On the Outside

by Siera Maley

[Angie]

On the Outside is all about a trio of friends: Kayla, Riley, and Evan. They've been friends since first grade, and before starting high school promised to stay best friends no matter what. It's been hard, but they've managed to stay friends, although not quite as close. Most of this is because Kayla has a boyfriend, but as soon as they break up, Riley and Evan start dating making things even more awkward. More awkward still would be Kayla realizing that she's jealous because she likes Riley too!

I loved the On the Outside had a very strong focus on friendship. It's all from Kayla's POV, so we get to see how awkward things feel to her as she watches her two best friends snuggle up together, then go out without her. Of course, we also get her struggling with her sexuality. Realizing that she likes girls (or at least just Riley) really throws Kayla off. She doesn't know if she's really gay, but she does still like boys, so is she bi? Is she allowed to label herself as bi if she isn't sure, or if Riley is the only girl that she likes? I really liked seeing this, because those are exactly the kind of thoughts that lead to bi-erasure. There is not quota of same-sex people you need to like to be bisexual. If you feel like you are, then you are. It was nice seeing Kayla come to terms with that at the end.

The one thing (or maybe two) that kept me from enjoying On the Outside more was that it ends pretty suddenly. I've noticed with other books by this author, that she rushes the endings. Normally it's just skimming over some final details, but in this case, I felt like everything was building, building, building and then just ended. Even just an epilogue could have taken care of that. I wanted to see how Riley and Kayla being together affected their friendship dynamic, because we got to see that with Riley and Evan. I also just wanted to see Riley and Kayla together, period. There isn't much of that at all, once the truth is out.

I definitely still really liked On the Outside. It's a very quick read, which I finished in one sitting. I love stories of friendship as well as friends-to-lover Romances, so this was certainly going to be a hit for me anyway. I was just disappointed with how everything was resolved.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.