I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

A cute premise but didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she's been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita.

But then everything changes.

Despite the pretty cover and blurb I had a hard time getting into this book. It felt more like a manual of sorts instead of a book. Some days I'm into the whole insta love thing other days I'm not. Today I'm not and wasn't a fan of the love triangle.

This was my first book by the author but I'd definitely give her other books a shot!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. The message is excellent. Sex education needs to actually be imparting knowledge, not an attempt to shame kids into abstinence. The facts contained within the book are solid and informative. Unfortunately, it sort of lost the plot as an object of interest by making it seem like more of a non-fiction info dump. I'm giving it three stars for the success of educating young adults, but cannot recommend it for entertainment.

As much as I wanted to get into this novel, it just didn’t work for me. Love triangles, insta-love… it just seemed like a few too many cliches for me. Thank you netgalley for my copy.

This was super cute! I love how sex-positive this is (and the title is awesome) - we need more books like this in YA!

Some teens will love this book, but I think it's a more difficult read as an adult. The sexual health information is solid and though some of the characterization and plot is stodgy as an adult, many teens i know would enjoy it.

Lacey, Theo and Evita are best friends who are prepping for college. In one of her classes Lacey realizes that the school is promoting abstinence but not tackling the fact that teens are having sex. Lacey begins a fight for birth control as if that is not enough on her plate, she has been having feelings for one of her friends which could lead to a big falling out.

I thought this was good but Lacey seemed much more mature then an average seventeen year old. A bit angsty at times but overall the message is solid. I thought it brought up some good points but ran on a bit.

Lacey is starting her senior year of high school and she’s hoping that maybe, just maybe, she’ll have her first kiss soon. Only problem, the one guy she wants happens to be one of her best friends (and he dated their other best friend AND he currently has a girlfriend).

Lacey decides that it’s time to make a difference in her life; she speaks up about the curriculum for her health and safety class (teaching only abstinence doesn’t work folks!), and then she changes her internship from music to being a doula. She and her friends make it their mission to educate their fellow students about sexual health and consent with the hopes that if people actually talk about it it might help to make it such a taboo which leads to putting teens at risk.

Things get real real quick though when their whole operation is at risk for getting them possibly expelled. Will all their hard work pay off?

I wish I had a book like this as a teen. I didn’t understand consent as a teen, and I’m so glad that teens today have a book like this and you better be damn sure my children will understand about consent and sexual health. It isn’t the best plotted story, but the message is an important one. There is some explicit content. Recommend for libraries.

This book lacked any maturity or substance to make me want to read more than a few pages, unfortunately, just not the book for me.

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. When Lacey sees first-hand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls' restroom. The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me is so prevalent right now, and offers a message that so many teenagers--and adults--need to hear about sex education.

A cute novel that shows how proper sex ed is so much more and so much more important than abstinence only education.

The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me is a young adult contemporary novel by Olivia Hinebaugh. There were a few things I didn't love about this novel, but overall I thought it was still a good read. The good certainly outweighed my few gripes. So let's start with the good. The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me is a novel that is both very educational and was a cute coming of age story. I really enjoyed our main character, Lacey( most of the time). And I loved her friendship with Theo and Evita. Her friend group was my favorite part of the story.

And now for the few things I didn't love. Lacey sometimes came off as a little whiny, which could be aggravating, but then again, one could also say it was pretty age appropriate. She did irk me sometimes, but I appreciated her overall message and journey. Speaking of the message of the novel, I loved that The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me was so informative and had such an educational message worked into the story. However; at times the book came off as a bit too clinical, and not so fictional. But I do love that there were good adult role models in the story, and that The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me encouraged such an open dialogue. That was simply fantastic.

The story itself was funky and fun. I loved how much Olviia Hinebaugh worked music into the story, since it was such a big part of Lacey and her friend's lives. It helped lighten the tone of the story significantly, which really helped to balance out some of the heavier topics explored. Overall, this novel was a good balance of serious and fun. I enjoyed how different it was than so many high school contemporary novels out there.

Looking forward to reading more by this author. I loved this story, the characters, the pacing, and will gladly recommend it to my customers.

I enjoyed this book because it managed to deliver and important message while still maintaining a romantic edge.

