This was enjoyable. The main characters were likable and made you root for them. This was a fun book to pick up and was a quick read.

"Some Girls Do" by Jennifer Dugan offers a refreshing take on a contemporary queer romance, blending elements of self-discovery, love, and the challenges of navigating one's identity. While the novel has its merits, it also falls into some common pitfalls that prevent it from reaching its full potential.

The strengths of the book lie in its representation of diverse characters and the exploration of the challenges faced by Morgan and Ruby as they grapple with their sexual identities. Dugan handles the complexities of coming out and self-acceptance with sensitivity, providing readers with a nuanced portrayal of the characters' journeys.

The contrasting backgrounds of Morgan and Ruby add depth to the narrative, and the incorporation of themes such as track athleticism, beauty pageants, and car restoration brings unique elements to the story. Dugan successfully captures the emotional struggles of being true to oneself while navigating societal expectations.

However, the pacing of the novel feels uneven at times, with certain plot points rushed while others are drawn out. The romance between Morgan and Ruby, while sweet, lacks the depth needed to fully invest readers in their relationship. The tension between Morgan's desire for openness and Ruby's reluctance to come out adds an interesting layer, but it is not fully explored, leaving some aspects of their connection underdeveloped.

Additionally, some characters, particularly the secondary ones, could benefit from more fleshed-out personalities. Morgan and Ruby are well-drawn protagonists, but the supporting cast lacks the same level of depth, making it challenging to fully connect with their stories.

The resolution of the conflicts and the characters' personal growth, while satisfying to an extent, feels somewhat predictable. A more nuanced exploration of the challenges faced by the characters and a less formulaic resolution could have elevated the emotional impact of the narrative.

In conclusion, "Some Girls Do" is a commendable addition to the YA contemporary romance genre, offering a diverse and inclusive representation of queer characters. While the novel touches on important themes and presents a heartfelt romance, it falls short in terms of pacing, character development, and a predictable resolution, preventing it from achieving a higher rating.

this book was so cute, a perfect y/a read! morgan was so cute, i just wanted to hug her and omg don’t get me started on ruby!! i would definitely recommend this if you need something to get you out of a reading slump

i so wanted to love this! i just cant take too many of the tropes i do not particularly love all in ONE book. i hate miscommunication that goes on for the entire book and although i am not particularly a fan of a super slow-burn romance i really am not a fan of insta love.

This is such a gorgeous cover but the love story just wasn't for me.

I loved the star-crossed love type story. The track star and the beauty queen. I liked Morgan trying to find her way at a new school and I loved how Ruby loved working on the car. I also thought the outside pressure to live up to religious and parental expectation was realistic as well

But I just struggled to root for these two. The games, the hurting each other - ugh, I was so frustrated that I just couldn't hope for a good ending. I wish I'd loved it. If you are someone that digs this kind of story and romance stories in general, you will probably love this one! It just wans't for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I honestly thought this was the whole book, not a sampler, so that was somehow missed. I always download my Netgalley books the second I get approval and as many time as I’ve tried to find this one, I just can’t find it, so I ended up borrowing the actual book from the library and read that. While that obviously wasn’t what I was approved for, I will be writing a review for the actual book and posting it below, just so I can say I contributed.

📖My Thoughts📖

This was a pretty good book. Though Morgan seemed a little angry at times, she had a lot of passion for life and making a stand. That’s so admirable. It was also difficult at times to get in the same mindset as her. She seemed a little selfish with her feelings given that she was incapable of seeing the big picture and understand the emotions of others around her. However, she’s a teenager, and this is pretty typical behavior of a teenager, so one could say that the author nailed it while depicting the personality of someone coming of age. Ruby on the other hand, just seemed to be taking life in strides. I had so much empathy for her and her situation. My heart just hurt so much for her. Though she was far from living the high life, she showed so much strength and courage to just keep pushing through it all. It was really interesting to see how both of the main characters, essentially from two completely different backgrounds, handled challenges that came along both together as well as separately.
Overall I enjoyed the book and think it was very well written.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a good YA. The cover drew me in. It's a romance with struggles that the main characters need to overcome,

