On the Subject of Unmentionable Things, by Julia Walton, is a contemporary YA novel, While some of the topics are considered somewhat taboo by other generations, I found the book to present sex in a positive way. I imagine the subject might even be a draw for some. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

As a sex positive individual that is pro comprehensive sex education, I didn't like this book as much as I thought would. The main character kind of turned me off. There was something about her that I just didn't vibe with. The pacing felt weird. The last 20% seemed to be missing something, like it wasn't thought out. Especially the way everyone went from turning against her to supporting her at the drop of a hat .

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by Julia Walton.

Phoebe is a good, quiet student. She has never been known to be any sort of trouble maker or pot stirrer. Which is why everyone would be shocked to learn that she is the one responsible for the small town scandal. A blog called the Circle in the Square, all about sexuality, deep diving into the intricacies of sex and answering questions, especially from teens.

Parents are outraged, who is in charge of this blog and how can we get it taken down? Our kids don't need to be exposed to this filth! Especially if it's going to address things of an LGBTQIA nature. And although Phoebe is terrified of getting in trouble, she deeply believes in what she is doing, and will move forward at any cost, even if the cost is high.

I loved this. And everytime I read something like this, I lament what I missed as a teen myself. I was not raised in a sex positive culture or time, so being curious about anything sex was seen as mostly perversion. I am a firm believer that by shining a light on stigmatized topics like this, especially something as absolutely normal and natural as sex, we can avoid a lot of the harm to young people. Arm them with knowledge! And that includes your decision to wait until marriage. It's all ok, just be informed, take control of what happens to your body on YOUR terms.

On top of all of that, this was just a great story. I enjoyed watching Phoebe come into her own self and experience her own romances and disappointments. I loved the relationship she has with her parents and how despite their own shortcomings in this particular topic, they 100% had Phoebe's back. Great YA read.

#bookreview On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by Julia Walton

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers (Random House) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ☺️

☺️ the good ☺️
- Jorge the farmer. Cracked me up when I realized his name literally means farmer. Fitting, though. What a sweet quarterback that loves growing things in his backyard. Precious.
- The Circle in the Square. Great name for a blog and I loved the premise of this blog going viral and being such a hot topic in this small town.
- Fruit. All the inclusion of fruit. From the cover being a peach 🍑 to Phoebe going by “Pom” on the blog to Jorge apologizing with baskets of fruit 😂

🤨 the bad 😒
- I’m not the target demographic. That’s like the only reason it’s four stars instead of five for me. It’s very much written for a teen and I am far from one 😂🫣

😍 the beautiful 😍
- Phoebe. She’s a sex expert on paper (or on her blog lol) but she’s completely inexperienced IRL. She’s a great character to take us through this story as she deals with getting her first boyfriend while also doing everything she can to successfully secretly run a sex education blog anonymously.
- Lydia Brookhurst was a perfect villain to allude to Trump. She’s loved unabashedly by her supporters. She can do no wrong. Her supporters will not be condemned by her regardless of the terrible things that they do which she in no way has told them to do!
- Phoebe and Jorge’s relationship. Adorbs 🥰
- A young adult book that manages to teach sex ed while keeping in line with an interesting story? Yep, this one did it. At times it seemed a little forced, but managing to do all of this while alluding to Phoebe’s blog posts and her own brain is clever. The amount of sex education in this fictional novel is impressive. Bravo.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookstagram

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in return for my honest review.

I LOVED almost everything about this book. I say ALMOST because the "love" story line felt so out of place for me. It was like the book already offered so much, the "romance" was not needed at all.

