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Some Girls Do

Some Girls Do

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-13 11:50:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jennifer Dugan
  • ISBN：0593112539
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Summary

In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl ， an openly gay track star falls for a closeted， bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars。

Morgan， an elite track athlete， is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct。 There， she meets Ruby， who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants， the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother。 The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings。 But while Morgan--out and proud， and determined to have a fresh start--doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret， Ruby isn't ready to come out yet。 With each girl on a different path toward living her truth， can they go the distance together？

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Reviews

Dai Guerra ，

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review。Thoughts and Themes: It took me a bit to really get into this story as I wasn’t really a fan of either of the characters or the plot when I first started reading it。 Once I got to about 50% in though I was hooked and needed to know what really would happen to our two main characters， and not just to their relationship。Something that I really enjoyed in this book is how it explores discovering Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review。Thoughts and Themes: It took me a bit to really get into this story as I wasn’t really a fan of either of the characters or the plot when I first started reading it。 Once I got to about 50% in though I was hooked and needed to know what really would happen to our two main characters， and not just to their relationship。Something that I really enjoyed in this book is how it explores discovering queerness and being visibly queer。 I really enjoyed the nuanced discussions that this book brings up about being out and what that means for different people。 I thought it was important that the discussion about what it means to be out， and how being out may do more harm than good happened。 I really liked how this book points out that queer people don’t have to be out in order to be valid， and how coming out doesn’t have to be the goal if you are queer。I really enjoyed reading these characters be teenagers and have some of the typical teenage problems。 I liked that we got to see them both in their classroom setting and also in their respective activities。 I liked the setting for the story as it made sense to me， but sometimes I did wonder why those around them didn’t get more involved。 I did wonder how some of the characters kind of faded into the background as you read on when they were important at the start of the book。Characters: In this book you are introduced to a bunch of characters， but our main characters are Morgan and Ruby。 You also get to meet both of their friends， and get a glimpse into their home lives as well when we meet their family members。I have mixed feelings about the relationship between Morgan and Ruby， and was not content with the way that the story ended。 There were moments that I just kept getting angry with either character as they kept hurting each other， and this doesn’t really solve itself in the end。On the other hand， I thought that the two characters had great chemistry with each other and really enjoyed reading as they figured out their feelings for each other。 I think their relationship with each other is so nuanced because of outside things that impact how they interact with each other。 Morgan is so stuck on not wanting to have to hide her queerness and her belief that no queer person should be in the closet， that she doesn’t really see beyond that。 Ruby is scared of what others would think if she pursues a relationship with a girl， and also knows what her mother’s reaction would be so she holds herself back from pursuing what she wants。When it comes to the family units in this book， I couldn’t stand Ruby’s mother。 She just was looking out for herself and blamed Ruby for so many of her shortcomings。 I thought it was so sad that Ruby felt that she was living for someone else rather than for herself。 I really did enjoy the relationship that Ruby has with Billy though and how supportive he is of her through the whole book。 I liked that his support was more silent than vocal but he made it known that he loved her。I really liked reading about Morgan’s family and seeing the contrast of her family and Rubys。 I think this also really added to the complexity of their relationship and it was something that Morgan never really acknowledges。 Morgan has parents and a brother who support her being queer and also are able to financially provide for her。 I think it was important to see the divide between Morgan and Ruby when it came to socioeconomic status and how this also plays into the dynamics of their relationship。Writing Style: This book is told in first person through dual perspective which I love。 I can never decide if I prefer one POV or multiple POV because I think both work。 I think that each book really calls for different styles and dual POV works for this book。 I liked getting to see both of their perspectives of different events。If this book did not include dual perspectives it would be really easy for you to sympathize with only one character and really hate the other。 The way it is written， you start to sympathize with one as you read their section but then you get the other’s POV and realize that they both have their flaws。 I think this was one of my favorite things in this book， neither of our main characters is perfect。 。。。more

emmm_reads ，

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。review coming soon！

Kayleen ，

need more time to fully gather my thoughts but i really loved this book。 jennifer dugan always writes some of my favorite sapphic rep

USOM ，

（Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: queerphobia， lesbphobia， biphobia， abuse， outtingWhere Dugan's Some Girls Do shines are the characters。 I immediately wanted to protect Ruby with my soul。 The ways she struggles to bring her mother's dreams to light， to pay the electricity bills， and the ways she keeps her guard up all the time。 She instantly had a place in my heart。 I felt the ways she struggles to say no t （Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: queerphobia， lesbphobia， biphobia， abuse， outtingWhere Dugan's Some Girls Do shines are the characters。 I immediately wanted to protect Ruby with my soul。 The ways she struggles to bring her mother's dreams to light， to pay the electricity bills， and the ways she keeps her guard up all the time。 She instantly had a place in my heart。 I felt the ways she struggles to say no to her mother， how she hasn't even thought of a place for herself。 At the same time， I instantly saw myself in Morgan。 How she wants to change the world so badly， for what happened to her to make a difference。 Some Girls Do discuses when dreams aren't our own。 When the world of money， corruption， homophobia is up against us。 How when we don't know of any other possibilities - that our lives could be different - that we never dream。 Ruby and Morgan， the cynic and the dreamer， seem at polar opposites of the spectrum。 But what they have in common is a kindness， a compassion， an ability to see within each other。 To realize that sticking under the radar， not ruffling feathers， isn't the way to live， just to exist。 。。。more

