Quinlan’s books in the future!
[PS: Selfishly, I hope Issa ends up playing the clarinet like she initially wanted to, because contrary to what Harper says, it’s actually an extremely cool instrument, and noooo I’m not biased at all! 😎]
Now, the marching band aspect of the story…let’s just say it was nothing like my own marching band experience. If you’re a band geek expecting detailed descriptions of band camp, competitions, and, well, anything band-related that feels high-stakes…you won’t find that here. The marching band in this book was more of a pep band that just revolved around football, and the program didn’t seem to be taken very seriously. Skye Quinlan has stated that they were in marching band, though, so most likely their marching band experience was just different from a lot of people’s.
I will definitely be reading more of Skye Quinlan’s books in the future!
[PS: Selfishly, I hope Issa ends up playing the clarinet like she initially wanted to, because contrary to what Harper says, it’s actually an extremely cool instrument, and noooo I’m not biased at all! 😎]
March 13, 2022
i have very mixed feelings on this book. at first i assumed it would just be a cute romantic comedy but that wasn't the case. i loved the romance and thought the main couple was very sweet but i hadn't expected all that came with it.
positives!
- diverse cast, there are many queer characters as well as people of color. this doesn't feel forced or tokenized which is great to see.
- exploration of queer identities!! the lgbt+ representation in this novel was wonderful and definitely a highlight.
- the adorable romance. i already mentioned them but < harper & margot 3
negatives, (mostly just things i personally didn't love.)
- the political aspect of it all. there are some scenes where this is well done but it felt very unneeded. her mom being dean and the dad running for president just felt very over the top.
- the writing style was too simple? i don't really know how to explain it but it did
- the forgive and forget trope was very annoying and most of the people in this book are utter assholes for no reason.
overall, i mostly enjoyed this book so if you're looking for a quick and easy sapphic book (and don't mind some frustrating side characters) definitely pick this up!
thank you for page street ya for sending an arc for my honest review!
content warnings: anxiety, depression, mentions of self harm, alcoholism, being outed.
positives!
- diverse cast, there are many queer characters as well as people of color. this doesn't feel forced or tokenized which is great to see.
- exploration of queer identities!! the lgbt+ representation in this novel was wonderful and definitely a highlight.
- the adorable romance. i already mentioned them but < harper & margot 3
negatives, (mostly just things i personally didn't love.)
- the political aspect of it all. there are some scenes where this is well done but it felt very unneeded. her mom being dean and the dad running for president just felt very over the top.
- the writing style was too simple? i don't really know how to explain it but it did
- the forgive and forget trope was very annoying and most of the people in this book are utter assholes for no reason.
overall, i mostly enjoyed this book so if you're looking for a quick and easy sapphic book (and don't mind some frustrating side characters) definitely pick this up!
thank you for page street ya for sending an arc for my honest review!
content warnings: anxiety, depression, mentions of self harm, alcoholism, being outed.
March 11, 2022
Quinlan perfectly captured first love, the pressures of high school and all the emotions that go along with the experience with beautiful words that show the true heart of her characters and I could not have loved it more & I played the flute for less than a year back in high school and had ALL the nostalgia from the Friday Night feels in this one🤣
With a unique political family dynamic that I hadn’t expected but worked so well for this story, anyone who’s ever been caught up in family expectations and wants to break free of those pressures should read this title. Written for the band geeks and self-proclaimed nerds who miss the music and community feeling of marching as one, this book’s for you! Similar to the setting of Ashley Schumacher’s Full Flight with the added element of the young adult queer love story you didn’t know you needed, FORWARD MARCH will blow you away.
“Her eyes are the prettiest shade of brown, and I feel like a book she’s trying her hardest to decipher, to peel apart the pages and read between the lines like no one else ever has.”
Are you someone who falls for lines of a book and just wants to go back and read them over and over? This was my favorite sentence and just 😍 Read this one and remember what it’s like to feel that pressure and expectation of everything being so BIG and important, as these incredible characters find out just who exactly they are as they get ready to graduate and go out into the real world.
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, the author, and Page Street Publishing for having me on the book tour, check out my post from 3/9!
With a unique political family dynamic that I hadn’t expected but worked so well for this story, anyone who’s ever been caught up in family expectations and wants to break free of those pressures should read this title. Written for the band geeks and self-proclaimed nerds who miss the music and community feeling of marching as one, this book’s for you! Similar to the setting of Ashley Schumacher’s Full Flight with the added element of the young adult queer love story you didn’t know you needed, FORWARD MARCH will blow you away.
“Her eyes are the prettiest shade of brown, and I feel like a book she’s trying her hardest to decipher, to peel apart the pages and read between the lines like no one else ever has.”