Phoebe blogs about sex. Not in a crazy way but in a pure education needing to educate way. Sex positivity. Sex still is a taboo subject, not as bad as it was 20 years ago, but there still are some people who think sex is taboo.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

Author: Julia Walton

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Hispanic Character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, sex education

Publication Date: August 23, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary

Age Relevance: 15+ (sexual content, racism, micro aggressive comments, alt-right ideals, rape mentioned, illness, vomiting, homophobia, romance)

Explanation of Above: The book talks openly about sex and sexual practices and sexual health in an informative and educational manner that I believe every teenager needs to read. We cannot stop teenagers from having sex, but we can give them the information to proceed with it in an informed, safe, and consensual manner. There is some racism in the book, including micro aggressive comments about ethnic food, and homophobic remarks as well. Alt-right ideals are shown in the book, though the MC and most of the cast of the characters are against it, but it does eerily show reality in those passages. There is some illness shown with vomiting shown as well. There is one scene in which a character is threatened with an allusion to rape and that is discussed. There is also some romance in the book.

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 320

Synopsis: Phoebe Townsend is a rule follower . . . or so everyone thinks. She’s an A student who writes for her small-town school newspaper. But what no one knows is that Phoebe is also Pom—the anonymous teen who’s rewriting sex education on her blog and social media.

Phoebe is not a pervert. No, really. Her unconventional hobby is just a research obsession. And sex should not be a secret. As long as Phoebe stays undercover, she’s sure she’ll fly through junior year unnoticed. . . .

That is, until Pom goes viral, courtesy of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst. The former beauty queen labels Phoebe’s work an “assault on morality,” riling up her supporters and calling on Pom to reveal her identity. But Phoebe is not backing down. With her anonymity on the line, is it all worth the fight?

Julia Walton delivers a brutally honest novel about sex, social media, and the courage to pursue truth when misinformation is rife. Who knew truth could be so scandalous?

Review: Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think that this is one of those necessary books because it speaks so openly about sex and sex education and sexual consent. I love that it was directed at teenagers as well. Teenagers are going to have sex and making them ill-prepared is only setting them up for failure via pregnancy, sexual violence, sexual trafficking, or illness with STDs. It’s uncomfortable and raw, but it’s a necessity for them to learn, especially about how to protect their own bodies and what warning signs to watch out for with partners. The book is a funny, but passionate and honestly raw book that I think everyone should read. The character development was amazing and the writing was well done.

The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like it was a bit quick with the romance aspect and that sometimes it took away from the plot of the book.

Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!

When the main character answered the question “How do I give my girlfriend an orgasm?” with an automatic assumption that the person asking was male, I was ready to write this book off as willfully ignoring the Queer community, but about halfway through the book Phoebe realizes her blind spot about the whole spectrum of sex that includes Gay people and strives to be more inclusive. It feels mostly real- we all have blind spots. But also, in 2022 I can’t imagine that someone who prides themselves on giving progressive critical content not even thinking of the LGBTQ+ community.

Beyond that, the story is both sweet (great best friend! Charming love interest!) and super hard to read because it feels all too real and very much like a lot of the rhetoric that has come from the t***p era.
As someone who grew up in the infancy of the internet, I relied on Judy Blume and some of my mother’s novels to give me some clues about sex beyond the biological basics that I was given. As the internet is not always the most reliable resource, and because there is a certain rite of passage vibe to reading about sex, I hope this book is read by many a teen.

I found this book refreshing, fascinating, and laugh out loud funny. This book caught me off guard and I read it in less than 24 hours. Phoebe is such a strong female MC who truly believes in education, loves research and is passionate about her friends. She is awkward and smart, and during this story she gained some serious strength and pride in herself. I actually wrote my masters program thesis about sex education and it was really fun for me to read this book. As Phoebe points out, science is not an opinion, and abstinence only education has been proven time and time again to not work or be helpful. This book is well worth the read and I would recommend it to any and all teens (and grown ups!)

Perfect for fans of Sex Education! Such a great read for every age. A real page turner. you can check my full review on my blog.

3.5 stars rounded down!

This was a quick read for me! I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am all for the younger generation getting proper sex education, not abstinence. This book did a great job of providing factual blog posts and a unique storyline where the blog's author, Phoebe, lives in a conservative town. She is under an anonymous name, Pom, since she doesn't want anyone to find out it is her writing. While the storyline was predictable. I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I cannot believe more people aren't talking about it!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really great and timely book. Would love to see this on all YA shelves, we need more sex-positive sexual education available to teenagers, and having books like this is important. Enjoyed the conservative town setting, having grown up in one myself it felt very realistic, and I also appreciated the author emphasizing the importance of local elections.

