3.5 stars.

Lesbian novels are so important, and I'm so happy to hear Triinu's story. The best part about this book is that it isn't a romance: it's about Triinu discovering herself and coming to terms with her sexuality in an ever-changing, and sometimes violent, society. Ultimately, this book is hopeful, and I really loved all the voices heard throughout the text. Triinu is, above all else, such a high school student, and that really shines through. She's very relateable, and almost everyone she knows could be mirrored in my own life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone whose interested in lgbt fiction, or those who like strong female characters with unique voices.

(PS, Triinu being goth is one of my favourite parts of this book. We need more goth girls.) ( )

This was the pick for my Lesbian Book Group. I missed the discussion, but apparently it was really boring because EVERYONE liked this book, and so nothing to argue about. Also, Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara, loves this book and had a blurb on the cover. So really, how could I not like this book?

Well, this is actually a YA book, and it’s a lot about high school angst, which, at age 56, I am kind of over. Nonetheless, I did really like the book. One thing that I liked about this book, compared to other YA novels, is that the Triinu, the main character, has a very positive relationship with her supportive and very nice parents. As a mother, that’s nice to see.

The book is set in Oregon in the early 90’s. The main character, Triinu, is a teenager, struggling with the coming-out process. This process is complicated in that Oregon, at the time, was in the midst of a really ugly political campaign centering around an anti-gay ballot measure. This felt personal for me, since I remember campaigning against Ballot Measure 9 back in the day. It was nice to read this book and see that the work that we did back then, really did have a positive impact on younger lesbian and gay people.

The book is well-written. I did have a few quibbles; some of the homophobic characters are drawn with too broad of a brush. And there are a few things that just seemed unlikely. But overall, it’s a good story and an important story. I ended up cheering for Triinu as her coming of age, and coming-out stories show that she was stronger than she thought. ( )

Well developed characters and though a timely period piece in Oregon of the early 1990s it remains relevant and realistic today especially given the political and social attacks by the conservatives across the country. The writing is engaging and there is plenty of drama, LBGT and otherwise. Enjoyed the book, a better quality one in this genre, of recent reads. ( )

between 3.5 and 4 stars. (i have a bit of a reader's crush on this author, but i think i remained objective.) i read most of this book in two sittings, sneaking in surreptitious pages here and there when i didn't have time to really keep going. i gulped it down like i was so hungry for it, even when i was trying to slow it down to better savor it. i didn't love everything in this book, but the writing and the characters and the pacing and the story and the message so far outshine any of the minor issues that i had when i was reading, that a few hours after finishing the book i am struggling to even remember what it was that didn't sit quite right with me.

i am a year or two younger than the author, and grew up across the country from her in a far different environment and situation than her main character did. i avoided the goth kids in my high school, i wasn't one of them. (i was the unpopular honors student book nerd who wasn't even thinking about sexuality or politics yet.) but this book felt so familiar and comfortable to me that it felt like it was my life even though it completely wasn't. she very much captured that time period for me; she did such an excellent job evoking that time.

her writing is stellar - she's funny, serious, moving. her characters are real (although maybe the principal is stretched just slightly past believable?). the politics are woven in perfectly. and i love the literature quoting parents. the main character is strong, but doesn't really know it because she's unsure of herself, and discovering herself. she is *so* well drawn, as are all of the characters we see much of.

on the negative side, the only real plot hiccup for me is that i wanted a little more explanation of isabel and why she wasn't angry at triinu, or at least a little fight and make up session between them. or i wanted triinu to apologize. something. that and the last couple of pages didn't ring quite true to me. and i understand what she was doing with the title but don't particularly like that aspect. these are the only things i can think of to complain about. oh and i didn't like the font, but got over it pretty quickly.

i don't believe in god or religion and frankly don't tend to prefer mention of either in the books i read, unless it's pointing out hypocrisy. god is all over this book and it never even bothered me (until one or two remarks at the very end); i am hard pressed to think of a book that treats religion and god the way this one does that didn't get on my nerves.

i am impressed.

"I wanted to finish the epic poem I had been writing about how terribly misunderstood I was. It was up to 102 rhyming couplets. I did not want to go to high school and actually be misunderstood."

"'Okay,' Ursula said cheerfully. 'But you know what I'd really like first? A Slurpee.'
A Slurpee? Oh, prosaic world! How was I to to say, 'You are the burning light of my heart,' to a girl drinking a Slurpee? And what if I felt compelled to buy a Slurpee myself? Could I say, 'Without you I am nothing,' if in my hand I held a Slurpee, the spade-shaped straw making a little wheek-wheek sound as I pushed it in and out of the lid?"

"The house was full of bookshelves. My mother's books were not simply those books she had read or would read, no more than a librarian would read her entire collection. It was a cultural trust. It was her comfort, her world."

"A streetlight flickered on and off, uncertain about the twilight."

"I was still thinking, Camilla's gay?!
That she might be gay would not have surprised a worldly person. Camilla was a strong woman in comfortable shoes, a no-trouble haircut, and a 'Famous Suffragettes' T-shirt. The founder of a feminist publishing house, she was candid, political, and outspoken. She probably had a cat named Gertrude Stein. Of course she was gay."

"Even my sorrow was a pinprick in that starry sky, and I would choose her over all others for this, my first heartbreak." ( )

This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two sittings. Karelia Stetz-Waters has managed to capture in the character of Triinu Hoffman all of the doubts and insecurities that come with being a teenager, as well as the over-whelming joy of finally figuring out a piece of the puzzle that is you. We get to follow Triinu as she discovers her sexuality, falls in love for the first time, and learns a little about the pain that comes with heartbreak.

Forgive Me will make you laugh on one page and cry on the next as Triinu is struggles (and manages) to stay true to herself in a world that would rather she just stayed in the closet. She is bullied by a fellow student so relentlessly that she often fears for her life, and is surrounded by "authority figures" who would rather not get involved. Triinu is witness to the hate that homophobia breeds, a hate that we are, sadly, still familiar with, and you can't help but notice that some things haven't changed. But Stetz-Waters has given us a character who is strong (if not always confident) that most everyone can identify with. Gay or straight. And most importantly, Stetz-Waters has given us hope.

Yes, we are shown the hate that so many teens have been forced to endure, but we also see the resilience that will change the world. We see that same resilience working today. Marriage equality is making its way around the nation and many clergy members have come forward to denounce the hatred that many religious institutions have allowed to continue. And while we still have a long way to go, at least we are going somewhere thanks to teens like Triinu and people like Karelia Stetz-Waters who refuse to let people tell them who they should be and instead become who they really are.

It's beautiful. It's both heart-wrenching and heart-warming,and it's most definitely a must read. This is one type of story that we should be telling and reading. The type of story that can give so many the courage they need to become who they are and possibly help change the world while they're at it. ( )