Review: “Some Girls Do” by Jennifer Dugan

A Sweet and Important YA Sapphic Romance

Lately, I’ve trying to read more of the young adult (YA) sapphic books that inhabit my book shelves unread. It’s not that I don’t want to read these books; there’s just so many fantastic contemporary adult sapphic romances coming out that sometimes I forget what I have on my shelves! I decided to start with Jennifer Dugan’s Some Girls Do. I remember liking her adult romance Love at First Set, which is probably why I bought this one in the first place.

Newly out elite track star Morgan Matthews is hoping for a fresh start at a new school after her previous one kicked her out for being a lesbian. Sure, she is currently suing her former school and isn’t allowed to participate on the track team yet, but she’s hopeful that this new school will give her everything she needs. On her first day, though, she makes the mistake of putting her hands on Ruby Thompson’s beloved 1970 Ford Torino. When Ruby isn’t working on cars, she’s competing in local beauty pageants to make her overbearing mom happy. While the two girls are drawn to each other immediately and start developing feelings for one another, there’s one major issue: Morgan doesn’t want to hide their relationship, but Ruby isn’t ready to come out.

I really enjoyed Some Girls Do. For starters, I liked both Ruby and Morgan and felt like they were really well-developed characters. Both of them and their stories were grounded in their past experiences with their queerness. Morgan is so outspoken and so steadfast in wanting to be out and proud because she has spent the better part of a year fighting for her right to be so. The pressure to hide her queerness came from society, so society became the thing she fought against. For Ruby, her queerness has been hidden and her self-worth destroyed because of her demanding mother. Her entire life has been about being the person her mother wants. So, her struggle to accept that she is queer and her reluctance to be out makes absolute sense and makes her arc all the more impactful and important.

I also found both Ruby and Morgan very relatable, in part due to Dugan’s fantastic writing. Reading Morgan’s inner monologue, I could see my newly-out self having a lot of the same emotions and reactions to things. Her fierceness and her determination felt incredibly real. I also empathized with Ruby so much when reading her inner monologue. While my experience was not the same as hers, I remember having those same thoughts of worthlessness and self-doubt as I struggled to find myself pre-transition.

Some Girls Do succeeds in telling an earnest and heartfelt story that balances both hope and strife very well. I loved the way that Morgan and Ruby’s multiple meet-cutes were handled with a very obvious “they annoy each other, but they also are so attracted to each other” vibe. The good moments Ruby and Morgan have together, both before they start dating and after, are so sweet. I felt such a sense of hope for these two kids during those moments. I especially enjoyed their first date and how freaking cute Ruby was the entire time trying to make sure it was absolutely perfect.

At the same time, Dugan leaves little hints and reminders throughout those better times that there are still major issues between Ruby and Morgan. Morgan knows who she is and wants to be out about their relationship while Ruby struggles with her identity and is not at all ready for coming out. I like how this thread was handled and the ways in which both girls really struggled in helping each other see their perspective. Namely, I liked that this disagreement between Ruby and Morgan was not left for one massive confrontation, but instead lots of little ones that cropped up over and over again. Each time it did, it led to some painful conversations that were tough to read. It made their story feel much more realistic and highlighted the fact that big issues like these take time and cannot be solved overnight.

Lastly, I think the overall message of the story resonated with me and feels like an important one that any queer person could benefit from. Some Girls Do is a good reminder that queerness is messy and that each and every queer person’s journey is unique. Forcing other queer people to be just like us gets us nowhere; instead, what’s needed is empathy and assistance. Our community and our own selves are all the better when we try to understand one another and give each other the necessary space and time. I also loved the message in Ruby’s story that accepting your queerness may be frightening and that some people may not accept it, but there are plenty of people that will. And, at the end of the day, it is so worth it.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with Some Girls Do. It’s a wonderfully sweet and earnest story of two girls falling in love in spite of what others may say. It’s a story that showcases the importance of understanding that every queer person’s journey is different and that, if you’re willing to listen and wait, we all end up right where we need to be.