My Languishing TBR: J #AtoZChallenge2022 #Books #Bookreview

J is for Juliet

This year I’m taking a break from Faerie and doing an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list instead. Each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book. I’ve decided not to include words like “A”, “The” and “An” during this challenge.

My TBR

About the Book I’ve Read

I bought this book the same time as “Annie On My Mind” (same tweet recommendation). It also languished on my TBR shelf until this challenge. I so wished that I had read it when I got it.

Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.

Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?

With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Well-crafted, vivid book. Intriguing story. One really wants to know what happens to Juliet. Could have done without the swearing, though. My rudimentary Spanish (thanks, Ricky Martin!) was enough for me to understand the Spanish phrases.

I really felt for Juliet when Phen asked her what her preferred gender pronouns are and she had no clue what he was talking about, and she couldn’t ask this smug dude to explain.

It’s a good story. I enjoyed Juliet’s discovery of the LGBTQ and feminism and veganism worlds she had entered. I especially liked how she learned what it meant to her, specifically.

I like her cousin Ava and how she showed her a different life than what she was experiencing in Portland.

There are some proofreading errors, but nothing major.

The way the author examined microaggressions, love, feminism, queerness and everything else in this book was done in a way that related to Juliet specifically and made it a learning experience for her and the reader without being preachy.

The moment in the bookstore where everything changed in Portland was a good moment for Juliet to question everything and learn even more.

All-in-all, a good book. I just wonder why Juliet assumed that every woman she met in Portland had to be a lesbian…

Trigger warnings: sex, racism, cursing.

My Book

Writing Journals

I hope you enjoyed this. For more books I’ve read and reviewed, check out either my Pinterest board about reviews or my Goodreads profile. Alternatively, you can check out my reviews on BookBub. Have you read any of the books? Loved or hated any of them?

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*