In an alternate universe where almost everyone is born gay, Andrea "Andy" Clearwater struggles to come to terms with being straight. After being outed by a former girlfriend, she endures ridicule and abuse, both at school and in cyberspace. When she meets Ben, another straight, she thinks they just might have a chance at love, but can their relationship survive such adversity?
This book blew my socks off. I love how the author transposed the roles of homosexuals and heterosexuals from our norm to give insight into the ordeals of societal outcasts, while making it seem all too relateable. I genuinely felt like my marriage was an abomination while reading this book, fortunately my husband is in another country so I don't have to worry about the curious stares from strangers when we're seen together in public.
There is very little to laugh about in this book because it deals with some very serious topics, but there were several places where giddy smiles magically appeared on my face. This book does contain strong language, and semi-graphic violence, and if you do not like spoilers, do not read the preface to the book until the end.
My biggest complaint about this book is that Andy seems far too mature for a 16 year old and many of her personal epiphanies would have seemed more genuine and realistic to me if she were slightly older, like in college, but that would have completely changed the story, and probably made it less relevant. Also, just because I wasn't a particularly mature 16 year old doesn't mean there aren't some of them out there, so I guess in addition to being a straight, she is also more mature than me (this is probably still true).
Overall I give this book five out of five stars because it is imaginative and well written and really made me think about things. - Katie
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