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The Golden Season
How do you love a place that doesn’t love you back?
Emmy Quinn is West Texas through and her roots run deep in the sleepy small town of Steinbeck, where God sees all and football is king. She loves her community, but she knows that when she comes out as a lesbian, she may not be able to call Steinbeck—which is steeped in the Southern Baptist tradition—home anymore.
After a disastrous conversation with her dad, Emmy meets Cameron, a charismatic, whip-smart grad student from Massachusetts who hates everything Texas. But Texas is in Emmy's blood. Can she build a future with a woman who can't accept the things that make Emmy who she is?
Steve Quinn has just been offered his dream job as head coach of the struggling high school football team, the Steinbeck 'Stangs. The board thinks he can win them a state championship for the first time—but they tell him he can’t accept the position if he's got any skeletons in his closet. Steve is still wrestling with Emmy's he loves his daughter, but he’s a man of faith, raised in the Baptist community. How can God ask him to choose between his dreams and his own daughter?
This lush, gorgeously written debut is a love letter to the places we call home and asks how we grapple with a complicated love for people and places that might not love us back—at least, not for who we really are. The Golden Season is a powerful examination of faith, queerness and the deep-seated bonds of family, and heralds the arrival of a striking new voice in fiction.
Don't miss Madeline Kay Sneed's next riveting novel, Today Tonight Forever , where one wedding weekend results in a dramatic reunion with layers of love, grief, and moving on...
Emmy Quinn is West Texas through and her roots run deep in the sleepy small town of Steinbeck, where God sees all and football is king. She loves her community, but she knows that when she comes out as a lesbian, she may not be able to call Steinbeck—which is steeped in the Southern Baptist tradition—home anymore.
After a disastrous conversation with her dad, Emmy meets Cameron, a charismatic, whip-smart grad student from Massachusetts who hates everything Texas. But Texas is in Emmy's blood. Can she build a future with a woman who can't accept the things that make Emmy who she is?
Steve Quinn has just been offered his dream job as head coach of the struggling high school football team, the Steinbeck 'Stangs. The board thinks he can win them a state championship for the first time—but they tell him he can’t accept the position if he's got any skeletons in his closet. Steve is still wrestling with Emmy's he loves his daughter, but he’s a man of faith, raised in the Baptist community. How can God ask him to choose between his dreams and his own daughter?
This lush, gorgeously written debut is a love letter to the places we call home and asks how we grapple with a complicated love for people and places that might not love us back—at least, not for who we really are. The Golden Season is a powerful examination of faith, queerness and the deep-seated bonds of family, and heralds the arrival of a striking new voice in fiction.
Don't miss Madeline Kay Sneed's next riveting novel, Today Tonight Forever , where one wedding weekend results in a dramatic reunion with layers of love, grief, and moving on...
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2022
28 people are currently reading
4202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 2, 2022
This book was something. It was intense and honestly it felt like Sneed was writing my experience (to a degree.)
Emmy is from West Texas and comes out to her parents right before she starts her senior year of college. They do not take it well. This is told from the point of view of Emmy and her dad Steve.
I used to refuse to read books that deal with homosexuality and religion because of how I grew up. My church wasn't quite as harsh but there were very similar vibes and this reminded me so much of my experiences that it ended up being cathartic lol.
I do recommend this, even with it not being a romance!
Emmy is from West Texas and comes out to her parents right before she starts her senior year of college. They do not take it well. This is told from the point of view of Emmy and her dad Steve.
I used to refuse to read books that deal with homosexuality and religion because of how I grew up. My church wasn't quite as harsh but there were very similar vibes and this reminded me so much of my experiences that it ended up being cathartic lol.
I do recommend this, even with it not being a romance!
May 27, 2022
Madeline Kay Sneed's debut, The Golden Season is a complicated and tender tale. Following Emmy Quinn and her father, Steve, this novel traces the complexities and challenges of queer identity, familial love, culture, community, and faith. For the queer folk who were raised in the Bible Belt, or for the people who are haunted by a place that refuses to claim them, this is a must-read. My therapist will hear about this one.
Special thanks to Libro.fm for a free, electronic ALC of this novel.
Expected publication date: May 31, 2022
Special thanks to Libro.fm for a free, electronic ALC of this novel.
Expected publication date: May 31, 2022
July 6, 2022
I can see I'm in the minority here, but the characters felt too thinly-drawn and the themes not delved into deeply enough for me. It felt like I was watching everything happening from very far away. I did enjoy the writing, and in particular the examination of how queer folks with unsupportive families/communities, and/or a limited belief in the possibility of a fulfilling romantic relationship for themselves, can be vulnerable to falling into co-dependent, dysfunctional, or even abusive relationships.
May 17, 2022
Beautiful - the depth and texture of the characters took my breath away.
October 19, 2022
This book tackles some complex issues. What I loved about it is that it confronted those issues straight on without being overly judgmental of either Emmy or her parents. It made them real 3 dimensional people struggling with real problems instead of cliched characters. This book is not going to appeal to people that want to hate on any particular ideology. The ending was what bumped this up to 5 stars for me. It was left open ended and it was perfect. To top it all off, the prose is absolutely gorgeous.
These are my favorite 2 paragraphs of the entire book:
"When we focus on salvation - who gets saved and who gets damned - what we're really prioritizing is who is right and who is wrong," Pastor Sherman continued, taking her cue. "But we ignore what it means to be true. So instead of loving folks, we try to get them to see why they're wrong and why we're right."
"We've fought wars because of this. We've justified stealing humans and their lands with this logic. And in our crusade - and I do not use that word lightly - to make the world right, we've lost the truth. Which is, simply, to love one another without condition, to the best of our conditional ability."
These are my favorite 2 paragraphs of the entire book:
"When we focus on salvation - who gets saved and who gets damned - what we're really prioritizing is who is right and who is wrong," Pastor Sherman continued, taking her cue. "But we ignore what it means to be true. So instead of loving folks, we try to get them to see why they're wrong and why we're right."
"We've fought wars because of this. We've justified stealing humans and their lands with this logic. And in our crusade - and I do not use that word lightly - to make the world right, we've lost the truth. Which is, simply, to love one another without condition, to the best of our conditional ability."
February 9, 2024
This book was incredible, an absolute love letter to the queers that grew up with the turbulent, paradoxical intersection of identity and faith in the South. Throughout the book, I kept finding connections between my journey and that of my friends, and often found myself tearing up at moments that felt exactly like home.
Reading "The Golden Season" was incredibly healing and left a feeling of lightness in my chest at the end of it. I will return to Chapter 37 time and time again, coming back to those lines, "Because my faith, my purpose, what propels me forward every day is not the notion of salvation,... It's love."
Reading "The Golden Season" was incredibly healing and left a feeling of lightness in my chest at the end of it. I will return to Chapter 37 time and time again, coming back to those lines, "Because my faith, my purpose, what propels me forward every day is not the notion of salvation,... It's love."
June 22, 2022
Beautiful writing with an intriguing plot. This book would make a fantastic book club read as there is so much to discuss about this book. Highly recommend!
