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She Loves You, She Loves You Not...

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 698 ratings · 95 reviews

Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family and her best friends and, most important, she had Sarah. Sarah, her girlfriend, with whom she dreamed with about the day they could move far away and live out and proud and accepted for themselves, instead of having to hide their relationship.

Alyssa never thought she would have to make that move by...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published May 11th 2011)

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Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

Best Lesbian Fiction

92nd out of 597 books — 674 voters

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

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57th out of 172 books — 230 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jan 24, 2012 Danya rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review is not to help people really decide whether or not to read it, it's just for people who know me...
So, this was the first book I've ever read with a lesbian main character, and I have to say, at first she annoyed me. The main character just seemed really shallow at first, even though you felt bad for her rather horrible situation. All she could think about was Sarah, which makes sense, and what happened must have sucked, so that didn't bother me, but then all she could think about was...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Lydia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, romance, sexuality, teen, social-issues

Characters: The protagonist, Alyssa, was very confused. She had obvious abandonment issues and got very clingy with her girlfriend, which ended disastrously, so she was determined not to make that mistake again... yet when she moves, she becomes completely obsessive about a new girl despite knowing hardly anything about her. Alyssa's mother Carly was interesting but somewhat unbelievable (if I worked out the timing right, her tragedy happened about a year before Alyssa moved in, which is not lon...more Characters: The protagonist, Alyssa, was very confused. She had obvious abandonment issues and got very clingy with her girlfriend, which ended disastrously, so she was determined not to make that mistake again... yet when she moves, she becomes completely obsessive about a new girl despite knowing hardly anything about her. Alyssa's mother Carly was interesting but somewhat unbelievable (if I worked out the timing right, her tragedy happened about a year before Alyssa moved in, which is not long enough for her to be so over it, even if she was faking it). The relationship between Alyssa and Carly and Alyssa working on not judging her mother for working as a stripper after Carly had accepted her was one of the most interesting things in the book. Other characters such as Arlo added some wit and helped the small-town accepting-community feel. I didn't think Finn had enough depth, and after everything she had done and talked about the ending seemed unrealistic.

Plot: The book opens with Alyssa having moved to stay with her mother who she barely knows, after her dad disowned her for being a lesbian. The story is driven by the slow reveal of what happened between and Alyssa and Sarah and Alyssa's father, as well as the mystery of what happened to Carly and why she disappeared from Alyssa's life. Unfortunately we only find out about Sarah in the form of confusing, random second-person flashbacks, which I didn't think added to the narrative at all. It was somewhat difficult to read as Alyssa made the same mistakes again with Finn despite being determined not to, so I felt a bit disappointed that Alyssa hadn't learned much about herself or changed, because the happy ending made it seem like that was okay. However, Alyssa did learn what happened to her mother and accepted Carly in return, and managed to stand up for herself and find a new life despite her father's refusal to accept her for who she is.

Other Comments: I did enjoy this book despite its downfalls. I would recommend it to fans of Speechless by Hannah Harrington, as it had a similar accepting-family feel with the cafe/diner.
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Dec 01, 2012 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story, plot, and pacing worked well enough. However...[spoilers ahead]

Alyssa's romantic relationships were a bit unbelievable. I understand WHY she behaved the way she did, since she clearly had abandonment issues due to her mom leaving, her dad's remarriage, and her dad not accepting her. So I understand why she'd cling to Sarah and Finn. However, Sarah annoyed the hit out of me, and felt more like a creepily sexualized annoying kid sister type than any sort of heartbreaking ex-girlfriend....more

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Mar 21, 2012 Jill Guccini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt-young-adult-lit

I do really like Julie Anne Peters, and I definitely enjoyed this read. I like the characters and plot lines and details she develops, and I like reading their stories. I think it was just hard reading this immediately after A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, which was written so wonderfully. Peters, like some other high-profile queer YA authors I've read, just uses too much cheesy phrasing sometimes and it makes my brain squirm a little. And the protagonist seemed like she was sassy and...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2011

What this book does right is create a super strong and steadfast main character in Alyssa. She's a lesbian and she's not going to change herself for anyone, let alone is she going to hide it or be ashamed of it now that it got her kicked out of her father's house. These traits define her and they do so without making her an issue or making her one-dimensional. It spills over into everything she does.