Are you someone who falls for lines of a book and just wants to go back and read them over and over? This was my favorite sentence and just 😍 Read this one and remember what it’s like to feel that pressure and expectation of everything being so BIG and important, as these incredible characters find out just who exactly they are as they get ready to graduate and go out into the real world.
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, the author, and Page Street Publishing for having me on the book tour, check out my post from 3/9!
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March 28, 2022Harper's coming out as an asexual lesbian was the most developed and engaging part of the story. Much of the rest was underdeveloped, including her father's political work, the media scandals, the fact Harper goes to a boarding school (her mom works there but that wasn't enough to cut it for me), the tinder catfishing subplot, and the completely underdeveloped friendships. I thought the relationship between Harper and Nadia was done well, until it fell off about half-way through.
In no way is this a bad book, but rather, it reads like a debut novel. Quinlan's got a lot of potential so I'll be picking up her next title.
In no way is this a bad book, but rather, it reads like a debut novel. Quinlan's got a lot of potential so I'll be picking up her next title.
April 5, 2022
1.5 stars
DNF halfway through. I wanted to love this but unfortunately I hated every character (except for Bellamy, though based on other reviews that would've changed) and the fact that there was really no plot at all did not help in that aspect. I was also pretty confused by the political aspect--was Evelyn's dad a democrat or a republican? I'm almost certain that it was explicitly stated that he's a democrat, but Evelyn made a comment about how he'd be up against Harper's dad in the primaries, so he has to be a republican. And then Harper comments that "Evelyn's dad wants to build a wall", which...okay so he's a Trump analogue then, right? And he's got to be farther right than Harper's dad? But Evelyn--Evelyn, who's FWB with a nonbinary person--is going to vote for him anyways, despite the fact that he's absolutely got to have platforms that will make their life actively worse. Like yeah, she's established to be an asshole, but from what I read she seems to genuinely care about Bellamy so that doesn't really check out for me. Anyways political rant aside, I liked the rep (ace lesbians! whoo!) but besides that, not much else.
DNF halfway through. I wanted to love this but unfortunately I hated every character (except for Bellamy, though based on other reviews that would've changed) and the fact that there was really no plot at all did not help in that aspect. I was also pretty confused by the political aspect--was Evelyn's dad a democrat or a republican? I'm almost certain that it was explicitly stated that he's a democrat, but Evelyn made a comment about how he'd be up against Harper's dad in the primaries, so he has to be a republican. And then Harper comments that "Evelyn's dad wants to build a wall", which...okay so he's a Trump analogue then, right? And he's got to be farther right than Harper's dad? But Evelyn--Evelyn, who's FWB with a nonbinary person--is going to vote for him anyways, despite the fact that he's absolutely got to have platforms that will make their life actively worse. Like yeah, she's established to be an asshole, but from what I read she seems to genuinely care about Bellamy so that doesn't really check out for me. Anyways political rant aside, I liked the rep (ace lesbians! whoo!) but besides that, not much else.
August 6, 2023
This book was truly all over the place, and while each individual part was fine, the sheer number of plot points going on was a disservice to the overall arc. The marching band stuff was pretty cute and not as cringe as I thought, but the election plot was the centerpiece of the story. I would have loved to see the two stories fleshed out separately, because they didn’t really feel intertwined in this book anyway. The high stakes of the the election kind of dismissed the emotional stakes of high school marching band, which band kids notoriously take way too seriously. I think it would have been fun to explore that more.
The pacing of this book also felt odd. There was sooooo much set up and explanation at the beginning, and then there’s a series of events that all happen really quickly at the end, that could have used more time. Again, I think it’s too many ideas shoved into one book to do any of the ideas service.
Rounded up simply because the author is a band kid and it was cute. Generous 3.5.
The pacing of this book also felt odd. There was sooooo much set up and explanation at the beginning, and then there’s a series of events that all happen really quickly at the end, that could have used more time. Again, I think it’s too many ideas shoved into one book to do any of the ideas service.
Rounded up simply because the author is a band kid and it was cute. Generous 3.5.
May 5, 2022
This book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Political family drama? Coming of age? Fun band shenanigans? Nothing felt resolved and it all felt hollow and stupid. And no one has ever thought of reporting an account on an app? Easy fix.
Also now I'm just being petty but I was really hoping for a more marching band focused book but this really felt like a pep band book?
Also now I'm just being petty but I was really hoping for a more marching band focused book but this really felt like a pep band book?
December 9, 2022
*4.25, rtc!!