July 19, 2022
Beautiful story about love, acceptance, faith and family.
March 25, 2022
Want a story that will stay with you long after you finish it? It's been about two weeks since I've finished this book, and I know it will be on my list of favorite 2022 reads at the end of the year.
This is a tender, bittersweet, and richly evocative story of a young woman's self-discovery and navigation into young adulthood. It's also an incredibly poignant story about loving a place that doesn't always love you back, and loving people that hurt you.
Sneed brilliantly brings to life small-town Texas life and football culture, both the good and the bad. Having lived in Texas for a few years, her description of hot Texas days and the relief of fall brought me back!
Librarians/booksellers: This would be a great book club pick!
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a tender, bittersweet, and richly evocative story of a young woman's self-discovery and navigation into young adulthood. It's also an incredibly poignant story about loving a place that doesn't always love you back, and loving people that hurt you.
Sneed brilliantly brings to life small-town Texas life and football culture, both the good and the bad. Having lived in Texas for a few years, her description of hot Texas days and the relief of fall brought me back!
Librarians/booksellers: This would be a great book club pick!
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2024
First book this year to make me cry. I am from Texas and I was raised in an evangelical family. I came out as bisexual my senior year in high school. I was rejected by my church and my Christian friends. My parents initially both rejected me - then my mom spent the first Thanksgiving post-news with me and my girlfriend - my nephew was the buffer. My dad seemed to always be ashamed. Then when I was about to marry my ex wife, my dad refused to walk me and barely made it to the engagement dinners. Meanwhile my mom did everything possible to be there. ❤️ All we want is acceptance. I love how this book was able to convey that. I love the main character’s strength and her ability to maintain her boundaries even when faced with adversity. Really good read.
August 21, 2022
West Texas, religion, and sexual identity come together in Sneed's novel that is well done and thought provoking. I can see readers decide that conservatives are horrible people as is conservative religion, but this is a story I can understand from my own strict(ish) upbringing in the church. This could potentially be my hometown thirty years ago. I feel like things have changed a lot, but I'm sure there are still places that mirror the town in this book.
June 26, 2022
Friday Night Lights, but make it religious and gay. With an unfulfilling ending
April 18, 2023
This book shows how religion can rip a family apart. Very well done. Beautiful imagery of West Texas and how such a place can become such a part of a person.
March 10, 2023
A good read!
August 18, 2022
I really liked this. Some tough scenes in here though if any of this is personal to you.
January 6, 2023
Fueled by warmth and wisdom beyond her years, Madeline Kay Sneed's debut novel tackles a challenging question: How do you love a place that doesn't love you back?
THE GOLDEN SEASON presents a queer twist on a Friday Night Lights experience as a small town high school coach has to jostle between family, faith, and fame. Emmy Quinn is a West Texas girl deep in her soul, a resident of Steinbeck, a town ruled by God and football. And Emmy knows that when she comes out as a lesbian while in college, she may have to rethink her relationship to home. And while Emmy slowly develops a relationship (her first) with Cameron, a Boston girl spending time in the south, Emmy loses touch with her father, her best friend, her everything. For Steve Quinn is not only a deeply devout Christian, he is also the town's new head coach of the football team. And a man who is praised not once, but twice, can't be caught in a scandal.
THE GOLDEN SEASON explores the intersection of faith and family as they relate to sexuality in contemporary America. It's a big topic for a debut, and one that author Madeline Kay Sneed seems to have firsthand experience with. Those who like their literature faith-free might take issue with this story, but at the heart of this book is lush prose, vivid imagery, and a touching display of the ways we struggle to communicate love that we don't know how to express. It's a read that makes you feel and think, and offers great promise for Sneed, who's queer fiction isn't just "another coming out story" but one that takes queer fiction to a new, and certainly complicated, place.
THE GOLDEN SEASON presents a queer twist on a Friday Night Lights experience as a small town high school coach has to jostle between family, faith, and fame. Emmy Quinn is a West Texas girl deep in her soul, a resident of Steinbeck, a town ruled by God and football. And Emmy knows that when she comes out as a lesbian while in college, she may have to rethink her relationship to home. And while Emmy slowly develops a relationship (her first) with Cameron, a Boston girl spending time in the south, Emmy loses touch with her father, her best friend, her everything. For Steve Quinn is not only a deeply devout Christian, he is also the town's new head coach of the football team. And a man who is praised not once, but twice, can't be caught in a scandal.
THE GOLDEN SEASON explores the intersection of faith and family as they relate to sexuality in contemporary America. It's a big topic for a debut, and one that author Madeline Kay Sneed seems to have firsthand experience with. Those who like their literature faith-free might take issue with this story, but at the heart of this book is lush prose, vivid imagery, and a touching display of the ways we struggle to communicate love that we don't know how to express. It's a read that makes you feel and think, and offers great promise for Sneed, who's queer fiction isn't just "another coming out story" but one that takes queer fiction to a new, and certainly complicated, place.
October 11, 2022
The intersection between religion (especially Evangelical Christianity) and queer identity is a theme I keep coming back to over and over again. Eh, we all deal with the trauma of our upbringings in different ways. ;) So when I saw this book under my library's new acquisitions, I grabbed it without reading any reviews or seeing what anyone else had to say about it.
So a word of warning first: The Golden Season is not a romance. And I don't think it's marketed as such, but if, for whatever reason, you pick this up with that expectation, you will be disappointed. The Golden Season is a story about the relationship between Emmy, who is starting her final year of university having just come out to her parents, and her father Steve, who has four loves in his life: Emmy, football, the small West Texas town his family has lived for generations, and his (ex-)wife.
Like Steve, Emmy loves Texas and she loves the town she grew up in and she loves football. She's a daddy's girl through and through. And every year he throws her a party just before she leaves to start another year college. The town adores her, too. Emmy also knows she's a lesbian. She's known for years but she's kept silent because it's scary--she attends a baptist church in a small Texas town, after all. And because of her dad's job--the assistant coach of the high school football team--the eyes of the town are on Emmy. And she's never disappointed them.
Despite her mother's protestations that Steve will never understand or support Emmy as a lesbian, Emmy can't keep this from her father anymore. And Emmy knows that if there's one thing Steve loves more than anything, it's her. Needless to say, Steve doesn't take the announcement well, and Emmy embarks on her final year of university when both of her parents have shut her out.
The novel is told from the perspectives of Emmy and Steve, each dealing with the fallout of Emmy's announcement. Emmy falls in love with a woman at school who's smart and outspoken and unashamed in her queerness and worldly in ways Emmy can't really comprehend; she also hates Texas. Steve is promoted to head coach of the football team and he has plans to shock the state of Texas by taking that team all the way to the state championships. He has everything in his professional life he's always wanted, but for what? He comes home to an empty house every night.
When the rumors of Emmy's sexual orientation spread in the community, the pressure from Steve's church and the football boosters increases, as he is looked to as a moral leader in the community. Can Steve's judgement be trusted if he has raised a queer child? If he welcomes her into his home, it will be seen as an endorsement of that lifestyle, and is that who parents want leading their children? And they're felt by Emmy, who isn't even living in Steinbeck, in really horrendous ways. I don't really know what else to say about this book without giving away the entire plots, so I'll just stop here.
