I really loved Rivera's writing style. I think the book read like a close friend was talking to me, which made it very entertaining and sympathetic, if that makes sense.
I think the plot was really interesting, and I think it took some realistic turns with Juliet's mother, Harlowe's slip-up, and Ava. My extent of knowledge about Portland comes from Portlandia, so it was interesting to get this viewpoint on it as well. I spent some time in Vermont and it also reminded me of that, with the hippie/all love/weed vibe. I don't consider myself a prude at all, so the use of "pussy" so much in this book didn't bother me because of the word itself, but maybe just because of how it seemed to be thrown around for shock value. It's tough, because so much of the message in this book is about embracing who you are, including your body, but it seemed a bit over the top for me.
I didn't particularly like Juliet, but I didn't dislike her either. There were only one or two times when I was proud of her. I did like Lil' Melvin and Ava quite a bit.
Anyway, I'm grateful for the chance to read and review the advanced copy of this book. I did enjoy it and it's made me more introspective about race and privilege.
I think the plot was really interesting, and I think it took some realistic turns with Juliet's mother, Harlowe's slip-up, and Ava. My extent of knowledge about Portland comes from Portlandia, so it was interesting to get this viewpoint on it as well. I spent some time in Vermont and it also reminded me of that, with the hippie/all love/weed vibe. I don't consider myself a prude at all, so the use of "pussy" so much in this book didn't bother me because of the word itself, but maybe just because of how it seemed to be thrown around for shock value. It's tough, because so much of the message in this book is about embracing who you are, including your body, but it seemed a bit over the top for me.
I didn't particularly like Juliet, but I didn't dislike her either. There were only one or two times when I was proud of her. I did like Lil' Melvin and Ava quite a bit.
Anyway, I'm grateful for the chance to read and review the advanced copy of this book. I did enjoy it and it's made me more introspective about race and privilege.