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Girls Like Girls
Trailblazing pop star, actor and director, Hayley Kiyoko debuts her first novel, a coming-of-age romance based on her breakthrough hit song and viral video, GIRLS LIKE GIRLS. Still spiraling after the death of her mom, Coley is flung into the middle-of-nowhere Oregon to live with her long-lost father. Life pretty much sucks. Until she meets Sonya. Sonya with her head-turning beauty and her laugh that imprints itself in Coley's brain. Sonya who cuddles just a little bit closer and flirts a little bit harder whenever Coley's around. But Sonya's stuck in an on-again-off-again relationship with her jerk of an (ex)boyfriend and hounded by the expectations of her parents. Will Sonya ever be ready to take a chance on this unexpected love?
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2023
919 people are currently reading
32457 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,128 reviews
June 9, 2023
THANK YOU LESBIAN JESUS
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Wednesday Books.
I put down Girls Like Girls maybe 10 minutes ago now and I did not expect to feel that much emotion. The story was graceful despite its small faults. The writing isn't perfect–I didn't think it would be, but it knows how to pack a punch as readers are given a more evolved background into the story of Coley and Sonya, one the music video didn't show. Hayley Kiyoko creates realistic unreliable characters filled with angst and confusion.
It's important to note how Girls Like Girls explores events and actions that may be triggering to some readers including mentions of death by suicide, grief, loss of a parent, homophobia, internalized homophobia and underage use of drinking/drugs.
While Girls Like Girls IS a romance at heart, it is also so much more. It's about acceptance and being brave enough to step out of the closet to embrace your true self. It's about honesty and being able to heal from grief and heartbreak through every emotion fighting its way to the surface. It's messy and chaotic and frustrating and painful and hopeful and beautiful all at the same time.
I'm just going to say it: Trenton can go fuck himself. I think he was written too unlikeable, making it very hard to believe anyone, Sonya especially, would put up with his shit. But then again they are teenagers and maybe in my ~old age~ I just can't relate anymore. That said, I appreciated Alex and SJ as side characters (Brooke was also annoying). I was really satisfied with Coley's growth in relation to herself and her relationship with her father Curtis, an often sore point throughout the book.
In regards to Coley and Sonya, their friends-to-lovers evolution was fairly insta-lovey, a trope I'm not personally fond of. I wish we could've been shown more of their relationship as the author tended to tell us about most of it. Overall Girls Like Girls is a quick read filled with important heavy moments and a sapphic love that deserved to have a more extended ending. The writing and plot although simple are effective in telling the story and worthy of your time.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Wednesday Books.
I put down Girls Like Girls maybe 10 minutes ago now and I did not expect to feel that much emotion. The story was graceful despite its small faults. The writing isn't perfect–I didn't think it would be, but it knows how to pack a punch as readers are given a more evolved background into the story of Coley and Sonya, one the music video didn't show. Hayley Kiyoko creates realistic unreliable characters filled with angst and confusion.
It's important to note how Girls Like Girls explores events and actions that may be triggering to some readers including mentions of death by suicide, grief, loss of a parent, homophobia, internalized homophobia and underage use of drinking/drugs.
While Girls Like Girls IS a romance at heart, it is also so much more. It's about acceptance and being brave enough to step out of the closet to embrace your true self. It's about honesty and being able to heal from grief and heartbreak through every emotion fighting its way to the surface. It's messy and chaotic and frustrating and painful and hopeful and beautiful all at the same time.
I'm just going to say it: Trenton can go fuck himself. I think he was written too unlikeable, making it very hard to believe anyone, Sonya especially, would put up with his shit. But then again they are teenagers and maybe in my ~old age~ I just can't relate anymore. That said, I appreciated Alex and SJ as side characters (Brooke was also annoying). I was really satisfied with Coley's growth in relation to herself and her relationship with her father Curtis, an often sore point throughout the book.
In regards to Coley and Sonya, their friends-to-lovers evolution was fairly insta-lovey, a trope I'm not personally fond of. I wish we could've been shown more of their relationship as the author tended to tell us about most of it. Overall Girls Like Girls is a quick read filled with important heavy moments and a sapphic love that deserved to have a more extended ending. The writing and plot although simple are effective in telling the story and worthy of your time.
June 5, 2023
the girls like girls music video changed the trajectory of my entire life.
oh god, i am nervous
1st june 2.5 stars and I KNOW, this rating hurts my little gay heart.
hayley kiyoko is an amazing singer, songwriter, choreographer, director, & dancer but i don't think she's the best author YET. that's not to say it was total shit, (i did finish it !!) but i do think this needed another couple edits, a second opinion, a collaboration. kiyoko's voice is apparent, but it's also clunky and needs nurturing.
other major issues aside from the writing;
• half finished storylines - there was a lot packed into this novel that just didn't get a chance to be explored
• an incredibly predictable narrative
• one-dimensional characters
• cringe dialoguei swear people didn't talk like that in 2006??
• events were super repetitive
• the ending was rushed and coley did a total 180
i get having a main character being a little shit is usually whimsical and easy to love, but coley was too sarcastic, too blunt. and most of the things she said weren't funny. this made it difficult to root for her. however, for younger readers, it did represent the turbulence and chaos of teenage life. girls like girls also handled mental illness, parental dynamics, and struggling with identity + sexuality fairly well. and i'm sure many readers will be able to reconcile with this.
unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. BUT, i'll always have me watching the music video over and over again in my 6th form cafeteria totally not relating way too hard with it.
thanks to netgalley & publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review
oh god, i am nervous
1st june 2.5 stars and I KNOW, this rating hurts my little gay heart.
hayley kiyoko is an amazing singer, songwriter, choreographer, director, & dancer but i don't think she's the best author YET. that's not to say it was total shit, (i did finish it !!) but i do think this needed another couple edits, a second opinion, a collaboration. kiyoko's voice is apparent, but it's also clunky and needs nurturing.
other major issues aside from the writing;
• half finished storylines - there was a lot packed into this novel that just didn't get a chance to be explored
• an incredibly predictable narrative
• one-dimensional characters
• cringe dialogue
• events were super repetitive
• the ending was rushed and coley did a total 180
i get having a main character being a little shit is usually whimsical and easy to love, but coley was too sarcastic, too blunt. and most of the things she said weren't funny. this made it difficult to root for her. however, for younger readers, it did represent the turbulence and chaos of teenage life. girls like girls also handled mental illness, parental dynamics, and struggling with identity + sexuality fairly well. and i'm sure many readers will be able to reconcile with this.
unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. BUT, i'll always have me watching the music video over and over again in my 6th form cafeteria totally not relating way too hard with it.
thanks to netgalley & publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review
Read
May 5, 2023dnf at 30%
just not in the mood. i’ll pick it back up later
pre-reading review:
i practically grew up on the music video so naturally i have to read this
just not in the mood. i’ll pick it back up later
pre-reading review:
i practically grew up on the music video so naturally i have to read this
dnf
March 7, 2024DNF 10%
Myślałam, że już skończyliśmy z bohaterkami obrażonymi na cały świat od pierwszych stron książki.
