I didn't believe in this character, or that a dad would leave for months on end, a successful business in her care. The build-up for such an occurrence didn't ring true for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah has it rough. If only she had been honest with her parents and let them know how bad things were for her, then maybe she would be less stressed. But, she doesn't tell them that she is going it alone (with the help of a friend or two) at the bottom of a sinking ship (not literally).

Anyway, things get better, things get worse, and things get better again.

The good guys win in the end and the girl wins her sweetheart.

I was insanely happy when I received this book. Finding a good LGBTQ+ book is more difficult than it sounds. One of my goals this year is to read more diversely and this book was a wonderful step in the right direction.

This book follows Delilah, an Australian teenager and her life surrounding her sexuality as well as trying to juggle school, friends, a crush, and her father's dying café, The Flywheel.

Delilah is very headstrong. Despite feeling drained and overworked, she always tries to do what she sees is best. While being pulled in a million different directions she is forced to make some tough decisions and is thrown into the real world sooner than she expected. On top of all the drama with The Flywheel, Delilah is head over heels with her friend, Rosa, who works across the street as a dancer at her family's restaurant.

One of the more refreshing things about this book was Delilah and Rosa's relationship. In the beginning you feel Del's longing for Rosa. It almost felt like she was longing after someone she could never have. As their friendship grew you couldn't help but feel sorry for Del. She had no idea if Rosa even thought of her in a romantic way, yet she still kept trying and wouldn't give up without a clear answer.

As things started getting muddy, not just between the two girls but also with The Flywheel, every aspect of Del's life seemed to be spiraling out of control. Even though she seemed a bit temperamental at times, Del was always trying to do what she thought was best. However, she also fell into a rhythm of thinking "why me" and not understanding that she is in a far better place than Rosa is when it comes to sexuality and life situations.

More than anything I think this book touched on the reality of people coming to terms with their sexuality. Del, Rosa and even Georgia are all in very different stages in life with very different backgrounds. Del is fortunate enough to have people surrounding her who don't care what her sexual orientation is. But in reality, not everyone has that. Some people, like Rosa, are bogged down by family and people with beliefs that don't reflect their own. There are also some people like Georgia who aren't exactly sure where they lie on the spectrum and feel safer sticking to the normal, no matter what their hearts are saying.

This book shows a wide range of situations that are very much present in the lives of people within the LGBTQ+ community. More than anything, I respect that this book tried to shed light on the fact that no one is the same and everyone comes to terms with who they are at different speeds.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It is cute and a simple story delving into the imploding life of one girl who happens to be in the LGBTQ+ community. It isn't gimmicky or following stereotypes. It represents real life situations and characters who feel like they have been ripped out of real life instead of molded into having specific traits to move the plot along.

I found this book to be a disappointment. While Gough's writing was light and breezy enough to propel the story forward, it felt like a neverending series of catastrophes for Del that seemed overdone. And for a book whose resolution (hastily-reached) was that the protagonist needs to take more responsibility for her actions and feelings, there seemed to be little that Del actually did, as opposed to events occurring TO her. Overall though I would just say that the story was bleh, not interesting enough to push it ahead of any other titles, even with its queer representation.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, this has not influenced my opinion in any way. I will warn that there are possible hinted spoilers but it is a contemporary…

This was a very interesting book to read, especially since I haven’t completely moved over to being a full-time rider on the contemporary fan-bus. But this didn’t disappoint either. I’ve made a goal to read more diverse books this year, and this is one type of story that I haven’t really heard of before. Many LGBT+ books are about someone who is just realizing they are gay or lesbian, but here we are presented with Delilah who is in full form and knows who she is and is proud of it. The downside is she gets ruthlessly teased for it. She also has taken on the running of her Dad’s cafe which is going swimmingly…for a few hours? Basically, she’s having trouble with nearly every aspect of her life.

The writing was well done and smooth and I was drawn into the story, wanting to know the consequences for various actions. However, I never really felt satisfied, especially with the ending. I mean I get that it’s contemporary and it’s all about happy endings but it wrapped up a bit too much for my taste. I also really got annoyed with Del several times for always playing the victim, which she was on occasion, but her projection annoyed me and I had a hard time feeling completely bad for her all of the time.

Overall, this was a really well written book and I finished it with a smile on my face. I think it would be good for people who enjoy this type of contemporary novel. Unfortunately, that wasn’t so much me.

Terrific book! Del's voice felt true and genuine. I think teens will be able to relate to this character. Both the story and character developments were well executed. If the book is distributed in the US, I'll recommend it to the libraries I work with.

Pretty standard YA fare. The character's pretty one-dimensional (but she's LGBT - so there's a win). While I wouldn't actively seek the tale out, I appreciate the chance to read it.

I did not expect this book to grab me so tightly. I had been struggling lately with YA lit, worrying I might not enjoy it anymore. Well, Get it Together, Delilah! proved me wrong. What I was missing were characters as vibrant and real as Delilah, and she made the book come alive. Gosh, I am happy. Plus – it’s Australian!

Delilah’s a character with depth and dimension. She’s bold, stubborn, and adorable. This is also the first time I’ve read a lesbian character who didn’t feel like a cliché: she felt like any real teenager. She has crushes on the cute girls in her life, especially on Rosa, the flamenco dancer from across the street. But her past experience with love hasn’t been so good: seeing how being ‘out’ in high school isn’t exactly easy.

I don’t even really know where to start on my review, because I just so happened to like every aspect of this book. It read like real life, the characters were realistic and relatable, and just so engrossing. The plot itself is simple: Delilah’s trying to run her father’s café – the Flywheel – as he travels through Asia (coping with his wife’s leaving him for another man), while also finishing school, maintaining friendships, and falling head over heels for the girl next door.

But soon, the café itself is running her life, and it’s hard on a 17 year old to deal with thieving employees, and competition with chains. Soon, it’s consumed her life, and it begins to drag everything else down with it. She has to drop out of school to work full time, and it’s taking a toll on her relationships as well. Eventually, the stress causes her to alienate the people who love her most.

When I put it like that, it sounds dark and depressing – but it’s not. The book is bursting with life. The characters jump off the page, each one probably impossible to sum up in just one line. And the fact that this all takes place in Australia just makes it even more exciting. Plus a cute romance I actually was rooting for!

All in all, what else can I say than this book is perfect? I really cannot sum it up into words. The style was simple and elegant, the characters complex and vibrant, the relationships so realistic. Not to mention I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I would give this book six stars if I could.

I loved this book! This was a wonderful story that felt so real. The characters were witty and unique and the story was easy to read. Loved this!