However, it also means she becomes almost a bully toward other people. She's quick to assume sexu...more What this book does right is create a super strong and steadfast main character in Alyssa. She's a lesbian and she's not going to change herself for anyone, let alone is she going to hide it or be ashamed of it now that it got her kicked out of her father's house. These traits define her and they do so without making her an issue or making her one-dimensional. It spills over into everything she does.

However, it also means she becomes almost a bully toward other people. She's quick to assume sexuality of Finn, and I didn't quite believe in what they had (it felt like Finn herself, drifty, ill defined, and weak).

There are a lot of issues at hand here, and not all of them are believable for me. I thought the character relationships were perhaps among the most believable aspects of the story, especially when it came to Alyssa and her father's relationship. But I really needed more of her and Sarah's relationship. We get it through jarring second person passages that don't explain too much. In fact, it took reading through three of these to understand the "you" even referred to Alyssa herself. It's so strange in the context of the book it took me completely out of the story. Sarah made a huge impact on the course of everything in this book and yet, she sort of falls out of the story 3/4 of the way through, and we only get her in these second-person interludes. The style didn't justify or expand the story. It weakened it.

I found some of the story repetitive, too. I never read so many instances of showers as scene enders, nor have I read about so many darn car accidents (which were topics of conversation or somehow interrelated to the Big Events shaping Alyssa's life then AND now). And every time Alyssa needed to get away from Finn, she had to pee. It felt tired to me and unoriginal. I was surprised how easy it was to pick up on these things, but that's how overused they became.

Even with the issues, I found myself caring about Alyssa enough (even though I didn't like her all that much) to finish the book. The ending satisfied enough, though it left open the question of Sarah still. (less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't really like the main character, Alyssa, but I think her situation is more common in high schools than I know. Alyssa finds herself kicked out of her home when her lesbian relationship with her girlfriend, Sarah, is discovered by her father. She's sent to live with her mother, Carly, in Colorado, far from her friends and family. I was not convinced that Carly was a good influence on her daughter, not because she's a stripper but because she doesn't seem to have a mothering bone in her bo...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Racky rated it 4 of 5 stars

When we were seventeen where were we? Most of us, probably, under the safety of our home with our family. Sent to school by our parents, have great friends, and who knows, maybe have found love at that age as well. Among us is Alyssa, living a safe life with her father until he kicked her out. It's crazy how life turns out, one minute you're inside the comfort zone of what we call home and the next you were just out in the world, all alone; no friends or family to support you, just on your own....more

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Jun 05, 2011 Steph rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gist of the book:
At thirteen Alyssa knew she was a lesbian. At seventeen she fell in love with Sarah and had great friends who were very supportive. Unfortunately love is complicated especially if the girl you love doesn't know if she is gay or not. Experiencing heartbreak from the girl she loves and being disowned by her father and sent to live with her estranged mother, Alyssa must start over. Will the pain of her old life keep Alyssa from moving on?

My thoughts:
This is a great story of a young...more

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May 29, 2011 Melanie Goodman added it

Alyssa’s father catches her getting hot and heavy with her girlfriend. This would be embarrassing enough for any teen, but to make matters worse, Alyssa has not come out to her family. Her father doesn’t take the news well, disowning Alyssa, and sending her off to live with her biological mother, Carly, who she hardly knows.