Casey Clementine ，

I'm super hype for this book。 Pre-ordered it as soon as I read the description because literally I am playing a bisexual beauty-queen-slash-automechanic in a tabletop game rn， so clearly i must read this book I'm super hype for this book。 Pre-ordered it as soon as I read the description because literally I am playing a bisexual beauty-queen-slash-automechanic in a tabletop game rn， so clearly i must read this book 。。。more

Alexis ，

2。5/5 stars

Claire ，

I often worry about reading YA novels that center around LGBTQ+ romances and their issues。 As a pansexual， I know these issues can get oversimplified， or written in a "quick fix-it" way where everyone comes out happy， someone gets outed but it all turns out okay。 This is not a worry for Jennifer Dugan's "Some Girls Do。" "Some Girls Do" is a sweet， cute and swoon-worthy high school romances that focuses on just how hard balancing being true to yourself and keeping yourself safe can be。 Both our p I often worry about reading YA novels that center around LGBTQ+ romances and their issues。 As a pansexual， I know these issues can get oversimplified， or written in a "quick fix-it" way where everyone comes out happy， someone gets outed but it all turns out okay。 This is not a worry for Jennifer Dugan's "Some Girls Do。" "Some Girls Do" is a sweet， cute and swoon-worthy high school romances that focuses on just how hard balancing being true to yourself and keeping yourself safe can be。 Both our protagonists in no way feel one-dimensional; they are fully rounded characters with complicated issues and ideals， ones Dugan wasn't afraid to have them compromise on when needed。 Dugan master showing how prejudice still exists， even in open-minded societies， and how it can affect those who are both out and proud and those in the closet。 Aside from the wonderful dissection of being LGBTQ+ in high school， this book is adorable。 The romance between Ruby and Morgan is the perfect balance between sweet and innocent and the heady lust that comes with being a teenager。 I cannot wait to recommend this book to others！ 。。。more

Şevval ，

* I was granted an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review * Well。。。this book was something。 I am not one to write negative reviews or bash books， especially for ARCs because I don't want people to miss out and I don't want to affect them in a negative way。 I always talk about books that I liked but， here is an exception。 I didn't enjoy this book。 I dropped reviewing with stars therefore I am going to talk about the things that I liked and didn't like and y'all can decide whether or not it is som * I was granted an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review * Well。。。this book was something。 I am not one to write negative reviews or bash books， especially for ARCs because I don't want people to miss out and I don't want to affect them in a negative way。 I always talk about books that I liked but， here is an exception。 I didn't enjoy this book。 I dropped reviewing with stars therefore I am going to talk about the things that I liked and didn't like and y'all can decide whether or not it is something that you'll enjoy。 First， the things that I liked。- This book is really cinematic。 It definitely reads like a movie and actually makes you feel like you can see what is happening on the big screen。 It would definitely make great movie material。- It is a quick read， it is not long so if you are a fast reader you can probably finish this within a day。- It is sapphic！ If you enjoy reading sapphic books， you might want to check this out。 - This is definitely not everyone's experience and people have been talking against books about closeted queer people， but I'm not one of them。 As someone who is very much closeted， I really enjoy reading about queer people who are still in the closet and who are struggling to come out。 That was a plus point for me。- There was so much rep！ Pan rep ， trans rep， lesbian rep， bi rep， gay rep。 - I really liked that the author used the word 'lesbian' openly。 After seeing some arguments about the fact that， the word lesbian is viewed as bad and dirty and thus isn't used very openly in books， I appreciated that the author， instead of implying it openly stated that Morgan is lesbian。- I really enjoyed the conversation around coming out。 It is made very clear that even though some people feel more comfortable coming out， it is not always the reality for everyone and many queer people still face discrimination and rejection from society as well as from their families。So。。。 now onto the negative part of the review。 - The romance。 This is probably more like a personal issue with me but。。。。 this book has insta love trope。 I personally mostly dislike this particular trope if it is not done very carefully and， Some Girls Do failed at that。 - The romance felt very rushed and forced。 There was literally no development between the two main characters。 They saw each other， thought that they were cute and that was it。 They didn't learn much about each other， they didn't spend much time with each other and they were suddenly really in love。 Instead of having non-stop banters without knowing a thing about each other they could have got to know each other but。。。。no。 It felt really fake。 - It kind of felt cliché from time to time which I didn't necessarily hate since the book contains romance but。。。 Didn't enjoy it either。 - And most importantly。。。。 coming out。 This made me feel so， so uncomfortable。 It was really icky。 One of the main characters who is out forces the other to come out as well。 For almost %95 of the time that they are together， she forces the love interest to come out。 Yes her opinion changes at the end but it was still very uncomfortable and it made me feel like crying。 If I was in the closet and my girlfriend whom I have known for literally 5 minutes was forcing me to come out even though she knows that it might not be safe for everyone， I would simply break up with her。 - The relationship was so toxic。This is pretty much it for me and it wasn't that bad but I don't think it was enjoyable as well。 Again ， y'all can choose to read it or not， just beware of the negative points of the book。 。。。more

