The Moonstone Girls
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- Create Date：2022-02-15 07:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Brooke Skipstone
- ISBN：B09MP9FF3Q
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Summary
In 1968， a seventeen-year-old queer girl traveled to Alaska disguised as a boy。
Tracy should have been a boy。 Even her older brother Spencer says so， though he wouldn’t finish the thought with， “And I should have been a girl。”
Though both feel awkward in their own skin， they have to face who they are—queers in the late 60s。
When both are caught with gay partners， their lives and futures are endangered by their homophobic father as their mother struggles to defend them。
While the Vietnam War threatens to take Spencer away， Tracy and her father wage a war of their own， each trying to save the sweet， talented pianist。
At seventeen， Tracy dresses as a boy and leaves her parents in turmoil， with only the slimmest hope of finding peace within herself。 She journeys to a girl with a guitar， calling to her from a photo， "Come to Alaska。 We'd be great friends。"
Maybe even The MoonStone Girls。
Tracy should have been a boy。 Even her older brother Spencer says so， though he wouldn’t finish the thought with， “And I should have been a girl。”
Though both feel awkward in their own skin， they have to face who they are—queers in the late 60s。
When both are caught with gay partners， their lives and futures are endangered by their homophobic father as their mother struggles to defend them。
While the Vietnam War threatens to take Spencer away， Tracy and her father wage a war of their own， each trying to save the sweet， talented pianist。
At seventeen， Tracy dresses as a boy and leaves her parents in turmoil， with only the slimmest hope of finding peace within herself。 She journeys to a girl with a guitar， calling to her from a photo， "Come to Alaska。 We'd be great friends。"
Maybe even The MoonStone Girls。
Reviews
Ida Umphers
，
I cannot say enough good things about this book。 The story of Tracy and Spencer growing up in the 1960s and struggling with what they know to be true about themselves but also realizing how their family， especially their father， and society in general will treat them if they are honest captured that time perfectly。 I grew up in the 60s in typical， white suburbia and no one talked about the issues raised in this book at all。 Looking back， I can only imagine what was actually going on with some of I cannot say enough good things about this book。 The story of Tracy and Spencer growing up in the 1960s and struggling with what they know to be true about themselves but also realizing how their family， especially their father， and society in general will treat them if they are honest captured that time perfectly。 I grew up in the 60s in typical， white suburbia and no one talked about the issues raised in this book at all。 Looking back， I can only imagine what was actually going on with some of my friends and acquaintances and how invisible they felt。 When Tracy finally leaves for Alaska and finds the people who will love and accept her it was cause for celebration， although Skipstone acknowledges that everything doesn't miraculously become perfect。 I love the way we also get to see how society was dealing with all kinds of issues during this turbulent time - war， racism， the "generation gap" in all spheres of life。 I adored Skipstone's Crystal's House of Queers but this book is even better。 This author continues to grow and mature in the ability to create living， breathing， complex characters and I cannot wait to see what comes next。 。。。more
Milli Rain
，
Before we are introduced to the contents of this book， we are presented with a Spotify playlist。 As a writer who uses music as inspiration and is constantly making playlists for my own works， I was immediately so excited！ I did listen to the playlist that was given as I read and I highly recommend doing this if you’re a reader who listens to music while you read！ The experience was absolutely phenomenal。 Set it the late 60s， Moonstone Girls follows Tracy， a girl who is coming to terms with her s Before we are introduced to the contents of this book， we are presented with a Spotify playlist。 As a writer who uses music as inspiration and is constantly making playlists for my own works， I was immediately so excited！ I did listen to the playlist that was given as I read and I highly recommend doing this if you’re a reader who listens to music while you read！ The experience was absolutely phenomenal。 Set it the late 60s， Moonstone Girls follows Tracy， a girl who is coming to terms with her sexuality， her place in the world and her anger towards it。 It tackles issues such as queer liberation， the changing of labels and language over time， women’s rights， the anti-war movement and perfectly captures the zeitgeist of 1968 and what it must have felt like to exist during this time as a 17-year-old lesbian。 This book honestly shook me。 It was an emotional roller coaster that hit so close to home， I cried on several occasions。 The family dynamic within Moonstone Girls was so real and raw。 From the father’s ignorant abuse， the mother’s silent role with her secret streak of rebellion， the brother’s disdain for conflict and Tracy’s fiery need to rock the boat all came together in such a real explosion of personality。 The only thing I could critique about this otherwise amazing book is that Tracy and her brother， Spencer， called each other ‘bro’ and ‘sis’。 For me， this is just a silly pet peeve as I have never called my own siblings ‘bro’ or ‘sis’ and neither has anyone else I know。 But， who am I to judge someone else’s sibling dynamic， right？ I thought perhaps this could have been more common in the 60s and it absolutely wasn’t something I couldn’t move past。 Tracy’s character， for me， perfectly brings together the intertwined web of identity and the crossovers between the butch lesbian， trans and nonbinary experiences （which， of course， we only recently have gained the words to express）。 Although I myself am a femme， I saw snippets of myself as well as my friends and my partner in her experiences。 Tracy’s energy and spunk can be perfectly summed up by the beat of Louie Louie by The Kingsman， and I just absolutely will love her forever。 She is SO COOL！ Music was such a huge part of this book （and surprisingly so was sport， which I adored） and this absolutely made my heart sing。Thank you to NetGalley and Skipstone Publishing for providing me an e-copy of this wonderful title in exchange for my honest thoughts。 I can’t wait to get myself a copy of the paperback！ The front cover is absolutely to die for and very cleverly ties in the colours of the lesbian flag。 Whether that was intentional or not， it’s gorgeous！ 。。。more
Brooke Fahey
，
