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No Boy Summer: A Novel
In Amy Spalding’s young adult novel No Boy Summer , Lydia and her younger sister, Penny, make a pact to avoid boy drama for the summer—but Lydia can’t help looking for a loophole when she falls for a cute girl.
Lydia Jones and her younger sister, Penny, have had it with boy drama. Last year was marred by relationship disasters for both of them, threatening Lydia’s standing with her school’s theater tech club and Penny’s perfect GPA. Penny has, naturally, diagnosed the problem and prescribed a drastic a summer off from boys.
Deciding to stay with their Aunt Grace and her boyfriend, Oscar, in Los Angeles while their parents are off on a European cruise, Penny follows her future business-school dreams with an internship at Oscar’s office, and Lydia gets a part-time job at Grace’s neighborhood coffeeshop, Grounds Control. Even when they spent hours, days, weeks dissecting their various boy drama, Lydia’s never felt this connected to her sister before, and it makes her wonder what else in her life could be different. She finds herself drawn to a group of friends she meets through her Grounds Control coworker Margaret, as well as an intriguing customer, Fran, an aspiring filmmaker and—while not the first girl Lydia has found herself attracted to—the first girl who has mutual feelings for her. But she’s not breaking her pledge to Penny, right? That was just about boys.
Even though in her heart Lydia knows she’s bending the rules, she hasn’t had a connection with anyone as strong as her connection with Fran, so she thinks it can’t be wrong. And Penny won’t mind as long as she’s happy . . . right?
Lydia Jones and her younger sister, Penny, have had it with boy drama. Last year was marred by relationship disasters for both of them, threatening Lydia’s standing with her school’s theater tech club and Penny’s perfect GPA. Penny has, naturally, diagnosed the problem and prescribed a drastic a summer off from boys.
Deciding to stay with their Aunt Grace and her boyfriend, Oscar, in Los Angeles while their parents are off on a European cruise, Penny follows her future business-school dreams with an internship at Oscar’s office, and Lydia gets a part-time job at Grace’s neighborhood coffeeshop, Grounds Control. Even when they spent hours, days, weeks dissecting their various boy drama, Lydia’s never felt this connected to her sister before, and it makes her wonder what else in her life could be different. She finds herself drawn to a group of friends she meets through her Grounds Control coworker Margaret, as well as an intriguing customer, Fran, an aspiring filmmaker and—while not the first girl Lydia has found herself attracted to—the first girl who has mutual feelings for her. But she’s not breaking her pledge to Penny, right? That was just about boys.
Even though in her heart Lydia knows she’s bending the rules, she hasn’t had a connection with anyone as strong as her connection with Fran, so she thinks it can’t be wrong. And Penny won’t mind as long as she’s happy . . . right?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2023
About the author
Amy Spalding
18 books957 followersAmy Spalding is the author of several novels, including the bestselling For Her Consideration, We Used to Be Friends and The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles), which was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, the Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, and more. She is a recipient of the 2023 Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award for the authentic, funny, and diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community in her books.
Amy grew up in St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University and an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Amy grew up in St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University and an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
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Want to Read
October 31, 2022sounds gay I'm in
August 5, 2022
I might be biased but I like this book a whole lot.
May 25, 2023
dnf at 42%
i kept turning the page wondering “will i be clobbered over the head with the same info as the last page?” and the answer was always yes. i get it: it’s the no boy summer, lydia’s an uncultured suburban white girl, lydia doesn’t know how to navigate social situations, lydia feels her sister penny is better than her, lydia has self worth issues, lydia and penny only used to talk about boys, etc etc. literally every single page brought up at least one of those previously mentioned ideas and it got so exhausting so fast.
lydia and fran have almost no chemistry and i don’t think we actually get a single character trait for fran other than “wants to work in film (position unclear)” and “is a ‘player’” whatever that means. considering the book is built on lydia’s instant physical attraction to fran i also have no idea what fran looks like, though to be fair that could be because i didn’t care enough to picture her in my head.
anyways i don’t think i’ll regret not finishing this. i honestly don’t know if it could get better and i don’t care to find out.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
i kept turning the page wondering “will i be clobbered over the head with the same info as the last page?” and the answer was always yes. i get it: it’s the no boy summer, lydia’s an uncultured suburban white girl, lydia doesn’t know how to navigate social situations, lydia feels her sister penny is better than her, lydia has self worth issues, lydia and penny only used to talk about boys, etc etc. literally every single page brought up at least one of those previously mentioned ideas and it got so exhausting so fast.
