Some Girls Do

For my daughter she really enjoyed it

This book wasn’t really for me I’m not big into romance books but I gave it to a friend who said she enjoyed it I think if romance books are for you this is the book to get

It’s so sweet and has enough realness to be relatable. Really helping me get back into reading this summer x

Great product as described

Pros - I really appreciate how well rounded and sympathetic the characters are even when they do awful things. I appreciate how realistic their relationship is, and how clear it is that they're both contributing to it's dysfunction. Cons - the author doesn't do a good enough job of creating a compelling connection. The ending felt deeply incongruent with the events of the rest of the book. It felt like, because this is a romance novel, and you know the couple are gonna have a HEA, not enough is done to bridge the gap between their dysfuntion and their eventual romantic bliss. It felt jarring, frustrating and unearned. (*****DETAILED REVIEW AND STORY SPOILERS AHEAD*****) Ruby likes Morgan, but isn't ready to accept it or be out. Because of trauma and difficult circumstances, she often lashes out at the people she cares about, especially Morgan. She isn't a good partner, and I'm not sure she's ready to be, at the beginning or end of the novel. Morgan isn't perfect either. Despite knowing that Ruby isn't in a place to give her what she needs, she doggedly pursues her, and resents the inevitable outcome. Their relationship is frustrating more often than it isn't. Morgan's side of the whole coming out thing also feels mishandled. Ruby's situation is complicated and it warrants empathy. But empathy doesn't mean you have to let someone treat you poorly, or be the training ground they use to work through their issues. It doesn't mean you stop having needs. You can love and have empathy for someone and also realize that having a certain kind of relationship with them only leads to you getting hurt, despite their best intentions. As much as Ruby's coming out needs to be hers, Morgan clearly wants and needs to be with someone who will love her the way she wants and deserves to be loved. Morgan can love Ruby without being her girlfriend, if being Ruby's girlfriend means constantly getting hurt. That doesn't make her unempathetic or selfish. It doesn't even mean she doesn't love Ruby enough. But the book seems to treats it that way. A character who is going through a similar situation says 'My 'truth' isn't more important than [my closeted boyfriend's] reality'. And it's directly stated that Morgan shouldn't let go of someone she loves to 'make a point'. And it's just like...really? We're going to treat Morgan's reality - her desire to have a life where she doesn't have to hide, or be treated like a dirty secret - as a desire to 'make a point'? That's just unfair. Needs stemming from Ruby's trauma are treated as worth respecting. Morgan's are treated as her 'wanting to make a point'. Yes, the consequences of Ruby coming out are more extreme than those of Morgan keeping their relationship a secret. But both take a toll. Morgan went through a lot and her pain following that is just as real as Ruby's. Yes she has things that Ruby doesn't have, like an accepting family, but if we're talking about their romantic relationship, BOTH their needs and realities have to matter. It's unfair for Morgan to pressure Ruby to come out, but it's EQUALLY unfair for the book to expect Morgan to be in a relationship that makes her unhappy just because Ruby isn't ready to come out, even if it's for the best of reasons. Because of this, it feels abrupt when Morgan suddenly changes her mind about what she wants at the very end. It would have felt more authentic to the character and preceding events if Morgan realised that it's not her place to force Ruby to come out, but there's nothing wrong with her wanting to be in a relationship she doesn't need to hide. Dating a closeted person comes with a cost and not everyone wants to shoulder it, in the exact same way that not everyone wants to shoulder the cost of coming out. And maybe she can reconsider after and ONLY AFTER Ruby starts to consistently treat her better and PROVES she is worth the extra chance/the wait. But for her to suddenly change because...what? Being without Ruby made her more sad than being with her? That just feels incredibly flimsy. Because we SEE this isn't true. Ruby makes her cry, (accidentally, but still) hits her with her car then ghosts her, pressures her to have sex to validate her own worth, and constantly lashes out without genuine apology. Morgan chasing after her despite this feels more like puppy love and a lack of self respect than a sign of some deep connection. They argue more than they don't, with small fleeting moments of genuine connection that just don't feel enough. A speech and a flower do not make up for treating someone poorly for 300 pages. Romantic overtures don't fix relationship issues. Ruby never genuinely apologises or takes accountability for how she treats Morgan. Everything's just suddenly rainbows and roses. Love is a verb more than a feeling or intention. Ruby hurt Morgan and even if she had every good reason in the world to, it should matter. But even at the end of the novel, it feels like it's still somehow Morgan chasing after Ruby and apologising, when she did far less wrong and forgave a bunch of stuff Ruby never even apologised for. And that isn't romantic. It's just toxic.

it's very sentimental and will warm your heart.

this is a book for teenagers i read it but was not impressed by it.

Loved this book, would happily read it over and over... And highly recommend