
Reach for this book when your teenager is navigating a summer of transition, whether they are heading off to college or questioning their place in the world. It is an essential choice for parents of teens who are beginning to explore their own identity, heritage, and the complexities of first love while away from the comforts of home. After a social mistake lands her at her grandmother's house, seventeen year old Aria finds herself pulled into a vibrant circle of artists and activists that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself. Through Aria's eyes, the story explores the bittersweet tension of growing up and the courage it takes to be honest with oneself. Malinda Lo handles themes of queer identity, Chinese American heritage, and the nuance of adult relationships with grace and realism. This is a sophisticated coming of age story for mature teens (14 and up) that validates the messiness of self discovery and the beauty of finding a community where you truly belong.
Characters navigate the fallout of a social scandal and complex relationship dynamics.
Includes descriptions of sexual intimacy and exploration of queer identity.
Depictions of social drinking among older teens and adults.
Non consensual sharing of intimate imagery (the catalyst for the plot), references to the 2013 Supreme Court rulings on marriage equality, and exploration of complex adult infidelities.
A thoughtful 16 or 17 year old who feels like they are on the precipice of adulthood and is looking for a story that treats their burgeoning desires and sense of self with intellectual and emotional respect.
This is a mature Young Adult novel. Parents should be aware that the book contains realistic depictions of teenage sexuality and drinking. It can be read cold by older teens, but parents of younger readers may want to discuss the legal and social implications of the digital privacy breach mentioned in the backstory. A parent might notice their teenager becoming more withdrawn after a social media incident or a fallout with a peer group, or perhaps they see their child beginning to experiment with their personal style and questioning their future path as they prepare for college.
Younger teens (14) will focus on the romance and the feeling of being an outsider. Older teens (17 to 18) will better appreciate the recent history of marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights and the sophisticated parallels between Aria's life and her grandmother's artistic legacy.
Unlike many coming of age stories, this book treats the grandmother granddaughter relationship as a central intellectual anchor, grounding the contemporary experience in a broader lineage of art and history.
Seventeen year old Aria is sent to Northern California for the summer after an incident involving nude photos being shared without her consent. While staying with her grandmother, a renowned artist, she enters the orbit of Steph, a charismatic gender nonconforming musician. The story follows Aria as she navigates the complexities of her first romance and the fallout of her social exile.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
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