July 14, 2022
“your parents are who they are, harper. they dug their graves, and someday they’re going to have to lie in them. i’ll imagine they’ll have regrets when they do, but you don’t have to have this regrets. you are more than capable of learning from their mistakes, and knowing not to repeat them. to hell with all those articles, and just, forward march. because that’s not who are. don’t you ever let your parents hold you back.”
this book has heart!! reading is about love, all forms of it, and this book was completely that. platonic love, friendships that crack and tear but also friendships that are there for you. familial love, hatred for those who hurt you but love for those who will always be family. romantic love, and discovering what it means!! romantic love that only a canonically chaotic asexual lesbian could ever truly invent for herself. (sorry micah i’m stealing your brand of canonically chaotic bisexuals it’s canonically chaotic ace lesbians now.)
like most messy young adult books, this book is confusing and painful but so loving!! harper is a band geek, and daughter of not only the dean of her school, but also the republican presidential candidate: her dad. she is notoriously awkward, she loves music, she cares about her friends a lot, she lives life trying to not forget her inhaler, and just?? can i be her best friend? when margot, a punk lesbian from canada with a french accent and a family also involved in politics, catches her off guard, letting her know of a fake tinder profile someone made in harper’s name, harper is royally screwed. like i said, mess. but messes? they lead to margot.
this book isn’t purely romance but i loved margot! specifically read the audiobook for margot because of the accent the narrator does. the center of this story is harper and margot and friendship breakups and politics and music. the center of this story is happiness, and learning it and relearning it. it’s coming to terms with who you are. it’s breathing and cutting yourself off only to find yourself in somewhere new! i’m doing such a bad job at explaining it but. this book was beautiful. bookstagram needs to hop on this one!!
thank you for my two true loves naomi and meilin for reading this after me and loving it too. <3
content warnings: anxiety, depression, mentions of self-harm, alcoholism, being outed
this book has heart!! reading is about love, all forms of it, and this book was completely that. platonic love, friendships that crack and tear but also friendships that are there for you. familial love, hatred for those who hurt you but love for those who will always be family. romantic love, and discovering what it means!! romantic love that only a canonically chaotic asexual lesbian could ever truly invent for herself. (sorry micah i’m stealing your brand of canonically chaotic bisexuals it’s canonically chaotic ace lesbians now.)
like most messy young adult books, this book is confusing and painful but so loving!! harper is a band geek, and daughter of not only the dean of her school, but also the republican presidential candidate: her dad. she is notoriously awkward, she loves music, she cares about her friends a lot, she lives life trying to not forget her inhaler, and just?? can i be her best friend? when margot, a punk lesbian from canada with a french accent and a family also involved in politics, catches her off guard, letting her know of a fake tinder profile someone made in harper’s name, harper is royally screwed. like i said, mess. but messes? they lead to margot.
this book isn’t purely romance but i loved margot! specifically read the audiobook for margot because of the accent the narrator does. the center of this story is harper and margot and friendship breakups and politics and music. the center of this story is happiness, and learning it and relearning it. it’s coming to terms with who you are. it’s breathing and cutting yourself off only to find yourself in somewhere new! i’m doing such a bad job at explaining it but. this book was beautiful. bookstagram needs to hop on this one!!
thank you for my two true loves naomi and meilin for reading this after me and loving it too. <3
content warnings: anxiety, depression, mentions of self-harm, alcoholism, being outed
January 8, 2022
**ARC provided by NetGalley**
As a queer person and a former band geek, I was so excited when I saw this book. I was ready for some sweet sapphic love between two nerds and I wouldn't say I was disappointed in THAT regard. However, there were many other areas in which I was disappointed.
Forward March follows Harper, a senior saxophonist who finds out that someone has been posing as her on Tinder and sending risque messages to a member of the drumline. This is a great story idea, and this is the plot that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, it feels like the Tinder profile plotline gets sidelined in favor of focusing on her father's political campaign, as he is planning to run for President. This information, for me, is where this author seriously jumped the shark. It went from a "haha semi-relatable" romantic romp to someone trying to skate on the coattails of Red, White, and Royal Blue's success. The political plot simply never meshed with the bit I was actually interested in, and it would have been even more interesting to see Harper and Margot's relationship blossom throughout some investigation of that delicious mystery.
There were moments that I enjoyed, all of the little inside marching band jokes were spot-on. Yes, trumpets ARE obnoxious and the percussion section can NEVER find the beat. I also liked the pop culture references at first, as Harper's favorite shows are also all of my favorite shows, but even those got old by chapter four. The relationship that we finally see between Harper and her brother, Christian, and his boyfriend, Ben, was amazing as well. I wished we had gotten that earlier, but alas, it was a sweet tie-in at the end at least. My favorite thing about this was definitely the solid, well-handled asexual representation that Quinlan gave us. And Harper and Margot's relationship was fun to watch grow and blossom.
