Something About Her

Something About Her is a strong debut for a promising new novelist—a sort of sapphic Sally Rooney-esque coming of age novel. Our two main characters, Aisling and Maya, are students at the University of Edinburgh exploring their sexualities and their love of poetry. Aisling comes from a deeply dysfunctional family in County Clare, Ireland, and the scars—both physical and emotional—she hears from the years of abuse she has suffered at the hands of her mother have come with her to university. Maya comes from a loving, supportive family in London, but is experiencing an increasing degree of anxiety and discomfort after starting a relationship with her childhood friend, Ethan.

I flew through this book and generally really enjoyed the writing style and the character-driven story. I loved the way that Taylor depicted the experience of falling in love, and the almost magical experience of discovering the strength of attraction for the first time. Underbaked character development weighed the book down somewhat, as did the extended metaphor of Maya’s anxiety as an insect. I would rate Taylor’s debut at about 3.5 stars, but l’m excited to read what she writes next!

Wow, I inhaled this book in less than 10 hours.

Something About Her is the love story of Maya and Aisling during their college years set between Edinburgh, Ireland and London. It's probably like a lot of books out there but I was captivated by the writing and the vibes. I was rooting so hard for them and although there wasn't a happy ending, I felt it was the right one.

Definitely check for trigger warnings before picking up this book, there were some scenes that were particularly hard to go through. Nevertheless, it's very worth the read.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc.

Something About Her is heartfelt and raw in the way that your emotions feel as you are figuring it all out. Maya and Aisling are both described by the other as gorgeous and confident, but in their own chapters, grapple with self-doubt and uncertainty. Think: Normal People, but queer coming-of-age. As an American reader, I loved the Irish names: Aisling, Niamh, Siobhan, and so many more. Just a small touch that made it feel like I was transported to another place. I don’t know if I loved the ending as much as I loved the journey of getting there, but the journey was certainly worth it.

I really liked this book! There is something very eye-opening and painful to read about how religious parents can treat their queer child and how that impacts the entirety of their relationship. I love the creation of found family in queer stories because it is so vital to the victims survival. Overall it was lovely, I enjoyed the little intricacies of stanzas from poems between the main characters.

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me strong Nina Lacour vibes in the best way. I typically don’t love going back and forth between two narrators, but I feel like the author handled this well. I definitely think the first half was a bit better than the second. It also had an abrupt ending, which I think was completely intentional but still left be wishing for a better resolution. Either way I highly recommend this one!