I absolutely adored this book. It reminded me a of a YA, book version of Sex Education (on Netflix). First, it tackles such an important topic: accurate and affirming sex education for teenagers, and the dangers of abstinence-only education.

I just loved the central conflict at this novel and was so rooting for our main character. She was confident, but still growing, resolute but fun, and just someone I wanted to come out on top.

Overall, i cannot wait to see what else this author puts out into the world!

A lovely breezy book relatable to an audience with a good message, Such questions pop into one's mind, and it is this curiosity that causes Phoebe to start her blog as Pom.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Phoebe Townsend has an aching curiosity …. about sex and reproductive health. What starts as a personal research project turns into an anonymous blog about sex education that takes her school and town by storm. When ultra-conservative Lydia Brookhurst (candidate for mayor), makes it her personal mission to unmask Phoebe to her thousands of readers, Phoebe has to decide to stand up for what she believes in or back down and stop advocating for positive sex education.

This book is so timely and important for the YA audience. It touches on all things that are relevant in this moment - women’s rights, reproductive rights, overzealous conservatism, marriage and rights equality for all. Walton does a great job of reigning it in for a younger audience and illustrating how even at a high school level, ideas can sync in and turn towns and families against each other. This should be on every high school library’s bookshelf this year.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Books for Young Readers and Julia Walton for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Phoebe knows what her peers need, and her unique - yet secret - research hobby is just the thing to help them. Though not in a serious relationship herself, Phoebe is somewhat of an expert when it comes to sex education, and she started The Circle in the Square, a blog where she posts information written for teens anonymously as Pom. Even her best friend Cora doesn't know she's Pom which is convenient when Cora asks for Phoebe's advice regarding taking things to the next level with her boyfriend. A writer/researcher at heart, Phoebe does more research to find answers to questions she's asked, and she presents her information in an honest, non-judgmental manner. When one of her blog posts goes viral and catches the attention of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst, a conservative local politician, Phoebe fears her identity will be revealed. After all, Brookhurst's mission is to shut down the blog and out the person causing an "assault on morality." Gathering supporters from conservative parents and local business supporters, Brookhurst is determined to use her resources to uncover Pom's identity. As Phoebe tries to maintain her two identities, readers will root for their side (Brookhurst or Phoebe) while learning factual details related to sex education.

THOUGHTS: With likeable Pom/Phoebe as her voice in this sex-positive read, Walton provides readers with plenty of useful information related to sex education. Loosely connected to the recent information challenge climate, this title is recommended for high school libraries.

An excellent read and a fine example of sex positivity. I like that the focus is on knowledge, on understanding sex and it's implications, making it okay for teens to ask questions without shame, and acknowledging the things we don't fully understand. Add in complex, relatable characters with varied experiences and it makes for a well rounded read.

On the Subject of Unmentionable Things review
5★

You know me, I love a funny and sarcastic main character, supporting friendships and a hint of romance in a book, but I like it even more if the plot deals with an important topic. This book had all of the above. Phoebe the MC is a journalist for her high school newspaper, but is secretly writing a blog titled The Circle in the Square about safe sex and provides her peers with actual resources and research on the topic. After her blog goes viral, you can imagine it stirs up quite the controversy in her conservative small town…Phoebe would like to remain anonymous, but obviously her identity cannot stay hidden forever.

This book was just so good, probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. I loved how openly it discussed sexual topics, mainly through educational blog posts on Phoebes blog, while also staying appropriate for YA audiences. This book is not spicy by any means, don’t expect that, but it talks about the topic openly, which was honestly refreshing to see in a YA novel. I also liked how the romance didn’t overpower the main plot, it was there and it was cute but it wasn’t overdone. You already know I have a soft spot for supporting, drama-free friendships and Phoebe with her best friend Cora delivered on that front as well, again it was there and I enjoyed their interactions but it wasn’t taking away the main focus. Phoebe was an amazing main character in my opinion, I think her reactions to things in her head were hilarious at times, but I mostly enjoyed how she stood her ground on what she believed in and handled mostly every situation in a rather mature way. But she still managed to have some typical awkward YA main character moments just saying…😅

All in all I adored this book and I hope many of you pick it up soon, you won’t regret it🙈Thank you @prhinternational for sending a copy for review.

This book is, unfortunately, all too relevant. In a world where people of a certain mindset are trying to ban information, or filter it as they wish despite the reality of life, people like Phoebe are both more important than ever, and under assault like rarely if ever before. For some, this may cause the novel to hit too close to home; however, a sex-positive teen novel is exactly what the doctor ordered for many.

3 for neutral, was unable to access my netgalley account until today. I apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully will not have any more issues in future.

I loved this YA story and how it centered around sex positivity and eduction. It provided facts for the reader but in such a fun and relatable way. Phoebe was a relatable character and bright beyond her years. The humor woven in was brilliant and had me cracking up on several occasions. While a few things were predictable, there was a lot of elements I didn't see coming and liked how they turned out. I really enjoyed seeing the best friend remain supportive at all times (Cora is a MVP), and seeing parents that show up for the kids they way Phoebe's did. Jorge had my heart from the jump and loved the apology fruit!

Teenage girl Phoebe is secretly writing a blog called Pom, where she writes about the important topic of sex education. When her blog goes viral, people are eager to figure out who is behind the blog but not for good reasons. This was such a smart, funny and realistic book.

