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The Maidenheads: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26A bighearted debut novel about queer yearning, indie musicians, and bushwacking a thorny path back to your first love
Jamie is bad at endings, which is why she's stuck at a dead-end Baltimore newspaper job, continuing to have break-up sex with her first-ever hetero partner, and haunted by the what-ifs of her ex-girlfriend Mari—a charismatic and brilliant musician—and their former band together, the Maidenheads. Since they (and their band) broke up a decade ago, Jamie hasn't been able to sing.
Then an unexpected opportunity to perform in DC with Mari's successful new band arises, and Jamie jumps at it. What begins as a return to music becomes a reckoning—with the weight of unfinished love, the voice she long buried, and her own complicated past. But as Jamie channels more of her energy into the band, other threads in her life begin to fray, and she must make some urgent choices about her future.
Electric, spine-tingling, and filled to the brim with tenderness and honesty, The Maidenheads is a novel about the tenacity of first love, the life-changing power of music, and the difficult, necessary work of becoming yourself.
Jamie is bad at endings, which is why she's stuck at a dead-end Baltimore newspaper job, continuing to have break-up sex with her first-ever hetero partner, and haunted by the what-ifs of her ex-girlfriend Mari—a charismatic and brilliant musician—and their former band together, the Maidenheads. Since they (and their band) broke up a decade ago, Jamie hasn't been able to sing.
Then an unexpected opportunity to perform in DC with Mari's successful new band arises, and Jamie jumps at it. What begins as a return to music becomes a reckoning—with the weight of unfinished love, the voice she long buried, and her own complicated past. But as Jamie channels more of her energy into the band, other threads in her life begin to fray, and she must make some urgent choices about her future.
Electric, spine-tingling, and filled to the brim with tenderness and honesty, The Maidenheads is a novel about the tenacity of first love, the life-changing power of music, and the difficult, necessary work of becoming yourself.
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 26, 2026
4274 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 9, 2026
*Before I get into the review, I want to make your I'm not misgendering the main character - there were times were it felt implied that she was nonbinary, but I don’t think her pronouns were addressed. If I’m incorrect in my assumptions, please accept my apology, I’m happy to go back and edit the review with the correct pronounce. This story also has really heavy topics and themes, so it's important to check your triggers before diving in.
In The Maidenheads, we follow Jamie as she finds out she's pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's baby.
Jamie is a copyeditor for a magazine, and has lingering feelings from the band she was in her teenage years - but it feels like she's more hung up on her girlfriend at the time, Mari. For a long time while reading this book, I thought it was the story of how two queer people fall in love through their love for music - the obsession with how great they are together when they play and create music together. But it feels more like the music is just an instrument used to help Jamie understand herself and her trauma and attachments - not necessarily her love for music, but how her love for music feels tied to her identity.
Mari and Jamie were in a band called the Maidenheads that forms a little bit of a cult-classic following. These characters are very flawed and very honest and very selfish in their own way - even the protagonist, Jamie. Everything she does is for Mari, but even that feels very selfish. It feels like an obsession and a hyper-fixation, and a desperate need to be everything for Mari, to exist for her and for what she needs from Jamie. It all stems from a very honest feeling of not belonging. You can see as the story progresses that the only time Jamie has felt "right" is when she is with Mari and/or performing with her.
This isn't necessarily a love story - the entire time that Jamie and Mari start to rekindle their relationship, as a reader, you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. You're able to pick up on these very toxic tendencies between the two characters, and at times, they are both very very frustrating and unlikeable. A lot of the time, I was worried that this book was going to lack in the completion, but the resolution and the end felt properly paced and satisfying, giving not only Jamie, but Mari, a conclusion that made sense and redeemed them both. It felt like Jamie was able to heal and understand this unhealthy attachment to Mari, understand how essential it was to find a rhythm in her own life that brought her peace and joy.
Overall, I thought it was a really unique and really honest story - at times a little frustrating, but I have so much appreciation for the rawness and realness of the story and characters, the courage in the telling of this story.
In The Maidenheads, we follow Jamie as she finds out she's pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's baby.
