Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera – 4/ 5 stars
An intersectional debut novel about a queer Puerto Rican woman living in the Bronx who travels to Portland for an internship with a white Lesbian author for the summer. This book is part coming of age story and part navigating intersectionality and part coping with life. It covers difficult and challenging topics with a light touch, making them a part of everyday conversation. It is this light and gentle touch that makes this book so powerful and why everyone needs to read it right now.

Juliet reads a book by a white Lesbian feminist which feels as though it lacks intersectionality. The book is a bit #solidarityisforwhitewomen. So Juliet writes a letter to the author and asks for an internship to address this gap. She is offered the internship, so Juliet comes out to her family, then immediately boards a plane, and leaves the Bronx for Portland. Thus starts the novel, Juliet Takes a Breath. This book has a bit of it all from the very beginning.

Juliet is confronted with challenging topics from page one. From how to make feminism more inclusive to safe spaces for people of color and the queer community to traditional family values to Latina and specifically Puerto Rican history to letting others speak for you, this book moves fluidly from one issue to another, never diving too deep into one nor proclaiming to know all the answers. This is the genius of Juliet Takes a Breath. Most books are too heavy handed when addressing these topics and thus shut down the discussion and/ or reflection before it can happen. But instead, all the characters are flawed in some way and need others around them to have open, honest, and vulnerable conversations about these flaws. It is these conversations that allow the reader to honestly reflect on themselves and see whether any of these topics ring true for them. I know they did for me.

This is the type of coming of age story everyone needs, not just queer Latinas, because it addresses so many various topics while also being accessible to people of all different backgrounds. The concepts are discussed and defined for readers who may be less familiar with the vocabulary. Then relevant and current issues are discussed in ways which do not shame but instead allow for honest reflection on not only the role of others but also our role. It is more and more challenging to navigate the world as there is more awareness around diversity and many of us do not know how to negotiate these conversations or situations. We need more stories like this to help us start those challenging conversations and move closer to an inclusive society. We all need a Juliet in our lives.

This was one of the hardest books I have reviewed because it was so different from anything else I have come across. Over and over, I was finding moments I could relate to – very vulnerable moments, some of which I have not fully healed from. I needed this book, even now, as a grown woman who does not feel like she is coming of age. So, I want to do it justice. I need to do it justice. But I simply do not know how to do it justice. I do not have the language nor other works of fiction I can point to. This book is brilliantly unique and it is that because it is an #ownvoices story. Yet, there is absolutely something relatable in this story, even if you do not feel you fit into any of the categories – queer, Latina, etc. – and it is absolutely accessible, and a quick, easy read, so it needs to move to the top of your to-be-read list now!

While the story was fantastic, I would have liked to see stronger editing as the copy I received had some grammatical errors and was sometimes too vocab heavy. I also would have liked to see a bit more literary depth, though it is more challenging for first person narratives to be more descriptive and literary over direct. I also would have liked just a bit more discussion on some of these topics. Most of them are not discussed in quite enough detail to provide meaningful growth for the reader, but there is a delicate balance between saying too much and not enough. Overall, this is an excellent novel and I am excited to see what Gabby Rivera writes next!

*I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really loved Juliet Takes a Breath. A really refreshing voice in the world of YA fiction. In this book Juliet grapples with the many facets of her identity: her sexuality, her gender, her race. She navigates her intersectionality in an open and honest way that I think a lot of people would benefit from reading and navigating along with her. Go read this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I strongly believe that everybody should read this book. You don’t have to be a woman to like it, nor a woman who loves other women; you don’t have to be white, asian, latino, black … you just have to be you to like this book as much as I did.

I don’t even know where to start. There are so many things I want to say and I’m afraid I won’t be able to do this book justice. Because this book represents everything I’m looking for in a Contemporary. Everything.