The Moonstone girls is about two gay siblings in the 1960 trying to overcome the challenges that come with being queer。 the representation in this book felt genuine and was done very well。 it was a lot darker than I thought it would be， so make you know that before reading this， but I highly recommend you do。 The only thing that I thought could be better was the pacing。 60% of this book is Tracy trying to get to Alaska， which isn’t terrible but I felt you spend way too long actually getting to t The Moonstone girls is about two gay siblings in the 1960 trying to overcome the challenges that come with being queer。 the representation in this book felt genuine and was done very well。 it was a lot darker than I thought it would be， so make you know that before reading this， but I highly recommend you do。 The only thing that I thought could be better was the pacing。 60% of this book is Tracy trying to get to Alaska， which isn’t terrible but I felt you spend way too long actually getting to the heart of the story。 Overall， this book gets 4 stars and I recommend you read。ARC provided by Netgalley and Publisher exchange for an honest review 。。。more
marnie ♡
，
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。Oh wow - this book moved me a lot more than I ever expected it to。 The premise interested me; a story of growing up gay and gender non-conforming in the 60s， whilst navigating unaccepting parents alongside finding yourself。 Though I found the first 30% of the book to be quite slow-paced， once I really got into it， I was hooked。 The story is equal measures heartbreaking and beautiful - Tracy and Spe I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。Oh wow - this book moved me a lot more than I ever expected it to。 The premise interested me; a story of growing up gay and gender non-conforming in the 60s， whilst navigating unaccepting parents alongside finding yourself。 Though I found the first 30% of the book to be quite slow-paced， once I really got into it， I was hooked。 The story is equal measures heartbreaking and beautiful - Tracy and Spencer's siblingship had me crying from both tears of joy and heartbreak at various points throughout。 The characters within the book are so extremely well written - you adore the good ones， and want to break the noses of the bad ones。 The book itself is extremely well-wrtten; the characters are really well developed， with each of the MC's getting their own time to truly come into themselves throughout the story。 I was rooting for Tracy throughout， and was so happy with how her ending turned out。 For Spencer， my heart broke for him。 He's written as the type of character you simply want to reach into the book and hug for a while。 Overall， I believe this book is a must read for everyone's 2022 - it's thought provoking， endearing and the story feels authentic throughout。 Moreover， it urges you to gain perspective of the shortness of life， and how we must evaluate what really does matter to us。 Brooke Skipstone wrote an absolutely incredible narrative in The Moonstone Girls， and I will absolutely be recommending it to everyone I know。 。。。more
Hayley （hayleyinpages）
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ***thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of The Moonstone Girls。***TWs include homophobia， suicide， mourning the death of a loved oneI loved this book so immensely。 It broke my heart several times and it also made my heart sing with the relationships and friendships in the novel。 It read to me like a memoir， I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction because the characters， their lives and hardships seemed so real， and these were definitely peoples’ stories in the 60s， who struggled wit ***thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of The Moonstone Girls。***TWs include homophobia， suicide， mourning the death of a loved oneI loved this book so immensely。 It broke my heart several times and it also made my heart sing with the relationships and friendships in the novel。 It read to me like a memoir， I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction because the characters， their lives and hardships seemed so real， and these were definitely peoples’ stories in the 60s， who struggled with their sexuality and acceptance from society。 Our main character goes to Alaska after her brother commits suicide to look for acceptance from the outside and also to figure herself out in an environment where she doesn’t have her judgmental dad looking over her shoulder。 She finds a found family （including her life partner）， love， acceptance， and over 50 years later- apology from her dad。 I loved Tracy’s mom， got frustrated with her dad and the outside world， ached when her brother passed away with her- there truly is no stronger bond than a sibling bond- and swelled with love when she found her partner in Alaska。 I’m also so glad Tracy’s mom was able to find her own way as well and reunited with her daughter。 This was a unique and beautiful read and I really highly recommend it。 。。。more
Stella
，
THIS BOOK BAWLED MY EYES OUT。This book is about love， healing， and acceptance。i can never imagine how hard it was to be LGBT back in the day。 It's like they were the most horrible thing happened in the world。 This book really reached my heart BIG TIME， because it doesn't tackle just about gender discrimination， but also grief and love for ourselves。。Tracy taught me how to be brave in all circumstances。 I never imagined myself surviving all those things she experienced。 She's one heck of a charac THIS BOOK BAWLED MY EYES OUT。This book is about love， healing， and acceptance。i can never imagine how hard it was to be LGBT back in the day。 It's like they were the most horrible thing happened in the world。 This book really reached my heart BIG TIME， because it doesn't tackle just about gender discrimination， but also grief and love for ourselves。。Tracy taught me how to be brave in all circumstances。 I never imagined myself surviving all those things she experienced。 She's one heck of a character！ She's bold and resilient。 Nothing could stop her。 I love her！The tone and the point of view of the story is unique。 As I progress in the story， I thought this is an autobiography！ I loved everything about this book: Mom， Spencer， Tracy， Jackie， Jeff， Pablo and even Dad！ I loved how the story ends。 The character development of Mom and Dad was satisfying。 Especially Dad， I was crying the whole Dad scene in the end！ Everyone should really read this book。 I literally hugged my Kindle after finishing it。 Plus it has playlists you can play to really feel the setting。Thanks so much Netgalley and Skipstone Publishing for giving me an opportunity to read and have an advanced reader's copy of this wonderful book in exchange of an unbiased review。 。。。more
Mya
，
I was so blown away by this book and positively surprised！ I went in expecting a easy-going novel， but received so so much more。 This book was emotional and powerful， whilst thoroughly exploring themes like sexuality and family relationships。 I was immersed completely into the fear of being queer in the 1960s and searching for approval and safety amongst a hostile world。 The depth and the sensitivity at which these issues were discussed and represented by the characters was incredible。 I loved t I was so blown away by this book and positively surprised！ I went in expecting a easy-going novel， but received so so much more。 This book was emotional and powerful， whilst thoroughly exploring themes like sexuality and family relationships。 I was immersed completely into the fear of being queer in the 1960s and searching for approval and safety amongst a hostile world。 The depth and the sensitivity at which these issues were discussed and represented by the characters was incredible。 I loved the relationship between the two siblings especially， and the clear differences between their personalities and the contrast in how they dealt with adversity。 I also found the exploration into the father's character and mindset very interesting （especially the discussion about the Vietnam War and his generations' desire for a nuclear family）。 I will be highly recommending this book。 5 star read！ 。。。more