Jamie is a copyeditor for a magazine, and has lingering feelings from the band she was in her teenage years - but it feels like she's more hung up on her girlfriend at the time, Mari. For a long time while reading this book, I thought it was the story of how two queer people fall in love through their love for music - the obsession with how great they are together when they play and create music together. But it feels more like the music is just an instrument used to help Jamie understand herself and her trauma and attachments - not necessarily her love for music, but how her love for music feels tied to her identity.
Mari and Jamie were in a band called the Maidenheads that forms a little bit of a cult-classic following. These characters are very flawed and very honest and very selfish in their own way - even the protagonist, Jamie. Everything she does is for Mari, but even that feels very selfish. It feels like an obsession and a hyper-fixation, and a desperate need to be everything for Mari, to exist for her and for what she needs from Jamie. It all stems from a very honest feeling of not belonging. You can see as the story progresses that the only time Jamie has felt "right" is when she is with Mari and/or performing with her.
This isn't necessarily a love story - the entire time that Jamie and Mari start to rekindle their relationship, as a reader, you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. You're able to pick up on these very toxic tendencies between the two characters, and at times, they are both very very frustrating and unlikeable. A lot of the time, I was worried that this book was going to lack in the completion, but the resolution and the end felt properly paced and satisfying, giving not only Jamie, but Mari, a conclusion that made sense and redeemed them both. It felt like Jamie was able to heal and understand this unhealthy attachment to Mari, understand how essential it was to find a rhythm in her own life that brought her peace and joy.
Overall, I thought it was a really unique and really honest story - at times a little frustrating, but I have so much appreciation for the rawness and realness of the story and characters, the courage in the telling of this story.
March 1, 2026
We meet Jamie in her late twenties but, through flashbacks, are able to follow her from her young teens. When we first see Jamie in her youth, her parents have just divorced, she’s moved to her mums new house in the city—where her mum is ready for her Sex In the City era—she’s lost touch with all her old friends and she is a total outsider in her new school, with absolutely no friends. That is, until she meets Mari in gym class. Mari is an unmistakable outsider too, with her imperfect skin, shaggy black hair, strange personality and Georgian accent (Georgia the country, not the city). Jamie isn’t sure about Mari, but isn’t given much choice when Mari sits next to her on the bus and asks what music she’s listening to and if she wants to stay on the school bus to come to her house. Jamie finds Mari a little off putting at first, but Mari is persistent and unrelenting. Their friendship finally begins when Mari invites herself over to Jamie’s and they spend hours listening to music together. We follow them through their teens, witnessing awkward first kisses, the feeling of a first relationship and their conjoined love of music. When Mari hears Jamie’s voice for the first time and Jamie finds out Mari can play piano, it’s only a matter of time before they end up doing songs together. This is how The Maidenheads are formed and at seventeen years old they gain minor fame when Mari writes a song about their peer, Emmy, committing suicide over a boy and are discovered at a gig by someone working on an upcoming thriller movie who wants their song “Forgotten” and them to play in a scene. The movie ends up being originally hated for hurtful lesbian stereotypes, but it continues to propel them forward. Ten years later, Jamie is recently broken up with her long-term boyfriend and working at a journalling agency when she ends up at a Les Somnambules concert, Mari’s new band. Mari, who she’s been separated from for a decade. When she meets Mari again for the first time in years, her life turns upside down. We follow Jamie while she struggles with having her first (and possibly only) love back in her life, wanting to play music, her dad’s new family and all the other hardships that comes with life.
How to even begin with this book? I’m not sure if I even have the words to do it justice, or if any words in the world really could. This is a phenomenal debut novel, so much so that I had to double check if it actually was one. Above anything else, this book is emotional, it’s honest, it’s raw. It’s unapologetically gritty and at times leaves a bad taste in your mouth, except you can’t help but ask for more and more and more. The younger scenes with Jamie and Mari felt like a punch to the gut. It captured perfectly the feeling of realising you have a crush for the first time on a girl—on your friend. It’s terrifying, exciting, feels a little wrong but, fuck it, because it’s amazing too, you know? It also made me realise and come to terms with my possible internalised homophobia, which I always thought could never have been me and this book really does hit you that deeply, may make you realise things about yourself that you hadn’t before. It’s rawness and emotion I believe really does touch you in a way that it’s impossible to ignore what feelings it may dredge up.
