Books › Our own private universe
Our own private universe
384 pages
A tender, sun-warmed summer romance about stepping out of your own head and into the messy, beautiful reality of first love.
What it feels like
This contemporary YA romance feels like a warm summer breeze, capturing the exact intersection of anxiety and exhilaration that comes with first love and sexual awakening. The narrative sits closely with an overthinking protagonist who is finally ready to move from hypothetical daydreams to real-world experience. Set against the backdrop of a summer youth-group trip, the mood is tender, inquisitive, and sun-drenched, perfectly matching the earnest tone of a teenager figuring out how to navigate her bisexual identity. The prose is accessible and deeply relatable, grounding the reader in the awkward, thrilling questions of youth. It is a steady, heartfelt read that will delight anyone looking for a sweet, sex-positive story about taking a leap of faith into romance and self-discovery.
- Mood
- tender
- sun-drenched
- inquisitive
- hopeful
- Tone
- earnest
- questioning
- warm
- relatable
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- sexual awakening · first love · bisexual identity · coming of age · overcoming hesitation
- The writing
- Accessible and introspective, capturing the authentic, slightly anxious voice of a teenager figuring herself out.
- The arc
- Moves from hypothetical overthinking and hesitation to active, vulnerable exploration of first love and identity.
- Who it's for
- Readers looking for a sweet, sex-positive, and earnest queer coming-of-age story set during a transformative summer.
Content notes
- sexual exploration
- religious youth group setting
About the book
"Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex. No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual, even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too. Actually, Aki's theory is that she's got only one shot at living an interesting life-- and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something. Or at least try. So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa-- slightly older, far more experienced-- it seems her theory is prime for the testing. But it's not going to be easy. For one thing, how exactly do two girls have sex, anyway? And more important, how can you tell if you're in love? It's going to be a summer of testing theories, and the result may just be love"--Provided by publisher.
Description from Open Library.
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