lydia and fran have almost no chemistry and i don’t think we actually get a single character trait for fran other than “wants to work in film (position unclear)” and “is a ‘player’” whatever that means. considering the book is built on lydia’s instant physical attraction to fran i also have no idea what fran looks like, though to be fair that could be because i didn’t care enough to picture her in my head.
anyways i don’t think i’ll regret not finishing this. i honestly don’t know if it could get better and i don’t care to find out.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
May 17, 2023
Content warnings: slut shaming, fatphobic comments (challenged, which was good to see)
Rep: Lydia (MC) is cis, white, fat and bisexual. Fran (LI) is cis, white and unlabelled lesbian - but butch is used, and it is extremely important to note that butch can only be used for lesbians. So this is a call out to say USE THE WORD LESBIAN TO DESCRIBE YOUR LESBIAN CHARACTERS. Thank you.
Side cis queer characters, side cis POC characters.
Beyond boy obsessed Lydia and her sister Penny decide that they need a "NO boy summer" because their entire teenage lives (and probably younger) has only revolved around boys. To the point where boys is literally the only thing these sisters have in common.
So they go to stay with their Aunt Grace and her boyfriend, Oscar, while their parents go away on a cruise, and plan to have a summer completely devoid of boy drama.
Lydia goes to work with her aunt at her coffee shop, while Penny goes to work with Oscar at his office.
For the first time in her life, Lydia feels like she's actually making friends.
Then comes Fran. Fran isn't a boy, so Lydia convinces herself (pretty badly, she knows she's doing wrong) that just because Fran isn't a boy, it doesn't technically mean she's breaking Penny's pledge.
Lydia and Fran's interactions were pretty cute, and I enjoyed them a lot.
I loved that Lydia told Margaret that she was being fatphobic as well - that is always necessary.
Lydia and Penny's relationship was really well written. I loved that Lydia's thoughts and interpretations of Penny's words and actions was challenged. But Lydia did sure treat Penny poorly at times. They both need a hug.
This entire book was just fun, easy, and really enjoyable to me.
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
Rep: Lydia (MC) is cis, white, fat and bisexual. Fran (LI) is cis, white and unlabelled lesbian - but butch is used, and it is extremely important to note that butch can only be used for lesbians. So this is a call out to say USE THE WORD LESBIAN TO DESCRIBE YOUR LESBIAN CHARACTERS. Thank you.
Side cis queer characters, side cis POC characters.
Beyond boy obsessed Lydia and her sister Penny decide that they need a "NO boy summer" because their entire teenage lives (and probably younger) has only revolved around boys. To the point where boys is literally the only thing these sisters have in common.
So they go to stay with their Aunt Grace and her boyfriend, Oscar, while their parents go away on a cruise, and plan to have a summer completely devoid of boy drama.
Lydia goes to work with her aunt at her coffee shop, while Penny goes to work with Oscar at his office.
For the first time in her life, Lydia feels like she's actually making friends.
Then comes Fran. Fran isn't a boy, so Lydia convinces herself (pretty badly, she knows she's doing wrong) that just because Fran isn't a boy, it doesn't technically mean she's breaking Penny's pledge.
Lydia and Fran's interactions were pretty cute, and I enjoyed them a lot.
I loved that Lydia told Margaret that she was being fatphobic as well - that is always necessary.
Lydia and Penny's relationship was really well written. I loved that Lydia's thoughts and interpretations of Penny's words and actions was challenged. But Lydia did sure treat Penny poorly at times. They both need a hug.
This entire book was just fun, easy, and really enjoyable to me.
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
June 15, 2023
I really tried to like this book. I really, really tried. And I know I’m not really in this book’s target audience, so that might be the reason. But I couldn’t get into it.
Let’s start with the good:
- The setting. As a Southern Californian girl, it felt nice to read a book set in LA. I could picture some of the scenes, as the setting locations were written pretty well. (However, I’ve gotta say that no one here in SoCal refers to the LA Metro as “peaceful.” Nor do we call the train stations “subway stations,” because they’re not underground. And I would have liked to see more detail about the Central Library. All we got were Lydia and Penny commenting it was beautiful.)
- The dialogue. It was somewhat okay, though it lacked in some ways (I’ll describe this later). But it was relatively easy to follow and it did establish some characters’ personalities, so I’ll give it that.
