Queen B’s Decree: I struggled with Friday I’m in Love initially. Our narrator/MC is Mahalia was hard to like for a while.
She’s 16, queer, and wants nothing more than to have a big, fancy sweet sixteen party. But her parents are separated: her mom is struggling to provide and her dad has nearly forgot about her after moving on with a “new” family. So she decides to save up all her money and plan a “coming out” party. And from then on, her life becomes a juggling act with work, studying for the SATs, and pining after the new girl, Siobhan.
It may just be a sign that I’m getting older, but Mahalia seemed so selfish and self-centered. Which—I KNOW—she’s a sixteen-year-old girl, isn’t that how she’s supposed to be? But I found it hard to care about her party (or her growing relationship with Siobhan) when it felt like she was so ignorant and rude to the other people in her life.
What I did enjoy was some of the deeper themes mentioned: racism, biphobia or erasure, income disparity, and dysfunctional families and parental abandonment. Mahalia’s relationship with her history teacher stood out to me and was one of the best parts of the entire story. It felt so heartwarming and wholesome.
Overall, Friday I’m in Love was a bit cheesy and cute, but wasn’t memorable.
Book: Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett
Series: standalone
Genre: YA/high school
Hotness: mild salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: sapphic