Come home to my heart

Gr 9 Up--In Redgate's opposites attract queer love story about two girls falling in love in a rural South Carolina town, romance is secondary to each girl's search for identity amidst their respective family struggles. Gloria is the poster girl for small-town popularity: a member of the Homecoming court, an active religious youth group member, and an academic overachiever. Her ultra-conservative religious parents do not know that Gloria is attracted to girls until she neglects to clear her internet history, which prompts them to kick her out of the house. It is on her own that Gloria becomes better friends with Xia, an Asian American misanthropic classmate who has a secret of her own. Through this beautifully written tale of two girls finding and loving each other--and themselves--in the often-hostile environment of a small Southern town, the author explores what it means to be religious as a queer person and how family is not always determined through biology. VERDICT A realistic portrait of the plight of homeless queer youth across the United States as well as a beautiful story of first love, this novel is great for high schoolers or fans of a wholesome, romantic tearjerker.--Amy Shaw

Isolated in their small, conservative town and hiding behind the masks they wear to protect themselves, two queer girls find refuge, understanding, and belonging in one another. Gloria Forman loves her family and her hometown of Fisherton, South Carolina. Ever since an incident in the seventh grade that made her parents question Gloria's faith and values, she's strived for perfection. She gets top grades, participates in a full spectrum of extracurriculars from school social committee to Math Team, and keeps her attraction to girls buried in a deep corner of the internet. But when Gloria, who's white, forgets to delete her browser history, her carefully constructed life crumbles. Unlike Gloria, Xia Harper can't wait to leave Fisherton next year for college. Already bullied for being Chinese and white, she works hard to maintain her socially unwelcoming demeanor so no one will get close enough to realize she's a lesbian. After Gloria's Baptist parents kick her out, her determination to survive brings her to the bookstore where Xia works. Despite their walls and secrets, they open up to one another, for the first time taking the risk of inviting another person in. The chapters alternate between the girls' first-person perspectives. Both leads are dynamic, fully realized, and complex. They demonstrate refreshing empathy for one another, even when their views conflict. Redgate's prose is poignant and aches with longing. A palpably genuine and romantic queer coming-of-age story. (author's note)(Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.