Talley’s writing is something I always enjoy but I just couldn’t connect with the protagonist in this one, and didn’t feel compelled to continue.

I tried this book on my kindle, I tried borrowing it from the library and I just couldn't get far enough into it to give it a full review. I really loved the premise but I just didn't care about the characters enough to get to the end of this one-not for me!

15 year old Aki and her best friend Lori are on youth church trip to Mexico for the summer, along with Aki's brother Drew and her father. Aki has only ever told Lori that she is bisexual. Aki meets the beautiful, older and slightly more experience Christa and develops feelings for her. As a romance blossoms, so too does all these complications and lies. Being with another girl while on a church mission trip is not easy, but hiding or denying your own sexuality isn't either.

Overall I liked the portrayal of all the diverse characters in this novel, there are some controversial points but the good outweigh the bad. This book approaches not only the topic of safe sex but safe sex between two girls, which is something I don't think I've ever seen before in a YA book. The only thing I wasn't a massive fan of was all the drama and lying in the book. Maybe it's because I'm not a teenager anymore, maybe it's because I've never been part of the Christian culture that's in the book or maybe it's something else that stopped me from believing that the drama was realistic and authentic to a trip they were on. Who knows. The only thing I liked about the lying is that most, if not all, of them are hiding something and it shows we all have our own secrets.

Title: Our Own Private Universe

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance (F/F)




A few starting notes:



I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.



I've previously read and reviewed two of Talley's books - As I Descended, a queer YA retelling of Macbeth, and Lies We Tell Ourselves, a book about girls falling in love across the divide of racial segregation.

Both books have been fairly criticised for aspects of diverse representation which weren't good enough.

I shamelessly admit that I loved both, and missed a lot of the problems with Lies We Tell Ourselves in particular when I read it. 


I love Robin Talley's books - but I also clearly have a habit of missing things in them, so if I've done it again, don't hesitate to let me know.




A note on Robin Talley herself though:

Of course she makes mistakes, but I can't help but admire a lesbian woman who's managed to do so well, and gained such a level of success, with her books.

No, we should never ignore mistakes that affect people. We should discuss them, point them out, and treat them critically.

But we should also remember to celebrate diverse creators, and not hold them to a different standard - either higher or lower - to anyone else.




Premise:



Aki figures that you only get one chance to lead an interesting life... and she's currently not leading one.

But this summer she's heading to Mexico with her father's church (literally - he's the pastor,) so maybe it's time for some no-strings-attached summer fun.

And then Aki meets Christa... and there are definite sparks.

But between issues with her best friend, Lori, and deciding whether to come out to her family...

Plus the little detail that Christa has a boyfriend back home...

Well, this summer's going to be very interesting. 





Best bits:



Complex characters

The complexity of the characters here impressed me - they really do seem to have various depths, hopes, feelings, and all that jazz.

I think they were also quite relatable - which is always awesome. :)

We have a bisexual black girl as a main character - which rocks - and she has real depth (imho.)

And this really is character-lead more than anything (action-filled-plot fans may not be the best audience here.




Safe sex

Safe sex. On page F/F safe sex action. That is so rare - especially in YA.

And there were def. things that yours truly didn't know much about - like dental dams, and gloves (actual gloves - for your hands.)


There's bacteria downstairs that shouldn't go anywhere else, and bacteria from everywhere else that shouldn't go downstairs. #TrueStory.

Also fantastic was the emphasis on discussing this with your sexual partner. If you aren't ready to talk about it, you aren't ready to have sex.

(And if someone is making you feel guilty or naïve for talking about and/or wanting safe sex, that should be a massive red flag! Ditch their a**.)





Questioning=important!

It's actually not that often that we see questioning characters in YA - they tend to have some sort of major revelation, and: BOOM, you're [insert label here.]

In real life? It doesn't really work like that.

Real life is years of trying to figure out why and how you're different. It's not an overnight thing - especially if you don't have the words to explain yourself.

At the same time, there have been reviewers who raise questions of bi-erasure in this book, which are important to discuss (see 'not so great bits' section.)

I personally didn't interpret it that way - but if anyone who is bisexual all the time (unlike yours truly, who is sometimes bi, due to being fluid,) has reviewed this book please let me know!

I don't have the perspective of someone who is always bi, so I might be missing things that to others scream bi-erasure.