Gretal ，

Aside from too many unironic references to Riverdale， I really enjoyed this。 It was much better than Hot Dog Girl。

Saniya ，

trigger warnings: emotionally abusive parents， alcoholism， divorce mention， teenage pregnancy mention， sexual harassment from a “family” member， homelessness， homophobia， homophobic microaggressions， religious trauma， transphobia mention， slut shamingGosh i loved this book

GavShire ，

Really worth the read。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Colby ，

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！Morgan transferred from a Catholic school after she was descriminated against for being gay。 Her life on hold as her family she's the school， she transfers to a public school at the end of her senior year where she meets Ruby。Ruby is bi and in the closet， her mom forcing her to participate in pageants and live the life she wanted before she got pregnant with Ruby。 But when Morgan shows up， Ruby can't hide her feelings for lon Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！Morgan transferred from a Catholic school after she was descriminated against for being gay。 Her life on hold as her family she's the school， she transfers to a public school at the end of her senior year where she meets Ruby。Ruby is bi and in the closet， her mom forcing her to participate in pageants and live the life she wanted before she got pregnant with Ruby。 But when Morgan shows up， Ruby can't hide her feelings for long。I'll be honest， I thought about DNFing multiple times because I don't like Morgan or Ruby。 BUT I think the conversation surrounding when to come out and when it's safe for teens to come out was really important and we'll explored from both sides。 I did enjoy the ending， so overall a 3。75-4 star rating！ 。。。more

Deedee✌ ，

This book was so cute！ this book switches perspectives back and forth between the main characters， ruby and morgan， and their journey on self discovery and love。 ruby is the definition of don’t judge a book by its cover。 she is a beauty pageant competitor but lives a hard life under household with a strict， overbearing mother。 morgan is out and proud but moved schools because of this very reason。 i loved the morals and lessons learned in this book showing it’s okay to be yourself and help others This book was so cute！ this book switches perspectives back and forth between the main characters， ruby and morgan， and their journey on self discovery and love。 ruby is the definition of don’t judge a book by its cover。 she is a beauty pageant competitor but lives a hard life under household with a strict， overbearing mother。 morgan is out and proud but moved schools because of this very reason。 i loved the morals and lessons learned in this book showing it’s okay to be yourself and help others through the hardships of being lgbtq+ in america but also how it’s important to remember that some people don’t live in a safe environment to be able to come out themselves and what others can do to try to support them。 this book is very fast paced and easy to get through。 it’s definitely a book i recommend people to read！thank you penguinteen and netgalley for sending me an arc for some girls do！ 。。。more

