I'm critical of my queer fiction because I read so much of it. The writing style was a little awkward and cringy for me, but I think it would be fine for teens being introduced to queer YA fiction, and we need more stories like this.

I had never read a hi-lo book before! (If you're like me and you didn't know, it means that it's for struggling or reluctant readers, which means that the pace is faster) It was quite an experience, to be honest, not at all what I'm used to, but then again... I'm not the target of this book!
I think the story is important, as it represents queer youth and it's nice to have it as something normal. I'm hoping more titles like this one can join our libraries, because as educators it is part of our job to pave the way for a more respectful and inclusive society.
Thanks, Netgalley, for providing the book in exchange for an honest review!

I won't be critiquing the writing style or the pacing of this book, as I understand this is a hi/lo novel meant for struggling readers. This book specifically isn't one I'd usually be interested in reading, but I like that it encourages reading!

Overall, I think it's great to include bi representation, and the idea that bi people do have to struggle with their identity within LGBTQA+ spaces isn't a topic I've seen brought up in many books. I wasn't a huge fan of Freyja, but that's more of a personal preference than one that affects the rating of the book. It really would be nice to see more books come out discussing complex topics about sexuality and fluidity, as there aren't many out there that go beyond the typical.

This book is one that I personally did not care for. I found many of the characters unrelatable (despite different sexual preferences) and just unlikeable. I think the author, Mette Bach is a talented writer, it just so happens based off the description versus when I already read the book, I did not care for it.

I actually was only interested in this because I loved the cover and was pleasantly surprised to find I loved the story just as much.

I got an ARC of this book.

It isn't often that I find a protagonist who is so open and proud of her sexuality doubting it again. I NEEDED this book. There is so many issues with bisexual representation that a book about a lesbian identified person coming to terms with having feelings for a man sounded like it would either be amazing or it would be terrifying. I couldn't imagine an in between. 

Bach nailed this book. It was perfect. There were so many parts that had me beyond happy: the assumption that boys and girls can't be friends, the assumption that someone "turned straight" instead of being bisexual, the feeling of such adamant pride in being queer that Freyja couldn't give in to her feelings, the respect that Sanjay had to Freyja, and the final "you're you" idea. It was just such a wonderful story about coming to terms, again, with your sexuality and what that meant.

I was Frehja is high school. I was the out and proud lesbian. I wore a rainbow flag as a cape on more than one occasion even. I was part of every single pride event and protest I could find. Then I started dating a man. The school wouldn't shut up. Freyja was abandoned by her queer friends for "turning straight", I wasn't thankfully. It was so wonderful to see a story so close to my heart play out and be this wonderful HEA type story. I want a sequel that talks about what happens after high school. 

The book covers a super complex issue of sexuality in such an easy way. It was wonderful to see Frehja angst about everything, but then two people around her had really simple answers that boiled down to "you're you" which was honestly the advice I gave to so many baby queer people as they were trying to figure themselves out. You just are you. The label part can come later, just be. It was a validation of so much of my life. 

I highly recommend this book for queer people in particular. Sexuality and gender are fluid and always developing. It is easy to get into an us vs them or gay vs straight mentality, which doesn't allow for that growth and doesn't allow for people to fully express themselves without dear. This book shows that so wonderfully.

This isn't a normal contemporary. You're You is a hi/lo title, intended for struggling and reluctant readers. This means the pace of the story is higher than what most of us are used to - or even better: than what most of us prefer. It also means the vocabulary used is simple. All these things made reading this novel that more special.
I honestly expected the quick pace to get on my nerves because there was bound to be some form of insta-love, but I'm happy to say it didn't. I liked how the story progressed, even with the obvious fast pace.

As for the subjects touched upon, there's mention of food accesibility, which plays a huge role in how Freyja and Sanjay meet. Apart from that, there's obviously the focus on the LGBTQIA+-spectrum. I love how this novel conveys the message that sexuality is fluid. It isn't because you identify with a specific label at first, it cannot be adapted later on. It can. Reading that in a story is refreshing and much-needed. I don't think I've ever read a novel where characters go from one LGBTQIA+-label to another one. I dare say we need more of those!