If you grew up in an environment like Steinbeck, Texas, or identify and queer but grew up in a religious community that doesn't accept that, this will be triggering at times. There's also some verbal and mental abuse you will have to deal with, so please be mindful heading in. But, for me, I found this book to be thoughtful about those experiences, and I'm grateful for it.
It's not a full five stars for me. For as much time as this book spends in Emmy's head, I wanted to know Emmy more than I feel I got to here. And I often had to reread certain sentences because they didn't make sense at first. These were mostly due to grammatical errors that really changed the meaning of the sentence, e.g. a "was" where it should have been "wasn't." And, while I live for the religiousness of it, things seemed super black and white for most of the novel. I know there are elements to this type of experience that are real, but even with my parents, who are extremely religious, there is some acceptance, even if it comes at the expense of avoidance. And I would like authors to tell that nuanced story more. Not everyone has parents who march with them in Pride parades, but not everyone has parents who will ostracize them either.
So a word of warning first: The Golden Season is not a romance. And I don't think it's marketed as such, but if, for whatever reason, you pick this up with that expectation, you will be disappointed. The Golden Season is a story about the relationship between Emmy, who is starting her final year of university having just come out to her parents, and her father Steve, who has four loves in his life: Emmy, football, the small West Texas town his family has lived for generations, and his (ex-)wife.
Like Steve, Emmy loves Texas and she loves the town she grew up in and she loves football. She's a daddy's girl through and through. And every year he throws her a party just before she leaves to start another year college. The town adores her, too. Emmy also knows she's a lesbian. She's known for years but she's kept silent because it's scary--she attends a baptist church in a small Texas town, after all. And because of her dad's job--the assistant coach of the high school football team--the eyes of the town are on Emmy. And she's never disappointed them.
Despite her mother's protestations that Steve will never understand or support Emmy as a lesbian, Emmy can't keep this from her father anymore. And Emmy knows that if there's one thing Steve loves more than anything, it's her. Needless to say, Steve doesn't take the announcement well, and Emmy embarks on her final year of university when both of her parents have shut her out.
The novel is told from the perspectives of Emmy and Steve, each dealing with the fallout of Emmy's announcement. Emmy falls in love with a woman at school who's smart and outspoken and unashamed in her queerness and worldly in ways Emmy can't really comprehend; she also hates Texas. Steve is promoted to head coach of the football team and he has plans to shock the state of Texas by taking that team all the way to the state championships. He has everything in his professional life he's always wanted, but for what? He comes home to an empty house every night.
When the rumors of Emmy's sexual orientation spread in the community, the pressure from Steve's church and the football boosters increases, as he is looked to as a moral leader in the community. Can Steve's judgement be trusted if he has raised a queer child? If he welcomes her into his home, it will be seen as an endorsement of that lifestyle, and is that who parents want leading their children? And they're felt by Emmy, who isn't even living in Steinbeck, in really horrendous ways. I don't really know what else to say about this book without giving away the entire plots, so I'll just stop here.
If you grew up in an environment like Steinbeck, Texas, or identify and queer but grew up in a religious community that doesn't accept that, this will be triggering at times. There's also some verbal and mental abuse you will have to deal with, so please be mindful heading in. But, for me, I found this book to be thoughtful about those experiences, and I'm grateful for it.
It's not a full five stars for me. For as much time as this book spends in Emmy's head, I wanted to know Emmy more than I feel I got to here. And I often had to reread certain sentences because they didn't make sense at first. These were mostly due to grammatical errors that really changed the meaning of the sentence, e.g. a "was" where it should have been "wasn't." And, while I live for the religiousness of it, things seemed super black and white for most of the novel. I know there are elements to this type of experience that are real, but even with my parents, who are extremely religious, there is some acceptance, even if it comes at the expense of avoidance. And I would like authors to tell that nuanced story more. Not everyone has parents who march with them in Pride parades, but not everyone has parents who will ostracize them either.
July 11, 2022
Reading this makes me really, really glad that none of my loved ones live in Texas and have to deal with the bigotry and hateful vitriol based on who they love, their skin color, or their religion. I guess I have been living in my naive little world in the northern part of the US and didn't realize it is so horrible in some of the southern regions of the country.
This book was an easy read, and I love the author's style of writing. The reason I could only give it three stars though was because it seemed like things were just 'surfaced' and most of the topics were not really developed deeper.
This book was an easy read, and I love the author's style of writing. The reason I could only give it three stars though was because it seemed like things were just 'surfaced' and most of the topics were not really developed deeper.
May 31, 2022
This story is thoughtful and impacting. Emmy Quinn is born and raised in the small West Texas town of Steinbeck. Emmy is a daddy’s girl and life at home revolves around football as her father is an assistant high school coach. Before returning to her senior year in college and the future marketing job awaiting her she decides to tell her dad her secret which he cannot accept. The book follows the year switching interestingly between Emmy and her fathers POVs.
Emmy’s story follows her back to college where she finds her first girlfriend and has to face the consequences and fall out from that in her conservative college. Her father gets his opportunity to be head coach and has put together a team that can potentially win state. But any scandal in his family can cost him his dream job. Religion plays a big part in the story too for both of the main characters. Their faith is important to them. I enjoyed the book and my heart broke at actions excused as being righteousness. It was a thoughtful read, and although there is a romance as part of the story it isn’t a HEA. It is appropriately promoted as general fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Emmy’s story follows her back to college where she finds her first girlfriend and has to face the consequences and fall out from that in her conservative college. Her father gets his opportunity to be head coach and has put together a team that can potentially win state. But any scandal in his family can cost him his dream job. Religion plays a big part in the story too for both of the main characters. Their faith is important to them. I enjoyed the book and my heart broke at actions excused as being righteousness. It was a thoughtful read, and although there is a romance as part of the story it isn’t a HEA. It is appropriately promoted as general fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2022
4.75/5 stars
HAPPY RELEASE DAY to this incredible debut novel by my gal @madzsneed!! I’ve been waiting to read/review this book since I first heard of its debut, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This will be one of my favorites of the year, and is quite possibly my favorite debut EVER.
“Emmy Quinn is West Texas through and through. She loves her community, but she knows that when she comes out as a lesbian, she may not be able to call Steinbeck-which is steeped in the Southern Baptist tradition-home anymore. Meanwhile, Steve Quinn has just been offered his dream job as head coach of the struggling high school football team, the Steinbeck 'Stangs. The board thinks he can win them a state championship for the first time--but they tell him he can't accept the position if he's got any skeletons in his closet. Steve is still wrestling with Emmy's coming-out: he loves his daughter, but he's a man of faith, raised in the Baptist community. How can God ask him to choose between his dreams and his own daughter?”
Sneed writes so acutely about the complexities between those bound by faith (or what they believe their faith tells them about the world) and a society constantly evolving and changing, particularly when it comes to who we love, how we are made, and the radical acceptance we all seek. The LGBTQ+ community is one of many facets around the world currently dealing with the dichotomy of those holding on to tradition vs those running toward the inclusive, vast expanse of openness that comes from expanding your world view and evolving as a human. Amidst it all, Sneed uses the novel’s backdrop to write a love letter to the state (Texas) she calls home and its favorite past-time (football) that provide a blanket of familiarity and personalization to a story that many will relate to.
