Julie Anne Peters (1952–2023)

I just received this book in Friday afternoon's mail and was finished by Saturday morning. I just couldn't put it down!

Alix is a 17yo girl who goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning to find that her world has changed irrevocably. Her girlfriend Swanee unexpectedly died while running. What follows is a twisted tale of sadness and grief, frustration and confusion, lies and betrayal, loss and change, healing and love. At first, Alix is lost in denial, unable to believe that her show more girlfriend is dead. Then the secrets begin to be revealed and she is torn between grief and anger.

One of the things I loved most about this book was that it was, at it's heart, about all of those emotions that surround loss and betrayal, love and forgiveness. Yes, the main characters were lesbians, but (other than a few rather minor moments) that wasn't the focus of the book. It was just who they were. It was refreshing to read a story that featured lesbian characters without making that the most important thing about the characters. I often feel that sometimes so much attention is paid to that aspect of the characters that it creates a divide. This is a story with themes that are entirely universal.

One of the other things I loved was the growth of Alix's character. At the beginning, she made some questionable choices, both before and after Swanee died. By the end, she has grown considerably. One of her most important lessons was that the grass isn't always greener in other places. She looked at Swanee's life and family through rose-colored glasses, not ever really seeing the truth that lay beneath the surface. This realization led to some self-discovery for Alix, which I really loved.

There was a sweet smaller plot line that made my heart sing, too, the story of Alix and her baby brother. There was so much I couldn't understand about that relationship, seeing Alix as a bit of a brat when it came to him. As the book progresses, we learn so much more about that and suddenly it all becomes clear. I loved the story!

Things to love...

--The fact that sexuality was a part, but not the whole, of the story.
--The emotional journey that comes with grief, especially when combined with anger and betrayal.
--The subplot of Alix and her brother.

My Recommendation: I really loved this book! I thought that the story was beautiful and touching, with universal themes that touch us all! I gave it 4.5 mugs! show less

(I got this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for a review.)

This is a moving novel of grief, growing up, romance and self-discovery. The book's protagonist, Alix, is devastated when her girlfriend, Swanee, dies suddenly of a previously unknown heart condition. She had been Alix's first love and Alix was awed by her and thought they'd be together throughout high school and college, perhaps however. After Swanee's death, though, Alix learns that she had been show more seeing another girl, Liana, throughout the time she was also seeing Alix. The two girls get to know each other and wind up falling in love with each other, but Alix is keeping secrets from Liana that could ruin their budding relationship.

I liked this book because I thought it showed grief very realistically, as Alix has to both deal with her loss and cope with the dawning realization that Swanee wasn't the person she thought she was, that she was controlling and jealous, that she lied about many things, and that her "cool" family is actually very dysfunctional. The subplot involving Alix's attempts to help Swanee's troubled younger sister kind of petered out, but I actually liked that because it seemed more realistic that way -- a lot of times in real life, your attempt to help someone comes to nothing and you wind up giving up.

There are a couple of other young adult novels I can think of that have a similar plot to this (that is, losing your first love, then finding out you never really knew them); Samantha Schutz's You Are Not Here comes to mind. I think Lies My Girlfriend Told Me is the best of the bunch, though. show less

There’s something about a Julie Anne Peters book that makes you want to read it in one sitting, start to finish. She Loves You, She Loves You Not is just such a book. Reminiscent of Peters’ Keeping You a Secret, one of my all-time favorite books, sixteen-year-old Alyssa is thrown out of her Virginia Beach home when her father discovers that she is a lesbian.

The only person who would take her in is her estranged mother, Carly, who lives in the small town of Majestic, Colorado. Carly left show more Alyssa when she was an infant, came back for a short visit when Carly was eight and hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there’s resentment on Alyssa’s part. Carly is a fixture in Majestic, known to all, and there’s a secret that she and the town are keeping from Alyssa. Additionally, Alyssa has a misguided sense of Carly’s occupations. The Carly/Alyssa relationship, as you can guess, is somewhat uncomfortable.

Compound all of this with the fact that Sarah, Alyssa’s girlfriend in Virginia broke up with her and that, although she has sworn off girlfriends, Alyssa finds herself attracted to Finn, a co-worker at the Egg Drop-Inn diner, and you’ll realize that She Loves You, She Loves You Not has all the components of a great love story.

Peters’ characters run the gamut from grouchy Arlo, the owner of the Egg Drop-Inn, to Finn who shies away from commitment to Carly who pole dances as one of her jobs to Alyssa’s homophobic father and understanding step-mother. They are all credible and some, especially Arlo, are quite endearing. Alyssa’s love for her younger brother and his love for her are heartwarming and the emotional toll on them when she is forced to leave is crushing.

She Loves You, She Loves You Not is told from Alyssa’s point of view, with flashbacks to the preceding school year when she meets and falls in love with Sarah. You’ll get a sense of Alyssa, who is positive about her sexual orientation, compared to Sarah and Finn who are still either searching for the truth or finding the courage to admit the truth.

There is a lot going on in this book besides the love story. All of it adds to its appeal. So, if you’re into romance or you like Julie Anne Peters, make sure She Loves You, She Loves You Not is on your reading list. Julie Anne Peters will love you for it, that’s for sure. show less

I adored this book when I first read it. It touched on so many themes and managed to subvert a lot of tropes. I was really impressed. When Mike debated what to do with her future, I rolled my eyes and muttered away, bossing around a book character. When that happens, it just means I'm really into a book and I really care. I was glad when Mike did what I wanted, although her method of reaching the decision broke my heart. I hated her love interest with a passion, but I wanted Mike to be show more happy. I laughed when her love interest chanted along with the crowd at her game--you hate baseball and this small town, but look at you, going along with the crowd. I liked Mike's relationship to her older brother, and I remember thinking I wouldn't mind reading a book from his perspective. I thought the mom was kinda--she wasn't really a big character in the book. Sure, Mike worried about her, but it was her -brother- that was close to her mom and handled a lot of the things around her. That really interested me. And the tropes the book played into--they were done right. I'm so glad this book was written. show less