Not so great bits:



Potentially distressing content:

- being afraid to come out/coming out

- being outed

- being blackmailed due to sexuality

- poverty

- discussions of/references to parents/others who are homophobic, and homeless LGBTQ+ youth

- academic struggles

- discussions of various social issues - e.g., guns, war, health care, poverty

- cheating/infidelity

- grief

- armed forces bereavement

- lying (EVERYWHERE - see below)

- brief racism

- homophobia/biphobia/queerphobia

- bullying/people acting like jerks




There's also some ableist language: crazy, dumb, etc. It doesn't bother me, but I know it bothers a lot of people.

And there's a lot of underage drinking, underage sex, and generally doing irresponsible cr*p.

DON'T DO IRRESPONSIBLE CR*P - m'k? ;)




Goddammit just talk to each other and stop lying! Wtf is wrong with you?!

...I think that statement pretty much sums my point. You know when you just want the character to not do the ill-advised thing? That.

It's not just the teens either. The adults - including the freaking minister - are just as bad.

There's quite a lot of 'drama' here. Which, teens = drama, so I really don't have a problem with it, but for a lot of people I know that's a deal-breaker.





Drags in places

Look, parts of this are slow. I really didn't mind at all, but I can see some people getting frustrated with this.

There's not much in terms of plot - it really is character-driven.




Dudes, supervise your damned kids!!!!

Where was the parental supervision?! Or, like, the trip-leader supervision?!

In Aki's case, her dad is actually one of the supervisors. And he's totally oblivious to pretty much everything.

Seriously: if you are taking a large group of teens to another country, YOU HAVE TO WATCH THEM.

Otherwise, there's sex and drinking everywhere. Even with church kids. #JustSaying



Other views of this book

I've tried to find some critical reviews which talk about the rep in the book, but don't have some sort of unfair issue with the book - i.e., the reviewers aren't writing from a biphobic, queerphobic, racist, or otherwise bigoted standpoint.

(Doing this was far more difficult than it should have been - dammit reviewers!)


I also excluded reviews which for some reason had a problem with safe sex. Because, no. Just no.

If you have anything, especially if you're an #ownvoices reviewer, please let me know!


So here are some critical reviews I've found:



[This portion of the review is available on http://www.dorareads.co.uk/2017/08/OurOwn.html ]


I don't know the sexuality of any of these reviewers, as they don't identify themselves.



Verdict:


One with many talking points, and a really enjoyable read.

Not for everyone though; so if it sounds like your thing, go for it - but otherwise, you might wanna give it a miss.

Incredibly refreshing to see a frank, honest take on queer teen relationships with open discussion of sex lives, romantic entanglements, poor decisions and complications.

I AM SO PLEASED that I enjoyed this book so much more than Robin Talley's two most recent ones. I was a HUGE fan of Lies We Tell Ourselves and I really hoped there would be more from her that I would enjoy - and here it is!

Our Own Private Universe is the story of Aki (bisexual POC MC!) and her trip to Mexico with her church group to volunteer for the summer. She decides that, at 15, this is the summer she is going to really start living, and the tale that follows is a wonderful girl meets girl coming of age story.

Some parts I particularly enjoyed (spoilers):
- a lot of the characters were not totally likeable, but some of the hurtful things they said / did made them feel so much more real.
- Aki trying so, so hard to figure out her sexuality and realising that ultimately she can figure things out as she goes.
- some really sweet moments between Aki and her brother that showed how mature they really both are. Similarly her changing friendship with her best friend Lori, and how disagreements can ultimately bring you closer.
- squirming in remembered embarrassment when Aki visits the health centre for protection.
- Aki not feeling much different after she's had sex. Especially when she expects other people to be able to take one look at her and just know.

My life was bigger than any one person. Except...
And isn't there always an "except"? I think this book portrays very well how it's possible to realise your own worth but still care about others so much. For a young adult trying to work out their sexuality, or their relationship with sex in general, I think this could be a great companion, because all the experiences show that there's no single (or right) way to do it. In the end, you've got to do it for yourself.

I was sent a copy of this to review a while ago, and I haven’t been able to get into it. I’ve tried three or four times but it just hasn’t stuck. I think I’ve worked out why - it’s because the main character is more of a plot device than a character.

She is used to educate the reader on a whole range of political, ethical and moral subjects. She’s implausibly naive and questions even the most basic of things, like what a petition is, or the church’s stance on homosexuality, in order to give the other characters a chance to explain things to her (and us, by extension).

That may be useful, but it doesn’t make an enjoyable reading experience. Teenagers know when they’re being talked down to. If a book is in first person, we need a reason to be in their head - they need to have thoughts and opinions of their own. They can’t be a total blank slate for the benefit of the reader.