This was a great sex positive YA Contemporary. I think it’s so important for young people to be aware of their bodies and have good representation of consent and safe sex. I liked the format and felt like the quick pace made for a perfect read.

I loved Words on Bathroom Walls and was excited to see a new release from Julia Walton. I enjoyed the characters, plot, and overall tone of this novel. I picked up the audiobook and had the hardest time putting it down. It was the perfect listen.

I definitely recommend!

I just finished an ARC called On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by Julia Walton. It is amazing! Starts slow but ends great. It's about a girl who writes a secret sex positive blog. Politics. Family. First love. I want to hug it! I wish there had been books like this when I was a teen.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Phoebe Townsend is obsessed with sex… in an educational way of course and in order to spread her knowledge she decides to create a blog under the pen name, Pom. Nothing too scandalous except for the fact that she lives in a conservative town that hears the word sex and is ready to start carrying pitchforks.

I enjoyed this book, but few parts of it were memorable, I finished it in about a week and had forgotten segments of the story by the end. Besides that, my one big flaw with this book is that it severely lacks lgbtqia experiences and even references to anything that isn’t cishet until 58% into the book. While I appreciate that it is addressed in a way that is respectful and acknowledges that despite research the main character doesn’t know a lot about queer intercourse it still feels lacking. It feels like an honorable mention, like when tv shows confirm a character is gay only to kill them off two seconds later (I’m looking at you Supernatural).

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’m glad I took the chance on it because I don’t read very much YA anymore and this convinced me I should.

An engagingly genuine teenager looks for and provides answers to some age-old questions while the fuddy-duddies in town gasp in horror!

What a fantastic story! For most of the book, I had a smile on my face as I followed Phoebe through her days and evenings of maintaining her blog and anonymity. Phoebe is intelligent, curious, and brave for putting herself and her research out there to share with others who didn’t have this vitally needed information. I loved how she had a real idea of what she wanted in her future (veterinarian ballerina was hilarious.) She’s amazingly comfortable talking about all the unmentionable things; however, she’s been working on her research and blog for two years by this time, so I was good with that. The back and forth with her delightful friend, Cora, was a joy to watch. They were a mighty duo, having each other’s back like they did.

But the story isn’t all light and fluffy by any means. There are real issues brought into the open: sexuality and knowing one’s own body. Some of the questions posed may appear so simple to adults, but they are real unknowns to the young. The answers to the blog questions were outstanding, very well thought out, and strictly adhered to presenting facts and not opinions. I liked that the author pointed out the differences between possible responses.

There are romances for Phoebe and Cora. Phoebe has two boys she is interested in, and they turn out to be very different from each other. I liked how the author has Phoebe learn that there is more than one way to approach intimacy, and she must trust herself to know which one is right for her. I also really appreciated that the typical football hero turns out to have some hidden depths. He was just an all-around great guy.

The characters, old and young, all make mistakes. Some take responsibility for them right away, some delay but step up, and others never do, just like in real life. The characters and the story felt genuine.

There are occurrences of strong profanity at particular (and appropriate) points in the book. However, if that is something you’re concerned with, it doesn’t happen often, but the words used are the big ones.

With its genuine and engaging characters and compelling storyline, I read this book in just a little over one day; I didn’t want to put it down! I recommend ON THE SUBJECT OF UNMENTIONABLE THINGS to young adults and readers of young adult fiction.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

Thank you, TBR and Beyond Tours, for the chance to read a really great young adult book that tackles an important topic without making it cringy or dull. 

Which of us has ever had a really informative talk with our parents? What we know, generally speaking, comes from pop culture, things we google in secret and porn. I live in a country where we ask if a woman is married to check if she’s sexually active or not. For me, the talk was just about periods and just that this happens to a woman as she grows older. I was then accidentally given a book on teen health that everyone thought would convince me to eat healthier and lose weight but instead answered the other question that plagued my mind; can a guy pee inside you when you’re having sex?

