The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay

[Thanks to NetGalley and the author Dale Walls for providing me with an ARC copy of The Queer Girl is Going to be Okay]

I must admit that I requested this book impulsively after seeing its fabulous cover, but I stayed till the end for the meaningful content. I'm sure this book will save teenagers girls' lives, empower them, make them feel seen. This book screams "you are not alone, girl!"

This book has everything in it: a beautiful friendship between three high school girls, family issues, queer representation and relationships, school problems, but above it all, love.

Love is everywhere between these pages, and I can see how much love the author put into their book: queer love, love between family members, love between friends (let's not forget that friendship is a type of love), love for one's passions, love for one's life, body, and identity. I felt all of it.

Love is also the main theme of Dawn's documentary, which is what ties Dawn, Edie, and Georgia's stories together as we follow them in their daily life.

Since I'm in my mid-twenties, I'm not part of the target audience of this book anymore, but this didn't stop me from deeply caring for these three girls: I cheered for them and cried with them while following them along the difficult journey that is the last year of high school. Each one of them has something to learn.

Dawn has to learn that her dreams are worth pursuing and that working towards her goals doesn't necessarily mean leaving her family behind; Georgia knows she wants to be a poet and a writer but she's afraid she's not good enough and that she hasn't done enough in school; Edie has to learn to fight for herself and her loved ones, and that sometimes taking care of yourself means keeping a distance from people who hurt you even if they claim to love you.

The book structure is made of chapters each one adopting one of the girl's points of view. I loved how Edie, Georgia and Dawn perspectives blended to form a complete and detailed picture of their friendship and daily life. It made the characters feel very dynamic and real, as if I had known them in real life.

Another part I deeply enjoyed are the excerpts from Dawn's documentary about queer love: I really liked listening to all these different stories and perspectives. I think this strategy also helps the reader see Dawn's documentary coming to life as she proceeds to watching the clips and editing them.

I recommend this book to anyone, no matter their age. This is a great debut novel, and I can't help but wonder what Dale Walls might write next!

I absolutely love this book and I'm so happy that I stumbled upon it and picked it as my first e-arc read. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this review copy, all opinions are my own.

This coming-of-age story follows a group of friends as they try to navigate life and love - queer love, to be precise. There's Georgia who's struggling with college admissions while also dealing with a difficult situation at home. Edie having to hide her queerness and relationship from her very strict, religious parents. And Dawn, working on her film about queer love, which could get her a scholarship for a fresh new start, while she tries to get a grasp of what queer love means to her.

It's a beautiful book. The kind I wish I had access to as a teenager. It celebrates queerness in so many different ways but it also doesn't shy away from portraying the struggles of it. I found bits of myself in each of these characters and it felt extremely comforting to feel that seen and understood. One of the things I also loved about this book is how it really put emphasis on the preciousness of having friends who love you for you, who are going to support you through everything.

The writing style flows very easily and has emotional depth. I also enjoyed the many references to movies, music and poetry. It's full of little details about things that make life beautiful, I found that very endearing.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone, but specifically queer people and even more specifically queer teenagers. It's a book that I believe can bring comfort and joy to so many of us and help us love ourselves even more.

I always think about how different my teen years would have been if there was books like this available. Then I get angry that some kids still won't get the chance to read a story like this. Walls has written a book that should be available in all high school libraries.

Thank you to Levine Querido and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.