I have a weakness for contemporaries featuring an LGBT main character so I was thrilled to win this from Chronicle Books through Library Thing Early Reviewers.
Here’s the thing: Get it Together, Delilah! Was actually published in 2015 in Australia under the title the Flywheel. So if you’re from those parts, this might not be news to you.
If you’re from the States however, this one will be publishing in April 2017.
This is what it’s all about:
After a public humiliation and heartbreak at school, seventeen year old Delilah drops out to run The Flywheel, her father’s café while he goes traveling for a much needed break. Del’s mother? Run off to Melbourne with another man.
Things aren’t too bad at first – Del has flamenco hour to look forward to – a time when she can watch her crush Rosa dancing in all her radiant beauty.
But things quickly spiral out of control when her best friend Charlie gets into some legal trouble all because of his artichoke heart.
And then someone begins to sabotage the Flywheel, leaving Delilah with more on her plate than she can seem to manage.
Hilarious and endearing, Get it Together Delilah had some things I really liked about it:
What I liked :
•Lesbian main character whose sexuality isn’t the main plot, but is part of her story, and Erin Gough handles it realistically and well.
•Awesome Friendship dynamics: Charlie especially was quite the charmer. I really enjoyed his antics.
•Watching Del experience character growth (because sometimes I wanted to sit her down and give her a piece of my mind).
•Very funny. Del is hilarious and most of it is because of the way she thinks. I am sure her friends don’t realize how funny she is. She’s just got one of those great brains you like to be in.
•Satisfying conclusion (but I won’t give it away).
Delilah is a main character worth rooting for, and that is an important component of a good book. Though she starts off likeable, her flaws become apparent without making her obnoxious. This is after all, a book about growing up, taking responsibility, and well, getting it together. The payoff is worth it.
On all things, Erin Gough really hit the mark on this YA contemporary.
Paperback Propensity 
This looks like a good one–it’s especially relieving to hear that Del isn’t reduced to her sexual orientation. That happens way too often in queer YA, and it’s a shame. We need more human LGBTQ characters, not stereotypes! Definitely adding this one to the list, thanks for reviewing it 🙂
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I agree. I was really pleased with this one. Del is a regular teenaged girl going through young adult problems. She just happens to be interested in girls.
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