Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

I could really relate to the characters in this book. I'm a Christian and I'm bi so I could really relate to some of the struggles that the characters had with not being accepted by people with in their communities. Unlike the characters in this book I am not out so I have not experienced some of the challenges discussed in the book, but some of my friends have gone through these challenges. The author did an excellent job making these characters seem real. I am thankful that this author wrote a book that covers the struggles of being queer and a Christian.

meh.

This is a sweet, southern f/f romance. Set in Georgia, it deals with a lot of things young lesbians might have to deal with in the south - religion, bigotry, the stress of coming out or not coming out (or being forced back in the closet by a move to a small town)! It doesn't deal with any outright violence against our lesbian protagonists, and it just barely touches on drug use, eating disorders, and abusive relationships. Joanna has a mostly supportive family, even if they do ask her to hide her sexuality for her senior year in the new town. Jo reluctantly agrees to do so, but doesn't count on falling in love with a girl at her new school.

The book deals a LOT with religion and sexuality; Jo's father is a radio preacher, and she attends a baptist church in town with her stepmother and new grandparents. At one point - one of my favorite scenes in the book - she snaps, and calls out her classmates for thinking homosexuality is a sin, while they eat shellfish and have premarital sex.

I liked the book, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. I grew up Christian; I'm familiar with all the concepts in the book, but rather than progress to a kinder, more loving version of Christianity, I left it behind altogether. I'm glad that some people can reconcile religion with progressive values, but I can't. So it might be a good book for some, but not for me.

You can find all my reviews and more at Goddess in the Stacks.

I loved this book so much. So many feels

Cute, not terribly angsty, lesbian YA romance - exactly what I needed in the middle of ... everything. Love Jo and her learning to let other people into her life, from her new stepmother to her new group of friends in Rome. The minor characters were (for the most part) well-drawn and interesting, especially Gemma, George, and Elizabeth. Plot was a little overstuffed, with all of Dana's drama and the Evil Theater Lesbian toward the end, but the main storyline was so sweet and rewarding. Love that faith is taken seriously here - that seems rare in most YA, let alone LGBT YA (though that may be a lack of reading on my part). This was a fun world to escape to at the end of a terrible week.