Now, the not-so-good:
- The pacing. It was very… off. Half the time, I had no idea where the characters were or what had happened. There were plenty of details missing, which is ironic considering that this book had too much telling and not showing (but I’m getting ahead of myself). I would’ve liked to see the pacing slow down so we could get to know the characters better.
- Too much telling, not showing. Lydia kept describing Fran as a “player.” All her friends described her as a “player.” But we don’t see that in Fran’s personality. In fact, we don’t really get to know Fran at all. We don’t even get to know her and Lydia’s romance. One minute, they’re inside Fran’s car, the next minute Lydia is telling us they’ve shared a few kisses. When? How did it lead up to that? Where is the typical happiness/positive feelings leading up to the first date and/or kiss? Where is the chemistry? I saw none of that here. And Fran does not come off as a player, no matter how much Lydia insists she is. She’s just... there. As I said before, the irony of telling not showing—yet still lacking detail anyway.
- Main reason I DNF is something that other people might consider so small, but the minute I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it, to the point where I put the book down at 40%. Here it is: The characters couldn’t stop laughing. At nothing. And at everything. And at things that didn’t warrant laughter. Lydia laughed and kept laughing when Fran asked her about her favorite movie. Lydia and her friends laughed and laughed every time one of them talked when they went out to dinner. The characters would not stop giggling throughout the book. Out of curiosity, I looked up the word “laugh” on my Kindle and it shows up 184 times. 184!
Like I said, I’m probably not the target audience here. I get that. But unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it at all by the end.
Let’s start with the good:
- The setting. As a Southern Californian girl, it felt nice to read a book set in LA. I could picture some of the scenes, as the setting locations were written pretty well. (However, I’ve gotta say that no one here in SoCal refers to the LA Metro as “peaceful.” Nor do we call the train stations “subway stations,” because they’re not underground. And I would have liked to see more detail about the Central Library. All we got were Lydia and Penny commenting it was beautiful.)
- The dialogue. It was somewhat okay, though it lacked in some ways (I’ll describe this later). But it was relatively easy to follow and it did establish some characters’ personalities, so I’ll give it that.
Now, the not-so-good:
- The pacing. It was very… off. Half the time, I had no idea where the characters were or what had happened. There were plenty of details missing, which is ironic considering that this book had too much telling and not showing (but I’m getting ahead of myself). I would’ve liked to see the pacing slow down so we could get to know the characters better.
- Too much telling, not showing. Lydia kept describing Fran as a “player.” All her friends described her as a “player.” But we don’t see that in Fran’s personality. In fact, we don’t really get to know Fran at all. We don’t even get to know her and Lydia’s romance. One minute, they’re inside Fran’s car, the next minute Lydia is telling us they’ve shared a few kisses. When? How did it lead up to that? Where is the typical happiness/positive feelings leading up to the first date and/or kiss? Where is the chemistry? I saw none of that here. And Fran does not come off as a player, no matter how much Lydia insists she is. She’s just... there. As I said before, the irony of telling not showing—yet still lacking detail anyway.
- Main reason I DNF is something that other people might consider so small, but the minute I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it, to the point where I put the book down at 40%. Here it is: The characters couldn’t stop laughing. At nothing. And at everything. And at things that didn’t warrant laughter. Lydia laughed and kept laughing when Fran asked her about her favorite movie. Lydia and her friends laughed and laughed every time one of them talked when they went out to dinner. The characters would not stop giggling throughout the book. Out of curiosity, I looked up the word “laugh” on my Kindle and it shows up 184 times. 184!
Like I said, I’m probably not the target audience here. I get that. But unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it at all by the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
This is the second of Amy Spalding's two releases this year (the first is For Her Consideration), and I've given both five stars. The Summer of Jordi Perez has been one of my favorite books for years now, but these have cemented Amy Spalding as one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes queer romance, full of heart and embracing the not-so-perfect moments. I love the way she writes friendships, creating dynamics that feel so real and never treating them as inferior to the romantic storyline. I love the way she writes Los Angeles, making me remember the things I love about it from thousands of miles away. No Boy Summer is another perfect example of all of these things.
Possibly the biggest testament to how much I loved this book is that something that's normally one of my biggest bookish pet peeves didn't bother me at all. Usually, when it's obvious from very early on how the big conflict will blow up, I just spend the whole time I'm reading with this impending sense of doom that makes it really hard for me to enjoy the book in the meantime. Here, it's even in the premise that Penny will probably be upset with Lydia's bending the rules, but I was so invested in Lydia and her story that I didn't feel that way at all.
