Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan Book Review
“‘And girls aren’t supposed to like other girls.’
‘Well, some girls do,’ I say, echoing her words from the shop.”
(pg. 278)
About
Author: Jennifer Dugan
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance
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Other Books By Jennifer Dugan
Verona Comics
Synopsis
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.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
For the girls (or anyone really!),
I’ve been reading Jennifer Dugan’s books ever since they came out, and I have to say her books really get better and better. And it’s amazing as a reader to not only enjoy her stories, but to see the progression of her storytelling and writing 💜. I liked how Jennifer Dugan built Morgan and Ruby’s background throughout the story in little tidbits rather than one huge block paragraph because it kept the momentum of the story. Doing so also gave an air of mystery and intrigue for the reader to keep reading. So I really enjoyed that 😊. I also genuinely enjoyed Some Girls Do. It was cute, complicated, and courageous; it was beauty and grace.
Our two main characters couldn’t have been more different from each other, but that’s what I liked about them.
I just wanted to reach through the book and give Ruby the biggest hug ever 💜. Her mom sucked toes!!!!! Her mom royally sucked!!!! 😡 I did NOT like her. I did not like how she made Ruby feel like she owed the Mom for providing for her or for giving her a place to live. I don’t know . . . isn’t that what moms ARE SUPPOSED TO DO? Like stop making your daughter feel like your obligation and your puppet! Don’t even get me started on when she outright told Ruby she was the first mistake she ever made 😡. I was ready to fight for Ruby!!! Joking, I don’t fight, but I was thoroughly upset for Ruby. Like that sucks!
Ruby’s mom had Ruby at sixteen, and Ruby’s mom was kicked out of her home and she had to give up her pageant life because she had to raise Ruby. Also, being pregnant probably changed her body and made the mom feel like she couldn’t compete in comparison with the other girls. So having Ruby felt like her mistake because it cost the Mom her dream of becoming Miss America or something. Given all this, Ruby felt obligated to carry out her Mom’s pageant dreams, which was completely unfair. Ruby didn’t even like pageants, but she did them out of some sick, twisted guilt. I know what it’s like to do an activity you don’t really like but your parents force you to. It makes you resent the sport you are doing, even if there are good parts about it. I could tell Ruby didn’t have fun doing pageants, and it was kind of sad how she wanted to do this last big pageant as a means to get out of her mom’s clutches. I mean, GO RUBY! But also that hurt my heart that she didn’t feel loved and she didn’t even do things she loved. The only thing Ruby did for herself that she truly loved was mechanics. I thought that was pretty darn cool. Gosh knows I couldn’t fix a car let alone a ballpoint pen 🤪. No, seriously, I broke my pen and it’s not surviving 😂.
I digress. But back to the mom. I didn’t like how Ruby didn’t even feel comfortable being home or talking to her mom. Her home should be the one place she found solitude or safety, but she did anything she could to avoid being home. It all starts at home—that’s the one place a person spends the most time at. But being at home and not being able to communicate respectfully with the people there is ten times more difficult.
“You swallow it down. Even if you choke on every word. You lend her your body to chase her dreams. And you act grateful for it, because if you don’t she’ll remind you of what she gave up for you every chance she gets.”
(pg. 48)
Also, the Mom and Ruby struggled financially, so I didn’t see why the mom would keep beating a rock when Ruby didn’t like pageants, and frankly because she wasn’t winning. I agreed with Ruby on how the money for makeup, hair, practice, or dresses could have been used for food, electricity, or water. But Ruby’s home life and the relationship with her mom made me think about how people are in situations like that. We should be doing more as a society to help people who need the basic necessities to live rather than spending so much money on funds that don’t need it as much. What about the people who slip through the cracks? In terms of Ruby’s relationship with her Mom, many people do have relationships like that with a parent or guardian. You deserve to feel safe and loved.
“Because love is . . . well, love is a trap. Love is getting knocked up and abandoned. Love is a handprint on a cheek and your entire childhood wrapped in tulle. Love is letting someone have the power to hurt you in ways you haven’t even thought of yet.”
