What I got was a whole blotchy mess of queerbaiting and some of the most unlikeable characters I've ever read about.
So, part of the premise of the story is that Brooklyn, our MC, is going to a theatre camp over the summer as she's trying to find herself. She's always felt like she's standing in the shadows while the rest of her super theatre-driven family are firmly in the spotlight. She has never really clicked with their theatre lifestyle, and that's fine, but if that's the case then why did she choose a theatre camp to 'find herself'? Wouldn't she have been better off in literally any other summer camp?
Because quite apart from Brooklyn not really being into theatre, the theatre people in this book seem to be the biggest pile of ultra-pretentious arseholes I've ever read about. I can't even bring myself to look at the book again to get some examples - they made me cringe so much I just want to completely forget about them. Ick.
The other strand of the book is that Brooklyn is trying to find herself, you know, *mouths* sexually.
Brooklyn has always assumed herself straight, but literally as soon as she tips up at at Allerdale she tumbles into a big old crush with her roommate Zoe.
The book plays to a couple of bi tropes that I'm really not a fan of:
1) That bisexual people (and especially bisexual girls) have a voracious sexual appitite.
and
2) That bisexuality is basically just experimenting and eventually you'll pick a side.
The voracious sexual raptor, Zoe, the roommate / love interest, is in an 'open relationship' with her boyfriend. Except it's not really an open relationship, because he's only cool with her shagging other girls, not guys. So this is just another way of hammering home that a f/f relationship is somehow lesser, not as valid, not a real relationship. She also tries to pressure Brooklyn into having sex, which is so not cool.
But more disturbing to me, somehow, is the sexual experimentation thing. Look, I'm all for people experimenting, finding out who they are, or just deciding not to decide, or not putting a label on themselves, or whatever.
What I *don't* like is when a book is specifically marketed by the publisher as being a book about bi girls when one of them ends up straight. She's not bisexual! She's straight! The message this book gives is: Girls. You may *think* you're bi, but eventually you'll need to make a choice and let's face it, in the end you're going to choose cock.
Bleeugh. This book was well written I guess and there were a couple of semi-hot make-out scenes, but ultimately it just really annoyed me.
Oh, and Spoiler Alert: Brooklyn does find herself in the end. And the person she finds is a big dull dud.
1 star