She Loves You, She Loves You Not

by Julie Anne Peters

Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family, her best friends, and most importantly, 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 herself but disowned by her father and cut off from everyone she loves, she is forced to move hundreds of miles away to live with Carly, a mother she barely knows, in a town where everyone immediately dismisses her as 'Carly's girl.' Struggling to forget her past and come to terms with her future, will Alyssa be able to build a new life for herself and believe in love again? Or will she be forced to relive the mistakes that have cost her everything and everyone she cared about?

• ISBN10: 0316078743
• ISBN13: 9780316078740
• Publish Date: 1 June 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 2 June 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

She Loves You, She Loves You Not... starts when Alyssa is sent to live with her long absent mother after her father disowns her. Alyssa has lost her girlfriend, her best friend, and her family all in one day which is slowly revealed. At first, Alyssa thinks she's just here temporarily while her father cools off, but then she learns that she has been disowned and starts trying to make her life in this small town. While job hunting (and avoiding her mother), Alyssa meets Finn and tries not to make the same mistake she did with Sarah.

I really enjoyed She Loves You, She Loves You Not...I was immediately hooked into Alyssa's story. We know something big went down other than her father just being a homophobe, but it takes several chapters to see the full picture. It alternates between Alyssa's current Summer with her mother and the previous school year when she meets Sarah and her whole life changes. I absolutely loved the past chapters because they're in second person POV! And not even epistolary format. It's true second person where the reader is put into Alyssa's place.

Aside from Alyssa and Sarah's disastrous break up--seriously, Sarah sucks and Alyssa goes a bit off the handle--She Loves You, She Loves You Not...also has a strong focus on family and community. Alyssa is reluctantly reunited with her mother and is struggling to accept her choices in life. Then she learns that not everything is at it seems with her. Meanwhile, Alyssa also gets in close with some of the townfolk after a rough start, especially when wild fires and flash floods threaten everyone. I really liked how the author included these dangerous weather side plots, because that's a very real thing people are facing today!

She Loves You, She Loves You Not...was great. I was worried that this would turn out to be a "tragic queers" story, because of reasons. But it doesn't, so have no fear! Alyssa has it rough for awhile, and even though not everything works out, there is happy ending.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.