This all contributes to a central romance with no chemistry between the characters (what characters?). The plot is also completely character-driven, which in this case means they all cause unnecessary drama, all the time. I expect a little drama (they are teenagers!) but when I can’t read the book without seeing the thought process of the author, it doesn’t work.

If I’d been rating this as a non-fiction book, I think it worked quite well. But as fiction, it’s a misfire.

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley is a book I was really looking forward to. Sadly, it isn't a book I enjoyed all that much, however, there's no denying that it's an incredibly important LGBTQ* YA novel.

I found Aki to be kind of immature - not in that she was childish, but that she fell super quickly for Christa (not instalove, but seriously liking her from the very beginning - there was no crush stage.), and would, for a few chapters, always be questioning whether or not Christa liked her, despite Christa, the confident girl she appears, having no problem telling her how much she likes her. There really is no doubting Christa, she's completely honest and upfront about liking Aki, Aki still finds reasons to doubt it. But then there was Christa herself; Christa who has a boyfriend, who she is on a break from as they won't see each other all summer, so they can see other people - but doesn't consider that Aki might have a problem with this, even if she is quite happy to be with someone and mess about with someone else. And Aki does have a problem, even though she tries to pretend that she doesn't. Also, Christa has very strict, conservative parents, and although they're not in Mexico as part of the church voluntary project to help out a church, she's very worried about anyone knowing about her and Aki in case it backs to them, and so she is very& controlling and is adamant about keeping it all a secret. I can understand her being worried that her parents would find out she's bi, but she always had the upper hand in their relationship, and Aki would do whatever she wanted it. I didn't really like either of them.

But this is only the second novel I have read that doesn't fade-to-black f/f sex scenes (the other being The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth). They're not gratuitous, they're not even overly descriptive, but you know exactly what is happening, and I was just so pleased reading them. How many YA novels with straight couples who have sex are there? So many. Yet this is only the second YA novel (that I know of) that actually has two girls having sex on page, and it's so important for teen girls who are attracted to people of the same sex - whether they're gay or bi, or however they choose to identify - to get to see that in a book, where it's seen as nothing other than completely normal. There was interesting parts where Aki actually wonders what actually constitutes as "sex" when it's between two girls - how far do you have to go for you to be able to say you've had sex? - but she defines it herself, she decides when she has had sex.

This is also the first LGBTQ* YA novel I've read that deals with safe sex between two girls, the third I've read that actually discusses dental dams, which should be used for safe oral sex. To be fair, everything mentioned in this book in regards to safe sex between two girls - the dental dams, the latex gloves, or barriers as they're described in Aki's research - are things that any girl/anyone who has sex with a girl, irregardless of their sexuality, should know about. And yet this is only the third book I've read that mentions dental dams (the other two being Anatomy of a Boyfriend and Anatomy of a Single Girl, both by Daria Snadowsky), and the first that mentions latex gloves. The gloves seems like common sense when you think about it, but it's not something that's ever occurred to me before. This is me going slightly off tangent, but I wonder if the use of dental dams and latex gloves are discussed in sex education classes, in reference to either straight or f/f sex? I never had sex ed at school as I went to a Catholic school, but times have changed since then as religious schools also have to teach sex ed now, though in line with their beliefs, so I wonder what's taught now. Are these things mentioned?

I also loved the musings Aki had in regards to her sexuality. She knows she's bisexual, that she's attracted to both boys and girls, but what does being bi really mean? Does it mean you have to be equally attracted to boys and girls? Does she have to alternate between the genders when she's dating people? What if she's more attracted to girls than boys, does that mean she's actually gay? But then she has conversations has hears about hetero- and homoromantic, that it's possible to be bisexual - sexually attracted to both genders - but you can be more romantically attracted to one or the other. Aki has questions about herself and her sexuality, but then she gets answers that help her figure out who she is. And I think this is just so important for teen readers who may be have similar questions of their own.

Social justice is also a pretty big part of the story, as Aki's new friend Jake runs petitions on various topics the Church will be discussing in regards to things they may allow, like same sex marriage, and aid they will give. Through talking to Jake, Aki is inspired herself to think about giving aid to help international health after what she's seen in Mexico, and this leads on to other people getting pretty passionate about other topics that will be discussed. It's so fascinating, but also really awesome to see teenagers not just having opinions, but actually trying to make a difference.

Our Own Private Universe has a fairy diverse cast, too. Aki is black and bisexual, Christa is pansexual, Jake, is also bi, and there are also the Mexican people they meet while volunteering.

Although the story itself isn't something I enjoyed, Our Own Private Universe is such an important story, and one I'm sure many others will love. Definitely give this book a read, because really, for what it does, it's pretty fantastic.

