Wild Beauty

The interior was just as lovely as the cover. I love McLemore's writing so, so much. I love how effortlessly queer her books are. I love the depth of her characters. I love how much focus she puts on the importance of familial relationships and friendships. I love how soft her male characters are. I love how passionate her female and gnc characters are. I love her brand of magical realism. I can't wait to read every single book she publishes.

I've had a hard time getting into magical realism in the past, but the YA format definitely helped to make this accessible. The writing is lush and beautiful, but that beauty seemed to soften the emotional climaxes of the book. There's depth to the ending, but I'm not sure the plot leading up to it adequately built that depth. That said, I did enjoy this book overall.

While beautifully written, some writers just want to say more, even at the expense of their audience. With Wild Beauty, the story became exhaustive, pages spent reiterating the same point(poignantly, I should add). Imaginative story to illustrate that, yes indeed, Love grows such strange things.

3.5 stars I enjoyed it, but it could have been so much more.

I turned the final page, closed the cover, and hugged the book to my chest. I pulled it tighter and tighter as the tears silently flowed down my cheeks. My heart aches for the friends I met within those pages. It aches for their stories and the beautiful prose. It aches because no other words could ever describe it.