However, there were so many parts of this book that either frustrated me to no end or that I simply couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy. As I said, the entire political side to this book, which ended up being a good 60% of it, did not mesh into what I thought was going to be the main plot. Similar stakes could have been made simply by Harper having conservative parents, one of which runs the school. Harrison, the Vice President's son that is apparently desperately in-lust with Harper, also felt like a pointless character. He added nothing to the plot, except as something small to fuel Evelyn's jealousy. Speaking of characters who did nothing more than annoy me, Nadia absolutely sucks. It was obvious that her jealousy over Margot was because of feelings she harbored for Harper, but even having gleamed that subtext, all of her outbursts and arguments felt unnecessarily amplified. Even by the end, when you know the full story, it never feels justified. That happens with a lot of the emotional upheavals of the book, they never really feel deserved. From Harper's arguments with her mother to Harper and Nadia's multiple fights, even Bellamy's final outburst of apology feels terribly over the top and unnecessary. The emotions of the book were hard to follow and I could never quite tell if I was supposed to be mad at someone or not because I couldn't tell how Harper was feeling.
Finally, the ending. The "forgive and forget"-ness of the ending drops this book an entire star for me. What Bellamy, Nadia, and Evelyn did to Harper and Margot was absolutely horrendous. I'm glad Evelyn was expelled, and I can even accept that Nadia and Bellamy were just dumb teenagers making poor decisions (though I would have preferred hearing that from Harper's voice than Ben's), but making up with Bellamy and Nadia at the very end felt extremely uneared and unsatisfying. If it had been handled differently, it might not have hit so badly with me, but the idea that Harper has to forgive Bellamy and Nadia otherwise Evelyn "wins" is not an idea that I vibe with. Harper doesn't have to forgive people that hurt her like that, and I can't imagine someone forgiving even their best friends that quickly after such a betrayal.
Overall, I had a lot of feelings about this book. It's not the best thing I've ever read, and I'm still disappointed that it wasn't the story I thought I'd be getting from the first couple of chapters. However, the love story, the ace representation, and the sibling interactions were enough to at least get me through the end.
As a queer person and a former band geek, I was so excited when I saw this book. I was ready for some sweet sapphic love between two nerds and I wouldn't say I was disappointed in THAT regard. However, there were many other areas in which I was disappointed.
Forward March follows Harper, a senior saxophonist who finds out that someone has been posing as her on Tinder and sending risque messages to a member of the drumline. This is a great story idea, and this is the plot that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, it feels like the Tinder profile plotline gets sidelined in favor of focusing on her father's political campaign, as he is planning to run for President. This information, for me, is where this author seriously jumped the shark. It went from a "haha semi-relatable" romantic romp to someone trying to skate on the coattails of Red, White, and Royal Blue's success. The political plot simply never meshed with the bit I was actually interested in, and it would have been even more interesting to see Harper and Margot's relationship blossom throughout some investigation of that delicious mystery.
There were moments that I enjoyed, all of the little inside marching band jokes were spot-on. Yes, trumpets ARE obnoxious and the percussion section can NEVER find the beat. I also liked the pop culture references at first, as Harper's favorite shows are also all of my favorite shows, but even those got old by chapter four. The relationship that we finally see between Harper and her brother, Christian, and his boyfriend, Ben, was amazing as well. I wished we had gotten that earlier, but alas, it was a sweet tie-in at the end at least. My favorite thing about this was definitely the solid, well-handled asexual representation that Quinlan gave us. And Harper and Margot's relationship was fun to watch grow and blossom.
However, there were so many parts of this book that either frustrated me to no end or that I simply couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy. As I said, the entire political side to this book, which ended up being a good 60% of it, did not mesh into what I thought was going to be the main plot. Similar stakes could have been made simply by Harper having conservative parents, one of which runs the school. Harrison, the Vice President's son that is apparently desperately in-lust with Harper, also felt like a pointless character. He added nothing to the plot, except as something small to fuel Evelyn's jealousy. Speaking of characters who did nothing more than annoy me, Nadia absolutely sucks. It was obvious that her jealousy over Margot was because of feelings she harbored for Harper, but even having gleamed that subtext, all of her outbursts and arguments felt unnecessarily amplified. Even by the end, when you know the full story, it never feels justified. That happens with a lot of the emotional upheavals of the book, they never really feel deserved. From Harper's arguments with her mother to Harper and Nadia's multiple fights, even Bellamy's final outburst of apology feels terribly over the top and unnecessary. The emotions of the book were hard to follow and I could never quite tell if I was supposed to be mad at someone or not because I couldn't tell how Harper was feeling.
Finally, the ending. The "forgive and forget"-ness of the ending drops this book an entire star for me. What Bellamy, Nadia, and Evelyn did to Harper and Margot was absolutely horrendous. I'm glad Evelyn was expelled, and I can even accept that Nadia and Bellamy were just dumb teenagers making poor decisions (though I would have preferred hearing that from Harper's voice than Ben's), but making up with Bellamy and Nadia at the very end felt extremely uneared and unsatisfying. If it had been handled differently, it might not have hit so badly with me, but the idea that Harper has to forgive Bellamy and Nadia otherwise Evelyn "wins" is not an idea that I vibe with. Harper doesn't have to forgive people that hurt her like that, and I can't imagine someone forgiving even their best friends that quickly after such a betrayal.