The main character, Juliet, just came out to her entire family before leaving for Portland for the entire summer. She goes there to be the Pussy Lady’s intern, a very well loved white feminist lady who wrote Juliet’s favourite book, Raging Flower.
And I loved Juliet, I loved how clueless she is about the LGBTQ community, about feminism, about herself, because we discover all these things with her. We experience her doubts, her sadness, her happiness, her pain, and it was freaking beautiful.
Juliet goes through a lot, she meets new people, open her mind to a world she didn’t know existed, she finds herself, or at least she begins to understand who she wants to be.

Me. Because I’m a messy, over-emotional, book nerd, weirdo, chubby brown human and I needed to learn how to love myself, even the shameful bits.

This book deals a lot with feminism and how different feminism can be for a lot of people. I admit, I was extremely afraid at the beginning of this book, because I felt like the feminism that was described was only meant for white cis women, and I didn’t want to find this kind of bullshit in this book. But turned out the book condemns strongly this ‘kind’ of feminism.

I couldn’t understand why it mattered so much. Like, what was so bad about Raging Flower? Ava said it was because Harlowe didn’t make queer and or trans women of color a priority in her work; that Harlowe assumed that we could all connect through sisterhood, as if sisterhood looked the same for everyone. As if all women had vaginas.
“Um, Ava, don’t all women have vaginas?” I asked, staring at her.
“Fuck no. We just talked about this,” she replied, “This is why I can’t fuck with Harlowe. All Harlowe does is equate being a woman to bleeding and having certain body parts. Like, I’m so not with that. For me, womanhood is radical enough for anyone who dares to claim it.”

Also guys, there was an ENTIRE chapter on polyamory relationships and on MENSTRUATIONS. CAN YOU BELIVE THAT ?! In our society, periods are still really taboo even though they're the most natural thing ever. People need to talk about periods in books more often, because young ladies need to understand they have nothing to feel ashamed of.

Know your period as you know yourself. Touch the wobbling blobs of blood and tissue that escape and land intact on your favorite period panties. Note the shades of brown and purple and volcanic reds that gush, spill, and squirt out announcing themselves. Slide fingers deep inside your cunt and learn what your period feels like before it’s out of your body. Masturbate to ease cramps and meditate to soothe the spirit. Connect to your blood cycle. Build sacred rituals around your body during this time of renewal.

I wish I could do this book justice, I truly do, but I’m a terrible mess right now. I needed to read this book, because as a biracial bisexual woman I needed to feel like somebody had my back, and this book totally offered to watch it for me.

All of the women in my life were telling me the same thing. My story, my truth, my life, my voice, all of that had to be protected and put out into the world by me. No one else. No one could take that from me. I had to let go of my fear. I didn’t know what I was afraid of.

This book… Wow… This book…
I can’t even begin to describe the plot… I mean it wasn’t at all what I expected but it was pretty damn awesome nonetheless…

Ok... I'll still try... So Juliet is a 18/19 puerto rican girl from the Bronx and she’s gay. She’s read a feminist book by Harlowe Brisbane and decides to email her. The book starts the day before Juliet leaves for Portland to be Harlowe’s intern for the summer…

Honestly, I thought this would be a F/F romance of some kind. I hadn’t read the summary but I thought that was what this was.
This wasn’t. It was a story of self discovery and so much more. I didn’t agree with everything, I found some parts to be pretty slow and the writing seemed bizarre to me at times but still, I think it’s a must-read.

There is something about this book that reminded me of being a baby dyke during the 1990s. This stream-of-consciousness coming-of-age novel is reminiscent of the kind of fiction I would have bought when I was in college. While I wonder if younger readers find it relevant, I hope they find it as entertaining as I did.