devv
，
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review。 This book absolutely broke my heart， put it back together and then broke it again。 It follows Tracy， a 17 year old lesbian growing up in 60's Texas as she discovers her identity， faces immense homophobia， and reinvents her life in Alaska。 First things first， MAJOR content warning。 This book is set in a religious area in the 60's and being any form of queer is very much frowned upon， so there is a lot of homoph A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review。 This book absolutely broke my heart， put it back together and then broke it again。 It follows Tracy， a 17 year old lesbian growing up in 60's Texas as she discovers her identity， faces immense homophobia， and reinvents her life in Alaska。 First things first， MAJOR content warning。 This book is set in a religious area in the 60's and being any form of queer is very much frowned upon， so there is a lot of homophobia。 Additionally， a heavy warning about suicide， and minor warnings for racism， war-related PTSD and general character death。**** The rest of this review contains spoilers of the general plot （major spoilers are marked individually） ****The first 60% of this book was so heartbreakingly well written， as Tracy and her brother， Spencer， both are forced to come to terms with their homosexuality， and try to find a way to live with that in their homophobic community。 At first they hide their relationships with Pablo， a Mexican pianist， and Ava， a basketballer at school， but when Ava and Tracy are outed， Tracy is chooses to embrace her masculinity， joining the boys basketball team and regularly cross-dressing to earn money to travel to Alaska。 During this time， she is also fighting against her father， who wants Spencer to be less feminine， and go fight in the Vietnam War。 Just before Tracy leaves for Alaska， Spencer is drafted （view spoiler）[and ends up committing suicide （hide spoiler）]。 Tracy leaves， begging her mother to follow her to Alaska after the summer camp is finished。 I absolutely adored this part of the book。 It was beautifully written， showing us all the pain these two teens experienced in their family home。 The love Tracy has for Spencer， and eventually for her mother， is portrayed through her actions and the internal conflict she experiences。 The pain Spencer experiences is also stunningly written， （view spoiler）[both before and after his death （hide spoiler）]。The last 40% of the book follows Tracy as she travels to Alaska， meets Jackie， and summaries the rest of her life。 This section of the book showed all the wonderful writing of the first section， but it felt rushed I wish this book had been longer， so that we had more time to watch Tracy and Jackie fall in love， and establish their new life together in Alaska。 Their love felt especially rushed， they were written like long-term lovers a day after they met， and while I understand that they had this connection that Tracy followed to Alaska， it felt a bit unreal。 Secondly， in adulthood their friend Jeff （a gay man） fathers their children， which is really wonderful， but the conception scene is，，，，somewhat questionable。 （view spoiler）[Supposedly they have sex with him to conceive， which seems unlikely when all three characters are homosexuals who have long accepted their sexualities。 （hide spoiler）]Despite these issues I had with the last half， I still loved the book。 It had me sobbing ugly tears over these characters and the things they experienced， and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in it。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more
moon
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Tracy and her brother are gay and when this is revealed to their family， their father violently opposes。 With the turmoil of the Vietnam War， the pain of loss and the calling of a girl in Alaska push Tracy to undertake a soul-searching journey。She dresses as a boy because society won't accept two girls in love， and through this she begins to explore and defy gender stereotypes and find her place in the world。I did exactly what we're taught not to do - I judged The Moonstone Girls by its cover， I Tracy and her brother are gay and when this is revealed to their family， their father violently opposes。 With the turmoil of the Vietnam War， the pain of loss and the calling of a girl in Alaska push Tracy to undertake a soul-searching journey。She dresses as a boy because society won't accept two girls in love， and through this she begins to explore and defy gender stereotypes and find her place in the world。I did exactly what we're taught not to do - I judged The Moonstone Girls by its cover， I saw the bright， familiar colours and paired that with the vague， seemingly upbeat synopsis and was entirely mislead as to what the tone of the book would be， and that's not a bad thing！ It's a lot darker and more grounded than I was expecting and the authors handling of a lesbian relationship in a homophobic society is powerful and raw， and the stigma surrounding the queer community in the 60s is articulately portrayed through the stories of these characters， which character development resonant of Taylor Jenkins Reid。Every inch of the story is captured in vivid emotionally raw detail and is truly authentic and enthralling。It has to be noted that the book is laced with "white queerness"。 There was comparison between the oppression queer people and black people face， which was incredibly uncomfortable。I can't rate it higher because of this， and because of how stitled each piece of dialogue felt。The stars I have given it are for the queer/lesbian rep and the character development from the perspective of a white， queer reviewer。 The Moonstone Girls is out February 14th。 Checking content warnings is advised。ARC provided by Skipstone Publishing via Netgalley。 。。。more
Cherry （cherryreadsbooks）
，