Loved this book and have already recommended it to several people. Very timely, but feels fresh because of Phoebe. Liked that the ending was not predictable and did not feel like everything was wrapped up with a happy ending.

I love, love love this book. I can’t say enough how great it is. Ms. Walton just keeps writing smart, moving, funny books. I think this should be required reading for pretty much every kid ever, and their parents. Just so brilliant.

‘On the Subject of Unmentionable Things,’ by Julia Walton is a surprising YA novel about sex. Obviously, due to the overt subject matter parents should preread, but overall it is a sex positive book about talking about things that kids need to talk about (and, do talk about!). It examines how sex education is dealt with in our society and schools through the lens of an anonymous high school blogger - who shares factual information about sex and is about to be outed.

I loved this book and how it addressed the way people look at sex and sex education!

I felt like Phoebe went about finding out more information in a great way and also sharing that information by just giving the facts and telling people where they could find more information for themselves from professional if they wanted more.

I thought it did a great job of exploring what is happening in the current world, but in a fun entertaining way.

I won’t lie this book ended up taking me by surprise and I cant argue with that. For starters I really ended up liking the main character Phoebe. She was just a nice change of pace to what I’ve been gravitating towards reading lately. I enjoyed the fact that it was all thrown around with romance. It was more focused on sex and religion, the little of thrown in their romance was like a little bonus. Cora and Phoebe was nice when she stucked up for one another. Neil on the other hand .. not to much fond of. I didn’t really like him as a whole at all.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
The sex positive approach! This book is absolutely perfect for any teen curious about sex. There is a lot of information and knowledge about the subject. You learn things as you read, you feel connected to the characters and feel less alone with all those awkward questions going through your head. On the Subject of Unmentionable Things really took the taboo out of sex, it really is nothing to be ashamed of!
The great voice of the main character. Phoebe was relatable, smart and brave. I loved seeing her unsure about how the world would see her and her growth as the story kept going. Her fascination with researching was an inspiration and it was really refreshing to see a girl curious about sex!
The family dynamics. I enjoyed Phoebe and her mom’s relationship and I absolutely loved how they slowly opened up to each other more. I think we don’t see parents often in YA books and to see them being beyond supportive of their daughter was more than lovely!
An extremely timely dive into the conflicted landscape of social media and politics. I loved the anonymous blogger aspect and how Julia Walton wrote about the courage to pursue truth when misinformation is rife. This story takes place while a mayoral candidate in town is trying to return schools to abstinence-only education. It feels really relevant as current events in the USA are dealing with the overturning of abortion rights. I felt that the topics were very well handled.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
I thought that the story was a bit slow at first. At the beginning, it was entertaining but I wasn’t as hooked as I much as thought I would be. But the second half of the book moved faster and the story found a really good flow with much more drama, twists and turns!
I thought that it needed a bit more diversity and representation in the characters. It deals with such an important topic, a topic that we don’t really talk that honestly about in YA books that I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t more inclusive.

OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a funny, timely and delighfully sex-positive read with engaging and genuine characters, On the Subject of Unmentionable Things is the perfect match for you!

Quite a few reviewers have said that fans of Sex Education will enjoy On the Subject of Unmentionable Things and I have to say they were right. This book was a great mix of humor, serious subjects, going after what you believe in and finding love. Sex education in schools is always a tricky subject. Some schools only teach abstinence when our youth really needs more. The author did a great job in showing that and also what some teenagers think about and don't dare to ask.


Our main character, Phoebe, is a good student and writes for her school's newspaper. She was curious about sex and all of the taboo behind it, so she went after scientific information and research to figure things about. I love that she sticks to the fact, but also shows us that she doesn't know everything and still has a lot of insecurities and questions herself. It was also really interesting to see her fight to give other teenagers the information they deserve to know.


This book is very sex positive and I truly believe that's how it should be. I think the mixed media in this book also really helped it speak to the generation now. Also makes things they might be embarrassed to ask about easier to read. Adding the election to this book was interesting and also realistic. Even though our main character tries the town and people don't change their mind over night. It was also interesting to see the dangers of outing people online and what it can do to someone.


Julia Walton took on a serious subject, but in such a great way. Family dynamics also play a part in this book and the conversation Phoebe has with her mother near the end was one I really appreciated. I'll definitely keep an eye out for what this author brings us next!

I requested this book because I'd heard great things about it, but I was ultimately left underwhelmed by it. I'm not sure if my reaction to this book is because I've finally started to outgrow the YA category or if it was my dislike for the main character. There was just something about the main character that turned me off to her character and made me not like her.

Overall, I think that younger readers or those who really love YA books will enjoy this one, but for me it was a pass.

This was such a fun, light YA story about standing your ground, but also with a bit of romance thrown in along the way.
Phoebe is writing an anonymous sex information blog, which gets picked at by the mayoral candidate who is for very anti-sex informatoin, and sells purity rings, and wants the schools to teach absentia.
Phoebe feels great about being unknown, and I kept waiting for her to be discovered, because you just know that is going to happen. There are a few false instances, but I didn’t guess how it would finally happen.

Good sexual information, thrown in as well, which is a bonus. And as Phoebe says, not all villains are black and white, as there are nuances to why they do what they do.
Good contemporary story, as they say, ripped from the headlines. Fun, humorous, and although I didn’t cry, I did stay up late to finish it.

THanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.