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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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www.gabbyrivera.com

JULIET TAKES A BREATH

Gabby Rivera

Obsessed with her first feminist book, Juliet contacts the author, Harlowe Brisbane, and sets up a summer internship. Out of the Bronx, and off to Portland, Oregon, Juliet confronts white feminism and coming out to her family while navigating the world of queer politics.
"Even if Holden Caulfield was born in the Bronx in the 1980s, he could never be this awesome." Inga Muscio, author of Cunt

Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn't sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that's going to help her figure out this whole "Puerto Rican lesbian" thing. She's interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women's bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.

Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle? With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.

Rivera explained why she wrote this book, "I never experienced a character like Juliet Palante in my life. Not in a book or a movie. There were no brave, kinda awkward, thick-bodied, girl-loving Latinas from the Bronx in literature or media. And so, I'm super honored that she gets to run free and be out in the world. Riverdale Ave Books made my queer brown dreams come alive by publishing my first novel."

Gabby Rivera is so damn thankful she was able to finish this book. She wants queer brown girls to see themselves everywhere and to be proud of who they are. Gabby was a nerdburger who always wrote in journals, on stray napkins, and even on her sneakers when it was cool to do that. She's been published in anthologies and journals put together by other radical, creative folks who also see a world that strays far from the mythic norm. Gabby has worked with Autostraddle for almost five years. In that time, she's written about feminism, kissing girls, Nicki Minaj, radical politics and falling in love with queer brown communities. She is currently the Youth Programs Manager at GLSEN and is developing their National Student Council and curriculums for GSAs across the country. She's fostered other LGBTQ youth groups and taught as a multi-media artist for organizations such as the DreamYard Project. She's gonna write more books, y'all. Please read them. It's very important. Be on the lookout for her latina punk band sci-fi epic, Supermoon. Coming some time in the distant but gorgeous future.
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Book

Published 2019-09-17 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Book

Published 2019-09-17 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Comments

...an enlightening lesson on intersectional feminism for readers of any age. Read more...

Reflects early adult life ... in all its messy, confusing splendor.

This book is a fist-pumping intersectional feminist power anthem. Gabby Rivera's voice is a forcemoving, alive, and bursting with feelings. Reading this book took me through a gamut of emotionsat times I cried with joy, at others I was forced to confront my own unconscious biases. Juliet Takes a Breath is a startling story full of powerful ideas about sexual, racial, and political identity. It will stay with you.

If you read too quickly you might miss the bite of Juliet's humor or the adeptness with which Rivera captures both the disappointments and the possibilities that come with realizing that your life's solution cannot be figured out by someone else.

Vivid, loving, sexy, true, and exuberantly alive. Gabby Rivera is the voice that YA has long needed and Juliet Takes a Breath is a breathtaking novel that speaks to every young woman in search of her authentic self.

"Proof that love could be fingers curled through your hair and not hands clapped in your face like a threat. Never again would I settle for love that wasn't soft like naked Saturdays." Read more...

Beautiful essay by Gabby which was part of Bustle's Pride Month coverage! Read more...

Reflects early adult life . . . in all its messy, confusing splendor.

Even if Holden Caulfield was born in the Bronx in the 1980s, he could never be this awesome.

Autostraddle included JULIET in their '8 Funny Books Featuring Queer Adult Women' round-up!: "...Rivera's parodies of white lesbian feminism through the character of Harlowe are hilarious. And throughout her queer coming of age journey, Juliet's stumbling is often as funny as it is endearing."

Juliet Takes a Breath is absolutely breathtaking. This is the homegirl I've always wanted to see in literature, made flesh by Rivera's pen

Juliet Milagros Palante is my new hero. Rivera pours her heart into ours with this story. Juliet Takes a Breath shows us that we must be vulnerable to survive the learning and un-learning necessary to become who we are, especially when we carry many identities on our strong, soft shoulders.

UK: PRH UK ; Spanish (NA): Vintage Espanol

Shondaland included JULIET in their Fall Book Preview '9 Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down': "...This is a novel about asking the questions that should be asked and pushing to be the truest (and ultimately happiest) form of yourself." Read more...

PopSugar named JULIET one of their 'Best Books of Fall'

This humorous and heartbreaking summer coming-of-age tale is reminiscent of Isabel Quintero's 2015 Morris Award winner Gabi, a Girl in Pieces ... A powerful novel.

The kind of book that gets the bitter-sweet pain and longing of growing up exactly right.

Gabby Rivera, was the first Latina to write for Marvel Comics. Check out her TED talk Read more...

Gabby Rivera's genius lies in her ability to make you weep and laugh in the same paragraph. Juliet Takes a Breath is powerful AF.

Huffington Post included JULIET in a round-up of '10 Books About Love and Life for LGBTQ Teens': "Juliet is a lesbian from the Bronx who lands a summer internship with her favorite feminist writer. But what she thought would be a dream job fails to meet her expectations when her icon doesn't have all the answers to love and life that Juliet is looking for. Through parties, a fling and self-reflection on race and sexuality, Juliet eventually learns that only she has the power to change her world." Read more...

Raw. Powerful. Honest. Juliet Takes a Breath is a luminous journey of self-discovery. Through Juliet's awakening, Rivera gently challenges us to step out of the shadows and into the light, and reminds us that successful rebellion begins with loving yourself in all your infinite variety.

F***ing outstanding.

Juliet Takes a Breath is the coming-of--age novel I desperately needed as a queer Latinx teen. Juliet's heart and soul leaps off the page as she takes readers through her journey from the Bronx to Portland. Her story of self-discovery is timely, vibrant, and illuminating, and I know it's going to inspire queer teens to be their authentic selves.

A whirlwind coming-of-age story that leaves one breathless.

Bustle is showing love for JULIET with an interview with Gabby Read more...

JULIET TAKES A BREATH is a Huffington Post "10 Books About Love and Life for LGBTQ Teens" selection

Book Riot included JULIET in their '10 More YA Books Starring Queer Girls to Look For in 2019' round-up! Read more...

Book announcement in PW: Penguin Young Readers has acquired what it is calling one of the "buzziest novels of the year," Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. The YA debut novel, which the publisher describes as a "candid, feminist, queer, coming-of-age story," is about a closeted Puerto Rican teenager from the Bronx who interns for a white feminist professor in Portland, Ore.... Read more...

Rivera captures both the disappointments and the possibilities that come with realizing that your life's solution cannot be figured out by someone else.

JULIET TAKES A BREATH is a PEOPLE Best Books of Fall 2019!