Not Otherwise Specified

A bold, witty, heartfelt story about a girl not just trying to find where she fits in the world, but breaking down walls and shattering ceilings to create a place that fits her.

Etta was such a lovable narrator; passionate, caring, smart, and unwilling to put up with anyone's bullshit. She deals with a lot of negativity in this book, and she has her moments where it really hurts her, but she's impressively persistent. She tries so hard to stay positive because she really and truly wants to find happiness. There are some bumps along the way, but she stays on course in her goal to discover the things, people, and places that will make her the most Etta-ish person she can be, and that is so important and admirable to me.

It is proof of how much I loved Etta as a character that I wrote a whole paragraph about her before mentioning: SHE'S BISEXUAL!!! Which, in truth, is 95% of the reason I picked this book up in the first place. Her open honesty about what it's like to be bi was so refreshing. Of course, her experience can't encapsulate every bi person's experience, but it was nice to see some relatable things through her eyes. I think most of us know what it's like to feel “never gay enough and never straight enough” (Etta's words). I think most of us have feared losing our connection to the queer community if/when we date someone of the opposite sex. I think we've all heard the slut stereotype. Etta deals with all these things, navigating her way through family, friends, and non-friends, and fighting at every turn to be her beautiful bisexual self.

I was quite surprised at how little actual romance there was, but I ended up being glad for it. This was first and foremost a book about Etta's self-discovery and self-love, and those things on their own are so special. I loved how Etta's relationships (and not just romantic/sexual relationships) helped her understand herself little by little. Every side character influenced Etta's story and development: Bianca, James, Mason, her sister, her mother, the Dykes, Rachel. In the end, friendships were even more important to Etta than romantic relationships, and I really appreciated that.

What a lovely little book about a beautiful bi black ballerina :')

Oh also I'm docking one star bc Etta thinks Wicked is overrated. Just kidding. Sort of.