Myślałam, że już skończyliśmy z bohaterkami obrażonymi na cały świat od pierwszych stron książki.
April 30, 2023
hayley kiyoko's girls like girls music video fundamentally altered the course of my entire life in this essay i—
based on hayley kiyoko’s music video, girls like girls follows coley who moves to rural oregon after losing her mother. there she bumps into sonya, a girl who runs with the popular crowd. as they spend the summer dancing on train tracks & getting high at parties, both girls find themselves running towards & away from each other. but you can only run from the truth for so long.
there are moments in life that are forever memorialized. sometimes a song comes on radio & transports you elsewhere; other times a certain smell will take you back to when you were young & it’s crystal clear again, like sunshine on water.
girls like girls is that for me. reading hayley’s debut novel, suddenly it’s 2015 again. i’m back in my bedroom in grubby nike sweats, sobbing to future lesbian jesus, freshly heartbroken over a girl who holds my hand & gives me her jacket. a girl who makes the songs all make sense.
(i’ve been crossing all the lines, all the lines / kissed your girls and made you cry)
reading this felt like watching an extended cinematic cut, the closest to a full length production many rallied for. hayley’s a musician, of course her writing reads lyrical—a little cringey & dramatic but beautiful all the same.
it was comfort i didn’t know i sought for, because it’s not 2015 anymore. now i’m on the other side of it looking back at coley and sonya, having learnt what they did: that you can’t control people—how or why they hurt us, how they leave our lives, how sometimes that trust is earned back but other times we have to learn how to let go. that things are kind of scary, but lots of good things are.
mostly, however, it was comfort i didn’t know i needed as turns out i had it in me all along. i’m no longer eighteen, no longer running after a girl. heartbroken no more. how grateful i am to every version of girls like girls for that awakening, both then and now.
✼ thank you to wednesday books for sending me an arc of girls like girls in exchange for an honest review.
“i could spend my life chasing her. devotedly. doggedly. but she could spend her life running. i might never catch up with her. that's what’s so scary about it.”
based on hayley kiyoko’s music video, girls like girls follows coley who moves to rural oregon after losing her mother. there she bumps into sonya, a girl who runs with the popular crowd. as they spend the summer dancing on train tracks & getting high at parties, both girls find themselves running towards & away from each other. but you can only run from the truth for so long.
there are moments in life that are forever memorialized. sometimes a song comes on radio & transports you elsewhere; other times a certain smell will take you back to when you were young & it’s crystal clear again, like sunshine on water.
girls like girls is that for me. reading hayley’s debut novel, suddenly it’s 2015 again. i’m back in my bedroom in grubby nike sweats, sobbing to future lesbian jesus, freshly heartbroken over a girl who holds my hand & gives me her jacket. a girl who makes the songs all make sense.
(i’ve been crossing all the lines, all the lines / kissed your girls and made you cry)
reading this felt like watching an extended cinematic cut, the closest to a full length production many rallied for. hayley’s a musician, of course her writing reads lyrical—a little cringey & dramatic but beautiful all the same.
it was comfort i didn’t know i sought for, because it’s not 2015 anymore. now i’m on the other side of it looking back at coley and sonya, having learnt what they did: that you can’t control people—how or why they hurt us, how they leave our lives, how sometimes that trust is earned back but other times we have to learn how to let go. that things are kind of scary, but lots of good things are.
mostly, however, it was comfort i didn’t know i needed as turns out i had it in me all along. i’m no longer eighteen, no longer running after a girl. heartbroken no more. how grateful i am to every version of girls like girls for that awakening, both then and now.
✼ thank you to wednesday books for sending me an arc of girls like girls in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
February 9, 2023arc and concert tickets secured time to relive my gay awakening
May 25, 2023
2.5 ⭐️'s
so that was anticlimactic 😕😕
so that was anticlimactic 😕😕
March 29, 2023
i'm just gonna pretend i didn't read this and sob over the girls like girls music video in peace
May 2, 2024
Hijole.
Yo esperaba que este libro me gustara más de lo que lo hizo la neta. Si soy honesto, este es más un 2.5/5, pero lo redondeo a tres porque las cosas que me gustaron resaltan un poquito más de las que no. Pero en fin, Girls Like Girls un nuevo favorito definitivamente no es.
Mientras lo leía había una pequeña voz dentro de mi que decia: this is not hitting. Había algo en la historia que simplemente no terminaba de hacer click conmigo. Estaba disfrutando mucho de los temas de luto y de aceptación en Coley (que de hecho siguen siendo mis elementos favoritos de la historia) pero el resto de las cosas no me terminaba de convencer. Y siento que una de las que más afectó mi disfrute fue el romance, especialmente porque mucho de la historia recae en ello.
No. Me. Gustó. El. Romance.
Nada.
Las últimas 120 páginas remontaron bastante bien. Siento que hubo un mini giro de 180 grados y me agradó como se manejo el último tercio, aunque llegó el final y me dejo un tanto insatisfecho. Con todo lo que había leído ya, me parece que la historia hubiera tenido una conclusión más fuerte si hubiera terminado de otra manera.
Anyway, creo que el poder de la nostalgia es algo fuerte. Recordar mis días en secundaria viendo el video musical por primera vez si fue algo que hizo que lo siguiera leyendo. Esperaba más, pero no estuvo tan mal.
---
SHUT THE FUCK UP UN LIBRO BASADO EN GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, LA CANCIÓN QUE ME CAMBIO LA VIDA, ESCRITO POR LA MISMISIMA HAYLEY KIYOKO IS THIS A DREAM??? ES EL MEJOR DÍA DE MI VIDA BYE.