(pg. 267)
Because of Ruby’s tense relationship with her mom, I felt Ruby was closed off to love. Ruby hooked up with Tyler all the time because she didn’t know a stable relationship besides just hooking up with someone. There’s also another reason, but I’ll get more into that later. Also, Ruby had toxic ideas of love based on the only way she knew love to be—manipulative and abusive love. She didn’t know the sparkly, giddy, romantic love because she never grew up seeing parents that way or experiencing that love from her Mom. And that broke my heart 💔. How sad it was that Ruby didn’t believe in the goodness of love because she was raised with the bad. I wanted to hug her.
Her mom also sucked because she didn’t like the thought of Ruby being gay. Whenever Ruby showed signs of getting too close to a girl, the Mom’s suspicions rose sky high. There was this whole backstory of the pageant where Ruby had this friend, Katie, she did makeup and Ruby showed signs of liking her. I didn’t like how the mom told Ruby to swear off her friend and how the Mom then kept Ruby from hanging out with all the other girls as if that could stop her daughter’s feelings. From that moment on, Ruby learned that her Mom wasn’t open to the idea of her daughter being gay, so it sent this message to Ruby that it was wrong of her to like girls. So Ruby went the rest of her life tamping down every part of her that liked girls because she knew her mom wouldn’t accept her for it. That’s why Ruby also slept with Tyler because it made her forget the fact that she liked girls and it made it seem like she had a thing for boys. She might, but not as much as she liked girls. It just really broke my heart to see how much Ruby would stifle any thoughts or emotions of liking girls because of how wrong she felt for it. She would have thoughts of Morgan, and then she would brush it off or push it down. I also didn’t like when she had that one thought where she was like, no one would like a queer beauty queen. Honey, the would LOVE a queer beauty queen!!!! 👏🏼 If they don’t I will sue 😂. I’m joking.
You know, I have to give Tyler some credit because after the party, I felt like he knew that Ruby didn’t like him that way. He was a good guy. I liked him. He gave me good vibes. I also liked Everly in how supportive she was of Ruby when she needed a friend. She never judged Ruby’s home life, and always gave her a place to stay. I also appreciated how she never pushed Ruby to come out or say something she wasn’t comfortable with yet. Instead, she just left the proverbial door open for Ruby if and when she was ready to talk to her. I think Everly knew, and I liked how she hinted that she wouldn’t look at Ruby differently if she happened to look at other people a certain way because I think that might have made Ruby feel a little less hesitant to be open to Everly. But I just appreciated how she was there for Ruby. Especially after the Mom and her had a big fight.
GOSH!!! When Ruby and the mom had the fight, I was like, the Mom SUCKS and GO RUBY!!! Metaphorically and literally go! 🤪 Cut out that negativity!!! You don’t need that. But also, I felt for Ruby because she had to run away from home because home wasn’t a welcoming environment anymore. Ruby made me think about all those center kids who needed resources because they didn’t have a home too. I just can’t express how painted that makes me feel—that people would reject their children because of who they love or who they are rather than try to understand them. But Ruby didn’t need the mom’s leash on her anymore; I was glad Ruby was free.
Honestly, Ruby should have just lived with Billy all this time. Billy was the person Ruby fixed her baby blue car with and who she learned mechanics from. I liked how he felt sort of proud when Ruby said she was doing this last pageant to earn a scholarship for college for the mechanics program. I loved how he just gave her a space to run away to when school was rough, home was tough, and no one was talking to her. He let her be an angsty teen without judgement, but sometimes he did ask her if she was okay. I could tell how much he genuinely cared for her. I mean, he was no maternal figure that’s for sure—he was very straight up with things—but I liked him. He made Ruby feel loved and appreciated. He showed Ruby that someone could care for her. You know how gosh darn sad it made me that Ruby felt uncomfortable to accept love? WRECKED 💔. Ruby should have never had to feel uncomfortable to be loved—a basic human emotion. But she did 😢.
“Protecting the wrong person. Loving the wrong person. Always.”
