Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Published by Riverdale Avenue Books on January 18th 2016
Genres: LGBTQI, Young Adult
Purchase links: Amazon, Audible
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Source: NetGalley
Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.
Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?
With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.
We received this book/audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
Book Review: 5 Stars
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.
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