Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit is by Jaye Robin Brown.

Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees.

Although it is (mostly) much easier for Jo to fit in as a straight girl, things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school. But Jo couldn’t possibly think of breaking her promise to her dad. Even if she’s starting to fall for the girl. Even if there’s a chance Mary Carlson might be interested in her, too. Right?

The Breakdown:
1. This was not a book that I probably picked up on my own, but it was my book club's pick for the month.  I am so glad that it was, because I really enjoyed this book. I thought that Brown did a great job of portraying life both in Atlanta and in Rome for teens. Plus, I loved most of her characters.  She does a great job of making them well rounded, even the supporting characters.

2.  I really liked Joanna's character.  She is smart and outgoing, and her flaws are something I think that most can relate to. One of my favorites things about her is her belief that being gay and a Christian are not mutually exclusive things.  Plus the struggle of pleasing her father and being true to herself is something that most of us have dealt with at one time or another.

3. Probably my least favorite thing about this book was Dana, Joanna's best friend.  She comes off as abrasive and insure at times.  While she is the one to tell Joanna to man up to Mary Carlson, which I thought was a great moment.  Overall, she does not come off as a great friend.

4. I thought the book had a good flow to it, and loved the relationships developed in it. I liked that it dealt with things that people struggle with all the time.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read