I fell in love with the character of Emmy immediately, and love the way Sneed portrays her innermost thoughts and grapplings - with an inclusive, mature stance that stands in disbelief at the way she is treated, but a profound understanding of the complexities that come with her family members’ acceptance. The novel is structured to tell Emmy and Steve (her father’s) story in parallel, which is instrumental in establishing the difference of acceptance/opinion LGBTQ+ folks so tragically receive. The beauty and multifaceted approach of Sneed’s side characters allow the reader a sympathetic lens, even if you vehemently disagreed with the character’s actions. Being from Texas myself, it immediately brought me to consider my relationships with my loved ones and how they would react if this had been my story.
All in all, this is such a gorgeous debut that I look forward to rereading (and shouting from the rooftops forever). Pick up your copy TODAY wherever books are sold.
@madzsneed, I’m so proud to know you. Thank you for sharing this beauty with the world. ❤️
HAPPY RELEASE DAY to this incredible debut novel by my gal @madzsneed!! I’ve been waiting to read/review this book since I first heard of its debut, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This will be one of my favorites of the year, and is quite possibly my favorite debut EVER.
“Emmy Quinn is West Texas through and through. She loves her community, but she knows that when she comes out as a lesbian, she may not be able to call Steinbeck-which is steeped in the Southern Baptist tradition-home anymore. Meanwhile, Steve Quinn has just been offered his dream job as head coach of the struggling high school football team, the Steinbeck 'Stangs. The board thinks he can win them a state championship for the first time--but they tell him he can't accept the position if he's got any skeletons in his closet. Steve is still wrestling with Emmy's coming-out: he loves his daughter, but he's a man of faith, raised in the Baptist community. How can God ask him to choose between his dreams and his own daughter?”
Sneed writes so acutely about the complexities between those bound by faith (or what they believe their faith tells them about the world) and a society constantly evolving and changing, particularly when it comes to who we love, how we are made, and the radical acceptance we all seek. The LGBTQ+ community is one of many facets around the world currently dealing with the dichotomy of those holding on to tradition vs those running toward the inclusive, vast expanse of openness that comes from expanding your world view and evolving as a human. Amidst it all, Sneed uses the novel’s backdrop to write a love letter to the state (Texas) she calls home and its favorite past-time (football) that provide a blanket of familiarity and personalization to a story that many will relate to.
I fell in love with the character of Emmy immediately, and love the way Sneed portrays her innermost thoughts and grapplings - with an inclusive, mature stance that stands in disbelief at the way she is treated, but a profound understanding of the complexities that come with her family members’ acceptance. The novel is structured to tell Emmy and Steve (her father’s) story in parallel, which is instrumental in establishing the difference of acceptance/opinion LGBTQ+ folks so tragically receive. The beauty and multifaceted approach of Sneed’s side characters allow the reader a sympathetic lens, even if you vehemently disagreed with the character’s actions. Being from Texas myself, it immediately brought me to consider my relationships with my loved ones and how they would react if this had been my story.
All in all, this is such a gorgeous debut that I look forward to rereading (and shouting from the rooftops forever). Pick up your copy TODAY wherever books are sold.
@madzsneed, I’m so proud to know you. Thank you for sharing this beauty with the world. ❤️
August 20, 2022
This book. Honestly everyone should read this book, but especially if you are queer and from the Christian church. Or if you are queer and have friends in the church. Or if you are in the church and have queer friends or even just know someone queer. My heart was broken so many times over.
CW: homophobia, mention of conversion therapy, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, patriarchy, bible hymns and passages and stories
Rep: lesbian MC, two lesbian SC, black SC
The premise of the novel is a lesbian coming out story in a small, conservative Christian town in Texas and the process of finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her coming out. And also a lot of football and bible story/verse references. A little knowledge of both will make this easier to understand and relate to, but I don't think it's nessessary to understanding the novel as a whole.
But honestly it's so much more than that. It's beautifully written and had so many parallels to my own life as a queer in a small Christian town in Canada. There are so many quotes that were like a sucker punch to the gut or a healing breath of air.
Moving into more spoiler territory for the plot, our MC Emmy tells her divorced parents that she is a lesbian and has no more intentions of hiding it. The book has many flashback to her lesbian childhood moments and how she tries to repress it because non affirming churches are dumb. She had to deal with so much internal and external homophobia throughout her life from herself, the church, and especially from her father, which is the main relationship conflict of the novel. They grow from being so close to him kicking her out when she comes out to him. He is willing to cut her out of his life in an attempt to save her soul from eternal damnation due to her sin, which damages both of them more than sin ever could in my opinion.
The patriarchy and heteronormativity/amatonormativity in the church is also addressed. Which, as an aro/ace individual, are some of my strongest irritations in life. Oh, and the church being full of a bunch of hypocrites. Lots of that too.
After she is kicked out by her loving but also toxic father and returns to college, she is introduced to Cameron; her soon to be extremely toxic girlfriend.
There are red flags right from the beginning, but our poor girl is heartbroken and has been offered love by someone who accepts the parts of her that were rejected by her family. I can't fault her at all for that decision.
On to some quotes that really spoke to me. "You know how it is. Men in power in places like West Texas, ruled by Southern Baptists. Personal life has to be spotless. Cut out the blemishes if they can't get washed clean." That is basically the entire personality of her father and the preacher, and so many people I know in the church. I do really know how it is.
"I hope you never know it. That feeling. Not being good enough for what you love." And again later, " And you know what it's like. To love a place that hates you." If that didn't punch me right in the feels. I know it so well and I wish I didn't. That feeling of longing to be accepted for who you are when you accept everyone for who they are, including their flaws. Even the physical location of a place. Steinbeck is it's own character on the novel. Someone who keeps drawing you back, even though you know no one wants you there.
"What Cameron didn't understand, though, was that it was a form of grief, Emmy loosing him (her father) like this." Romantic heartbreak is not the only heartbreak and it isn't something that is talked about enough. It hurts just as much, if not more, when it comes from someone who has been in your life a lot longer than a romantic partner.
"Are you broken?... A boy likes you" "My mama told me you gotta go out there and get your man before he gets got by some other girl." Like the audacity of the amato/heteronormativity. For kids to be thinking this at such a young age is frightening. And if it doesn't frighten you, you might want to do some soul searching. The damage this causes kids, not just queer ones, is atrocious.
And the question that all of us in the church ask at one point, "God had... What had God done, besides nothing?" Emmy has some issues in the church, obviously, but she still tries to find peace and belonging in the church. Even after she is kicked out of the Christmas Eve services so as not to give kids the 'wrong idea' she still goes back to sit in the silence and peace the empty building brings her.
