This was... sweet. Felt like a book from my adolescence, closer to Annie on my Mind or something from the early 00s than anything I've read recently. The MC's struggles with their sexuality felt vaguely anachronistic.

That said, I love a good college story. 3.5 stars.

This was a great freshman novel from Ana Reichardt. (Yes, I chose the word freshman because they are in college.)

Bailey Sullivan has been awarded a scholarship to Alder University, a Catholic University, from her church. She is generally apathetic towards school, and her has trouble finding her place. When she makes a connection to another closeted student, one of her suitemates Noelle, she starts to grow and heal. This is one of those books where you are forced to remember that for a lot of people being gay still comes with consequences. As someone whose wife has told them all about growing up in a very Catholic house, in relation to their coming out, my heart broke for these girls.

This is a true coming out story of a young gay person finding their place in world ,and how to live in it.

Definitely a book to recommend for a lot of readers out there as it follows Bailey who's starting college, finds her friends, path in life, love and all those thing we went through in our early 20's. Bailey comes from catholic family in a small community and the local church is sponsoring her college career. This aspect makes it hard for Bailey to come out as a lesbian and forge her own path.
Apart from the fact that I didn't have a catholic upbringing and am not of the same mindset when it comes to church and being queer, I can understand the difficulties that arise, both within yourself as with your family. Due to the first person pov it was too much for me to read through all her internal judgments and doubts purely based on a religious background without irritation. People who have been in similar situations will recognize a lot though and probably feel more of an emotional connection to the book. So, not a book for me, but I think for many readers out there it's a great fit.

***Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for giving me the chance to read and review this book***

I immediately thought of "Fun Home" when I read this title, and it certainly resonates with the themes of this YA novel. Enamored by the first-person story-telling, I felt very "seen" by the main character's thoughts of how she "had" to like a boy in order to feel normal. Very appropriate for any teen and young adult, "Changing Majors" brings thought to the question of what "should" be done versus what "could" be done.

Characters were clunky in parts and some character story lines were confusing to follow. Thank you for the advance copy!

Changing Majors is a delightful debut by Ana Hartnett Reichardt! I went in expecting a sapphic romance but left with so much more. Beyond the romance (that was so sweet and well done), this is a story about figuring out who you are, and that its never too late to do so. Its about learning to accept and love yourself, and to accept that love from others around you too. Bailey doesn't always make the right choices but she learns from her mistakes and that was one of my favorite things about this book - seeing people and relationships being portrayed with such accurate and beautiful care. Its also about the family you were born into, and the family you choose who chooses you back again and again,

This is definitely a book that many people will relate to and it will strike a chord in your chest. A fantastic NA coming-of-age story, and Ana Hartnett Reichardt is definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Please note that this story deals rather heavily with religion and sexuality, so read with caution.

Changing Majors is a new-adult, coming-of-age story with a fantastic portrayal of relationships - particularly friendships - at that particular stage in your life when you're just starting out as an adult in the world. The friendship between Bailey and her dorm mates (and then the romantic relationship between Bailey and Noelle) were written in a way where you could feel the connection between the characters and the way they care and value each other. It was heartwarming to read.

When we meet Bailey, she's just starting at Alder University, a Catholic college that her church is paying the tuition for her to attend. Bailey knows she's attracted to women but is trying to fight it, as though it's something that can be helped. I remember going through this phase, as I was also bought up very religious. I felt for Bailey during the novel as although she isn't particularly religious, she feels as though this is a part of her that goes against the Catholic values she's been bought up in and that's such a hard thing to shake when you've been indoctrinated for so long.

This novel features a romance between Bailey and Noelle, but I felt the novel was moreso an account of Bailey figuring things out, coming to terms with being queer as well as the perpetual scary question of what should I want to do for the rest of my life. The time we spend following her is messy and a tiny bit chaotic, but it's a great account of this time in your life and I really enjoyed reading Bailey's story, particularly her personal growth.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is a debut author. The book's cover was underwhelming, but as a former Catholic school student who went on to get a degree at a Catholic college, I was intrigued.

