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May 20, 2017samcmar rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I really loved Julie Murphy's Side Effects May Very, despite it being such a polarizing novel. I have yet to read Dumplin' (seriously, I need to get on that), and skipped my way to Ramona Blue, a book that had some polarizing conversations up until it's release. Truthfully, I found the novel very engaging throughout. Yes, this book, looks at Ramona's sexuality, and yes it looks at the idea of how she doesn't want to label herself entirely one way or another. But I think that is just a fraction of what this story is truly about. This story is about self-sacrifice for family, sisters in a bind, and importantly, Ramona trying to figure out who she wants to be and if she wants to stay in Eulogy for the rest of her life. I think Julie Murphy does an amazing job walking the reader through Ramona's journey. Ramona is a complicated character who is trying to figure out what is the right course of action regarding her family, as well as herself. I loved her as a character, and I constantly found myself empathizing with Ramona because I found her easy to connect with. I've done a lot of what she has in terms of putting others over myself, and like Ramona, there's no regret. It's interesting to watch Ramona's complicated life grow and transform throughout the course of the story, and that made it all the more engaging. I also loved Ramona's friends and I thought they were wonderfully developed. I found Grace frustrating at times, but I also feel like I could understand where she was coming from when it came to her feelings for Ramona. Her feelings for Freddie in the story are conflicting, but I think it also shows how Ramona is growing, and I think there's an interesting conversation presented in this book about labeling one's self. There is no man saving Ramona in this story, or no man changing who she is -- that's not the discussion this book is presenting. The conversation that is apparent is about learning who you are and who you want to become. If I am being honest, the romance wasn't a huge deal breaker for me like it was others -- I liked it, but I adored the parts about Ramona's self-discovery and her family life more. Ramona Blue is a wonderful story about growing up in a situation where you are forced into adulthood at an early age. It's about discovering oneself and trying to figure out who you want to be. There is is so much depth and complexity to this novel, and I think despite the controversy, people should read it before making a judgement call.