Queerleaders is a romantic comedy set in a Catholic high school. Mackenzie (Mack) has always known that she is a lesbian, but she is only out to her best friend, Lila. Mack has a huge crush on a cheerleader. When Mack is outed at school and bullied by the cheerleader’s football-player boyfriend, Chad, Mack rashly declares that she can steal ALL of the football player’s girlfriends — or, at least, get them to kiss her. Suddenly Mack is involved in multiple confusing relationships, while Lila feels increasingly sidelined.

CarrieS: I loved so many things about this book, but my favorite was the way it subverts some common rom-com tropes. The outcome is sweet and surprising in a way that makes total sense (as opposed to a surprising ending that comes out of nowhere and leaves the reader baffled).

Tara: I KNOW! I really thought I knew exactly what was happening, and as you know from the frantic, all-caps Slack message that I immediately sent you (which I won’t share for spoiler reasons), I was completely surprised! It’s so rare that I’m THAT surprised, so I was pleased to be wrong. And the ending that follows wraps up so sweetly and perfectly, I had a massively happy sigh and then told a bunch of friends to read this book as soon as it comes out.

CarrieS: The list of clues the characters came up with to determine one’s sexuality left me laughing, and the relationship between Mack, Lila, and Mack’s mom not only cracked me up but hit very close to home (basically, I’m that mom). The way Mack and Lila are always touching reminded me of my own daughter and her friends who, whenever they are together, regardless of sexual orientation, always end up in a puppy pile. My generation didn’t engage in much platonic touch and I thought the book handled that aspect of friendship in a realistic and affectionate way.

Tara: Yes, there was so much warmth, humour, and love between the three of them. I especially appreciated that Mack’s mom and Lila always had Mack’s back. Mack is quiet and tries to keep herself small and out of people’s attention. So, when Chad tells Mack off for bumping into him, and Lila tells him to “Eat a spicy dick!” I found that reaction so endearing because it felt like exactly what he deserved to hear, but Mack never would have said it.

Some of those clues you alluded to had me absolutely cackling. I’d love to see someone take all of them and build a lesbian-stereotype-bingo card (particular gems included golf, Kristen Stewart, and woodworking). Or, using them for a drinking game while reading this book would also work if you’d like to get a very fine buzz on. I’ll also say that I felt personally called out when a description of Mack’s English teacher included the line, “Mack had taken a liking to her as queer girls usually do with their English teachers for whatever mythical reason.”

Something else that worked well for me was how Mack had to navigate other people’s feelings. Taking up the challenge to try to kiss all the cheerleaders means Mack has to talk and spend time with (and, yes, kiss) people she wouldn’t normally interact with. The attention she gets from these popular girls is understandably heady, giving her an inflated sense of self that causes her to blurt out things she immediately wishes she could take back, over and over. In one particular instance, Mack sticks her foot in it so badly that she hurts [name redacted for spoiler reasons]’s feelings, and it reminded me of when Lisa Simpson broke Ralph Wiggum’s heart.

CarrieS: Yes, so much this. This book would never work if it was about adults, because we rightfully expect adults to have their shit together. But since it’s about teens, who famously lack impulse control, it works perfectly, showing that Mack is an essentially good person who keeps getting intoxicated by circumstances and acting impulsively. It’s clear that she doesn’t WANT to hurt people, but also that, as one character says, “She’s like a kid at Disneyland for the first time.” As Mack interacts with a variety of people, the reader does as well, and Queerleaders challenges us to rethink our own assumptions about cheerleaders and queer people and parents and football players, and to pay attention to their feelings and admit that everybody’s feelings are complex and important.

Tara: The writing is also very clever and I found myself highlighting passages as often as I was smiling or laughing. I’m a massive sucker for banter, and Queerleaders delivers that in spades. For example, immediately after Chad outs Mack to the whole school, Lila and Mack have this exchange:

“Hey, wait!” Lila jogged beside her. “What are you doing?” Lila looped her arm through Mack’s when she caught up with her.

“Running away from my problems,” Mack said, eyes still straight ahead as she headed toward the parking lot.

“Don’t you think actual running is required for that?”

“You know running in the halls is against school policy.”

“Okay, well, stop power walking,” Lila said, grasping Mack’s sleeve and slowing her to a stop. “You’re giving me flashbacks of when my mom joined that Oprah exercise club.”

CarrieS: Yes also to the writing quality. It felt fresh and funny, but also grounded — I cared about the outcome and I flinched whenever a character was hurt. There’s a moment when Mack’s mom has a conversation with Mack that I had had with my own daughter THE PREVIOUS DAY. So even though the actual situation (kiss all the cheerleaders) is contrived, the actual issues (friendship versus romantic love versus physical attraction, coming out, being outed, bullying) felt real, and romance truly sweet.

Bitchery community, Tara and I struggled with the grade on this one. On the one hand, we didn’t have anything actually bad to say about it. The situation is contrived, yes, but frankly most rom-com situations are contrived, so this worked in genre. It felt too light for an A (it didn’t change either of our lives) but certainly deserves a B+. Is B+++++ a grade?

Tara: I can’t think of a book I’ve had more fun reading in a while, so B(all the pluses) is about right. I’ll probably read this one again, especially if I’m in a slump and want something that will definitely make me laugh.