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Some Girls Do
In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.
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?
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?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2021
1268 people are currently reading
61019 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Dugan
24 books2,075 followersJennifer Dugan is a writer, geek, and romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she had growing up. In addition to being a young adult novelist, she is also the writer/creator of two indie comics. She lives in New York with her family, dogs, and an evil cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,690 reviews
March 1, 2024
my daily schedule:-
- wake up
- get coffee
- add books with cute gay covers to my never ending tbr.
- go to sleep
repeat..
And then regret your choices.
Something I recently adopted in my schedule in 2021, disappointment.
What was this book about? In nutshell :-
Openly gay track star falls for closeted bisexual teen beauty queen.
In emoji style:-
🚗🏃♀️👑🏆🏳️🌈👩❤️👩
The pros :-
~ Ruby ❤️❤️
Cons :-
~ I didn't enjoy the relationship between Ruby and Morgan. They are like playing games with each other and betraying each other and it takes nearly 3/4 of the book for them to actually realise that they are in love with each other. They spend a lot of time hurting each other ESP Morgan. And that pretty much sums up the book there was no room for any other thing to happen.
~ the insta love shit was a total turn off for me.
~ then we have miscommunication trope , both of the MC are so bad at expressing there feelings that it started to get frustrating after s point.
~ Morgan in general is annoying , her "I am out and you should be" attitude is so annoying. She is not understanding anything , she didn't even get much growth throughout the book.
~ and above all the cringe dialogues *major eye roll*
- wake up
- get coffee
- add books with cute gay covers to my never ending tbr.
- go to sleep
repeat..
And then regret your choices.
Something I recently adopted in my schedule in 2021, disappointment.
What was this book about? In nutshell :-
Openly gay track star falls for closeted bisexual teen beauty queen.
In emoji style:-
🚗🏃♀️👑🏆🏳️🌈👩❤️👩
The pros :-
~ Ruby ❤️❤️
Cons :-
~ I didn't enjoy the relationship between Ruby and Morgan. They are like playing games with each other and betraying each other and it takes nearly 3/4 of the book for them to actually realise that they are in love with each other. They spend a lot of time hurting each other ESP Morgan. And that pretty much sums up the book there was no room for any other thing to happen.
~ the insta love shit was a total turn off for me.
~ then we have miscommunication trope , both of the MC are so bad at expressing there feelings that it started to get frustrating after s point.
~ Morgan in general is annoying , her "I am out and you should be" attitude is so annoying. She is not understanding anything , she didn't even get much growth throughout the book.
~ and above all the cringe dialogues *major eye roll*
August 8, 2023
I really wish that these two girls didn’t though
October 21, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
This book had its pros and cons.
Pros:
- the emotions these teenagers go through are very relatable
- I think a lot of teenagers think and act this way when they experience what Morgan and Ruby went through
- I liked the issues that were addressed in this book, especially the different perspectives of teenagers that were still figuring out their sexuality
- the brother was a great little add on
Cons:
- there was way too much going on at the same time: I feel like the issue with the private school was not addressed enough. There should have been way more of a focus on that
- the same thing goes with the side plots in this book: there were so many scenes that were brushed over and just felt useless. I’d rather have there be more in depth scenes.
- the fast pacing of the book: how was everything happening so fast??? I mean I get insta love but this was faster than the furious????
- I wish we had more character growth. Especially from Morgan and how she reacted to other ppl’s privacy.
Overall it was nothing special but some people might really enjoy this. I would still recommend this to people who haven’t read any type of sapphic romance stories
This book had its pros and cons.
Pros:
- the emotions these teenagers go through are very relatable
- I think a lot of teenagers think and act this way when they experience what Morgan and Ruby went through
- I liked the issues that were addressed in this book, especially the different perspectives of teenagers that were still figuring out their sexuality
- the brother was a great little add on
Cons:
- there was way too much going on at the same time: I feel like the issue with the private school was not addressed enough. There should have been way more of a focus on that
- the same thing goes with the side plots in this book: there were so many scenes that were brushed over and just felt useless. I’d rather have there be more in depth scenes.
- the fast pacing of the book: how was everything happening so fast??? I mean I get insta love but this was faster than the furious????
- I wish we had more character growth. Especially from Morgan and how she reacted to other ppl’s privacy.
Overall it was nothing special but some people might really enjoy this. I would still recommend this to people who haven’t read any type of sapphic romance stories
November 24, 2020
“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”
I know we are not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but I judged 'Some Girls Do' by it's cover and I am so glad I did because it turned out to be a delightful read! It was not the fluffy summer romance that 'Hot Dog Girl' was. It had a lot more depth and dealt with some really important issues LGBTQ kids face while at it's core being a very sweet romance that'll have you drowning in feels.
Morgan is my sweet track star lesbian who just wants to run fast and make the world a better place for queer people like her. She has a great support system comprise of her family and new queer friends.
