This book would’ve been so instrumental for me in high school when I came out. To see so much of myself in each of these characters was heartwarming. I love that kids today have books like this.

Knox was a POS for how he played Dawn. The “bra” scene made me want to choke him. Dawn and her father remind me of Imogen and her father from Degrassi, how she had to take care of him because he was forgetting things, ending up in places randomly, etc.

I so wanted Georgia to be able to speak up for herself or at least scream the first time Simone came into her room and put his hand under her shirt. Men are weird and gross, and that’s not to say women aren’t like that either.

I felt bad for Edie when she tried to come out to her mom and her mom said she wasn’t gay. When I came out, my mom lost her shit, and I hid in the closet from her for over 20 years until I said eff it. I hope that Edie doesn’t do that. I hate that because of her parents and their views, she and Ben broke up, but I understand Ben’s reasoning. It took them a long time to finally live in their truth, it wasn’t right for Edie to try to make them go back to hiding and lying.

Edie and Georgia are the best kinds of friends for how they helped Dawn, and even included Collin. I’d love to see Collin and Dawn’s friendship blossom. What I also loved about this book is it was set in Houston, where I live. I am very familiar with many of the places and events mentioned although, everyone knows that Bucees is the number one test stop between Houston and Austin/San Antonio, no argument.

The writing felt a little middle grade compared to the content, but all the characters were very real and believable, including all the cringe-level high schooler stuff. It was fun, it was a good queer romp, and I was really rooting for Dawn to have a good ending the whole time

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I really wanted to enjoy this book, the blurb was right up my alley and the cover art is so beautiful.
Unfortunately for me it fell short of my expectations.

Most of the characters were one dimensional, I wasn’t overly invested in them or their relationships, though I did have a soft spot for Collin.

I felt there was a lack of exploration into what it means to be trans and in a relationship. The scene between Dawn and Knox felt surface level and with Dawn being a near adult we could have delved deeper into the emotions she may have been feeling at the rejection of her identity by a potential partner.

The main narrative of the story was lacklustre, I think it may lose readers attention in the arc as it didn’t build enough suspense to keep me entertained.

The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay was enjoyable enough of a read but it only scratched the surface of what it could have been.

I really wanted to love this book but something about it just didn't click for me. Everything felt much more drawn out than necessary and the characters felt very one dimensional. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. :(

This was a lovely teen fictional coming-of-age debut novel from Walls! So cool to find out they’re living in San Francisco 😍 (I am from the SF Bay Area too!) This book, however, takes place in Houston, TX!!! This story takes place over the course of 31 days, as it begins with a countdown to a film competition deadline, which Dee is accepted to compete in!

Dawn (D) is a trans girl who lost her mother, while her father has depression. Her two best friends help her with this project: Edie, who is queer & exploring romance with Ben, who is nonbinary, but Edie’s parents are extremely conservative, so they must hide their relationship from them. Georgia, who is lesbian, lives with her single mom, and struggles with the new man in her mom’s life.

We get third-person limited POV from all three besties, and I did feel invested in them all equally! I really enjoyed the overall messaging of Dawn’s documentary: love! Walls displays so many kinds of queer love in this novel, and it felt so incredibly hopeful. I loved the friendships that these young women had!!! Found family is so magical.

I think Walls has work to do relating to pacing, but overall, I thought this was a sweet, empowering young adult novel. I’d read from them again!

Loved this book!!
for me it represent so well the young members of the LGBTQ+ .
obviously is a good book but the reason why i rated this book 4 stars and not five is that for me this book could have been shorter.

This is a book centering around three queer friends in high school and the ups and downs in their lives. One of the girls is making a documentary called "The Queer Girl Is Going To Be Okay" in hopes of getting a scholarship to college and financial support for her family. All the characters were so realistic and acted like how teenagers would act. Their friendship was so sweet and it was nice to see queer women uplifting one another. I enjoyed reading this book. If you want a YA book with queerness being at the center of the plot, then check this out.

3.5 Stars.

This story has a lot to recommend it and also a few shortcomings, especially wrt pacing. It offers an unusual insight into the lives of three non-cisgender individuals/relationships, and explores their engagement with each other, with their significant others, and with their friends and family.

Dawn wants to document queer love in all its forms and to get into film school; Georgia wants to be a poet, but isn't sure of her talent; and Edie wants to live her life and be accepted for who she is and who she loves.

The storytelling has the ring of authenticity about it. Not least because a lot of it is about day-to-day life events rather than dramatic happenings. That is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing. I suspect a lot of young women with similar sexual orientations will be happy to see themselves in these characters.

The book was not a standout for me, but it was a good effort. The best part by far involved the snippets from the documentary. Overall, the characters were easy to care about, and the events reminiscent of the challenges and choices that many teenagers face at that age (in addition to the specific issues related to gendered identities). Worth a read if you are in the target age group and/or just interested in finding out more about diversity in its many forms.

