Our Own Private Universe

Author: Robin Talley
Date Published: 9th February 2017 
Pages: 384
Suitable for: YA+
My overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buy your copy here: Amazon

Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory.
And it's mostly about sex.

No, It isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual-even if, until now, it's been in the hypothetical sense.

Aki's theory is that she's only got one shot at living an interesting life-and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something, or at least try.

So when Aki and her friend Lori set off on a trip to a small Mexican town for the summer, and Aki meets Christa-slightly-older, far-more-experienced-it seems her theory is prime for the testing.
But something tells her it's not going to be that easy...

My Review
  Ok where to begin with this review? This is the first and only diverse book I have read to date. I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and aside from a couple of niggly bits I will explain in a second, it didn't really let me down.

So our main protagonist is Aki Simon and she is struggling with her sexuality. She doesn't know if she is bi-sexual or a lesbian and the only other person that knows anything about it is her best friend, Lori.

Her father is a priest, so to come out to him would be really frowned upon. They go on a church youth group trip to Mexico in the summer and Aki see's this as a perfect opportunity to explore her sexuality more..well that and a little bet she placed with Lori to have three romantic encounters before they have to go home.

Aki meets this girl Chrisa, who seems like the perfect girl for her. She's outgoing, she's experienced and she could teach Aki a few things..or can she?

The story takes lots of new twists and turns and the author, Robin Talley, really hones in on the detail. I am thirty-one, and was actually shocked at how graphic some of the content was..especially when our main character is only fifteen...maybe I'm just old and the youths of today are more open with sexuality now, than what they were when I was at school (which is a good thing by the way). I felt maybe it would be better suited to a New Adult audience than a YA audience, but that is just my opinion.

Another small thing that I noticed was the frequency of religion. Now Aki's father was a priest, so obviously there is going to be some aspects of religion involed..but at times it felt like the author was preaching to me. Once I got passed that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

We learn so much about all the different characters in this book and Robin Talley takes us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. How friendships can be tested, jealousy is a terrible thing! How loyalty between a brother and sister can bring siblings even closer, and Aki also learns if she puts her mind to it, she can make a difference in the world, and that for me...is something I could work on in my own personal life.

The story was described so vividly, I felt I was actually experiencing life through Aki's eyes. A lot of books once I've finished, I put down and move onto the next one without any hesitation, but I have be thinking about this book a lot since I finished reading it at the end of January. It really makes you question your own sexuality..

I gave this book (originally) a 3 out of 5 stars, but as I thought more and more about the plot and how the author portrayed the sexuality aspect, the relationships...it's just mind blown! So it is now a 4 out of 5 stars. A great first read of 2017, and it's opened my eyes to more diverse subjects and I would now like to read more books by this author.

A big thank you to Harlequin for sending me this book for review!

Until next time...Happy Reading Everyone!