"So how do you know you’re bisexual and not gay?” he asks, and I smile to myself at his predictability. This is something I’ve thought a lot about, and I have my answer at the ready. “Because sexuality isn’t experienced-based. It’s feelings-based. How do you know you’re straight, even though you just said you’ve never dated anyone?”
~ Follow Your Arrow, Jessica Verdi~
First of all, I'd like to thank @jessicaverdi, and @tbrandbeyondtours for this e-ARC copy of Follow Your Arrow! I guarantee that this review is a completely honest review!
BOOK COVER
Check out my bookstagram post!
BOOK SYNOPSIS
For fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, this is a riveting and irresistible take on love, life, and identity — both online and off.
CeCe Ross is kind of a big deal. She and her girlfriend, Silvie, are social media influencers with zillions of fans and followers, known for their cute outfits and being #relationshipgoals.
So when Silvie breaks up with her, CeCe is devastated. She’s lost her first love, and now she can’t help but wonder if she’ll lose her followers as well.
Things get even messier when CeCe meets Josh, a new boy in town who is very much Not Online. CeCe isn’t surprised to be falling for a guy; she’s always known she’s bi. And Josh is sweet and smart and has excellent taste in donuts… but he has no idea that CeCe is internet-famous. And CeCe sort of wants to keep it that way. But when CeCe’s secrets catch up to her, she finds herself in the middle of an online storm, where she’ll have to confront the blurriness of public vs. private life, and figure out what it really means to speak her truth.
BOOK REVIEW:
“The thing about social media is it’s never the full picture."
(Follow Your Arrow, Jessica Verdi)
Coming to the review! Oh. My. God. This book is so subtly amazing!! It's kind of a simple, heartwarming, finding-who-you-are story with all the right elements of romance, heartbreak, self-examination and realisation and being yourself! And to make it even better, it was funny.
The book talked about a lot of problems, like social media, biphobia, parental issues etc, and I was amazed by how nicely it was handled. I could relate, somewhat at least, to her pressure due to, yet attachment of Social media. I mean, handling a bookstagram is no piece of cake! I've been so inactive these days because of it. I loved how beautiful the negatives and positives of social media was shown. The book was also pretty political and I appreciate how it emphasized the need of political activism, no matter who you are.
Coming to the characters, I could relate a lot with Cece. Especially the whole thing about being bisexual, and internalised biphobia. There shouldn't be any rules about being gay enough, or straight enough, and this thought was beautifully realized in this book.
"But bisexuality is a thing, and it’s time we do better at recognizing and celebrating that.”
I also liked how she didn't shy away from picking a fight with her father whenever she thought she was right and he was wrong. Because, girl, I relate 100%
"I don’t know how to agree to disagree, and I don’t know how to respect someone just because he’s my parent."
And JOSH. Josh is just the bestest, cutest, cinnamon roll! I love whenever I encounter characters like him, so, obviously, I loved him. Josh's father, especially, was such a sweet character! Josh gave major soft boy vibes - and yes, I hoped we would we given a reason as to why he hates social media - and influencers so much - but well, that's alright.
Cece's mom was so supportive of her, although she never trusted Social Media as much as Cece (and for good reasons) she was always there for her, for every step of the way! But I did feel she was a bit bland, at times?
All in all, loved the book. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
One more thing I loved in this book are the simple "Facts" the author threw our way, like:
This is so true! This needs to be understood by everyone, members of LGBTQIAP+ and basically, all humans, alike!
This is so so so true! I cannot emphasize how important this is for people to know and understand!
And this one! This one was just so cute! Made me go all "awwww" for them!
My Dad and I always get into fights for this exact reason, too! And I completely agree with her! Respect needs to be earned, sometimes. even if it is your parent.
BOOK LINKS: FOLLOW YOUR ARROW HERE!
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/follow-your-arrow-jessica-verdi/1136672469?ean=9781338640465
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Follow-Your-Arrow-Jessica-Verdi/9781338640465?ref=grid-view&qid=1607720226272&sr=1-5
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781338640465
About the Author:
Jessica Verdi is an author of books for kids and teens about identity, family, acceptance, and love.
Though she’s always been a bookworm (her childhood was basically defined by the philosophy that working your way through giant stacks of library books is far superior to playing outside), she remained convinced throughout high school and college that theatre and music were meant to be her creative outlets. After nearly ten years in the NYC theatre world, she got an idea for a novel. While that first attempt at a “book” will never see the light of day—nope, don’t ask—it was the book that started her love affair with writing. Now she can’t imagine doing anything else.
Jess received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School and is a freelance editor of romance and women’s fiction. She lives in New York with her family.
YOU CAN CONNECT WITH HER TOO!
Website: https://jessicaverdi.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessVerdi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessverdi/
TOUR SCHEDULE:
Many other amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers have taken part in the bookish tour for this amazing book as well! You can check their posts out on: https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2021/01/26/tour-schedule-follow-your-arrow-by-jessica-verdi/