Weird Girl and What's His Name - Meagan Brothers

Goodreads summary:

In the tiny podunk town of Hawthorne, North Carolina, seventeen-year-old geeks Lula and Rory share everything—sci-fi and fantasy fandom, Friday night binge-watching of old X-Files episodes, and that feeling that they don’t quite fit in. Lula knows she and Rory have no secrets from each other; after all, he came out to her years ago, and she’s shared with him her “sacred texts”—the acting books her mother left behind after she walked out of Lula’s life. But then Lula discovers that Rory—her Rory, who maybe she’s secretly had feelings for—has not only tried out for the Hawthorne football team without telling her, but has also been having an affair with his middle-aged divorcee boss. With their friendship disrupted, Lula begins to question her identity and her own sexual orientation, and she runs away in the middle of the night on a journey to find her mother, who she hopes will have all the answers. Meagan Brother’s piercing prose in this fresh LGBT YA novel speaks to anyone who has ever felt unwanted and alone, and who struggles to find their place in an isolating world. Ages 14–up.


My review:

5/5

It was so good! I absolutely loved this book. Also, I really want to check out X-Files now, because it sounds really good and I'm unfortunately too young to have watched it before. 

I really liked both of the characters, but especially Lula. She's funny, passionate, kind and always hopeful, which makes her a bit immature sometimes, like when she decided to leave, but also very realistic and interesting. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her wonderful grandparents, Walter and her friends. She seems to be liked by most people she meets and I wish I could've read even more about her. Her quest to meet her mom is childish, but it's also so easy to understand that I couldn't blame her for it. Her actions, as well as Rory's, made me cringe, especially in the beginning, with all these awkward moments on the night Lula left, but I could relate to both characters very well. I liked Rory, too, but I found it harder to understand him, especially since a lot of the story is about Lula. I loved their friendship and their friday nights, because they both care so much about one TV show and it's amazing. 

Although I found it confusing at first, I really liked the way it's written. I wasn't expecting it to be that way, but I enjoyed understanding what happened before, after and now. It kept me wondering what would happen next, in the past or in the present. I thought the book would be about finding Lula, but seeing her after she's back was even better than what I expected. 

I found the story to be very accurate and easy to relate to. The main characters are young adults confused with their lives and desperate for love, as most teenagers are. Their expectations and hopes are understandable and similar to mine, which made me feel them at the same time. I liked how their lives change during the story, but only for the better. Rory and Lula's friendship is affected by everything that happened between them, but as true friends do, they manage to keep their complicity and work everything out. I didn't expect everything to be that way in the end, but I was truly satisfied with everything. 

I highly recommend this novel! It's realistic, fun and passionate, which is perfect for young adults. 

(Thank you Edelweiss for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

I also did an interview with the author, Meagan Brothers, which you can find here.