This was so incredibly midwestern and I loved every minute of it.
As a Midwestern young adult from Ohio, I felt like it was taking place in my town. Between the long drives because there is hardly anything to do to the midnight runs to Steak and Shake to the The Ohio State D1 recruits (yes, the “The” is incredibly important and I will judge you if you don’t emphasize it.)
Other than the lovely midwestern vibes, this was an extremely cute story.
This how you write an “I’m not like other girls” character / plot. Not once did Liz, our main character, say that she was different. Instead, Leah Johnson shows us that. She shows that Liz suffers from anxiety, works for everything she has, and wants. Most importantly, she shows that Liz cares more about those around her than herself.
Liz is one of those characters you just want to hug and never let go. Her mother died of the same disease her brother struggles with. She only agrees to run for prom queen, so she doesn’t burden her grandparents with the financial struggles that come along with college.
Being a black, queer teen in the middle of an elitist community is extremely difficult and as a reader, you get to see this for yourself. This is what it is like to live in the Midwest when you’re different. Liz has accepted herself and is proud of being queer… unfortunately, not everyone is proud of this in the Midwest. Not only would she have to deal with homophobia and potentially losing a scholarship that would get her to her dream university, she already has to deal with the racism she faces from those around her.
I can’t explain to you how beautifully crafted Liz is. I don’t want to go too much into detail about the previous paragraphs since that unfolds throughout the story, so I will say one thing: damn.
I loved the cast of characters, minus two (you will figure it out when you read it, and if you have read it, you already know). Obviously, I have a crush on Liz… and probably a crush on her crush. This might be the only time you hear (see, read?) me say this but, all of the characters had their own developed personality. I can tell you who everyone is and at least one or two facts about them. I have a special place in my heart for Jordan since he is soon to be playing for The Ohio State University. It’s rare to have such a nice cast of characters, but Leah Johnson really did that.
The romance in this was just too cute. If you didn’t know what it was like to grow up queer in the Midwest, you will after this. Some areas are more forgiving, like mine, but not everyone is that lucky. As I am not black, I can’t confirm this, but I have heard this is a pretty good snapshot for growing up black in the Midwest, too.
Regardless, Mack was the sweetest girl that will win the hearts of many (can you tell she’s my type yet?). She is carefree and lives for no one but herself. It’s hard to do that here in the Midwest. Like I said, not everyone is accepting of Out of all of Liz’s friends, she is tied with Jordan for my favorite (yes, he is also my type).
Moving on, before I continue to expose myself…
I loved how this prom worked. I adore that it was about giving back to the community and giving students scholarships. Sure, I don’t like the prom culture some of the girls developed, but it was nice to see a community caring about their students. My school didn’t have a large prom culture, meaning there was no campaigning unless you ran down the halls, yelling, “HEY, VOTE FOR ME!”. So, it was nice to live out my prom fantasies through this.
I do have one gripe with this. Who the fuck gives airpods out as prom gifts? Maybe this is just unbelievable for me because of where I went to school. We were well off, but my graduating class was nearly 700 students… and that’s considered small for us.
Anyways, I’m off-topic.
I really loved this but because I didn’t always want to pick it up, I can’t justify giving this five stars. Also, I'm not entirely sure that living in the Midwest didn't affect my enjoyment of this. While it was for the better, I don't want that to play into the rating because if I wasn't from the area, I don't think I would like this as much.
Oh, by the way, #FYourFantasy.
⠀⠀✧ • ° . ◦ *⠀┊four and a half stars.
Comments