Boy am I glad I picked this one up! The author gets so much right about struggling with being open about your sexuality when you are at a religious institution. Reading this in my forties, I was so frustrated with some of Bailey's choices, but I know I may have related to some of them had I read this book in my twenties.

A warning to other readers: If you pocked this one up expecting romance, there is some romance, but this book is mostly about Bailey's journey and not so much about her relationship with Noelle.

When I started this book I had no idea what to expect, to be honest. But the second I started to read, it felt like coming home. I ended up rating this book 4 stars and here is why.

Immediately I fell in love with the friendship that Matt, Luke, Priya, Cassie, Noelle and Bailey have. They meet each other at college and start this new adventure together. They are going through a rollercoaster but at least they do it together. They all value each other for who they are. The group felt so realistic and was fun. Especially the realistic part was important to me. All the characters have their problems, but they find one another and help their friends through the bumps on the road. They had become a second family.

All the characters had such important roles, and I just really like that when it happens in books. Sometimes it feels like characters are just there. They are not that important to the story, but not in this case! Everyone was there for a reason. They all add to the story.

Bailey was figuring out her life in the story. Mainly, what is her sexuality and what does she want in life? Reading this I thought: This is so relatable for so many people. Everyone is figuring out where to go with their life. Want they want. I loved how we were taken on her journey to experiment and grow. I definitely cried a few times. Some parts of the story are very emotional and hit quite hard.

Do keep in mind that religion and sexuality are both an important part of the story. I can imagine that this would be tough to read for some readers.

The book was such a quick read. If I had not been so busy with coursework, I would probably have finished it in one day. Typically, I would read this for instance in the summer at the beach, or when I need a quick and simple read next to my coursework. I do think though that at times the story moved too quickly, which just made it less realistic for me. Also, it felt like things moved so quickly that I barely had the time to process them. Some problems were just resolved too quickly.

Overall, it was a fun, quick, diverse read!

I adore when I find myself yelling at main characters, and I found myself doing that more than a few times in this book. That just goes to show how absolutely real all of the moments felt. I had a visceral reaction to much of the religion vs lifestyle debate and the enormity of injustice and persecution that remains even in 2021. Being in my late 30's I loved getting lost in the chaos that was Bailey finding herself. She was like a deconstructed lego set without a manual and just doing the best her teen mind could do with the blocks she was given. Coming out, finding your people, finding a path or career, finding love, finding a way not to degrade or speak hurtfully to yourself whilst making mistakes? So many wonderful moments to read and get lost in. A coming of age story that makes it easy to reminisce. Oh, to be young again, but this book also makes you take stock and find happiness in having found your own way and own path amidst life's chaos.

4.5 stars. This great debut explores finding yourself as a young queer person, and I highlighted several passages that resonated with me. Reichardt’s writing is humorous and succinct, and I’ll definitely be reading her future books!

Bailey Sullivan (18-19, half Cuban) is starting her freshman year Alder University, a Catholic college. Bailey is a closeted lesbian and isn’t particularly religious, but since she’s on scholarship from her church, she feels duty-bound to Catholic values. She’s majoring in education because it’s what her family has done, but she doesn’t feel any kind of passion for it. Soon Bailey forms a quick bond with five of her dorm mates, and with the support of those bonds, she begins to bloom into her true self.

When Bailey meets her suitemate Noelle Parker, friendship sparks fly instantly, and romantic sparks soon follow. Noelle has a free-spirited daredevil streak, and she and Bailey have some incredibly entertaining banter! Like Bailey, Noelle is closeted and feels pressure to conform to the pressures of Catholic society, and I liked the conversations they have about this. Due to their difficult personal situations, Bailey and Noelle’s relationship has its ups and downs, but I could feel the love between them.

