Juliet Takes a Breath

Books | Young Adult Fiction / LGBTQ

4.4

(5.3K)

Gabby Rivera

"F***ing outstanding."--Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling authorJuliet Milagros Palante is a self-proclaimed closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx. Only, she's not so closeted anymore. Not after coming out to her family the night before flying to Portland, Oregon, to intern with her favorite feminist writer--what's sure to be a life-changing experience. And when Juliet's coming out crashes and burns, she's not sure her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan--sort of. Her internship with legendary author Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women's bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff, is sure to help her figure out this whole "Puerto Rican lesbian" thing. Except Harlowe's white. And not from the Bronx. And she definitely doesn't have all the answers . . . In a summer bursting with queer brown dance parties, a sexy fling with a motorcycling librarian, and intense explorations of race and identity, Juliet learns what it means to come out--to the world, to her family, to herself.

Coming Of Age

Lgbtq+

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More Details:

Author

Gabby Rivera

Pages

320

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2019-09-17

ISBN

0593108175 9780593108178

Community ReviewsSee all

"3 - Well done. The narrative really drew me into this. The raw, unfiltered emotion from Juliet was so well done and it was clearly included in the narrative. The two negative things that stood out for me was the miscommunication and Juliet’s cheating. Harlowe never really asks Juliet for her opinion for a lot of things, she just does things. That really frustrated me. "

haven

""Your one job is to just accept what a person feels comfortable sharing about themselves. No one owes you info on their gender, body parts, or sexuality." Juliet Takes a Breath was such a good read. This book is interesting because Juliet has a certain set of ideals at the beginning, and you see those challenged and broken down throughout the book. It was cool to watch her grow as the book progressed. Some parts of the book felt clunky with Juliet learning definitions and new things, but it does fit with the story. I think the things she was learning about could have been woven a little more tightly into the story with editing, but the reading experience was still fine. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary novels that don't have a ton of plot, but this one worked for me. I like Juliet a lot, and her enthusiasm for learning is admirable. I would definitely check out another book from Gabby Rivera, and I would also read more about Juliet if another book ever exists."

Emily

"I've been unable to read anything, but sci-fi and fantasy for a while now. This is the first novel outside of that genre that sucked me in for a minute and omg I CONSUMED IT. It is a must read. This is simply one of the best books I've ever read 😍💜🔥✨ The book is about a young woman discovering herself as a queer woman of color. It's about the difference between intersectional feminism and white feminism, the difficulty and beauty of relationships, being awkward, learning humbly, family... I can't rave more about it. It'd be the perfect gift for anyone, but particularly for young queer people."

Reading into the Void

"A Good Girl's Guide to Murder"

Drey

"This book is powerful; it really sends a message about the strength of women, especially women of color, and the power of feminism and the impact it has on teenage girls like Juliet. Being a gay Latina myself, I related hard. Like Gabby Rivera took bits of my life and wrote them into this book."

Camy Plata-Sanchez

"The queer principles of kit webb is one I'm reading."

Jesse Keiser

"I’ve read it maybe 3 times"

Stephanie Salgado

"10/10 recommend, the story features LGBT relationships and characters but I believe it’s a great read for everybody, especially young people trying to find confidence in themselves. "