The love story—if you can truly call it that—in this book is all consuming, both for the characters and, in my case at least, the reader. Without giving too much away, I really found myself both hating and loving the characters—sometimes simultaneously. One moment I adored them and couldn’t get enough, and the next I was mad at them and couldn’t believe the things they had said or done. But either way, I still couldn’t get enough. The writing in this book is wonderful, and really my only complaint is that the book had to end at all. I couldn’t recommend this book enough to literally anyone—whether you’re straight or gay, whether romance is normally your thing, it doesn’t matter. This is a book that stays with you, and I truly think everyone should give it a chance to do so.
Thank you to Benny B. Peterson, Dutton and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review!
How to even begin with this book? I’m not sure if I even have the words to do it justice, or if any words in the world really could. This is a phenomenal debut novel, so much so that I had to double check if it actually was one. Above anything else, this book is emotional, it’s honest, it’s raw. It’s unapologetically gritty and at times leaves a bad taste in your mouth, except you can’t help but ask for more and more and more. The younger scenes with Jamie and Mari felt like a punch to the gut. It captured perfectly the feeling of realising you have a crush for the first time on a girl—on your friend. It’s terrifying, exciting, feels a little wrong but, fuck it, because it’s amazing too, you know? It also made me realise and come to terms with my possible internalised homophobia, which I always thought could never have been me and this book really does hit you that deeply, may make you realise things about yourself that you hadn’t before. It’s rawness and emotion I believe really does touch you in a way that it’s impossible to ignore what feelings it may dredge up.
The love story—if you can truly call it that—in this book is all consuming, both for the characters and, in my case at least, the reader. Without giving too much away, I really found myself both hating and loving the characters—sometimes simultaneously. One moment I adored them and couldn’t get enough, and the next I was mad at them and couldn’t believe the things they had said or done. But either way, I still couldn’t get enough. The writing in this book is wonderful, and really my only complaint is that the book had to end at all. I couldn’t recommend this book enough to literally anyone—whether you’re straight or gay, whether romance is normally your thing, it doesn’t matter. This is a book that stays with you, and I truly think everyone should give it a chance to do so.
Thank you to Benny B. Peterson, Dutton and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review!
October 18, 2025
This book was a burst of nostalgia for me and not just from the early 2000s chapters, but more so with the theme of first love and coming of age. Jamie’s character is awkward at times but relatable and endearing. Her relationship issues, career woes, and past regrets are something every reader can relate to. And when he ex Mari is in town with her band and they come face to face and have to grapple with their past. I felt so many emotions as I read from fear and frustration to hope and admiration. This is a book I’ll think of for years to come. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 6, 2026
4.5 ⭐️I adored this debut, and was so impressed with the characters and writing style. It was nostalgic, adoring and anxious. I was on the edge of my seat at times! For music fans, for people who cast rose coloured lenses of their first loves, for obsession, for identity and people who appreciate difficult relationships I highly recommend. Thank you Dutton Books for this advanced reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley
After two years of living together, Jamie Cain has moved out of Peter’s home. But their relationship continues sporadically with Peter coming to Jamie’ apartment once or twice a week.
Ten years ago, she’d been part of a musical group, the Maidenheads; now Jamie works as an editor at the “Baltimore Bugle.” The breakup of the group had also been Jamie’s breakup with her girlfriend, Mari Dvali.
Mari was her first love; Peter, her first male lover.
And now, she’s discovered that she is pregnant.
=========
The story moves between the present day and the past [to provide the necessary backstory]. The focus of the story is on self-discovery and on relationships.
Jamie [the main character here] is sometimes difficult to like; her choices are often likely to leave readers puzzled. Nevertheless, readers are likely to empathize with her struggles.
