Pulp by Robin Talley - Review

Where did I get it? I was poking around Netgalley and it was appearing as a "read now". I don't know enough about Netgalley to say whether that was just for me or generally or what, but I'd been wanting to read this book so I immediately downloaded it. Then, because I'm trying to read books I'm excited about straight away rather than put them off for months (I don't know why I do that) I started it just after the Maggie Stiefvater book. Thank you Negalley gods, anyway!

What's it about? It's about the lesbian pulp fiction books of the 1950s, which I'd heard of but don't know much about. There's a dual narrative. In 1955 we meet Janet, who's just graduated from high school and who is in love with her best friend Marie. The times mean that they can't be together; Marie's government job means that they have to be even more careful. Janet buys a pulp fiction book and falls in love with the genre and feels validated because she didn't know there were so many girls like her. She writes to the author and receives a reply, so begins to write her own book about two girls falling in love. 

In the other narrative we meet Abby, who is seventeen in 2017 and in her senior year of high school, about to apply to colleges. She and her girlfriend Linh broke up a few months ago and Abby's struggling with the feelings she still has for Linh. She loves lesbian pulp fiction books and wants to know what happened to an author called Marian Love. She also starts to write her own book in the genre, although she's trying to subvert the tropes. Her parents are falling apart but Abby buries herself in the mystery of what happened to Marian Love.

Interspersed are extracts from the novels mentioned, which I really liked reading. I would definitely read one of them in full! 

I liked the book, it's fun and moving all at the same time. I liked the stuff about how the 1950s and in particular McCarthyism meant that Janet couldn't be out about who she was. I liked that she got some good lesbian experiences, though - she has sex and she meets other lesbians in a bar. I liked that you could see the difference that sixty years of civil rights movements have made and that although things aren't perfect for Abby in 2017, she's able to be out to her family and has a ton of queer friends around her. I like how politically engaged both girls were, that's very relevant to today's teens. I liked the ending, it felt very real and was a happyish ending even if not perfect. 

I felt like some of the stuff about writing and getting published was quite meta, I felt like there was a lot of Robin's own experiences in there, which didn't detract at all from the book but which made me - an aspiring author - laugh a bit. I'm glad Robin put these bits in, it feels like she probably had fun with them. 

What age range is it for? 14+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Obviously! There's a non binary person too which was nice to see although they were a secondary character. 

Are any main characters people of colour? Linh is Vietnamese American and Abby is Jewish, although these aren't central themes to the book but are mentioned. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, it's really lovely 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No I don't think so 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, somewhat violent but not explicit 

Are there swear words? Not that I recall 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none, I got a bit frustrated with Abby towards the end of the book, but I did feel sympathetic towards her 

Would I recommend the book? Yes absolutely. 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? It's ages since I read anything by Robin and I've heard really amazing things about this book so I wanted to see for myself. 

What other books is it like? It is like Robin's other books and like Becky Albertalli's. The stuff with Abby really reminded me of Leah on the Offbeat. 

How many stars? Eight out of ten! Lovely book, I'm glad I read it

As I Descended by Robin Talley - Review

Where did I get it? From Netgalley, thank you so much to Harlequin UK Children's. This is out on September 6th. I'm three for three on Robin's books now, she is definitely one of my current favourite authors. 

What's it about? This is a modern retelling of Macbeth set in a private boarding school in Virginia. Maria and Lily are a couple in their last year of school. They want to go to Standford University together, but Maria needs to win the prestigious Kingsley Prize in order for that to happen. The thing standing in her way is Queen Bee Delilah, who gets high at the weekend. So Maria decides to sabotage her by drugging her the day before a drug test. 

The novel begins with Maria, Lily, and Maria's best friend Brandon using a ouija board. The spirits start to talk to Maria and the whole thing is incredibly creepy and atmospheric. There's loads of rumours about horrible things that have happened at the school and about the spirits that surround the place. Brandon begins to become

suspicious about Maria's involvement in what happened to Delilah and confides in his boyfriend Mateo. 

The novel changes perspective quite often which I liked because it meant the reader got lots of information that the others didn't know. I liked Maria, even though she's the "baddie" of the novel; she's Macbeth. I really liked Mateo, who's perspective we only get towards the end. A really tense, atmospheric, and cleverly done novel. 

