SATA

Just Julian
VOYA: The romance stories in Lorimer's Real Love series reflect the diverse world teens live in--at a reading level for emerging readers. Unlike children's books available at similar reading levels, the series is meant for young adults and offers more mature themes and characters to appeal to that audience. The four books reviewed feature protagonists who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. You're You tells the story of Freyja, a passionate activist and leader in the LGBTQA+ community. When her girlfriend breaks up with her, she throws herself into volunteering at a local food bank to cope. There she meets Sanjay and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him. In True to You, forge is expelled from school for fighting, comes out to his parents, pursues his interest in professional wrestling, and falls in love with Thom. The companion novels, Just Julian and Romeo for Real, mimic the character names and whirlwind romance of Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet. Bullying, homophobia, depression, and teen drinking are prominent in both books.

All four books provide the fast-moving, linear stories, and straightforward language that is typical of high-low texts, and all sacrifice some story to fit the format. The characters are believable, and their insecurities, search for acceptance, and navigation of identity and romance will resonate with readers. Flawed choices, peer pressure, and intolerance add to the credibility. You're You, Just Julian, and Romeo for Real keep tight focus on a short time frame, which fuels the tumbling, rushing blur of teen romance and engages readers. The stories flow smoothly and quickly, and the chemistry between characters leaves the page. True to You, however, makes bigger leaps, glossing over plot points and leaving readers disconnected. Intense moments lose their intensity in shallow, expository storytelling. Parts of Just Julian feel fantastical, but those utopian elements are balanced by the sometimes violently homophobic world surrounding them. Although occasionally heavy-handed in addressing social issues, the books effectively use the characters to contemplate when, how, and how loudly people should speak out. The consequences of prejudice and the search for acceptance, both from the wider society and within LGBTQA+ communities ring true. Additionally, they help to broaden the range of experiences represented in the romance genre, moving beyond the white, heterosexual characters normally seen. This series is worth consideration in young adult collections.--Cheryl French.

BOOKLIST
ust Julian. By Markus Harwood-Jones. Aug. 2018.168p. Lorimer, $27.99 (9781459412941); paper, $8.99 (9781459412927); e-book, $8.99 (9781459412934). Gr. 7-10.

Suicidal from the abuse he received, Julian has dropped out of school and become a near hermit, seldom leaving his bedroom and losing touch with his friends. Cajoled, finally, to go to a party, he meets Romeo, and the two have an instant connection, kissing each other. Romeo is said to be a homophobe, but it turns out he is actually a closeted gay teen. Soon he comes out as he and Julian fall in love. And no wonder--Julian's last name is Capulet, and Romeo's is Montague. Harwood-Jones pulls out all the stops in his love story: Julian's mother, for example, is a bisexual feminist; his best friend is a lesbian; his cousin is gay; two other friends are, respectively, transgender and gender fluid. The-book is not without its cringe-worthy moments: Julian's favorite exclamation is "Oh, Goddess," his mother calls him her "darling jewel," and his absent father used to call him his "little fawn." Though lacking in subtlety, the novel boasts empathetic characters and enough dramatic action to hold readers' attention to its happy ending.--Michael Cart
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
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KIRKUS:
Harwood-Jones, Markus JUST JULIAN Lorimer Press (Young Adult Fiction) $8.99 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4594-1292-7

Boy meets boy and falls in love in this angst-y modern reworking of Romeo and Juliet set in Winnipeg.

In this latest adaptation of Shakespeare's most famous love story, the plot does not matter nearly as much as the characters' sexual orientations. The lovers this time are Julian Capulet, a gay 19-year-old who uses his painting to hide from the world after being bullied, and Romeo Montague, a closeted teen jock who indulges in gay bashing to avoid confronting his sexuality. The world that Harwood-Jones depicts in this pair of companion novels (Romeo for Real tells the tale from Romeo's point of view), in which gender fluidity is completely accepted and mothers dole out condoms and allow their children to have sex at home without judgment, feels so fantastical that it proves how far society still has to go in the quest for true acceptance. The author's passion for diversity is evident, but the novels feel so packed with nonconformity that characters become political statements rather than three-dimensional people. Nearly every character lies somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, and God is referred to as female, which, while laudable, feels forced at certain points. While the theme of star-crossed teenage lovers is timeless, the novels' viselike grip on names and plot points from Shakespeare's play drives them into the realm of the hyperbolic. Julian is implied at least part Chinese due to his mother's surname, but race is indeterminate for all characters. Despite their flaws, these novels provide much-needed representation for those whom society marginalizes.