Juliet, born of Puerto Rican parents living in the Bronx, is working up the courage to come out to her parents on the eve of her departure to Portland. She has snagged a coveted internship with Harlowe, the author of her favorite book. Throughout the course of the book she will continue to learn about herself and the lesbian community that surrounds her, navigate the family drama that resulted from her coming out, and find new allies in unexpected places. This stream-of-consciousness coming-of-age novel is reminiscent of the kind of fiction I would have bought when I was in college. While I wonder if younger readers find it relevant, I hope they find it as entertaining as I did.

The video review of this book will be published on the blog (www.psilovethatbook.com) as well as on my youtube channel on 29th of June.

Overall I real loved this book, it is really divers and it touch upon subjects not every writer dares to touch upon. We need more books and writers like this and I would love to read more books like this. This is also a story about self-discovery, Juliet learns a lot about her background and who she is and what she stands for. She goes on a journey to find out what it means to be queer, a feminist and a black feminist.
I think this is a book everyone should and can read, I definitely recommend it. Everyone can take something from this book and it is divers. I think almost everyone can find someone to identify with when it comes to Juliet.

Honestly, this book is just incredible. Both for being a lgbt story and for being a Hispanic lgbt story.
The main character had a sensational voice that I loved reading. She was a magnetic character that I connected with instantly. Her perspective made everything about the book enjoyable: the plot, the setting, the other characters.
I especially recommend this book to anyone who can relate to being Hispanic, lgbt, or a woman. I also recommend this book to people who just like good books.

First, I want to thank Netgalley, the publisher and Gabby Rivera for this copy in exchange for my review!

When I went into Juliet Takes a Breath, I thought that this was going to be a nice lesbian romance and coming out/coming of age story.
What I got was probably the best book I've read in 2017 and a novel I think everyone should read.
I loved every part of this novel, it's one that everyone can leave with something new that they didn't know or didn't understand.

The feminism, body positivity, LGBTQIA+ and POC rep blew me away. The plot itself was fully based around our MC, Juliet's, growth and discovery of herself and it was executed perfectly.
That being said, so was the character development in this book.

It touches base on accepting yourself, the patriarchy, the importance of the LGBTQIA+ and POC community within the feminist movement, and how important it is to know your history.

I honestly can't recommend this book enough, it's a powerful book and it left a huge impression on me. I'll be picking up my own physical copy soon.

if it’s a phase, so what? if it’s your whole life, who cares? you’re destined to evolve and understand yourself in new ways you never imagined before.


LANGUAGE WARNING FOR THIS REVIEW

From the very moment Juliet Milagros Palante referred to herself as a ferocious cunt I knew I'd like this book.

First of all, because teenagers swearing is realistic and I want it more in books. Second of all, because I just think there's something entirely glorious about referring to yourself as a ferocious cunt.

This book is one of those books I worry people won't read or will dnf because it's not got that much plot. It's a coming of age story, and I get why people say it's boring but this book is so entirely well written, well addressed, well researched and well presented it's a massive fucking shame if people walk past it. Even though it's not a typical fast moving plot, I still felt myself constantly reaching for this because it was endlessly interesting in other ways then plot.

Juliet Takes a Breath follows Puerto Rican lesbian girl Juliet Palante who's recently been introduced to feminism and "Pussy Power" by Portland writer Harlowe Brisbane. Juliet takes up a summer intern with Harlowe, and the story basically followers her as she navigates her internship.

The truly beautiful and unique thing about this book is the incredible visibility of queer spaces, and especially queer spaces for women of colour. This book debunks and challenges aspects of feminism and womanhood that are exclusionary, cissexist or racist and promotes intersectionality. Juliet must confront and explore how her sexuality, gender and ethnicity intersect and that exploration is something so rarely seen in YA.

What I liked about this is it kinda feels like you take Juliet's hand and learn as she does. This forced me to address and acknowledge some of my own white privilege and cissexism and I really liked that about it. If you're willing to go into it open minded you will genuinely learn alot about modern feminism, lgbt+ communities, QPOC spaces and intersectional feminism.