Cut off from her friends, family, and now ex-girlfriend, Alyssa struggles to get a job, meet new people, and put a past full of heartache behind her in a new town. Unfortunat...more Alyssa’s father catches her getting hot and heavy with her girlfriend. This would be embarrassing enough for any teen, but to make matters worse, Alyssa has not come out to her family. Her father doesn’t take the news well, disowning Alyssa, and sending her off to live with her biological mother, Carly, who she hardly knows.

Cut off from her friends, family, and now ex-girlfriend, Alyssa struggles to get a job, meet new people, and put a past full of heartache behind her in a new town. Unfortunately, the odds seem to be stacked against Alyssa. She has a penchant for falling for people who aren’t quite ready to be in a relationship and she seems to get herself into trouble at every turn. Even so, Alyssa has the opportunity to start over again if she’s willing to take it. Can Alyssa let people in again, or does getting close to anyone just mean an increased likelihood of getting hurt again?

Julie Anne Peters’ She Loves You, She Loves You Not, may have a foundation of pain and intolerance, but there’s enough heart, humor, and possibility of acceptance to keep the book hopeful. This story about second chances and starting fresh focuses more on the ability to connect with loving and caring people than it does on fighting with those whose intolerance blinds them to the possibility of reconciliation.

Alyssa’s new home is filled with delightful and humorous minor characters; I was particularly fond of Arlo, who runs the restaurant where she gets a waitressing job. The town and its weather also play a large role in the story, as massive flooding can mean yet another opportunity to wash away the past and start anew, like it or not. What is ultimately apparent is that despite seemingly insurmountable hardships, people have the resilience to move on and make new lives for themselves. It may get worse before it gets better, but Peters shows that it can get better.

Sections of She Loves You, She Loves You Not included flashbacks to Alyssa’s life at home with her father and the deterioration of her relationship with her ex-girlfriend. Written in second person, these parts of the book unfortunately felt clunky and disruptive of the otherwise enjoyable first person narrative. It is a stylistic choice that I don’t quite understand, particularly because there were also moments of reminiscence in first person. Learning about Alyssa’s past added to the book, but I wish it had been integrated in a way that did not take away from the fluency of my reading.

Aside from this, I enjoyed Peters’ tale of coming out and coming into who you are. She Loves You, She Loves You Not was the first of Peters’ books that I’ve read, but I’m looking forward to lots more.(less)

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May 30, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 3 of 5 stars

After Alyssa's dad learns that she's gay (in about the worst way possible), she's kicked out of the house and sent to live with her mom. The problem is that she barely knows her mom, Carly. (Carly left when she was a baby and they've barely had contact since.) Alyssa's heartbroken. She misses her family (dad, stepmom, younger brother) and she especially misses her girlfriend, Sarah. She's not sure how to move on and create a new life.

It takes a while for the full extent of what happened before A...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

She Loves You, She Loves You Not... by Julie Anne Peters follows Alyssa, a girl who has been sent to live with a mother she does not know after being caught in bed with a girl by her father who is a homophobe. Alyssa takes a job in a diner, starts a relationship with a girl and has to get to know a mother whom she has never known and whom works various sketchy jobs including at a strip club. The author also reveals the details of the relationship that Alyssa had that caused her father to disown...more She Loves You, She Loves You Not... by Julie Anne Peters follows Alyssa, a girl who has been sent to live with a mother she does not know after being caught in bed with a girl by her father who is a homophobe. Alyssa takes a job in a diner, starts a relationship with a girl and has to get to know a mother whom she has never known and whom works various sketchy jobs including at a strip club. The author also reveals the details of the relationship that Alyssa had that caused her father to disown her.

This was a very good contemporary novel for older teens. There were several layers to the plot and it was a very engrossing read. Alyssa's two romantic relationships, the one that happened before she move and the one that happened in the present both felt real. The relationships she has with her Father, Step Mother and Biological Mother are all very complex and gritty and the ending is not picture perfect. I appreciated that the author developed a main character who did not question her sexuality and who did not have a perfect life where everyone accepted her. This is a book that some will dislike because they can't relate to the characters sexuality, some will like because of the ability to step into a new world and some will love because they will be able to relate to things in Alyssa's life that ring true for many gay teens. Her struggles with coming out to her friends, her fathers homophobia and her girlfriend and friends bisexuality and controlling or disinterested parental figures that don't understand what she needs will ring true to many.