❦ jazmin ，

“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not， or making myself smaller and quieter， just because someone else thinks I should。” Thank you to Edelweiss for providing a digital ARC （Advanced Reader’s Copy） of Some Girls Do in exchange for an honest review！ ⇢The PlotThis book was adorable and I’m obsessed。 YA romances that take place in a school setting and deal with serious topics are never a miss， and this book lived up to every expectation I had！ The plot of this book essenti “I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not， or making myself smaller and quieter， just because someone else thinks I should。” Thank you to Edelweiss for providing a digital ARC （Advanced Reader’s Copy） of Some Girls Do in exchange for an honest review！ ⇢The PlotThis book was adorable and I’m obsessed。 YA romances that take place in a school setting and deal with serious topics are never a miss， and this book lived up to every expectation I had！ The plot of this book essentially followed Ruby and Morgan’s relationship- from when they first met， got to know each other， dated in secret， faced conflicts， and then dated publicly， so things were pretty fluid。 I think the parts I loved the most were all the scenes at Billy’s garage （for some reason I love books that involve people who fix cars）， and Morgan’s volunteering job at the Centre。 All the moments that took place at either of those two locations were either heart-warming or heart-wrenching， and they definitely hit me the hardest。 ⇢Morgan and Ruby
My feelings about both of these characters were fluctuating every second。 Basically， it’s easy to judge a character from the small glimpse you get into their life over the span of a book， and there were a lot of scenes where I wanted to scream at our leading ladies for being incredibly stupid。 But I really try to think beyond the content I’m given， and every time I would do that with these characters I would like them again。 For further context， there were a lot of conflicts between Ruby and Morgan where Morgan didn’t want their relationship to be a secret anymore， and where she felt betrayed by how Ruby for how against labelling their relationship she was。 It was easy for me to be judge Ruby for the way she treated Morgan （and vice versa， because I was definitely judging Morgan for telling her friends about their relationship without permission）， but when you think about it， Morgan’s expectations of Ruby were unreasonable too。 Ruby obviously wasn’t ready to come out and it was unfair of Morgan to push her。 Okay wow， that turned into a whole rant， I’m sorry。 Basically， these were very complex characters。 “Hi， I’m Morgan。” My voice breaks as I swallow back some tears， because for the first time， maybe I’m exactly where I need to be， exactly where I fit。 “I’m a lesbian。 She/her。 And I like to run。” As a couple， I think they were definitely cute。 Not particularly memorable， but in general YA romances tend to have similar concepts and with my terrible memory， most of them blur together anyway。 I loved the development of their relationship and I think their story was written in a very truthful and realistic way。 “You’re just really full of surprises。” And yeah， I kind of like the sound of that。 ⇢Other CommentsI just want to finish off by mentioning some of the other elements I really enjoyed。 First， Billy and Ruby’s relationship。 Billy was essentially Ruby’s ex-stepfather I guess， and their conversations were so wholesome。 Second， I loved Morgan and Danny’s meetings。 Morgan was essentially a Peer Counsellor for Danny （another athlete who was in a relationship but had to hide it because of his boyfriend） and I think their discussions were great。 Honestly， same with the conversations the members of the school Pride Club had as well。 It was refreshing to see such real-world problems being discussed accurately in a book。 “And the club could definitely be doing more to address the impact race has on things too。 Like the whole centering of whiteness in queer spaces and stuff。” Third， I just loved the way some serious topics were blended in the book without being a big deal。 Things like consent， for example。 I know that’s sort of the bare minimum but it’s insane how many books are set in high schools and have teenaged characters and still ignore important topics。 。 ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ❦ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ 。 MY SPOTIFY ❦MY LINKTREE ❦ 。。。more

Julia ，

I read this entire book in one day。 It was SO GOOD！ Our main characters are out and proud Morgan who was kicked out of her catholic private school for being queer and pageant queen Ruby， who is the queen bee of the school。 They are both complete opposites， but they work so well together！ Trust me， the romance is so cute。I loved how the characters each had so much going on， and their stories did not completely revolve around each other and the romance。 Morgan is in the midst of a law suit against I read this entire book in one day。 It was SO GOOD！ Our main characters are out and proud Morgan who was kicked out of her catholic private school for being queer and pageant queen Ruby， who is the queen bee of the school。 They are both complete opposites， but they work so well together！ Trust me， the romance is so cute。I loved how the characters each had so much going on， and their stories did not completely revolve around each other and the romance。 Morgan is in the midst of a law suit against her old school and Ruby is dealing with her mom’s new boyfriend （who watches Fox News ew） and her mother’s dreams of her daughter becoming Miss America。Read my full review on my blog: https://stormyreadsya。home。blog/2021/。。。 。。。more