I'll start with the good: the cover is beautiful， and the one-liner printed on it was intriguing。 The premise of this YA book on the LGBTQIA+ community alone is enough to draw anyone in。 The writing is also very clear， and the author steers clear of any pompous words， perhaps because of the YA audience。However， this was a classic example of me judging a book by its cover。 While that one-liner introduced an element of adventure and mystery， lo and behold， more than 1/3 into the book， Tracy is sti I'll start with the good: the cover is beautiful， and the one-liner printed on it was intriguing。 The premise of this YA book on the LGBTQIA+ community alone is enough to draw anyone in。 The writing is also very clear， and the author steers clear of any pompous words， perhaps because of the YA audience。However， this was a classic example of me judging a book by its cover。 While that one-liner introduced an element of adventure and mystery， lo and behold， more than 1/3 into the book， Tracy is still stuck in her conservative hometown and living under the scrutiny of the people around her。 We haven't arrived at the main action。While the premise was amazing， I felt that the BIPOC characters were not represented well at all。 I felt as though they were mere tools to advance Tracy's development。 Even her own brother Spencer felt like a caricature of the effeminate gay man。 There was not much nuance at all and things are either at a 0 or 10。 It's either no relationship， or hardcore making out and groping。 It was hard to get behind the plot and support the characters because the build-up wasn't there。This book also tells more than it shows。 Everything is in the dialogue， the characters are literally spelling it all out for each other all the time。 No guesswork is needed at all， and that removes the beauty of uncovering secrets and interpreting the events that happen。 As a reader， I don't like when things are left waaaaay too open or if there are too many plot holes。 Conversely， I also don't like being spoon-fed and having my agency and intuition as a reader to be alienated from reading。 I was really stoked for this， and I'm bummed that I could not finish this and had to leave a less than stellar review。 There were no surprising turn of events in this one and everyone seemed to be a trope， even our protagonist herself。Still， thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mel96
，
Wow。 I don’t even know where to start with this book。 There’s so much in this book that I can’t stop thinking about and I’ve been telling all my friends about it because it is such an important one。 But it’s definitely not an easy read。Being different is never easy and especially for the LGBTQ community it’s a whole different level。 We all see it on a daily basis （even in 2022 there’s still so much that needs to improve）。 Now， let’s imagine it’s the late 1960s and two teenagers （brother and sist Wow。 I don’t even know where to start with this book。 There’s so much in this book that I can’t stop thinking about and I’ve been telling all my friends about it because it is such an important one。 But it’s definitely not an easy read。Being different is never easy and especially for the LGBTQ community it’s a whole different level。 We all see it on a daily basis （even in 2022 there’s still so much that needs to improve）。 Now， let’s imagine it’s the late 1960s and two teenagers （brother and sister） are trying to figure out who they are， who they love and why they aren’t happy with the bodies they were born into。 Whilst having to deal with the worst father in the world who shows no love， respect， understanding or support because for him （and most people back then） there are certain “rules and behaviours” for boys and girls and you are not allowed to act differently。 More trigger warnings for this book are definitely suicide and toxic relationships， which forced me to put the book aside for a while at some point because it got too much。 But despite all the dark things in this books， we also get such a beautiful love story and we also get to see how a mother and daugther fight together for a better life。 The writing and character building reminded me a lot of Taylor Jenkins Reid and that’s probably why I enjoyed Brooke Skipstone’s writing style so much。 There were so many moments where I had to check if this was actually an autobiography because it just felt so real。 There’s still so much that I haven’t said about this book but just believe when I say that you don’t want to miss it when it is coming out on the 14th of February （so soon already）！Thanks @netgalley for letting me read such a powerful story！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Cherie
，
I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful book， and to Brooke Skipstone for writing it。I cried through so much of this book， both happy and sad tears。 It moved me in so many ways， and that’s such a precious thing when reading。This book is beautiful and painful in equal measures。 It’s a story of love and acceptance and finding yourself。 It’s about loving and accepting yourself even when the world and everyone in it tries to tell you you’re wrong。 It’s I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful book， and to Brooke Skipstone for writing it。I cried through so much of this book， both happy and sad tears。 It moved me in so many ways， and that’s such a precious thing when reading。This book is beautiful and painful in equal measures。 It’s a story of love and acceptance and finding yourself。 It’s about loving and accepting yourself even when the world and everyone in it tries to tell you you’re wrong。 It’s about found-family and romance and growing up gay in the 60s。Apparently， the more I feel about a book， the less I know what to say。I wholeheartedly recommend this book， not just to queer people， but to everyone。This book is set for release on February 14 and is currently available for preorder on Kindle for under $5 in Australia so go snag a deal！ 。。。more
Lucy
，
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading The Moonstone Girls， which follows Tracy who is not only trying to find herself， but also ;tackle the times' social standards for both queer people and women。Although the author tries to make serious， hard hitting moments light-hearted， the reader can still feel the sadness and frustration the characters face at time when homosexuality was illegal and seen as a social taboo; when women were fighting （and still are） for equality。This is well written by the aut I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading The Moonstone Girls， which follows Tracy who is not only trying to find herself， but also ;tackle the times' social standards for both queer people and women。Although the author tries to make serious， hard hitting moments light-hearted， the reader can still feel the sadness and frustration the characters face at time when homosexuality was illegal and seen as a social taboo; when women were fighting （and still are） for equality。This is well written by the author as in these kinds of situations， it can really take away from the seriousness if there are too many jokes and 'fun bits'， but this has been written wonderfully to capture both elements。Sometimes you need laughter and fun in order to get through dark times。Tracy's original workaround so that she can be with her girlfriend seems like a interesting yet sad reflection on the times， but it also was a good reflection on the beauty standards that girls / women are held to， that men are not。I also must comment on how lovely the cover of this book is。 This was what initially drew me to the book。Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eBook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
liz
，