What age range is it for? 15+.

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes. I'll trigger warning for some homophobia, but mainly the queer characters are treated very well.

Are any main characters people of colour? Maria and Mateo are both Hispanic; it's mentioned a lot and is used as part of the narrative. I liked it. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, Lily is disabled from an accident when she was younger and again it's mentioned a lot and is definitely part of her story. 

Is there any sex stuff? No, just some kissing and sharing of beds. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, we see Delilah use oxycontin and then see her high when Maria drugs her. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, it's sort of a central tenet. Some of it is quite gory. 

Are there swear words? Not many 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, totally. Robin has such a way with words and where her previous novels have been very realistic, this proves that she can move into the world of fantasy quite easily. I loved the setting and the main characters. 

How many stars? Eight out of ten, it's really good. 

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley - Review

Where did I get it? I bought it off Wordery along with the rest of the Carnegie shortlist. I picked it up because my friend Stacey (who was responsible for my buying all the Carnegie shortlist in the first place) was raving about it.

What's it about? It's set in 1959 in Virginia, just after the county has decided that the schools must be integrated. White parents have been fighting it, and black parents have been fighting for it, and eventually ten students are chosen to attend the white school. Sarah and her sister Ruth are two of them. Sarah is a senior, about to graduate from school to attend college. She's had feelings for girls before, but has tried to ignore them.

As soon as the black students arrive, they're subjected to horrible racist abuse and viciously violent attacks. Then Sarah comes up against Linda, whose dad is horribly racist and whose views she's absorbed. The two are put together on a joint project, and argue with one another. Linda's views start to change and eventually the two kiss. 

What age range is it for? 15+ I think. The violence and abuse aren't tempered in any kind of way and are hard to read. Just to read the n-word being slung around so much is difficult. 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes, but it's not framed in those terms. Sarah really struggles with her identity for quite a bit of the novel, She talks about the Bible condemning homosexuality so be aware of that

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, I mean that is very much the point. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No

Is there any sex stuff? No, just some kissing. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No

Is there any talk of death? A little, and I will warn again for graphic violence. 

Are there swear words? No, but there are plenty of racial slurs as I said. For me, living in 2016 in Britain, it was hard to read them. I do understand that keeping the novel historically real was needed, though. 

Would I recommend the book? Yes. I didn't love it, but I did like it. Sarah is a really lovely, flawed, human heroine; I loved her. Linda is a good antagonist, too. I loved the ending - it felt really hopeful and sweet. 

How many stars? Six out of ten. 

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley, so thank you very much Harlequin books! 

What's it about? Toni and Gretchen have been together since junior year of high school, and they're about to go to university in Boston together. Only then Gretchen says she's going to New York University, but they're determined to stay together. Toni doesn't use pronouns for anyone (which is a bit odd to read at first but then you get used to it), and when Toni arrives at Harvard, Toni joins an LGBTQ+ association and makes some friends. Toni starts to think hard about what Toni's gender presentation is, and how that affects Toni's life and Gretchen's. The story is told in alternating chapters, with some flashbacks to high school. 

What age range is it for? 15+, right up to 19, as that's the approximate age of the protagonists.  

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Obviously yes. in fact, there's a whole range of genders and sexualities represented, all equally valid, but not in a way that feels preachy or forced. I will warn and say that Gretchen's friend Carroll is really transphobic in a number of places. 

Are any main characters non-white? Yep, a few. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? I don't think so.

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, but it's not explicit 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No 

Is there any talk of death? No 

Are there swear words? No, in fact I think it's self-censored in a couple of places. For instance, in one of Toni's parts there's a line like "I utter a few swear words". 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, definitely. If you're a teen questioning gender, it's probably invaluable because lots of stuff is talked about. If your partner is questioning their gender, likewise. Gretchen often shies away from asking questions because she doesn't want to upset Toni. If you're a teen who just likes in-depth prose, this is definitely worth it, you'll probably learn something.

I also loved how Toni and Gretchen were at college - that's not something I see often in YA. It made an effective end to how they'd been at high school and made life a lot more open for them. I liked how Toni was stressed about life at Harvard quite apart from the gender stuff. I liked how Gretchen went out in New York. 

How many stars? 9 out of 10. Practically perfect!