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theshenners's review against another edition
1.0
TW: acemisia, outing
I first read this as a baby queer desperate for queer Asian rep and in retrospect it was a trash fire and is not for queer ppl at all. notably, the main character lies and claims she's asexual as a way of legitimizing her participation in her school's queer org, which just reinforces the incredibly harmful but pervasive myth that ace ppl are nonqueer ppl faking queerness to access queer spaces. she also treats her queer Asian best friend pretty horribly as an ally and as a person and iirc, outs her best friend's girlfriend publicly, so it's just Yikes all around
I first read this as a baby queer desperate for queer Asian rep and in retrospect it was a trash fire and is not for queer ppl at all. notably, the main character lies and claims she's asexual as a way of legitimizing her participation in her school's queer org, which just reinforces the incredibly harmful but pervasive myth that ace ppl are nonqueer ppl faking queerness to access queer spaces. she also treats her queer Asian best friend pretty horribly as an ally and as a person and iirc, outs her best friend's girlfriend publicly, so it's just Yikes all around
elieux's review against another edition
“I say inappropriate things. I hurt feelings. I’m not brave, I’m not talented, I’m not together, I’m just . . .” I breathed in. “Me.”
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
It's fine. It's fun. Thorne's writing is great. But this one didn't work especially well for me. Daisy's joiner attitude was a little grating and some of the moments were just a bit too cringe-inducing in terms of second-hand embarrassment for me. Still planning to try her debut--hopefully soon!
bookswrotemystory's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I think the message of this book is really important. I just got a little frustrated along the way of getting to that message. To the point that I almost considered not finishing this book. I decided not to give up on it, and in the end I am glad that I saw it through. Because Daisy learns what being an LBGTQA ally really means. And I think it is realistic that she learned that lesson the hard way. I think that her situation is really relatable for many who might be new to this genre. However, for those already well informed about the LGBTQA community, and who read a lot of books about the topic, Daisy’s journey can be a bit frustrating. Which is the primary reason that I didn’t give this book a full 4 stars. For those who are looking to broaden their understanding about what the fight for LGBTQA rights and would like to see what that looks like through the eyes of an ally, this is a great book with a great message. But for those who are well read in this genre, it’s probably not a necessary read.
I think the message of this book is really important. I just got a little frustrated along the way of getting to that message. To the point that I almost considered not finishing this book. I decided not to give up on it, and in the end I am glad that I saw it through. Because Daisy learns what being an LBGTQA ally really means. And I think it is realistic that she learned that lesson the hard way. I think that her situation is really relatable for many who might be new to this genre. However, for those already well informed about the LGBTQA community, and who read a lot of books about the topic, Daisy’s journey can be a bit frustrating. Which is the primary reason that I didn’t give this book a full 4 stars. For those who are looking to broaden their understanding about what the fight for LGBTQA rights and would like to see what that looks like through the eyes of an ally, this is a great book with a great message. But for those who are well read in this genre, it’s probably not a necessary read.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Let's talk covers for a minute. Have a look at this one. What do you see? (Aside from the fabulous wall, that is.) Because here's what I see: I see a group of friends, all a little on the quirky/hipster side. The girl in the middle is, without question, the ringleader, the one others gravitate towards. The coolest.
But what's interesting to me about the cover in the context of the rest of the book is that...it doesn't work that way. Visually, each character alone on the front cover matches his or her description in the book well, so hurray for that. But together...together this cover is what Daisy, our blonde-with-blue-tips heroine in the middle there, thinks her life is like. She imagines herself cruising through life, sidekick and mutual crush by her side. The reality is much more complicated.
I have a mad respect for the author's ability to paint a character who misses such major points—is so busy mounting a crusade for her best friend's rights that she doesn't notice how unhappy her friend is about said crusade—in a way that lets the reader know that the author is in on it. But good lord, Daisy is exhausting. She's the sort to throw herself into a project, any project, and go at it full-tilt until the next thing comes along, whereupon she'll leave the original project half finished in the dust. Her intentions are good, but she's sometimes so blindsided by her enthusiasm that she doesn't realise that she doesn't need to be—shouldn't be—front and centre all the time.
Hannah's harder to get a read on. Although she's Daisy's best friend, Hannah beats a pretty hasty retreat when Daisy becomes determined to turn Hannah into the poster child for gayness...and that's early on in the book, so we don't see as much of her. But for a friendship that's supposed to be rock-solid, there are some red flags: that Hannah does largely ditch Daisy for her new girlfriend; that neither of them can articulate the problems they're having within the friendship.
Daisy gets off pretty easy here—ridiculously easy, really. Everybody makes up at the end; she comes away with new friends and a fledgling relationship; she's forgiven pretty much across the board for having pretended to be gay (shades of Rachel Dolezal?)...and for outing multiple people in very public ways. It's that last one that gets me—it's pretty significant, but since she helps good things happen between then and the end of the book, it's pretty much a forgive-and-forget sort of thing, and it's the one thing for which I really wish she'd been held more accountable.