Some Girls Do is a sweet and heartwarming sapphic young adult romance that had me hooked start to finish. It starts with Ruby almost hitting Morgan with her car, which set in line a small enemies to lovers plot line that quickly developed into something more. Morgan is an out lesbian who is dealing with the backlash from coming out at a Catholic private school—and the lawsuit that came with that. Ruby is a closeted bisexual who struggles with figuring out her identity and is dealing with an overbearing mother projecting her dreams of being a Pageant Queen onto her daughter. A relationship stars to brew between them, but tension arises between them when Ruby doesn’t want to come out just yet.
I loved their relationship. I loved the diverse cast of side characters who were entertaining in their own way. I loved Morgan and Ruby’s journey to find each other. I love when a book gets me daydreaming about finding my own person one day and this did exactly that.
I could relate to Ruby’s struggle with her sexuality, which made me all the more attached to her character.
Their relationship did frustrate me at times, purely because Ruby kept trying to push Morgan into having sex and Morgan wanted Ruby to come out when she wasn’t ready. Neither of those things are indicators to a good relationship, But they managed to sort it out and figure each other out so that they could be together and respect each others’ boundaries.
All in all, this was a five star read and I will definitely be picking up another one of Jennifer Dugan’s books.

I have not yet finished this book but have purchased a copy for myself of the finalized version. I was unable to finish before the book came out.

A nice, heart warming YA. It had a slow pacing at the first 60 pages, but once the story started moving somewhere, I couldn't put the book down. The characters were a delight, relatable and realistic. I really enjoyed the reading!

After a slow start, I did end up enjoying this book! With relatable characters and a good storyline, this was a nice, easy YA read that I would recommend if you are interested in the blurb.

This book was such a cute read! I loved how it was filled with teenage angst and sarcasm but at the same time tackled difficult topics such as homophobia and abuse. I loved getting to see Ruby grow as a character throughout the novel. I definitely believed in Morgan and Ruby's relationship they worked so well together. Overall this was such an enjoyable read and I wish it was longer because it was too sweet and I loved the characters so much.

This sampler included chapters from some great books. I can't wait to read most of these books. There were some stories that did not capture my attention but for the most part, these were great.

While I appreciated the summer-y atmosphere and the unique premise, I didn't connect with the characters. I liked both Morgan and Ruby's story individually, but haven't felt the chemistry between them. It starts with instalove and then Ruby and Morgan struggle to communicate and to express their feelings. .

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read some girls do.
I have wanted to read this for so long and was overally chuffed to get a copy.
Slight slow burn at the beginning but draws you in eventually.

"I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”

First of all, the cover is so stunning that judging a book by the cover in this case was unavoidable. Luckily the story inside was just as good. This year brought on a lot of LGBTQA+ books, Some Girls Do however brought on a fresh take. This was one the few stories where I saw a bisexual character be one the main characters. The plot did hit some of the basic coming of age and high school tropes but never in a bad way! It balanced well with some heavier topics that I thought where addressed well.

Overall this was a delightful read with great characters and a cute story

4/5 stars

Good book with a solid queer representation. The characters were really good, the start just wasn’t for me but it definitely got better!

First of all, it kind of sucks that I wasn't able to get this book through this website after getting approved. The was no more file to download.

Anyway,

I was surprised by how quickly I was drawn into this book. The relationship was a bit messy but the characters were very relatable. I really enjoyed it.

Rather than the full book "Some Girls Do", this ended up being snippets and previews of a bunch of different (mostly queer, I think?) YA novels. I did enjoy the preview I read of "Some Girls Do"; the characters are intersting and I really like the dynamic so far. They had the best sort of meet cute. I'm not really interested in any of the other books, so I didn't read those.

The meet cute kinda ruined this book for me pretty early. Morgan was justifiably angry and Ruby was rude, self-centered and arrogant. Their dynamic leaned towards an oh-I-hate-you-but-you’re-hot insta attraction which I generally don’t like in romances.