Overall, I had a lot of feelings about this book. It's not the best thing I've ever read, and I'm still disappointed that it wasn't the story I thought I'd be getting from the first couple of chapters. However, the love story, the ace representation, and the sibling interactions were enough to at least get me through the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2023
It always pains me when I have to give a lower rating to a book with good rep, especially if it’s a rep you see less often, for example asexual and aromantic identities and asthma.
So, let’s start from the good: the sapphic asexual rep in this book was amazing, and if you are looking for ace books that really show and discuss the main character’s asexuality, I’d still recommend this. I think it will be eye opening for a lot of younger kids who may be questioning their sexuality. I really hope it finds its way to them when they most need it.
Another aspect I liked about this book was that Harper was in the school band; it’s not something that we really have here in Italy, as we don’t have school teams, cheerleading and any of that, and it was interesting to learn more about the topic. It’s not often that I find YA books in which the main characters have joined clubs different from the usual ones.
Aside from these two things, however, I didn’t like the book at all. I found the romance to be forced and not believable enough for me to care about them; I usually am a fan of the idea of messy and toxic friendship groups, but I am also a firm believer you have to be able to pull them off, and this author unfortunately did not, in the slightest. It was way too ambitious, as far as I am concerned, and it ended up just being a complete mess.
The characters had the potential to be great, but everything got a bit lost in the writing, for me, in the sense that I don’t think this author has a mature or engaging style, therefore everything fell very flat. I really wanted to care for them, but I simply could not.
But the worst thing about this whole book was without a doubt the political subplot. Harper’s father is a Republican candidate, and while Harper once or twice states she doesn’t agree with most of his father’s ideas and policies, I feel like this discourse was not flashed out enough. I generally hate when book leave me thinking the characters disagreed with someone who was wrong but “ehi, they are not all bad, so I can get past that”. In my book, it doesn’t work like that, and if I strongly disagreed with someone’s view on important issues like human rights and gun control, I would be very vocal about it.
So, overall this was not the best YA contemporary I’ve ever read; the representation was great, not only the asexual one, but generally the diversisty was really good. I still think someone will love this book, but I couldn’t get past some of the issues I’ve underlined in the previous paragraph, especially the Republican father (and the mother who instead of helping her addict son decides that the best response is to send him away and estrange him).
I think the book would have benefitted from a lot of editing and polishing, and maybe a few pages more, to help set the pace right, because the pacing was extremely weird to me.
So, let’s start from the good: the sapphic asexual rep in this book was amazing, and if you are looking for ace books that really show and discuss the main character’s asexuality, I’d still recommend this. I think it will be eye opening for a lot of younger kids who may be questioning their sexuality. I really hope it finds its way to them when they most need it.
Another aspect I liked about this book was that Harper was in the school band; it’s not something that we really have here in Italy, as we don’t have school teams, cheerleading and any of that, and it was interesting to learn more about the topic. It’s not often that I find YA books in which the main characters have joined clubs different from the usual ones.
Aside from these two things, however, I didn’t like the book at all. I found the romance to be forced and not believable enough for me to care about them; I usually am a fan of the idea of messy and toxic friendship groups, but I am also a firm believer you have to be able to pull them off, and this author unfortunately did not, in the slightest. It was way too ambitious, as far as I am concerned, and it ended up just being a complete mess.
The characters had the potential to be great, but everything got a bit lost in the writing, for me, in the sense that I don’t think this author has a mature or engaging style, therefore everything fell very flat. I really wanted to care for them, but I simply could not.
But the worst thing about this whole book was without a doubt the political subplot. Harper’s father is a Republican candidate, and while Harper once or twice states she doesn’t agree with most of his father’s ideas and policies, I feel like this discourse was not flashed out enough. I generally hate when book leave me thinking the characters disagreed with someone who was wrong but “ehi, they are not all bad, so I can get past that”. In my book, it doesn’t work like that, and if I strongly disagreed with someone’s view on important issues like human rights and gun control, I would be very vocal about it.
So, overall this was not the best YA contemporary I’ve ever read; the representation was great, not only the asexual one, but generally the diversisty was really good. I still think someone will love this book, but I couldn’t get past some of the issues I’ve underlined in the previous paragraph, especially the Republican father (and the mother who instead of helping her addict son decides that the best response is to send him away and estrange him).
I think the book would have benefitted from a lot of editing and polishing, and maybe a few pages more, to help set the pace right, because the pacing was extremely weird to me.
April 12, 2022
covid is making me nice and give every book i read 5 stars but this was actually very good and characters who use lesbian on page absolutely love that for them
June 7, 2022
The ace rep was exactly what I was here for, but this girl’s friend group was such garbage and the way they were handled in this story was just not it for me
May 19, 2023
1. I fucking love that the homophobic republican couple gets 2/2 queer kids 🤌🏼 even though Harper’s dad was way less of a pendejo than I was expecting.
