Juliet Takes a Breath

Everyone was so real - so very real. It was touching and lovely and challenging and painful and the best novel I've read in a very, very long time.

I seldom fangirl hard over a book, but when I do that means you need to sit down and read it now! I can't believe I waited so long to get this but damn, I'm so happy I did. If only the series Portlandia looked more like Juliet Takes a Breath rather than the inane hipster navel gazing that's supposed to be edgy and humorous (NOT). A diverse Portland is a much cooler place and reads far more real. I was seriously gone at chapter 9 - 'Ain't No Party Like an Octavia Butler Writer's Workshop'. Seriously, a huge shout out and celebration of the Goddess of Sci-Fi? I was all kinds of cheering on that score. Maybe I need to start one myself.Juliet Palante is the voice we so desperately need in genre fiction, especially in the inexcusably whitewashed LGBTQ genre. Hers is a voice needed when talking intersectional feminism. This line right here is something I've often pondered as a feminist of color: "Feminism. I'm new to it. The word still sounds weird and wrong. Too white, too structured, too foreign: something I can't claim." I loved how she's learning about herself, her journey to her truth. She is more than a young, chubby Puerto Rican questioning and questing baby lesbian. She is all of us, struggling and celebrating in a world that seems bent on maintaining the status quo. I especially loved the lack of slut shaming and the positive celebration of menstruation (the only other novel to do that was The Summer of Chasing Mermaids|22840182).Juliet is no victim; hers is a strong and sassy voice for every reader who feels like the proverbial fish out of water - from the concrete jungle it the Bronx with its own multifaceted layers to the more laid back west coast vibe of Portland (shout out to Powell's Books). There were so many wonderful quotes that spoke to me on different levels. And the various female friendships, women talking about other things that have nothing to do with men. How refreshing.I forgot to talk about the "book" which started Juliet's journey - "Raging Flower: Empowering YouTube P*ssy by Empowering YouTube Mind". In the mid-eighties to the nineties there were quite a few books like this, movements to reclaim female sexuality from all the guilt and shame created by the patriarchy. I especially remember the late Tee Corrinne's C*nt Coloring Book, I still have my copy. I really liked this quote: "It amused me to watch men confront the word p*ssy in a context outside of their control." Honestly, we could use some more reclaiming, especially in the light of the slut shaming that seems to be part and parcel of too many books - New Adult, I'm looking straight at you with my fingers pointing directly your way.And did I mention all of the absolutely FABULOUS diverse women who populate this book? This is a story about women who grow, who struggle to find themselves and create a woman/genderqueer-positive world. They are fully actualized people, not just characters on a page. They felt like women I've known over the years. I've known Harlowes, Zairas, Maxines, Kiras, Ava's - all of them. Asumptions get challenged on all sides, mistakes are made, horizons broadened. Juliet's mother, who's struggling to accept her gay daughter, was an amazing character. She wasn't some raging stereotype, but a mother who wants the best for her child. I loved how she was making the effort to educate herself. That struggle is just as real in communities of color, as is the "everyone's accepting" narrative. And the QueerCutz party, just tell me when and where the next one is. I want to be there, my nape needs to be tapered lol.I had so many highlighted notes, but if I had to choose one (okay three):"Libraries are safe but also exciting. Libraries are where nerds like me go to refuel. They are safe havens where the polluted noise of the outside world, with all the bullies and bro-dudes and anti-femininist rhetoric, is shut out. Libraries have zero tolerance for bullshit. Their walls protect us and keep us safe from all the bastards that have never read a book for fun.""Read all the books that make you whole. Read all the books that pull you out of the present and into the future. Read all the books about women who get tattoos, and break hearts, and rob banks, and start heavy metal bands. Read every single one of them.""Reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite."Yes, Juliet Palante is my new book girl crush. Oh and much love to Juliet's Animorphs-loving brother Lil Melvin. He needs his own story too.

I am so glad to meet Juliette. Rivera's writing is so poetic, visceral and earnest that Juliette feels like a close friend. This story brought home so many memories of growing up and out of my childhood into my self. From searching for a mentor, finding first love and falling for a new city or a new way of being, I cheered as Juliette held each moment to the light. I'd recommend this book to graduates, activists, writers, barbers - humans trying to figure it all out.

Fast read, heavy topics. Juliet is a great protagonist who is curious about everything, she is immediately likable, and I only want good things for her. (But people, specifically the white people in her life, are not good to her).Part self-discovery coming of age journey and part educational experience on intersectional feminism, race, womanhood, and queerness.This book is a lot to process, take in and think about. I’m glad this was a buddy read because this book warrants a deep discussion.It definitely feels like an LGBTQ book written for LGBTQ readers (especially LGBTQ people of color) which is really cool. The publishing world needs to keep green lighting more of these books. The queer experience has been whitewashed and mostly seen from a male lens. This was a “breath” of fresh air.I’ll be very curious to see a follow up novel from Rivera and whatever she decides to tackle next.

I loved Juliet’s family! The close bond she had not only with her mother but also her aunt and cousin. I love all of the themes explored through Juliet’s summer: family, identity, self-acceptance, racism, feminism and intersectionality, and spirituality. I appreciated that Juliet experiences & learns why POC only spaces are needed. Likewise, how some feminists and/or liberals can still be racist. Juliet learned a lot of invaluable lessons in one summer. The friends she met in Portland and what she learned about herself and life would benefit a lot of people. However, I didn’t care for the profanity nor the unhealthy reaction to a breakup. This was my first LGBQT novel, I appreciated the insight into the struggle.

This book is so relatable to me, I may not be a queer Puerto Rican from the Bronx, but being one of a handful of shy queer kids in a big city and finding people who are wholly different, but having that queer culture of being family was definitely eye awakening to me too. Holy crap some of the things Juliet experiences when she gets to Portland was definitely shared with my experience. Just going anywhere outside of my little city life...it was like a queer, radical awakening. Learning about preferred pronouns, radical feminism, hairy armpits, and eschewing capitalistic norms. It was something I will never forget and that time and my life altering experiences I still carry with me to this day some 20 years later...I love how much this book relates to the early 2000's or that could just be because I too experienced these things at that specific time in my life. (Also the book is definitely set around 2002/2003, there are ages and dates in the book, I just didn’t bookmark anything).I loved this book...so powerful.

This book beautifully captures a journey of self discovery. Personally it was refreshing to see aspects of myself and characters that could be in my family. Puerto Ricans of the diaspora have a unique experience, New York Puerto Ricans distinct still. NYC contrasted with Portland Oregon and Miami was great. The story is thoughtful, moving, and sensual at times. Entertaining while amplifying the voices and stories of the LGBTQIA community. There’s also an thoughtful exploration of feminism particularly intersectional.

The author makes you feel immediately protective of her compellingly confused main character. Her journey from self-doubt to understanding is winding, her pain and upset are as palpable as her joys making the story real. Deals frankly, but not obnoxiously, with the issues of intersectionality. My favourite book so far this year.

Really super novel. I'm so pleased I saw it recommended on Autostraddle. I read the last couple of chapters as someone was peeling onions nearby.

Loved this book. Great pace and characters in a story about growth and identity. Highly recommended!

Really enjoyed this! Loved the narrative style.

LOVED IT! It’s been a long time since I’ve found Home in a book and this was just that.