Gabby Rivera feels in control and educated on every subject that comes up - this is own voices, but still a part of me was worried the exclusionary aspects of Harlowe's feminism would never be addressed. Shame on me for having no faith, Rivera masterfully writers and crafts her story.

Aside from the larger themes, this book has such cute romance elements. There's a cute librarian girl who rides a motorbike and goes stargazing !! And an interracial couple with no white people !! (Kira is biracial Korean and White) There is also a poly relationship. And aaah it's so cute !! And Juliet is soo tongue tied over the cute girls and it was just sweet and not sexualised or anything but was just soft and realistic and I LOVED IT.

Genuinely, I think this is such an important and well written book. I think it's important book that offers so much visible spaces for lgbt+ youth and especially queer women of colour. This book is filled to the brim with strong, outspoken and beautiful queer, poc women and it truly made my heart sing. The representation matters so much to me, and I imagine it matters even more to brown girls.

This book feels so rare, like I don't know if I'll read anything which forefronts queer spaces this much again. I will never be over it. I genuinely want everyone to read this - whether you're gay, white, female or not.

I feel so incredibly gushy about this book - like, you don't understand how validated and good this makes me feel and it isn't even for me. I am so happy Juliet got to find and experience spaces that included her, and a brand of feminism she could claim. Juliet's story is incredibly important, she's a chubby, latina queer women who finds her voice, her discovers and claims her own sexuality and spaces. The sharpness and poignancy of this book will not be forgotten by me, it's a terribly important story, a true look into how queer women of colour are struggling and it's a great intro book to inclusionary feminism which also serves as a critique and reminder to white feminist.

I am literally willing to beg people to read this, it's that important.

Gabby Rivera has a witty writing that you grab you from the beggining. I'm going to review this on my youtube channel.

Juliet is a chubby lesbian Puerto Rican girl who just came out to her family and is about to spend her summer with Harlowe, the author of a book that has helped her to discover feminism. During this summer she will learn a lot of things about herself, about feminism, racism and white privilege, and the queer community; she'll get to question everything and everyone; and she'll understand that Harlowe doesn't have all the answers.

I firmly believe we need more books like this one. Books that talk freely about feminism (including polyamory, menstruation, or masturbation), books with a main character who needs to ask lots of questions because is still learning and is facing many issues that are new to her. Because it's ok not to know all the terminology, to have doubts, and to ask (politely and respectfully) when you need any clarification. And that doesn't mean that other people are better than you.

Also, we need more books with so many queer and PoC spaces, books that talk about how important is to find people you identify with and make you feel that you belong, books that question white allocishet privilege.

I loved this book. I cried, I laughed in public, and I'm really grateful to have read it at this moment. It made me absolutely giddy and primed me perfectly for Pride. It made me want to rally up all my queer friends for talks and marches and meditations and protests... And also just to take time to fortify each other.

Juliet Takes a Breath is about a young college Puerto Rican from the Bronx who scores an internship with a feminist icon in Portland, OR. (Although my favorite bit is actually a brief stint in Miami.) It's a coming-of-age story and can function as a bit of a 101/intro to feminist and queer circles, but it also worked for me as a pure celebration of all those things. I believe it's a semi-autobiographical story for Gabby Rivera, and her voice is necessary, needed, wanted, and requested.

Fans of the POC lovefest in The Sun Is Also a Star, the empowerment/community stories of The Hate U Give and The Color Purple, and the Latino jubilation in Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao should check this one out.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an e-copy! Almost halfway through reading I decided I had to run to my local LGBT Center library to purchase my own hardcopy. :D

This book was magical and mystical and all things fucking amazing. I am older than the character in the book, but when I was 19 I wish there had been more books like this one. It was so nice to read an affirming book about queer, POC, nerds who had no idea what it meant to be a lesbian or feminist. I was that way when I first came out and I felt utterly clueless. Juliet's story is important because it lets me know that there are other people like me out there. It brings back fond memories of being the only person in my family to leave the "hood" and try something new and different and not knowing how that would look or feel. This book is important because it lets little brown girls out there know that they have a voice and there is someone writing their stories. It really gave me all of the feels and was made even better by getting to meet Gabby Rivera at BookCon in NYC this past weekend. I will read everything she writes and I hope there are more YA-ish books about girls of color and their experiences navigating the queer community. I thought the character of Harlow was so well written in all of her flaws and the rest of the characters fit really well into the book. Overall great first book and I am glad I happened upon it.

