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sounds_gay_im_in_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
dylaurora's review against another edition
5.0
The amount of love I have for this book is not easily described. Melleby manages to weave an otherwise simple plot into an intricate window into the life of Brie Hutchens, full of humor, realism, and the woes of being a kid growing up in the world. Will highly recommend to all kinds of readers.
heresthepencil's review against another edition
4.0
rep: sapphic (probably lesbian) mc & li
ARC provided by the publisher.
This book was an emotional punch straight to the heart, in all the best (gay) ways. It’s also very clearly an ownvoices story and that truth shines through every page and settles this specific kind of calm over the reader.
The story itself is pretty simple (a teen start figuring out her sexuality & the world doesn’t make it easy for her), but it’s not the dry outline that makes a book, is it? It’s the emotions all the events bring, it’s the character’s journey, her path to growing up & fighting for herself.
Because, you see, Brie has a lot to struggle with. She goes to a Catholic school where a boy got suspended for just googling gay stuff on his phone. Her mother is very religious and devoted to Virgin Mary, whereas Brie has trouble even focusing during mass. The family has financial problems and Brie dreams of going to an expensive private acting high school, which would help her become an actress. She’s experiencing her first crush, while listening to her best friend talking excitedly about a different boy every day. And on top of all that, she’s a kid in eight grade.
So much packed into one book, so much trusted on a shoulder of a kid who’s just trying to figure out how to be herself.
My favourite aspect of the book is definitely Brie’s relationship with her mother, though. It starts already a bit strained, with Brie wondering if her mom even likes her, and as Brie gets more and more sure she’s not straight, that relationship only gets worse. I do not mean to say I enjoyed watching Brie navigate her life without that vital support that her mother should have been offering - quite the opposite really. But the way it was framed, it was obvious this is a story for LGBT audience, for kids who also don’t have perfect parents & who need someone to tell them that “hey, you should put yourself first, your mom should love you unconditionally”.
And while Brie’s mom did not know how to deal with her daughter (and the narrative was clear on the fact it’s not her who should be dealing with anything here), Brie had a number of supportive people around her. This is not a dark, hopeless story in any capacity. Which is another thing I deeply appreciate: showing that even if your own family doesn’t accept you, there are others who will.
In the Role of Brie Hutchens isn’t just a gay coming-out story, even though that’s a major plot point. It’s a story of a delicate phase of adolescence, of looking for acceptance & reassurance, of figuring out what kind of person you want to be when you grow up.
ARC provided by the publisher.
This book was an emotional punch straight to the heart, in all the best (gay) ways. It’s also very clearly an ownvoices story and that truth shines through every page and settles this specific kind of calm over the reader.
The story itself is pretty simple (a teen start figuring out her sexuality & the world doesn’t make it easy for her), but it’s not the dry outline that makes a book, is it? It’s the emotions all the events bring, it’s the character’s journey, her path to growing up & fighting for herself.
Because, you see, Brie has a lot to struggle with. She goes to a Catholic school where a boy got suspended for just googling gay stuff on his phone. Her mother is very religious and devoted to Virgin Mary, whereas Brie has trouble even focusing during mass. The family has financial problems and Brie dreams of going to an expensive private acting high school, which would help her become an actress. She’s experiencing her first crush, while listening to her best friend talking excitedly about a different boy every day. And on top of all that, she’s a kid in eight grade.
So much packed into one book, so much trusted on a shoulder of a kid who’s just trying to figure out how to be herself.
My favourite aspect of the book is definitely Brie’s relationship with her mother, though. It starts already a bit strained, with Brie wondering if her mom even likes her, and as Brie gets more and more sure she’s not straight, that relationship only gets worse. I do not mean to say I enjoyed watching Brie navigate her life without that vital support that her mother should have been offering - quite the opposite really. But the way it was framed, it was obvious this is a story for LGBT audience, for kids who also don’t have perfect parents & who need someone to tell them that “hey, you should put yourself first, your mom should love you unconditionally”.
And while Brie’s mom did not know how to deal with her daughter (and the narrative was clear on the fact it’s not her who should be dealing with anything here), Brie had a number of supportive people around her. This is not a dark, hopeless story in any capacity. Which is another thing I deeply appreciate: showing that even if your own family doesn’t accept you, there are others who will.
In the Role of Brie Hutchens isn’t just a gay coming-out story, even though that’s a major plot point. It’s a story of a delicate phase of adolescence, of looking for acceptance & reassurance, of figuring out what kind of person you want to be when you grow up.
melodierhae's review against another edition
5.0
I laughed, I cried. I cried so much. In the world of queer middle-grade YA, so much is centered around the trauma and fear of coming out, or it's unrealistically woke. Both are great and both have their flaws.
Brie's coming out...it was relatable. The stakes are so high for her 8th grade year and the drama was natural and really captured what it's like to be young and figuring out who the heck you are.
Thank you for this book, Nicole Melleby.
Brie's coming out...it was relatable. The stakes are so high for her 8th grade year and the drama was natural and really captured what it's like to be young and figuring out who the heck you are.
Thank you for this book, Nicole Melleby.
librariann's review against another edition
Does anyone in the modern world really like soap operas this much?
wgporter's review against another edition
4.0
This book hits so close to home with me it is actually a little scary. I saw myself in so many of the characters (I think I might actually have been the male version of Kennedy growing up). I absolutely loved so much about this and while I am not necessarily the target audience anymore, I am so happy that books like this exist for younger readers!
seventhaurora's review against another edition
5.0
i hope i’ll be able to gather my thoughts together to right a proper review for this book because it was one of the sweetest and most real depictions of coming to terms with sexuality in a catholic context that i’ve ever read.
this story was so easy to read because a lot of the feelings brie encountered i’ve already lived through. but rather than being completely depressing, as a lot of these stories tend to be, weaved throughout this story was a constant thread of hope, as well as characters whose support for brie made my heart close to bursting.
one of the best middle grades i’ve read and one i wholly recommend. if only for the nod to ladybird (2017).
this story was so easy to read because a lot of the feelings brie encountered i’ve already lived through. but rather than being completely depressing, as a lot of these stories tend to be, weaved throughout this story was a constant thread of hope, as well as characters whose support for brie made my heart close to bursting.
one of the best middle grades i’ve read and one i wholly recommend. if only for the nod to ladybird (2017).
meredithmc's review against another edition
4.0
Another great middle grade novel from Nicole Melleby. I enjoyed this one a lot. Melleby makes her characters feel real and honest in a delightful way. Brie's story isn't perfect and not everything turns out in the way she expects it, which I think will really resonate with young readers. As someone who went to Catholic school for 12 years, I appreciated the school setting, even if it meant I had a hymn about Mary stuck in my head for the rest of the day. I'm looking forward to what the author does next!