Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

This specific review is from my viewpoint as a high school librarian. I truly enjoyed the podcast setting as a means to tell its story.

This book was not written for me; it was created for the young people who need to be seen authentically. I recognized several past students in these characters. From those who knew themselves to those questioning. From those who were accepted socially to those trying to hide. From those who had parental support to those seeking found family.

If this book helps even one person to accept or be accepted, understand or be understood, it belongs in every school and public library.

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author.

A fantastic upper YA debut by @sawyerlovett that I’m so excited to share on the first day of Pride month.
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In the small town of Canon, WV it’s hard being anything other than cisgender, white or heterosexual. Brian loves to share about his life as a queer teen living in a very small and conservative town on his anonymous podcast with his best friend and ally. Brian definitely fits in in Canon since he appears straight, is white and plays football, but no one knows he’s also gay. Leslie is a team girl living in Pennsylvania who is a fan of Brian’s podcast: Shampoo Unicorn. When Greg is caught having sexual relations with a fellow teammate in the locker room, his whole world implodes, which affects Brian and Leslie in different ways.
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I’m so happy this was the first book I read this month so I could share it with everyone. Fans of Meredith Russo’s Birthday will love this new book that’s available now. All the characters are relatable and their connections made me so happy, despite them dealing with heavy topics in their lives. I actually loved the way it was written in different POVs (even each character getting a different perspective from 1st, 2nd and 3rd person) and with a podcast and letter format as well. This novel allows for hope in a time where all things seem hopeless.

CW: homophobia, child abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse, car accident, hospitalization, hate crime, forced outing, suicidal ideation, religious bigotry, alcohol, alcoholism, divorce

Shampoo Unicorn is an excellent novel, particularly for readers like me, searching for more insight into the lgbtqui experience. This is one of the best books I've found for my small town library, offering numerous situations that I'm sure exist in my own small town. All the POV characters are relateable, readable and likeable, but also excellent at expressing how it feels to be different in a place where everyone knows and judges everyone. While there are definitely villains, the young people are depicted as capable of making mistakes, hurting each other, but also learning to do better, apologizing and forgiving. The pod cast concept breaks up the text, giving the reader a humorous break in a fairly dark story, but doesn't trivialize events.

Shampoo Unicorn explores the life of queer teens in a space where they don't yet feel safe or valued. When an accident tears the community apart, a group comes together to make the family they all need in that moment (and beyond). Told in multiple viewpoints, Lovett explores what different aspects of LGBTQIA+ life looks like in a lot of rural America.

Three rural queer teens are brought together after a terrible incident. Brian, aka Sass, runs a surprisingly popular podcast called Shampoo Unicorn on the life of being the village queer. He's fairly out, for better or worse. Greg, who used to be Brian's best friend, is so deep in the closet it might as well be Narnia. Then, he and another student get caught in the act at school and both are expelled and he has to pick up the pieces of his life, since he's essentially been outed. Leslie is a devoted Shampoo Unicorn listener, relating to the experience of being queer in a small rural town. She's a trans girl just coming into her own. And then Greg is hit by a truck, putting him into a coma and leading Brian to launch an investigation into who could have done this and to discover community he never knew he had.
This book was beautiful and made me cry. Like, multiple times. The community, the side characters, the character growth, the reminders of my parasocial podcast attachments. Greg's mom especially killed me. She was so wonderful. Also, Derek; props to my man Derek. It was so wholesome, and that ending, and ugh. I absolutely loved this book. This is one I'm going to be singing praises on until Christmas. My only complaint is that we did not get nearly enough Leslie chapters. Like ten chapters would pass with no Leslie and it was just like, where is my girl??? Like obviously Greg and Brian were cool, but Leslie.

This YA debut was one of my most anticipated of the year - a small town queer true crime podcast style mystery? YES PLEASE! It did get a little darker than I was expecting (the cover had me thinking more light-hearted and funny) and while there were some humorous moments, where the story really shines is the varied look at a diverse cast of queer characters living in a small Southern mining town where homophobia runs rampant and one student is involved in a hit and run that leaves him in a coma. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Beartown by Frederik Backman or Pride or die by CL Montblanc. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A warm hearted, joyous read that I was captivated by and completely fell in love with. Highly recommended.

What an incredible read. I am so glad my library managed to get this book in our collection. I’m recommending it to everyone.

With characters that hook straight into your heart and shining prose, this is a deeply moving and relatable story. A fun and sassy podcast turns into a true crime podcast to investigate a hate crime, which ends up helping so many people find strength in their identity and community. I read it all in a day.