This was such a fun, sex-positive book!
It is the kind of book that teens need to read and it should be available in every school library.
So many kids today need to read this real portrayal of teen-life. I wish I had it when I was younger.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me this review copy!

I ended up not finishing this book. It felt very preachy in the beginning. It didn't grab my attention.

4.5 out of 5 stars! Fiercely feminist main character -- check, viola player -- check, ace BFF -- check! My daughter is a fiercely feminist, viola playing, asexual teen, so really there was almost no chance I wasn't going to loveTHE BIRDS, THE BEES, AND YOU AND ME, but it still surprised me. I was surprised by how much I loved Lacey, Theo, and Evita. The complex relationships explored and the bonds of friendship stretched were incredibly realistic. The choices that the three of them face as high school seniors are typical, but no less intense because of that. When Lacey pushes back against her school's archaic and factually inaccurate abstinence-only program that attempts to shame teens into not having sex, things go hilariously wrong. Lacey and her friends appoint themselves the sexperts, even though Lacey has never had sex, herself. They offer advice in the bathroom and provide covert access to condoms, until they get caught and suspended. But Lacey's no wallflower and she fights the system with her mother's support.

Plot
This is really a story of standing up for what you believe in and the enduring bonds of friendship more than a romance. There is a romantic subplot involving Lacey and Theo, but Evita's past relationship with Theo, before she realized she was ace, only complicates this. How the three best friends navigate their life goals, their determination to bring comprehensive sex education to their peers, and balancing loyalty is what drives this story and that's where it really shines. The romantic elements serve more of a supporting role. The author doesn't let her characters off without facing the consequences of their actions, making it believable. She weaves humor throughout the story, creating a lighthearted tale that could easily have taken on a darker tone.

The Characters
This is really a character-driven story more than anything else, and the characters are utterly delightful. While this is Lacey's story, all three have their own arcs and grow over the course of the book. Lacey's knowledge of sex, without any firsthand experience, is a breath of fresh air. I wish more teen girls were this comfortable with the topic. Evita, as the leader of the trio, is fierce, funny, and loyal -- everything you want in a BFF. Theo is a delightful third, the only boy in their close-knit group, who lends a little testosterone to all the estrogen flying around.

Top Five Things I Loved AboutTHE BIRDS, THE BEES, AND YOU AND ME
1. Representation. As the mother of an ace teen, I loved seeing such a strong ace character who was true to herself and didn't end up in a romantic relationship.

2. Comprehensive sex ed. Another topic near and dear to my heart handled, with a responsible, fact-based approach.

3. Music. A cello, a viola, and rock music. What's not to love?

4. Friendships. I love that the friendship is the primary focus over the romance. While romance plays a part, the enduring friendship is the glue holding everything together.

5. An honest portrayal of teen pregnancy. Nothing is sugar coated, but it's not presented as shameful either. Really well done.

Bottom Line
A book about friendship, personal responsibility, and the value of education, wrapped with humor and heart.

I enjoyed the feminism and voice of Lacey through dialogue. The humour and power was shown all the way through, and it definitely lived up to my hopes.

I am all about those feminist books, especially when they explore sex ed and sexism. Sex ed is so important, and yet schools never do a good job with it. When I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it. You should too.

This book is so, so important. I love that Lacey stands up for herself and her peers when she becomes fed up with the school system failing them. It’s powerful, and relevant. Also, talking about how women are judged more harshly than men, and how women are often the ones left with the consequences of not knowing enough about safe sex, is vital. I loved that this book tackled such important topics in such an accessible way.

I also loved Lacey’s relationship with her mom. The fact that her mom was young when she had Lacey fleshes out both characters, and explains why Lacey understands so clearly why sex ed is so important. Her mom being a nurse means she also has more knowledge than many of her classmates do. Parents should be having open, informative conversations about sex - including protection and consent. But schools also need to ensure that their education system includes sex ed (and not just “don’t have sex it’s a sin”).

My only complaint is that the romance is a little cheesy and cliche. I was a bit frustrated with it because I found it very predictable, but not really in a positive way. It seemed like some unnecessary tension that the plot didn’t really need. But that’s just my opinion.

The Birds, The Bees, And You and Me is an important book, and I enjoyed that it tackled an important topic and features a healthy mother-daughter relationship. I liked the romance, aside from some unnecessary drama.