2. I knew from really early on that Nadia was in love with Harper, but I was still surprised that she and Bellamy had anything to do with the account/leaks.
3. I appreciate the nonbinary/bisexual rep with Bellamy, the homosexual/lesbian rep with Margot, the asexual/lesbian rep with Harper, and the queer male rep with Christian and Ben. The fringe characters were also diverse and inclusive.
4. I wish I could give this 4 stars, but I just didn’t enjoy it enough for that rating and I can’t put my finger on specifically why… because it was a cute book.
2. I knew from really early on that Nadia was in love with Harper, but I was still surprised that she and Bellamy had anything to do with the account/leaks.
3. I appreciate the nonbinary/bisexual rep with Bellamy, the homosexual/lesbian rep with Margot, the asexual/lesbian rep with Harper, and the queer male rep with Christian and Ben. The fringe characters were also diverse and inclusive.
4. I wish I could give this 4 stars, but I just didn’t enjoy it enough for that rating and I can’t put my finger on specifically why… because it was a cute book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2022
Where has this book been my entire life? It’s my new favorite 2022 read. Honestly, it had me at queer band geeks. The characters are so well-developed and I love too that politics are a part of the storyline. I couldn’t put this down and this story’s going to stay with me a long time. Amazing debut!
December 27, 2021
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: anxiety attacks, homophobia, mentioned substance abuse & addiction, forced outing, mentioned self harm
4.2
Harper McKinley doesn't like being in the spotlight, but she doesn't get much of a choice thanks to her politician dad, a presidential hopeful. As much as she'd love to avoid the media, she knows anything she does could get back to her parents- or worse, the news. Which is why it's so horrifying when she finds out about the dating profile using her name and her face to catfish girls. Harper isn't trying to date- and definitely not trying to date girls, that's not even an option- so talking to the catfished, fellow band geek, Margot, makes no sense. Except that Margot is persuasive as hell, and determined not to let Harper self-isolate in shame and anxiety. And, okay, Margot's actually pretty cool. And cute. Not that matters...
I have a rule, which is not to ever trust a blurb that compares a book to Red, White & Royal Blue because it is a lie 99% of the time and will just disappoint you. However the comparison kind of works here! If you enjoy political scandal, secret dating, and queer realization then you're definitely getting the vibes you want from this book!
And, I have to say, those things are all done really well! The concept of this book was a good one, and it's executed in a way that really works. You feel all the tension and the confusion, you never forget the stakes, and yet there's so much room left for the soft.
I'm also personally a fan of secret dating, and I loved the secret dating in this so much! It's just the right levels of tense/dramatic and fully sweet.
Honesty, the romance as a whole is really nice. It's paced well, the characters are fleshed out prior to getting romantically entangled and their chemistry is good.
I also love so much that this book has an ace main character whose queer realization arc includes her realizing she's on the ace spectrum. And that rep manages to avoid all the problematic, exhausting, and just plain depressing pitfalls and cliches a lot of asexual representation doesn't! Plus, Harper is allowed to not particularly enjoy physical as a whole, which is rare in these books. Too often the ace-ness feels like it's attempting to be softened, or the characters get "fixed" in some way.
It's also really cool to have two trans characters!
I will say, though I liked the plot concept, this book doesn't lean into the presidency stuff nearly as much as I expected. The politics and media are looming and used well, but I forgot the details a few times because it's kept pretty vague for most of it.
This book is also a bit "neat" for me, personally. Though there are heavy parts and themes and standard complications, I tend to like things complex and nuanced. This isn't a fluffy book, but it still keeps it light and a bit more surface level, which isn't my personal preference.
This is a cute secret dating romance of self exploration! I thought this book was a lot of fun.
TW: anxiety attacks, homophobia, mentioned substance abuse & addiction, forced outing, mentioned self harm
4.2
Harper McKinley doesn't like being in the spotlight, but she doesn't get much of a choice thanks to her politician dad, a presidential hopeful. As much as she'd love to avoid the media, she knows anything she does could get back to her parents- or worse, the news. Which is why it's so horrifying when she finds out about the dating profile using her name and her face to catfish girls. Harper isn't trying to date- and definitely not trying to date girls, that's not even an option- so talking to the catfished, fellow band geek, Margot, makes no sense. Except that Margot is persuasive as hell, and determined not to let Harper self-isolate in shame and anxiety. And, okay, Margot's actually pretty cool. And cute. Not that matters...
I have a rule, which is not to ever trust a blurb that compares a book to Red, White & Royal Blue because it is a lie 99% of the time and will just disappoint you. However the comparison kind of works here! If you enjoy political scandal, secret dating, and queer realization then you're definitely getting the vibes you want from this book!