Ruby, my best girl and grumpy bi disaster child is stuck with a abusive and homophobic mother who is obsessed with dressing her up like a doll and dragging her to every beauty pageant she can find. I really felt for Ruby, the only parental figure she had was Billy, her mother's ex. Their relationship with was one of my favourite things in the book. Her coming out to him actually made me cry. Ruby is a total mess and I wholeheartedly love and support her. There is a scene where she gets drunk and unintentionally starts narrating her inner monologue out loud, then she shows up at her crush's door announcing how she absolutely does not want to kiss her. Her character development was marvellous. Finally learning to be unafraid of who she is and standing up for herself was phenomenal to see. But I do wish the scene between the mother/daughter was more intense and a bit longer.
The romance was beautifully done. Swoon-worthy slowburn with just the right amount of angst. I loved everything about it. Not exactly a complaint but I would've loved to see Ruby properly coming out to her friends rather than being told about it and whatever happened to Allie and Lydia? One last scene of the MCs as a couple with their friends would've been great.
Overall the book delivered – a well written YA queer contemporary with likable characters and the cutest romance. I hope Jennifer Dugan keeps writing sapphic books because I, for one, will be reading.
ARC copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I know we are not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but I judged 'Some Girls Do' by it's cover and I am so glad I did because it turned out to be a delightful read! It was not the fluffy summer romance that 'Hot Dog Girl' was. It had a lot more depth and dealt with some really important issues LGBTQ kids face while at it's core being a very sweet romance that'll have you drowning in feels.
Morgan is my sweet track star lesbian who just wants to run fast and make the world a better place for queer people like her. She has a great support system comprise of her family and new queer friends.
Ruby, my best girl and grumpy bi disaster child is stuck with a abusive and homophobic mother who is obsessed with dressing her up like a doll and dragging her to every beauty pageant she can find. I really felt for Ruby, the only parental figure she had was Billy, her mother's ex. Their relationship with was one of my favourite things in the book. Her coming out to him actually made me cry. Ruby is a total mess and I wholeheartedly love and support her. There is a scene where she gets drunk and unintentionally starts narrating her inner monologue out loud, then she shows up at her crush's door announcing how she absolutely does not want to kiss her. Her character development was marvellous. Finally learning to be unafraid of who she is and standing up for herself was phenomenal to see. But I do wish the scene between the mother/daughter was more intense and a bit longer.
The romance was beautifully done. Swoon-worthy slowburn with just the right amount of angst. I loved everything about it. Not exactly a complaint but I would've loved to see Ruby properly coming out to her friends rather than being told about it and whatever happened to Allie and Lydia? One last scene of the MCs as a couple with their friends would've been great.
Overall the book delivered – a well written YA queer contemporary with likable characters and the cutest romance. I hope Jennifer Dugan keeps writing sapphic books because I, for one, will be reading.
ARC copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2021
3.75 Stars. This was a good read. There have been so many YA LGBTQ+ books coming out this year that have looked so good. This book was immediately on my radar since I have wanted to read Dugan for a while –her book Hot Dog Girl looks adorable- . I was really happy to get approved for an ARC and glad to say that I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
While I like my YA to be cute and sweet at times, I also like some teenage angst and lots of feels involved. I was happy to say that this book had a good mix of all of it. There were some tougher subjects like homophobia and some abuse, but there were a lot of sweet moments that balanced everything out. If anything, I would have liked to have had to reach for some tissues but the most that happened is that I got a little misty eyed. Because of the mix I think this will appeal to most YA fans. It doesn’t have too many emotional moments for fans that like sweeter stories, yet it has enough for people like me that like some feels.
I was a big fan of the main character Ruby and her growth throughout the book. Morgan was a tad harder to like. While her life was much better, I think she had more growing up to do. Together as a couple, they were completely cute. I thought the romance really worked and I believed in them as a couple. Morgan was driving me a little nuts at times –in the romance- but it was nice to see some growth in her too. While the characters were only 18, I could actually believe that they had potential for a real long HEA which I don’t always see in YA books.
While there was a lot I enjoyed, I thought the book felt too short. Dugan could have added another 2-3 chapters easily. And because the story was on the shorter side, there were smaller storylines left hanging. I really could not tell if Dugan just forgot about them or it they were edited out. One big thing was the three main secondary characters. Ruby’s sort of ex and Morgan’s track friends. Morgan kept picking away at her friends and you kept waiting for their story to have a finish. Not to mention Ruby’s ex guy pal, who was intertwined too, we don’t know what happened to him. I’m trying to be vague here and not give any spoilers but it was weird that they had no little wrap up at all. I also thought it was odd that we never really got the story of Morgan’s ex. Because of Morgan’s issues with Ruby, had we known more of Morgan’s past –beyond extremely vague references to an ex- I might have understood Morgan’s actions and feelings a bit more so I think it was a lost opportunity.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I liked the feel of this and found Dugan’s writing style very easy to read. If anything, I think I’m looking forward to reading Hot Dog Girl even more now. While this was a coming out story –in a way- I liked that Dugan talked about how it’s harder for jock kids, who play team sports, to come out. It’s something that is not mentioned too often in stories and I like that this was one of the storylines for this book. While this was not a perfect 5 star read for me, there was definitely a lot of good here and a story that I liked.
