Day’s YA: GIRLS LIKE GIRLS

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS by Hayley Kiyoko
9781250817631
5/30/2023
Wednesday Books
Ages 13-18

E-galley available on Edelweiss and Netgalley

Flip phones. Tattoo choker necklaces. CDs. Bike rides. AIM. It’s summer in the 2000s. Coley has just moved to a sleepy small town in Oregon to live with her dad who she barely knows after losing her mother. She’s completely alone…again. She knows no one in town, until she meets Sonya and falls maddeningly and intensely in love. And when I say she fell hard, I mean it. “My entire body is shaken from her presence, her entire existence. The fact that I existed for seventeen years without knowing her, and now never have to live another year without having met her.” She’s a goner. But she’s also terrified of losing another person she loves. This is all very new to Sonya and might be too much for her to deal with. What if Sonya is too afraid to be there for Coley when she really needs her? What follows is an emotional journey of falling in love, accepting yourself, and learning that we are all worthy of being loved back.

Superstar Hayley Kiyoko is smashing onto the YA scene with her debut novel based on her hit song and music video of the same name. With the same signature angst and longing you’ll find in the music video, but with a much deeper dive into the emotions and context behind the story, Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel is a queer teen romance that will stand the test of time. The nostalgia of the setting felt relatable to me (someone who was also a teenager in the 2000s), but still accessible for today’s teens. If you adore sapphic YA romances like those from Casey McQuiston, Becky Albertalli, and Dahlia Adler, Hayley Kiyoko’s swoony summer love story is going to sweep you off your feet.

Happy reading!
<3 Emily

YA Resources:
2023 Books for Teens
Day’s YA Archives
2023 Adult Books for Teens