Thank you to YAHQ via NetGalley for the eProof.

Ok, so I liked a lot of elements of this - coming of age queer romance with a diverse cast in every way. But while I liked Aki's story a lot of the time, there's also a lot of teen angst and minor drama. Aki herself was really quite annoying at times - with petty lies about minor things that you don't quite understand why she's doing. But this is an important story - I haven't read many (any?) coming of age queer romances that are as honest about this - about safe sex, about coming out different shades of sexuality. It's an important story and I know it's going to to work much better for people that don't have my low tolerance for teen angst!

Stopped reading at 25%

I feel horrible about not finishing an ARC, but I've been trying to get a move on this for two weeks now and sadly I have zero interest in the story. I love the diversity in this book and the writing is ok, and I liked that Aki and Christa just liked each other, no insta-love involved, but their arrangement screams DRAMA to me and I really don't understand why Aki is lying about her music. My main problem is that the story has failed to hook me up in any way - no connection with the characters, no interest in what's going on or what will happen at all. I usually enjoy YA books but I feel like this is too naïve, too YA for me right now.

I'm afraid I have to say I wouldn't recommend this book, but of course this is only my opinion and I still think everyone interested should read it to see if they agree or not.

Aki, a preachers daughter, and her friend Lori are on a church trip to Mexico for the summer. Aki is determined that for the summer she is going to live life to the fullest. So when she meets Christa, she thinks she’s just going to have a summer fling – a secret summer fling because neither Christa or Aki are out to their family. However, it turns into something more than a summer fling, and her relationship with Christa strains her relationship with her friend Lori.

Our Own Private Universe has some really good discussions about bisexuality – and more importantly – about discovering your own sexuality and how you identify. It sends the message that it’s ok if you don’t have it all figured out, and that there isn’t a timescale. There was especially some great discussions about safe-sex, especially when it’s between two women, which I thought was especially important because lgbt+ sexual health is rarely discussed and teenagers need that information. I especially loved a particular scene between Aki and Christa after Aki came out to her dad, and I loved the distinction it made between Aki and Christa’s relationship and her own coming out decision – showing them as seperate.

While I loved Aki’s supporting and loving family, I didn’t like the pressure Aki sometimes places on Christa to tell her parents despite knowing it could be dangerous for her to do that. However, there were some really great growth and development, and some really great development for both Aki and Christa so that was a positive.

Our Own Private Universe took place in a small town in Mexico while they are on a church volunteering trip. I was unsure about the setting – at once point it was described as ‘exotic’ in the book and it just didn’t really sit well with me. It didn’t really feel like much effort was made to actually write the setting well, which was disappointing.

One main plot point was Aki and her friendship with Lori, which went through a lot of turmoil which was also a disappointment and I would have much preferred a strong and supporting friendship that went both ways. Aki was selfish at times when it came to Lori, and Lori did lie which I was also uncomfortable with. The secondary characters were a bit bland, and didn’t really get as much attention or development or character growth that was given to Aki and Christa and their relationship, which was also a disappointment. I really wasn’t a fan of all the lies throughout the whole novel because I just really don’t like lies, so another disappointment.

Overall, Our Own Private Universe is a great book for those just discovering their identity and sexuality – especially teens.

3 stars

It's not that I didn't like this book, it's more that it didn't feel targeted to my age range. It was youthful and sweet and very much for a teen audience of people finding themselves and figuring at who they are. That isn't a bad thing but I needed to address that fact.

Now, the things which are done well in this book are the characters. They feel genuine and I loved that fact. I lived that Ali wasn't shy but instead hesitant in social situations and one observes before taking part. I loved that she was quite introspective thinking of the consequences of her actions. And I loved her cute relationship with Christa. That was all done well.

I also liked the fact this book made it ok not to know where you were going in life or who you are in yourself. It addressed the fact hat sexuality can be quite fluid and what it meant to be bisexual. It made it ok to not know you're sexuality immediately because when you're young you don't know the meaning of a lot of different terms. You learn as you grow. Also, the fact it addresses safe sex is awesome because that doesn't come along everyday in books.

This one of my most anticipated releases for the entirety of 2017. After reading Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, I was eager to get my hands on her new book: Our Own Private Universe. I was excited because I read that this book was about a bisexual, POC, fifteen-year-old, who goes to Mexico with the church. So already, there's a lot going on here: we have a black girl, a bisexual protagonist who wants to explore her sexuality and it's set in Mexico where there are religious aspects to it. After finishing it, I realised that I was slightly disappointed. *lengthy review ahead*Read more…Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex.