The music focus is informative and interesting; the plot twists and turns in some unexpected ways. Readers who enjoy learning about music will find much to appreciate here.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Dutton and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheMaidenheads #NetGalley
After two years of living together, Jamie Cain has moved out of Peter’s home. But their relationship continues sporadically with Peter coming to Jamie’ apartment once or twice a week.
Ten years ago, she’d been part of a musical group, the Maidenheads; now Jamie works as an editor at the “Baltimore Bugle.” The breakup of the group had also been Jamie’s breakup with her girlfriend, Mari Dvali.
Mari was her first love; Peter, her first male lover.
And now, she’s discovered that she is pregnant.
=========
The story moves between the present day and the past [to provide the necessary backstory]. The focus of the story is on self-discovery and on relationships.
Jamie [the main character here] is sometimes difficult to like; her choices are often likely to leave readers puzzled. Nevertheless, readers are likely to empathize with her struggles.
The music focus is informative and interesting; the plot twists and turns in some unexpected ways. Readers who enjoy learning about music will find much to appreciate here.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Dutton and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheMaidenheads #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is yet another book that I would probably not have picked up on my own. But I am so glad I agreed to read it because I truly enjoyed it.
This is a coming-of-age tale on a different timeline because while many people have their lives mostly figured out by the time they graduate from high school/college, it takes Jamie the next decade to finally realize who she is as a person.
A really bad break up with her first girlfriend, Mari, as high school ends, leaves Jamie stuck in such a deep rut that she doesn’t really function well at anything. And, most importantly, as the vocalist for the band she was in with Mari, The Maidenheads, she can no longer sing. But a second chance with singing, and with Mari, changes all that but there are plenty of twists and reconnoitering along the way.
Personally, I was way too preoccupied during the time this book takes place (raising a child, starting a church) that I was unfamiliar with a lot of the music. But having been a staff writer for a daily newspaper, lifestyle editor at another, and finally editor at a small every-other-week tabloid, I could really relate to that aspect of Jamie’s life.
All the characters and their lives seemed very real.
This is a coming-of-age tale on a different timeline because while many people have their lives mostly figured out by the time they graduate from high school/college, it takes Jamie the next decade to finally realize who she is as a person.
A really bad break up with her first girlfriend, Mari, as high school ends, leaves Jamie stuck in such a deep rut that she doesn’t really function well at anything. And, most importantly, as the vocalist for the band she was in with Mari, The Maidenheads, she can no longer sing. But a second chance with singing, and with Mari, changes all that but there are plenty of twists and reconnoitering along the way.
Personally, I was way too preoccupied during the time this book takes place (raising a child, starting a church) that I was unfamiliar with a lot of the music. But having been a staff writer for a daily newspaper, lifestyle editor at another, and finally editor at a small every-other-week tabloid, I could really relate to that aspect of Jamie’s life.
All the characters and their lives seemed very real.
December 2, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the eARC. 4.5 stars!
The Maidenheads follows Jamie, who’s stuck at a small paper and still internally wrecked by a breakup they’ve been pretending they moved on from. When they end up back around their ex’s new band—the project their ex built after Jamie bailed on their old one—everything they’ve been avoiding about the breakup, their Queerness, and their own identity hits at once.
Jamie is not written to be likable, and they are an absolute mess for most of the book, but it works. Peterson lets them be insecure, avoidant, petty, unsure about gender, unsure about desire—all the real ways people behave when they’re not totally comfortable in their own skin.
The music side isn’t glamorous at all. It’s loud punk shows, weird band dynamics, and having to stand next to people who also dated your ex—while your ex is still onstage with you. It’s not some huge comeback arc; it’s just what forces Jamie to actually deal with themself.
Definitely more literary fiction than romance—no neat reunion, no clean wrap-up—just someone trying (and failing, and trying again) to figure themselves out.
Really strong debut. I liked it a lot.
The Maidenheads follows Jamie, who’s stuck at a small paper and still internally wrecked by a breakup they’ve been pretending they moved on from. When they end up back around their ex’s new band—the project their ex built after Jamie bailed on their old one—everything they’ve been avoiding about the breakup, their Queerness, and their own identity hits at once.