Appropriateness: This is a book that's going to give conservatives fits. It's got quite a bit of sex, one or two sections that is fairly descriptive (although nothing that resembles anything you'd find in adult romance novels), some drinking and talk of strip clubs and prostitutes (Alyssa's mom works in a strip club which Alyssa visits and Alyssa accuses her mother of being a high priced call girl) . Alyssa's destructive behaviors are not viewed positively and the book is about a girl whose life has fallen apart. The book is appropriate for its intended audience of high schoolers (who are frequently reading adult books) and is the type of book that will be read by kids who need to read a story like this to know they are not alone in their struggle to find themselves. While I certainly would not give this book to a middle schooler I would not tear it away from one either but rather be sure to discuss the many issues that are found in the book.

Review copy obtained from publisher

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Jan 02, 2011 Beth G. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of The Bermudez Triangle and Empress of the World

Shelves: 2010, fiction, lesbian, arcs, romance, books-for-teens

The physics law works not only on objects but on people. Because of Sarah's action, her force and thrust on your life, you went flying into space and spinning out of control.

At the beginning of her Junior year of high school, Alyssa thought she had things under control. She got along with her stepmother and her half-brother. She worked hard and got good grades. She was out to her friends Ben and M'Chelle and the other members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, and closeted to everyone else,...more The physics law works not only on objects but on people. Because of Sarah's action, her force and thrust on your life, you went flying into space and spinning out of control.

At the beginning of her Junior year of high school, Alyssa thought she had things under control. She got along with her stepmother and her half-brother. She worked hard and got good grades. She was out to her friends Ben and M'Chelle and the other members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, and closeted to everyone else, especially her homophobic father. When she met and started dating Sarah, it seemed like everything would be fine if they could just keep their relationship a secret from their families. But secrets have a way of getting out, and now Alyssa has been disowned by her father and sent to stay with the mother she barely knows.

Peters skillfully presents Alyssa's intense emotions as she processes her anger and grief over her first love. The first-person present-tense narration gives her a compelling voice, bringing the reader into an immediate intimacy. While Alyssa tries to move on in the present, getting to know the mother who left when she was a baby, she recalls the last years in flashbacks. These flashbacks are written in second-person, an odd stylistic choice that unfortunately breaks up the flow of the narrative. That weakness aside, this is an excellent portrayal of first love and first heartbreak that will be familiar to anyone who has lived through it, regardless of orientation. Peters' new novel is a welcome addition to a growing segment of queer YA literature - stories in which the character's orientation is not the central issue. Alyssa is already comfortable with her sexuality. The challenges she faces are the more universal problems of growing up: recognizing an idealized parent's flaws; learning to relate to parents as fellow adults; becoming a person with an identity separate from that of the family. The story of her relationship with Sarah - a romance between young people that is looked upon with disapproval by their families - is a classic tragic tale. Her struggle to move forward and allow herself to fall in love again speaks to anyone who has ever had a broken heart.(less)

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Apr 27, 2012 Lydia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lgbt

Peters is an accomplished author of LGBT YA novels and shows her expertise in this novel. This is the first novel I have read in the YA genre that successfully uses the 2nd person point of view. At some points, in the beginning this perspective is a bit off-setting, however the continuation of the novel pinpoints why Peters used this format. However, I must disagree when Peters changes from the use of 2nd person in a diary format, to stating the back-story (totally essential to the structure of...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, I started this book and finished it all in one night. I could not put it down. It helped that it was basically the story of my own life. Never have I had so many similarities to the main character! (Minus the sexy motorcycle riding lesbian, who I am still anxiously awaiting.) Anyway, this is a great book. The emotion is high and very well done. The characters are likable and realistic. Julie Anne Peters always manages to write these stories that catch your attention and make you feel like...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Britta rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you like contemporaries, especially those that deal with issues such as sexuality and individuality, you'll probably like this one.

