The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me

by Olivia Hinebaugh

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she's been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita.

But then everything changes.

When Lacey sees firsthand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls' restroom. Meanwhile, things with Theo have become complicated, and soon Lacey is not just keeping everyone else’s secrets, but her own as well.

• ISBN10: 1250233488
• ISBN13: 9781250233486
• Publish Date: 1 February 2020 (first published 1 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 20 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

The whole time I was reading this, I had this song from a butter (?) commercial stuck in my head. Where there's a bee singing about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above and then he came across a dish of butter that had all kinds of weird stuff added and honestly I am beginning to think that commercial was one big fever dream but yeah.

Anyway, to go back to this book - it was an alright book. Somehow I had thought that the main character, Lacey, was the asexual character in this because of the ace flag being so prominent on the cover, but I was quickly disappointed. Especially when I realised that I did not like the ace character in this book at all. [spoiler]I totally get still having a crush on your ex, but shitting on his current girlfriend, the girl *you* introduced to him in the first place is just NOT THE WAY TO GO SIS.[/spoiler]

Yeah idk this book just didn't really resonate with me, it felt more like a typical contemporary book which is not something I usually like (but yeah I make exceptions for books that feature prominent asexual/aromantic characters).

[Sam@WLABB]

This book is a bunch of different things. It's a story of friendship and first love, as well as a tale of taking a stand and coming-of-age, and I pretty much loved it all.

Lacey followed the rules and tried to fly under the radar. She was known to accept the circumstances and go with the flow, but she was willing to fight for the right to a comprehensive sexual health education for her peers.

I am big believer in knowledge as power, and loved that Lacey was so passionate about educating herself and others on a topic, which people often shy away from. She was raised to embrace her body and sexuality and to explore it in healthy ways, and though she had zero experience, she was very knowledgable in matters of sexual and reproductive health. I liked that there was a lot of good information in the book regarding STIs and protection, but the emotional side of sex and consent were also addressed. So, applause for that.

Aside from this book being very sex-positive, it was also about Lacey navigating her friendship, her feelings, and her future. Her reactions to all the changes happening in her life were very authentic, and though she stumbled a little, Lacey made good choices for herself.

Loved these things:

• BFFs - This friendship was not without its complications, but they were an awesome group, and they literally made beautiful music together.

• Present adults - Both Lacey and Evita had fabulous and supportive moms. It was easy to see why they loved and admired them so much.

• An adorable romance - This was a little messy for me, but I still couldn't help but get onboard with it. They were good together, and you know, I love soft boys.

•Music, lots and lots of music.

Overall: A fun and bold story, which teen me would have welcomed with open arms.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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