I highly recommend this and all of the Amy Spalding books I've read, and I can't wait to see what's next from her.
I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Possibly the biggest testament to how much I loved this book is that something that's normally one of my biggest bookish pet peeves didn't bother me at all. Usually, when it's obvious from very early on how the big conflict will blow up, I just spend the whole time I'm reading with this impending sense of doom that makes it really hard for me to enjoy the book in the meantime. Here, it's even in the premise that Penny will probably be upset with Lydia's bending the rules, but I was so invested in Lydia and her story that I didn't feel that way at all.
I highly recommend this and all of the Amy Spalding books I've read, and I can't wait to see what's next from her.
I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
August 9, 2023
I'm not the intended audience for this book, other than for the fact that's it's sapphic, so I'm not really in a position to comment in that regard. What I can say is that this is the Amy Spalding book I've liked the least.
Some highlights for me:
- Representation: YA is doing a great job in this area and I would love to see adult romance make greater strides in this area. I especially appreciated that Fran, the love interest in this novel, isn't femme.
- Girls supporting girls: Lydia, our main character, finds a group of girls who are supportive of each other and of her, even when she's trying to push them away. It was really nice. No mean girls or weird sabotage here.
- Los Angeles: Spalding writes so beautifully about LA it makes me homesick.
Some highlights for me:
- Representation: YA is doing a great job in this area and I would love to see adult romance make greater strides in this area. I especially appreciated that Fran, the love interest in this novel, isn't femme.
- Girls supporting girls: Lydia, our main character, finds a group of girls who are supportive of each other and of her, even when she's trying to push them away. It was really nice. No mean girls or weird sabotage here.
- Los Angeles: Spalding writes so beautifully about LA it makes me homesick.
May 27, 2023
Two sisters make a 'no boy summer' pact in an attempt to spend more time together over the summer. One of them finds a loophole though by falling for a girl. There was some great body positivity and nonbinary rep in this book. Overall it was a cute, light-hearted summer read with a beautiful cover. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
April 20, 2023
I liked the synopsis and cover of this book. I did like the representation in this book but I didn’t like the relationship the sisters had or the romantic relationship in this book between Fran and lydia. It was disappointing but I think others will like the coming out story and the friends she makes
Did Not Finish
June 6, 2023dnfing because 30 pages in I can't handle the main character. her thinking around being a bigger girl is annoying and upsetting. as someone in the same boat as her it makes me feel bad and i don't want to.
May 3, 2023
This one is really cute! Very much enjoyed the drama and the story. Sisters, cool aunts, coffee shops, making new friends, getting a better understanding of who you are and what you can be!
Want to Read
August 31, 2022did i hear sapphic techie???
February 23, 2023
Another absolute delight from Amy, featuring a disaster bi who is maybe a little TOO relatable and a wonderful sister relationship (with an awesome aunt to boot) not to mention a swoony romance.
June 23, 2026
⭐⭐⭐✨ Three and a half stars
Sure, I prefer Amy Spalding's adult contemporary romance novels, but No Boy Summer was a cute little read that was included in my Spotify Premium plan, so it was perfect for Pride Month. I'd definitely recommend it to young adult readers who are looking for a sapphic coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a summer in Los Angeles.
“Like I’ve told you, you can just do stuff you like. For no reason. Or, like, that is the reason. Don’t make it all hard on yourself, like you have to earn what you do or what you like. Just like it!”
Sure, I prefer Amy Spalding's adult contemporary romance novels, but No Boy Summer was a cute little read that was included in my Spotify Premium plan, so it was perfect for Pride Month. I'd definitely recommend it to young adult readers who are looking for a sapphic coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a summer in Los Angeles.
January 22, 2026
If you’ve ever wanted to read a book about an annoying, whiny girl while she spends the summer dating a red flag, lying to her sister, complaining about her sister, and misunderstanding her sister while saying it’s all because her sister doesn’t understand her… pick this one
April 30, 2023
Was super duper cute and a very easy read!!
April 13, 2023
This book made me jealous, I want to spend a summer in L.A. working in a cute coffee shop and exploring the food scene! The premise of this was great, two sisters staying with their aunt, spending their time working fun jobs (well, Penny's isn't really for me but she loved it!) and exploring a new city. I enjoyed living through Lydia as she made friends and had her first real girl crush.