Yo esperaba que este libro me gustara más de lo que lo hizo la neta. Si soy honesto, este es más un 2.5/5, pero lo redondeo a tres porque las cosas que me gustaron resaltan un poquito más de las que no. Pero en fin, Girls Like Girls un nuevo favorito definitivamente no es.
Mientras lo leía había una pequeña voz dentro de mi que decia: this is not hitting. Había algo en la historia que simplemente no terminaba de hacer click conmigo. Estaba disfrutando mucho de los temas de luto y de aceptación en Coley (que de hecho siguen siendo mis elementos favoritos de la historia) pero el resto de las cosas no me terminaba de convencer. Y siento que una de las que más afectó mi disfrute fue el romance, especialmente porque mucho de la historia recae en ello.
No. Me. Gustó. El. Romance.
Nada.
Las últimas 120 páginas remontaron bastante bien. Siento que hubo un mini giro de 180 grados y me agradó como se manejo el último tercio, aunque llegó el final y me dejo un tanto insatisfecho. Con todo lo que había leído ya, me parece que la historia hubiera tenido una conclusión más fuerte si hubiera terminado de otra manera.
Anyway, creo que el poder de la nostalgia es algo fuerte. Recordar mis días en secundaria viendo el video musical por primera vez si fue algo que hizo que lo siguiera leyendo. Esperaba más, pero no estuvo tan mal.
---
SHUT THE FUCK UP UN LIBRO BASADO EN GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, LA CANCIÓN QUE ME CAMBIO LA VIDA, ESCRITO POR LA MISMISIMA HAYLEY KIYOKO IS THIS A DREAM??? ES EL MEJOR DÍA DE MI VIDA BYE.
March 30, 2023
While Girls Like Girls has the potential to be an engaging sapphic story based off Hayley Kiyoko's iconic music video, it ultimately fell short. I found the plot to be quite basic, but much more importantly, so was the writing. I understand it is the author's debut, but the writing was at best unoriginal, and at worst cringey. The author's sense of humour came through in the writing, and while it felt a bit dated and lacklustre for me, I'm sure it will align with someone.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
March 20, 202315 year old me listened to this song on repeat every day and now 23 year old me gets to read a full book about these girls???? i'm going FERAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Want to read
October 14, 2022HAYLEY KIYOKO WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL ABOUT GIRLS LIKE GIRLS SIGN ME TF UP
May 24, 2023
Let me start off by saying the Girls Like Girls 2015 music video changed the way I saw myself as a confused, bisexual teenager. I’m a HUGE fan of Hayley Kiyoko and I think will always be - so it really bums me out that this debut novel fell short for me in so many ways.
At this point, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not much of a YA reader, BUT I can still definitely appreciate a good YA story. The writing in Girls Like Girls was not only elementary, but honestly plain bad. There was so much telling VS showing with these characters that you never truly get a good grasp of who these people really are. You definitely feel sympathy for Coley, as the internalized homophobia and trauma from her family’s past is eating at her, but it’s almost HARD to empathize with her? Because she isn’t even fleshed out enough. And I feel like we only ever see Sonya through Coley’s rose colored lenses OR Sonya’s private journal entries - BOTH OF WHICH definitely don’t match up to Sonya’s actions/overall behavior? She was SO frustrating as a love interest because there’s no redemption? There’s obvious tension written in but I never felt it.
And with all YAs, there’s always a sense of naive absoluteness to everything, but without a true grasp of the characters, it just feels cringey and silly. It makes the trauma feel so surface level, which is a total injustice to both Coley’s self inflicted hatred and Sonya’s internal struggle with the societal pressure to be “perfect.” The ending was just so fast. The entire book feels very rushed, as things progress fast without much time passing at all, but then all of a sudden things are awful horrible bad then great okay lovely. I got whiplash in the last 5% of this book?! And it doesn’t quite feel like a happy ending, I think there is so much that’s glossed over and unfinished that I don’t want to call this a healthy partnership at all.
What’s tough about this is that I honestly REMEMBER feeling the way Coley and Sonya were feeling when I was struggling to define my own sexuality as a teenager. Some of the stuff in this book tugged at my past self’s 16 year old heartstrings, so I know that with some heavy editing and more precise storytelling, this book could have been really good. The way I feel rubbed raw when I watch the Girls like Girls music video - EVEN YEARRRSS LATER - blows my mind and shows me how strong of a musician and artist Hayley Kiyoko is. But this novel unfortunately feels like it missed a lot of marks, technically and lyrically.
-----
rtc, but you know my reviews/ratings are 100% true because I wANTED SO. SO SO BADLY TO ENJOY THIS it actually breaks my heart a bit ❤️🩹
——
This music video fundamentally changed my life 😭😭😭😭😭😭
GOT THE NETGALLEY ARC BABBEEEYYYY
At this point, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not much of a YA reader, BUT I can still definitely appreciate a good YA story. The writing in Girls Like Girls was not only elementary, but honestly plain bad. There was so much telling VS showing with these characters that you never truly get a good grasp of who these people really are. You definitely feel sympathy for Coley, as the internalized homophobia and trauma from her family’s past is eating at her, but it’s almost HARD to empathize with her? Because she isn’t even fleshed out enough. And I feel like we only ever see Sonya through Coley’s rose colored lenses OR Sonya’s private journal entries - BOTH OF WHICH definitely don’t match up to Sonya’s actions/overall behavior? She was SO frustrating as a love interest because there’s no redemption? There’s obvious tension written in but I never felt it.
And with all YAs, there’s always a sense of naive absoluteness to everything, but without a true grasp of the characters, it just feels cringey and silly. It makes the trauma feel so surface level, which is a total injustice to both Coley’s self inflicted hatred and Sonya’s internal struggle with the societal pressure to be “perfect.” The ending was just so fast. The entire book feels very rushed, as things progress fast without much time passing at all, but then all of a sudden things are awful horrible bad then great okay lovely. I got whiplash in the last 5% of this book?! And it doesn’t quite feel like a happy ending, I think there is so much that’s glossed over and unfinished that I don’t want to call this a healthy partnership at all.
