Some Girls Do

In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.

Earnest, wistful, romantic, and real. Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue*

• Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan--out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start--doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn't ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?

  Beautiful, necessary, and completely irresistible. Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

  A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
  A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
  An ALA Rainbow Book List Selection
  
  “A smart, heartfelt teen romance.” —NPR

  “Dugan returns to the sweet Sapphic vibes of Hot Dog Girl with this newest, about two girls with undeniable chemistry and one big obstacle to being together.” —BuzzFeed

  “An empathetic, relatable love story, Some Girls Do might be Jennifer Dugan’s best novel to date.” —Bust

  “Swoony romance with well-crafted multidimensional characters rarely seen in young adult literature, making for a fast-paced read you won’t want to put down . . . A thoughtful exploration of coming out and safety, a necessary conversation for those within the queer community.” —*Culturess

  * “Heartfelt and thoughtful . . . An entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance.” —Shelf Awareness*, starred review

  “Succeeds in its portrayal of serious issues coupled with the giddy adrenaline rush of first love . . . Dugan nails the young adult voice. Morgan and Ruby are fully realized and age-appropriately flawed.” —School Library Journal

  “A nuanced sapphic romance that guides its heroines as they struggle with their identities and discover their voices. A quietly powerful addition to the canon.” —Booklist

  “Dugan gives each protagonist a distinct voice and compelling point of view, and readers will sympathize with their challenges as they find their ways to love . . . A complex and poignant queer romance.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “A sweet novel that offers plenty of rough edges and no easy answers.” —BookPage

  “An enjoyable romantic tale.” —*Publishers Weekly

  “Come for the joy of seeing the beauty queen get the girl; stay for the compassionate exploration of queer visibility in all its complexity. Some Girls Do is beautiful, necessary, and completely irresistible.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda*

  “Earnest, wistful, romantic, and real, Some Girls Do captures butterflies-in-your-stomach, most-important-thing-ever first love and still finds room to explore the messiness of coming out and coming of age queer.” —Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue
   
  “Dugan’s best yet! Some Girls Do is bright and aching, with a beautifully rendered relationship at its heart.” —Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls

  “Dugan delivers a story full of nuance, longing, and incredible growth. Some Girls Do is queer romance at its best.” —Isabel Sterling, author of These Witches Don’t Burn

  Autorentext

  Jennifer Dugan

  Klappentext

  In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars. Now available in paperback!

  Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan-out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start-doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn't ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, will they be able to go the distance together?

  Zusammenfassung
  In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.

  “Earnest, wistful, romantic, and real.” —Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue*

• Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan--out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start--doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn't ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?
  
  “Beautiful, necessary, and completely irresistible.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

  Leseprobe

1

Ruby

There s an art to the extraction. First, I take Tyler s arm heavy across my stomach and slide my fingers beneath. I lift it slightly and move centimeter by centimeter to the right side of the bed. And when I m mostly free, I grab one of his pillows warmed by my own overthinking head and slip it under his arm. If I m lucky, he ll snuffle softly in the moonlight streaming into his messy bedroom, hug the pillow, and stay sleeping. If I m unlucky, he ll wake up and ask me where I m going: Ruby, just stay. Ruby, please. Ruby, it won t kill you to cuddle. I don t have the energy for that.

Tyler s messy brown hair falls into his face as he smiles in his sleep and hugs my pillow replacement a little tighter. I got lucky tonight in every sense of the word. I grab my boots, leftovers from one of the ten million Western-themed pageants I ve smiled my way through over the years, and creep out the front door barefoot, careful not to let the screen door slam and wake his parents.

The motion-sensor light clicks on as I shove my feet into my boots and make a beeline for my car, my soul, my lifeline: my baby-blue 1970 Ford Torino. Yes, it s old as hell, but it s the one thing in this world that s truly mine. I bought it, rusted and rotten, off my great-aunt Maeve s estate for three hundred bucks. I painstakingly put it back together, scavenging pieces from junkyards and flea markets. I restored it to its current state of splendor. Me. I did that.

Okay, so maybe I had a little help from Billy Jacks…