(pg. 286)
I liked the moment she told Billy she was bi or something. I liked how raw and honest she was being because she trusted him and he didn’t judge her for who she was or who she loved. And I liked how he didn’t make a big deal out of it because it made her feel comfortable/natural to love who she loved. I mean, it’s obvious when someone loves someone by the way they look at that person. Someone in my life loved someone the same way Ruby loved Morgan, but she never told me about it. But I could see how she cared for this person as more than a friend. I loved how Billy offered up his couch to Ruby even before she had that confrontation with her Mom. I loved how protective Billy even got when he thought the Mom mistreated Ruby. But I loved how an open couch turned into a whole room where Ruby could stay. Those were the people who loved and cared for her, not the Mom. The Mom had some serious making up to Ruby if she ever wanted to rectify or heal their relationship. I’m still curious what will become of them, but I like to hope for the best. But honestly, Ruby doesn’t owe her Mom anything because the Mom never respected Ruby, never made her feel loved, and never truly listened to her daughter’s pain or hurt. I believe the Mom needs to heal from her own hurt and trauma before making amends to her daughter. She also needs to stop blaming Ruby and everyone else rather than herself.
Because of Ruby’s relationships, it made her put off with Morgan.
Morgan was out, loud, and proud, and I loved that for her 🥰.
“‘Now, are you ever going to tell us who you are?/
And who am I? It’s such a loaded question. One I’ve been running from as hard as I’ve been holding on to it. But in this moment, it feels right. In this moment, I want to claim it. Loudly. And hopefully never stop.
In this moment I feel proud.”
(pg. 46)
I LOVED when Morgan said this 💜.
Morgan used to hide who she was and who she loved. She went to a private Catholic school, which if you ask me, probably had to be one of the more conservative places to go. Morgan was tired of hiding who she liked, and she came out as queer to the school, and people didn’t take it well. Her friends stopped talking to her, some of her friends stopped because their parents told them not to talk to her. But it was more than Morgan being queer that made people unwelcoming of her. There was this whole scandal with this girl named Sonia whom Morgan liked. Sonia was experimenting with who she liked, and she happened to kiss Morgan. Sonia realized she didn’t like girls like she thought she did, so instead she pinned this story that Morgan came onto her and harassed her by kissing her. Or something like that. That really boiled my chicken! How dare she accuse Morgan—use her as a scapegoat when Morgan did nothing wrong. So this catapulted a whole situation where Morgan could either be expelled or leave the school. Morgan left the school to live with her brother, Dylan, a few towns over to finish up the last quarter/semester of school. All the while, her parents were suing Morgan’s old school and it created huge media attention at first. Then there was the whole thing with the waiver that if Morgan’s family dropped the lawsuit, the Catholic school would drop their charges and give Morgan a nice recommendation or give her the right credit to still go to her D-I school—-her dream school. With all this going on, Morgan was nervous she wouldn’t be accepted to her D-I school after everything. She was also zealous (in a good way!) to enact change for everyone like her who has been treated like her. Especially as a sports player, she wanted to make a difference.
Morgan just felt like if she wasn’t changing anything, she wasn’t helping those who would go through what she went through. So she felt helpless while her parents were battling this lawsuit while she just went to school. I could understand her need to do something, but I respected her parent’s decision. It sucked, though. It felt like Morgan failed everyone and it felt like she let the other school win. I felt terrible for Morgan when her parents told her they dropped the lawsuit. The parent’s were struggling to make ends meet because of how expensive the lawsuit was becoming. But Morgan did make a difference—she spoke up, she told her story, and she tried. Trying is more than enough. And she also helped out at the center where she did amazing things. She shouldn’t discount herself.
Just because Ruby wasn’t changing the entire world, doesn’t mean she wasn’t making a difference.
Ruby volunteering at the center demonstrated how passionate she was to help out. I liked Danny, who I would still like to know his real name 🤪. He seemed like a cool dude. Danny and ruby related because he was a football player who drove over two miles to the center to get counseling. I was no athlete in high school or do I know what it is like to hide who you love, but I can understand how difficult and frustrating that can be when you want to share your love with the world. I also think being an athlete, there’s a certain image people expect you to uphold, especially as a football player, so that had to be even tougher for Danny. But I’m glad he knew he needed help and sought it. It just made me sad that he felt the need to drive that far to hide this part of his life. I mean, loving someone shouldn’t be something people have to hide, ever. I agreed with Izzie when Ruby stepped out of line in that one counseling session with Danny. Ruby was having a really rough day and was just lashing out her feelings to Danny. She was in no state to give advice. I think Ruby was more mad at herself afterwards because she knew Izzie and Danny were right. I mean, she told Danny to go sue the school and take down the NFL. And well her mindset and ideas are admirable and game-changing, I believe Ruby needed to work her way up to changing the entire NFL cause gosh knows she couldn’t afford to sue the NFL. But it’s not that I don’t agree with her ideas, I just felt like she wanted to shove the entire cake in her mouth by herself, rather than eat it slowly with other people. She needed to take things slowly and have help.