Sex education is still a controversial topic in most places. For some reason, people think it will involve showing young kids porn and encouraging kids to do it, and not as we will tell young people that STDs are a real thing, you can get pregnant the very first time, and what is good touch and bad touch. Let’s not even get into the joy of sex. It can be about pleasure and not just something for men to thirst for and women to put up with.

So when the sign-ups for On The Subject of Unmentionable Things went around, I was curious. This could either be really good or really bad, and I’m happy to say it fell into the first category. 

I had a brilliant professor in my freshmen year. She was a labor historian in Pakistan. I may not remember her exact words, but she talked about people who commented on why she was researching labor in Pakistan and not women because she was a woman. Her answer was, simply put, because I’m interested in labor. 

I thought of this because On The Subject of Unmentionable Things reminds us that a woman’s interests are political. A woman’s choice to study something not directly related to women is political. And we have Phoebe right here writing a blog and managing a Twitter page on the most political thing of them all; sex. She writes about sex not from a place of fear or because she’s having loads and thinking about facts turns her on; she writes about it because the human body, and sex, are fascinating things. You can be incredibly interested in them for no reason than that.

Julia Walton’s book was excellent. She touches on subjects that impact many of us; misinformation, fear-mongering, racism, sexism, homophobia, and how people can just be assholes without making this book feel preachy or boring. She writes well and has a plot, and I’m disappointed with Random House for not marketing this book better because she only has 3 reviews on amazon.

Phoebe has friends who don’t know the truth, parents trying to figure out how to manage their business and political preferences, people whose loyalty is up for rent, and a trump like woman who wants to make her town great again. 

You get where the author leans politically, and I love that about her. This is not her first book on teens, but her third. She seems to genuinely care about younger readers because while this book didn’t hold back, it wasn’t a graphic read. Phoebe does get slut shamed; the town is vandalized; she is stolen from. And yet you have a character that comes through with dignity and self-respect. Julia Walton writes about a character more mature than most of the older ones, a reminder that only the young can run.

Well written and timely. A dive into the conflicted landscape of social media, politics and sex education. I appreciated the emphasis on facts, science and consent. The sex positivity message that each person is normal and deserves to have answers to confusing, awkward questions. The relationships Phoebe has with friends and her boyfriend are healthy and authentic. Content warnings are important. Language is specific and a little explicit. But the only actual sex is closed door “off screen”. Teens will appreciate the honest conversation and enjoy the underlying friendships and romantic development. The current political climate will, sadly, make it tough to get this book into the hands of teens who want to read it and need the positive message.

A huge thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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It is no secret that kids, and particularly teens, have questions about their bodies and sex. Questions, that more often then not, they are afraid to say out loud for fear of embarrassment or being shamed by their peers, parents, or community. But what if there was an anonymous resource to see that you aren't the only one with such inquiries and you can ask the specific questions you have, without getting textbook answers that skirt around the issue at hand. A blog written by a teen, for teens. That's what lies at the center of this novel, and the lengths at which a conservatively-led local government will go to uncover who is behind the blog and shut it down.
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The characters are well-written and the pacing keeps things moving at a decent clip. There are again (and aren't there always) towns and school systems are banning books and materials, and this book brings up just how slippery that slope can be. It also touches on racism, bigotry, and succumbing to peer pressure beyond high school. At the heart of the story is the need for comprehensive sex education and access to information for people of all sexualities. The blog may be a part of work of fiction, but the information is factual which I think will actually help a lot of young readers.

Let’s begin by saying that the book scared me a little in their depiction of the mob mentality- the followers of Brookhurst hit too close to home after watching Trump and his followers. That said, it was accurate. This is absolutely what would happen. I love Walton for not shying away from those feelings and scenarios.

