Customer Reviews

grl2grl: Short fictions

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In grl2grl YA author Julie Anne Peters breaks out of the novel genre for something, well, novel. If you're a fan of Peters' other works, this collection of short fictions, and I'm putting faith in the author in believing that's an actual genre, will speak to you no matter what, because it's representative of all the girls out there who are or may be gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, questioning, or differently oriented. No matter what you've gone through, abuse, breakups, volatile relationships, the confusion of cyberspace, clicking with somebody, or hiding who you really are, there's something in grl2grl for you.



From Passengers, where two girls have seen each other every day for years but never speak finally recognize their mutual affection, and Outside/Inside when you realize that you were not, in fact, the only one to like somebody out of the norm, on down to Boi with a painful to read scene of violence that occurs only because of the homophobia in our society and Stone Cold Bitch, where abuse literally absorbs the protagonists life, Peters' isn't afraid to tackle tricky subjects.



Like her previous novel Between Mom and Jo, grl2grl may not make you smile the whole time; it is acknowledged that growing up a teen that isn't straight isn't all rainbows and pride parades. There are the same volatile relationships, confusing signals, and rumors that go around, just like anywhere else. And that, in and of itself, is a good message: straight, gay, or the ever prevalent and popular "other," the same pain, confusion, and periods of total bliss are there. It's a human thing.

A collection of ten short fiction by one of the best GLBT writers. Tales of love and lust, romance and heartbreak grace each of the pages. You'll hear about coming out and all the challenges that are faced by girls everyday. Read about a girl who sees herself as a "boi", a father her turns her daughter to stone through abuse and a chat room that helps girls get over their heartache.

I enjoyed these quick stories and breezed through the book. Julie Anne Peters is a truly great writer who captures the angst of being out and the sorrow of being stuck in. The only one of these little fictions I didn't like was TIAD about a girl who seeks out help from a chat room and ends up falling for one of the other members. It just seemed confusing in the end. I understood what happened, but I didn't enjoy how it was presented.There's not much else to say about this except, if you love GLBT fiction make sure you pick this up.

Reviewed by Casey Holt (age 13) for Reader View (11/07)


"grl2grl" is about girls and their sexualities; some of them are confused, others are curious, and there are a couple of heartbroken ones. I think this is a great book for all girls, but I think it would be really good for a girl who was struggling with some of the same troubles that the girls in this book are.

My favorite story was "After Alex." This story really made me feel like I was actually there, experiencing this girl's pain. She's just been dumped by her girlfriend, Alex. She has separated her life into three categories, before Alex, during Alex, and after Alex. This is the story of her life after Alex.

"Boi" is a story about a transgender girl who has changed her name to Vince. She has wanted a "P" since she was four-years old, but she's not old enough to go to the store to buy it, so she earns all the money, and then begs her brother to get it for her. He finally does, and it's her prized possession, she feels incomplete and naked without it. This story really touched me deeply, because I can't even imagine what a transgender person goes through. It seems so horrible to have been born into the wrong sex.

The story "TIAD" was really difficult for me to understand, but I still think it was pretty good. A girl is heartbroken and planning to commit suicide, but through an online chat room she meets another girl and falls in love.

"Stone Cold Butch" was also difficult for me to understand. It was about a girl who was sexually abused by her father every day, and so she just becomes cold as stone, not even realizing that someone could, would, love her. But she couldn't see it. I didn't like this story as well as the others.

The only thing I didn't like about "grl2grl" was that I felt like the stories were kind of incomplete, too short. I felt like some of them were not finished. All in all, I'd say this is an awesomely good book!!! Every girl over thirteen should read it!

Book received free of charge.

Julie Anne Peters' book is very raw and moving. In this 'compilation', Peters shares many fictional stories from girls and their experiences as Lesbians, Bisexual, and Curious. While these stories are fictional they feel real, each overflowing with emotion. Character development in this book was done through their emotions and experiences. Its hard to develop a character fully in short stories, and Julie Anne Peters does an amazing job in giving her characters their chance to speak, showing who they really are.


I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone. While the subject throughout all the short stories is sexual orientation, Peters takes you beyond that and makes the real subject "being human" and having thoughts, feelings, and emotions that transcend one's sexual orientation.


There were times I felt proud of some of the girls, others where I was furious and others where I felt sympathy and sadness for them. This book really opened my eyes, no just into the LGBTs, but into human beings and women as they are.

Julie Anne peters is an amazing author..i've read several of her books(keeping you a secret and define normal) and im in love with her writing (which i can add her writings never get old to me). Grl2Grl was a great book, but like the other reviews the stories were a tad short,i wouldve liked to know what happened to the different girls.
But For the most part they kept my attention which is extremely hard for me to do normally,they all were on the same subject of these teens either bi or lesbian,but all different stories. Some made me relate..some didnt but i still kept into it.
so over all its a really good book. =] and the last story gave me a huge smile.

Julie Ann Peters has already distinguished herself as a master at writing full-length novels dealing with GLBQT issues. With GRL2GRL, she establishes that she's also good at writing short stories with great characters and in-depth storylines.

The book includes ten short stories, all dealing with girls and their feelings of love, loneliness, passion, and betrayal. There's a story about a girl on the subway, the object of another girl's affection, and the strength it takes to gather the courage to make that initial connection. There's the girl who, although she wants very badly to join in on a meeting of fellow gays and lesbians, isn't sure she'll ever be brave enough to do so. You can read about an online Internet relationship that progresses quickly, and falls apart amidst lies and betrayal. Or you can read the story TWO-PART INVENTION, my personal favorite, about two girls who have always been friends, and the love that grows from that friendship.

Whether you're a lesbian or not, a questioning teen or not, you'll find something satisfying in these stories. They're heartfelt and wonderful, whether you read them one at a time or all at once.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"