I have already posted my review on Amazon. And I plan to post my review on my blog (lifeofaliteraryner.wordpress.com) and twitter (twitter.com/ahyperboliclife) Monday afternoon on June 5th.
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This books was a ride for me. I could not stand Harlowe Brisbane or her damn book so I almost DNF’d this after chapter 2, but I am glad my sister pushed me to keep going because I really loved it. Juliet Takes a Breath is a moving and powerful story of self-discovery, growth, expectations, and feminism. Juliet’s story felt so honest and raw, it truly captivates you as she learns to love herself.

Things I Liked :
Juliet’s journey is beautiful and powerful. I loved seeing her discover feminism, what it means to her, and where she fits into this larger movement. I also really loved that she learns from her family and she has a support system around her, ready to uplift and encourage her.

The feminist and queer ideologies are very accessible for every reader. Juliet learns and absorbs so much - about non-white revolutionists, polyamorous and other non-heteronormative relationships, safe spaces, trans rights, allies. Juliet’s eyes are opened to a world she didn’t know existed and she craves knowledge and understanding. Everything is explained very clearly and respectfully, so those new to feminism can easy understand the topics and grow in knowledge like Juliet.

I also loved how Juliet’s relationship with her mom developed. We see their relationship go through so much and in the end, her mom helps propel her forward, and encourages her to reinvent her own world and not rely on others to do so.

I LOVED that they called out the white feminism EVERY TIME. The characters in the story were openly critical of the exclusionary and dismissive white feminist nonsense and actively challenged that white feminism was universal. It was just so great to see.

Things I Didn’t Like :
You already now I hated Harlowe. Everytime she was in a scene I just got angry - and don’t even get me started on her dumbass book. First of all, it reminded me so much of the book Rachel reads in Friends-Be Your Own Windkeeper. I felt like they were basically interchangeable. On a more critical note, Raging Flower reeked of privilege. Highlighting women’s divine essence and power and their cosmic sisterhood, while not confronting any of the systemic or political oppression women - especially non-white women - face was infuriating. Yes camaraderie and self empowerment are important, but I HATED how Juliet upheld her book as a bastion of feminist literature and Harlowe was iconicized for her mediocrity. It was not unrealistic though, and Harlowe/her book was called out several times so I really appreciated that. I also HATED her half assed apology to Juliet after the incident at the book reading. She literally said she didn’t think she said anything wrong or mean about Juliet and I couldn’t believe it.

I felt Juliet was very naive. I understand that this is the story of her journey to discover more about feminism and where she fit in, but it didn’t feel like she was in college to me. She says she met Lainie in a Women’s Studies class, but she still new virtually nothing about feminism, or the fallacies of the US government, at all. It was a little unbelievable to me. I also didn’t like her thoughts about the Native American genocide being an accident, and how Harlowe and Maxine’s poly relationship meant her crushes on Kira and Maxine, while still loving Lainie, was okay - it felt like she was trying to justify emotionally cheating to me, while not being open with all parties. It was also hard for me to believe that Juliet’s only resource on feminist literature was Raging Flower - even in Harlowe’s book she says to read books and resources from a wide range of people, so I could believe that Juliet hadn’t taken that advice to heart.

This was a tough reading experience for me, but I am really happy I finished the book. Juliet’s story is honest and gripping and unapologetically queer. Juliet celebrates the queerness in her own life and in the community she discovers. I loved going on this journey with Juliet and seeing her come into her own and learn to love who she is.

