As an adult reading a book geared towards young adults, it's hard to really understand how a teenager will view this book. The language seems simplistic and generalized, but that may well be appropriate for the intended age group.

However, the first half of the book does seem especially casual, almost geared towards pre-teens. The life of Phoebe, a simple country girl, is described, and her gradual awakening by the arrival a new friend, Melita.

Once Melita encouraged Phoebe to come visit her in the city, the book takes on a story and language geared towards older teenagers. Themes of discovering one's sexuality, feminism, and complex friendships are explored. All are great topics to be weaving into an entertaining story, but it would have been nice for these themes to be introduced sooner and examined a bit more. As it is, they are rushed and hurried into the last half of the story.

Overall, this is a nice little book for teenagers to read. Both gay and straight teens will benefit from reading a story of a young woman trying to figure out how her sexuality fits, or doesn't fit, within the norms found around her. The slim book allows for an easy reading that is entertaining and informative. ( )