An ARC was given to me for a review.
While I like my YA to be cute and sweet at times, I also like some teenage angst and lots of feels involved. I was happy to say that this book had a good mix of all of it. There were some tougher subjects like homophobia and some abuse, but there were a lot of sweet moments that balanced everything out. If anything, I would have liked to have had to reach for some tissues but the most that happened is that I got a little misty eyed. Because of the mix I think this will appeal to most YA fans. It doesn’t have too many emotional moments for fans that like sweeter stories, yet it has enough for people like me that like some feels.
I was a big fan of the main character Ruby and her growth throughout the book. Morgan was a tad harder to like. While her life was much better, I think she had more growing up to do. Together as a couple, they were completely cute. I thought the romance really worked and I believed in them as a couple. Morgan was driving me a little nuts at times –in the romance- but it was nice to see some growth in her too. While the characters were only 18, I could actually believe that they had potential for a real long HEA which I don’t always see in YA books.
While there was a lot I enjoyed, I thought the book felt too short. Dugan could have added another 2-3 chapters easily. And because the story was on the shorter side, there were smaller storylines left hanging. I really could not tell if Dugan just forgot about them or it they were edited out. One big thing was the three main secondary characters. Ruby’s sort of ex and Morgan’s track friends. Morgan kept picking away at her friends and you kept waiting for their story to have a finish. Not to mention Ruby’s ex guy pal, who was intertwined too, we don’t know what happened to him. I’m trying to be vague here and not give any spoilers but it was weird that they had no little wrap up at all. I also thought it was odd that we never really got the story of Morgan’s ex. Because of Morgan’s issues with Ruby, had we known more of Morgan’s past –beyond extremely vague references to an ex- I might have understood Morgan’s actions and feelings a bit more so I think it was a lost opportunity.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I liked the feel of this and found Dugan’s writing style very easy to read. If anything, I think I’m looking forward to reading Hot Dog Girl even more now. While this was a coming out story –in a way- I liked that Dugan talked about how it’s harder for jock kids, who play team sports, to come out. It’s something that is not mentioned too often in stories and I like that this was one of the storylines for this book. While this was not a perfect 5 star read for me, there was definitely a lot of good here and a story that I liked.
An ARC was given to me for a review.
September 4, 2021
2.5 stars
The beginning of this book was so cute and so promising and I enjoyed the banter between the main characters, but then by the end they both started driving me crazy with their poor decisions and the way they would talk to each other and the things they would do 😬🤯
The beginning of this book was so cute and so promising and I enjoyed the banter between the main characters, but then by the end they both started driving me crazy with their poor decisions and the way they would talk to each other and the things they would do 😬🤯
April 26, 2022
morgan: not everyone is in as lucky a position as i am
also morgan: everyone should be out! if they're not out they're cowards and liars!
ok i get that she learns, eventually, but. can she not just exercise a little empathy earlier?
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc, gay, pan & trans side characters
also morgan: everyone should be out! if they're not out they're cowards and liars!
ok i get that she learns, eventually, but. can she not just exercise a little empathy earlier?
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc, gay, pan & trans side characters
January 13, 2022
3 stars ⭐
This started out super cute but then it got really frustrating and annoying 😕
I loved the sibling dynamics between one of the MCs and her brother though!
RTC ✍
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me requesting this book on netgalley knowing damn well i'm gonna get declined
This started out super cute but then it got really frustrating and annoying 😕
I loved the sibling dynamics between one of the MCs and her brother though!
RTC ✍
-----------
me requesting this book on netgalley knowing damn well i'm gonna get declined
June 27, 2021
“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”
Thank you to Edelweiss for providing a digital ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of Some Girls Do in exchange for an honest review!
⇢The Plot
This book was adorable and I’m obsessed. YA romances that take place in a school setting and deal with serious topics are never a miss, and this book lived up to every expectation I had!
The plot of this book essentially followed Ruby and Morgan’s relationship- from when they first met, got to know each other, dated in secret, faced conflicts, and then dated publicly, so things were pretty fluid.
I think the parts I loved the most were all the scenes at Billy’s garage (for some reason I love books that involve people who fix cars), and Morgan’s volunteering job at the Centre. All the moments that took place at either of those two locations were either heart-warming or heart-wrenching, and they definitely hit me the hardest.
