She Loves You, She Loves You Not... [Paperback]

Alyssa is forced to Colorado to live with her mother, a person she barely knows, because her dad finds out that Alyssa is a lesbian. This is almost fine with Alyssa, because things with her girlfriend, and best friends sort of went south and ended poorly. She figures here she can at least start fresh, but everyone refers to her as "Carly's girl". Alyssa doesn't want to be known as her mother's shadow but she isn't strong enough to pave a way for herself. When she meets a girl named Finn while she's out looking for a job, things start to change for Alyssa. She doesn't want to have feelings for everyone, especially if everything will just end badly and hurt all over again. On top of all this she is struggling to uncover her mother's hidden past to see why she was gone all those years.

This was an interesting family drama, about a girl who accidentally comes out to her father (who seems the only person who hadn't already caught on) and how it ends with her being shipped off. It's unfortunate that her father doesn't accept her, maybe it's just the way he found out. Either way it's good to have the perspective of someone that was not accepted by their family. I really loved Arlo from the restaurant. He seemed accepting but sassy (can men be sassy?) and I really enjoyed his commentary throughout the novel. I really enjoy it when you find out what happened to land the main character where they are through short memories scattered throughout the book. It's better than just having it all spilled out. There are secrets and twists and turns and things that keep you wondering. Not only did we have to learn what was in Alyssa's past, but we also got to dive into her mother, Carly's, past. This novel is in the same vein as Julie Anne Peter's other novels, not only about relationships for lesbians, but all the repercussions that surround them--either from being gay, or simply from life itself. Alyssa was left to her own devices much of the time as Carly kept weird hours, and stripped at night. This allowed Alyssa to hang out with Finn, but this is the thing that causes her the most grief. After how bad she got burned in her last relationship, Alyssa doesn't know how to move on really. The mountain air does her good though. If you've enjoyed Julie's other novels you should definitely make sure to pick this one up, it does not disappoint.

First Line:
"The night Sarah and Ben showed up out of the blue."

Favorite Line:
"Through the trees, down a hill, is a magnificent lake seemingly suspended in midair."

Read more: [...]

Sarah Dessen meets GLBT. It's a sweet, wonderfully-written, coming of age novel with a lesbian main character. I'm a huge fan of Julie Anne Peters because she is able to convey so much emotion with her writing and she rarely sugarcoats things. Also, her characters are always incredibly memorable. In She Loves You, She Loves You Not, my favorite character was Arlo. He stole my heart, which is something one of her characters always manages to do when I'm reading Peter's books.

The story was a bit slow-paced, but other than that, I had no complaints. The plot, like I said, reminded me a lot of Dessen's books. Girl moves with her mom to small town, finds a job at at the local restaurant, struggles with her past and what she left behind, and finds a new crush that has a few issues of her own. But the bits and pieces were so interesting to me. For starters I has never read from the point of view of a lesbian character. That was new for me and very eye-opening. Then, I believe that very few times I've read books where a character is on a wheelchair (at the moment I only remember Inside Out and Twilight). Yay for diversity in YA. Last but not least is the mother's career choice. So, definitely a book that brings much more to the table than just a teenage romance.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the story. I cant wait to read what Peters writes next!

She Loves You, She Loves You Not... by Julie Anne Peters follows Alyssa, a girl who has been sent to live with a mother she does not know after being caught in bed with a girl by her father who is a homophobe. Alyssa takes a job in a diner, starts a relationship with a girl and has to get to know a mother whom she has never known and whom works various sketchy jobs including at a strip club. The author also reveals the details of the relationship that Alyssa had that caused her father to disown her.

This was a very good contemporary novel for older teens. There were several layers to the plot and it was a very engrossing read. Alyssa's two romantic relationships, the one that happened before she move and the one that happened in the present both felt real. The relationships she has with her Father, Step Mother and Biological Mother are all very complex and gritty and the ending is not picture perfect. I appreciated that the author developed a main character who did not question her sexuality and who did not have a perfect life where everyone accepted her. This is a book that some will dislike because they can't relate to the characters sexuality, some will like because of the ability to step into a new world and some will love because they will be able to relate to things in Alyssa's life that ring true for many gay teens. Her struggles with coming out to her friends, her fathers homophobia and her girlfriend and friends bisexuality and controlling or disinterested parental figures that don't understand what she needs will ring true to many.

Appropriateness: This is a book that's going to give conservatives fits. It's got quite a bit of sex, one or two sections that are fairly descriptive (although nothing that resembles anything you'd find in adult romance novels), some drinking and talk of strip clubs and prostitutes (Alyssa's mom works in a strip club which Alyssa visits and Alyssa accuses her mother of being a high priced call girl) . Alyssa's destructive behaviors are not viewed positively and the book is about a girl whose life has fallen apart. The book is appropriate for its intended audience of high schoolers (who are frequently reading adult books) and is the type of book that will be read by kids who need to read a story like this to know they are not alone in their struggle to find themselves. While I certainly would not give this book to a middle schooler I would not tear it away from one either but rather be sure to discuss the many issues that are found in the book.

Review copy obtained from publisher