SHAMPOO UNICORN by Sawyer Lovett is fabulous. I fell in love with this book immediately. The way Lovett creates the small town setting is very immersive and realistic. In fact, it was rather terrifying it was so good. I grew up in a "Friday Night Lights" small town in Texas and I could smell the concessions and hear the school band as I read. The characters are vibrant and well developed, too. I want to put this book into the hands of every teen I know. I'll also recommend it to every one of my creative writing students from teens to adults.

This book is beautiful and so realistic and filled with hope for what could be. Being LGBTQ+ in a small town I personally could not even imagine how hard that might be and how alone someone might feel. One voice speaking out can connect so many people and make them feel part of something bigger. One little spark is all it takes. I just love the message of this book and I hope it sparks the light in its readers as well.
Thank you to Disney Worldwide Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This is a pretty amazingly-woven YA book about a student named Brian who hosts a podcast and helps solve the crime of another student who was hit by a car and left badly injured. The secondary characters are lovely and add a lot to the story. This is the author's debut, and it is really well-crafted. The three main stories are told in first person (Brian), second person (Greg), and third person (Leslie), which is a testament to this author's skill as a writer. I loved it.

I didn't get approved for this book until a few days before it was published. 

I haven't finished it yet. (Today is 5.14)

It was published yesterday! 

I just have to say that it's very rare nowadays that I start reading a book and get sucked in the way I did with this book. I read 10% in one sitting while I was at a restaurant. My coffee was so cold by the time I remembered it. 


I loved the personalities and the way we followed multiple different characters. 

I think there is something for everyone to relate to. 


This book is amazing for LGBTQIA representation. BUT it's not just for that community. That feeling of not fitting in that many of us felt was highlighted in just the first 15% of the book. 


Im looking forward to finishing soon. My local bookstore also offers books to the queer community that may be afraid to purchase and after reading this I am happy to refer this book to their collection!

This is a gutting, but ultimately hopeful YA novel that follows several teens as they navigate being queer in small-town West Virginia. Brian has always been out and proud, and runs an anonymous podcast called Shampoo Unicorn with his bestie Riley where they explore rural queer life. Their former childhood best friend, Greg, is a football jock who is closeted and lives with his abusive, drunk father and a mother who loves him, but struggles to accept him. Leslie is a trans girl who lives an hour away, listens to the podcast, and struggles with coming out during her Senior year and wanting to live as her true self. When Greg is caught in the locker room after a game with another football player, they are both expelled, and Greg is the victim of a hit-and-run that in all likelihood, is a hate crime. Determined to help their former friend while he is comatose and fighting for his life, Brian and Riley openly share the case on the podcast and begin their own investigation. People from all over send tips and affirming LGBTQ+ stories, and Leslie contacts them to help plan a Pride Event in their town. As their worlds collide, they work together to navigate their problems and learn so much about acceptance, love, and being their true, authentic selves.

While the different points of view coupled with the transcripts of the podcast were a bit jarring at the very beginning, they begin to flow more as the novel progresses and each POV helps to shape the characterization of the three main characters. Brian uses first-person, as he's always been outgoing and sure of himself and is leading the investigation. Greg uses 2nd person, which was a bit awkward at first, but he grew on me as I realized how distant he feels from himself and how he hides his true nature to survive in a house with his domineering, homophobic father. The point of view also worked nicely when he was in the coma, reflecting what he remembers, hears, and smells as he slowly comes back to himself. Leslie uses 3rd person, which reveals that she clearly identifies as female even when the rest of the world doesn't always see her that way, and her voice strengthens as she comes into her own.

The side characters in this novel were also wonderful, as Riley is a strong ally who is never performative, supports her friends, & calls them on their crap. Derek was perhaps my favorite, as his evolution from careless, spoiled rich boy to one who attends therapy and apologizes for the trauma he caused both Brian and Greg, is much needed in a world of ever-worsening manosphere bullcrap. Even Beth, the lesbian cheerleader, is a welcome surprise who extends her help to the group and reveals the unspoken bonds of humanity.

I loved this book, as it's a great mix of self-discovery, acceptance, and mystery. I highly recommend for all libraries and any LGBTQ+ student looking to see themselves represented in YA. My GSA students will love this one!

The themes explored in this novel could really be beneficial for teens struggling with their identity. Could be triggering for some. I felt that it built very slowly but I do feel that stories like this are essential for young adults to be able to find and identify with.

Shampoo Unicorn was not what I expected, but was better.

The story is told through different voices of the main characters. Each chapter is a different voice. It took a couple of chapters to figure out who was who and how they knew each other, but then it was clear and easy to follow.

