Member Reviews
Delilah is awkward and stubborn and I loved her, even if I wanted to smack her silly for not telling her dad about things and for dropping out of school which made me stressed out FOR HER, despite being a fictional character. Her motivations are real, and she is well developed. All the characters are.
The romance is super cute, and slow going, its very realistic, there is no immediate happily ever after, most of the characters act like idiots very often but by being fallible they are real.
I loved the setting and I loved the story, all the little details brought it to life and I highly recommend it!
***Please note that this review contains some spoilers.***
At the very beginning, I found Get It Together, Delilah to be a constant page-turner. Plus I was instantly in love with the cute and creative cover. I really enjoyed how Erin Gough’s storytelling wraps you up in the aroma of coffee, but in the end, I had hard time connecting with the main character and rationalizing some of her actions.
Get It Together, Delilah spans over about four months, in which the main character, Delilah, takes on an overwhelming amount of responsibilities. For me there were some missing pieces in this book, and some situations that did not add up. For example, while her dad was off on “vacation,” I kept wondering, where is the adult that Delilah’s dad thinks is running the café with Delilah’s help? Is her dad even communicating with him? Did I miss something? Did I read over the explanation? My mind was always screaming, where is the parental responsibility in this book?!
In regards to the main character, I was a fan of Delilah’s confidence and her straight-forward attitude. But as the story progressed, Delilah started irritating me. She began taking on too much and everything started slipping through the cracks for her. In the second half of the novel, I felt that she was overbearing at times, inconsiderate of other people’s opinions and feelings, and she never rationalized situations too well.
Delilah also makes too many assumptions when it comes to her friends and their actions, and often fails to communicate with them to know the actual truth. At times, Delilah frustrated me, and then I wanted to scream the book’s title, and say “OMG, GET IT TOGETHER, DELILAH!” When it comes to the girls she has crushes on, she is often inconsiderate of their feelings, and sadly only focuses on her own needs and wants. I’m not too sure if it’s my age showing (i.e. I’m not a teenager), but I at least think Delilah was smart enough to use common sense.
One of my favorite things about the novel was the relationship that starts between Delilah and Rosa. Their interactions are so awkward and cute. I was cheering on their relationship the entire time. In all honesty, I think it was their realistic and adorable relationship that saved this book for me.
Get It Together, Delilah contains a cast of memorable characters who become Delilah’s support group. I loved the quirky friendships in this novel, and how much love and support they give to each other. Although Delilah was not my favorite person in the last half of the book, I think Get It Together, Delilah realistically portrays the hardships and harassment that young adults face in and outside of school; especially those who have found themselves but society fails to accept them for who they are. This is definitely a book I would share with high school and middle grade students; I feel like they would relate to Delilah’s struggles and frustrations more than I could.
I will read ANYTHING with a F/F relationship! I lived for these books when I was in high school. I would dig through the shelves at libraries and book stores. So this book about Delilah's life pretty much, going to school, helping with her fathers business, and being a lesbian. I loved that this story was a coming of age and not just about her being gay. The way she dealt with ridicule in school was also done very well. I know firsthand about being the out and proud girl, and how that sometimes get turned on you. Dealing with the mean girls and boys who assume you must be into them if you like the same sex. So I was there for all of that!
I liked that she was comfortable with herself for the most part. I loved Charlie her best friend and the dynamics between their friendship. The side plots that went on around the main plot. I loved the acceptance that Del had from her father. It's not often represented in books. Some people have wonderful coming out story's so it was great seeing that represented.
There was some aspects that I didn't care for as well. There is a relationship in this book that ends with one of the characters staying closeted. I understand that it is very common but I felt like that was a step back for Del. Who has already dealt with a similar situation. For her personal growth I think she needed to be with someone who was in the same open place she was. I was in a similar situation in my late teens with someone who flat out said she would never tell her father who she really was. It was not healthy and by 21 we had nowhere to progress to. I feel like (yes I know it's a book) that's what this relationship is for them. Something that won't progress with their life.
All together this is defiantly a good read! It took a day and I was truly invested. I think this book will help young girls (and boy's) who are finding themselves.
3.5 stars!
The characters were very hard to relate to or connect with. Most of the book was a struggle.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.
This was cute. I liked Delilah & she was a relatable character, pining away for a crush. This wasn't your typical YA boy meets girl as this was girl meets girl & it was just all around enjoyable. The cast of characters was wonderful & I look forward to more from this author.
I had a hard time reading this book. The story of a seventeen year old running her father's shop while still in high school didn't work for me. The father is completely absent and has no idea that the person he thought he left in charge has been deported. Delilah does seem mature for age, but it was still a stretch for me. At first Lauren is supposed to be Delilah's best friend, but then she's not because Delilah told her she was a lesbian. The story is very fast paced, but lack continuity for me. I just couldn't get into the story.
I enjoyed this book and thought that Delilah was definitely left with a lot on her plate. I enjoyed seeing how she dealt with her problems and feelings. I put my review up on Goodreads.
Cute book! A fun, quick read teens will really enjoy. I love the cover.
A fairly good YA story about the pressures of being out in a high school environment. There were a few times the Aussie slang got the better of me. And leaving a seventeen year old alone and left to run a business for weeks (nay months) leaves a lot to the reader's ability to suspend their disbelief and just go with the story. The bullying and troubles at school would have been enough stress on this young person's life without throwing in those pressures too. All-in-all a good "it gets better" kind of tale.