Alyssa has known for a few years now that she is a lesbian. She has desperately hid the truth from her extremely homophobic dad... but word gets out, and her father does not take it well. He disowns her and she is sent to live with her mother, Carly, who she has never really known. This is Alyssa's story; mending a broken heart, learning to move on, trying to acc...more If you like contemporaries, especially those that deal with issues such as sexuality and individuality, you'll probably like this one.

Alyssa has known for a few years now that she is a lesbian. She has desperately hid the truth from her extremely homophobic dad... but word gets out, and her father does not take it well. He disowns her and she is sent to live with her mother, Carly, who she has never really known. This is Alyssa's story; mending a broken heart, learning to move on, trying to accept and love, and finding herself in the mess of a life she's been given.

This was a great read if you are looking for a very real book. The characters were all very believable, and many of them were very enjoyable. My personal favorite was Arlo, the wheel chair -bound, smart mouthed, diner owner. I also really liked Finn, Alyssa's newly acquired friend and possible love interest. I really liked how each of the characters had very distinct personalities. I also liked how Alyssa's struggles with her sexuality as well as accepting a person she hardly knows as her mother, are real problems that real teens face.

What I didn't like so much was the set of up the book... It switches from present to past continually. When it is taking place in the present, I liked it and the writing seemed to flow. But I felt it got a bit choppy switching back and forth. Some blasts from the past would be in a different font and labeled with a month, and the narration would be "You said..." "You did...". I don't know if it was supposed to be a diary, or what, but it kind of confused me. I was like, "No, I did not do that. Alyssa did." That wouldn't be too bad if all memories were like that, but they weren't. Some were just thrown into the regular writing and I started to get confused. I wasn't sure why some memories were set apart, and others weren't. It didn't seem cohesive.

Like I said, the set up of the book through me off, but I did like the overall story. Other than the sometimes choppiness, there was a good flow of events. The plot and character development progressed well and it kept my interest. If the book description intrigues you, I'd say give it a shot.
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Apr 07, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I laughed and cried while reading about Alyssa's journey to mend her broken life - which I read in one sitting on the way home from our summer camping trip. I think that Ms. Peters has captured the gritty reality of life for many gay teens and teens in general. I actually enjoyed that there wasn't the "uber-perfect" happy ending for Alyssa. We learn about how Alyssa got into her present situation through her memories scattered throughout the book while she navigates her new life with the mother...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Ab rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: queer-lit, ya-ness

First of all, I'm always glad to see another book published about lesbians and queer-identified folks, so when I saw that Julie Anne Peters had a new book, I was eager to read. That being said, the book was alright, but it had so many of the same old story lines and themes that I was kind of disappointed.

The book is set up rather strangely, with "flashbacks" about Alyssa and Sara's relationship coming to us in the second person, and it just felt really weird and unreal. And of course, we don't...more

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Jan 09, 2013 HellaGood rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my first book with a LGBT story plot. Interesting not sure how I can rate it, not knowing enough about the community and its struggles. Alyssa's girlfriend Sarah felt very creepy and needy. Alyssa was very emotional for everything when she needed to be strong she fell apart. The relationship between the mom and Alyssa seemed a little forced. It didn't seem genuine. I still don't undertsnad how her parents fell in love and had a bitter divorce. I had a lot of problems with the mom. To no...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Allison Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-young-adult, queer