Adri ，

3。5 Stars CWs: Homophobia， some bullying/harassment， religious bigotry， mild slut shaming （challenged）， underage drinking and intoxication， some sexual content， accidental outing， and homophobic parent/unsafe living situationYou know me， I hear about a queer YA romance between a track star and a beauty queen and I come running。 （No pun intended。） I thought this was a quick， enjoyable， and thoughtful story exploring queer visibility and discovering queerness， and I liked it overall！The two cha 3。5 Stars CWs: Homophobia， some bullying/harassment， religious bigotry， mild slut shaming （challenged）， underage drinking and intoxication， some sexual content， accidental outing， and homophobic parent/unsafe living situationYou know me， I hear about a queer YA romance between a track star and a beauty queen and I come running。 （No pun intended。） I thought this was a quick， enjoyable， and thoughtful story exploring queer visibility and discovering queerness， and I liked it overall！The two characters in this story are in two very different places when it comes to understanding and accepting their queer identity。 Morgan is the star of the track star and starting over at a new school after the last Catholic school she attended claimed that her queerness violated their student code of conduct， thus putting her running career on indefinite hold。 Ruby， on the other hand， is just trying to survive living in a relatively unsafe home by doing beauty pageants like her mom wants and keeping her head down。 She's just discovering her bisexuality for the first time when she nearly runs Morgan over with her car and can't stop noticing the new girl after that。While Morgan is someone who would happily join the Pride Club and wear graphic tees that loudly proclaim her interest in girls， Ruby isn't ready to be out yet， and that difference between them—while not inherently a bad thing—is a source of tension in their relationship。 In that way， the story sparks a conversation about queer visibility—whether it's necessary， practical， or safe for every queer person to take that step， and what the upsides and downsides are to being "visible" and out。I think that's the heart of the story， and it's a really important discussion that challenges readers to rethink the idea that coming out is the end goal for all queer people， or that being out is what makes queer people "real。" Ruby doesn't know whether her mom is safe to come out to， and she can't risk coming out and possibly being thrown out of her home when she isn't financially stable and is， in fact， depending on a scholarship from a local pageant as being her ticket out。 Morgan is of the opinion that getting involved with a closeted girl will "take her a step back" from where she's fought to be， and she has a very different perspective as someone who's trying to leverage her visibility as a means to effect social change and challenge the homophobic rules of her old school for the sake of other queer athletes coming up behind her。Over the course of the story， Morgan is learning to be more empathetic for what Ruby is going through， and realizing that coming out is something that can't and shouldn't take precedence over someone's safety and well-being。 Even though it takes a long time to get there， I think that's a really important message to internalize， especially for young readers。While I enjoyed this story thematically， I found myself wanting a bit more from the main relationship。 Morgan and Ruby have great chemistry， and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop， especially as they're tested and continue challenging each other， but I was missing that emotional component。 As I mentioned， Ruby is just discovering her bisexuality for the first time throughout the story， and so she's very confused to begin with。 And to be absolutely clear: that's valid， and there's nothing wrong with that。 But not only do Morgan and Ruby get off to a not-so-great start with a near car accident， but then Ruby is sometimes playing games with Morgan and going back to her old friend-with-benefits， just because that's the easier choice。 So it's not that Ruby "can't make up her mind，" but that there's a lot of animosity between these two characters that they end up working through quickly in order to get to the romance part。So it was hard for me to feel fully satisfied with their relationship， because they spend a lot of the story hurting each other—both intentionally and unintentionally—and I didn't really feel like they took the time to through those issues by the end。 Especially with Morgan being adamant in her belief that she is "owed" Ruby's coming out if they're gonna be together （a belief that she holds for a majority of the book）， that's something that changes very quickly and suddenly， with very little of the book left to fully explore that realization and how it would then impact the relationship。Again， I think the story sparks a very necessary discussion about queerness and coming out， but because of the disconnect between the characters， it was hard for me to fully get behind the romance aspect of it。 I don't think romances need to be "happy" to be "good，" but I do hope that they're satisfying and mutually beneficial for both characters， and while Morgan and Ruby found a happy medium by the end， I was left wanting a bit more in their connection and in they way they reconciled with their mistakes。As I said in the beginning， though， I still enjoyed this book！ It's a story that explores social justice， queer community， coming out， untraditional family structures， and so much more。 It is exactly what it says on the tin as a sapphic romance between a track star and a beauty queen on two very different paths， and I can say I was fully engaged as I read through it。 I still enjoy this author and her writing （and I definitely recommend her debut， Hot Dog Girl） and I'm excited to see what she writes next。 。。。more

daphnereads ，

just realized that i haven't uploaded my review yet， lol whoops3。5 starsThe mutual pining in this novel was just immaculate。 There were a few things here and there that I wish I had enjoyed more， but overall this was a sweet romance。Some Girls Do follows two main characters， Ruby and Morgan。 Morgan recently came out at her extremely conservative Catholic school and is dealing with the legal fallout。 So when she has to transfer to a new school， she refuses to be in the closet again。 Ruby is a bea just realized that i haven't uploaded my review yet， lol whoops3。5 starsThe mutual pining in this novel was just immaculate。 There were a few things here and there that I wish I had enjoyed more， but overall this was a sweet romance。Some Girls Do follows two main characters， Ruby and Morgan。 Morgan recently came out at her extremely conservative Catholic school and is dealing with the legal fallout。 So when she has to transfer to a new school， she refuses to be in the closet again。 Ruby is a beauty pageant girl and loves fixing cars， but her sexuality is something that she’s never really tried to understand。 When the relationship between these two girls progresses， Ruby isn’t ready to be open yet， but Morgan doesn’t want to hide。 These two girls need to start seeing things eye to eye before it’s too late。I absolutely adored reading about these two character’s personal lives。 Seeing Ruby in her stepdad’s car shop， and watching Morgan do her volunteer work was so refreshing。 I appreciate that they had lives outside of school and relationships。 Morgan and Ruby were realistic teenagers and were really well developed。 While I did like reading about them separately， I especially enjoyed seeing them do fluffy relationship things。 They were going on simple dates， holding hands， and kissing in dark closets and I couldn’t get enough of it。 I really wish there was more page time of Morgan and Ruby being happy together。One thing that I didn’t enjoy was that the feelings were insta love。 The actual amount of time it took Ruby and Morgan to get together could be considered a slow burn， but they were acting like they were in love from the moment they met。 Because of the insta love， it took me a bit longer than usual to be invested in the relationship， but by the end of the novel I was rooting for them。 There was some of the miscommunication trope。 There weren’t any huge misunderstandings， but the two main characters were terrible at expressing their thoughts and they were always dodging questions。 It did get frustrating at some points， since it was repetitive to a degree， but it wasn’t anything unbearable。Some Girls Do at its surface was a sweet romance， but it also dealt with many important topics， like the struggles that LGBTQ teens still face and abusive homes。 This wasn’t my favorite， but I would love to read some of Jennifer Dugan’s future works！ 。。。more