Get It Together, Delilah! revolves around Delilah, a 17 year old high school student and part-time everything at her family's cafe The Flywheel. She has a great group of friends, and seems to know who she is and isn't afraid who knows. This of course leads to bullying and many other challenges she must face.
I was very happy with this book. It was one of those where I swore I was going to stop reading and handle other things, but had the 'just one more page' effect and had to read more.
Originally published in Australia as The Flywheel, this book is a roller coaster of emotions. Filled with wit and deeper emotions we watch as Delilah Green tried to save her family's business while her father is off on the holiday she insisted he go on. Her mother lives in another city with her new boyfriend and isn't really in Delilah's life. With her group of friends Delilah struggles to go to school and manage the restaurant. Her love life is a total disaster and she is being bullied at school.
I appreciate that this isn't your typical coming out YA LGBT book. Delilah is gay, her family and friends accept this it isn't a secret and the story doesn't center around it. Delilah is a strong young woman who is trying to juggle too many adult responsibilities along with trying to figure out what to do with her life. She has the typical teenage love life that is a mess, broken hearts, etc but with the extra issues surrounding dating as an LGBT youth when not everyone is as open or out as Delilah.
I was drawn in by Delilah and her friends and was routing for her in both her love life and trying to keep the Flywheel open. I breezed through this story and found it delightful, funny and touching. This was a great debut for a new author.
2 1/2 Stars. I've had this book since last year, but wanted to wait until closer to it's release date before reviewing it. This was originally the book The Flywheel, when it was published only in Australia. It is now getting a new release under the name of Get It Together Delilah! I don't understand the name change, as the Flywheel makes much better sense, and is a place most of the story takes place in.
Unfortunately, I didn't really care for this story. It's not bad for any means, and I may have liked it better if I was younger, not in my mid 30's. But I have liked plenty of YA/NA books before, so I don't think it's entirely that. I guess for my YA books, I like books that really make you feel, and get to you emotionally. This book didn't give me that feeling I was hoping for. The whole book is around a 17 year old, left alone for months (no adults) to run a business of a cafe, seemed a bit farfetched. There is almost no adults in this book at all, and the ones that are are pretty lacking. The main character of Del could be a bit erratic at times, which made her hard to connect with. And I didn't really care for her two best friends which took up a lot of time in the book.
On the good side, I did think Gough's characters sounded and acted like teenagers for the most part. Some authors write YA and the teenagers act like children or too adult, I thought Gough did a good job. I just wished I liked the characters and the storyline more.
I can't really recommend this, but this book has plenty of good reviews, so I'm sure there is a lot of people that will like this more than I did.
An ARC was given to me by Netgalley, for a honest review.
I gave this book two stars because I really couldn't find anything within the story to connect with. Gough's writing is amazing, though. I just had nothing in common with any of the characters, although they were multidimensional and extremely well written. This book might be better suited for younger readers figuring out their sexuality.
(possible spoilers ahead)
Delilah is dealing with homophobic bullies at school which is making her life hell. On top of this, she's now running her father's cafe while he's away. To make things even worse, she has the biggest crush on a beautiful flamenco dancer at the restaurant across the street.
Can she run the cafe, deal with school (and the bullies), AND win the heart of Rosa?
Can Delilah get it together?
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It's always refreshing to read a book with a lesbian protagonist. Even if they are deeply flawed. (But, who doesn't have their flaws?)
She's likable enough, although she does do a fair amount of cringeworthy things.
And, speaking of cringeworthy, there's a scene of "how do you know you're gay if you haven't tried straight sex?" I recently read another book where best friends had a similar scene, and I just really hate this trope.
But, aside from that, I really enjoyed it. It had the ending you'd suspect, but that's okay. The middle was a ride.
Very cute novel - but it does require some suspension of disbelief. Not gonna lie, I had a hard time believing that a 17-year-old would be left alone to care for the family's business and livelihood and it seems odd that there wasn't much done in terms of Del's truancy. Despite this - "Get it Together, Delilah," is still a worthwhile read and the author does a fantastic job with the LGBTQ+ themes. Also, most importantly, teens will easily connect with Delilah and the storytelling making this a fantastic addition to YA collections.
This book was so enjoyable! Delilah was such a great character--you wanted to root for her while occasionally wanting to sit her down and give her a talking to, ha. I liked how the story dealt with various characters' sexual identities in real ways. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for good teen LGBT romance.
I did not finish Get It Together, Delilah. Though the plot was interesting in theory, and I usually love this kind of story. However, the pacing seemed to drag, and the precious time I have for reading I did not want to waste. Just not for me.
A sweet, happy-ever-after lesbian romance, but the story is flawed. While Delilah is excellent at getting herself into trouble, it seems like the other characters are the ones getting her out of it--for a story that is ostensibly Delilah's own, she doesn't seem to have quite as much agency as I would have liked. The ending is really too neat, with no real consequences for her mistakes and a return to the story's beginning state--but now she has a girlfriend. (Honestly, if this story had been told from Rosa Barea's point of view, I think it could have been great.)
And I keep getting hung up on the way one character's dreadlocks are frequently described as "dirty." The association of dreadlocks and uncleanliness strikes me as racist, and I struggled to continue with the book when I realized that the description was going to be continuous for this character.
I could not open the file. Sorry, it just spat some strange "ERROR" and me not being computer savvy...I do thank you for allowing me access, but I cannot rate a book I haven't read.