⇢Morgan and Ruby
My feelings about both of these characters were fluctuating every second. Basically, it’s easy to judge a character from the small glimpse you get into their life over the span of a book, and there were a lot of scenes where I wanted to scream at our leading ladies for being incredibly stupid. But I really try to think beyond the content I’m given, and every time I would do that with these characters I would like them again.
For further context, there were a lot of conflicts between Ruby and Morgan where Morgan didn’t want their relationship to be a secret anymore, and where she felt betrayed by how Ruby for how against labelling their relationship she was. It was easy for me to be judge Ruby for the way she treated Morgan (and vice versa, because I was definitely judging Morgan for telling her friends about their relationship without permission), but when you think about it, Morgan’s expectations of Ruby were unreasonable too. Ruby obviously wasn’t ready to come out and it was unfair of Morgan to push her. Okay wow, that turned into a whole rant, I’m sorry. Basically, these were very complex characters.
“Hi, I’m Morgan.” My voice breaks as I swallow back some tears, because for the first time, maybe I’m exactly where I need to be, exactly where I fit. “I’m a lesbian. She/her. And I like to run.”
As a couple, I think they were definitely cute. Not particularly memorable, but in general YA romances tend to have similar concepts and with my terrible memory, most of them blur together anyway. I loved the development of their relationship and I think their story was written in a very truthful and realistic way.
“You’re just really full of surprises.” And yeah, I kind of like the sound of that.
⇢Other Comments
I just want to finish off by mentioning some of the other elements I really enjoyed. First, Billy and Ruby’s relationship. Billy was essentially Ruby’s ex-stepfather I guess, and their conversations were so wholesome.
Second, I loved Morgan and Danny’s meetings. Morgan was essentially a Peer Counsellor for Danny (another athlete who was in a relationship but had to hide it because of his boyfriend) and I think their discussions were great. Honestly, same with the conversations the members of the school Pride Club had as well. It was refreshing to see such real-world problems being discussed accurately in a book.
“And the club could definitely be doing more to address the impact race has on things too. Like the whole centering of whiteness in queer spaces and stuff.”
Third, I just loved the way some serious topics were blended in the book without being a big deal. Things like consent, for example. I know that’s sort of the bare minimum but it’s insane how many books are set in high schools and have teenaged characters and still ignore important topics.
. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ❦ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .
MY SPOTIFY ❦
MY LINKTREE ❦
May 9, 2023
1 star for that short cute moment, other than that, it sucked so bad. I hate morgan, how can you be so stupid ?? does she not understand the danger it is for some people to come out ??? all i wanted to do was punch her in the face. all about supporting gay kids until they do not have the same privilege as her. no morgan, she’s not manipulating you, she’s scared. honestly, it’s all right if you want to be out, don’t force other people to come out. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. enjoy your relationship with her, if you really love her wait for her to be READY. never force someone to come out, if that’s not what you want DON’T SHAME HER, be mature? leave the relationship and get with someone that is READY. what the fuck, we don’t all have parents that support us like yours did. poor danny, had to listen to her go on and on about a problem that guess what, IS NOT ABOUT HER.
June 28, 2021
unapologetically gay, sex-positive and i'm pretty much obsessed without a good reason, let me live!!!
if we're being honest here, some girls do isn't groundbreaking or anything really new. it's a romance, there are struggles that the main characters need to overcome, and just the general queer experiences (you really saw how everyone experiences it differently which yes!!!!).
help i don't even know why i loved this book but i just did okay? it was relatable and i had the best time with it. now, if you'll excuse me, i'm a mess!!!!
if we're being honest here, some girls do isn't groundbreaking or anything really new. it's a romance, there are struggles that the main characters need to overcome, and just the general queer experiences (you really saw how everyone experiences it differently which yes!!!!).
help i don't even know why i loved this book but i just did okay? it was relatable and i had the best time with it. now, if you'll excuse me, i'm a mess!!!!
November 10, 2022
some girls do… not like this book. It’s me. I’m some girls.
March 1, 2024
FOUR STARS
AAAA, THIS WARMED MY GAY HEART
Review To come
AAAA, THIS WARMED MY GAY HEART
Review To come
January 31, 2023
ja chcę tylko powiedzieć, że kocham Morgan i Ruby i mam nadzieję, że kiedyś ta książka zostanie u nas wydana, BO TO JEST PEREŁKA😭💛
piękna queerowość, odkrywanie nowych granic, wątek psychicznego wpływu rodzica na dziecko i wiele, wiele więcej!
piękna queerowość, odkrywanie nowych granic, wątek psychicznego wpływu rodzica na dziecko i wiele, wiele więcej!
November 1, 2022
So behind on my ARC’s. So I had plenty to chose from but gravitated towards this amazing cover! 😍😍 How many of you pick your books by cover alone? Please don’t tell me I’m the only one!! Thank You Penguin Teen for this gifted ARC. Stay tuned for upcoming review.