Melanie ，

4。5 starsContent Warnings at end of review。Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book！Ruby is a beauty pageant star， but she really just wants to work on cars。 Morgan is determined to help other queer kids after a struggle with her old school over her sexuality。 When Morgan transfers to Ruby's school， their paths collide and they will have to decide what they want and what is most important in their lives--being together， or being loud。I was instantly hooked by this fast mov 4。5 starsContent Warnings at end of review。Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book！Ruby is a beauty pageant star， but she really just wants to work on cars。 Morgan is determined to help other queer kids after a struggle with her old school over her sexuality。 When Morgan transfers to Ruby's school， their paths collide and they will have to decide what they want and what is most important in their lives--being together， or being loud。I was instantly hooked by this fast moving rom-com！ I loved that Ruby and Morgan were foils of each other， and how they instantly attracted like magnets。 I was really interested in the struggle that Ruby had with her mother and whether or not she wanted to be out， and the struggles that Morgan was facing with her old school， her new track team， and trying to make a difference in the face of bigotry。I did think some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a little more， as they all seemed pretty periphery and one-dimensional， but the main characters were awesome and I loved the writing and the plot！ This is my favorite of Dugan's books so far！Pub Date: May 18， 2021Content WarningsGraphic: Child abuse， Emotional abuse， Homophobia， and Religious bigotryModerate: Alcoholism and Physical abuse， OuttingMinor: Car accident and Transphobia 。。。more

Ellie ，

Well this looks super cute！

Sam ，

eARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewAll opinions are my ownFirst off， I was nervous going into this book because I have been struggling to find a good ya contemporary wlw romance that I enjoyed lately， and I knew very little going into this book。 I am a sucker for a sports romance， especially when there is a female athlete involved， and as a track runner myself， I was hooked simply by the description and rushed to request this arc。 I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED！The story follows eARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewAll opinions are my ownFirst off， I was nervous going into this book because I have been struggling to find a good ya contemporary wlw romance that I enjoyed lately， and I knew very little going into this book。 I am a sucker for a sports romance， especially when there is a female athlete involved， and as a track runner myself， I was hooked simply by the description and rushed to request this arc。 I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED！The story follows Morgan， a lesbian track star who is out and proud， but she is dealing with the consequences of her openness in becoming a D1 athlete。 Ruby is a closeted bisexual with a tough home life who is fighting between her love of cars and her life as a beauty queen。 First off， a lot of contemporary romances have me sympathizing with one character significantly more than the other， but I found myself equally invested in both of their stories。 Each of the MCs is well developed and has an amazing character arc that I enjoyed。 Both Ruby and Morgan are flawed but relatable， and Dugan does a great job at emphasizing the value of compromise and the fact that situations are often much more complicated than they seem。 The relationship， though not without its struggles， is one that I became way too emotionally invested in。 I also am a huge fan of the side characters， which I felt were amazingly well developed for such a short contemporary novel。The story's pacing felt pretty much perfect。 I never wanted to put the book down， but it didn't feel rushed in the slightest， and I was very sad to see I was at the end of the story。 I want to see more books like this one come out soon， and I am so excited for the books pub day: May 18th， 2021Content Warnings: Forced outing （talked about）， domestic abuse （physical， emotional， verbal） 。。。more

Emma （book。jargon） ，

**Some Girls Do**♥︎♥︎♥︎♡︎♡︎/♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎𝕀𝕟 𝕒 𝕟𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕝: A track star and a beauty queen start to fall in love- but only one of them is willing to step out of the closet。ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:Morgan， a star track athlete， was forced to move from her old school after she came out in the strict Catholic environment。 Her new school offers her a potentially more welcoming environment， and。。。 Ruby， who has a penchant for cars and a life full of pageant practice。 Total opposites- but you know what they say about those。 **Some Girls Do**♥︎♥︎♥︎♡︎♡︎/♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎𝕀𝕟 𝕒 𝕟𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕝: A track star and a beauty queen start to fall in love- but only one of them is willing to step out of the closet。ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:Morgan， a star track athlete， was forced to move from her old school after she came out in the strict Catholic environment。 Her new school offers her a potentially more welcoming environment， and。。。 Ruby， who has a penchant for cars and a life full of pageant practice。 Total opposites- but you know what they say about those。 Can the girls stick together throughout the ups and downs of figuring themselves out， or will it all come crashing to a screeching halt？Morgan is out and proud。 She’s always fighting for other people’s rights， and encouraging them to come out and be loud with it。The only thing is that she is a bit too insistent。 She can’t seem to understand that not everyone lives in a safe environment where they can be as bold with their sexuality as she is， and it almost seems as though she is constantly looking down on closeted kids。 This was a big issue with me， and I was not a fan of the way that Morgan would almost force people to come out。 Ruby on the other hand， is closeted。 She’s still trying to understand herself and what her emotions mean。 It understandably takes her a while， especially with the internalized homophobia she has due to her home life。 She’s bold but quiet， preferring to do her own thing and move at her own pace。 She was easier to appreciate and enjoy the different ways that she would make self-realizations。The story was great！ An enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract kinda story that you can easily fall for。 Though the beginning of the book almost reads like a Wattpad novel， it quickly improved and I found myself binging it all through the night。It was a fun and quick read， with a few issues that slowly got better as the book progressed！ Some of the quotes really stood out， and made me appreciate the book more with just a few words！In all， I think this is a great book if you’re wanting a fast queer romance with angst！！（A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC in return for an honest review！ 。。。more

