OMG. This is everything a YA novel should be plus some. It grabs you in the first two pages. It has momentum, characters, humor, drama, and I can identify with Margo and Abbie even though I’m not even remotely teen, female, lesbian/bi, a swimmer, Jewish, or autistic/ADHD. Or a horse girl.

Also, this is the best bi rep I’ve read. That is often proud speeches and/or complaining, but this is in-character and essential to the plot.

And I love the unexpected, allyship from the football bros contrasted with the non-support from some gay friends. So real for high school.

The cover is even accurate, with Abbie demonstrating “queer leaning” while Margo sticks with her high femme.

Please write more of these.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this title.

As another reviewer said, this book was a cute Disney Channel Movie romp of a book. I liked that the main characters faced very real issues in their lives at home, at school, and in their friend groups, and it gave the book some extra depth.

That said, the pacing and the reveals of information and characters felt scattered. Like, the introduction of Jamal, Mendel's sexuality, and the introduction of the main plot all felt like they were unfolding too fast and too slow at the same time. I guess that's just a roundabout way of saying that the pacing felt off. Not to mention that the aftermath of the party that kicks off the whole book is NEVER mentioned again, and I felt like the inciting incident for Margo discovering her gayness got swept away too quickly.

Finally, the dialogue. Much of it felt like it was pulled directly off TikTok, and being in my mid-twenties and not on TikTok, it really took me out of the story.

Again, I'll echo other reviewers by saying the sex scene really felt like a LOT for a YA book. I was honestly surprised at how explicit it was. If that's not your jam, just be aware.

Overall, this was fun. Glad I read it and I think teens will enjoy it, but not one I'll reach for again anytime soon.

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl is, well it's about Margo Zimmerman getting the girl. The summer before Margo's last year of high school Margo discovers that she's a lesbian. In a bid to learn more about the queer community and how to fit in she strikes a deal with openly bisexual, Abbie, who agrees to teaching Margo in exchange for AP US History tutoring.

I am very split on how I feel about this book.

First, I loved that it was queer Jewish rep, but without really any homophobia or antisemtism. I think this is only the second book I've read with Jewish characters where 'G-d' is used, it's also one of the ways I knew that they were Jewish before the line that confirmed it (I would have been very surprised if a character with a brother named Mendel wasn't Jewish).

I also really liked Margo on the whole as a character. She was very relatable in a lot of ways and I always appreciate that. On the flip side, I had a hard time with Abbie. She was was quick to be angry with Margo often and a lot of her "flirting" just came off mean so it was harder for me to take that as any build up to them having a relationship. Abbie has a lot of character growth and not all characters need to be nice, but they also kind of do when the story wants me to root for her to get together with another one. I did think that they had good communication though. This was most notable at the end of the book during what would usually be the "yay we're finally together, oh no! miscommunication, look we've made up, the end!". Instead we get them together and then Margo does not let that miscommunication happen, which was fantastic!

I thought Mendel was an interesting character, but it felt completely blindsiding for Margo to just "oh yeah my sibling is non-binary/agender/genderqueer" when you're 80% of the way through the book. That's something the audience should be told at the beginning.

A lot of things felt incredibly dragged out, but especially the back and forth with both Margo and Abbie denying feelings/she's not my type while very obviously actually having feelings. It felt like we could have come to the conclusion sooner or at least done more to show the building of feelings past thinking the other was hot. I'm not denying either of them having a crush, but Margo claiming to love Abbie by the end felt like about a hundred steps were missing on the way from crush to love.

Charlie. I really hated Charlie. I know that part of Abbie's growth came from realizing how terrible of a friend that Charlie was, but Charlie was a truly terrible friend and part of the queer community. Again, I know that was the point and I think it gave a good jumping off point for Abbie to realize the way she was telling Margo she had to do things like stand, sit, walk, dress to be taken seriously as queer was wrong. The only thing that I wish we had gotten with Charlie was the reference to a "gold star lesbian" and maybe a bit of an explanation on why that's not really a great label.

The sex scene at the end was waaaaaaay more explicit than I was expecting out of a YA book and I realize I am not the intended audience of this book but it still felt like it pushed the YA grouping just a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This story was great. I loved seeing these two different people come together. It’s a YA book so of course there’s a lot of comedic moments which is great. I loved seeing their friendship grow into a lovely romance.

I enjoyed this! It had lots of really good rep that I enjoyed, and I like how the story had a familiar structure, but subverted a few tropes and handled the conflict differently which made it unique.

I literally adored everything about this book, and I think it is a really well-executed coming of age story or two people who are on a journey of self-discovery. While I understand why many books featuring queer teens highlight feelings of insecurity or shame, I loved that this book did not. When Margo realizes she is gay after kissing a girl at a party, she immediately breaks up with her boyfriend, tells her brother, and enlists Abbie for "lessons on how to be gay."