TW racismI did not finish this book due to the anti-Blackness in it。 If I just don't like a book， I'll finish it and write a detailed review but with this。。。 Like， it's in the first chapter already。 The main character's brother says "for real"， she tells him he already lost because he used this phrase and he asks "when"。 She is wondering why he already forgot since he is great at remembering things （usually） and her brother goes on to say （he is good at remembering） "things that matter。 Stupid s TW racismI did not finish this book due to the anti-Blackness in it。 If I just don't like a book， I'll finish it and write a detailed review but with this。。。 Like， it's in the first chapter already。 The main character's brother says "for real"， she tells him he already lost because he used this phrase and he asks "when"。 She is wondering why he already forgot since he is great at remembering things （usually） and her brother goes on to say （he is good at remembering） "things that matter。 Stupid slang doesn't matter"。 What？？？ AAVE isn't stupid slang and that statement is just so insolent？！ The book also mentions/implies that queer people have it much harder than Black people and it was made to seem as if racism was an issue of the past， as if these two were even comparable and as if there are no queer Black people。 。。。more
Grace de Sá
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “You’re either brave or kinda crazy。” “One implies the other， don’t you think？”One moment this book was shattering my heart and without a moments notice sexual tension was seeping out of the pages。 The combination made for a raw， fearful， and honest read。 My heart is so full and broken i don’t know how this book has managed to break me down and also build me back up stronger than ever。 I’m more inspired to exist as my true self。The dynamic between siblings shows trust as it is， you can hint and “You’re either brave or kinda crazy。” “One implies the other， don’t you think？”One moment this book was shattering my heart and without a moments notice sexual tension was seeping out of the pages。 The combination made for a raw， fearful， and honest read。 My heart is so full and broken i don’t know how this book has managed to break me down and also build me back up stronger than ever。 I’m more inspired to exist as my true self。The dynamic between siblings shows trust as it is， you can hint and hope， tearing your insides apart with fear of losing them。 Knowing that no matter what they do you will accept them and support them as much as you can， and how they’d do the same for you。 The relationships in this book do move rather fast， throughout reading I realised that the urgency they each felt to be loved and to love in turn is what sped such a process up。 The fear of being caught or outed meant the time spent together was precious and having a chance to get all nervous and self conscious didn’t really take precedence in these situations。 After Chapter six I put the book down and cried very hard in gratitude to all the lgbtq+ members that came before me and had to fight for the right to exist publicly as themselves and in turn fought for me and the future generation。 I don’t like to dwell on the past much as I get overwhelmed but this book really put me in perspective of how ignorant a stance i’d been taking by not encouraging myself to explore the identities and stories of those who came before me。 The way femininity in mainstream media is consistently portrayed as being slim， hairless， and innocent; it makes every woman feel not feminine enough because the ideal is just that: idealistic not real。 Seeing Tracy explore her gender identity when she doesn’t achieve these standards and struggling to find who she really is was beautiful。 She learnt no matter how she physically presented herself the only thing that defines her gender or femininity is how she feels and chooses to identify。 When Tracy wore her ‘manguise’ and felt confident and true to herself i burst out into tears， the sheer bravery of a woman exploring who she is and who she could be if she were allowed to was so heartbreaking and eye opening for me as to what a lot of queer people go through。The title ‘The Moonstone Girls’， is honestly the most simplistic yet accurate and fitting name。 The meaning behind the gemstone itself and how they constructed MoonStone to embody each of them as their true selves was fantastic。I’m going to buy this books physical edition so I can annotate and reread my favourite parts （there’s a lot）。 I sense this becoming my comfort read。Lifesavers will never be the same to me。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Overall， this was an okay read。 The story itself was touching and I think it's so important， as a young queer person， to read and learn about the experiences of queer people in the past。 The book touched on a plethora of queer topics and didn't sugarcoat any of the issues。 It spoke about gender identity， coming to terms with your own sexuality， the frustration and fear of having to hide your true self， the pain of growing up queer with little to no support system。 However， from a literary standp Overall， this was an okay read。 The story itself was touching and I think it's so important， as a young queer person， to read and learn about the experiences of queer people in the past。 The book touched on a plethora of queer topics and didn't sugarcoat any of the issues。 It spoke about gender identity， coming to terms with your own sexuality， the frustration and fear of having to hide your true self， the pain of growing up queer with little to no support system。 However， from a literary standpoint， I think it was a bit disappointing。 I found the writing to be a bit odd。 It didn't flow naturally; even the dialogue felt choppy。 It seemed rushed which made it hard to connect with the characters and their relationships。 Even emotional moments didn't do much for me， and problems that seemed like huge issues were easily and quickly resolved in the next chapter。 I was also a bit thrown off by the storyline itself。 It may have been the fault of the synopses I read， but I was under the impression that the book would follow the main character on her journey to and in Alaska。 The very first sentence of the summary on Goodreads is : "In 1968， a seventeen-year-old queer girl traveled to Alaska disguised as a boy。" In the end， she didn't get to Alaska until well after the halfway mark。 This isn't an issue in and of itself， but it felt like there was no real story。 It read more as a biography than a fiction novel， and it was hard for me to get into it for this reason。 I don't think this is a bad book per se–I actually enjoyed the second half of the story–， but I did have higher expectations for it。 Source: NetGalley 。。。more
Jena
，
I immediately loved the premise of The Moonstone Girls， and I'm obsessed with the cover， however， I think those two elements together mislead readers as to the tone of this book。 It was a lot darker than I expected， not to say that is a bad thing。 I quite enjoyed the dark， yet grounded tone and author's writing style。 This novels discusses queer identity， queer rights and family relationships in great detail。 I was really impressed by the nuanced writing。 At the end of the day I'm absolutely goi I immediately loved the premise of The Moonstone Girls， and I'm obsessed with the cover， however， I think those two elements together mislead readers as to the tone of this book。 It was a lot darker than I expected， not to say that is a bad thing。 I quite enjoyed the dark， yet grounded tone and author's writing style。 This novels discusses queer identity， queer rights and family relationships in great detail。 I was really impressed by the nuanced writing。 At the end of the day I'm absolutely going to recommend this book to people， I'll just be warning them of the content before hand。 Thank you to NetGalley and Skipstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