This book hooked me since the first page: Juliet's voice is so refreshing and I loved discovering more about her, her family and friends, and her relationship with feminism, queerness and race. A solid five-star read for me.

The one word that kept going through my mind as I read Juliet Takes a Breath and later tried to compose my thoughts on it is "authentic." Juliet Takes a Breath is one of the most authentic books I have ever read, and that authenticity is what makes it truly fantastic. I'm guessing that the author drew heavily from her own experience, and it shows in a very good way; Juliet's voice is incredibly clear and incredibly real. At the core of it, she's just a young person trying to figure things out, and that is something that so many other young people can relate to.

Readers who share experiences and/or identities with Juliet (being latinx, queer, working class, growing up in the Bronx, etc) will find that her story resonates even more. As a young queer woman, I found myself tearing up several times because Rivera captures so perfectly that experience. It took me a while to get hooked into the book because the beginning part when Juliet comes out to her family evoked so many emotions about when I came out to my own family, and it was a little overwhelming, but in a good way. The characters, too, were incredibly relatable. I have met people who are a lot like Harlowe, like Lainie, like Maxine, even like Phen, bit player that he is. I felt a connection with the characters and the situations in a way that I don't with most realistic fiction; even though it was fiction, these kinds of people do exist, and these kinds of things do happen, and furthermore, people like Juliet really do grow and deepen their connection to their own identity and to others. For young queer folks who haven't gotten to that point yet, this book could be very inspiring, even hopeful.

But even if readers do not share the same experiences as Juliet, this book is still incredibly valuable, as it tackles issues like race and sexuality in a very honest way, introducing concepts that some people may not be familiar with and tackling tricky situations (the role of race in an interracial relationship, for example) using the characters as a proxy. The characters teach us about a range of different things-gender pronouns, what the word "queer" means, how polyamory can work-but it never feels like the characters are just spouting off a lecture at us because Rivera weaves it in seamlessly in a way that makes sense.

When I first began the book, I was a little apprehensive because Harlowe's brand of feminism that caters to white cis lesbians was a bit off putting to me; I've seen it in my own life, and I even used to subscribe to it until I realized how exclusionary that kind of feminism is to women of color and trans women and basically anyone who isn't a white cis woman. But rather than espousing Harlowe's feminism, Rivera tackles it head on, and uses Harlowe as a way to point out the dangers of white feminism and the pitfalls that white allies can fall into. Impressively, I find that she also strikes an impressive balance; the characters who make mistakes are not immediately forgiven or pardoned, but neither are they uniformly vilified. People are complex and relationships are complex and the interplay of personal relationships with race and gender and sexuality is complex, and Rivera portrays that with care and honesty.

As a side note, I was very impressed at how well Rivera wrote about the (view spoiler) I'm also impressed at the breadth that Rivera covered in a relatively short book. She took us from Juliet's home in the Bronx to the queer community of Portland to Ava's world in Miami (and the chapter about the party that Ava takes Juliet too is really one of the highlights of the novel for me). Juliet's relationship with her family-particularly Ava and Lil' Melvin-was also absolutely fantastic.

I only have two very minor gripes with the book, and they're really not full-on gripes as much as they are things that I was confused about. The first is that I'm still confused (view spoiler) The second is that I think that at times, Harlowe is written as such an extreme hippie that she borders on being a caricature. However, I do think that there are probably people like Harlowe out there, and my feeling on this is mostly a product of the fact that I live in an area very different than Portland where I don't meet many Harlowes.