I thought this book would be more of a romance than it is: the first half of the book centers Bailey’s budding romance with Noelle, but the second half is more focused on Bailey’s personal growth. This isn’t a bad thing, especially since it’s pretty much outlined in the blurb, but I personally wish there’d been more Bailey/Noelle scenes. Noelle is such a magnetic force in the first half of the book, so I definitely felt her presence missing when she had less page time.

I love how this book portrays the messy life of a college student. Bailey is nowhere near perfect, and she makes some mistakes that will have you shaking your head in frustration and/or sympathy. I’m not a fan of young characters who are overly perfect and/or mature, so I appreciated all Bailey’s flaws. Though I wish I’d been half as confident as Bailey when I was in college, I related to many of her internal struggles and she felt like someone I would have known.

I do think that more gender-inclusive language could have been used. At one point a pansexual character was described as liking “both men and women,” and “gender non-conforming” was used when I think “nonbinary” would have worked better. However, I do appreciate the variety of queer identities acknowledged.

Overall, I thought this book was an awesome NA coming-of-age story with a heartwarming romance. Since this appears to be the first book in a series, I hope we’ll get to see the love story of one of this book’s side characters!

content warnings: alcohol (recreational), child abuse/neglect (past), divorce, driving while intoxicated, drug use, graphic sex, guilt, homophobia, misogyny, organized religion, sexual assault/dubious consent (committed by side characters), trauma, vomiting

I received an ARC from Ana Reichardt and Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quite the young adult fiction. The characters were great and well developed. I enjoyed the story line and thought it was well written. Bailey transformation was amazing and I was rooting for both her and Noelle the entire time. get a copy. I recommend 4.5 stars.


Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A queer coming of age story set during college? Yeah I’m gonna read it. And I’m gonna love it. I was rooting for Bailey and Noelle the entire time, both within their relationship and as individual people experiencing growth. Plus, all of the side characters were super lovable and exactly what you’d want in a college friend group. One of my only issues with this book was the lack of the word lesbian. It’s definitely used, but not often by Bailey to describe herself.

I found this book more enjoyable than i thought I would. it was well written with great characters and a good storyline. The book started off as a slow burner and got fatsre paced as it went on which hekped build up the atmosphere of the book. Overall I really enjoyed it

This is a YA/New Adult coming out story. Told from Bailey's POV it covers her freshman year at Alder University, a small Catholic college in the Georgia mountains. On day one her "crew" is formed. It includes her roommate Priya (absolute best friend you could ask for), suite mates Noelle and Cassie, and roommates from another floor Matt and Luke. They hang out, eat, play games on the quad, party together and support one another. Bailey comes to realize her sexuality and her attraction to Noelle and it isn't till almost Christmas break that she knows those feelings are returned. But there is more to the story than romance. Bailey finds a passion for a new major and that influences her to try and start a LGBTQ club. But that can have consequences on a catholic campus.

I enjoyed the story and the pacing. It jumps easily from mid-terms to holidays and finals. At the core it is the friendships that you would wish for yourself or your child when starting college. Bailey can be annoying in her impulsiveness and in how she deals with Noelle. There were moments I didn't like her even though I was rooting for her. It doesn't feel like a heavy book although a lot of serious topics are brought out including: LGBTQ rights, sex, consent, underage drinking, driving with an impaired driver, emotional and physical abuse and fear of coming out. The cover says "Alder series" so I will look forward to the next book from there author and see if it follows the gang or others at the University. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bailey Sullivan has been given a scholarship to Alder University, a Catholic school in Georgia. She has had a tumultuous lead up to college in her family life and wants nothing more than to settle in and get her degree. In her first semester she struggles with finding her place in the world, feeling confused about her sexuality and apathy about her chosen major. She finds a niche that she could possible fit in but will the sacrifices needed to make it work be too much?
This was a great debut novel by Ana Hartnett Reichhardt. I struggled with so many of the same things as Bailey, thinking that I had to fit in and follow the natural order of things and feeling like a failure when that didn’t happen. Some of us need time and experience to really grow into our true selves and Bailey’s internal struggles felt very authentic to that struggle. One nitpick, the age on her fake ID would make her 26 in the year it says the book is set in instead of the ‘barely legal’ it claims her to be. This was a great book though and I will definitely be on the lookout for future books by this author. Do yourself a favor and pick it up, especially if you’re in the mood to revisit your emotions from earlier in your life.

