i love queer historical fiction and this is a book about lesbian pulp novels i'm so here for this

Just fabulous, a shining example of YA. More later! ( )

This is probably one of the best YA/Teen novels I’ve read in a long time. The story is told in two timelines, which allowed for the story of 1950s pulp to be put into context for a modern teen audience. However, I found myself losing interest in the 2017 characters, often wanting to get back to the 1955 timeline. It comes together in the end though, and I think I would have related more to it if I was in the target demographic, so I can’t fault it. Also, I learned something new about the “In God We Trust” Bill, so it gets bonus points. I really want to read some more pulp lesbian authors now. ( )

3.5 ⭐ ( )

This dual-timeline YA novel switches between the perspectives of Abby, a high school senior in 2017, and Janet, an eighteen-year-old in 1955. In 1955, Janet and her friend Marie have fallen for each other. When Janet happens upon a lesbian pulp fiction novel, her whole outlook shifts when she realizes that there are others out there "like her," and she resolves to try her hand at writing her own novel. In 2017, Abby also learns about 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, and she (suddenly) decides to write one for her senior-year project.

Through the juxtaposition of the two time periods, the author provides a lot of historical context to LGBTQ+ rights, especially in Washington, DC (where both girls live)--I found it really interesting both to learn about the history of queer pulp fiction and to learn about the very real Lavender Scare that accompanied McCarthyism. I found the story pretty predictable, and I didn't love the writing (it felt a little forced and disjointed), but I think that the messages/history are worth it. ( )