I get wanting to love this book, but I could t quite do it. I'll say I really liked it. I felt like the characters and their experiences were pretty realistic, but I felt there could've been more time spent developing Ash's character development and her growing realization that she was gay. I'd give this a 3.5. ( )

This was a very quick but nice read. However it feels like it's more fitting for 12-15 year olds, the struggles were very standard and the writing was light and simple. Really a lovely read, I wish I'd read this when I was younger. ( )

If you're looking for a book to celebrate LBGQT month, look no further than Liz Kessler's Read Me Like a Book. This is a book on the lighter side. It celebrates the awkwardness of being a teenager, the beauty of discovering who you really are, and the strength that comes in sharing that with others. While it may not be the most serious book I've read on this subject, I can guarantee that it'll be a quick and enjoyable read.

Kessler has written one quirky character in Ashleigh, and I think that's what I liked most about her. She's the teenager who is caught in the middle. Caught in the middle of her parents, who seem to be on the road to divorce. Caught in the middle of wanting to hang out with friends, but also wanting to please her mother and do well in school. Now, as an extra layer, Ashleigh is caught in the middle of who society tells her she should be and who she thinks she might actually be. I liked Ashleigh a lot. She was adorable, awkward at times, and just too honest for her own good. The fact that the person who made her realize her full potential was a teacher, also made me smile! I have a soft spot in my heart for that.

My only qualm with this book was that it's a bit thin. A lot of things transpire in a very short amount of time, which doesn't leave much room for it all to be laid out and resolved. Now, I'm not saying that life is by any means clean when it comes to timelines. However, it made getting to know Ashleigh, her parents, and her friends, a lot more difficult. They ended up being a bit more transparent than I would have liked, because they were so busy pushing towards the ending that I knew was coming. I'm all about a happy ending, and I'm so glad that Ashleigh was given hers. I only wish I'd had a bit more time to enjoy her crazy journey, and rejoice in her decision to be true to herself.

As I said before, this book is lighthearted. It's a relatively easy journey through what it's like to bumble through realizing your sexuality. Ashleigh is presented with questions, yes. However she's also lucky enough to be surrounded by all manner of peo ( )

A story of a girl coming into herself. The passage of time in the story was a bit hard to follow. ( )

Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler is a warm-hearted coming of age story. Ashleigh Walker is going through a lot. Her parents are either silent with each other (and her) or bickering with each other. Living at home is intolerable. School is no better. It is what school has always been to teenagers: a boring pain. She has no boyfriend and no prospects.

But things are about to change. At a party she meets Dylan, a cute boy who is interested in her. And at school, Miss Murray, the substitute English teacher is making English fun. Moreover, she seems to understand what teens, and especially Ashleigh, are going through. She seems to be able to look right inside Ashleigh and understand her emotions, her innermost thoughts and feelings. The more Ashleigh sees her, the more she wants to see Miss Murray. These feelings confuse her.

In an easy going but engrossing manner, Liz Kessler gets Ashleigh through her parents’ breakup, her sexual identity crisis and her friendships, both old and new. There was something about Read Me Like a Book that made me want to read it straight through. I didn’t, but only because I didn’t have the time.

Ashleigh and her best friend, Cat, are two extremes. The former is more reserved. The latter more wild. Somehow, the combination seems to work for both of them.

All of us need, but few of us find, someone who can read us like a book. It’s gratifying to know that Ashleigh found that person ( )