Juliet Takes a Breath

Juliet Takes a Breath

By Gabby Rivera

Dial Books, 2019. 304 pages. Fiction. 

The night before she leaves for her dream internship, Juliet Palante comes out to her Puerto Rican family as a lesbian. Leaving behind her shocked and disappointed parents, she travels from the Bronx to Portland, Oregon to intern for her favorite feminist author, Harlowe Brisbane. Juliet spends the summer making friends with other women authors of color, exploring her sexuality, learning to communicate with her mom, and getting over her first break-up. She finds that Harlowe’s brand of feminism isn’t as inclusive as she thought and that sometimes your heroes will fail you. Juliet discovers more about who she is as a “closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx” and learns to love herself, “even the shameful bits”. 

This book is a delightful coming of age and coming out of the closet story. Juliet’s narration is honest and unfiltered which makes it feel really refreshing. She’s got a lot to say and a lot to learn about the world, and I like that the reader gets to discover this along with Juliet. The reader and Juliet learn about intersectionality, white feminism, and how to navigate the queer community. I like the complex, multi-dimensional characters and feel that they, and their experiences, mirror real life.

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