I liked this book okay, but reading it reminded me that I really am not a teenager anymore. I often love YA, especially LGBTQ YA, but I found the main character unlikable--completely self absorbed and unaware of the world around her--, though perhaps realistic for a seventeen year old who has been kicked out of her house and cheated on by the girl she loved. The story was predictable, but more or less enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to teens, but it isn't a YA novel that worked for me...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Caro rated it 3 of 5 stars

I must say that lesbian novels are becoming much more popular nowadays. I read Ms. Peter's book Luna and loved it and was expecting more or the same for She Loves You, She Loves You Not. The main character, who is a lesbian (duh) is recovering from a bad breakup and coming out to a disapproving father. I can only hope in about thirty years or so, people will laugh at the outlandishness of parents not accepting their children for being a homosexual. Now as a book, the story lagged a little. The r...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Laura (Bookish Belle) rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a powerful, charming, and heartbreaking read.

If you enjoy Sarah Dessen's writing, then I think you will really enjoy this one. I'd read Luna by this author and it changed my way of thinking about...everything. It was amazing and this novel wasn't too far behind. I loved the scenery that Peters set up and the characters are so charming and witty.

I wasn't in love with some of the things Alyssa does, especially when it came to her mother but that didn't deter my enjoyment of the book. The endi...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Kim Burean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school, realistic, romance, glbtq

Alyssa is disowned by her father after he finds her in bed with her girlfriend, Sarah. She is sent to live with her mother, who abandoned Alyssa as a child, in Colorado.

Alyssa is pretty messed up from getting kicked out by her dad, as well as the break-up of her relationship with Sarah. Her mom is a stripper and Alyssa suspects that she is also a prostitute. She meets several people in her new town and even a new love interest. She learns a lot about herself and those around her.

This book deals...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Jennifer McMurrain rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of this book, which made me extremely excited because I really enjoyed "By the Time You Read This I'll Be Dead."

Though this book was good, I felt it missed the "Wow" factor. Besides the fact that the main character is a lesbian, I found this to be your typical teen love angst book. There were also parts of this book written in the 2nd person. There's a reason this is typically not done, it trips up the brain, anyway it tripped up mine.

Because I...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Maryanne/MA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 100-books-in-2011, arcs-i-own

I received an advance copy of this book at the National Council of Teachers of English conference in November. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Alyssa, a 17 year old lesbian. I wanted to read it because one of my students, who loves to read, is a lesbian. I thought she'd enjoy having a book that she could relate to. When I first started reading it, the book seemed very focused on the gay aspect, almost too much - very "in your face". But, as I read on, I saw that anyone who has...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was incredibly truthful, heartbreaking and eye opening. What the main character, Alyssa, goes through throughout the course of the book is something that can make anyone see a different point of view. The hurt and longing that Alyssa feels for Sara throughout the book is what anyone can relate to. Having love and lost is one of the hardest anyone can go to, especially under their circumstances. The storyline with Alyssa and her father would give anyone the courage to stand up for thems...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Desi rated it 5 of 5 stars

She Loves You, She Loves You Not...
Author: Julie Anne Peters

This book was absolutely beautiful and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read. It is perfection in a frame of love, loss, and finding yourself all over again. The pain of a family member disowning you due to your sexuality. It touches on sexuality confusion, cheating, reconnecting, coming out, as well as the ability to find love once again. Though it does focus on the main character (Alyssa) it does give almost every individual...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

RATING: 3.5 Out Of 5

The grip of loneliness begins in my stomach and crawls up my chest and lungs and throat. I pick a daisy out of the bowl and hold it up to my nose, closing my eyes, and the bitter odour reminds me of Sarah and home and...everything. I pluck a petal. "She loves you." I drop it in the bowl and pluck another. "She loves you not..."

A volcano erupts inside, and I burst into tears."

I first discovered Peter's when I read her novel By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead. It was fantas...more RATING: 3.5 Out Of 5

The grip of loneliness begins in my stomach and crawls up my chest and lungs and throat. I pick a daisy out of the bowl and hold it up to my nose, closing my eyes, and the bitter odour reminds me of Sarah and home and...everything. I pluck a petal. "She loves you." I drop it in the bowl and pluck another. "She loves you not..."

