No reader should pass by this book with the idea that he or she wouldn't be interested in a novel about a young lesbian woman. The laugh-out-loud moments are anyone's coming of age trials and belong to any gender. Yet before you can wipe away tears of laughter, there will be a tug at your heart. Readers will cringe in sympathy with first grandchild and protagonist Juliet when she blurts out that she does not have a boyfriend because she is lesbian, and her mother replies that they do not use that kind of language in their house. Followed by a refusal to open her bedroom door and give her daughter a hug goodbye before she leaves the state for an amazing job opportunity. This book seems to defy being categorized as gay or lesbian literature. It is about survival in a harsh world. I sincerely hope I have the opportunity to win an ARC of this special tale.