The setting was well described and I liked that there was a balance between romance and everything else. Lydia spends time getting to really know her sister, learning about herself and what she wants for her future, and in general having a ton of fun. Penny is also cute and I liked that she threw herself into things, even if she sometimes came off as pretty intense to people.
I disliked that Lydia didn't always treat Penny nicely, lying to her and trying to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. She also hurt Fran and I was surprised when she thought it should all be okay. Lucky for her, she now had some good friends to rely on and did some actual introspection.
This is a great summer read and now I need to go plan a vacation, thanks.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Amulet and Edelweiss for the copy.
The setting was well described and I liked that there was a balance between romance and everything else. Lydia spends time getting to really know her sister, learning about herself and what she wants for her future, and in general having a ton of fun. Penny is also cute and I liked that she threw herself into things, even if she sometimes came off as pretty intense to people.
I disliked that Lydia didn't always treat Penny nicely, lying to her and trying to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. She also hurt Fran and I was surprised when she thought it should all be okay. Lucky for her, she now had some good friends to rely on and did some actual introspection.
This is a great summer read and now I need to go plan a vacation, thanks.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Amulet and Edelweiss for the copy.
June 3, 2023
*3.75 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Sisters Lydia and Penny haven't been spending as much time together lately and for the summer, while they're away at their aunt's, they make a pact. It will be a summer without boys, so they can focus on spending time together. Except they're making their own friends at their jobs and Lydia is getting a little crush on a customer. But it's okay, cause she's not a boy, right? Right??
This was a little bit of a let down for me. I honestly just wanted them to talk, the entire book they really just needed to get their heads out of their asses and talk. I was just really frustrated with the entire situation and it kept me from connecting to the characters properly. I didn't really care and that was a shame. That being said, I still liked some of the characters quite a lot and it had some good parts. But overall, this one was a miss for me. I will still gladly read more Amy Spalding books though, I just didn't feel this one, I guess.
I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Sisters Lydia and Penny haven't been spending as much time together lately and for the summer, while they're away at their aunt's, they make a pact. It will be a summer without boys, so they can focus on spending time together. Except they're making their own friends at their jobs and Lydia is getting a little crush on a customer. But it's okay, cause she's not a boy, right? Right??
This was a little bit of a let down for me. I honestly just wanted them to talk, the entire book they really just needed to get their heads out of their asses and talk. I was just really frustrated with the entire situation and it kept me from connecting to the characters properly. I didn't really care and that was a shame. That being said, I still liked some of the characters quite a lot and it had some good parts. But overall, this one was a miss for me. I will still gladly read more Amy Spalding books though, I just didn't feel this one, I guess.
September 3, 2023
this was a DNF for me - extremely repetitive inner dialogue from the main character, and some of the weirdest pacing of a romance I've ever read. Absolutely no description of feelings toward the love interest and then all of a sudden I'm being told they're kissing, and then oh some other kissing happened the next day off the page and the main character is reminiscing about it while I get yet another extremely detailed inner monologue during her job at a coffee shop or during an insecure interaction with her younger sister. This one just wasn't for me!
April 15, 2023
3 stars for Amy’s debut YA romcom. To be honest, I think I’m just growing out of the YA genre. I love Amy Spalding’s writing style but I just couldn’t connect with Lydia. The pacing was off. I couldn’t handle juvenile feelings. This book just wasn’t for me, sadly, but I know it’ll be important for young, queer readers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Amulet Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to Netgalley and Amulet Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
May 2, 2023
Listen, as usual, I find it difficult to be objective about a book's quality when I just had such a delightful time reading it. I devoured this entire book in a night when I couldn't sleep, and I don't regret a second I spent with it. It's everything I love: sapphic romance, complicated sister dynamics, large supportive group of friends, set during summer vacation. There was no chance that I was going to dislike it.
The Summer of Jordi Perez is one of my all-time favorite comfort books, like a huge hug for my heart, and I really enjoyed We Used to Be Friends even though it seemed like a lot of people didn't at the time it came out, so Amy Spalding has a lot of good will built up with me. I'm able to forgive things like Lydia blatantly lying to Penny for most of the book and using loopholes to justify something she knew wasn't in the spirit of their agreement, and Penny's extreme overreaction when she finally inevitably found out, and the weird dynamic of the central romance where one girl says she doesn't want anything serious and the MC pretends to agree with her and then eventually converts her into a relationship girl. I don't feel like any of these things are spoilers because they're pretty clearly telegraphed early on and it's a predictable progression, but apologies if you think they should be warned for.