No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual—even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls.

So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa—slightly older, far more experienced—it seems her theory is prime for the testing.

But it's not going to be easy. How can you tell if you're in love? It's going to be a summer of testing theories—and the result may just be love.

I hate insta-love when it just doesn't work... in The Sun is Also a Star, insta-love works beautifully, but in Our Own Private Universe, it's like INSTA-INSTA-INSTA LIKE. Not even one chapter goes by and Aki is looking at Christa and developing a crush on her. I mean I know that there's being thrown into the action and everything but jeez... This was quick.

BUT! Once the romance kicked off, it was so adorable. I loved how Aki and Christa were around each other and I loved how both of them were exploring their sexuality properly for the first time. We read how Aki is constantly getting butterflies and getting tongue-tied around Christa; she's constantly looking for her in a crowd just to get that millisecond of pleasure.

This book posed a lot of questions about lesbian sex. How do you have sex? What do you do? How does it feel? What do I need? All of these questions are brought up and answered throughout this book which I think is brilliant, as Talley is raising awareness that there is not just hetero sex. However, as brilliant as it was, it almost felt like I was reading a leaflet that I would find in the NHS clinic, it was very factual but put me off slightly as I thought that there must be a better way to incorporate these facts into the book. However, I will say that it's awesome to see an author promote safe sex; it's very refreshing.

I also wasn't expecting those sex scenes! I loved how Aki and Christa's friendship and the relationship was growing but I forgot that they were only fifteen - Christa is slightly older, so I'm guessing she's sixteen? The scenes that Talley described in the book were very descriptive and although in no way did I feel uncomfortable about the actual sexual content; I did feel uncomfortable about the age of Aki. I do believe that it's 100% okay to recognise your sexuality at any age and I believe that it's ok to explore your sexuality but in this mad rush like Aki did? It almost felt purely sexual. I wish the butterflies would have lasted for longer, I wish the friendship building was longer.



“Frankly, it's self-evident. As people of faith, it's our duty to love everyone, the way God loves everyone. There's no reason why any one group is less deserving of love - either the love of a church community, to the love of a family - than any other.”
― Robin Talley, Our Own Private Universe



The one thing that really bothered me about this book was all of the lies. Lies seemed to be coming out of every direction and it just really irritated me. I'm not on about hiding your sexuality from your parents; or hiding big, personal problems from people, but when it's really petty things like how Aki won't tell Christa her favourite song? C'mon... All of the lies that Lori told as well, I was so angry at her for most of the book and I just wanted her to stay away from Aki. The whole book was pretty much full of secrets and lies that I nearly got whiplash from a number of sudden things that happened.

However, the positives of this book were beautiful. I loved how the protagonist was black (finally!), I love how the whole book just focuses on sexuality. I think it's brilliant. I love how there were multiple LGB characters and I loved how the whole story was set in a church environment. There's so much backlash in today's society that religious people despise LGBT individuals and the generalisation of their beliefs; this book shows that people not everyone within the church community is close-minded and they will support you. I also loved the big debate that the church had at the end to do with important issues that are parallel with today. I love how they spoke about gay marriage, immigration and healthcare.

I loved how Talley subtly told the audience that we need to care for one another; it doesn't matter what religion you are, it doesn't matter what race you are, what sexuality you are; we all need to come together and stop the horrible forces that want to bring cultures and sub-cultures to the ground.

This is a very good book and although it's not as good as Lies We Tell Ourselves, it tackles some important issues, it's a diverse read and Talley's writing never fails to entertain.

Disclaimer: thank you to Harlequin for sending me a copy of Our Own Private Universe in exchange for an honest review

This is both a wonderful guide book for having safe sex between two women and a beautiful story about two girls having to hide a relationship for fear of the reaction of those around them. Let's be honest here, schools and even a lot of youth health clinics don't exactly provide details on how to keep safe when having gay sex. At best, you have to ask for the information, at worst there's no information to be had. So having this book, which shows the realities of how to practice safe sex could be a life saver for many girls and women.

What I liked most about it though, is the fact that from the start they used the word bisexual. We are finally starting to see a world where more and more bisexual characters are being written about and I am so happy to see such positive bisexual representation.

I also really liked fact that it showed a relationship which, partly by it's need to be secret, consumed the life of the main character. It is a problem with a lot of first loves that it is easy to get carried away with your new partner and forget about the people in the life around you. It was nice to see this addressed with Aki and Lori.

Whatever your sexuality, this book is thrilling, beautifully written and full of sneaking away to catch moments of romance, but it is also so incredibly important for lesbian and bisexual girls.