Body Grammar is a much needed contemporary lesbian story with a great breadth of LGBT+ representation.

It's a little slow to start and the prose style is pretty plain, but it becomes a very engaging story once Lou ends up in the modeling world. I appreciate the depth afforded by this being written by a queer author herself. It's certainly more elevated than a lot of queer YA literature and I think makes a great stepping stone for readers looking to get into classic or literary queer writings. I also loved the expiration of androgyny.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book. I am a sucker for anything set in the fashion world, and this book didn't disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book.

"Body Grammar" is an engaging and thought-provoking novel that tells the story of a young girl named Lainey who dreams of becoming a model. Set in the fast-paced and competitive world of fashion, the book explores the challenges and opportunities that come with pursuing a career in modeling.

One of the things that I enjoyed about "Body Grammar" is the way that the author captures the glamour and excitement of the fashion industry. Ohman has a talent for describing the details of fashion shows and photo shoots in a way that makes the reader feel like they are there, experiencing it firsthand.

Another standout feature of "Body Grammar" is the character development. Lainey is a complex and relatable protagonist, and the reader can't help but root for her as she navigates the ups and downs of the modeling industry. The supporting characters are also well-drawn, and each one adds depth and nuance to the story.

The writing in "Body Grammar" is engaging and fast-paced, and Ohman has a talent for creating tension and drama. The book is also filled with insights and observations about the fashion industry and the role that physical appearance plays in our culture.

Overall, "Body Grammar" is a captivating novel that will appeal to anyone who is interested in the fashion industry or enjoys coming-of-age stories. It is a well-written and engaging book that is sure to keep the reader hooked until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun and entertaining read.

I think people can find aspects of Lou to relate to. It was interesting to hear about their emotions and experiences finding them self throughout the industry and society. I love a romance component in a book, so this hit the spot.

Queer lit has a special place in my heart, because these are stories that seem to be the ones under attack most. Body Grammar is incredibly moving, and I found the setting very insightful. As someone who struggles to understand the world of art and fashion, this story introduced me to things that I wouldn't otherwise know about, while providing a powerful queer narrative that kept me turning the pages.

The prose here was elegant and breezy--loved that aspect of it. By the end, things got too aimless for my personal tastes, though I'm sure people who like less conclusive/more meditative novels will love this all the way through the ending. Overall a good read, and one whose writing I will be revisiting for closer study.

4/5

This is a very promising debut and I will definitely look for Ohman's work going forward. I would have actually liked if this were a longer book, which is saying a lot.

A tender, sharp, and gorgeous story! Great for anyone who enjoyed Nina LaCour's Yerba Buena or Julie Buntin's Marlena. I listened to the whole thing in a day and surprised myself with how drawn in I was to the story. Lou is a young model in NYC contemplating a tumultous desire for her adolescent best friend among a tragedy that left them scattered. I loved watching Lou grow and shift and found the story entirely compelling in its exploration of identity.

I respected this one, but I think I picked it up at the wrong time to truly enjoy the craftsmanship of it. A second round purchase for most libraries

Love love love LOVE this. So much more than I was expecting. I read the first 10% and set it aside for a while because I didn't think I was in the mood to read about some extremely successful model who didn't know she was so beautiful and skinny. But this book had less to do with thinness and beauty than it did identity and love. It's more of a love story and a story of finding what you love and drifting through life. I dunno. It just felt so lived in and realistic, like you slide through the story as if its a dream. You don't fall in love with main character Lou and you don't obsess over the plot, but you love every moment anyway. It's real without being annoying. A marvel to me.

I think this is a case of I'm not the target age range for the story. This queer coming-of-age story centers on a young adult (actual adult, not literary speak) finding her place in the world and within her own body. I took issue with some specific aspects of the lead, Lou, but they are not uncharacteristic of other leads at her age (lack of accountability, narcissism masked as "introspection", etc). Overall, well written but felt forced and dull to me.

**Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the eARC**

I was intrigued to see a queer coming-of-age novel not being advertised as YA – the central characters of BODY GRAMMAR are right at the cusp of "adulthood". They're still so young, but they've left behind childhood and adolescence in many ways.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to like this book, it was just not for me. I didn't find any of the characters sympathetic, but more than that their conflicts and communication (and lack thereof, for the majority of the book) were annoying rather than interesting. I imagine that this sort of coming-of-age, figuring things out while grieving and healing narrative will be more striking for either younger readers who are starting to go through this process, or other readers who have had some temporal space from their own early-twenties mishaps.

BODY GRAMMAR is strongest when setting the stage–the atmosphere throughout is melancholy, and beautiful. The cities that Lou travels through are characters in their own right, and were my favorite parts. I think I paid a little too much attention to the title, rather than the description of this book though – "body grammar" is such an evocative phrase, and I wanted there to be so much more attention on the body and seeing how people communicate through movement.

What an outstanding debut! Exactly the kind of representative literature I love to see! Everything about this story was relatable in some way. Thank you so much for a chance to read this book! I will be purchasing a copy for my library.

Included in Apartment Therapy's June New Book Roundup: A coming-of-age, queer love story set in the world of international modeling.

I really enjoyed this vibrant, complex book about teenagers growing up and coming of age and discovering who they are and who they are going to be. The main character, Lou, is very good and well-voiced, but I also enjoyed all of the side characters and the people she comes across; they’re complex in ways that don’t always relate back to Lou. This book is evocative and transgender and explores the nature of the body versus the self, which relates back to the title of BODY GRAMMAR. This book gets four and a half stars from me, rounded up for NetGalley

This was extremely my kind of book: LGBTQ rep, but not tragedy: coming of age; finding yourself; the friends we keep and the friends we lose; first love; slow burn; modeling. It had it all! Great debut and would definitely read this author again

A quintessential literary novel: follows all of the trade marks of the genre, which, in this case, work to the book's advantage and were masterfully executed.

Beautiful, impactful writing that makes you want to reread the book immediately after finishing it. There are many things this book said that will stay with me for some time.

Lou is a sympathetic main character -- it is easy to like her and to emphasize with her experiences. The way in which her experiences are shown to affect her is incredibly realistic. Lou is complex and she doesn't know herself fully -- watching her slowly discover more about herself is truly a special experience.

I have never been a model, have no experience within that world but the modeling world portrayed within this book is magnetic; you can't look away from it, it draws you in and then reveals it's darker sides.

The side characters are all incredibly vibrant, impossible to forget. Each of them has their own, unique story happening off the page, something we never get to see fully. The way in which different identities are casually represented within this book is refreshing.

Overall, most definitely a book to check out if you enjoy literary novels and stories about feeling lost.

Sad and beautiful, tragic and perfection, I devoured this book in a few hours. I love the voice Ohman gives to Lou, her descriptions of tragedy and how they affect and change a person feel nuanced and true to the story being told. I rooted for Lou from beginning to end, wanting to wrap her in a warm blanket and a hug, and cannot wait to put this novel on my classroom shelves!

This is such a beautifully written novel. Each writing choice makes sense and Ohman creates an authentic world in the midst of what feels like very fake images. The juxtaposition of the world of modeling and the trauma the girls in this novel experience is striking.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why I was so moved by this story but I was instantly pulled in and stayed that way until the end.

Lots of representation and fluidity of sexuality.