A volcano erupts inside, and I burst into tears."

I first discovered Peter's when I read her novel By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead. It was fantastic and very well written. However when it came to this novel something.. lacked. Something was missing..

The novel is about a lesbian girl named Alyssa who unknown to readers in the begining is sent to go live with her absent mother, Carly who is a masseuse and body trainer by day and stripper by night. We learn that Alyssa is heavily troubled and it is all to do with a girl who is named Sarah and through the progression of the novel we learn all about how Alyssa met Sarah and about their troubled relationship.

I really liked the style of the novel; it flipped between present, Alyssa reflecting on past events and then an actual passage from the past - three different styles. What I liked about the past passages is they are written like this "you said, 'someone else.' Dad levelled you with a look. 'Bring him home.'" You looked at her.. you told them this... It’s like someone is telling her about her own memories. Whilst the rest of the styles were in first-person. So i found that interesting.

One thing that made me snicker was "She pointed to a wall where GO WILDCATS banner was taped." Why is it that everytime there is a school team they are always call Wildcats. Makes me always think of High School Musical.

I feel as if this novel didn’t have the same allure that By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead did and I don't know why. Maybe it’s because I didn't like the main character as much as I should have... Maybe because while some passages where written with such emotional depth (like the passage I put in above) it wasn’t consistent throughout the while novel, like with Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium Delirium 2 which has emotional depth on nearly every page. So I was very disappointed with that. On a whole I liked it but... it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be...(less)

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Jun 05, 2012 Rosemarie Herbert rated it 5 of 5 stars

I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.

Alyssa has just moved back in with her birth mother. Abandoned by her father, but still keeping in touch with her half-brother and step-mother, she tries to make do in the back of beyond. She's falling for Finn, but will she be able to hold down a job or will she just repeat the mistakes of the past.

The plotline of this novel is relatively complex, because everything is revealed slo...more I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.

Alyssa has just moved back in with her birth mother. Abandoned by her father, but still keeping in touch with her half-brother and step-mother, she tries to make do in the back of beyond. She's falling for Finn, but will she be able to hold down a job or will she just repeat the mistakes of the past.

The plotline of this novel is relatively complex, because everything is revealed slowly. Too much of a synopsis would ruin the story. So go on, just go read it. I've included mainly my criticisms in this review. Really, the story is compelling, Alyssa is convincing, what more can I say?

This novel is another breathtaking fiction by Peters that fits in perfectly with her other books. I find it amazing how Peters can get inside the head of her protagonist even as an older writer. This novel is slightly longer than the nine others I own, and I did stay up past my bed time to finish reading it!

I found much of the text to be heartrending, and it left me on the edge of my seat, desperately reading on to find out what was going to happen next. I have to say it left me feeling somewhat unsettled, because I connected with Alyssa so much.

The flashbacks are very interesting, because they are written in 2nd person (you said, she said). It distances Alyssa from her memories, and initially confused me as to what they were about. They add depth to her character though, and I got used to them as the novel progressed.

The only other part of the novel that stood out to me as not really fitting in were the circumstances surrounding Jason. I also did notice an apparent typo on one of the pages, which I didn't note down at the time, but will likely notice again on a second read.

It is a little Americanised by the geography that Alyssa encounters, and I certainly struggled with where things were. I ended up treating it as I would a fantasy novel, and just remembering things by where they were via driving/walking distance rather than their actual location. Another thing that reminded me of this was the fact that Alyssa can drive even though she is only 17. This gives her freedom that Australian teens don't have (and given the problems Alyssa has with it, it's probably a good thing!).

There is a set of discussion questions at the back - I'm curious to know whether Peters writes these herself, or they are something the publisher came up with. Nevertheless, it's worth looking at them, as it can spark some interesting ideas. I'd love it if these books were taught as fiction in highschools, but while homophobia still exists, it's an unlikely dream.

