Girls Like Girls

March 20, 2023
Musician Kiyoko crafts a pitch-perfect tale about a grieving teen in 2006 grappling with first love in this touching debut, inspired by the viral music video of the same name. Following her mother’s death by suicide, 17-year-old Asian American Coley moves to rural Oregon to live with the father she barely knows. After nearly being run over by their car, Coley falls into a friend group comprising chill stoner Alex, competitive dancer Sonya, and Sonya’s bro-ish on-again, off-again boyfriend Trenton. As Coley struggles to untangle mixed romantic signals from Sonya, Coley also tries persuading her that Trenton’s gaslighting and physically aggressive behavior are red flags. When the girls kiss, Sonya withdraws from Coley, and their connection ruptures. After a series of missteps, Coley finds stability working as a server at a hibachi restaurant and begins connecting with her father. But Sonya’s sudden reappearance upsets Coley’s newfound balance and reignites her buried feelings. Rapid-fire dialogue and Coley’s biting narration drip with early aughts references that signal the time period. Coley and Sonya’s messy emotions and insta-love attraction, plagued by personal fears and external conflicts, buoy this powerfully romantic read. Ages 13–up. Agent: Katelyn Dougherty, Paradigm Entertainment.

April 15, 2023
Two girls wounded by their past relationships grapple with the undeniable intensity of their feelings for one another in this novel based on the pop-star author's popular song and music video. Seventeen-year-old Coley, who is White and Japanese, braces for impact as a minivan hurtles toward her in a parking lot. The crash never comes, but in that moment, she and fierce Sonya, beautiful with her tan skin and dark hair and eyes, collide. Horrible circumstances brought Coley to small-town Oregon; after her mom's suicide, she's raw with grief and stuck living with the dad who abandoned her when she was 3. Wealthy, competitive dancer Sonya feels no less trapped. Afraid of rejection and loneliness, she buries her true self to appease her perfectionist mother and the demanding ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go. Unspoken attraction pulls Coley and Sonya together, but the masks they wear to protect themselves from their pain create a barrier that may keep them apart. Set in the summer of 2006, the novel alternates Sonya's public and private LiveJournal posts that reveal her side of the story with Coley's first-person narration. Sharp, poetic prose heightens the emotional and romantic drama. References to early 2000s pop and alternative music in Sonya's posts create a playlist that sheds more light on her feelings. Coley demonstrates satisfying character growth as she opens up to herself and others. Apart from Coley, most characters are presumed White. A searing romance. (content note) (Romance. 14-18)

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