What’s tough about this is that I honestly REMEMBER feeling the way Coley and Sonya were feeling when I was struggling to define my own sexuality as a teenager. Some of the stuff in this book tugged at my past self’s 16 year old heartstrings, so I know that with some heavy editing and more precise storytelling, this book could have been really good. The way I feel rubbed raw when I watch the Girls like Girls music video - EVEN YEARRRSS LATER - blows my mind and shows me how strong of a musician and artist Hayley Kiyoko is. But this novel unfortunately feels like it missed a lot of marks, technically and lyrically.
-----
rtc, but you know my reviews/ratings are 100% true because I wANTED SO. SO SO BADLY TO ENJOY THIS it actually breaks my heart a bit ❤️🩹
——
This music video fundamentally changed my life 😭😭😭😭😭😭
GOT THE NETGALLEY ARC BABBEEEYYYY
Want to read
June 7, 2023pop stars writing books because they can and not because they’re good at it is one of my least favorite genres.
women, on the other hand, are my favorite. across all genres. everything, really.
so it’s already better than 90% of the books i read because it’s gay
women, on the other hand, are my favorite. across all genres. everything, really.
so it’s already better than 90% of the books i read because it’s gay
June 8, 2023
watching the music video after reading this book hit different.
the book was canon down to the choker, the red bathing suit and the denim jacket she wears.
i hate trenton just as much in the books as i did in the music video (OF COURSE his name is freaking trenton) (i hope not a single trenton reads this)
ranking hayley kiyoko songs that would make good books:
5. sleepover (the friends to lovers, secret pining)
4. what i need
3. curious (hear me out: two girls in the summer have a thing then the girl goes to school and sees that the OTHER girl has a BF- gasp- cue lyric: If you let him touch ya (touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya) the way I used to (used to, used to, used to, used to, used to)
2. sugar at the bottom (just cuz i wanna see the words "If I could give him some advicе, just stay away, she's fucking crazy" in a book thx )
1. determinate
this book had so much potentiallllllllllll
but it def reads like a celebrity book. if anyone read bella thorne's books they'd know what im talking about. people read celebrities' books for the celebrities not the books themselves. 🤷♀️ it doesn't matter what i say, all u kiyokians are gonna read it anyway ahahah. as u should. im sorry queen but the wait for this book was better than the book itself.
next, fletcher is gonna come out with a black book, im calling it rn.
the book was canon down to the choker, the red bathing suit and the denim jacket she wears.
i hate trenton just as much in the books as i did in the music video (OF COURSE his name is freaking trenton) (i hope not a single trenton reads this)
ranking hayley kiyoko songs that would make good books:
5. sleepover (the friends to lovers, secret pining)
4. what i need
3. curious (hear me out: two girls in the summer have a thing then the girl goes to school and sees that the OTHER girl has a BF- gasp- cue lyric: If you let him touch ya (touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya) the way I used to (used to, used to, used to, used to, used to)
2. sugar at the bottom (just cuz i wanna see the words "If I could give him some advicе, just stay away, she's fucking crazy" in a book thx )
1. determinate
this book had so much potentiallllllllllll
but it def reads like a celebrity book. if anyone read bella thorne's books they'd know what im talking about. people read celebrities' books for the celebrities not the books themselves. 🤷♀️ it doesn't matter what i say, all u kiyokians are gonna read it anyway ahahah. as u should. im sorry queen but the wait for this book was better than the book itself.
next, fletcher is gonna come out with a black book, im calling it rn.
August 6, 2023
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
1.5 stars
I was very excited for this, and I commend Hayley Kiyoko for branching out and trying something new, but Girls Like Girls was not just a disappointment, but also a straight-up chore to complete. I started this the first of March and couldn't bear to finish it until the middle of June, which I finally did because I was sick of it lingering on my "currently reading" shelf.
There were a lot of aspects about Girls Like Girls that I was ready to be lenient towards: 1) This is a debut novel, and everyone has room to grow after their debut! 2) Hayley Kiyoko is established as an actor and a singer, and sometimes it's difficult to break into a different industry. 3) This is YA, and the tone of YA can greatly vary since its target audience can really be from middle school to college. 4) It's set in 2006, so I'm sure Hayley Kiyoko intentionally put some references in her novel that would not be as relevant today.
Unfortunately, even with all of that in mind, I could not get past how fundamentally poor the writing was. And I mean like, all aspects of it. The sentences. The dialogue. The plot. The characters. The pacing. I understand the idea of the book (as it's one that's been replicated numerous times in YA), but the execution was far from great. Here are some examples:
you don't understand, she's not like other girls
The first time I got to a "I'm not like other girls" line, I genuinely thought it was supposed to be funny and ironic. And then they just kept coming. Profusely. I get it, this book is not set in 2023, but there's a reason the tables have turned and we now mock the "I'm not like other girls" girls (oh, and trust me, I was the BIGGEST Not Like Other Girls girl to ever exist, we all have a dark past LOL). That reason is that it's annoying, and quite frankly misogynistic! So to read it over and over again was exhausting; yes, those thoughts are valid, and again, I suffered from that kind of thinking for most of adolescence, but it was never suggested to be something harmful, and if anything, it was seen as a unique, pure trait from the narrator.
Here's a quote from Chapter 1: "Secrets that are more like truths when you winnow them down: I'm not like other girls. And no, not in that bullshit way guys use to try to compliment you. Please--give me some credit here."
It just felt very juvenile, and honestly outdated.
someone turn on mcr because this girlie's emooooo
I thought I was emo. I mean I've been rocking the same Justin Beiber haircut since I was 15 and I saw MCR three times last year. But our lovely narrator Coley takes the cake for emoest emo in emo town. It got annoying very fast.
Some quotes! "I learned the hard way that the only person you can need without getting hurt is yourself.” or "I'm not supposed to be here, yet I am." or "The SJs of the world are definitely not fans of girls like me, and this SJ wasn't giving me any reason to think differently, but sometimes bitchy humor is universal." or "I don't fit here. At all. Oh my God, why did I come here?"
Okay I had a lot more highlighted but you get the point. I'm tired of typing them out.
the toxic sludge romance
The romance made me mad enough that I won't say much besides it was awful. Toxic, confusing, unhealthy, and really, just unbelievable. It's hard because, again, Coley's experiences are incredibly valid and I'm sure have some relatability to them, but there's nothing enjoyable about reading over three hundred pages of teenagers making awful decisions. Yeah, yeah, yeah, teenage love is messy. Teenagers make bad decisions as they navigate their first relationships. It's confusing. Sometimes we know things are wrong and yet try to ignore those gut feelings because isn't that what love is? Hell, I spent half of high school dating a guy who didn't believe in showering or brushing his teeth and would constantly tell me hentai girls were more attractive than me. Teenage romance can be rough!