Jamie is not written to be likable, and they are an absolute mess for most of the book, but it works. Peterson lets them be insecure, avoidant, petty, unsure about gender, unsure about desire—all the real ways people behave when they’re not totally comfortable in their own skin.
The music side isn’t glamorous at all. It’s loud punk shows, weird band dynamics, and having to stand next to people who also dated your ex—while your ex is still onstage with you. It’s not some huge comeback arc; it’s just what forces Jamie to actually deal with themself.
Definitely more literary fiction than romance—no neat reunion, no clean wrap-up—just someone trying (and failing, and trying again) to figure themselves out.
Really strong debut. I liked it a lot.
February 16, 2026
I really loved the nostalgia of reading about the 2000s indie music scene! Even though I was born in 2002 when the high school timeline takes place, I listen to a lot of music from that time so loved getting all of the references to fugazi and Elliott smith and the other bands that shaped the maidenheads sound. Mari was kind of insufferable at times and but the author really captured the allure of yearning for your first toxic ex. The family dynamics shifting throughout the book and the relationship between both Jim (Jamie) and her father accepting and opening up to each other about their own queer identities after so many years of distance was really beautiful to read. I also loved the casual way Jim accepted his own gender identity throughout the book and it was not made a huge deal, just was overall accepted. 4 stars instead of 5 only because I suffer from a debilitating fear of being pregnant and have a hard time reading books where the main character is. Overall thought this was such a fun debut novel though and loved this book! Will be looking forward to reading more by Benny! thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC🫶🏻🫶🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Jamie Cain is a journalist at a low-budget music paper. Her experience as an adolescent rockstar wasn’t a requirement of the job, but it did help Jamie land the role. When we meet Jamie, she’s almost 30 and floundering. Despite spending a lot of her life as queer, Jamie has recently broke up from a longterm heterosexual relationship.
In a moment of weakness of self-inflicted confusion, Jamie decides to attend the show of her ex-girlfriend’s new band, The Somnambules. To Jamie’s surprise, her ex, Mari, is excited to see her. Jamie is quickly swept up in a whirlwind romance that seems to be the answer to all her problems, including the overwhelming guilt she’s held onto since Jamie and Mari broke up in high school.
Overall, The Maidenheads was good. At times, Jamie’s self-pity wore at me, but it seemed largely realistic. The relationship between Jamie and Mari was overwhelming and bad, even with its sweeter moments. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters, but it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of the book. Recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.
In a moment of weakness of self-inflicted confusion, Jamie decides to attend the show of her ex-girlfriend’s new band, The Somnambules. To Jamie’s surprise, her ex, Mari, is excited to see her. Jamie is quickly swept up in a whirlwind romance that seems to be the answer to all her problems, including the overwhelming guilt she’s held onto since Jamie and Mari broke up in high school.
Overall, The Maidenheads was good. At times, Jamie’s self-pity wore at me, but it seemed largely realistic. The relationship between Jamie and Mari was overwhelming and bad, even with its sweeter moments. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters, but it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of the book. Recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.
February 22, 2026
a messy, gay, music-filled book.
a compelling cast of characters, but didn’t find myself fully invested in any one relationship or person. however, there was a lot i liked that the author did in terms of characterization for their characters, such as the awareness & exploration of certain topics like sexuality, abortion, body image, pregnancy, etc. there was a lot of great, real, humanly raw content here that was refreshing to read about instead of an overly perfect world often depicted in contemporary literature.
the writing style kept me interested, but also didn’t add anything to the story. plot is where my atrophy set in while reading because… nothing really happens. it was a lot of character conflict, but often the same conflict happened multiple times. i wish the book was more plot driven (or at least more experimental) to add another, more interesting element for the reader.
recommend this one if you like a band/music premise, but not sure it was outstanding in other aspects. thanks to net galley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!
