Trying to catch up with Sam's sad gay movie marathon by reading sad gay YA novels?

The writing was beautiful. I thought it might be too slow at first, but it wasn't, not at all. The pace and the words fit the setting, and reminded me of "Not Bleak," the story I just finished in [b:A Safe Girl To Love|22050397|A Safe Girl To Love|Casey Plett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399495379s/22050397.jpg|41376847].

The ending was just right, but I still want to know what happens next. I would happily read another 500 pages. ( )

Really great book. ( )

This is a beautifully written novel about a girl who loses her parents and is raised by a well-meaning, but prejudiced aunt who is a member of a right-wing Christian mega-church. We first meet Cameron Post when she's twelve years old on the day her parents die in an accident. It's also the first day she kisses a girl. The story follows her through her teen years, set against the backdrop of rural Montana in the early 1990s.

Cameron is not exactly a lovable character. After her parents' death she clamps her emotions down, becomes obsessed with watching movies on VHS, develops a bit of a drug and alcohol problem, and enters a series of questionable relationships. But she is a gifted athlete and a good student, so it seems like she's going to make it to college without getting caught committing the "sin" of homosexual behavior. Now, would this be a good story if she skated through? Yeah, I don't think so.

The heart of this novel is the time Cameron spends at a private Christian "rehabilitation" school for gay teenagers. Honestly, who thought putting a bunch of gay teenagers together would discourage them from being who they are? It's at the school that Cameron develops deeper friendships and decides to take control of her life, and really face what happened to her parents. Discussing the effect the school has on Cameron would be a great way to explain irony.

If YA weren't so hot right now, I'm sure this would've been considered an adult novel and not a teen one. What makes a book "teen" as opposed to "literary fiction about being a teenager"? While I was reading TMOCP, I kept thinking of the book [b:Prep|9844|Prep|Curtis Sittenfeld|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320501476s/9844.jpg|2317177] by Curtis Sittenfeld. If Prep were published this year, would it be considered YA? ( )

I love Montana. I miss Montana. Did you know there is a Manhattan, MT? Frequently I think I should be living in Manhattan, MT instead of Manhattan, NY.

I loved how this plot went, and how Cam kind of ended up a tad brainwashed. Just enough to be believable and to make it thoughtful. ( )

Although I DNF it, there was way, way too much filler. I eventually had to skim to find out where things happened and that was maybe 50% into the book. Cameron wasn't interesting to me, so I couldn't care less about her school problems. The book probably would've been better if this book was heavily shortened.