An inspiring and uplifting story about sexuality and
self-acceptance, Lucy Sutcliffe's debut memoir is a personal and
moving coming out story.
From her bedroom in the UK at age seventeen, Lucy Sutcliffe
began an online friendship with Kaelyn, a young veterinary student
from Michigan.
Within months, they began a digital long distance relationship
across the pond, finally meeting in the summer of 2011.
Lucy's video montage of their first week spent together in Saint
Kitts, which she posted to the couple's YouTube channel, was the
first in a series of films documenting their long-distance relationship.
Funny, tender and candid, the films attracted them a vast online
following.
Now, for the first time, Lucy's writing about the incredible personal
journey she's been on; from never quite wanting the fairy-tale
of Prince Charming to realising she was gay at the age of 14,
through three years of self-denial to finally coming out to friends
and family, to meeting her American girlfriend Kaelyn.
perfect for fans of the NETFLIX feature film The Prom
who are looking for a UK voice
deeply honest and authentic, Lucy's writing is quite something
Here's a confession, folks: I wasn't sure if I was going to write a review of this book, but I decided to because I feel like this is a book that needs to be spotlighted, that people need to read, because it's important. But this won't be a long review, because it's really, really hard to review someone's personal memoirs, to say what you loved and hated when this is someone's actual life, although I will tell you, I hated no part of this book (except the odious Rex and those boys at Lucy's secondary school).
Girl Hearts Girl is one of those books that every school, library, any place that involves kids should stock, because it's such a hopeful, uplifting book, and I think it would help a lot of kids who struggle with whether they like boys or girls, and whether there's a right answer to that question or a wrong answer, much like Lucy early on in the book. The struggle is clearly real, but to see more books out there dealing with being gay is amazing, and will hopefully help a lot of people the way Lucy intends.
I flew through this book. I picked it up just before the final of Euro 2016 started (because I literally couldn't care less who won, but I wanted it as background noise anyway) and had finished it before the game had finished. It's a quick, short read, with snappy chapters (with gorgeous headings! and the little planes on the pages were a lovely touch, too), and I really loved Lucy's voice. Lucy talks a lot about being anxious, and not all that confident in herself (although she uses Hermione Granger as a great way to buck herself up for scary things) but she comes across as really confident, really at home in her skin, at least by the end of the book and that was delightful. I really, really hope Lucy turns her hand to fiction next, because I would read that, because she has such a good voice.