a compelling cast of characters, but didn’t find myself fully invested in any one relationship or person. however, there was a lot i liked that the author did in terms of characterization for their characters, such as the awareness & exploration of certain topics like sexuality, abortion, body image, pregnancy, etc. there was a lot of great, real, humanly raw content here that was refreshing to read about instead of an overly perfect world often depicted in contemporary literature.
the writing style kept me interested, but also didn’t add anything to the story. plot is where my atrophy set in while reading because… nothing really happens. it was a lot of character conflict, but often the same conflict happened multiple times. i wish the book was more plot driven (or at least more experimental) to add another, more interesting element for the reader.
recommend this one if you like a band/music premise, but not sure it was outstanding in other aspects. thanks to net galley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Maidenheads follows Jamie, who is working at a small magazine in Baltimore, and has just ended her first relationship with a guy. As a teen, she was one part of the queer duo, The Maidenheads. Jamie decides to attend a concert where her ex-girlfriend and band partner's new band, The Somnambules, is playing. Mari is excited to see her and they both quickly get swept up in a new romance and band partnership as Jamie joins her band temporarily.
This book was good at times and not so good at other times. Jamie's character was very authentic and I think her self-doubt and self-pity made her more relatable and also more insufferable. Her relationship with Mari was always toxic back in high school and in the present time. It was overwhelming to read at times because of how they both seemed so intertwined and reliant on each other for assurance. Overall, I would recommend this book especially for those who love music.
This book was good at times and not so good at other times. Jamie's character was very authentic and I think her self-doubt and self-pity made her more relatable and also more insufferable. Her relationship with Mari was always toxic back in high school and in the present time. It was overwhelming to read at times because of how they both seemed so intertwined and reliant on each other for assurance. Overall, I would recommend this book especially for those who love music.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2025
The Maidenheads threads a needle few books do: crafting an antihero that I both hate and am compelled by in the first few pages. This is a queer crash-out novel, a love song to our most toxic ex, the one we can never truly detangle from our sense of self.
At 336 pages, The Maidenheads reads astonishingly fast, never dragging and peppered with lyrical descriptions of the euphoria of performing. I've read it twice, knew how it ended, and still found myself leaning forward into the plot, cheering on the growth and self love the main character, Jamie, wrestles with deserving.
The book is a triumph: a tribute to queerness, to DC punk, to dirty sex, to gender outlaws, and all the messy ways we craft our futures.
At 336 pages, The Maidenheads reads astonishingly fast, never dragging and peppered with lyrical descriptions of the euphoria of performing. I've read it twice, knew how it ended, and still found myself leaning forward into the plot, cheering on the growth and self love the main character, Jamie, wrestles with deserving.
The book is a triumph: a tribute to queerness, to DC punk, to dirty sex, to gender outlaws, and all the messy ways we craft our futures.
January 31, 2026
This feels like a very specific kind of early '00s indie film, the kind I would've watched in high school and would've made my personality around, possibly. This is a story about two messy young queer girls and the band they make in their high school years, and their reunion decades down the line as one of them deals with the early stages of pregnancy from a mid ex, and the other deals with major relationship drama and manipulation issues. It's a wild ride full of questionable, passionate choices and a pretty solid soundtrack. Like I said, it's a very specific kind of vibe that I would've ate up when I was younger, doesn't quite hold up for me in my 30s, but is still a solid read, and a good debut for Peterson. Worth a read in May!
March 15, 2026
This book was very gripping, filled with queer yearning, nostalgia, and emotional intensity. This will be an extra fun read for music fans, especially any that happen to be familiar with the music scene in DC. I loved seeing the journey our main character went on, even when she was frustrating at times. It made me want to sing, hug my baby, and call my mom.
This book would pair well with “Idlewild” by James Frankie Thomas; “Interesting Facts About Space” by Emily Austin; and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe.
I read a digital ARC from NetGalley.
This book would pair well with “Idlewild” by James Frankie Thomas; “Interesting Facts About Space” by Emily Austin; and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe.
I read a digital ARC from NetGalley.
November 29, 2025
I got the opportunity to read The Maidenheads as an ARC through NetGalley.