But this romance was infuriating. I love unlikeable teenage characters. My favorite genre ever is coming-of-age YA. And by default, that genre is full of angst and poor decisions and partially developed frontal lobes. But there was such a lack of connection in Girls Like Girls that made it difficult to understand why Coley and Sonya liked each other, and why they'd endure so much pain for each other.
Also, at some points, I genuinely felt like Sonya was a bully. Or at least just manipulative. Towards the end I had some hope because Coley starts to stand up for herself, but of course, in the last few pages that all dissolves.
everything else
The side characters were flat and we really didn't get much background on them. The middle was very slow. Everyone was unbearable—both in the annoying sense, but also in the "oh you just might actually be a bad person" sense. Also, there was one tiny part that was full of missed potential. Towards the beginning of the book, Coley says, "So here's the thing: I'm not supposed to be here. Not like I've ever felt like I'm supposed to be anywhere. I'm never white enough. Never Asian enough. Never...enough." As someone who is also white and Asian, I was really excited to see how that in-between space of being biracial was going to be navigated throughout the book, except it just...was not. After that line, it was never mentioned again. I didn't want the book to be some commentary on race, but I was hoping it would show up again, but it never did.
the bottom line
This book was slow, toxic, and genuinely boring. If you took out all the poor communication and alcohol, you'd be left with an entire book of empty pages.
***
thank you rivka, you’re so real 😗😗
1.5 stars
I was very excited for this, and I commend Hayley Kiyoko for branching out and trying something new, but Girls Like Girls was not just a disappointment, but also a straight-up chore to complete. I started this the first of March and couldn't bear to finish it until the middle of June, which I finally did because I was sick of it lingering on my "currently reading" shelf.
There were a lot of aspects about Girls Like Girls that I was ready to be lenient towards: 1) This is a debut novel, and everyone has room to grow after their debut! 2) Hayley Kiyoko is established as an actor and a singer, and sometimes it's difficult to break into a different industry. 3) This is YA, and the tone of YA can greatly vary since its target audience can really be from middle school to college. 4) It's set in 2006, so I'm sure Hayley Kiyoko intentionally put some references in her novel that would not be as relevant today.
Unfortunately, even with all of that in mind, I could not get past how fundamentally poor the writing was. And I mean like, all aspects of it. The sentences. The dialogue. The plot. The characters. The pacing. I understand the idea of the book (as it's one that's been replicated numerous times in YA), but the execution was far from great. Here are some examples:
you don't understand, she's not like other girls
The first time I got to a "I'm not like other girls" line, I genuinely thought it was supposed to be funny and ironic. And then they just kept coming. Profusely. I get it, this book is not set in 2023, but there's a reason the tables have turned and we now mock the "I'm not like other girls" girls (oh, and trust me, I was the BIGGEST Not Like Other Girls girl to ever exist, we all have a dark past LOL). That reason is that it's annoying, and quite frankly misogynistic! So to read it over and over again was exhausting; yes, those thoughts are valid, and again, I suffered from that kind of thinking for most of adolescence, but it was never suggested to be something harmful, and if anything, it was seen as a unique, pure trait from the narrator.
Here's a quote from Chapter 1: "Secrets that are more like truths when you winnow them down: I'm not like other girls. And no, not in that bullshit way guys use to try to compliment you. Please--give me some credit here."
It just felt very juvenile, and honestly outdated.
someone turn on mcr because this girlie's emooooo
I thought I was emo. I mean I've been rocking the same Justin Beiber haircut since I was 15 and I saw MCR three times last year. But our lovely narrator Coley takes the cake for emoest emo in emo town. It got annoying very fast.
Some quotes! "I learned the hard way that the only person you can need without getting hurt is yourself.” or "I'm not supposed to be here, yet I am." or "The SJs of the world are definitely not fans of girls like me, and this SJ wasn't giving me any reason to think differently, but sometimes bitchy humor is universal." or "I don't fit here. At all. Oh my God, why did I come here?"
Okay I had a lot more highlighted but you get the point. I'm tired of typing them out.
the toxic sludge romance
The romance made me mad enough that I won't say much besides it was awful. Toxic, confusing, unhealthy, and really, just unbelievable. It's hard because, again, Coley's experiences are incredibly valid and I'm sure have some relatability to them, but there's nothing enjoyable about reading over three hundred pages of teenagers making awful decisions. Yeah, yeah, yeah, teenage love is messy. Teenagers make bad decisions as they navigate their first relationships. It's confusing. Sometimes we know things are wrong and yet try to ignore those gut feelings because isn't that what love is? Hell, I spent half of high school dating a guy who didn't believe in showering or brushing his teeth and would constantly tell me hentai girls were more attractive than me. Teenage romance can be rough!
But this romance was infuriating. I love unlikeable teenage characters. My favorite genre ever is coming-of-age YA. And by default, that genre is full of angst and poor decisions and partially developed frontal lobes. But there was such a lack of connection in Girls Like Girls that made it difficult to understand why Coley and Sonya liked each other, and why they'd endure so much pain for each other.
Also, at some points, I genuinely felt like Sonya was a bully. Or at least just manipulative. Towards the end I had some hope because Coley starts to stand up for herself, but of course, in the last few pages that all dissolves.
everything else
The side characters were flat and we really didn't get much background on them. The middle was very slow. Everyone was unbearable—both in the annoying sense, but also in the "oh you just might actually be a bad person" sense. Also, there was one tiny part that was full of missed potential. Towards the beginning of the book, Coley says, "So here's the thing: I'm not supposed to be here. Not like I've ever felt like I'm supposed to be anywhere. I'm never white enough. Never Asian enough. Never...enough." As someone who is also white and Asian, I was really excited to see how that in-between space of being biracial was going to be navigated throughout the book, except it just...was not. After that line, it was never mentioned again. I didn't want the book to be some commentary on race, but I was hoping it would show up again, but it never did.
the bottom line
This book was slow, toxic, and genuinely boring. If you took out all the poor communication and alcohol, you'd be left with an entire book of empty pages.