Review:
I feel like my love for YA Contemporary is waning and it makes me incredibly sad. I have found some amazing books in this genre. It’s either YA Contemporary changing or it’s me that’s changing. But then I look back at some recent books that fall into that category that I’ve really enjoyed, and I wonder if it’s more that the genre is changing. Help me out people, am I alone in feeling this way?
Some Girls Do is one of the ones I feel ehh about. It started out promising…I was feeling like I finally got a winner on my hands! I had a big smile on my face. But then..nope…I found myself being let down again after the first couple of chapters.
Morgan is a rising High School track star finds herself in a new school when her Catholic Private School made it obvious being queer is just not OK. She is not the type to hide in the closet so she’s moving on to a new team and school.
Ruby, who’s personality is a bit rough around the edges, is being forced to be a Serial Beauty Pageant Contestant by her mother while her true passion is working on cars. She has to keep her bi-sexuality buried because her Mom has made it clear her girl crushes are NOT OK.
When Morgan and Ruby first run into each other, literally pedestrian meets car, there is instant attraction but because Ruby can’t let anyone know her sexuality she is rude and brusque throwing Morgan attitude. And Morgan thinks the girl that gave her immediate sparks is a beast. So Morgan and Ruby are not off to a great start. But they are being consistently thrown together and their feelings start to show. The problem is Ruby can’t be “out and proud” like Morgan, Ruby doesn’t have the support system that she does. And Morgan is not understanding of Ruby’s dilemma and wants to let the world know they are becoming an item. These circumstances tear them apart and even though they really care for each other there may not be a way to fix their relationship with their difference in lifestyle choices.
Honestly the insta love rubbed me the wrong way. Ruby really knew nothing about Morgan and she was already mooning over her pretty much the first day!? Unrealistic! And it wasn’t mushy love because they constantly go at it, which was also annoyed the hell out of me. And honestly I got bored with how Morgan wanted to push her being out in everyone’s faces. I applauded Morgan’s strength and courage but she wanted everyone to live just like her. She had zero sympathy for Ruby, knowing how hard it is coming out, seeing the way Ruby lived without a supportive family like she was lucky enough to have.
Basically I really like the idea of the story behind Some Girls Do, but it needs a bit more development and better chemistry with the love interests.
Thank You Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read and review Some Girls Do.
June 10, 2022
2.5 Stars which I will generously round up to 3
A cute LGBTQIA+ YA romance about being true to yourself and not letting fear or other people's expectations prevent you from fulfilling your dreams. Nothing particularly stood out as unique or really interesting but it was a nice easy read. It lightly tackled some important issues such as abuse, homomisia and discrimination but the main storyline was about Ruby and Morgan's relationship.
CW: Homomisia, discrimination, sexual content
A cute LGBTQIA+ YA romance about being true to yourself and not letting fear or other people's expectations prevent you from fulfilling your dreams. Nothing particularly stood out as unique or really interesting but it was a nice easy read. It lightly tackled some important issues such as abuse, homomisia and discrimination but the main storyline was about Ruby and Morgan's relationship.
CW: Homomisia, discrimination, sexual content
June 15, 2021
I wish I could give this book a better rating, but sadly there were too many things that bothered me.
The biggest issue for me was the main relationship between Ruby and Morgan. It starts with instalove and then two-thirds of the book Ruby and Morgan struggle to communicate and to express their feelings. Most of their problems come from a lack of understanding and an inability to talk to each other, which did get frustrating and repetitive at some point.
Another thing I didn’t like are the many unfinished storylines. Jennifer Dugan started lots of interesting side plots, but most of them didn’t lead anywhere and got dropped at some point. I wanted to know more about Allie and Lydia and their relationship. We also never heard from Tyler again, what happened to him?
What I liked a lot were the secondary characters, especially Morgan’s brother Dylan and the strong sibling bond between them. Their interactions and jokes felt very realistic. I’m also a fan of Ruby’s ex-stepfather Billy, he’s such a good person.
Overall, I think Some Girls Do is a good book, but I enjoyed Jennifer Dugan’s debut novel Hot Dog Girl more. I can’t overlook the unfinished storylines, there is so much unused potential here.
The biggest issue for me was the main relationship between Ruby and Morgan. It starts with instalove and then two-thirds of the book Ruby and Morgan struggle to communicate and to express their feelings. Most of their problems come from a lack of understanding and an inability to talk to each other, which did get frustrating and repetitive at some point.
Another thing I didn’t like are the many unfinished storylines. Jennifer Dugan started lots of interesting side plots, but most of them didn’t lead anywhere and got dropped at some point. I wanted to know more about Allie and Lydia and their relationship. We also never heard from Tyler again, what happened to him?
What I liked a lot were the secondary characters, especially Morgan’s brother Dylan and the strong sibling bond between them. Their interactions and jokes felt very realistic. I’m also a fan of Ruby’s ex-stepfather Billy, he’s such a good person.