As someone with an anxiety disorder, I also really resonated with Margo's need to learn everything she can about a new experience or skill before actually partaking in it. I don't know if I've read a book that captures this mindset in a more accurate way (at least, accurate for my experience).

In what is probably the most relatable sentiment among the queer community: high school senior Margo knows she likes girls, and only girls, yet she doesn’t know how to be gay. (Can you be gay but not gay enough or in the right way? Is there a right way to be gay?) In short. No. But it takes almost a whole novel’s worth of experiences for newly out Margo to realize this.

After reading many sapphic YA novels with similar tropes and plot lines, I still more than enjoyed Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl. Why? Besides the cute gay panic, relatable teenage struggles, and excellent neurodivergent representation, for me it was the characters. There’s no way to describe all the ways that Margo and Abbie stood out to me other than flipping this ‘digital’ book open and reading from the very start.

Even though both characters have their own unique view points and lived-in experiences, they’re both extremely easy to understand and feel for, specifically the biphobia, lesbian gatekeeping, and general ignorance around autism and masking. At times, I even had to set the book aside for a second because of how close to home some of these struggles hit.

That’s not to say that it’s one nonstop avalanche of heart wrenching emotion. The novel did a good job of balancing out the hard hitting topics with light humour and infectious wit. Abbie is a smart a** and Margo, though less frequently, lands her best lines perfectly.

Whether or not you can directly relate to the themes in this book, I strongly recommend the read.

I received an ARC from Inkyard Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my I wanted to like this. But I hated it. The writing felt super young. I would have loved to have read this when I was younger. But I couldn’t get all the way through this one because I really just did not care for the characters.

I love a good sapphic, academic rivals book! The pacing was nice and the length was not too large of a commitment so it is good for people with short attention spans. I love the representation of neurodivergence as well it was done very delicately while still having a good role.

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl is a story about a teenage girl that is coming to terms with her sexuality. Margo is an autistic and sucessful student all around. Until she plays a game of spin the bottle, and ends up kissing a girl. The kiss helps her to realize that maybe she's always been into girls, but she isn't sure how to "be gay". Margo, being an incredibly effeminite "girlie-girl", feels that she needs to learn more about being gay and enlists her out and proud bisexual swim teammate, Abbie, to help her.

Abbie doesn't currently have much going for her, what with her parents being so focused on each other that they barely know she exists. And to top it off, she's been granted early acceptance to college only to have it revoked because she's failing AP history.

Abbie and Margo strike up a deal to help each other, and what ensues is witty banter and playful exchanges, leading to something neither one of them anticipated.

The book is a great YA coming of age story about how to be queer, how to fit in, and what truly matters.

A 4 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Margo Zimmerman gets the Girl has a cool premise: totally-gay-but-"visually-straight" Mark Zimmerman trades her history smarts for queer-eye=for-the-queer-girl sessions with disaster bi Abbie Sokoloff. I figured I'd get a lighthearted read about finding yourself in (and out) of the micro-labels that run rampant in the queer community. What does "dressing gay" look like, anyway? And this is coming from a lesbian who wears strictly lesbian shoes, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, this book did not deliver in that department. Or any department, really. While Margo does "find her way," the emphasis on that HUGE portion of the story is lost in the way-too-quick and way-too-forced romance. Everything about this book felt forced, really. Characterization was heavy-handed, sloppy, and honestly both girls' internal dialogues were so similar I kept forgetting who was talking. Jokes and pop culture references felt super cringe, Margo's autism feels like an afterthought, and Abbie's EVERYTHING—her neglectful parents, her fight with her best friend—just seemed so ridiculous and there-to-show-she-has-struggles that, in all honesty, I wish I'd just DNF'd and spent my time reading something better.

But, I kept reading. Because while maybe this wasn't the book for me, I do like keeping abreast of what's in YA because my students enjoy it and I have a bunch of them who love romance. They'd love this book, then, because there's a really weird sex scene in it? I'm not one to censor anything and I think reflecting real teens experiences' in literature is important, but the sex scene in this book felt like something I'd find in an adult romance novel. Knowing these girls are seniors in high school took me so far out of this book and made it so that I'd not feel comfortable recommended this or having it on my shelf. It's just a bit too... graphic for an adult to feel comfortable recommended to a student.

Anyway, this was NOT the book for me. I won't yuck someone's yum (though I guess I just did?) but... yeah. No thanks.

First off, big thank you for letting me read an arc of this book! I absolutely adore this awkward yet loveable romance between the two main characters. Definitely up on my list of favorite LGBTQ+ books and has been recommended to all my friends!