The point is that while some of the plot beats are silly and/or mildly annoying, it doesn't even matter to me because I found the characters so relatable and fun to read about. I also liked that while Lydia isn't technically out, the story doesn't hinge on her experiencing coming out angst or homophobia or anything like that. It's a welcome break from a lot of other young adult novels that are overloaded with those themes. The stakes are pretty low and it's a relatively light and fluffy read just like Jordi Perez and I'm here for it.
The Summer of Jordi Perez is one of my all-time favorite comfort books, like a huge hug for my heart, and I really enjoyed We Used to Be Friends even though it seemed like a lot of people didn't at the time it came out, so Amy Spalding has a lot of good will built up with me. I'm able to forgive things like Lydia blatantly lying to Penny for most of the book and using loopholes to justify something she knew wasn't in the spirit of their agreement, and Penny's extreme overreaction when she finally inevitably found out, and the weird dynamic of the central romance where one girl says she doesn't want anything serious and the MC pretends to agree with her and then eventually converts her into a relationship girl. I don't feel like any of these things are spoilers because they're pretty clearly telegraphed early on and it's a predictable progression, but apologies if you think they should be warned for.
The point is that while some of the plot beats are silly and/or mildly annoying, it doesn't even matter to me because I found the characters so relatable and fun to read about. I also liked that while Lydia isn't technically out, the story doesn't hinge on her experiencing coming out angst or homophobia or anything like that. It's a welcome break from a lot of other young adult novels that are overloaded with those themes. The stakes are pretty low and it's a relatively light and fluffy read just like Jordi Perez and I'm here for it.
April 21, 2023
I haven't enjoyed a YA book in a while until this one, so kudos. It was long enough to have time to develop and flesh out the main characters, particularly the two sisters who are central to the story. I appreciated that both are realistic characters who approach things very differently and are able to slowly have conversations about this and grow.
I enjoyed that the protagonist has a legitimate struggle to be accepted and find her place and therefore considers the problem to be herself, i.e. that she is uninteresting, weird, or otherwise unappealing to others of her age. This feels like a very relatable problem to have, and finding your people to mitigate that internal image of yourself felt very realistic and hopeful.
I also appreciated that, in the end, I enjoyed that the teens in this are fairly mature and deal with problems in realistic ways but also show growth and maturity as the story progresses.
I enjoyed that the protagonist has a legitimate struggle to be accepted and find her place and therefore considers the problem to be herself, i.e. that she is uninteresting, weird, or otherwise unappealing to others of her age. This feels like a very relatable problem to have, and finding your people to mitigate that internal image of yourself felt very realistic and hopeful.
I also appreciated that, in the end, I enjoyed that the teens in this are fairly mature and deal with problems in realistic ways but also show growth and maturity as the story progresses.
April 9, 2023
This book was such a lovely exploration of relationships dynamics and how they affect our lives. I loved the detail of Lydia discovering that her life doesn't need to be defined by her relationships, but that they can play important roles in her life. I really adored how instead of only focusing on the Lydia's relationship with Fran, it also puts emphasis on her learning how to love and fit in with people platonically. It also made me very happy that the central themes did not revolve around homophobia/biphobia.
There are times that the pacing struggled to work, which made it hard to continue being motivated to read it. There were also some profound moments, but I feel like, with the subject matter, there could have been more.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
There are times that the pacing struggled to work, which made it hard to continue being motivated to read it. There were also some profound moments, but I feel like, with the subject matter, there could have been more.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2023
I love fat queer representation and this was great representation. This is an easy and fun read but I don't know how memorable it's going to be to be honest. I liked it well enough and I especially loved when the fat main character called out one of her friends for being unintentionally fatphobic, but I didn't love it. It's fine. I totally throw it on a summer reading list and recommend it as a fun summer queer read but it's not landing on my favorites list.
July 30, 2023
3.5⭐️
This was so cute ????
Recommend listening to august by T Swift on repeat for the first half
This was so cute ????
Recommend listening to august by T Swift on repeat for the first half
July 31, 2024
One of Spalding's best stories yet. Love the friend group and the relationship between Penny and Lydia.
August 23, 2025
i loved the storyline ! it was just a bit too high school for me
December 29, 2023
3.5 stars
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