This is a YA coming out book largely centred around Bailey Sullivan’s first year of college; where she loses and discovers herself, makes a group of supportive friends and allows herself, love.

The book begins with Bailey simply going with the flow as she prepares herself for education in Alder University. She is aimless and restless but knew anything that could jeopardise her church scholarship was an absolute no go. When she meets Luke and Noelle, she is split no matter her heart’s desires; as certain attraction is frowned upon and unacceptable. In the trial and error world of youth, Bailey makes questionable decisions, some awkward, some undesirable and some that forced her to confront herself. I enjoyed the transformation of Bailey, it was minuscule initially but she cracked a little each time and finally blossomed. I think the book started a tad slow but as the story gained pace and Bailey took control of her life, the effects were empowering. An overall solid debut that would have been better with an epilogue.


I just reviewed Changing Majors by Ana Hartnett Reichardt. Thank You NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Changin Majors was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I didn't particularly like any of the characters but I loved their relationship dynamics. The romance between Bailey and Noelle had some lovely moments and I enjoyed it through the first half of the book. As plot moved on and their relationship got more complicated, I found myself getting annoyed with both of them. The internalized homophobia portrayed in the story isn't something I enjoyed reading about and while religion has its purpose in the plot, it's what made me dislike it in a way. One thing I loved about this book, however, was the pacing. The story had a nice flow that made for a highly enjoyable reading experience.

Overall, this is a book that I didn't really enjoy, but one that I think could be perfect for some audiences.

I honestly didn't know what to expect here. This being my first review for NetGalley feels momentous because of how much I loved Changing Majors.

Bailey is a freshman in a scenic North Georgian Catholic institution called Adler University. There she carves a new home in the college dorm Baker where, in move-in day, she meets 5 other freshmen and they become inseperable (I mean ofc, this is how all legendary friendship starts. It's fate.). Bailey is really just floating, as most college freshmen are. She's choosing to major in education like her mom and grandmother, because that makes sense. But if she's being honest, she doesn't care about it. She also liked a girl in high school but that didn't end well, so she's looking to like a boy in this new life away from home. And she finds a very likeable boy. They would make sense. But she also finds a girl.

[The Baker group (by appearance):
1) Luke, a sweet and smart southern boy who instantly befriends Bailey
2) Priya, sassy and the best girl. She's Bailey's roommate and will be your favorite character
3) Cassie, the sweet suitemate 🥲
4) Noelle, Cassie's roommate
5) Matt, sometimes an asshole but one time a white butt]

The story is told in a more slice of life kind of way but the pacing never felt slow nor uninteresting. I really enjoyed the build up and Bailey's change in voice when she grew more into herself, although sometimes she takes a couple steps back. Such is life. And that's where this book shines. The story felt real and honest therefore also painful and beautiful. Bailey isn't perfect and she makes a lot of rash decisions or non-decisions. I found myself frustrated by some of the characters' actions, but they were necessary and not unnatural, considering their ages and backgrounds.

Being set in a Catholic institution, there are instances of homophobia, but mostly of the internlized variety. There are elements of past and present emotional abuse from parents, both direct and indirect, and it also touched on topics on consent and masturbation. There was also valid points made about Star Wars (as a fan I'm not even mad). Most of the characters were fleshed out but only for what's required for the story which I find unfortunate. Neverthless, I grew to love the side characters as much as the main and her love interest(s).

The dialogue is funny when it means to be, but also meaningful without being in your face preachy. Religion also played a part, but isn't discussed as intimately but more in the general sense of homosexuality as a sin.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read. I finished it in one sitting and loved (almost) every word.

I'm going to miss this gang.