***
thank you rivka, you’re so real 😗😗
December 18, 2023
Wiem, że nie potrzebujecie tekstu. WSZYSCY RAZEM:
✨️GIRLS LIKE GIRLS LIKE BOOOOOOYS DOOO NOTHING NEW✨️
✨️GIRLS LIKE GIRLS LIKE BOOOOOOYS DOOO NOTHING NEW✨️
June 13, 2023
First, there was a video and a song. Now there’s a book. I’ll be honest (when am I not?), I requested this book because I was curious: if a story fits in a five-minute video, is there enough for an entire novel? Turns out that yes, there is.
Coley is seventeen when, after her mom dies, she moves from San Diego to Oregon, where there are more trees than people, to live with the father she hasn’t seen since she was three. A week later, she’s almost run over by an obnoxious boy but what really changes her life is meeting one of the girls riding with him.
Hayley Kiyoko can write. I know it’s not news, yet writing songs and directing videos isn’t the same as writing a whole-ass novel and trust me, she can. The verb tense consistency is a bit wonky but I read an uncorrected review copy, so that may have been fixed in the final version. And even if it wasn’t, I forgot about it in favour of beautiful, poetic paragraphs and a main character I loved from the beginning.
The story is told in first person present tense from Coley’s POV, but we get glimpses inside Sonya’s thoughts through LiveJournal entries. Did I mention the story is set in 2006?
Speaking of which, I wonder who the target audience is. Wednesday Books specializes in YA, for older teens, at the border with NA. And I wonder if these readers are interested in a story set in 2006. To me, Girls Like Girls feels like a book written for adults who enjoy reading YA, whether it’s for the nostalgia it brings them of their teenage years (or what those years could have been) or other reasons. Let me tell you, though, I got furious at Sonya about two thirds in, so I guess I’m the target audience? Anyway, I’m reviewing the book, not who it’s marketed to, and I fully recommend it.
The relationship between Coley and her father is handled very well: Coley’s anger and frustration, Curtis’s efforts… Kiyoko doesn’t overdo the drama, and writes the evolution, the growth, the earning of trust and appreciation in a way that feels organic. I loved many things in this book but if I had to single out one, I think this would be it.
Despite the story tackling several heavy topics – including the suicide of a parent –, the most challenging part to read, for me, was Sonya’s fears and self-hatred and how they led her to behave. I wasn’t sure how the author would make it work, some things are almost impossible to forgive.
The ending is rushed but sweet. The other point I felt Kiyoko could have gone a bit further into is Coley being half-white half-Asian. It’s mentioned twice, once at the beginning when she feels never white enough, never Asian enough (and yes, I see the irony of commenting on this specific point), and a second time near the end, in a way that makes perfect sense and left me wanting more. Other than that, I loved everything, the characters, the teenage angst, the very real pain and fears, the love. And above all, the writing, which makes Girls Like Girls a very easy book to read despite not being all light and fluff.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
May 6, 2024
oh, how i wanted to love this! kiyoko's song and accompanying music video are modern sapphic classics. i was skeptical going in though, because kiyoko is a songwriter and musician, and turning novelist is a huge jump (especially with a debut based on her most popular song, which carries such heavy expectations).
‣ the writing tries very hard to be cinematic, which calls back to the music video. the small town summer imagery is well executed, though the plot feels dramatic and contrived.
‣ it is 2006!! love the nostalgic music mentions, the AIM away messages and flip phones, the cringy-ass dialogue (did we really call each other "bitch" that much back in the day??)!
‣ it is 2006!! which means deep internalized homophobia. okay, this is my biggest problem with the book. the romance is toxic at its core. i will admit that such entrenched toxicity unfortunately feels realistic for a closeted-by-necessity relationship between two such young characters. of course it will be messy, unhealthy, uncommunicative, and painful. these are kids who don't know any better! but and i don't like to see such toxicity romanticized!
‣ for those who are reading this for the summer sapphic love vibes, i will say that the book hits all of the spots. walking along the train tracks together, playing truth or dare, doing each other's makeup, running from the teen party when the cops show up, rubbing lotion on each other after tumbling through some poison oak, sleepy snuggling in a shared bed at a slumber party, drunken misunderstandings, biking side by side. lots of nostalgic young love moments.
‣ the narrative is lazy. coley's first person viewpoint is unambitious, and we only get sonya's perspective through her livejournal entries. which, yeah, it's nice to get both perspectives, but it feels like kiyoko didn't know how to differentiate their voices in separate narratives, so she just tacked on sonya's in epistolary format. it's unimaginative.
‣ the narrative is manipulative.
‣ there's also a lot of simplistic fakedeep language. for example, at a dramatic moment, coley narrates: "My way out of this is clear, but all paths should be tested. All choices have what-ifs." WHAT?? maybe this will be more palatable to a younger audience, but it just made me cringe.
‣ the audiobook production is excellent. there are musical effects to amp up the mood in some places, which add to the cinematic vibe. there are also distance effects on some of the dialogue, which help with immersion. and kiyoko's narration is fantastic. she especially shines during emotionally wrought conversations, getting appropriately high pitched. she is a strong performer for sure.
‣ i do like how the hopeful ending
‣ kiyoko's acknowledgements are heartfelt, and made me glad she was able to publish this book, despite its flaws. lots of encouragement and empowerment toward the baby gays, which is what the baby gays need.
‣ the writing tries very hard to be cinematic, which calls back to the music video. the small town summer imagery is well executed, though the plot feels dramatic and contrived.
‣ it is 2006!! love the nostalgic music mentions, the AIM away messages and flip phones, the cringy-ass dialogue (did we really call each other "bitch" that much back in the day??)!
‣ it is 2006!! which means deep internalized homophobia. okay, this is my biggest problem with the book. the romance is toxic at its core. i will admit that such entrenched toxicity unfortunately feels realistic for a closeted-by-necessity relationship between two such young characters. of course it will be messy, unhealthy, uncommunicative, and painful. these are kids who don't know any better! but and i don't like to see such toxicity romanticized!
‣ for those who are reading this for the summer sapphic love vibes, i will say that the book hits all of the spots. walking along the train tracks together, playing truth or dare, doing each other's makeup, running from the teen party when the cops show up, rubbing lotion on each other after tumbling through some poison oak, sleepy snuggling in a shared bed at a slumber party, drunken misunderstandings, biking side by side. lots of nostalgic young love moments.