Writing style was great; story was just not necessarily what I thought it would be based on the summary. I would definitely still read something else by the author.
CW:
homophobia
biphobia
drinking/drugs
unplanned pregnancy
abortion
sexual assault
toxic relationship dynamics
Writing style was great; story was just not necessarily what I thought it would be based on the summary. I would definitely still read something else by the author.
CW:
homophobia
biphobia
drinking/drugs
unplanned pregnancy
abortion
sexual assault
toxic relationship dynamics
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review. Jamie was a fascinating character to follow. Seeing her story unfold brought back nostalgia from back in the day being a teenager and how being an adult sometimes that past can show back up in the present. I would definitely read from this author again!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
phenomenal and well-written book that dives into the indie music scene and handles its characters really well. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
September 25, 2025
One of the best books I’ve read this year: (very) SEXY, raw, heartbreaking, vivid, nostalgic, and TIMELY. Peterson’s writing is gorgeous: specific and visceral. I don’t want to give anything much away, but it starts with a bang (literally) between recently broken-up characters that results in a pregnancy—you’ll have to read to find out what happens next. THE MAIDENHEADS doesn’t shy away from anything. Its messiness is the point: the messiness of self-discovery, reinvention, relationships, growing up, and loss. Set in Washington D.C., we follow Jamie, our protagonist, as they grapple with their gender identity and the aftermath of a relationship (NOT the one from the very start of the book) which still lives just beneath their skin, years after its demise. I can’t believe these people do not exist, that their complicated, winding love stories—and I argue there are multiple love stories here, not just between people, but also between people and music—aren’t OUT THERE, staying weird and confusing in the best, most honest way!! I will read anything Peterson writes, henceforth. I read this one in just a few sittings, each time, unable to put it down until life got in the way. From these pages, I learned about myself, about MUSIC, about performance (the on-stage kind, but also the kind we put on for ourselves and each other every day), and, yes, about love. For better or worse, Mari will remind every reader of someone, and everyone must read this book.
March 19, 2026
LOVED this queer coming of age story!
It follows Jamie, stuck in a life that feels like it’s going nowhere, until a chance to reconnect with her ex (and former bandmate) pulls her back into music, and everything she’s been avoiding. What unfolds is a story about first love, identity, and figuring out who you are when your past won’t let you go.
The characters are flawed in the most real way, and the tension between love, regret, and self-discovery feels so raw. You can feel the music, the longing, and the chaos of it all. Absolutely loved it!!
It follows Jamie, stuck in a life that feels like it’s going nowhere, until a chance to reconnect with her ex (and former bandmate) pulls her back into music, and everything she’s been avoiding. What unfolds is a story about first love, identity, and figuring out who you are when your past won’t let you go.
The characters are flawed in the most real way, and the tension between love, regret, and self-discovery feels so raw. You can feel the music, the longing, and the chaos of it all. Absolutely loved it!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5
We all have to figure our lives out for ourselves, but I wanted to smack sense into Jamie for most of the book.
Jamie is working a dead-end newspaper job, having never ending breakup sex with her first boyfriend (she is wondering if she's still a lesbian), and hasn't been able to sing since she and her ex-girlfriend Mari broke up, and broke their band up, ten years ago. So, when Jamie sees that Mari's band is playing and goes to the show, an opportunity to perform with Mari again seems like it might be what she needs. As old feelings resurface, tensions with Mari's other ex in the band simmer, and a pregnancy emerge, Jamie must figure out what they want not only from others, but for themselves.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
We all have to figure our lives out for ourselves, but I wanted to smack sense into Jamie for most of the book.
Jamie is working a dead-end newspaper job, having never ending breakup sex with her first boyfriend (she is wondering if she's still a lesbian), and hasn't been able to sing since she and her ex-girlfriend Mari broke up, and broke their band up, ten years ago. So, when Jamie sees that Mari's band is playing and goes to the show, an opportunity to perform with Mari again seems like it might be what she needs. As old feelings resurface, tensions with Mari's other ex in the band simmer, and a pregnancy emerge, Jamie must figure out what they want not only from others, but for themselves.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
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