I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

This book moved me more than any book has in a long time; it's a real emotional rollercoaster. It deals with the difficulties of growing up gay and non-gender conforming in 60's Texas. While this book briefly tackles many other issues such as racism and profiling by police, it never comes off as the author trying too hard, or being too preachy, which many books do. The sibling bond between Tracy and Spencer was possibly the best brother/sister relationship I've ever read. Despite all the drama, angst, tragedy and heartache, there's always an overarching sense of hopefulness throughout.

Above all, The Moonstone GIrls, is a love story—actually three love stories. Both Tracy and her brother Spencer fall desperetly in love with fellow queers Ava and Pablo, respectively. Both must keep their liasons hidden, but inevitably they are discovered. Spencer has a chance to continue his relationship with Pablo but can't summon enough courage to break with his family and be with his fellow pianist. Tracy has the courage, but Ava doesn't. What follows for Tracy is several months of pursuing a girl in a photograph whom she hears in her mind—"Come to Alaska. We'd be great friends."

Set in the late '60s, this story is full of heartbreak and joy, anger and longing, and especially determination in the face of prejudice and sexist attitudes. Tracy will not be denied, and along the way she comes to a better understanding and acceptance of herself.

You will smile and laugh and cry. Read this book.

This book is about a gay teenager named Tracy and her life in the 1960s. It focuses on two-ish years of her life during the time she is really coming to terms with her sexuality and gender identity. Her older brother Spencer is also gay and their sibling relationship, as well as both of their relationships with their parents, are key elements of the plot.

Other major themes include secret romances, disguising oneself as a different gender, travel and running away, music, and the influence of war on daily life.

This is definitely a character-driven book and it's not fully a happy story. There's discussion of heavy topics such as homophobia, suicide, family rejection, and bullying. However, there are also moments of joy and success. It's a very bittersweet story.

People looking for heavy, emotional queer historical fiction will love this one. I overall enjoyed it but had to take breaks. I believe this book is classified as young adult, but please note there is sexual content, more than I would typically expect from YA.

I will be recommending this book to people who are looking for this genre of story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book; all opinions here are my honest thoughts.

The Moonstone Girls captures the experience of queerness in a simultanously nuanced and expansive way. The story was both so specific and so universal. Moonstone Girls started off with tacking the challenge of being gay in a situation where that is scorned and taboo, which was relatable and important. But as the story went on, I went from just feeling my experiences as a queer young adult mirrored back at me to having my experiences interrogated and unpacked. By this I mean I could relate to the characters so deeply but the narrative also challenged some internalized stereotypes I hadn’t even realized I was carrying. The way Skipstone paints lesbian relationships is different than the way straight relationships are most often seen in literature. The closeness between the lesbian characters feels a lot like deep friendship, just with added physicality. This challenged me because I think that in order to make things seem equal, we often see queer relationships framed in the same stereotypes as straight ones. I was not used to seeing love like the love in this story, and I think it’s truly authentic to the wlw experience which is so unique and beautiful compared to they typical heterosexual love stories.

Without divulging spoilers, I can still say that in reading this book you will experience tragedy, heartbreak, joy, hope, and adventure, all of which are amazingly executed. You will cry and you will beam huge smiles. Regardless of if you are in the LGBTQ+ community or not, I believe you will find experiences you relate to AND things that will challenge you and enhance your understanding of what it means to be an authentic human being.

The Moonstone Girls is a heartfelt and heartbreaking coming-of-age story set in the late '60s. Tracy aspires to write her own songs rather than play classical pieces on the piano, all written by dead white men. She feels trapped by the female stereotypes common at the time. When she wears her "manguise," she realizes she feels more confident, more in control, and more like she imagines herself to be. Dressed as a boy, she takes her girlfriend to a teen dance club, only to lose her to a furious father.

However, Tracy perseveres against all odds, fending off her father's homophobia while trying to convince her brother Spencer to leave home and be with his boyfriend. The growing relationship between Tracy and her mother is one of the most beautiful developments in the book, juxtaposed against the deteriorating relationship between Spencer and his father.

Many aspects of this story will leave scars, but many more will make you smile and fill your heart with hope.

I received an ARC of this YA novel from NetGalley. It was an interesting read, and I think LGBTQI+ teens will thoroughly enjoy reading this one. I will recommend to students looking for this type of book!

I absolutely loved The Moonstone Girls. The characters are well crafted and compelling, and even the minor characters are well developed. The story is by turns heartbreaking and joyful, and will keep you engaged all the way through. Skipstone does a great job crafting a realistic story without falling into the trap of making it a constant parade of tragedy.

I was a little surprised at the level of sexual content, for a YA book. This is not a book I could put on my classroom library shelves, unfortunately, because of that (just to be clear, the issue isn't the LGBTQ+ content, but some pretty detailed sexual content). Something to be aware of--I would recommend any teacher or librarian thinking about purchasing The Moonstone Girls read it first, to determine if it's appropriate for your readers.

This is a story told in retrospect by Tracy who was seventeen in 1968. Now she is a grandmother whose grandchildren are suffering through some of the same issues that complicated her life over fifty years ago. After the summer of '68, she never wanted to look back at her life, but now she feels compelled to share her story "as a gift of love and often brutal honesty to myself and to others."

Her story is heartbreaking, wonderous, full of tragedy and hope, and sometimes sheer joy. Tracy and her brother Spencer were queers at a time when the word was a slur, when it was common for fathers to be ashamed of their effeminate sons and demand a change. Tracy battles through stereotypes, disguising herself as a boy to get what she wants and needs. She beats boys at their own game and then discovers she can define her own world in her own terms.

This book is amazingly readable and relatable whether you are a member of the LGTBQ+ community or not.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first, this book was hard to get into and it was hard to love. I wasn't the biggest fan of the narration and the style. By the end though, I was enthralled and I was crying. I'll say that the writing style doesn't match the reading level of the audience. But, once you overlook that, it's a great book. One of the things I appreciate most about it is how it made me reevaluate my perception of the queer experience. Nearly every story told about queer characters that takes place in the twentieth century is rife with tragedy, and it's not that this book doesn't have tragedy. It does, but it also provides a different spotlight on living as a queer person in the late sixties. It wasn't all hiding behind closed doors and stolen kisses and dying, as it is often portrayed and while reading this book, it was hard for me to forget that sad portrayal.
This book is important and honestly everyone should probably read it.

A delightful debut that will tug on your heartstrings and live in your head (and heart) for a long time! With a cast of characters who feel painfully human, Skipstone paints an vivid and engaging portrait of history, culture, exploration of sexuality and identity. This book is filled with so much heart - for each character, for our dreams, and for us readers.

The Moonstone Girls is an amazing novel about gay siblings in 1967. When Tracy kisses her friend Ava during a relay game at a party, her life becomes complicated. She pretends to date her brother's boyfriend, while he pretends to date Ava. This deceit enables some relationship between Tracy and Ava, but only in secret. Tracy wants more and decides to disguise herself as a boy. Though this manguise is a success, Ava is caught and removed from Tracy's life. However, Tracy discovers more confidence and purpose after refusing to abide by gender stereotypes. As her father continues to demean her sweet brother, Spencer, Tracy makes plans to travel to Alaska where she hopes to meet a girl in overalls who plays guitar and carries an axe.

The story is full of drama, heartache, humor, and hope, set against the backdrop of the late '60s—the Vietnam War and the draft, racial prejudice, homophobia, and a revolution in music. Highly recommended!