JULIET TAKES A BREATH SPOILER-FREE REVIEW // A book everyone should read

JULIET TAKES A BREATH

my rating: ★★★★☆

tags: LGBTQIA+, YA, Feminism

goodreads rating: 4.27

Thank you to Riverdale Avenue Books for supplying the e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favourite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.

Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?

With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.

“Feminism. I’m new to it. The word still sounds weird and wrong. Too white, too structured, too foreign: something I can’t claim.”

Juliet Takes A Breath is a must read, not just for women, but for everyone. I will admit that it might be more relatable for women, and in particular women of colour. But, I think this book and the character of Juliet is what makes the book so special. She learns so much in this book and I think that is the point. She makes the story relatable for some readers and she makes it a slap in the face for others.

This story handles feminism and what it means to be a woman. Juliet goes through every feeling under the bus in this book and learns so much throughout her short journey in the novel. She learns some really helpful tips and tricks on how to make your period easier to handle, which I’ll be honest I had never heard before but, will definitely be trying out in the future.

“You control the energy in your body. Never forget that, Juliet.”

This book is fantastic and I think everyone should read it. Juliet is a really interesting character and I think there is definitely something to learn from her and her experiences, no matter who you are. What I loved most about this book was that it took me for a total learning curve. I have very little in common with Juliet. I am white, straight and share pretty much none of her experiences, I also don’t live in the US.

“None of the clothes were made to fit me. None of the people shopping in there look like me.”

On that note, what I learnt from this book was something particularly interesting about the store Banana Republic. I have never really heard of the store so learning about its history was quite interesting and very disturbing.  It’s actually kind of horrible that I had never heard about their history but, I guess that is the kind of world we live in now.

Juliet Takes A Breath also goes into the education system and how we are often not taught about our own histories. We are rarely ever taught about the “bad side” of the history of our own countries and that often leads to ignorance. I  personally related to this because I know that Australia’s past is certainly not squeaky clean, but we really don’t learn about it at all in school.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t recommend it enough. if you’re looking for a short and bingeable modern contemporary to put on your tbr, this is perfect!

HAVE YOU READ JULIET TAKES A BREATH?

DO YOU PLAN ON PICKING IT UP?

FRIDGE ANTS