Three queer teens from Houston, Tex., work on a documentary about queer love in this emotionally sophisticated and joyful YA contemporary novel.
Senior best friends Dawn, Edie, and Georgia are one another's "guiding lights in the dank sewer drain of Alsbury High School." Dawn, a Latinx transgender girl and aspiring filmmaker, is caring for her chronically ill father while working on a documentary about the love lives of queer teenagers. Edie, who is Black, struggles to reconcile her desire for her conservative parents' approval with her love for her nonbinary partner. Georgia, a queer Korean American poet, has not been accepted into any colleges and fears "being left behind while Edie and Dawn travel... far away for school and [make] new friends." When an early version of Dawn's documentary is accepted into the Austin Film Festival--making her eligible for life-changing prize money and a scholarship--she needs Edie and Georgia's help to complete the film. Together the girls navigate the complexities of love and friendship as they stand on the brink of adulthood with "love and life stretched out in front of them in a thousand different directions."
The Queer Girl Is Going to Be Okay is a moving portrayal of queer youth forming their own chosen family and helping one another thrive. Dawn, Edie, and Georgia's profound friendship weathers romantic heartbreak, family turmoil, and mental health struggles. Author Dale Walls's debut is a sincere reminder to queer teens everywhere that a brighter future is possible. --Alanna Felton, freelance reviewer