The characters here are amazing. Phoebe is so smart, but unsure of how the world would see her. I loved her analytical mind, her fascination with researching not just sex, but the human body. I might have also gotten a kick out of the angry vagina picture and the hidden books. These characters, they feel so real- like someone you could meet on the street. Cora is just wonderful- she’s Phoebe’s person and it shows. I hated that she felt left out after the big reveal, but loved how she dealt with it. Jorge was also wonderful- supportive and charming. I loved watching the relationship between Phoebe and himself unfold. One thing I didn’t like that seems to be coming up in a lot of reviews, though, is that Jorge seems to be the only character that gets any in-depth analysis that isn’t… well… white. Also, while it talks about the LBTGQ community, there are no characters that are like this and what roles the community play in the book is dwindled down to what amounts as a footnote. I fear this will not sit well with some, because it isn’t very inclusive. Now, there was a moment where Phoebe gets a question on her blog about same-sex sexual encounters and realizes that that’s something she hadn’t researched yet. And so she does. I like how she handled the question and that she actually wanted to get information for them- that she took the sharing of correct information very seriously. For me, personally, the fact that this wasn’t the most inclusive book in the world didn’t stop me from loving it, but it made me a little sad for the missed opportunities.

Over all, this is a well written book with a good flow to the pacing. It never really seemed to lag anywhere, though I did feel like the second half moved faster. It took a taboo subject and made it feel more accessable, and it didn’t pull any punches either politically or depicting the fallout after the big reveal. Because of this, I feel like it will be an important book for young adults- and parents, really. For me, this is a five star book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
On the adult content scale, there’s some pretty severe bullying- threats, destruction, that sort of thing. There is alot of sexual content- but most is of the informational variety, nearly clinical; with the exception of one encounter towards the end and a reference to a sexual encounter that did not go into detail. I feel like it’s still acceptable as YA, and doesn’t necessarily need to be considered New Adult instead.


I recieved an eARC from Netgalley and Random House Books for young teens in exchange for an honest review. As always, I am very grateful for the opportunity.

4.5 education, not evasion stars!

What I liked about the book:
1. I loved the sex positivity! There was so much information and so much knowledge behind everything from how to properly use condoms to what is considered “normal” to how to give your partner pleasure. It was so informational, it took the “taboo” out of it, which is fantastic! Sex is not taboo, sex is not bad, sex is not something to be ashamed of. It is a normal part of life, and I really liked the approach this book took with it.

2. I loved how there was so much opposition to her blog, given she was from a conservative town. The people that were in opposition to her felt so real! I have definitely heard the thoughts of those that think, “If we don’t talk about sex, how can kids get pregnant?” more times than I can count, especially with some of the more religious/conservative sects of my own family.

I also liked that the author didn’t wrap it up in a neat bow, like “Yep, and everyone changed from being bigoted folks with creationist outlooks to understanding and admiring the teenaged girl.” It felt raw and realistic, which I appreciated thoroughly.

3. I was a bit disappointed when we thought the abortion thank you letter from A.L.T. was from someone almost irrelevant to the storyline…until we found out it wasn’t! After the excitement of this wore off, I was sure Phoebe was going to blackmail A.L.T., which I was SUPER NOT COOL WITH! But the author didn’t let me down and had Phoebe take the high route in the most badass way possible.

4. I loved how Phoebe’s and her mom’s relationship grew before our eyes once Phoebe’s identity was out. The readers were lead to believe her mom was bad at talking about sex and she wasn’t a really open person, but we got to know her story and she saw the error of her ways. I loved watching this growth in her mom as well as the openness in the family’s discussions.

5. I loved the inserts from her blog, Twitter, texts, emails, etc. It added nice visual texture to the book, which I loved!

6. I loved the local election aspects of this story, and how it didn’t turn out how I wanted. But that’s life, so that’s good enough for me!

7. I loved the feminist undertone surrounding this book too. So many things just made me want to high five our narrator.

What could have been better:
1. The romance in this felt forced and unnecessary. It was definitely my least favorite part of this book, and that’s coming from a romance junkie.