weronika
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DNF on chapter 3。 The dialogue felt really stilted， the characters really one-dimensional， and their interactions forced。 I understand that racism and homophobia are supposed to help set the story in its time， but it felt overdone。 Within the first three chapters， it felt like all that I had read was homophobic comments and one scene with blatant racism。
Elizabeth
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Edit: Changing my review to one star because the more time I spend away from this book， the angrier I get。 Coming from a very queer college， I've seen lots of "white queerness" in which white， queer people will opposition themselves against Blackness and Black oppression。 Kinda disgusted by the display of it in this book。 I wanted to love this one for the queerness， but along with this and just the plain bad writing。。。 well。I really， REALLY wanted to love this book。 Queer girls， 60s/70s culture， Edit: Changing my review to one star because the more time I spend away from this book， the angrier I get。 Coming from a very queer college， I've seen lots of "white queerness" in which white， queer people will opposition themselves against Blackness and Black oppression。 Kinda disgusted by the display of it in this book。 I wanted to love this one for the queerness， but along with this and just the plain bad writing。。。 well。I really， REALLY wanted to love this book。 Queer girls， 60s/70s culture， and a road trip to Alaska？ Sign。 me。 up。 It had everything going for it in the summary。Unfortunately， I had to DNF this book at about 65%。What I liked:-Obviously， I love the queer girl representation。 This book actually made me reflect a lot about my own queerness and my gender presentation。 I think there is a lot of value to a story that discusses issues of identity。-There were parts where I really did like Tracy’s character and her story， especially at the beginning where she is exploring her newly discovered identity。What I really didn’t like:-There was a lot of very uncomfortable comparison between the oppression faced by queer people in the United States and the oppression faced by Black Americans。 Tracy would casually say things that suggested she thought life was much easier for Black Americans at the time than for queer people。 I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a commentary on white feminism where Tracy is able to confront and correct her past remarks， but I highly doubt this happens in the short amount of pages left from where I DNF’d。 I just did not see why this comparison was necessary。-The dialogue felt incredibly stilted and awkward。 Every time Tracy had a conversation with someone else， especially with people in her family， it felt so incredibly forced。 I can’t picture anyone saying most of the things Tracy and her family say to each other。-The pacing also just seemed… off。 It felt like things were happening so fast with no pause to really get the full impact of the events。 I get that it’s supposed to seem like Tracy is telling the story from the present and is going through the events of her life， but it just really did not work for me。I’m definitely in the minority with my feelings on this book。 Maybe it just wasn’t for me， but I gave it two stars for the queer representation。Thank you to NetGalley and Skipstone Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Faith Simon
，
I received an advanced readers' copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This exchange does not impact the nature of my reviews。Oh man， was I excited about this book when I first read the synopsis， and I was not disappointed。 Everything about this story from start to finish was entirely heart-wrenching， unfortunately how it was for LGBTQ folks back in the 1960s。 There isn't particularly a lot that happens for the first 40% of the novel， yet I found myself completely en I received an advanced readers' copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This exchange does not impact the nature of my reviews。Oh man， was I excited about this book when I first read the synopsis， and I was not disappointed。 Everything about this story from start to finish was entirely heart-wrenching， unfortunately how it was for LGBTQ folks back in the 1960s。 There isn't particularly a lot that happens for the first 40% of the novel， yet I found myself completely encapsulated with the story no matter where I was at within it。 From how this story is written， there's hardly any way to know that this story is entirely fictionalized。 The raw emotion and struggles the author brings through the pages are very real， she really sells the autobiography-type feel。 This story only has a few key male characters and you will love every single one you're supposed to love and absolutely hate every one you're supposed to hate。 These characters are so well-written， I felt secondhand anxiety as well as giddiness reading the characters' actions。 Everything about this book feels completely authentic。 This is a truly heartwarming， inspirational historical fictional look at the daily life of an openly queer person in the 1960s， completely heart-wrenching for those like myself， openly queer people today， And in my opinion， one of 2022's must reads。 It also really encourages you to have a second look at what's truly important in life， nothing is guaranteed。（Spoiler-review。 If you do not want to be spoiled， please click away， this is my spoiler-filled review section）。 I was SOOOO satisfied that she got to talk to her dad one last time before he died and he had figured out his bullshit， him talking to Jackie almost had me in tears。 I'm so glad her mom came to Alaska and acted as everyone's mom when their families had abandoned them， it made it even more heart-warming that she'd lost a son and was determined to love the children she could now。Spencer dying was not okay。 I felt so ripped apart， you as a reader could just scream at him to give college a chance， probably one of the saddest moments in this book， just brutal。 I just wish this story were true for the wonderful lesbian couple living so long into the future together， meeting together basically like a dream right out of Tracy's head， god it was so wonderful to see them live long and happy。Also， this was wonderful butch/crossdressing rep。 Many lesbians/queer women enjoyed men's' clothing around this time， it was nice to see this apart of Tracy's identity while she still learned to love and embrace her true female form， the development was interesting to read。 Last note， this book has a playlist！！ I think that's so neat， I got to listen to it while I read and I think that's just incredibly baller。 All sorts of credit to the author for this。 。。。more
Jennifer