On the whole, I think that Gabby Rivera has really written a fantastic novel; the cast is diverse in the way that the real world is diverse, and the way she draws on her own experience as a queer latina makes the novel shine. Many LGBTQ+ books tend to showcase one particular narrative; in particular, a white, usually middle class narrative. Alternatively, they are written by people who are not a part of the community that their characters are, and they fall into stereotyping and/or fetishizing (white authors oversimplifying the experience of LGBT people of color, or straight white women writing fetishizing fiction about two cis white gay men). But with Juliet Takes a Breath, Rivera has given voice to a different narrative that is just as valuable and just as authentic, if not more so. When people say that we need diverse books by diverse authors, this is exactly the kind of book that they mean.

This book is very refreshing since it takes the experiences of a queer latina woman to the forefront of the story it’s particularly important because even though I enjoy reading (and in general consuming media) that reflects on other type of experiences seeing a lot of what I live or feel being talked about and shed a positive light is rare and priceless especially because there are not many stories exploring the intersectionalism between queerness and being a latinx.

The beginning is amazing because we start with Juliet writing a letter to to author Harlowe Brisbane — a famous feminist and lesbian — as part of an internship application. Harlowe’s book is named Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind. So that should show you the tone of the coming pages and just a beautiful way to show you how Juliet sees and relates to the world.

“But now I’m writing to you because this book of yours, this magical labia manifesto, has become my Bible. It’s definitely a reading from the book of white lady feminism and yet, there are moments where I see my round, brown ass in your words. I wanted more of that, Harlowe, more representation, more acknowledgement, more room to breathe the same air as you. “We are all women. We are all of the womb. It is in that essence of the moon that we share sisterhood” — that’s you. You wrote that and I highlighted it, wondering if that was true. If you don’t know my life and my struggles, can we be sisters?”

So when Juliet finally comes out to her family just before going into her internship to Portland, to a big city to meet her hero and be herself (10/10 can relate to this because even though I moved to my country’s capital to be myself and not to meet my hero) she is shocked by the cultural changes and the feel of the city.

I don’t want spoil more but it’s important to note this is a wonderful read exploring feminism in an intersectional lense more than the usual white feminism that’s been going around in media, and it’s not preachy if you’re fearing that, it’s just natural and reflective.

I read this book more than a month ago so unfortunately, I can’t really remember all the details, I hope I’m not going to forget anything!

Juliet is a Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx during the 2000s. She’s a closeted lesbian and doesn’t know anything about the LGBTQIA+ community and she discovered feminism because of a book, Raging Flower, written by Harlowe Brisbane. In very little time, this book took a huge place in her life, so she decided to write a letter to the author, asking her for an internship during summer so she could learn more about feminism and what it really means. For her biggest surprise, Harlowe accepts and so Juliet leaves the Bronx to go to Portland. But before her departure she has to do one last thing: she decides to come out to her family.

What I really loved about this book is that it’s not a romance story. Yes there’s some romance but this isn’t the main subject. I think this more a story about family and how it can be important.

I really loved Juliet, I think it’s great to have a Puerto Rican main character. I love that she has curves and is proud of that. She loves her body, her breasts, the way she looks. She wants to understand what it means to be a lesbian, she wants her mother to accept her, to be proud of her. She’s also trying really hard to understand, to be part of a community she doesn’t feel belonging to. She’s also asthmatic and it’s always great to have this kind of representation. I feel like asthmatic people in books are always the nerdy or weak people but Juliet is a strong woman and having troubles breathing is absolutely not the main subject, it’s part of her life but doesn’t dictate it. This summer is one of the most decisive of her life and I’m not going to explain more because I don’t want to spoil anything but I love the way the story is told, the way she thinks when she sees her girlfriend, the questions she asks herself about her future, the doubts she has about her family, her life.

