Our Own Private Universe

December 5, 2016
Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon is a preacher’s daughter, a talented musician, “the black girl with braids,” and bisexual—though not everyone knows about that last item. Aki has never had a girlfriend or boyfriend, but during a youth group trip to Mexico, she finally allows herself to explore. Sparks fly when she meets a girl named Christa, even though Christa is closeted about her own interest in girls. Aki, meanwhile, worries about coming out to her father while dealing with her older brother, Drew, who plans to drop out of college and enlist in the army; both situations have the potential to cause conflict with their father, and they also serve as neat parallels to larger conversations within their church about war and gay marriage. Talley (As I Descended) realistically explores first love and first sexual experiences against a backdrop of faith, family, prejudice, and social justice. Though these themes aren’t explored as deeply as Aki and Christa’s conflicted and increasingly steamy relationship, it’s a valuable portrait of teenage girls learning to be honest with themselves and others. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Starred review from December 1, 2016
A diverse story of first times and finding oneself. Black 15-year-old Aki feels as though everything about her life is hypothetical: she's "a hypothetical musician...a hypothetical Christian [and] a hypothetical teenager"--and, she feels, hypothetically bisexual. She's not sure about everything, but she does know she's ready to start acting on her "hypothetical" sexuality, even as she is hesitant to step out of the closet. When she signs up, along with her 19-year-old brother and her youth minister father, for a monthlong service trip to Mexico for Holy Life church youth groups, she and her best friend make a pact: "hook up with someone...three times" before the end of the trip. When she sparks with white, artsy, pansexual, and deeply closeted Christa, Aki is beyond eager to dive into new and exciting firsts. Occasional Forever...-like didacticism slips in now and again, with teen characters educating one another on intricacies of LGBTQ identities and attractions as well as researching and seeking out dental dams and other protection. However, these moments provide welcome information and discussions rarely seen in books for teens (or in public school sex education). Aki's first-person narration rings true, and her simultaneous comfort with and concerns about her sexuality--and other parts of her identity--feel realistic and authentic. Her faith is portrayed positively, with respect and nuance not often seen in books for teens generally, let alone one with a queer protagonist. An important and heartfelt contribution to contemporary teen lit about queer women: hopeful, realistic, and romantic, Talley's newest is sure to satisfy. (Fiction. 14-18)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Aki has always been a perfect preacher's daughter-responsible, polite, safe. This summer, though, things will be different. Aki will be traveling with a group of teens and chaperones (her father included) to help build a new church in rural Mexico. Aki is hoping for a distraction after being rejected by the music program of her dreams. She finds it in Christa. Both girls want a simple summer romance, but Aki is out as bisexual only to her best friend, and Christa is terrified that her parents will find out that she likes girls. Talley does an excellent job of portraying how a closeted relationship can start to unravel despite genuine affection, and the depiction of Christa's and Aki's emotional lives seems honest and real. There are sometimes too many side plots, such as sudden revelations about Aki's long-deceased uncle, but they don't overwhelm the central themes. And even with her infatuation, Aki never becomes singularly focused. She devotes energy to her brother and to conversations about the upcoming convention, where their church will take official stances on topics such as same-sex marriage and foreign aid. Particularly important is the novel's information, so commonly ignored, on safe sex between two women, which is effortlessly worked into the narrative.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Aki has decided this summer she'll make things happen. Things like hooking up with a cute girl to see once and for all if she's really bi. But as her relationship with beautiful, exciting, closeted Christa gets more intense, everything, from Aki's sexuality to her connection to her friends, seems less clear. Talley (What We Left Behind, 2015) perfectly captures the excitement and confusion of the intense love that can develop when it seems like you're taking a break from the real world. Aki's struggle with her identityas a queer teen, a musician, a friend, and a daughterrings true. The biggest issue with the novel is that at times Aki's research, both into LGBTQ terminology and into safe sex, seems more like an educational pamphlet than a seamless part of the narrative. Reminiscent of Sara Ryan's Empress of the World (2001), Talley's latest is a sweet love story about discovering who you want to be with and, more important, who you want to be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)