Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

Ramona Blue 

by Julie Murphy

 Source: ARC provided for review.

Goodreads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.

****

Ramona Blue is one of the sweetest contemporary books I’ve ever read.

This one of those books that left me speechless, because it was really complex and deep and you know, I, (a Spanish speaker) don’t have enough words sometimes.

Ramona Blue is a beautiful book about sexuality, family, friendship, poverty and love for swimming.

I’ve been writing and re-writing my thoughts on this book, but I always end up just saying how much I loved it.

This book got close to my heart because Ramona’s family is so much like mine, and many of Ramona’s financial problems felt like mine, too. I understood her and I felt deeply sorry for her. And at the same time I admired her. Because these were her decisions and she was happy with her family. I loved how positive was their relationship even though there were some things wrong.

And then there’s the friendship. I adored Ramona’s friends and how loyal and honest they were.

Maybe this is why I loved Ramona’s relationship with Freddie, because they started as friends until their friendship evolved and became something more. It was so well done that I was rooting for them!

And just like I loved every character, I loved Julie’s writing. It was fast paced and addictive and beautiful, she made an “apparently” ugly town look beautiful and breathtaking.

I haven’t read Dumplin’ but I read Side Effects May Vary, and I didn’t exactly love that book, so if you’re unsure about reading this book, you really should give it a chance. It’s worth it.