Waiting On Wednesday


ramona-blueRamona Blue

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Date of Publication: May 9th 2017

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 

Pages: 491

 

 

 

Goodreads Synopsis (2).jpg

For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson comes this sharp and thought-provoking novel about modern love, family, and the labels that we just can’t seem to escape—from Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’ and Side Effects May Vary.

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. One of only two out lesbians in her small town and standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the responsible adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, her responsibilities weigh more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool.

As Ramona falls more in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift as well, and she must decide if knowing who she is is more important than figuring out who she might become.

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I am currently reading & loving Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1)  on a whim really after leaving the book I was currently reading at home. I have a 1.5 hour commute to & from work, and not having a book on hand was just unacceptable lol. I started Dumplin’ & immediately got sucked into this small town girls story, personality, and inner monologue. I got curious and opened up my Goodreads to see if Julie Murphy has any other books & found 2 things: Dumplin’ is a series (almost positive it was originally a standalone) + a new book set for 2017 titled Ramona Blue. That cover immediately caught my interest & then I read the synopsis (cuz let’s face it, it’s usually in that order LOL). This story has LGBTQ characters but what stands out for me is that the protog is introduced as one of only two lesbians in her small town who then falls for her childhood friend who happens to be male. I’m curious to see how bi-sexuality is handled by Murphy…the original blurb I believe, had mentioned something along the lines of not being put in a box by labels. The blurb has since changed & I see that there seems to be a bit of controversy on Goodreads as well as rating the book 1 star before it’s been published or made its rounds for anyone to see. I also see the book getting 5 stars by readers who are trying to negate the low ratings because they find this to be unjust to the authors yet unpublished work. I don’t agree with either of these methods. Considering that Murphy is handling body image in Dumplin’ so well, I think i’ll give this one a shot & formulate/provide my own informed opinion/review/rating 😉

Author: LairOfBooks

"I didn't choose the Book Life, the Book Life chose me"

24 thoughts on “Waiting On Wednesday”

  1. I’m really excited for this book to I loved Dumpin’ and can’t wait to see what Julies new book is like. I agree with you about the reviews on Goodreads you shouldn’t review a book before you’ve read it good or bad tbh though whenever there is a little one star/ five star war going on it’s the thing that made me find the book 😀

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    1. I agree, I had read the original blurb & feel like I know what they were trying to express but it can easily be misconstrued as it was. I believe it said something about turning the trope of Girl likes girls then falls for a guy on it’s head so as to not fit sexuality into one box/label. The character starts off as a lesbian and is then bisexual which some have taken as problematic for other lesbians in the community. I am going to read this one with a clear mind & stay away from the comments til after I’ve read it myself. I’m loving Dumplin’ & she received so much positive feedback for how she handled the sensitive topics in that book that I’m inclined to give her a shot with Ramona. I agree, the controversy always paves a path to these books. 💕

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      1. I’m thinking she’ll do Ramona well because she herself if Bi and we need some more Bi rep/own voices in the book community although yep I see where the one star ratings were coming from too because it can be a hard subject to write right. Hopefully it will be a positive story that shines light on the subject and does it justice 🙂

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      3. This can be a tough subject to tackle, I hope she did it well. I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. It sucks that there are people automatically rating it 1 star w/out reading or knowing much more about it. Hoping for positive as well 💕

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  2. For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson..I’m not a fan of Morgan Matson *rolls eyes and cries on the floor* lmao! But damn does this one sound good so I will be reading it too.
    Oh the good Goodreads b.s. of the ratings, it’s super unjust. Like you, I’m excited to see how she juggles bi-sexuality and the social surroundings of this character. *cover lusting*

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    1. I have yet to read ANY Morgan Matson or Rainbow Rowell 😂😂😂 but you already know how much I’m enjoying Dumplin’ 👍🏼 so I’d like to read more from this author. I refuse to give in to the Goodreads mobs that try & make it so that the book flops before it hits the shelves. Now, if I read it & find it problematic then I’ll keep it respectfully honest & hope that it’s a learning experience for the author. Until then, I’m steering clear of the hate. Hope we both enjoy it 🙂💕

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  3. I thought Dumplin’ was a standalone too! I’d like to read both of these books though. So glad to hear you’re enjoying Dumplin’ 😊

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  4. I’ll admit when I saw your post the cover was the first thing to catch my eye as well, and then the blurb definitely made me add it to my to-read list! 😀 I haven’t read anything by Julie Murphy, maybe I should start with Dumplin’ before this book is released, but I’ve heard some great things about her and I love how diverse this book sounds as well! 🙂
    Great pick for this week Lilly.

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    1. Thank you Beth, I’m hoping she does as good a job in writing these characters & their stories as she did with Dumplin’. That cover is EVERYTHING though 🤣🤣🤣 I hope you enjoy them when you get around to them 😃💕

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  5. I can’t wait for this book! I’m not at all worried about how Murphy will write a bisexual character considering she’s bisexual as well. Super excited for this and I’ll definitely be reading this ASAP!

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    1. Exactly my train of thought Kourtni 😉 I did a bit of research in my end on this author which is why I’m giving her new book a shot. I’m really looking forward to meeting Ramona in her new book 😃💕

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  6. Dumplin’.. sigh. Every part of me wanted to love the book so badly. I chose audio at the time because I was not well and I think it destroyed the entire experience. I loather the narration. It was so cheesy. It sounds like you are getting a much more positive experience. It was not horrible for me, but not what I wanted 😦

    I will be curious to see how you feel about both of these and the author’s writing. I may venture back at some point and actually “read” Dumplin’.

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    1. Oh no! but I totally get it & have experienced terrible narrators before *coughs* Percy Jackson…but maybe another time if you decide to re-visit the physical book, like you said it may make a difference. I’m really enjoying Dumplin’ & have even assigned them small town accents (whatever that means) lol. I can’t wait to see the movie adaptation. Currently History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera is sucking up all my time cuz it’s SOoOO Good! but I do plan on reading some more over the holidays 😉

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