TAYSHAS 11

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

A couple of years ago, this author had another book on the TAYSHAS list that I enjoyed, so I figured this was a safe bet too. It was.

Ramona Blue Leroux has blue hair and lives in the small coastal town of Eulogy, Mississippi. She's a lesbian, which is rare for those parts, has an older sister who is pregnant and dating a douche canoe, and they live with their dad in a FEMA trailer from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At the beginning of the book, Ramona is spending the last little bit of time she has with her summer fling, Grace, a girl from Picayune who has a boyfriend and isn't ready to exit the closet. Ramona is way smitten with this girl, and is heartbroken when it seems Grace doesn't feel quite the same.

While throwing the last paper on her route, Ramona runs into an old family friend she hasn't seen in years, Agnes. Agnes' grandson, Freddie, used to spend a lot of time with Ramona when they were little. Now that he lives in town, they rekindle their own friendship.

Both Ramona and Freddie are hung up on girls who, it seems, couldn't care less about them, as evidenced when they go to a party. Freddie and Ramona continue to grow closer, and at Thanksgiving, they kiss. Ramona is not sure what this means, but she knows she loves Freddie and he loves her. He's the best thing in her life.

Which brings me to her life. I mentioned she lives in a FEMA trailer with her dad, pregnant sister, Hattie, and Hattie's boyfriend, Tyler. The space is NOT big enough for all of them, and Ramona just knows that Tyler is not going to be around for Hattie and the baby, and that she will have to take care of everything--just like always. She works two jobs to take care of things, and makes no plans to leave for college because of this. Oh, and their mother who left them after Katrina, she's a freaking mess. She comes to Hattie's baby shower drunk and causes a scene. She also thinks that Ramona being gay is just a phase or something that can be cured.

All of this, plus friendships and senior year of high school swirl around to make a fantastic, realistic read. I didn't want it to end, and I sincerely hope that Ramona pops up somewhere else.