"Love's an open home, baby. It's always been that way". This one is from our black side character. He is a childhood friend of Emmy's, an ally, and not a love interest and I really appreciate that. Yes she's a lesbian, but still. Someone, somewhere would try and put them together because 'everyone' loves friends to lovers. I love the solid, platonic friendship that sticks with her through her ups and downs of the book. They are 'just' friends and it's wonderful.
That being said, we are introduced to Emmy's first love and childhood friend during the flashbacks. It reminds me that us queers seem to find each other even when you don't think there is anyone else like you and I think that's beautiful.
The character of Sara is also quite moving. She is who Emmy could be if she rejects the queer part of her in order to fit in to the places she loves, but hate her. She went through conversation therapy and goes into some details about that part of her life in the novel.
In any case, I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for the rest of my life. Go support your local library and/or bookstore (if you can) and make sure you get a box of tissues too.
CW: homophobia, mention of conversion therapy, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, patriarchy, bible hymns and passages and stories
Rep: lesbian MC, two lesbian SC, black SC
The premise of the novel is a lesbian coming out story in a small, conservative Christian town in Texas and the process of finding herself and dealing with the aftermath of her coming out. And also a lot of football and bible story/verse references. A little knowledge of both will make this easier to understand and relate to, but I don't think it's nessessary to understanding the novel as a whole.
But honestly it's so much more than that. It's beautifully written and had so many parallels to my own life as a queer in a small Christian town in Canada. There are so many quotes that were like a sucker punch to the gut or a healing breath of air.
Moving into more spoiler territory for the plot, our MC Emmy tells her divorced parents that she is a lesbian and has no more intentions of hiding it. The book has many flashback to her lesbian childhood moments and how she tries to repress it because non affirming churches are dumb. She had to deal with so much internal and external homophobia throughout her life from herself, the church, and especially from her father, which is the main relationship conflict of the novel. They grow from being so close to him kicking her out when she comes out to him. He is willing to cut her out of his life in an attempt to save her soul from eternal damnation due to her sin, which damages both of them more than sin ever could in my opinion.
The patriarchy and heteronormativity/amatonormativity in the church is also addressed. Which, as an aro/ace individual, are some of my strongest irritations in life. Oh, and the church being full of a bunch of hypocrites. Lots of that too.
After she is kicked out by her loving but also toxic father and returns to college, she is introduced to Cameron; her soon to be extremely toxic girlfriend.
There are red flags right from the beginning, but our poor girl is heartbroken and has been offered love by someone who accepts the parts of her that were rejected by her family. I can't fault her at all for that decision.
On to some quotes that really spoke to me. "You know how it is. Men in power in places like West Texas, ruled by Southern Baptists. Personal life has to be spotless. Cut out the blemishes if they can't get washed clean." That is basically the entire personality of her father and the preacher, and so many people I know in the church. I do really know how it is.
"I hope you never know it. That feeling. Not being good enough for what you love." And again later, " And you know what it's like. To love a place that hates you." If that didn't punch me right in the feels. I know it so well and I wish I didn't. That feeling of longing to be accepted for who you are when you accept everyone for who they are, including their flaws. Even the physical location of a place. Steinbeck is it's own character on the novel. Someone who keeps drawing you back, even though you know no one wants you there.
"What Cameron didn't understand, though, was that it was a form of grief, Emmy loosing him (her father) like this." Romantic heartbreak is not the only heartbreak and it isn't something that is talked about enough. It hurts just as much, if not more, when it comes from someone who has been in your life a lot longer than a romantic partner.
"Are you broken?... A boy likes you" "My mama told me you gotta go out there and get your man before he gets got by some other girl." Like the audacity of the amato/heteronormativity. For kids to be thinking this at such a young age is frightening. And if it doesn't frighten you, you might want to do some soul searching. The damage this causes kids, not just queer ones, is atrocious.
And the question that all of us in the church ask at one point, "God had... What had God done, besides nothing?" Emmy has some issues in the church, obviously, but she still tries to find peace and belonging in the church. Even after she is kicked out of the Christmas Eve services so as not to give kids the 'wrong idea' she still goes back to sit in the silence and peace the empty building brings her.
"Love's an open home, baby. It's always been that way". This one is from our black side character. He is a childhood friend of Emmy's, an ally, and not a love interest and I really appreciate that. Yes she's a lesbian, but still. Someone, somewhere would try and put them together because 'everyone' loves friends to lovers. I love the solid, platonic friendship that sticks with her through her ups and downs of the book. They are 'just' friends and it's wonderful.
That being said, we are introduced to Emmy's first love and childhood friend during the flashbacks. It reminds me that us queers seem to find each other even when you don't think there is anyone else like you and I think that's beautiful.
The character of Sara is also quite moving. She is who Emmy could be if she rejects the queer part of her in order to fit in to the places she loves, but hate her. She went through conversation therapy and goes into some details about that part of her life in the novel.
In any case, I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for the rest of my life. Go support your local library and/or bookstore (if you can) and make sure you get a box of tissues too.
June 21, 2022
This story embodies the bittersweet nature of truly embracing yourself when it defies the expectations of those you love. It is clear that Madeline Kay Sneed poured her soul into this novel and I can not wait to read what she shares with us next.
July 30, 2022
"When we focus on salvation - who gets saved and who gets damned - what we're really prioritizing is who is right and who is wrong... But we ignore what it means to be true. So instead of loving folks, we try to get them to see why they're wrong and why we're right."
I don't think I can fully articulate just why I loved this book or the ways in which it really hit me. But I am going to try.
I think I've mentioned before that I was born and raised in Texas. At the age of 13, I knew that I was different. I knew that I was gay, though I didn't yet have the words to articulate that yet. I also knew that I could never tell anyone. I knew that my friends would reject me and that my family would have a really hard time with it. So I kept it hidden away and would pray to God every day to take it away and make me straight. God didn't. And I resented God for years because of that.
I didn't come out until over a decade later. And I remember feeling a sense of relief. And also, I felt for the first time ever, a palpable sense of fear. I was living in my hometown at the time and while my hometown is somewhat progressive for Texas, there is still a fair bit of conservatism there as there is everywhere else in Texas. I no longer felt safe in the place I called home. I had a boyfriend at the time and I was nervous about holding his hand in public, not just because it would inadvertently out me but also because of the reactions it might provoke in someone who saw us together.
I left Texas just a few short months later. I had to do it, both for my mental health and my own safety. And yet, there are plenty of things I miss about Texas and plenty of times when I have wondered if leaving was the right decision. I have contemplated moving back so many times since I left. And yet, I know that that sense of fear and anxiety about my safety would return if I were to ever move back.
So, to say that I loved this book is a bit of an understatement. I lived this book. While there were some major differences between myself and the main character here, a lot of it was similar to my experience. How do you love a place that doesn't love the real you? Answer: you don't. What I loved most about this book is that it doesn't settle for the tidy, easy ending. Not everything is reconciled or resolved by the time the book ends. The main character and her dad haven't had a teary reunion where he admits that he was wrong and he loves her. And I appreciated that because that felt truer to life than a forced happy ending. I liked that Emmy was willing to stand her ground and tell her father off and to realize that living in her truth was more important than making her dad happy.