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This is a wonderful book set in a time when the United States was 88% white and at least 99% straight—at least claimed to be。 A time when girls had to wear dresses in school and few had any idea what a lesbian was。 Add a homophobic father who desperately wants a "normal" son who likes girls and fixing cars and a feisty， don't-take-crap-from-anyone girl who'd rather be a boy and you have a story brimming with conflict。 Then there is Alice， the mother， who starts off as a typically obedient housew This is a wonderful book set in a time when the United States was 88% white and at least 99% straight—at least claimed to be。 A time when girls had to wear dresses in school and few had any idea what a lesbian was。 Add a homophobic father who desperately wants a "normal" son who likes girls and fixing cars and a feisty， don't-take-crap-from-anyone girl who'd rather be a boy and you have a story brimming with conflict。 Then there is Alice， the mother， who starts off as a typically obedient housewife but becomes the lion protecting her kids。 This book is as much about a woman coming of age and finding her true self and strength as it is about Tracy and Jackie finding peace and joy as lesbians in Alaska。 。。。more
greyreads
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4。5 stars。 I received an ebook ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 Wowzas！ What a great， solid book。 If you like hippie lesbians， sapphic historical fiction， and found family， then this book is for you。 There are MAJOR trigger warnings for homophobia， sexual assault， racism， homophobic slurs， and s*icde。 Honestly I adored this book。 Tracey was such an engaging， feisty protagonist who reminded me a lot of myself at that age。 I especially related to her relationship with her dad （unfortunat 4。5 stars。 I received an ebook ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 Wowzas！ What a great， solid book。 If you like hippie lesbians， sapphic historical fiction， and found family， then this book is for you。 There are MAJOR trigger warnings for homophobia， sexual assault， racism， homophobic slurs， and s*icde。 Honestly I adored this book。 Tracey was such an engaging， feisty protagonist who reminded me a lot of myself at that age。 I especially related to her relationship with her dad （unfortunately）。 This book was so raw and real， it will definitely make you cry！ It would’ve been five stars， but I docked half a star for the following reasons: -this book is kinda explicit for a book that is marketed as YA。 -the middle of the book lagged a bit。 -as much as I loved the ending， it felt rushed。 All in all this was a great book and I can’t wait to get my hands on Skipstone’s other books！ 。。。more
Glynn
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This book brought back so many memories of the late 60s—the music， dress codes， youthful rebellion， and iron-clad homophobia。 I believe I knew many of the teens in this wonderful story which was full of pain and joy。 I'm very happy I read this book。 This book brought back so many memories of the late 60s—the music， dress codes， youthful rebellion， and iron-clad homophobia。 I believe I knew many of the teens in this wonderful story which was full of pain and joy。 I'm very happy I read this book。 。。。more
reya
，
The Moonstone Girls is set in 1968 and follows Tracy as she struggles and accepts who she is。 She traveled to Alaska， dressed as a boy， and with that， the struggles， and lessons she learned helped her become who she is at the end of the story。 When I first read The Moonstone Girls， I actually thought it was an autobiography because the characters felt real and fleshed out。 The events in the story could occur anywhere else where homophobia is still rampant， with the dad threatening his children t The Moonstone Girls is set in 1968 and follows Tracy as she struggles and accepts who she is。 She traveled to Alaska， dressed as a boy， and with that， the struggles， and lessons she learned helped her become who she is at the end of the story。 When I first read The Moonstone Girls， I actually thought it was an autobiography because the characters felt real and fleshed out。 The events in the story could occur anywhere else where homophobia is still rampant， with the dad threatening his children to cut them off if they weren’t going to be straight and the overall disagreeing looks from passersby。 The only part that I did not really like was that there would be foreshadowing statements instead of just surprising the readers when the story gets to it。 It takes away from the element of surprise and just made me think of when it will happen instead。 I also felt like it was dragging in certain areas too and other parts weren’t given more focus。 Out of everyone， I completely adored Alice because of how she changed through the chapters。 Overall， it was an okay read because I felt like Tracy was telling me her life story and I enjoyed that concept。 。。。more
Janina （whatjaninareads）
，
I received an advanced reader copy of The Moonstone Girls in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to NetGalley， the author and the publisher for this opportunity。I did not expect to love this book nearly as much as I did！ I was of course drawn in by the cover and the blurb， and I was really interested in reading a story that is set during a time when queerness was seen as unnormal and a sin。 （That is not to say that we‘ve completely moved past that by now。）What I wasn’t prepared for was how dee I received an advanced reader copy of The Moonstone Girls in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to NetGalley， the author and the publisher for this opportunity。I did not expect to love this book nearly as much as I did！ I was of course drawn in by the cover and the blurb， and I was really interested in reading a story that is set during a time when queerness was seen as unnormal and a sin。 （That is not to say that we‘ve completely moved past that by now。）What I wasn’t prepared for was how deeply this book would make me feel。 I seldomly cry over books， but this time I really did several times。 The bond between Spencer and Tracy was so special。 If I had to pick one， he would be my favourite character for sure。 Where Tracy was that outspoken and strong （though not unafraid） girl， he was quiet and trying to fit in and do right by everyone。 Every scene in which their father laid into him hurt so much to read。 I adored the song Tracy wrote about him because it just characterised him perfectly to me。So that’s one thing that made me cry， and the other thing was that basically the only people who were accepting and supportive of Tracy were members of the queer community themselves。 I always thought I had gotten the memo about how difficult it must be to be queer in a community that doesn’t accept you， but the way this book portrayed it kinda opened my eyes wider， if that makes any sense。I adored joining Tracy on her journey to finding herself。 She was so fierce and headstrong and kind and loyal and afraid of the unknown but even more afraid of staying in the place that makes her feel small and like she doesn’t belong。 I hope her character can be an inspiration for a lot of people out there - and even though I‘m not queer， I can definitely learn one or two life lessons from her as well。What more to say？ The writing style was beautiful and the characters were extremely well written。 I loved the way their interactions and friendship dynamics were written。 Going into the book， I had expected for Tracy to go to Alaska way sooner， and I think that would have been a good thing - in the end， I felt like the story was a little rushed and despite the message that was sent about Tracy and Jackie‘s relationship and the underlying deep friendship， I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the two of them all that much。 Oh but I adored Jeff！ There definitely was something about tragic male characters in this book…Also， I personally didn’t like the wrapped-up ending， but that’s a personal preference！4。5/5 stars。 。。。more