‣ the narrative is lazy. coley's first person viewpoint is unambitious, and we only get sonya's perspective through her livejournal entries. which, yeah, it's nice to get both perspectives, but it feels like kiyoko didn't know how to differentiate their voices in separate narratives, so she just tacked on sonya's in epistolary format. it's unimaginative.
‣ the narrative is manipulative.
‣ there's also a lot of simplistic fakedeep language. for example, at a dramatic moment, coley narrates: "My way out of this is clear, but all paths should be tested. All choices have what-ifs." WHAT?? maybe this will be more palatable to a younger audience, but it just made me cringe.
‣ the audiobook production is excellent. there are musical effects to amp up the mood in some places, which add to the cinematic vibe. there are also distance effects on some of the dialogue, which help with immersion. and kiyoko's narration is fantastic. she especially shines during emotionally wrought conversations, getting appropriately high pitched. she is a strong performer for sure.
‣ i do like how the hopeful ending
‣ kiyoko's acknowledgements are heartfelt, and made me glad she was able to publish this book, despite its flaws. lots of encouragement and empowerment toward the baby gays, which is what the baby gays need.
November 1, 2023
12 year old Wattpad fanfic writers can write better than this.
April 24, 2023
This book perfectly captures the melancholy of summer. It's set in 2006, which is when I was a teenager as well, and maybe this is part of the reason why it worked so well for me, because it really took me back.
I wasn't really sure what to expect of this book, but the atmosphere is really very close to that of the Girls Like Girls music video. Of course I had to listen to Hayley's music while reading this, and I can only recommend you do the same!
I wasn't really sure what to expect of this book, but the atmosphere is really very close to that of the Girls Like Girls music video. Of course I had to listen to Hayley's music while reading this, and I can only recommend you do the same!
May 30, 2023
the music video set the bar so high, that this book didn’t even stand a chance
i feel like this book could’ve been SO MUCH MORE, i had such hopes for this, like, a cute, summer, sapphic romance, who wouldn’t be excited for that?? but long story short, this is what we got instead
-an annoying back and forth between the characters
-one of the fmc’s exes, who is quite literally the definition of an SA waiting to happen
-unlikeable side characters
-a lack of any kind of emotionally depth
-not a single speck of the relationship, that wasn’t even really a relationship??
-incohesive plotlines
truthfully, i just want everyone in this book to leave each other alone, heal, and find some peace
the only small detail i liked was coley building her relationship with her dad, but it took to long to get there sadly
thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc
i feel like this book could’ve been SO MUCH MORE, i had such hopes for this, like, a cute, summer, sapphic romance, who wouldn’t be excited for that?? but long story short, this is what we got instead
-an annoying back and forth between the characters
-one of the fmc’s exes, who is quite literally the definition of an SA waiting to happen
-unlikeable side characters
-a lack of any kind of emotionally depth
-not a single speck of the relationship, that wasn’t even really a relationship??
-incohesive plotlines
truthfully, i just want everyone in this book to leave each other alone, heal, and find some peace
the only small detail i liked was coley building her relationship with her dad, but it took to long to get there sadly
thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc
April 28, 2023
first and foremost, this is a YA novel at heart. i tried to remember that as i read it, but there was so much 2006 cringe that it was hard to enjoy the story.
coley and her father, curtis, move to a small town after her mother died by suicide. after she almost gets hit by a car, a girl just like her comes running out after her. a romance begins.
there is a lot of unresolved grief and trauma in this novel as well as a lot of internalized homophobia. the novel begins with this “i’m not like other girls” monologue, which i hated. there are a lot of private posts and an unsent email of sonya’s that we see that don’t quite feel right with the first person narrative. sonya is just not likable. she’s annoying, she treats coley like shit, and she’s just not a good person. it was hard to root for this toxic relationship.
the one saving grace of this novel is curtis. he obviously loves his daughter and wants to help her in any way possible. he was the only character i actually cared for, and i felt he was always genuine. the other male characters of this novel blend together into one blob.
sj has no reason to be in the novel, and blake only exists to be a bad friend. there’s a very strange comment on abortion that feels out of place and antifeminist. we’re not supposed to like blake because she’s a bad influence. she smokes pot, pierces for cash, and had an abortion. she is painted in such an unbelievably negative light for seemingly no reason.
even though this is a YA novel, i expected a lot more form hayley kiyoko. her prose lacks her poetic and lyrical prowess.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
coley and her father, curtis, move to a small town after her mother died by suicide. after she almost gets hit by a car, a girl just like her comes running out after her. a romance begins.
there is a lot of unresolved grief and trauma in this novel as well as a lot of internalized homophobia. the novel begins with this “i’m not like other girls” monologue, which i hated. there are a lot of private posts and an unsent email of sonya’s that we see that don’t quite feel right with the first person narrative. sonya is just not likable. she’s annoying, she treats coley like shit, and she’s just not a good person. it was hard to root for this toxic relationship.
the one saving grace of this novel is curtis. he obviously loves his daughter and wants to help her in any way possible. he was the only character i actually cared for, and i felt he was always genuine. the other male characters of this novel blend together into one blob.
sj has no reason to be in the novel, and blake only exists to be a bad friend. there’s a very strange comment on abortion that feels out of place and antifeminist. we’re not supposed to like blake because she’s a bad influence. she smokes pot, pierces for cash, and had an abortion. she is painted in such an unbelievably negative light for seemingly no reason.
even though this is a YA novel, i expected a lot more form hayley kiyoko. her prose lacks her poetic and lyrical prowess.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 17, 2023
I was really excited when I learned that Hayley Kiyoko was writing a book based on her Girls Like Girls music video. The book expands the story of Coley and Sonya, explaining why Coley is new in town, how they became friends, and how their feelings for one another developed. However, I was hoping that the ending would go farther with showing their story beyond the music video.
Something that I enjoyed, but I’m not sure how it’ll resonate with the target YA audience, is that the book is set in 2006. I was in high school in 2006, so the characters talking to each other on AIM and seeing Sonya’s private LiveJournal entries felt nostalgic for me. I think that Hayley does a good job at having the story feel like it’s set in that time period without relying on using pop culture references. Coley’s backstory of having to move in with a dad she barely knows after her mom dies adds a lot of depth to the story. Also, Sonya’s complicated feelings about her own mother fleshed out her character.