This book tackles religion but takes it seriously too. And it doesn't stereotype anyone. It simply shows them as people of deep faith who truly believe what they say. And who try to live out their faith the best they can. And unfortunately, sometimes that means that they hurt other people in the process.
I also appreciated that this book didn't shy away from some of the not great elements of Emmy and Cameron's relationship. It would have been all too easy for the author to portray Emmy's first queer relationship as easy and fun and happy. But all too often, that isn't the case. And I appreciated that she was willing to go there and show how toxic a relationship can be, especially a queer one. It was refreshing.
This is for sure going to end up on my best books of the year list. No question about that for me. It felt so authentic not just to my experience but to the experiences of so many queer people I know around the country. It may be about Texas but it is incredibly universal. This is a powerful and moving look at how sometimes we have to live our authentic lives and accept that not everyone will be able to appreciate or accept that. And that's ok. And it also sucks. And that's one of the many things about queerness that is both beautiful and terrible, amazing and awful. I really hope more people, particularly straight people read this book. Not because I think it will change anyone's hearts or minds but more just because it is a really good book. A true work of art that is lyrically and lovingly crafted. It is a love letter to queerness, to Texas and to all who seek to know their true selves.
I don't think I can fully articulate just why I loved this book or the ways in which it really hit me. But I am going to try.
I think I've mentioned before that I was born and raised in Texas. At the age of 13, I knew that I was different. I knew that I was gay, though I didn't yet have the words to articulate that yet. I also knew that I could never tell anyone. I knew that my friends would reject me and that my family would have a really hard time with it. So I kept it hidden away and would pray to God every day to take it away and make me straight. God didn't. And I resented God for years because of that.
I didn't come out until over a decade later. And I remember feeling a sense of relief. And also, I felt for the first time ever, a palpable sense of fear. I was living in my hometown at the time and while my hometown is somewhat progressive for Texas, there is still a fair bit of conservatism there as there is everywhere else in Texas. I no longer felt safe in the place I called home. I had a boyfriend at the time and I was nervous about holding his hand in public, not just because it would inadvertently out me but also because of the reactions it might provoke in someone who saw us together.
I left Texas just a few short months later. I had to do it, both for my mental health and my own safety. And yet, there are plenty of things I miss about Texas and plenty of times when I have wondered if leaving was the right decision. I have contemplated moving back so many times since I left. And yet, I know that that sense of fear and anxiety about my safety would return if I were to ever move back.
So, to say that I loved this book is a bit of an understatement. I lived this book. While there were some major differences between myself and the main character here, a lot of it was similar to my experience. How do you love a place that doesn't love the real you? Answer: you don't. What I loved most about this book is that it doesn't settle for the tidy, easy ending. Not everything is reconciled or resolved by the time the book ends. The main character and her dad haven't had a teary reunion where he admits that he was wrong and he loves her. And I appreciated that because that felt truer to life than a forced happy ending. I liked that Emmy was willing to stand her ground and tell her father off and to realize that living in her truth was more important than making her dad happy.
This book tackles religion but takes it seriously too. And it doesn't stereotype anyone. It simply shows them as people of deep faith who truly believe what they say. And who try to live out their faith the best they can. And unfortunately, sometimes that means that they hurt other people in the process.
I also appreciated that this book didn't shy away from some of the not great elements of Emmy and Cameron's relationship. It would have been all too easy for the author to portray Emmy's first queer relationship as easy and fun and happy. But all too often, that isn't the case. And I appreciated that she was willing to go there and show how toxic a relationship can be, especially a queer one. It was refreshing.
This is for sure going to end up on my best books of the year list. No question about that for me. It felt so authentic not just to my experience but to the experiences of so many queer people I know around the country. It may be about Texas but it is incredibly universal. This is a powerful and moving look at how sometimes we have to live our authentic lives and accept that not everyone will be able to appreciate or accept that. And that's ok. And it also sucks. And that's one of the many things about queerness that is both beautiful and terrible, amazing and awful. I really hope more people, particularly straight people read this book. Not because I think it will change anyone's hearts or minds but more just because it is a really good book. A true work of art that is lyrically and lovingly crafted. It is a love letter to queerness, to Texas and to all who seek to know their true selves.
May 29, 2025
This was pretty good!
I don’t usually like alternating dual POVs, I’ve rarely seen it done well, and this was good. Even though it was written in 3rd person, Sneed managed to give Emmy and Steve distinct voices in their third person. That said, I think first person POV would have worked better for them, just because there was so mucb internal thought that had to be narrative summary, and I would have been more immersed if it was told in the characters’ own words.
This felt kind of like a first draft. A lot of tell that could have been edited to show. But it was still pretty readable and there was some really nice prose, and descriptions of west Texas. We have a similar climate in Phoenix, so I could really feel the heat and hear the cicadas.
The dialogue and interactions between characters were well done. I’m not much for football so I didn’t spend as much time with Steve’s chapters.
Emmy’s experiences with Cameron, of obsessive young queer love in college, really rang true. Made me nostalgic for my first relationship! And I’ve definitely dated people like Cameron who are toxic and possessive and move too fast. And their disagreement over Cameron wanting Emmy to just give up on her Dad, and Emmy holding out hope that he’d accept her, in a real life situation I’d probably tell Emmy the same thing, it’s no use trying to convince homophobes to love you, but I actually sided with Emmy here, so Sneed made her position convincing.
I kinda wanted Emmy to end up with Sara 😭 They had such good chemistryyyy, please Sneed write the sequel
I liked the ending, unresolved in a good way, leaving hope open for the future. I thought honestly though that Emmy might have struggled with her faith a little more, and a lot of the other characters just immediately accepting her (or at least not taking very long) felt like a little too neat of a resolution.
So I’ll give this a middle rating. There was a compelling story and well written characters, but they got a little lost in info-dumping and narrative summary. Could have been edited down more to make a tighter story, and used more show to avoid the heavy-handed telling of how the characters felt. But I enjoyed it and it was a quick read.
I don’t usually like alternating dual POVs, I’ve rarely seen it done well, and this was good. Even though it was written in 3rd person, Sneed managed to give Emmy and Steve distinct voices in their third person. That said, I think first person POV would have worked better for them, just because there was so mucb internal thought that had to be narrative summary, and I would have been more immersed if it was told in the characters’ own words.
This felt kind of like a first draft. A lot of tell that could have been edited to show. But it was still pretty readable and there was some really nice prose, and descriptions of west Texas. We have a similar climate in Phoenix, so I could really feel the heat and hear the cicadas.
The dialogue and interactions between characters were well done. I’m not much for football so I didn’t spend as much time with Steve’s chapters.
Emmy’s experiences with Cameron, of obsessive young queer love in college, really rang true. Made me nostalgic for my first relationship! And I’ve definitely dated people like Cameron who are toxic and possessive and move too fast. And their disagreement over Cameron wanting Emmy to just give up on her Dad, and Emmy holding out hope that he’d accept her, in a real life situation I’d probably tell Emmy the same thing, it’s no use trying to convince homophobes to love you, but I actually sided with Emmy here, so Sneed made her position convincing.