Points for complexity, but I want that rainbow wall much more than I want to get to know Daisy better. I don't have that kind of energy!
But what's interesting to me about the cover in the context of the rest of the book is that...it doesn't work that way. Visually, each character alone on the front cover matches his or her description in the book well, so hurray for that. But together...together this cover is what Daisy, our blonde-with-blue-tips heroine in the middle there, thinks her life is like. She imagines herself cruising through life, sidekick and mutual crush by her side. The reality is much more complicated.
I have a mad respect for the author's ability to paint a character who misses such major points—is so busy mounting a crusade for her best friend's rights that she doesn't notice how unhappy her friend is about said crusade—in a way that lets the reader know that the author is in on it. But good lord, Daisy is exhausting. She's the sort to throw herself into a project, any project, and go at it full-tilt until the next thing comes along, whereupon she'll leave the original project half finished in the dust. Her intentions are good, but she's sometimes so blindsided by her enthusiasm that she doesn't realise that she doesn't need to be—shouldn't be—front and centre all the time.
Hannah's harder to get a read on. Although she's Daisy's best friend, Hannah beats a pretty hasty retreat when Daisy becomes determined to turn Hannah into the poster child for gayness...and that's early on in the book, so we don't see as much of her. But for a friendship that's supposed to be rock-solid, there are some red flags: that Hannah does largely ditch Daisy for her new girlfriend; that neither of them can articulate the problems they're having within the friendship.
Daisy gets off pretty easy here—ridiculously easy, really. Everybody makes up at the end; she comes away with new friends and a fledgling relationship; she's forgiven pretty much across the board for having pretended to be gay (shades of Rachel Dolezal?)...and for outing multiple people in very public ways. It's that last one that gets me—it's pretty significant, but since she helps good things happen between then and the end of the book, it's pretty much a forgive-and-forget sort of thing, and it's the one thing for which I really wish she'd been held more accountable.
Points for complexity, but I want that rainbow wall much more than I want to get to know Daisy better. I don't have that kind of energy!
sonni89's review against another edition
3.0
I really don't know what to do with this one. 3.5 stars, maybe? It was a really good book, I liked where it ended up, and I think it's an important subject matter and the existence of the book is equally important.
However, and this is a big however- I just couldn't enjoy this book for the first 3/4 of it because the protagonist, Grace, is so damn unlikeable, and that was really grating.
Basically, she's a straight girl who invades a queer-only space, acts entitled about being there, and is only there to get attention from her queer best friend who has just come out and who DOESN'T ACTUALLY WANT TO BE THERE HERSELF OR MAKE A BIG DEAL OF THIS. I just could not deal with Grace at all.
Obviously, the point of the book is her learning her privilege and how to be a good ally, but it was just so grating.
That said, I would LOVE to get something from Hannah's point of view because she was utterly delightful, and so were all the people in the LGBTQ club at the school. I also actually really liked Natalie and I thought her reason for was so heartbreaking and sad and I just really felt for the girl so much.
Overall, I think I do recommend it, but just be prepared to not like the protagonist very much.
However, and this is a big however- I just couldn't enjoy this book for the first 3/4 of it because the protagonist, Grace, is so damn unlikeable, and that was really grating.
Basically, she's a straight girl who invades a queer-only space, acts entitled about being there, and is only there to get attention from her queer best friend who has just come out and who DOESN'T ACTUALLY WANT TO BE THERE HERSELF OR MAKE A BIG DEAL OF THIS. I just could not deal with Grace at all.
Obviously, the point of the book is her learning her privilege and how to be a good ally, but it was just so grating.
That said, I would LOVE to get something from Hannah's point of view because she was utterly delightful, and so were all the people in the LGBTQ club at the school. I also actually really liked Natalie and I thought her reason for
Spoiler
breaking off her friendship with GraceOverall, I think I do recommend it, but just be prepared to not like the protagonist very much.
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
I adore Jenn Marie Thorne's books. Loved her debut, The Wrong Side of Right, and loved her new one, The Inside of Out equally as much. They're fun reads written in a realistic teen voice, with main characters who are just trying to do what they think is right, but screwing it up along the way. There is a coming of age journey element to them that the main character goes through, with support from secondary character family and friends adding to the depth of the story. They read like lighthearted contemporary stories, but delve into heavy topics that are handled well. I appreciate the way this story makes the character (and reader) look at perspectives on privilege and equal rights issues through multiple layers.
cajunhusker's review against another edition
5.0
A great book on how sometimes, you want to be the hero of a story that isn't yours. Very well written and addresses the nuances of privilege with a great character who is incredibly ambitious and has a lot of potential. I loved it.