Name: Full of Promise
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9781642470390

Kate Gavin

After Cameron Leoni meets new girl Riley Baker, Cam is unsure why she feels drawn to the other girl. Riley wants to come out to Cam, but she doesn't want to lose her as a friend. The girls must navigate high school, friends, and family as they realize their feelings may be more than friendship.

Full of Promise

Jude Silberfeld

I’ve often wondered what it would have been like if I’d been brave enough to come out when I was a teenager (I waited until I was 23 and studying in another country). Cameron is in her last year of high school when she realizes she’s not in love with her boyfriend anymore and is such more interested in Riley, who happens to be a girl. The good news is, Riley is interested in her too.

While Riley’s already out to her parents and friends, she’s still trying to fit in as the new girl at school. Both young women are navigating new territory, a new city / school / set of friends / soccer team for Riley, her sexual orientation for Cameron. Being a teenager is mostly about discovering new things about oneself and about the world, and this novel is a good illustration of that.

On top of the romance part, there are a lot of interesting relationships in this book: the relationships between the two MCs and their parents, Cam’s relationship with her brothers, her relationship with best friend Claire, Riley’s relationship with her ex, Abby. And though I had a bit of trouble with the writing at first, I forgot all about it afterwards, and, in the end, only remember how the author manages to give distinct voices to her characters. The teenagers sound like teenagers, the younger kids like younger kids and the parents like normal adults. That’s not always a given (especially with younger characters), and Kate Gavin did a really good job on that front.

I’ve read plenty of YA lesfic but there’s something refreshing about this novel that I can’t really explain. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it but it’s heartwarming and totally worth reading.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Full of Promise

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