Honestly, because it's a hi/lo novel, the pace is up there and I think that had an obvious impact on the character development - or lack thereof. I would've loved more fleshed out characters but I realize that's a hard thing to accomplish in such a short.. page-span. It's just the way I prefer things, but I also accept the fact that struggling - or reluctant - readers might prefer this novel over more worked out ones.

I honestly hope there's a novel like this one out there somewhere with more of a regular pace and fleshed out characters - simply because I want a novel like that for "regular" readers as well. You're You conveys an important message and for that, I absolutely adore it.

4 / 5!

This was an interesting looking at sexual identity and how we define ourselves. The main character, Freyja, I often found unlikable and did not care when the GSA ganged up on her. I wouldn't recommend this if you have an issue with unlikable characters.

You're You is a rapidly evolving story of 17 year old Freyja and her journey to discover her sexuality. Freyja has always identified as an out and loud lesbian; she even heads up her schools GSA (gay-straight alliance). When her girlfriend dumps her and she meets Sanjay, a boy who shares her values, Freyja is forced to confront her feelings.

You're You takes a quick look inside the mind of a teenage girl as she discovers that sexuality can be fluid. The timeline is accelerated in just 184 pages, making this story a quick read. That is not to say there is anything lacking here, though. I applaud Mette Bach for creating a narrative that can cover so much ground in so few pages.

There is something to be said for books geared towards LGBTQ+ youth, especially ones that won't take you days or weeks to finish. This book took me about two hours to read but left me with so many things to consider that I doubt it'll leave me any time soon. Not only does Freyja have to confront her feelings and sexuality, she's forced to take a step back and look at her own character. I loved seeing her evolve and take steps to make herself a better person.

On top of that, I adore being able to see inside the mind of a strong personality. Often times teenagers will make up their own minds about why someone acts the way they do. They can spout hateful things, judging someone who acts differently. This book takes you into the head of Freyja who seems to be a born leader, bulldozing over anyone who gets in her way. I implore young adults to take a chance on this book; there are several lessons to be learned here.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and James Lorimer & Company for this early release copy.

Our MC Freyja is a 17 year old activist who identifies as an out lesbian.
That is until her girlfriend breaks up with her and she meets a boy she's actually attracted to.

I thought the author did a fantastic job addressing the inner turmoil Freyja had with being attracted to a boy since so much of her personality and lifestyle were wrapped up in her identity as a lesbian. Realizing she may be bisexual or pansexual and trying to feel out how this all fits into her life was handled beautifully.

I did dislike how Sanjay pursued Freyja with disregard to her sexuality.
“It doesn’t matter to me if you think of yourself as a lesbian.”
That line I found especially bothersome.

Overall I thought it was well written and a quick read (less than 200 pages).
This was my first book by Mette Bach.
You have my interest Mette and I look forward to checking out more of your work!

Okay. So this is a very cute, fluffy, GOOD representation of sexuality and its fluidity.

BUT. Let’s talk downers quickly. This is an insanely fast read, which makes for very quick pacing. There is very little character development here, aside from Freyja realizing that, 1) she can be a bit overbearing when it comes to the GSA, and 2) she is bisexual (whereas she identified as a lesbian before). Things go by extremely fast and sure, you can keep up just fine, but the story feels very rushed. So that was the downer for me.

NOW! On to more important things, like the content!!

This had a lot of good in it. I honestly love that the author took the time to make Freyja normal, with normal teenage relationships. Sometimes whenever authors pen characters who exist in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, they tend to overdue it. They over-represent these characters as overly loving, not loving enough, too sharp, too softspoken, etc etc. I know that it may seem hard to get it right there in the middle, but the beautiful thing about these characters is that they are JUST like the straight characters!! There is no need to write them any differently, besides their sexuality. And Mette Bach clearly knows this, because she wrote Rachel and Freyja’s relationship so normal and relatable. She wrote Freyja’s every day actions and thoughts like anyone else’s, and that was a nice change. Gay people are still normal people (I can’t believe I even have to say this).

One of the big struggles for Freyja in this story is learning about just how fluid her sexuality is, and I’m so, so, so glad that Mette Bach let Freyja’s character follow her heart and desires instead of making her turn against what she wanted for the sake of labels (we hate labels here).

Overall, I think that this is the type of book that anyone struggling with their sexuality, no matter what the conditions may be, would relate to. It could benefit to have more length so that the pacing doesn’t suffer quite so much, but the message and the content really are worth the read.