I picked this up because of the title. Lots of us are probably doing that. And it does live up to that title, all three queer girls are okay at the end. I really enjoyed this and was glad I had that promise up front, because there are absolutely difficulties and hurdles that the three main characters face. There are a lot of instances of cruelty around these kids who are struggling to define themselves as they finish high school as well as their queer identities. Multiple bad things happen: emotional abuse, forced closeting, aggressive mis-gendering. This book is like a novel version of the idea "It Gets Better".

The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay, left me struggling as I wanted more of a story. Where the found family can be an incredible trope when employed correctly, I think the novel could have gone through a few more rounds of editing, and it could have been something steller.

I was bamboozled by the cover of The Queer Girl Is Going to be Okay. I really thought I was going to get a graphic novel. What I got instead was still pretty good. The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay (phew... that's a title) is a sweet story about Queer love in it's many forms. Set in Houston, our mc Dawn thinks maybe, if she can capture it, film it, interview the people who have it, queer love will be hers someday. Or, at least, she'll have made a documentary about it. A documentary that, hopefully, will win Dawn a scholarship to film school. Many obstacles stand in the way of completing her film, but her best friends Edie and Georgia are there to help her reach her goal, no matter what it takes. And, maybe, just maybe, everything *will* be okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Levine Querido for providing me with a review copy.

i've never read a book that explains life for a queer teenager in the south better. i do think this would've better benefitted as a short story. the plot could have been condensed to around 100 pages. simply a sweet read about the different kinds of queer love that exist in the world.

A cute coming-of-age about queerness, found family and the power of friendship. We are presented with the story of these three protagonists, each with their own personal challenges and personalites, while one of them, Dawn, is working on her documentary about queer love.

The book intercalates the story with excerpts from the documentary, which I found a little stalling of the plot. Also, by the end, some characters and situations seem undeveloped, even though the sentiment is also that "live goes on" and nothing can be definite, there's literal plots that are pushed away for the final act and that felt a little undermining.

Besides that, this book is a solid recreating a very real queer experience but, at the same time, with a bit of fairytale-like resolutions.

"The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay" by Dale Walls is a touching and heartwarming tale that explores the complexities of friendship, longing for love, and the pursuit of one's dreams. While I may not have been the book's primary target audience, I found myself drawn into the vibrant world of Dawn, Edie, and Georgia.

While I may not have personally connected with the book on the same level as its intended audience, I appreciated its authenticity and the importance of representation in literature. "The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay" is a testament to the power of resilience and friendship, serving as a reminder that, ultimately, everything will be okay. Dale Walls has crafted a heartwarming story that will undoubtedly resonate with those seeking genuine portrayals of queer friendships and the pursuit of dreams.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this arc!

I had very high expectations for this book since I loved the cover and all the representation, but unfortunately I couldn’t connect with the writing and wasn’t able to enjoy the reading experience. While I absolutely *adored* the fact that this book focuses around queer love and puts queer friendship at the center of it all, the pacing felt a bit jarring at times and the plot (that has a weird flow) kept me from being engaged to it.
Still, I could see a younger audience enjoying this book, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.

Queer Love. Something Dawn wants, desperately, but does not have. But maybe, if she can capture it, film it, interview the people who have it, queer love will be hers someday. Or, at least, she'll have made a documentary about it.

Powerful and moving. A must-read.

This book was in the Read Now category on Netgalley! The colourful cover intrigued me.

Dawn is directing and producing a short film about queer love by interviewing several people around her. I enjoyed following her through the process. I found that it was presented in a very sympathetic way, maintaining a safe space.

There isn't much at stake in this book. We simply follow the daily lives of queer high school students. At times, I would have liked it to have more pace.

If you're looking for a fun and inclusive read, don't hesitate :)

THE QUEER GIRL IS GOING TO BE OKAY by Dale Walls has a lot going for it. The novel centers queer and trans characters; friendship is extremely important; found family matters; and art is necessary. The friendship between Dawn, Edie, and Georgia is what makes this story work; without it, there would be no heart. The way these three girls fight, love, and help each other is inspiring. I also loved the way queerness was centered and discussed as an "of course" rather than something to be hidden among the friends. I was a bit thrown by the way the fact that one character is trans was handled. It had a strong feeling of that fact being revealed when it was as a "surprise" or a "twist." I don't know that the author planned it that way, but it's the affect the timing had for me.

Overall, the book fell a bit flat, cramming too much in, which created some underdeveloped plots and characters. Some of the writing also felt really "green" with characters winking at each other all the time and the some language being overused. Still, we need more stories like this and I will watch to see what else Dale Walls writes.

I would have devoured The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay had it been a collection of people defining queer love. The little “clips” from the documentary were so precious. That alone is a five-star read.

As much as I enjoyed the documentary plot line, I didn’t always understand it.

There was a lot of name dropping / talking about films. I have not seen or even heard of most of the movies talked about. At times it felt like I was on the outside of a conversation, listening in.

That being said, I loved the representation: Dawn’s sureness in her identity, Edie’s courage with her brother, and Georgia’s carefree free-falling into love. (I know I say that often, but it's true, okay?)

All in all, The Queer Girl Is Going To Be Okay was good, but not great.

Bottom line: Am I just a hater?