There are queer, trans, and ally characters. The best written is Leslie, a trans girl in high school. She was the most real and helped me as a straight ally and mother of a queer young adult to really grasp the feelings she had to handle.

Many YA books I've read about LGBTQ+ characters do not feel grounded in reality. This one did. There were allies, unexpected allies, but also transphobic and homophobic characters. It felt relatively realistic for the time and place.

It wasn't a perfect book. Some of the characters are not well-developed, and at least one makes a change that I had a hard time really believing. But overall, I thought the book handled the difficulties and problems having these characters with sensitivity and reality.

This book was definitely something I needed to read.

As a queer person in a town of less than 5k in rural Mississippi, this book really resonated with me. What little representation of small town LGBTQ+ people is out there usually focuses on how miserable it is and how the person can't wait to leave. This book shows that ugly side, yes, but it is all wrapped up in such queer joy. It really makes a statement on how we can carve out our own pockets of space. It is the wonderful idea that you can be happy exactly where you are. It is the wonderful idea that no matter how small your world seems, you can always find people that share in an experience you thought no one else did.

The fact that this is a debut novel is really astonishing. It is written so beautifully. Each character is so real and well-characterized, though I do feel that a few felt like they could have been fleshed out better. The alternating between first, second, and third person was a really great choice. It gives you such insight into how a character is viewing themselves at different points in the story. I also really appreciated the handling of Leslie's deadname. Like, no, we don't need to know what it is. Blank it out, it isn't who she is.

This book really spoke to me. I hope anyone looking at this review will consider reading the book! Please show the author your support, I can't wait to see what he writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

It feels like we need more books like this; although much of the plot revolves around a tragic incident which endangers the life of one of the main characters, for the most part the novel is just filled with ordinary incidental observations and the actions of a small-town community quietly and steadfastly pulling together to support their lgbtq+ youth.
The characters are deftly drawn and well executed; none of the dialogue feels unrealistic and the plot, although bittersweet, feels believable. I'd love a sequel to see how everyone fares at college and beyond, whether they still feel the universal tug to expand their horizons and see more of the world, or whether they're able to belong and bloom right where they were planted.

Sass and Mimi are the anonymous hosts of the podcast Shampoo Unicorn, which is about being an out queer teenager in small-town Canon, West Virginia. By day they are Brian and Riley, BFFs their whole lives and each an odd one out in their own way. Brian is openly, undisguisedly queer; Riley is one of the only Black people in town. What began as a school project turned into a way to express themselves and feel less alone.

When their former friend Greg is hit by a truck in what appears to be a hate crime, Brian and Riley set out to find answers. Searching for justice while Greg is in a coma, they find friendships, and reconnections, and several people locally who have been shaken into questioning their behavior and beliefs by the incident. They also find a surprisingly large community of listeners who reach out to share their stories.

Leslie is one of these listeners, a trans girl living in a small town not so far away who has been waiting to leave home and start becoming her true self. One day she breaks down and tells her parents she’s trans, and is met with unconditional love and active support from parents who become teammates and allies. She reaches out to Riley to plan a pride celebration in Canon, WV, emphasizing the need for community celebrations where rural queers already are.


I teared up while reading this book at work, what, maybe three or four times? When my hold comes in at the library next week, I’m going to re-read it at home and see if I can get a good cry in. Holy crap is this book good, y’all. And this is the moment for it.

Shampoo Unicorn grapples with the hard, nasty parts of reality – homophobia, transphobia, racism, disinvestment in rural communities, Christian fundamentalism, abuse – without flinching, but also without nihilism. The novel demonstrates beautifully that these issues are usually more complicated than they might seem, while holding characters accountable for their actions and responsible for their own growth and harm reparation. There are significant apologies characters give each other, but not with sweeping apology scenes that fix everything. Instead, there are complicated, messy emotions and hard-won growth. There are many distinct people with their own specific journeys, intersecting and impacting each others’ lives. I want to know more about all of them (yes, even the a-hole who hit Greg with a truck) because these are rich, round, intriguing characters.

The prose is also *fantastic.* The point of view characters (Brian, Leslie, and Greg) each bring their own emotional landscape and interpretation to the story. Greg’s sections are written in the second person, as though the reader is Greg; the unusual choice is effective at making Greg sympathetic by exposing his inner struggles while at the same time holding him at a distance from the other characters. Interspersed with narrative chapters are podcast transcripts, giving the reader a strong sense of Brian and Riley’s voices.

Engaging and hopeful, Shampoo Unicorn shows that the things that divided aren't that different from those that unite us. There is genuine connection here and this book will top many 2025 best of lists.