However, I did end up feeling like this didn’t fully flow as a complete narrative. At times it seemed more like a collection of scenes than a book. Also, a lot of the scenes ended up feeling repetitive and like they were all accomplishing the same thing for the overall story. The ending was also pretty rushed. I wanted to spend more time with them after the final conflict.
While I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to, I did still enjoy reading it. I think it did a good job at sensitively covering difficult topics and showing the feelings and fears of these two girls. If you’re a fan of queer YA books or the music video I’d recommend checking this book out. It’s a breezy read even though it has some more serious moments.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Something that I enjoyed, but I’m not sure how it’ll resonate with the target YA audience, is that the book is set in 2006. I was in high school in 2006, so the characters talking to each other on AIM and seeing Sonya’s private LiveJournal entries felt nostalgic for me. I think that Hayley does a good job at having the story feel like it’s set in that time period without relying on using pop culture references. Coley’s backstory of having to move in with a dad she barely knows after her mom dies adds a lot of depth to the story. Also, Sonya’s complicated feelings about her own mother fleshed out her character.
However, I did end up feeling like this didn’t fully flow as a complete narrative. At times it seemed more like a collection of scenes than a book. Also, a lot of the scenes ended up feeling repetitive and like they were all accomplishing the same thing for the overall story. The ending was also pretty rushed. I wanted to spend more time with them after the final conflict.
While I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to, I did still enjoy reading it. I think it did a good job at sensitively covering difficult topics and showing the feelings and fears of these two girls. If you’re a fan of queer YA books or the music video I’d recommend checking this book out. It’s a breezy read even though it has some more serious moments.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2023
I think young queers everywhere remember when Hayley Kiyoko dropped this iconic song and music video in 2015. This song and music video has always meant so much to me, you have no idea how many times I rewatched it and I’m so happy this book exists now to see more of their story 🥹 17 year old me is dying over this book (and 25 year old me too)
I loved every second of this. I love the depth of the characters and seeing what they go through and their connection is just so beautiful. The storyline, characters, nostalgic feeling and everything in between is incredible to me. I was expecting it to be more cute and sappy but it was so much more - it was also about grief, love, pain, healing, finding yourself and allowing yourself to open up🫶🏼
Coley (the mc) starts with understanding who she is and that grows into silent acceptance and that turning into pride. And Sonya omg I love her, she has great character development and I know it’s scary coming to terms with yourself and coming out etc bc the world is not kind to our community and it’s okay to be scared - overall I’m so proud of these characters 💓
I’m not sure this will hit the same if you don’t have the same connection to this whole story as I do but I definitely think I would still love it almost as much even if I didn’t have that connection before, I highly recommend this book for anyone but especially young queers 🥹
I loved every second of this. I love the depth of the characters and seeing what they go through and their connection is just so beautiful. The storyline, characters, nostalgic feeling and everything in between is incredible to me. I was expecting it to be more cute and sappy but it was so much more - it was also about grief, love, pain, healing, finding yourself and allowing yourself to open up🫶🏼
Coley (the mc) starts with understanding who she is and that grows into silent acceptance and that turning into pride. And Sonya omg I love her, she has great character development and I know it’s scary coming to terms with yourself and coming out etc bc the world is not kind to our community and it’s okay to be scared - overall I’m so proud of these characters 💓
I’m not sure this will hit the same if you don’t have the same connection to this whole story as I do but I definitely think I would still love it almost as much even if I didn’t have that connection before, I highly recommend this book for anyone but especially young queers 🥹
August 28, 2023
Dnf at 30%. Unfortunately, I was just bored.
May 29, 2023
E-ARC generously provided to me by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
3.5 stars. Based on the early 2010’s cultural reset/music video of the same name, Girls Like Girls is an interesting if a bit underdeveloped expansion of the storyline featured within it.
3.5 stars. Based on the early 2010’s cultural reset/music video of the same name, Girls Like Girls is an interesting if a bit underdeveloped expansion of the storyline featured within it.
May 26, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ Gave me the backstory my gay self has waited years for.
Literally this music video has lived rent free in my mind since it premiered. RENT. FREE.
I don’t know what I was expecting going into this but perhaps more romance leaning? Personally I would classify this as quite angst heavy lit fic with slight moments of romance here and there.
It had me feeling every emotion under the sun and is quite a heavy read; I wanted nothing more than to get our MC access to decent friends because MY WORD.
If you’re a fan of Nina LaCour books this definitely felt in a similar vein themes wise / atmosphere wise.
I think I was hoping for more catharsis or growth, and I think the issue is where this book cuts off. I needed another hundred pages after where it ended really to flesh out Coley’s story.
Saying that her dad was a BAMF. I may be a lesbian but I would marry him for that record collection ngl.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for review!
TW’s listed below (please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers)
Tw//CW// suicide (not on page but mentioned frequently), toxic friendships, toxic relationship, drug use, alcohol consumption by minors, homophobia (including slurs, frequent), scene with needles, brief mention of abortion, absent parent, death of a parent, domestic abuse.
Literally this music video has lived rent free in my mind since it premiered. RENT. FREE.
I don’t know what I was expecting going into this but perhaps more romance leaning? Personally I would classify this as quite angst heavy lit fic with slight moments of romance here and there.
It had me feeling every emotion under the sun and is quite a heavy read; I wanted nothing more than to get our MC access to decent friends because MY WORD.
If you’re a fan of Nina LaCour books this definitely felt in a similar vein themes wise / atmosphere wise.
I think I was hoping for more catharsis or growth, and I think the issue is where this book cuts off. I needed another hundred pages after where it ended really to flesh out Coley’s story.
Saying that her dad was a BAMF. I may be a lesbian but I would marry him for that record collection ngl.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for review!
TW’s listed below (please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers)
Tw//CW// suicide (not on page but mentioned frequently), toxic friendships, toxic relationship, drug use, alcohol consumption by minors, homophobia (including slurs, frequent), scene with needles, brief mention of abortion, absent parent, death of a parent, domestic abuse.
Want to read
October 15, 2022i am... so curious
Want to read
November 20, 2022GIRLS LIKE GIRLS LIKE BOYS DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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