Ann-Marie
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I'm a fairly new reviewer on Netgalley trying to build a reviewing profile and part of this means reviewing the free-for-all books and trying to find something that would hold my interest enough to see it through to the end and not abandon it before I can write a review。 This therefore probably wouldn't have been my go-to genre and I'd probably never have read this book otherwise。 Briefly the book is written in the first person from 17-year-old girl Tracy's perspective and the first two thirds o I'm a fairly new reviewer on Netgalley trying to build a reviewing profile and part of this means reviewing the free-for-all books and trying to find something that would hold my interest enough to see it through to the end and not abandon it before I can write a review。 This therefore probably wouldn't have been my go-to genre and I'd probably never have read this book otherwise。 Briefly the book is written in the first person from 17-year-old girl Tracy's perspective and the first two thirds of the book are about her home life， school， living with her older brother Spencer who is gay but doesn't want to be， and Tracy's realisation that she too is gay and is happy to be。 Both live with their accepting mother， and extremely bigoted father in 1968， the time of the Vietnam war， a time when men should be men， women should wear make-up and dresses， men shouldn't play the piano and men and women should stick with their own sexes and being gay is something you can snap out of。 This is another book where I would find myself thinking about it when I was away from it and wondering how things would pan out as in parts it was very emotional and thought provoking。 Although it seems to be marketed as a Young Adult read， I was really taken in with it （and I am in my mid 40's）， so I am sure it would appeal to all ages。 They say you should never judge a book by its cover but I'm glad I did as the cover is stunning and so was the storyline。 The writing flowed well， the dialogue was realistic and the characters well rounded。 The happy-ever-ending was a bit rushed to me， although all loose ends were tied up nicely， but I think the author could actually have got a second book from it。Don't forget！ Come back to yo 。。。more
ruth
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rtc。
Gabbi Clare
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Where to start？！ I absolutely loved it， I laughed and cried。 I fell in love with characters， and despised some others。 Brooke Skiptone provides us with an incredible novel based in the late 60s， going in depth on so many important topics such as sexuality， gender， mental health， and race， just to name a few。 I started the book less than 24 hours ago， and I just had to keep reading in any spare time I had！ So much happens in the book， I almost wish it was longer！ I really cannot wait to get a phy Where to start？！ I absolutely loved it， I laughed and cried。 I fell in love with characters， and despised some others。 Brooke Skiptone provides us with an incredible novel based in the late 60s， going in depth on so many important topics such as sexuality， gender， mental health， and race， just to name a few。 I started the book less than 24 hours ago， and I just had to keep reading in any spare time I had！ So much happens in the book， I almost wish it was longer！ I really cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book， I know this will be a regular reread。 Thank you Brooke for such an incredible book。 。。。more
Meg
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*ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an honest review*I may have a new favourite book。To cram so much emotion， so much character， so much beauty into a reasonably short book is incredible。 Looking back， this is very much a novel in two parts， but it flows beautifully。 'The Moonstone Girls' has so much to say and so much to give， I can't believe I haven't seen much hype for this book yet。 It felt so real I was convinced it was autobiographical until I read the acknowl *ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an honest review*I may have a new favourite book。To cram so much emotion， so much character， so much beauty into a reasonably short book is incredible。 Looking back， this is very much a novel in two parts， but it flows beautifully。 'The Moonstone Girls' has so much to say and so much to give， I can't believe I haven't seen much hype for this book yet。 It felt so real I was convinced it was autobiographical until I read the acknowledgements。My sole criticism would be that the ending felt a little rushed and the writing wasn't quite the same as the rest of the book， but it doesn't take away from my overall impression of it。A must read for fans of Evelyn Hugo & the marauders etc。 。。。more
Jeff
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Brooke Skipstone does not shy away from describing the sexual side of her characters， their loves， and their desires， sure to stimulate a flood of memories。 There is also sorrow in this novel filled with pathos。 Empathetic readers will wish that things could have turned out differently as the family rapidly disintegrates。 The uplifting moments come when Tracy travels to Alaska and falls in love with the wilderness （and more）， especially the view of Mount McKinley。 The author effectively captures Brooke Skipstone does not shy away from describing the sexual side of her characters， their loves， and their desires， sure to stimulate a flood of memories。 There is also sorrow in this novel filled with pathos。 Empathetic readers will wish that things could have turned out differently as the family rapidly disintegrates。 The uplifting moments come when Tracy travels to Alaska and falls in love with the wilderness （and more）， especially the view of Mount McKinley。 The author effectively captures the chaotic social upheaval of the 1960s by mentioning popular songs of the time。 The MoonStone Girls is one of those life-changing “coming of age” stories that captivates and draws you into the author's world， one that challenges the conventional precepts of men and women and who they choose to love。 The author does not preach but tells what happens when love， respect， and compassion take a backseat to rigid thinking。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Moonstone Girls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Moonstone Girls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Moonstone Girls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0