I'd recommend this book for ANY teenager, not just queer identifying ones. Everyone should be able to relate to the heartbreak and feelings of betrayal that Alyssa suffers. Queer teens will particularly enjoy the book. (less)

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Nov 06, 2011 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gbltq, read-in-2011, ya-romance, ya-contemp

This book is exactly why I love Julie Anne Peters. She manages to sum up 17 years of feelings into 288 pages, and does it perfectly. Each and every character is so real that they seem to jump out from the pages. The events from She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not are real and honest. Julie Anne Peters is like the Sarah Dessen for GBLTQ novels.

I couldn't believe that I ended up loving every character in this book (except for the dad - but no one liked him). EVERY CHARACTER. That almost never happens....more This book is exactly why I love Julie Anne Peters. She manages to sum up 17 years of feelings into 288 pages, and does it perfectly. Each and every character is so real that they seem to jump out from the pages. The events from She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not are real and honest. Julie Anne Peters is like the Sarah Dessen for GBLTQ novels.

I couldn't believe that I ended up loving every character in this book (except for the dad - but no one liked him). EVERY CHARACTER. That almost never happens. I even loved hating the dad. I think my favorite character had to be either Carly (Alyssa's absent mom) or Arlo (Alyssa's boss). Both stole my heart in different ways, and both had a lot of back story that I loved. I would have liked to have gotten a little more of an ending for Arlo, through. I think he might have been my very favorite, just because of his wonderful sense of humor and his "charming" personality.

The plot was a ton of fun, very teen drama filled with some craziness I wouldn't have expected. Alyssa's life is filled with heartbreak and disasters - from her love life to her clumsy waitress skills to actual full out natural disasters.

What I liked the most about this book was how Alyssa already knew that she was a lesbian and she was okay with that. It wasn't as much of a coming out story as it was a teen love story featuring a lesbian or two. Most YA GBLTQ stories are coming out stories with a bit of love on the side. I was happy that She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not has a different story - Alyssa was already out and had accepted herself -she was just waiting for everyone else to do the same.

The one thing that threw me off from giving this book a higher rating was the back and forth from past to present. The story took place just after Alyssa moved in with her mom, but it kept going back to the events leading up to her being kicked out and sent to live with her mom. Sometimes it got a little annoying, and I felt like Alyssa's thoughts also went back into the past too much for the first half of the book. Also, I thought Alyssa could have given her mom a bit more of a chance - after all, she was the only person she really had left.

The characters are all wonderful and witty, the plot was fun and real. This was a wonderful teen read, and I can't wait for more books by this author!(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Sally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt-girls, ya, small-town, country-america, bullying, family, natural-disasters

Is "uneven parallel bars" a thing over there? Here we have either parallel bars or uneven ones... I don't get how something could be both :P

Anyway! This book. I liked it pretty much, but I just couldn't stand Sarah and didn't see the appeal in her - she was immature, clingy, dishonest, self-centred, a cheater, manipulative, you name it... (sound familiar much?!) I don't like people like that in real life so reading about them isn't much fun! God, what a jerk Ben was too. (view spoiler)...more

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About Julie Anne Peters

Julie Anne Peters was born in Jamestown, New York. When she was five, her family moved to the Denver suburbs in Colorado. Her parents divorced when she was in high school. She has three siblings: a brother, John, and two younger sisters, Jeanne and Susan.

Her books for young adults include Define "Normal" (2000), Keeping You a Secret (2003), Luna (2004), Far from Xanadu (2005), Between Mom and Jo (...more

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“You know what I do to forget the past? I drink my own special concoction. I call it Milk of Amnesia.” — 2 people liked it

“Arlo: Show her the ropes.
Finn: Where do we keep the ropes again?” — 1 person liked it

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