I kinda wanted Emmy to end up with Sara 😭 They had such good chemistryyyy, please Sneed write the sequel
I liked the ending, unresolved in a good way, leaving hope open for the future. I thought honestly though that Emmy might have struggled with her faith a little more, and a lot of the other characters just immediately accepting her (or at least not taking very long) felt like a little too neat of a resolution.
So I’ll give this a middle rating. There was a compelling story and well written characters, but they got a little lost in info-dumping and narrative summary. Could have been edited down more to make a tighter story, and used more show to avoid the heavy-handed telling of how the characters felt. But I enjoyed it and it was a quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 4, 2023Once I was fully invested in this, I read it over two days and couldn’t put it down and ended up really loving this novel! I think this story brings a new perspective to the table that I haven’t seen a lot of and I appreciated the way that Sneed approached this story without offering an easy or perfect conclusion. I will definitely be checking out her next book (titled Today Tonight Forever) which will be out in November!
This is the story of Emmy, from a small town in Texas, who tells her parents about her sexuality before her senior year of college and they do not respond how she was hoping. Back at school, she begins a relationship with Cameron, which is at first wonderful for her but changes as time progresses. Emmy loves her parents and Cameron doesn’t want to understand her feelings towards them. I think the dynamics of how this relationship is portrayed are important and not often represented in what I’ve read before. There is also a friendship between Emmy and a professor named Sara, who understands much of what Emmy is experiencing.
Something that this book does that felt unique to me I s also offering the perspective of Steve, who is Emmy’s father. His chapters show him grappling with what he has learned about his daughter as a person of faith and as someone who is heavily scrutinized by his small-town community due to his new position that he has long desired as high school head football coach. He has been told that any whiff of a “scandal” wouldn’t be good for his job. Some parts of his perspective can be hard to read but I think it also did show how he does love his daughter. I think the book leaves their relationship in a place that makes sense for the length spanned in the novel.
I thought this was a really compassionate and loving novel. There are some parts about faith in here and they all felt very respectfully portrayed. I feel like this book has flown fairly under the radar on here and would love to see more people read it. If you have read it, let me know your thoughts!
This is the story of Emmy, from a small town in Texas, who tells her parents about her sexuality before her senior year of college and they do not respond how she was hoping. Back at school, she begins a relationship with Cameron, which is at first wonderful for her but changes as time progresses. Emmy loves her parents and Cameron doesn’t want to understand her feelings towards them. I think the dynamics of how this relationship is portrayed are important and not often represented in what I’ve read before. There is also a friendship between Emmy and a professor named Sara, who understands much of what Emmy is experiencing.
Something that this book does that felt unique to me I s also offering the perspective of Steve, who is Emmy’s father. His chapters show him grappling with what he has learned about his daughter as a person of faith and as someone who is heavily scrutinized by his small-town community due to his new position that he has long desired as high school head football coach. He has been told that any whiff of a “scandal” wouldn’t be good for his job. Some parts of his perspective can be hard to read but I think it also did show how he does love his daughter. I think the book leaves their relationship in a place that makes sense for the length spanned in the novel.
I thought this was a really compassionate and loving novel. There are some parts about faith in here and they all felt very respectfully portrayed. I feel like this book has flown fairly under the radar on here and would love to see more people read it. If you have read it, let me know your thoughts!
June 29, 2022
“It was a feeling she used to get in church. It filled her up as she looked at the sky, the landscape, all the space Texas had to offer. It was enough for Emmy; she was enough for it. It felt like a sort of gift, an olive branch from the infinite, and her heart swelled with gratitude at the thought that such a thing could still exist for her.”
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I picked up an ARC of The Golden Season at this year’s TLA conference and it’s been patiently waiting on my desk to emotionally end me 💀I talked about my upbringing a little bit when I reviewed I Kissed Shara Wheeler by CMQ, so I won’t talk about it again here. I’ll just say that queer people who grew up in communities in which religion is embedded this book will hit you like a sack of potatoes. I know not everyone has had negative experiences with religion, but there are people out there who have also struggled with the relationship between faith and staying true to oneself. Some of us manage to hang on to our beliefs, some of us become conductors of the agnosticism train! (Me 💀) Regardless, you are not alone!
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I also think it’s really important that Madeline included Emmy and Cameron’s relationship. We don’t often see portrayals in media of emotionally manipulative behavior between couples of the same gender. And it can happen! Anyone can be emotionally manipulative. On top of that, Cameron was Emmy’s first love. It can be easy to see negative experiences through rose-colored glasses when you first fall in love. There were a lot of layers to their relationship and I think it definitely serves as a cautionary tale.
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The ambiance in this book was 🤌🏽 I think Madeline perfectly captures Texas in all its phases, the fleeting Spring, the late Fall nights. This was an ode to Texas like only a Texan could give. It really does have a way to burrow under your skin and become an integral part of you. Oh Texas, my Texas!
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Now that I’ve waxed poetic 😂 I highly recommend this book! It’s a little heart-wrenching, but ultimately I think it’s a beautiful, bittersweet story.
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I picked up an ARC of The Golden Season at this year’s TLA conference and it’s been patiently waiting on my desk to emotionally end me 💀I talked about my upbringing a little bit when I reviewed I Kissed Shara Wheeler by CMQ, so I won’t talk about it again here. I’ll just say that queer people who grew up in communities in which religion is embedded this book will hit you like a sack of potatoes. I know not everyone has had negative experiences with religion, but there are people out there who have also struggled with the relationship between faith and staying true to oneself. Some of us manage to hang on to our beliefs, some of us become conductors of the agnosticism train! (Me 💀) Regardless, you are not alone!
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I also think it’s really important that Madeline included Emmy and Cameron’s relationship. We don’t often see portrayals in media of emotionally manipulative behavior between couples of the same gender. And it can happen! Anyone can be emotionally manipulative. On top of that, Cameron was Emmy’s first love. It can be easy to see negative experiences through rose-colored glasses when you first fall in love. There were a lot of layers to their relationship and I think it definitely serves as a cautionary tale.
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The ambiance in this book was 🤌🏽 I think Madeline perfectly captures Texas in all its phases, the fleeting Spring, the late Fall nights. This was an ode to Texas like only a Texan could give. It really does have a way to burrow under your skin and become an integral part of you. Oh Texas, my Texas!
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Now that I’ve waxed poetic 😂 I highly recommend this book! It’s a little heart-wrenching, but ultimately I think it’s a beautiful, bittersweet story.
June 4, 2023
3.5
I’m not fully sure what to think of this one.
It was refreshing to read a heavier queer book. I feel like most of the stories coming out these days are fluffy romances, and while those are fun to read it gets tiresome to not have depth. The relationships Emmy develops post coming out are so true to what it can look like to be in love when you don’t have a good compass of what healthy love should look like. Queer relationships can be abusive and problematic, and are often complicated by the isolation that can happen as a queer person, especially in a conservative area. It was hard to read the passages with Cameron and I was relieved when they broke up (although, I found that to be a tad unrealistic, given their dynamic, I think they would have dated longer/Cameron wouldn’t have “let” Emmy leave so easily). I also really didn’t like the passages with Sara. I found that connection to be inappropriate. Not so much due to age but rather the differences in their lives and how problematic Sara was about handling her queerness. She was selfish to try to start something with Emmy when she was choosing to live a life in the closet. I didn’t like how the character posited herself to be a role model when her advice was basically just to shut out your gayness and be lonely for the rest of your life. Not a dig on the story-I think this is super realistic and an important depiction of something that can and does happen. Still it was hella uncomfortable to read.
