This book dealt with such important and heartbreaking issues, and at times it was so raw and real that it felt more like reading a memoir than a fictional novel. I so much wanted to love it, but sadly it didn’t quite live up to all it’s potential.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is very different from the typical coming-of-age story. It’s about Cameron who grows up as a gay girl in rural Montana in the 1990’s (even though it felt more like the 1950’s) and who kisses a girl for the first time the same day that her parents die in a car accident. Cameron’s first feeling is therefore of relief that they will never find out about the kiss. But soon relief is replaced by guilt and the thought that her parents death was her fault, a kind of punishment for her ’wrongful’ behaviour.

As a result of the accident Cameron moves in with her conservative, super religious Aunt Ruth along with her grandmother. But when Aunt Ruth finds out about Cameron’s “homosexual tendencies”, she sends her away to a conversion therapy camp.

The fact that the events described in the story even exists, and that families actually send their loved ones to conversion therapy camps to “cure” them from being who they are, makes me so angry I want to cry. This book is a heart-breaking reminder that even though so much has been gained the past decades we must keep on fighting for everyone’s right to love, freedom and justice. I therefore really wanted to love the book, but sadly the execuiton didn’t quite meet the potential of the story.

Cameron was a likeable enough main character and I really appreciated that she was allowed to act like a real teenager; selfish at times, irresponsible and contradictory, but she didn’t steal my heart. The main problem was that the book was so wordy and that every single thing Cameron did or thought was described in detail, which slowed the story down and created a distance to the characters.

But all in all, this is an important book that deserves to be read and discussed. I was debating with myself whether to rate it 3 or 4 stars, but eventually settled for 4 stars due to the important and eye-opening issues it shines light on.

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Emily M. Danforth

Starting to read this book, I expected a light-hearted, cute and fun read, but there was a lot going on beyond the speed dating premise. In addition to the space parts, there was a part focusing on the business conspiracy on Earth involving the company behind the show and their leader with a secret mission to run for president. There was also a bit too much of unnatural explanations, and the speed dating parts were kind of rushed over. I wish that there had been more time devoted to the space travelers and their relationships (both the relationships between the six girls and the romance-buildings with the boys). I also missed out on representation, there were no same sex relations or queer characters at all. I feel like this book could have been really unique and mesmerizing, but the execution didn’t live up to the full potential.

But I did enjoy the book nevertheless, and it was full of suspense and with a main character, Leonor, that I couldn’t help root for. She was such a bold and strong-willed survivor of abuse and negligence, who didn’t believe in love, but seized the opportunity to create a better future for herself.​

“What I want is glory and I know that I’m not going to get it here on Earth.”

I really want to know what will happen to her and the other contestants. Also, this book ended in a cliffhanger that made me excited for the sequels. So, all in all, a solid three star read, but it had the potential to be so much more.

Rating:
3 stars

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Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Victor Dixen