Happy Endings Are All Alike

Did I not review this? Well, it is asking me for my .02.This is a bit of a classic in lesbian fiction in a fashion, at least in respect to young adult fiction from a well known author. It is from the 1970s and should be taken in that spirit regarding some of the views about lesbianism found therein. OTOH, some of the views might be present today (not sure about the sheriff).The book concerns high school student who appears to have a future as a lawyer and a classmate whose mother's death is still raw for her and her sister/father who fall in love. We also get some insight in other members of their families, including their parents and thus the book provides multiple points of view. This is all very good, including the struggles of a couple who is unable to be open about their love.This is a spoiler but I assume many know about it and it is something that is probably something many readers would wish to know as well (some teen readers might find it too upsetting). The book also concerns a friend of the younger brother of one of the girls, an emotionally troubled person that rapes her. This chapter is quite graphic. The book ends on a certain bittersweet level (the title is ironic) if with some hope for future.This aspect of the book is well written but given the limited number of good accounts especially at the time in young adult fiction regarding lesbian topics -- especially the tendency of such works to have some tragic element -- it is basically unfortunate. I'm unsure why she included it, especially the rather graphic rape scene.

This book, very pleased to find it in Kindle format. Thanks!

This book aimed big and came short. At the beginning I felt impressed by the fact that it seemed to cover more than one issue. But the way it is written, it doesn’t feel like a romantic book. It feels more like…when it comes to the girls, it feels more like an education book. It feels like it was written for a sexuality class-maybe in high school. I liked the mystery a lot, and I like the way the climax of the story was built. However, this good side of the book seems to be really destroy by the ending. Which is why I consider that it isn’t something I would recommend to read as a romantic novel. Yes. We need more Lesbian stories and we need more books that talk about misogyny and harassment and how we need to stand against it. But a romantic novel is not directly written with that aim. And if you are going to build the climax around it, then at least you should respect the time it took you to build it and untangle it properly at the end.Not recommended…unless it’s with educative purposes in a sexuality class.

A very good book, but it seemed to end rather abruptly, and left me feeling like there were just too many unanswered questions. It wasn't as in depth as I felt it should have been given the subject matter. Characters were believable and engaging, but the ending just really left a bad taste in my mouth, so-to-speak. It felt a bit like an after school special and this was just part one.

I loved this book, in fact I have loved all her books. They are humorous, filled with interesting facts and usually have a happy ending. Guess I'm not a fan of the very dark side of life. Kind of strange considering her books are mysteries.

Story line believable. The emotions & conflicts of the two girls are presented with empathy and the reader has most of the conflicts that are problematic to young people attempting to define their sexuality.

Nice book, wasn't expecting that ending but it was cool.

Good story. Poorly written. The ending wasnt as satisfying as I felt it could have been.