Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl

Gr 10 Up–Margo Zimmerman likes to have everything in place, which is why her realization that she is a lesbian is such a shocking revelation during her senior year of high school. She’s worried about being “gay enough,” so she enlists the help of Abbie Sokoloff, noted expert lesbian, to give her lessons on her newfound sexuality. Abbie, in return, needs help in her AP U.S. History class; her grades are slipping, and she sees college as her only way out of her turbulent, unsupportive home life. As the girls work together, they start to fall for each other, but not everyone thinks it’s a good match. They need to decide whose opinion matters as they navigate some tough issues at the end of senior year. This is a pretty straightforward teen queer romance, with humor, good-natured awkwardness, and character growth. Characters are racially diverse and many identify as queer; autism and ADHD are both prominently represented. One quibble is that the autistic character’s traits seem marked off of a list and not authentically woven into her character development. Various degrees of prejudice, even those within the LGBTQIA+ community, are explored in interactions that feel authentic and raw, and current issues, such as Florida’s increasingly bigoted attitude toward queer people, are discussed. There are a few teen story tropes that become old very quickly, such as regular partying and sexually suggestive language. While there isn’t much plot beyond an in-depth discovery of one’s queer identity, for many readers this will suffice.