And, I have to say, those things are all done really well! The concept of this book was a good one, and it's executed in a way that really works. You feel all the tension and the confusion, you never forget the stakes, and yet there's so much room left for the soft.
I'm also personally a fan of secret dating, and I loved the secret dating in this so much! It's just the right levels of tense/dramatic and fully sweet.
Honesty, the romance as a whole is really nice. It's paced well, the characters are fleshed out prior to getting romantically entangled and their chemistry is good.
I also love so much that this book has an ace main character whose queer realization arc includes her realizing she's on the ace spectrum. And that rep manages to avoid all the problematic, exhausting, and just plain depressing pitfalls and cliches a lot of asexual representation doesn't! Plus, Harper is allowed to not particularly enjoy physical as a whole, which is rare in these books. Too often the ace-ness feels like it's attempting to be softened, or the characters get "fixed" in some way.
It's also really cool to have two trans characters!
I will say, though I liked the plot concept, this book doesn't lean into the presidency stuff nearly as much as I expected. The politics and media are looming and used well, but I forgot the details a few times because it's kept pretty vague for most of it.
This book is also a bit "neat" for me, personally. Though there are heavy parts and themes and standard complications, I tend to like things complex and nuanced. This isn't a fluffy book, but it still keeps it light and a bit more surface level, which isn't my personal preference.
This is a cute secret dating romance of self exploration! I thought this book was a lot of fun.
Read
February 3, 2022Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
DNF this book at 43%.
Safe to say, unfortunately, I’m never going to want to finish this.
And actually, if it wasn't for my weird sense of commitment to reading NG books fully before offering the review I'd have walked away at 20% in. As it happens, the book archives today and I can’t be bothered.
When I saw this on NetGalley I was tumbling over myself trying to get it so I could live out my queer band American high school fantasy 💅 …sigh.
I have to cut it a bit of slack because I know nothing of being in Band, or American high schools in general really, so a lot of the jokes and cleverness may have gone over my head.
It's definitely a book that is solidly YA. I love YA, but actually I probably would have enjoyed this more if I was still around school age—it felt a little juvenile.
I did however really like the exploration of sexuality and the asexual spectrum, nice rep.
However, is the plot wafer thin? Yes. But does it still somehow manage to be needlessly convoluted? Also yes.
The fact that she's the Dean's daughter AND the potential Presidents daughter just kind of felt like this book was doing the most to make the storyline as dramatic as possible. The President bit just... never quite fit.
Some bits were also a little repetitive. I definitely think it could have been shorter, maybe a novella and it would have been fine? Maybe then I would have finished the thing.
I’m not going to give it a star rating on goodreads because I don’t want to judge it too harshly when I think this book just… wasn’t meant for readers like me.
I did, however, learn a shit ton about Band.
EDIT (03/02): a friend has explained to me the rest of the plotline and the ending and I have to say I'm quite happy I didn't force myself to finish, sounds like the plot gets even more frustrating and unsatisfying.
DNF this book at 43%.
Safe to say, unfortunately, I’m never going to want to finish this.
And actually, if it wasn't for my weird sense of commitment to reading NG books fully before offering the review I'd have walked away at 20% in. As it happens, the book archives today and I can’t be bothered.
When I saw this on NetGalley I was tumbling over myself trying to get it so I could live out my queer band American high school fantasy 💅 …sigh.
I have to cut it a bit of slack because I know nothing of being in Band, or American high schools in general really, so a lot of the jokes and cleverness may have gone over my head.
It's definitely a book that is solidly YA. I love YA, but actually I probably would have enjoyed this more if I was still around school age—it felt a little juvenile.
I did however really like the exploration of sexuality and the asexual spectrum, nice rep.
However, is the plot wafer thin? Yes. But does it still somehow manage to be needlessly convoluted? Also yes.
The fact that she's the Dean's daughter AND the potential Presidents daughter just kind of felt like this book was doing the most to make the storyline as dramatic as possible. The President bit just... never quite fit.
Some bits were also a little repetitive. I definitely think it could have been shorter, maybe a novella and it would have been fine? Maybe then I would have finished the thing.
I’m not going to give it a star rating on goodreads because I don’t want to judge it too harshly when I think this book just… wasn’t meant for readers like me.
I did, however, learn a shit ton about Band.
EDIT (03/02): a friend has explained to me the rest of the plotline and the ending and I have to say I'm quite happy I didn't force myself to finish, sounds like the plot gets even more frustrating and unsatisfying.
April 9, 2023
When band nerd Harper learns about a gay dating profile made of her, she freaks out. Partly because her mom is the school dean, partly because she doesn't know her sexuality, partly because her parents are hardcore Republicans, and partly because her dad is running for the presidential election. It's really a huge mess.