That’s my main gripe with this book. It was uncomfortable to read. It gave me the ick, but not in a bad way? I just wouldn’t want to read it again. Maybe that’s because it’s full of a lot of hate and I’m queer, I’m not sure. I think it was written well, and is unique.
I’m not fully sure what to think of this one.
It was refreshing to read a heavier queer book. I feel like most of the stories coming out these days are fluffy romances, and while those are fun to read it gets tiresome to not have depth. The relationships Emmy develops post coming out are so true to what it can look like to be in love when you don’t have a good compass of what healthy love should look like. Queer relationships can be abusive and problematic, and are often complicated by the isolation that can happen as a queer person, especially in a conservative area. It was hard to read the passages with Cameron and I was relieved when they broke up (although, I found that to be a tad unrealistic, given their dynamic, I think they would have dated longer/Cameron wouldn’t have “let” Emmy leave so easily). I also really didn’t like the passages with Sara. I found that connection to be inappropriate. Not so much due to age but rather the differences in their lives and how problematic Sara was about handling her queerness. She was selfish to try to start something with Emmy when she was choosing to live a life in the closet. I didn’t like how the character posited herself to be a role model when her advice was basically just to shut out your gayness and be lonely for the rest of your life. Not a dig on the story-I think this is super realistic and an important depiction of something that can and does happen. Still it was hella uncomfortable to read.
That’s my main gripe with this book. It was uncomfortable to read. It gave me the ick, but not in a bad way? I just wouldn’t want to read it again. Maybe that’s because it’s full of a lot of hate and I’m queer, I’m not sure. I think it was written well, and is unique.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2022
"No one can steal your faith from you. Your heart is wholly yours. Even when you're in love. You control what goes into it. Whatever beliefs you hold that give you hope, let those fill you up. Not words from folks like them."
4.5 stars. I am SO glad I found this through my Patreon group, because I don't think I would've heard of it otherwise. As a progressive living in the Deep South, this struck a huge cord with me. While I have not had the experience of being rejected for who I am and who I love, I can so understand the feeling of being disappointed by a place and people you love and who helped create who you are. It's a hard place to be, and Sneed writes about it with absolute EXTRAORDINARY grace and tenderness. She extends this grace even to characters who fill you with anger; and I was definitely filled with anger muliple times- as a parent, and as a Christian.
Ultimately this one of the best coming of age stories I've ever read. It's not only about a young woman "finding herself", it's about a young woman understanding that she gets to find herself. She gets to find her faith, her path, her love, her needs, what she gets to accept or reject, and even who she chooses to extend grace and forgiveness to. It ends with one of the lovliest descriptions of Christianity I've ever read, and left me with a peaceful feeling. I really recommend this, especially for others who identify as I do.
4.5 stars. I am SO glad I found this through my Patreon group, because I don't think I would've heard of it otherwise. As a progressive living in the Deep South, this struck a huge cord with me. While I have not had the experience of being rejected for who I am and who I love, I can so understand the feeling of being disappointed by a place and people you love and who helped create who you are. It's a hard place to be, and Sneed writes about it with absolute EXTRAORDINARY grace and tenderness. She extends this grace even to characters who fill you with anger; and I was definitely filled with anger muliple times- as a parent, and as a Christian.
Ultimately this one of the best coming of age stories I've ever read. It's not only about a young woman "finding herself", it's about a young woman understanding that she gets to find herself. She gets to find her faith, her path, her love, her needs, what she gets to accept or reject, and even who she chooses to extend grace and forgiveness to. It ends with one of the lovliest descriptions of Christianity I've ever read, and left me with a peaceful feeling. I really recommend this, especially for others who identify as I do.
July 28, 2023
4.25 starts on this novel! I'm not queer, I'm not from Texas, and I'm not deeply religious (I do know football, though!), so this was a peek into a world I don't know myself, and it transported me to the hot, dusty fields and churches of west Texas and into the mind of a young woman exploring her sexuality in a place and time where such explorations are not welcome.
Pages 344-345 encapsulate so much of the disparity between religious perspectives - the choice of whether to live for love or for salvation, and why living for love is so much less of a judgmental, holier-than-thou, race-to-win place to be. I don't know much about religion, but I do know that the shortest verse in the Bible, "God is love," is the one I see most frequently flaunted by those who claim to be Christian but don't act in love. Seriously, read these pages and then read them again, no matter where you are on the religious spectrum.
Small critique: I like endings that lean toward more neatly tied, rather than ones like this that are left more open and uncertain. I wanted to see more character progression for Steve. I feel like the book needed maybe another chapter or two to feel more satisfying for me.
Pages 344-345 encapsulate so much of the disparity between religious perspectives - the choice of whether to live for love or for salvation, and why living for love is so much less of a judgmental, holier-than-thou, race-to-win place to be. I don't know much about religion, but I do know that the shortest verse in the Bible, "God is love," is the one I see most frequently flaunted by those who claim to be Christian but don't act in love. Seriously, read these pages and then read them again, no matter where you are on the religious spectrum.
Small critique: I like endings that lean toward more neatly tied, rather than ones like this that are left more open and uncertain. I wanted to see more character progression for Steve. I feel like the book needed maybe another chapter or two to feel more satisfying for me.
July 7, 2022
Emmy lives in a small town where football and church are everything. Her dad, a devout Baptist and beloved football coach, is her best friend. So when she comes out as lesbian…it doesn’t go well. Emmy starts her senior year of college struggling to find out who she is and if her family and faith can still be a part of her life.
As a straight, cis woman who has unsurprisingly never dealt with discrimination over who I love, this was a small glimpse into what LGBT+ folks quite often face. I initially didn’t enjoy how faith-heavy it was, but soon recognized it as an important layer to Emmy’s relationships with herself, her parents, and her community.
The West Texas setting, intersection of faith and sexuality, complexities of a first love, and Emmy’s coming of age were all very well done. This novel took me on an emotional rollercoaster—anger, heartbreak, happiness—as Emmy grappled with becoming who she truly is despite everything.
tw: homophobia, emotional abuse, manipulation, bigotry
As a straight, cis woman who has unsurprisingly never dealt with discrimination over who I love, this was a small glimpse into what LGBT+ folks quite often face. I initially didn’t enjoy how faith-heavy it was, but soon recognized it as an important layer to Emmy’s relationships with herself, her parents, and her community.
The West Texas setting, intersection of faith and sexuality, complexities of a first love, and Emmy’s coming of age were all very well done. This novel took me on an emotional rollercoaster—anger, heartbreak, happiness—as Emmy grappled with becoming who she truly is despite everything.
tw: homophobia, emotional abuse, manipulation, bigotry
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