The reason I loved this book so much is because of all the subjects the author is talking about and there’s so many that I’m actually going to make a list:
– Harlowe Brisbane is in a polyamorous relationship.
– This book is calling out white feminism.
– It’s also calling out racism, and how it can comes in any forms. Just because you’re a white woman fighting for feminism doesn’t mean you can’t say racists things, even though you didn’t realized it at the moment.
– There’s a whole chapter about periods. This may disturb some of you but periods are kinda taboo in literature so I’m always loving it when periods are mentioned. Girls have it once a month and yet nobody feel like talking about it, so can you imagine a whole chapter?
– Since Juliet knows nothing about the LGBTQIA+ community, her cousin explains to her some of the words and also talks about genders and the pronouns. (Let me share with you an important quote: « Whatever pronouns a person chooses, if they choose any at all, are their right. Not a fucking preference. »)

I may forget some things and I’m really sorry because I feel like I can talk for hours about this book. I loved how it made me feel good but also laugh so hard at some parts and since summer is coming soon, I think this read is perfect. It’s a light read but with heavy and important subjects.

FINALLY- A book with likeable characters, great person of colour representation, queerness, feminism...and it's brilliantly written with a super heartwarming story that'll suck you in so you can't put it down. Brilliant!

Juliet Takes a Breath is the coming-of-age story of Juliet Palante, a Puerto Rican teenager who lives in the Bronx with her madcap family. She discovers feminism through the book 'Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy By Empowering Your Mind' by Harper Brisbane (which she reads to freak people out on the subway) and, after writing to the author to tell her how much she enjoyed it (despite not really recognising herself in the text) lands an internship to help Harper research her next book. Moving to Portland, Oregon gives Juliet a total culture shock and living with Harper exposes her to a completely different way of life. She uses the opportunity to learn about being gay, being a person of colour, being female and being a feminist, all whilst trying to figure out who she is and trying to get her family to accept her. Nothing major then.

I really loved reading this book. There's such great, positive representation and a brilliantly written story which taught me so much about other cultures, history, oppression, feminism, my own body... I could go on. It's really well written, interesting, funny and sweet without being overly saccharine or having a happily ever after ending that ends up in so much current YA literature.

I loved the main character Juliet, who was bold and strong but also scared and vulnerable at times. She felt very 'real' to me and despite our many differences I identified with her as a chubby, queer nerd girl who finds safety in the confines of a library. Her family members were all amazing, especially her brother cousin and aunt and I loved reading about how close they all were and supported each other no matter what.

I initially really liked Harper, the hippy writer who acted as a kind of queer feminist Yoda to aid Juliet in her voyage of discovery, but my opinion of her changed as the book went on. I loved the way that the two characters were so different and the way that Harper exposed Juliet to so many new experiences, but I hated the way that she made so many assumptions about Juliet and in the end I thought she was actually quite self centered.

Through Juliet's journey (literally and figuratively) the reader gets to learn so much about topics that you were afraid to ask about - from periods to polygamous relationships to white privilege. Every topic is handled sensitively and the writing is never preachy, only informative.

There is an awful lot in the book about racism and the differences between being a white feminist lesbian and a person of colour feminist lesbian which I hadn't really considered before. I'm not sure if this is my white privilege or because I'm British but I'm not used to people talking about their race all the time or referring to themselves expressly by their heritage. Some of the ideas discussed made me a little uncomfortable, like a racist slur said about Juliet's white girlfriend and a POC only party but through the character of Juliet the ideas are often questioned and both the positives and negatives are discussed.

Because the main character is Latino it was really interesting to view feminism and lesbianism through her eyes - how it fitted in with her religion, her traditional family, her views on men, her experience of privilege, her sense of self etc. This was a viewpoint that I hadn't read from before and I thought it was executed brilliantly.

My only criticisms of the novel would be that I think it's a little unrealistic for almost every character that Juliet encounters or knows to be gay and that perhaps a few straight people would have added another dynamic. I also felt that the negative way in which every white person was portrayed was a little unfair - although heaven knows there's enough books out there where the only black character is a villain/token gesture/non-existent so maybe the author was just trying to redress the balance.

Overall I loved reading this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to explore feminism and queerness from a different perspective, or just anyone looking for some great intersectional YA.