Blanche’s Book Club: ‘Ramona Blue’.

Happy Hump Day! We’re already halfway through the week, plus I’m so excited to share Blanche’s Book Club’s latest read – it’s a goodie!

Today, we’re talking about “Ramona Blue” by Julie Murphy. Here is the description from Amazon.com:

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi.

But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool.

But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke.

Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.

I went into this book thinking it would be focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but it was more about family, friendship, and love. I absolutely adored the way it was written – very descriptive and visual.

In fact, about halfway through the book, I checked my library to see if they had any more books written by Murphy. They did, her other two titles, and I’ve got them on my reserve list!

I wrote down some quotes I loved from this book:

• “Something about the moon makes us a little braver.”
• “Sometimes catastrophes split you in half, even if all the pieces are there, they might not ever fit back together.”
• “Folks in Eulogy don’t use years to measure time. They use storms, and I guess I’m just waiting for the next big one.”
• “I know what it feels like to revisit something from your childhood and find that the mysterious magic it once held has evaporated.”
• “We always joke about Vermont, but maybe we don’t have to wait until we’re old ladies with fifty cats, making maple syrup.”

This book had ups and downs, and at times, seemed real instead of fiction. I loved it! This one is for all the YA lovers, Katrina survivors, and fans of teenage nostalgia.

The next book we’ll be reading is “The Other Side of Everything” by Lauren Doyle Owens.