Overall, I think Some Girls Do is a good book, but I enjoyed Jennifer Dugan’s debut novel Hot Dog Girl more. I can’t overlook the unfinished storylines, there is so much unused potential here.
May 17, 2021
That one star belongs to Ruby, and only Ruby.
Want to read
November 18, 2020
May 26, 2021
Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars
Bahhh sappy romantic me loving all the queer love. Literally tears running down my cheeks right now.
I absolutely LOVED the sapphic rep & the myriad of LGBTQIA+ reps in this novel! This novel was so achingly honest, & didn't hold back; It felt so REAL; so RAW. I don't know, i'm just so incredibly moved by this gritty, yet SO ROMANTIC story. Ruby & Morgan seemed just so incredibly real to me, like they could be people I know in real life. This novel really is something special. The tale of Ruby & Morgan is pretty damn epic, in all of the most realistic, amazing, messy, & beautiful ways.
Dugan did an absolutely fantastic job with this one!!!
100% recommend <3
Bahhh sappy romantic me loving all the queer love. Literally tears running down my cheeks right now.
I absolutely LOVED the sapphic rep & the myriad of LGBTQIA+ reps in this novel! This novel was so achingly honest, & didn't hold back; It felt so REAL; so RAW. I don't know, i'm just so incredibly moved by this gritty, yet SO ROMANTIC story. Ruby & Morgan seemed just so incredibly real to me, like they could be people I know in real life. This novel really is something special. The tale of Ruby & Morgan is pretty damn epic, in all of the most realistic, amazing, messy, & beautiful ways.
Dugan did an absolutely fantastic job with this one!!!
100% recommend <3
March 11, 2024
every single character was an insufferable shit
January 3, 2023
✩ 4 stars
~
“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”
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squeals in bi panic
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this hit a little too close to home but it was worth the read :’)
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“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.”
~
squeals in bi panic
~
this hit a little too close to home but it was worth the read :’)
November 27, 2021
And now I’m eighteen, older than my mom was when she had me, and I’m still trying to make it up to her. Deep down, I’m scared I never will. That every breath I take for the rest of my life will belong to her. That I’ll never be anything more than a brain stuck inside a body more my mother’s than my own. Forced to live out the life I stole from her forever.
“You don’t owe your mom your future just because you think she gave up hers for you.”
"I divorced your mom, kid, not you. You’ll always have a place to crash and food to eat while I’m on this earth."
I liked both Morgan and Ruby's story individually, but haven't felt the chemistry between them. But it was worth a read for the quotes above.
July 26, 2022
Ruby is a teen Beauty Queen who’s been competing in pageants since forever. She seems to be the cliched bleached blonde mean girl of high school. Morgan is the sweet, thoughtful girl who transfers from a Catholic high school because she chose to stand up for herself and other LGBTQ kids. I felt like I knew what the story was going to be but then the author went off the obvious path. She wrote two well rounded characters. Morgan means well but forgets to be understanding when people are flawed and vulnerable. Ruby has steeled herself for a tough life but is glass inside.
There’s plenty of humor and parties in the story to keep the book upbeat in a YA way. But in the end, what touched my heart is the love story between a track star who wants to break open the world and make a difference and the beauty queen who bravely walks out of an abusive home and towards her own future.
Thanks for the rec, Carrie. So angsty I could barely breathe in parts.
4.5 stars.
There’s plenty of humor and parties in the story to keep the book upbeat in a YA way. But in the end, what touched my heart is the love story between a track star who wants to break open the world and make a difference and the beauty queen who bravely walks out of an abusive home and towards her own future.
Thanks for the rec, Carrie. So angsty I could barely breathe in parts.
4.5 stars.
May 2, 2022
Ugh. I need to stop falling for pretty covers. I really thought I’d like this, but I was sorely disappointed.
This book is marketed as a romance between a track star and a beauty queen, but really, you don’t see any in-depth portrayals of their roles. The track star is banned from running during the time in which the book is set in, and the “beauty queen” doesn’t even like it. The pageants are never really described except for one cheesy scene where she gives a speech about her love interest. You forget that these characteristics are a part of the story until a characters says “oh I have a race” or “oh I have a pageant”
The characters have zero chemistry, in my opinion. Ruby (pageant girl) is interesting and I was really rooting for her, but Morgan (track star) is so fucking annoying. I was rolling my eyes throughout half of her chapters. She’s so sheltered and privileged. She goes on and on about how everyone should come out even if it’s not safe, saying it’s “lying” if they don’t. She literally tells a guy that she’s counseling to sue the NFL. Her parents were suing her old Catholic school for their homophobic comments. When they go broke because of it and have to stop, Morgan’s only response is basically I hate you, mom and dad! What about justice for my people!. I’m paraphrasing. I get that it’s part of her arc and that she’s supposed to grow and learn that not everyone is as privileged in the end, but when it’s a romance book, one of your characters being obnoxiously annoying for most of it is bound to put readers off.
