All in-between will always be the correct saying to describe most of us around here. We all create on big circle of a happy world that will never be normal but yet ordinary.

This writer's writing style is so different to other things I've read, It was such a unique voice It would have made any subject matter interesting to read, on top of that there was an interesting culture and subject exploration. There were times I was laughing out loud or crying for the characters.

Empaths beware: our main character gets herself into some embarrassing situations that made me have to close the book, cringe, cover my face, and wait until I had the strength to continue... But it was always worth it. ( )

diverse teen fiction (adorable biracial Sri Lankan/white 17 y.o. girl with abandonment anxiety from meets colorful LGBTQ community near her small town and her world explodes in a brilliant way, but it does get a little messy)
I love how complex and real these characters are, and how I can watch their situations develop and unravel while I turn the pages. Parental notes: includes underage drinking (and subsequent puking), occasional language; one character has alcoholic/physically abusive dad. ( )

4.5
I certainly did not expect to like it so much! I loved the characters, the pacing, the story itself. I appreciated that the romance didn't dominate the whole plot (even though I shipped these two like crazy), there was an excellent harmony between every topic discussed.
The only thing I didn't like was a kind of rushed ending. I would have liked some elements of the story to be discussed in depth at the end. ( )

This is a very good debut novel with some strong messages and strong rep in areas I haven’t seen yet in queer YA contemporary. The characters are believable, the problems are interestingly different, it hits the “life is messy and complicated” notes that are a hallmark of contemporary YA, and was all-around an interesting, engaging, and honest read. Unfortunately, I found that some of the promises made at the start of the book didn’t get fulfilled and that other elements were tied up a bit too nicely. Still, it’s a book I definitely recommend, because I’m aging out of YA and I know that makes me picky.

So, I liked Nima and how mundane her life was, that she clearly has problems and interests outside of being gay and would probably say, rightly, that her orientation is a footnote. She didn’t need a big shiny life or major drama to be an interesting lead and I appreciated that she just kind of stumbled into the plot. (If she hadn’t gone to that festival tent, if she hadn’t say hi to that guy, etc.) Her experiences as a young gay kid were believable too, from the “ooh, my people! ooh girls!” moments to the less savory, exploitative, and homophobic moments. I liked her determination and awkwardness but had a hard time relating to some of her anger, which … fair. I’m not a teen and I’ve never been in her shoes.

I liked how casual the queer and GNC rep was, that there were older generations of queer people, that drag and first crushes aren’t the only queer story lines going, and that the queer/drag community was portrayed as overall safe and welcoming, but still imperfect. The main love interest plays believably, the beautiful slightly older girl, and I loved Dierdre, the drag queen who ushers Nima into the local queer scene—she’s loud and lovely and big-hearted and unapologetic. Maybe a little stereotypical for my taste, but still fabulous. (Whether she’s a gay man or a trans woman or nonbinary is a little ambiguous, though that doesn’t matter unless you’re explicitly looking for rep.)

I also appreciated, as an adult, that the adults were allowed to be imperfect and emotional and about as bad at life sometimes as the teens were. It’s nice to see it admitted that nobody has their life together and that growing up is partly about recognizing that. (Also, Nima’s dad is an excellent single parent, imo.)

But like I said, some of the plot felt a bit wobbly. Nima hurts someone who forgives her more easily than they maybe should. There’s an outburst that leads to consequences that lead to character development I found too quick and mature to be entirely believable. Some of Nima’s physical awkwardness got to be a bit much and I was hoping that one of the side characters would get more resolution than they did. I’m good with YA leaving plot threads unfulfilled in a “that’s life” kind of way, but some of the ones in this felt a little more forgotten. That sort of thing.

Overall, though, like I said, a strong novel. Queer, diverse, good points and messages, lots of “yes!” moments in every plot line and for every character, and the love for the wider queer community and culture seeps from the pages. For that last point alone, I’d rec this, because most queer YA teens seem very isolated from or unaware of that and that’s a shame.

To bear in mind: Contains homophobia (including slurs), LGBTQ+-related abuse and homelessness, underage drinking, alcoholism, one moment of “just experimenting,” one predatory lesbian, a drag queen who fits a lot of stereotypes, and a side character with an unspecified kind of internalized queer-phobia. And again, if you can’t deal with a five-year age gap where one partner is (barely) a minor, this might not be for you.

7/10 ( )