michelle （magical reads） ，

3。5 starsrep: lesbian protagonist， bisexual protagonist， trans boy side character， Black side character， pansexual side charactercw: parental abuse （emotional）， homophobia， internalized homophobiayeahhhh I liked ruby but I did not like morgan's "everybody should be out！！！" mindset。。。it was challenged by the narrative and other characters， and she did have the moment of realization where she finally realized that this isn't possible for everyone， but it took forever to get there （aka 90%） and I h 3。5 starsrep: lesbian protagonist， bisexual protagonist， trans boy side character， Black side character， pansexual side charactercw: parental abuse （emotional）， homophobia， internalized homophobiayeahhhh I liked ruby but I did not like morgan's "everybody should be out！！！" mindset。。。it was challenged by the narrative and other characters， and she did have the moment of realization where she finally realized that this isn't possible for everyone， but it took forever to get there （aka 90%） and I hated every moment where she didn't understand why someone wasn't out and public about it。。。there were a lot of those。。。rtc 。。。more

Marte Olsen ，

I got an eARC of this on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review！Okay， so I really liked this！ I've settled for 4⭐️ atm， but I'm almost certain that I'll up it to 4。5 or 5⭐️ by the end of 2021 （once it's been allowed to process for a bit）。 If you read the description of this and thought to yourself "Damn， this is now on my most anticipated releases list / on top of my TBR list" then DON'T BE SCARED， IT'S SOOOOOO GOOOD！！！ I actually did not expect to like this as much as I did， and I read it w I got an eARC of this on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review！Okay， so I really liked this！ I've settled for 4⭐️ atm， but I'm almost certain that I'll up it to 4。5 or 5⭐️ by the end of 2021 （once it's been allowed to process for a bit）。 If you read the description of this and thought to yourself "Damn， this is now on my most anticipated releases list / on top of my TBR list" then DON'T BE SCARED， IT'S SOOOOOO GOOOD！！！ I actually did not expect to like this as much as I did， and I read it when I was in the middle of a reading slump too！ （definitely fixed that for me！）Like， what's not to love？？？？ Cute and queer romance between two badass and cute girls， but also A LOT of realism in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds and how that influences the way you both view your own identity （especially a queer one）， and also how and when you are able to come out！ I feel like so many queer books focus so much on the fact that you just come out and then people will be shocked but get over it， but that isn't always the case for everyone， and I'm glad this addresses this in multiple ways！ Good， realistic queer rep is the shit I'm HERE for！！！Also， the people are so dynamic and I love it！ Like， Ruby being both a beauty pageant girl AND loves fixing cars， and Morgan being a track star AND a great LGBT+ advocate and volunteer！！！！ It was SO great！ Often books like these can end up with pretty stereotypical characters， but this really didn't feel like that at all。 。。。more

Molly Turner ，

Full review and author interview forthcoming for Culturess。

Jennifer ，

Trigger warning for drinking， abuse， homophobia， outing （？）-SOME GIRLS DO follows two POVs。 We have Ruby， who’s a pageant queen who’d rather be in the garage working on her car， and the new girl in town， Morgan， who’s a track star that was forced out of her old high school due to their homophobia。 They meet on the wrong foot， when Ruby nearly hits Morgan with her car。 From then on， the girls try to ignore their attraction to one another， their animosity slowly turning into unmistakable attractio Trigger warning for drinking， abuse， homophobia， outing （？）-SOME GIRLS DO follows two POVs。 We have Ruby， who’s a pageant queen who’d rather be in the garage working on her car， and the new girl in town， Morgan， who’s a track star that was forced out of her old high school due to their homophobia。 They meet on the wrong foot， when Ruby nearly hits Morgan with her car。 From then on， the girls try to ignore their attraction to one another， their animosity slowly turning into unmistakable attraction。 -Just from the first few pages， I knew I was going to love this。 Dugans writing is great， her characters are realistic。 Ruby and Morgan’s journey isn’t picture perfect。 Morgan is out of the closet， she is loud and proud about her sexuality。 She has family and friends who love and support her。 Ruby， however， does not。 She’s not 100% sure about what her label should be， and her mother is openly homophobic。 They clash as they try and figure out how they can make a happy relationship work if they’re not on the same level。 There’s hurt and angst along the way， but I was happy with the conclusion。 I was getting worried over how Morgan was reacting to Ruby not being ready to come out， but again， I suppose this is realistic。 They’re high school kids with enormous pressure on their shoulders。 I appreciated their growth。 -4 stars！ SOME GIRLS DO by Jennifer Dugan is available May 18， 2021！ -Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review！ 。。。more