So I liked the ending where Ruby and Danny teamed up for a student rainbow coalition and how they went to various schools to speak out. I think it’s important to realize that small efforts make a big difference as well. I liked what Ruby was doing 💜. I also liked that one epiphany conversation between Ruby and Danny. Ruby really needed Danny to take herself out of her situation and see it from Morgan’s perspective.
“‘We both get where the other one’s coming from. If my choice is having him some of the time or none of the time, I pick some.’
‘And you’re okay with that? For real?’
‘I have to be. I’m not going to break up with the person I love just to prove a point.'”
(pg. 305)
Dany had her there 😉.
Let’s back up and talk about Ruby and Morgan as a couple.
First, I LAUGHED that not only did Ruby fun Morgan over once, but she did it twice 🤪. Not that running over someone is a good thing or a laughable thing, but in the context of a fictional world and a meet cute, I laughed. Don’t judge! Anyway, they had a very enemies or I-don’t-like-you vibe, which I enjoyed. But I felt Morgan didn’t like Ruby more so because she was trying to tamp down her feelings. To be honest, their relationship seemed a bit like enemies to lovers and then it went real installove for me. Not that I didn’t enjoy their relationship, but I would have liked to explore more of the enemies to lovers part rather than just liking each other based on staring at each other from afar and falling in love. I liked when Everly captured Ruby gazing at Morgan on the track. Everyone thought she was looking at Tyler, but she was in love with the girl who was running 😉.
I thought it was cute they did a group project together. Gosh, do I miss doing group projects with people 😅. Those were the days. Working together brought them closer and it helped Morgan understand who Ruby was—-her pageantry and her work hours. I thought it was creepy though when Morgan followed Ruby into the bathroom at the dinner and just stood in the stall. I would have felt really creeped out. But my favorite moment was when Ruby took Morgan to Billy’s and gave her a grand tour. I knew that that meant a lot to Ruby because she didn’t let people into her world often, so bringing Morgan to Billy’s represented how much she liked Morgan. I thought it was funny when Ruby showed up at Morgan’s house all drunk, saying there were hotter girls out there. She was out of it. I liked how Morgan took care of her even if she wasn’t upset with Ruby. I understood why Morgan was furious when Morgan said she was experimenting because that’s what got her kicked out of her old school. If only Ruby knew.
I didn’t like when Ruby was drunk and danced with Morgan—leading her on—only to dance with Tyler later at the party. It kind of teased Morgan and that wasn’t okay. But Ruby was probably drunk because she knew Morgan was coming and didn’t want to like her. You know, it was said Morgan ran in the woods to clear her mind. Honestly, loved the sentiment for her, but gosh, that’s dangerous 🤪. Don’t go running in the woods alone, kids!
I did think their first date was really sweet 😊. I loved how Dylan played up the big brother first date interrogator role 😂. Soooo funny! It made me sad though, that Ruby felt like she had to drive three towns over so no one could see her and Morgan together. I respect that Ruby drove farther because that was what she was comfortable with, and that’s okay. I was just sad at the thought that we live in a world where people feel uncomfortable to be who they are or be with people they love 🙁. They had one tense moment when they talked about pageants, but other than that, it felt like a cute date with food and flirting. I liked how natural and open Ruby was. And again, I loved how she felt safe to be on her own terms. However, I could feel Morgan wanting more than stolen kisses or hidden dates. I get it. But I also understood that Ruby wasn’t ready for that yet. She was still figuring out who she was and what she felt comfortable doing, and Morgan wanted Ruby to sprint to the finish line and be like, “hey world, this is my girlfriend.” Ruby needed to do that on her own time.
