Rating: 5 out of 5

Genre: Contemporary, 5 stars, Romance, Young Adult

People who should read this: People who love stories about adventure, tumultuous childhoods, feminism, falling in love, nature, rock climbing, and rich descriptions.

“Rilla would have wandered off the path and died somewhere in the land of well-defined biceps, ugly-ass wraparound sunglasses, and “brah” if it weren’t for Petra yanking on the shoulder strap of her backpack and pulling her along.”

Valley Girls was everything I needed when I didn’t know I needed it. Though our stories are not identical, I saw myself in Rilla. And for anyone who questions her internal monologues about Walker, I agree, some of them are cringy, but I was totally that girl at her age. Girls can be just as hormonal as boys… trust me. However, fighting a world that sees you one way is a battle I think we can all relate to in one form or another.

Sarah Nicole Lemon.

Sarah Nicole Lemon.

Have you never heard that name before?

I wish more people had because Lemon is a phenomenal writer. She weaves together life experiences with fantastic descriptions to create a multi-layered story filled to the brim with life. Even the side characters have deep back stories. I want a book about each and every one of them and Valley Girls could easily support a sequel…. Praying to the publishing gods right now. But I think Lemon’s skill comes from actually doing everything she talks about in her book. She’s lived in HUFF and climbed in Yosemite, giving the reader a perspective that most writers wouldn’t be able to pull off. If you never wanted to visit the park before, reading Lemon’s description might just change your mind.

“She missed her home. She missed feeling as if she had a place where she belonged, even if it wasn’t the place she wanted to be. She missed believing someone loved her.”

Lace on your climbing shoes, check your equipment, and let’s go climbing.

Just kidding, but I’m dying to hit the rock climbing gym again.

Every way that I loved this book, I’m not sure the average reader would, which is a complete shame. It’s not just about climbing, though Lemon has done an amazing job to take the technical and write it in a clear concise way. Lemon touches on sexism, abuse, messed up families, being gay, fighting for your dreams, and never giving up. She’s also included a positive, well written, sex scene that I think lended so well to who Rilla was and who she was becoming. All mixed in with some awesome climbing. Rilla is a creature created from an actual girl that has not had the best childhood, searching for love in the wrong places, but learning that it’s ok to love herself too.

“She wept for the boy who’d shared a cigarette at a bus stop, challenged her to open her heart, and had fallen when she thought he would be the last to fall.”

Which is why I’m giving this five stars even though I see all the technical problems with the story. First, the dialogue can be cringe worthy at times. If I’m making a face, then there’s a problem. I was hoping those kinks would have been worked out since this is her second book. Then there’s the real problem… Somehow, I can’t blame it on being sick this time, the story broke flow. We would be at point A and miss how the characters got to point B. It almost felt like a whole page was missing. It wasn’t. I reread multiple lines to make sure. One example, they would be waiting for food and then the next second be eating the food without a break of them actually picking up or receiving the food. It was very disconcerting. Finally, though Lemon does a great job including so much diverse topics in her book, I really wanted more back story. More explanation of what had happened.

“She kept it tight inside her chest. A note she’s hidden inside her rib cage, that only she could read.”

All in all, nothing felt forced in the story. It never felt too much even with all the stuff thrown in. I could have devoured another 400 pages at least. Lemon worked all the right areas and she stayed true to her characters, a feat I’m sure wasn’t easy with this book. Sometimes writers just don’t want to let their characters make the mistakes. We’re like protective mother hens. My enjoyment was off the charts. Lemon earned every single star and I really hope that more people find her books and enjoy them.

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 51/100