And wow, did this book take turns I was not expecting!! I read it in the span of a few days, on audio (thank you, Jenn, for letting me use your library card LOL). It was addicting, and in such a good way. I loved the way the romance developed. It was so cute and while at times I wanted to scream at Harper, MARGOT FOR THE WIN! I also really loved the way Quinlan explored Harper's asexuality. It was beautifully done, and felt incredibly authentic. More aspec lesbians, PLEASE. My favorite part and characters of the book were actually people who were on page for like .5 seconds bUT I don't want to spoil who it was. SO: Skye Quinlan, please give me a whole spin-off of just THEM. My DMs are always open :)
Overall, a wild ride. A book that felt real and passionate, loving and authentic, scary and empowering. Also, please read my friend Jenn's review of this book. I encapsulated only a fraction of what they wrote about.
Content Warnings: anxiety, depression, homophobia, mentions of self harm, alcoholism, public outing
And wow, did this book take turns I was not expecting!! I read it in the span of a few days, on audio (thank you, Jenn, for letting me use your library card LOL). It was addicting, and in such a good way. I loved the way the romance developed. It was so cute and while at times I wanted to scream at Harper, MARGOT FOR THE WIN! I also really loved the way Quinlan explored Harper's asexuality. It was beautifully done, and felt incredibly authentic. More aspec lesbians, PLEASE. My favorite part and characters of the book were actually people who were on page for like .5 seconds bUT I don't want to spoil who it was. SO: Skye Quinlan, please give me a whole spin-off of just THEM. My DMs are always open :)
Overall, a wild ride. A book that felt real and passionate, loving and authentic, scary and empowering. Also, please read my friend Jenn's review of this book. I encapsulated only a fraction of what they wrote about.
Content Warnings: anxiety, depression, homophobia, mentions of self harm, alcoholism, public outing
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January 26, 2022
NGL, I was hesitant to pick this one up after I realized it was not by Kelly Quindlen (somehow, I got the two authors confused—I blame the covers, kinda similar plots and the Qs), and also when I realized that it had a Republican president dad plotline from an author I did not know.
ANYWHO, I am pleased to report that this was a really, really strong debut!
Ace rep! Lesbian rep! Bi rep! Nonbinary rep! POC rep! Gay men! Questioning rep! Fuck the Republicans/homophobes/shitty parents rep! Two fishies!
...yes, actual fishies that's not code for anything the book has literally two goldfish.
So, lots of trigger warnings: public outing, panic attack/anxiety, homophobic parents, homophobia, catfishing of a minor, depression, self-harm (off-page), addiction (off page), estranged parents/sibling
Full RTC
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
ANYWHO, I am pleased to report that this was a really, really strong debut!
Ace rep! Lesbian rep! Bi rep! Nonbinary rep! POC rep! Gay men! Questioning rep! Fuck the Republicans/homophobes/shitty parents rep! Two fishies!
...yes, actual fishies that's not code for anything the book has literally two goldfish.
So, lots of trigger warnings: public outing, panic attack/anxiety, homophobic parents, homophobia, catfishing of a minor, depression, self-harm (off-page), addiction (off page), estranged parents/sibling
Full RTC
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
March 8, 2022
I loved Forward March, a sapphic YA contemporary with an ace lesbian main character! Margot and Harper are really cute and I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress from friends to more.
I didn't really like Harper's friends, they annoyed me a lot but Margot's were amazing! Sarah was such a great friend and I love her so much. It was great see Margot and Sarah support Harper, as most of her friends and her parents didnt.
It also has great non binary and bisexual representation. I loved the band and music aspect and it was so much fun. Also really loved Christian and Ben, though they only appeared for a short time. Overall I really enjoyed this novel.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and TBR Books and Beyond in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
I didn't really like Harper's friends, they annoyed me a lot but Margot's were amazing! Sarah was such a great friend and I love her so much. It was great see Margot and Sarah support Harper, as most of her friends and her parents didnt.
It also has great non binary and bisexual representation. I loved the band and music aspect and it was so much fun. Also really loved Christian and Ben, though they only appeared for a short time. Overall I really enjoyed this novel.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and TBR Books and Beyond in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
February 11, 2024
Overall, I really liked this book and the characters felt realized and fleshed out. I also loved the descriptions of the marching band, I could tell that the author put so much care into her setting and characters.
I thought the pacing at the end was very rushed compared to that of the beginning. Also some of the descriptions drew me out of the story “charred gelatin” instead of marshmallow (even though gelatin is tasteless) and “salty emotions” instead of tears.
Overall thought it was a great experience!
I thought the pacing at the end was very rushed compared to that of the beginning. Also some of the descriptions drew me out of the story “charred gelatin” instead of marshmallow (even though gelatin is tasteless) and “salty emotions” instead of tears.
Overall thought it was a great experience!
July 7, 2022
I love gay people 🥰
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