I don’t know, to me it’s complicated because I could understand both sides. But that’s so hard.
Because Morgan was proud, she was loud. And I get it. For me, I think Morgan should absolutely be loud and proud about who she was because she had to spend so many years in the “closet” hiding her truth, that she couldn’t help but burst with life and pride in who she was. How could she not? I would want to burst with all the love I had. She deserves to wear and be whoever she wanted to be—she deserved to be proud after being silenced or told she was wrong for being who she was. Morgan was the opposite. She was raised to not be proud. She was raised to be quiet and to fit into society and the hetero norm. It was terrifying for her to be proud.
“‘I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller or quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.'”
(pg. 115)
And no one should have to.
But this was a big point of contention between Ruby and Morgan.
But Morgan needed to understand that not everyone had the same story like she did. Not everyone had supportive parents, not everyone had supportive friends, not everyone grew up in a town that accepted them. Ruby couldn’t be like Morgan and Morgan expected her to instantly change for their relationship. Morgan needed to slow down and meet ruby halfway to where she was at and let her set the pace for what she was ready for. So that conversation with Danny helped her see her wrong. Because to Morgan showing the world her love for Ruby was Morgan being proud of the love she had, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing. But Ruby wasn’t ready yet.
I said to myself in my notes that Ruby would make some big gesture at the pageant at the end where she either came out or she was proud. I was BEAMING for Ruby when she went on that stage and talked about how Morgan taught her to be proud 🥺💜. Also, I loved Morgan’s grand gesture—-we love a grand gesture moment!
I also loved the ending where Ruby took Morgan to see Everly’s senior project with the photo of Ruby looking at Morgan on the track. I also loved how they DTRed the relationship because Ruby was ready to do so. I thought that was cute. I didn’t think that Ruby had any catching up to do, she was doing just fine figuring things out one day at a time.
Ruby and Morgan wouldn’t be who they were without a wonderful support system.
I liked how Morgan had the pride club who welcomed her with open arms. I loved how they were there when she literally needed a shoulder to cry on or when she needed shoulders to shield her. I liked Aaron the most from the club because he knew Ruby the best and he tried to be Ruby’s voice of reason because he knew she didn’t have it easy. I liked how Aaron also followed Ruby home when she showed up at the center, wanting to talk to Morgan. We love a loyal friend.I thought Annika was very wishy washy.
I absolutely adored Dylan. I don’t know what it is about brother characters named Dylan, but they are so fun 💜. I loved the whole moment when Morgan pixie cut her hair and she was at the salon getting advice from her “two older brothers.” That’s so fun! I liked how Dylan was your typical post-grad boy, but I also loved how much he loved and cared for Morgan; he wanted to do right by her. He tried not to be awkward, but he still was. But that made him lovable 😊. I also liked how he started his dream salon with his best friend. What a cool dude. And I liked how he helped out his parents when they needed it. He was also just very funny and brotherly. I also loved Morgan’s parents and how they bought Ruby a bed and other furniture at the end 🥺.
I liked Lydia and Allie’s characters—Morgan’s friends. Allie was awkward as heck around Morgan, which I could understand. But I think Allie just needed to be more sensitive and educate herself a bit more. She was an “Allie/ally,” get it 😉. Or she would have been if she was a bit more supportive. Lydia represented people who were out but not out out. I felt Ruby and Lydia could relate to each other, but I felt they both needed to do what was comfortable for them. I would have liked Lydia to join Morgan for a meeting, but that’s okay if she wasn’t comfortable, but I hope she knows she deserves to be proud and love who she loves without feeling like she’ll be judged. Truly, I just wanted her to be happy. I thought every character was purposeful—adding to the story.
But what a fun, heartfelt book, and I can’t wait for what Jennifer Dugan has next 💜.
What was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Are you more like Morgan or Ruby? I think I’m more like Ruby—kind of reserved and I like to take things one step at a time. Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
4.97 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: You will grow to love Ruby and Morgan. They also have such depth to them and it’s interesting to follow their journey.
Writing: Jennifer Dugan keeps getting better and better 💜
Plot: A cute, sweet, thoughtful story
Romance: Love at first car hit 😉