The romance itself isn’t even cute. It starts with insta love, insta attraction, then it’s mostly just them bickering. They keep arguing, on and on and on. Their main conflict is that the beauty queen can’t come out because of homophobia. Morgan is annoying and obnoxious about it, of course. Until she’s not. Problem solved!
I’m too old to read high school romances, but when it comes to sapphic romances, the options are limited. I wish the publishing industry would loosen its iron grip on YA obsession and its need to have book characters be teenagers.
This book is marketed as a romance between a track star and a beauty queen, but really, you don’t see any in-depth portrayals of their roles. The track star is banned from running during the time in which the book is set in, and the “beauty queen” doesn’t even like it. The pageants are never really described except for one cheesy scene where she gives a speech about her love interest. You forget that these characteristics are a part of the story until a characters says “oh I have a race” or “oh I have a pageant”
The characters have zero chemistry, in my opinion. Ruby (pageant girl) is interesting and I was really rooting for her, but Morgan (track star) is so fucking annoying. I was rolling my eyes throughout half of her chapters. She’s so sheltered and privileged. She goes on and on about how everyone should come out even if it’s not safe, saying it’s “lying” if they don’t. She literally tells a guy that she’s counseling to sue the NFL. Her parents were suing her old Catholic school for their homophobic comments. When they go broke because of it and have to stop, Morgan’s only response is basically I hate you, mom and dad! What about justice for my people!. I’m paraphrasing. I get that it’s part of her arc and that she’s supposed to grow and learn that not everyone is as privileged in the end, but when it’s a romance book, one of your characters being obnoxiously annoying for most of it is bound to put readers off.
The romance itself isn’t even cute. It starts with insta love, insta attraction, then it’s mostly just them bickering. They keep arguing, on and on and on. Their main conflict is that the beauty queen can’t come out because of homophobia. Morgan is annoying and obnoxious about it, of course. Until she’s not. Problem solved!
I’m too old to read high school romances, but when it comes to sapphic romances, the options are limited. I wish the publishing industry would loosen its iron grip on YA obsession and its need to have book characters be teenagers.
June 13, 2021
''I'm not spending my life pretending I'm something I'm not, or making myself smaller and quieter just because someone else thinks I should''
Cute but all of the characters felt totally flat to me.
the story is a bit boring, nothing new to offer, kind of cliche.
Cute but all of the characters felt totally flat to me.
the story is a bit boring, nothing new to offer, kind of cliche.
May 19, 2025
There’s no way to really know what an author is trying to do with a book, beyond the evidence on the page. But reading Some Girls Do, I couldn’t help feeling that Jennifer Dugan had miscalculated a little. That she was trying to write a cute but angsty high school romance, knew a difficult childhood was necessary to make her plot work—and overshot the mark a little. Because Ruby’s life is bleak. Her inner voice alone is heartbreaking, and that’s before her mother starts throwing heavy objects. And watching endlessly well-intentioned Morgan blithely push Ruby to come out, because “why can’t you be brave too?” when her actual safety is on the line—watching Morgan run a food drive for queer teens kicked out of their homes while ignorantly pushing her own girlfriend closer and closer to the edge of just that—is truly agonizing.
Like Summer Girls, this book shouldn’t be as good as it is. The story isn’t particularly original. The writing is nothing special. But there’s just something about it. It’s more than the sum of its parts. I want to give it four stars, three even—but I loved it far too much for that.
Like Summer Girls, this book shouldn’t be as good as it is. The story isn’t particularly original. The writing is nothing special. But there’s just something about it. It’s more than the sum of its parts. I want to give it four stars, three even—but I loved it far too much for that.
January 13, 2022
This is my second book by Ms Dugan and once again a very good read.
Written from two young women's viewpoints, Ruby is a beauty pageant queen straightish woman whose greatest love is fixing cars, while Morgan is a gay track star, starting at a new high school after suing her previous catholic school for discrimination. The two get off to a poor start, but over the course of the story with a few dramas along the way, they seem to really like each other.
Well done romance at least as good as Hot Dog Girl.
Written from two young women's viewpoints, Ruby is a beauty pageant queen straightish woman whose greatest love is fixing cars, while Morgan is a gay track star, starting at a new high school after suing her previous catholic school for discrimination. The two get off to a poor start, but over the course of the story with a few dramas along the way, they seem to really like each other.
Well done romance at least as good as Hot Dog Girl.
June 5, 2021
I liked this!
This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Dugan, though I've heard good things about Hot Dog Girl. And I really enjoyed this book. Dugan created some really interesting and detailed characters to express many aspects of queer life and I'm here for it.