Imperfect yet earnest works celebrating love in all forms for reluctant teen readers. (Fiction. 14-17)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC

slj
Gr 9 Up--This series continues with LGBTQ+ modern-day retellings of classic tales. Ash, a contemporary Cinderella in Cinders, is harassed by her stepsiblings while trying to win a coding competition at school. In Charming, Char is mercilessly cyberbullied for her music. Each book follows the story of how the two of them meet and fall for each other online while using Ash's anti-cyberbullying app. Romeo and Juliet is retold in Romeo for Real and Just Julian. Romeo is a high school sports star who begins to explore his sexuality after meeting Julian, though his openly homophobic friends and family make him fear coming out as gay. Through his relationship with Romeo, artist Julian becomes involved in LGBTQ+ activism. While these story lines relate only loosely to their source material, the narratives pack a punch. VERDICT These modern romances, written at a fourth grade reading level, effectively tie in contemporary themes like bullying and social media while presenting relatable characters embracing their sexuality.

ROMEO FOR REAL
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Romeo's friends are homophobic bullies, and after kissing a boy at a party, Romeo finds himself falling for this mystery man, and trying to hide it from his friends. Romeo confides in his ex-girlfriend and best friend Rosie, who helps him understand his sexuality, drawing from her own recent realisations. Romeo finds Julian mysterious, handsome, and confident in his sexuality, and the two fall fast and hard in love.

When read in conjunction with Just Julian, the companion novel, we learn more about Julian, and his inner thoughts, and past experiences. Romeo struggles to explain his sexuality to his parents, who are not very sympathetic with him. Together, Romeo and Julian find that as long as they are together, their love can conquer all.

WE THREE:
Resource links: Part of Lorimer's Real Love line which bills itself as providing diverse romances for today's teens, We Three can best be described as a niche book.

Three 16-year-old misfits--Jasbina, Sydney, and Amelio--are all sent by their parents to a performing arts summer camp. All three have their problems. Jassie has been diagnosed as a loner and social misfit with ADHD. Syd is a pierced, articulate and "out" lesbian with many natural talents and a troubled home life. Amelio (Ams) is a young man who is struggling with gender identity and prefers to use alternate pronouns (they). He (or they), too, feels out of place in the world. At the camp, the three become friends and discover that they have deeper feelings for each other which they explore physically in a minor way. They decide to be a trio or a thrupie but settle for triad. Deliberately or not, We Three ticks off a lot of societal boxes which are now hot concepts in YA fiction--LGBTQ, race, religion, transgender issues, ADHD. Diverse fiction is needed but the real problem with this book is that it is just not particularly interesting. The best YA sees its heroes finding themselves while demonstrating real insight into their dreams--recognizing both the possible and the impossible. Here, we have three people rebelling against summer camp hi-jinks and trying to find ways to maintain their friendship (or more) after they return to their various homes. The narrative lacks punch and not much really happens.

There's an important story somewhere here, but this one isn't it.

KIRKUS REVIEWS:
Three outcast teens fall in love at summer camp.

Jassie never wanted to attend performing arts camp, but her parents sent her anyway to encourage her to make friends. She dreads the prospect of a full month away from home until she meets Syd, a confident rebel, and Ams, a quiet, genderqueer musician. Initially, Jassie’s simmering feelings for both teens confuse her, but as the three of them open up to one another, mutual attraction draws them into an unexpected triad. Each misunderstood in their own ways, together they find a new sense of belonging. Written in the first person, the story follows Jassie’s perspective. Her recent ADHD diagnosis surfaces as a concern, especially when she catches herself losing focus, but despite her insecurities, her partners ground her and praise her imagination. Romance drives the plot: The pacing of the relationship between Ams and Syd shifts abruptly from awkwardness to romance while Jassie’s feelings intensify through each of her interactions. Outside of the triad, few characters, including those who cause conflict, receive meaningful development. Even so, this hopeful love story with its idealistic happy ending provides important affirming representation for queer, polyamorous relationships. Jassie is South Asian and her family doesn’t eat pork, Syd seems to be white, and Ams is cued as Latinx.

A first love story full of sunshine. (Romance. 13-18)