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A review by caresays
The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George
2.0
I would maybe rate this actually somewhere between two and three stars, though it's hard to say. It's a quick read and I don't feel like very much happened, but as we know, I am a sucker for all books about baby dykes.
The blurb makes this sound like a love story, which it is not. And the trend of baby dykes falling in love with closeted straight girls is so sad and heartbreaking. Also, I am ALWAYS way more curious about the closeted straight girls than I am about the characters who are out. Or, at least, to some degree. I LOVED Cameron Post, but I wanted to know what happened to Coley. Badly. Just, being so closeted must be the worst and it must be so hard to struggle with that and I am interested in it...maybe I'll have to write that book though.
Anyway, Jesse is this young, out lesbian who wears combat boots and hates the Man. Emily is VP of the student council, wears J. Crew sweaters, and is generally as straight as you can get. Every week they make out in the handicapped bathroom at the local library. But then Jesse gets involved in a political cause that Emily is on the other side of and the two of them have to deal with it.
The other thing is, why were they even in love with each other? It's not like they talked. All they did was make out for once a week for a year. Which, okay, but I mean, I...would be bored after a year.
Jesse's character is sympathetic but not original. Probably because Madeleine George is from Amherst. I recognize a Jesse anywhere. Essentially, I was bored by her. Also, Esther??? I don't really understand the role her character played. Was it supposed to be Manic Pixie Girl? She wasn't quite twee enough. I mean, undoubtedly she would treat Jesse better, but there's no indication of how she felt or whatever and she was supposedly "so weird".
This book felt like it started off well and I was interested, but it ultimately culminated in a boring fashion. Too many loose threads, rubbish ending, and the characters fall flat of a promise.
The blurb makes this sound like a love story, which it is not. And the trend of baby dykes falling in love with closeted straight girls is so sad and heartbreaking. Also, I am ALWAYS way more curious about the closeted straight girls than I am about the characters who are out. Or, at least, to some degree. I LOVED Cameron Post, but I wanted to know what happened to Coley. Badly. Just, being so closeted must be the worst and it must be so hard to struggle with that and I am interested in it...maybe I'll have to write that book though.
Anyway, Jesse is this young, out lesbian who wears combat boots and hates the Man. Emily is VP of the student council, wears J. Crew sweaters, and is generally as straight as you can get. Every week they make out in the handicapped bathroom at the local library. But then Jesse gets involved in a political cause that Emily is on the other side of and the two of them have to deal with it.
Spoiler
The problem is, it's not very well fleshed out. Emily is...well, she's kind of a blind idiot. In fact, for most of her passages, I found her extremely difficult to sympathize with, considering she was fucking around with Jesse's feelings and her whole deal with NorthStar. The only times I felt for her was when she was describing the way she felt about Jesse.The other thing is, why were they even in love with each other? It's not like they talked. All they did was make out for once a week for a year. Which, okay, but I mean, I...would be bored after a year.
Jesse's character is sympathetic but not original. Probably because Madeleine George is from Amherst. I recognize a Jesse anywhere. Essentially, I was bored by her. Also, Esther??? I don't really understand the role her character played. Was it supposed to be Manic Pixie Girl? She wasn't quite twee enough. I mean, undoubtedly she would treat Jesse better, but there's no indication of how she felt or whatever and she was supposedly "so weird".
This book felt like it started off well and I was interested, but it ultimately culminated in a boring fashion. Too many loose threads, rubbish ending, and the characters fall flat of a promise.