Hayley ，

Can my whole review just be heart eyes and the sobbing face emojis？ Because that would be the most honest。 I loved the character development， the relationships， the banter and the swoonworthiness of the romance。 I just wanted to give Ruby a hug。 Thank you to G。P。 Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for the eARC。 Can my whole review just be heart eyes and the sobbing face emojis？ Because that would be the most honest。 I loved the character development， the relationships， the banter and the swoonworthiness of the romance。 I just wanted to give Ruby a hug。 Thank you to G。P。 Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss for the eARC。 。。。more

ella ，

★★★☆☆ 3/5this was cute！ it had a well developed plot and characters and i enjoyed reading it but unfortunately it just didn’t stand out to me。 i was a little concerned with how this book was going to handle ruby’s “coming out” especially because of morgan’s behaviour towards her。 i think it’s very important for young queer kids who are unable to come out to be able to see themselves in books just like the kids who are out。 （arc provided by netgallery and Penguin Teen。 all thoughts and opinions a ★★★☆☆ 3/5this was cute！ it had a well developed plot and characters and i enjoyed reading it but unfortunately it just didn’t stand out to me。 i was a little concerned with how this book was going to handle ruby’s “coming out” especially because of morgan’s behaviour towards her。 i think it’s very important for young queer kids who are unable to come out to be able to see themselves in books just like the kids who are out。 （arc provided by netgallery and Penguin Teen。 all thoughts and opinions are my own） 。。。more

munnie ，

“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not， or making myself smaller and quieter， just because someone else thinks I should。”Where do I even begin？？？ First I am incredibly grateful to get the arc for this。 Second， this book was nothing but greatness。 It hit home in more ways than one for me， especially as someone who spent a long time coming to terms with my sexuality while living in a household that is against that very significant part of who I am。 It speaks on a lot of the iss “I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not， or making myself smaller and quieter， just because someone else thinks I should。”Where do I even begin？？？ First I am incredibly grateful to get the arc for this。 Second， this book was nothing but greatness。 It hit home in more ways than one for me， especially as someone who spent a long time coming to terms with my sexuality while living in a household that is against that very significant part of who I am。 It speaks on a lot of the issues people face with coming out and being accepted for who they are and it speaks about these issues well。 I feel like a lot of people would benefit from reading this when it does come out May 18th。 I loved the characters in this book。 I loved how different Ruby and Morgan were and how we were showed that they both struggled but they struggled in different ways。 Amazing story omg。 Words can’t describe how much i loved it。Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with the ARC :） 。。。more

Sami ，

Thank you to Penguin Teen Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！[Updated Review。 Old review was 3 stars， decent book。 Upon further reflection， I find that that is not true。]This book was really not that well written。 All of the characters felt totally flat to me。 Most of the dialogue was incredibly cringey and I genuinely could not tell you the plot for the life of me。 While I think some important themes regarding sexuality were talked about， it wasn’t talked about well enoug Thank you to Penguin Teen Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！[Updated Review。 Old review was 3 stars， decent book。 Upon further reflection， I find that that is not true。]This book was really not that well written。 All of the characters felt totally flat to me。 Most of the dialogue was incredibly cringey and I genuinely could not tell you the plot for the life of me。 While I think some important themes regarding sexuality were talked about， it wasn’t talked about well enough。I wish some of the side characters had been given more time in the spotlight。 There was a lot of potential there （especially for Allie and Lydia） that I thought wan’t tapped into。 。。。more

Optimisticbooknerd ，

This may be one of my new favourite romances I've ever read。I had such a fun time reading from our main characters， Morgan and Ruby and seeing their story unfold。-I liked Morgan as a main character as she was more likeable but I loved Ruby's character development and I cannot explain how many times I swooned and out loud said "Awe" because they're seriously so frickin adorable and I'm so glad I was sent an e-copy arc。-This comes out May 18th 2021 and with that gorgeous cover I will definitely be This may be one of my new favourite romances I've ever read。I had such a fun time reading from our main characters， Morgan and Ruby and seeing their story unfold。-I liked Morgan as a main character as she was more likeable but I loved Ruby's character development and I cannot explain how many times I swooned and out loud said "Awe" because they're seriously so frickin adorable and I'm so glad I was sent an e-copy arc。-This comes out May 18th 2021 and with that gorgeous cover I will definitely be adding the physical copy to my bookshelves 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Some Girls Do

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Some Girls Do&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Some Girls Do&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0