I really liked this one. There were a lot of layers of things that the main characters were dealing with. It felt very relatable because there were so many moving parts. We get to see a lot of personal growth as they learn about themselves and each other. I thought the banter was great and I really enjoyed it. Everything felt so believable. The story was very accessible even if you haven't lived the exact same experiences. I enjoyed the flow of information and the pacing of the story. I am really glad this was a dual perspective because that really made a big difference for me in feeling like I was getting a full experience of the story.

There is a lot of fun parts, but there are definitely some challenging topics, so check content warnings for sure

MARGO ZIMMERMAN GETS THE GIRL by Sara Waxelbaum and Brianna R. Shrum is a fun and thoughtful read. I was intrigued by both characters, Margo because of the way she describes her autism and anxiety, Abbie because we don't often get the perspective of an out girl with a reputation of "getting a lot of action." The world was richly drawn and the stakes of the so-called business relationship were clear for each character. The idea that Margo wants to learn how to be gay seemed a bit fluffy at first, but there are complicated cultural nuances that not everyone knows or sees or even reads, especially in small and/or conservative places. It was great when Abbie even confessed she had to learn things online because it shows how much media and schools focus on heteronormativity.

Because I appreciate this book, I do want to point out a glaring issue. As one character's world opens up, the world of the other character falls apart in a heart-breaking way. This happens about three-quarters through the book and the resolution to it is rushed. Really rushed. It feels like issues are brushed over and that gay people are all awful. Obviously that's not the case--Margo's queer brother Mendel is a huge delight--but one character loses a lot of gay friends and the loss all feels one-sided. The last fourth of the book really short-changes one of the characters.

Also, at times, it is hard to tell which character's voice we're reading and some of the dialogue sounds like an adult imitating a teen.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with and getting to know these characters. I cannot speak to the authenticity of their experiences; but the plot elements and character elements struck me as sincere and relateable, regardless of whether or not a reader has been on a similar journey. The energy and the chemistry of the two leading ladies jumps off the page, I cringed and laughed along with them.the whole way through.

Thanks go out to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

It was a fun read and one I found hard to put down. I read it in two days.

The MC is autistic and anxious. Sometimes the anxiety came right off the page and triggered anxiety in me. But nothing too bad.

Often the plot seemed predictable and familiar (but honestly what romance doesn’t these days).

Although this is a YA book- I was extremely sucked in by the promise of real main characters who experience real social issues- autism, religion, and LGBTQ+. Margo Zimmerman realizes she is gay after a game of spin the bottle. She quickly learns that she doesn't know HOW to be gay and doesn't feel like she fits in around queer groups. Enter Abbie Sokoloff, an out gay girl that has a history of exes and successful "gayness". Marge asks Abbie for help in Queer 101 and in exchange, Abbie needs tutoring in AP History. But as they spend more and more time together, Margo realizes she doesn't want a girl- she wants Abbie.

This story felt like a warm hug. The main characters were comforting, relatable, and funny. The feelings of each girl were realistic and captivating. Sara Waxelbaum does an amazing job of keeping the reader engaged with the characters and the problems they face. I like how Abbie didn't know everything and Margo and Abbie were simply doing the best they could to be themselves. This YA romance has a HEA and will keep you laughing from the moment the two MCs meet.

My only complaint is I felt there was a lot of telling instead of showing- especially at the beginning of the story. For example, in the beginning, where Margo realizes she's gay, the story skips 3 whole months and skips over the drama of Margo breaking up with her current boyfriend and I just feel like that would've made a captivating intro as well. However, this does get better as the book moves along.

However, overall this was a fantastic YA read and the overall message of the story is sweet and will have you swelling with comfort and love.

I loved this book. Great characters, really appreciated the Autism representation. Fun exploration of sexuality and gaining independence.

DNF 47%
Right from the beginning I didn’t know who was Margo and who was Abbie. I kept having to guess. Every new chapter is a pov switch and 3 pages in I completely forgot who’s perspective it was. This is because the characters are so similar that I confuse their interests and quirks. The side characters are flat and forgettable. I wish the author didn’t push this attraction between the girls so quickly. I wish it could’ve grown or they just didn’t have feelings towards one another. This book needs editing

I really enjoyed the frank view on sexuality that Margo Zimmerman took. There was no computer (except the classic queer google search), no parent who thinks they know best, no school teacher presentation. There was just Abbie, a queer teenager who taught Margo as she knew it. I really appreciated that this book didn’t have its characters pretend to know things. Abbie did her best, and in the end Margo realized what every teenager does: that she is uniquely herself and that is amazing. I did feel there was a lot of ‘telling’ versus ‘showing’, but it got better as the book went on.