Also wanted to share this little tidbit from the book that made me actually Laugh Out Loud: “North American’s aren’t afraid of dictators. But they’re afraid of spiders.” Gladys popped OFF.

Bland and paint-by-numbers feeling writing gives the activist concepts a really preachy feel that's a disservice to the reality behind them. I was disappointed to realize this wasn't (as I thought from the thumbnail of the cover) a book about a black queer girl. In the end it's just not that interesting: there are many books I'd recommend before this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I read this book in less than an hour. Even though it is short, it packs a lot of punch! Freyja, the main characters is in a happy relationship with her girlfriend and has never once thought about being with a boy. She is a leader at her school in the LBGT population and has started the GSA there, which she is the president of. She also helped organize the first Pride parade in her town. She is super happy. She thinks anyways. Then her girlfriend Rachel breaks up with her for another girl. And she is kind of lost without Rachel after two years of the relationship. So she signs up to work at the food pantry to better another cause and distract herself. It works really well. So well, in fact, that Frejya meets a boy whom she becomes friends with and she really likes him. She is confused about her feelings and it takes her some time to figure things out. And she does which is the great part of this book. She learns that she is not only one thing and she can be open to other people, men or women. Frejya really matures and the out come of the story is sweet. Definitely worth reading! Honest, emotional and raw feelings! Loved this book!!!

You're You, an LGBTQ Young Adult by Mette Bach was a superb read for me. This was my first read by this author and I read it within a 12 hour time span (between being at work and amongst other things). The story starts out with the main character, Freyja, and her girlfriend of two years, Rachel, recording a V-Log entitled Coming Out the Closet for YouTube. You can sense an amazing chemistry between the teens straight off bat, but trouble is brewing on the horizon as Rachel feels as if Freyja puts her humanity and activist involvements before her, which eventually causes the relationship between the two to fizzle and burn out. To help her cope with her disappointment at the ending of her long term lesbian relationship, Freyja signs up to volunteer at a local food bank where she meets a totally hot Indian guy (who is also a senior like she is, but attends a different high school) named Sanjay and he shakes up her world and everything she believed she knew about herself and her views upon being a "hardcore" lesbian.

Freyja goes through many different emotions as she tries to determine if she is indeed attracted to a "boy" if all she has ever been is a lesbian. Sanjay knows and respects Freyja's sexual preference but he can't help but be attracted to the blonde dread wearing, nose pierced, quirky, outspoken, and humanity loving girl that she is. As their friendship continues to grow, the pair come to realize that they have tons in common and fall in love, although Freyja doesn't want to admit that she is in love with a guy. It takes a conversation with her hands-on "Gram" to realize that she has been in denial about her feelings for Sanjay because she was too concerned about what her peers at school, GSA members, and online viewers would think of her. Thankfully, Freyja realizes that she can love whomever she chooses to because the rainbow is made up of many colors and LGBTQ has many more letters than just the letter "L".

I really enjoyed reading this book and the author portrayed the angst, raw emotion, and "confusion" that Freyja felt about her sexuality in a very beautiful way. I would definitely recommend this book to others and I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.

Freyja and Rachel ran a vlog and blog between them even arrange a pride march through their town to celebrate others in love like them on the LGBTQIA+ scale.



However, when Rachel suddenly breaks up with her, she's stunned and heartbroken. Realising whilst throwing out her comfort food wrappers and packaging, she realises others wouldn't get to indulge in her luxury food time from heartbreak or even in normal day to day life.



She sets out volunteering at the local food bank and she meets Sanjay, a team leader working there whom she works with closely as they sort through packets and tins of food for those in need.



However back at school, her now ex begins dating a fellow student in the gay straight alliance group she runs though soon her leadership of the group is in question as she begins to question her sexuality after feeling things for Sanjay after they get close...



All about discovering who you are and what Matt's to you as well as realising sexuality is fluid and it takes time to realise where you for and that's completely okay even if others judge. Freyja is a relatable character as many teens will question these same things, her family is also unconventional as she lives with her gran and dad while her Mum is relatively absent in her life. The book raises important issues of environmental and social issues as not everyone can afford food even on your own street.



Relatable to any LGBTQIA+ teenager proving it's okay to be who you are.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!