This book follows two characters of Ruby and Morgan. Morgan has been forced to transfer schools after dealing with significant backlash towards her being a lesbian at her old private catholic school, and Ruby is participating in beauty pageants to live her mother's dreams when she prefers to work on cars. After they initially have several very tense run-ins with each other, they find themselves drawn to each other, and this is especially confusing for Ruby- as she doesn't like to get feelings for anyone, especially another girl.
I loved both Ruby and Morgan but to me the star of this book was Ruby. I'll start with Morgan. I loved her passion and how she wasn't afraid to be an inspiration to be herself after coming out. Often her advise and manner in which she carried herself could be, uh, a LOT. But also she is so young and you get messy sometimes. She had a wonderful heart. And Ruby. How strong can one character be while simultaneously feeling so much? I was fascinated with Ruby- watching her deal with poverty and her moms boyfriend, do pageants to appease her mother, and maintain her life was so interesting to me. I loved this pairing. I love a lot of pairings in books but this did seem to stick in my head so firmly. They compliment each other so well, both in how they push each other to be better and aren't afraid to butt heads, but how they really respect each other. And how they see the truth in each other more than anyone else can. And watching Ruby open up was great.
This book also hits some really important issues in queer life, like what queer athletes often struggle with, bigotry in the educational system and how little we can often do to stop it. It also explored through Ruby more than homophobia in her mother, but how parents can often project their wants on to their children and not understand pushback. I really like how the book showed that dynamic.
This book also had a cast of lovely secondary characters. Morgan's family, and especially her brother were a hoot. And I loved Morgan's track friends Ali and Lydia, and the people she met in the queer club. And with Ruby, I actually surprisingly loved her ex boyfriend Tyler. He was really interesting and even though early in the book I was like "I'm over Tyler lets get to the wlw" but he really grew on me. And Ruby's positive parental figure in Billy was pretty awesome.
But how much I enjoyed the side characters brings to my bigger critique, that I don't feel like any got resolution. I really loved how Ruby and Morgan finished their story, but it seems like almost everyone else was just kinda left where we last saw them. And I like most ends in books to be sewn up in one way or another.
I also would have liked more backstory into Morgan's life. We find out what happened at her old school but almost nothing about her besides that, where we learn so much more about Ruby. And that might be why I loved Ruby so much.
This is a good book. I enjoyed it and really, truly loved the relationship in it, as well as the topics it covered. 4/5
P.S. That cover is amazing!
This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Dugan, though I've heard good things about Hot Dog Girl. And I really enjoyed this book. Dugan created some really interesting and detailed characters to express many aspects of queer life and I'm here for it.
This book follows two characters of Ruby and Morgan. Morgan has been forced to transfer schools after dealing with significant backlash towards her being a lesbian at her old private catholic school, and Ruby is participating in beauty pageants to live her mother's dreams when she prefers to work on cars. After they initially have several very tense run-ins with each other, they find themselves drawn to each other, and this is especially confusing for Ruby- as she doesn't like to get feelings for anyone, especially another girl.
I loved both Ruby and Morgan but to me the star of this book was Ruby. I'll start with Morgan. I loved her passion and how she wasn't afraid to be an inspiration to be herself after coming out. Often her advise and manner in which she carried herself could be, uh, a LOT. But also she is so young and you get messy sometimes. She had a wonderful heart. And Ruby. How strong can one character be while simultaneously feeling so much? I was fascinated with Ruby- watching her deal with poverty and her moms boyfriend, do pageants to appease her mother, and maintain her life was so interesting to me. I loved this pairing. I love a lot of pairings in books but this did seem to stick in my head so firmly. They compliment each other so well, both in how they push each other to be better and aren't afraid to butt heads, but how they really respect each other. And how they see the truth in each other more than anyone else can. And watching Ruby open up was great.
This book also hits some really important issues in queer life, like what queer athletes often struggle with, bigotry in the educational system and how little we can often do to stop it. It also explored through Ruby more than homophobia in her mother, but how parents can often project their wants on to their children and not understand pushback. I really like how the book showed that dynamic.
This book also had a cast of lovely secondary characters. Morgan's family, and especially her brother were a hoot. And I loved Morgan's track friends Ali and Lydia, and the people she met in the queer club. And with Ruby, I actually surprisingly loved her ex boyfriend Tyler. He was really interesting and even though early in the book I was like "I'm over Tyler lets get to the wlw" but he really grew on me. And Ruby's positive parental figure in Billy was pretty awesome.
But how much I enjoyed the side characters brings to my bigger critique, that I don't feel like any got resolution. I really loved how Ruby and Morgan finished their story, but it seems like almost everyone else was just kinda left where we last saw them. And I like most ends in books to be sewn up in one way or another.
I also would have liked more backstory into Morgan's life. We find out what happened at her old school but almost nothing about her besides that, where we learn so much more about Ruby. And that might be why I loved Ruby so much.
This is a good book. I enjoyed it and really, truly loved the relationship in it, as well as the topics it covered. 4/5
P.S. That cover is amazing!
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