Time It Right

by Siera Maley

[Angie]

Time it Right felt quiet different than the author's other books, probably because it was her first. It took me longer to get into it, but by the end I thought it was a great. Valerie and her three friends are in their senior year of high school, and while things have been the same forever, they're finally starting to change. Val is the only single one, and when she tries to date her neighbor, it doesn't go too well. Then her friend Tara's family gets an exchange student from England, and Lindsay just may be the person she was waiting for.

Time It Right did start out a bit rough for me. Part of that was because it's in third person and we're immediately introduced to four girls, so it was hard to keep them all straight and figure out who the main character was. After a couple of chapters, I did finally settle into Val's story with minimal confusion. Her coming out story is darker than other ones I've read. In fact, this is more of a not coming out story. Valerie is terrified of how her classmates are going to treat her after witnessing other gay students get bullied. She's also worried about her less than open-minded friend Amber, and her mother who seems more interested in Val's relationships with boys than she is! This is all valid!

I loved that the author showed that it's okay to not come out if you're not ready or don't feel safe to do so. Valerie did get pressure from Lindsay, but I think she handled it perfectly. Time It Right is all about the personal decision to come out or not. Ultimately it's Valerie's choice, and she's not going to let anyone out her--although there are a few accidents--and she's certainly not going to let the first girl she dates give her an ultimatum when she's going to be leaving in a couple of months! After the rough beginning, I was very happy with the direction the story took because I think it's an important path to show.

Time It Right isn't a sad, dark story though. Val does have a tough time during her final semester of high school. She realizes she's gay, gets some support and some horrified reactions, falls in love, gets her heartbroken, but she takes control and comes out on her own time. There is a happy ending though, so don't worry!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.