This is a very well written and utterly adorable novella, tracing not only the lives of Jackie and Harriet as they grow from eight year olds into young women, but also American culture and society in the 1950s.

Both characters are incredibly vivid and their behaviour as young children and emotional turmoil (damn you Mandy) as teenagers is very real and recognisable. This is also a book full of hope as we see in the latter stages, which I'm not going to spoil, but the sky is the limit for these wonderful women.

Something that particularly pleased me was that Jackie didn't strictly conform to a butch or tomboy stereotype, she chooses to wear a dress to a school-mate's birthday party as she likes how the material feels and unlike the more traditionally feminine Harriet, teenage Jackie expresses the desire to carry a child.

I'd really recommend this book, it's beautiful.

I was looking over the list of NetGalley books I had not reviewed and saw this one. I picked it up not knowing that it was a scant fifty-pages long and devoured it in one sitting. The story takes our protagonists from childhood to the winter of their lives and it is incredibly sweet and cute. This is the book I have been craving since I finished Leah on the Offbeat. I see that the author mostly writes lesbian erotica, which I may check out in the future, but any other love story she publishes will be purchased and read immediately.

I really enjoyed this short novella about gender stereotypes, sexuality and love set in the 1950s. It was very sweet and cute. It left me feeling happy.

This is a cute f/f romance story set in the Cold War era, and is between Harriet who is interested in STEM fields grow up from childhood to adulthood, and Jackie who dresses up like a ‘tomboy’, as in, not the feminine norms of the era. Their relationship is shown progressing from childhood, to adolescence when Harriet is crushing on another girl who is she is seeing secretly, to her realizing she liked Jackie all along, and them growing up and growing old together, and while it is short, it develops their relationship very well. The story provides wlw representation, obviously, but also challenges conformity and the whole butch-femme thing that is stereotypical of what is perceived as lesbian culture. Jackie dresses up in whatever clothes she feels comfortable which can be pants or dresses, according to her mood, and Harriet goes on to become a (human) computer for NASA. Also, there is no homophobia? Like, even Harriet’s family is totally cool about it and there is a moment with her dad where he accepts her without any questions or reservations - that was nice because it is a break from the expected homophobia in historical fiction.

Harriet Little realises she would rather hang out with her best friend Jackie and dream about outer space however her head is turned by the glamorous Mandy so she starts to change her personality to fit. Sweet story of self-discovery. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a cute short story/novella, but it's really one that could have benefited from the full scale novel treatment. At fifty pages, spanning nearly 70 years between the two characters, it's quite ambitious and also sparse in terms of character development or arcs. The coming of age story in a post-World War 2 America between two young girls is interesting, but I found myself more interested in the history and how that time period would impact their thinking and relationship. With just a few changes to famous actors and basic historical event descriptions, this story could also have taken place during present day and I don't think that is supposed to be the intention. I think a fifty page prequel encompassing just the meeting in grade school between the two girls would have been a nice place to stop and tease a full length drawn out novel.
Oh well, maybe it's coming--but if it's not, this is still a cute story and worth the hour or two of reading.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review



Sidebar but on twitter the other day, I saw a post begging for a light rom-com type story featuring lesbians. The original tweet made the point that minorities get books about issues, whereas everyone else gets exciting fantasy and sci-fi, historical and contempory stories. (They definitely have a point. Not all stories featuring LGBTQIA+ characters should be about the struggle for identity and equality. Sometimes they should just be stories that happen to feature queer characters. Fiction is definitely a good place to start redressing the balance on what is normal. By always making those books about ‘issues’, you always equate a minority character with their minority.)

I think the original author of that post would probably like and approve of this book.



This is a really sweet coming of age novella set in a post WWII McCarthy era America. We are told the story from Harriet’s POV from the moment she meets Jackie, aged eight, throughout their lives together. While it definitely touches on discovering what you really want out of life and love, this is not a coming out story. It also touches on gender stereotyping, sexism, inequality and family dynamics, not to mention PTSD, but this isn’t a book about any of those issues either. This is a light romance that doesn’t ignore the world it is set in but also doesn’t go deep because that’s not what the story is about. Take it on those terms and you’ll be fine. I love the fact that lesbian stereotypes are explored and largely debunked here. I also really enjoyed the gradual build of the main relationship. No instalove here but a dawning understanding on Harriet’s part. It’s a short book – I read it in an hour - but the historical detail and characterisation make it a satisfying read.



I notice another reviewer has called it out for having a ‘Nazi-sympathiser’ as the MC’s father. This is utterly untrue. I just want to make that clear – I don’t think that reviewer can have read the book properly. Harriet’s father fought in WWII and feels bad that he was required to kill anyone (Not all the Germans were Nazis or Nazi sympathisers either). It’s more a passing reference to the fact that he feels all life has value, which is very inkeeping for someone who is revealed to be a very broad minded character. Jackie’s father was killed in action in WWII but she makes the point at least twice that the Germans didn’t kill her father, evil did. I genuinely don’t know where accusations of a Nazi sympathiser character can have come from. The other thing I would refute is that there is a sneering denigration towards anything feminine here. It’s patently untrue. It’s merely that in 1950s dress codes for school were a lot more conservative, especially for girls. (To be honest girls regularly being allowed to wear trousers at school didn’t change here in the UK until the mid to late 90s, so a normal amount of perspective on this would be appreciated.) Harriet is never sneering at traditionally feminine stuff and quite often she really likes seeing it on other women, it’s just not something she personally wants to wear. Her interests lean more towards maths, science and engineering – the point being that these things are not gendered unless you decide they are and then it’s you narrowing the field!



My one niggle with this novella is that it is very much all told rather than shown. It’s a period drama fairytale with a Sapphic love story. I really enjoyed it but I can see that those who’d prefer more lyrical prose or exploration of issues, more ‘show’ might find it irritating. That said I highly recommend it for those wanting a F/F romance.

I was really excited to get an advanced copy of this book because we so rarely get lesbian stories featuring characters in different time periods and the 50's are definitely a fun era. I enjoyed the fact that the space race was included as well, but I couldn't help but feel (like I often do with historical fiction) was kind of tossing historical facts and references at us in a way that doesn't really feel like it was a result of a natural conversation, even if one of the characters had an interest in space herself. I enjoyed the fact that their were no strict, limited or cliched butch/femme roles and the characters wanted to live their lives as equals, but I did think the characters got together a bit too quickly without much in the way of build up before the story jumped to another point in their lives.

I get that the novella length probably had a lot to do with that but it all felt a bit bare bones and rushed to get to the next scene/point in the character's lives (since this story does follow them to old age). It was a fun, quick read and I did like that it didn't deal with a lot of dwelling/internal angst over their sexuality but I guess I was just hoping for a bit more detail so I could feel more of an attachment to the characters.

A sweet and interesting short novella of 17,000 words following two girls in 1950s America, finding themselves and each other, with a great epilogue. Highly recommended.

This is a sweet short story of coming out and stand proud in a post-war rural society but without the usual family dramas and school bullying. So is a positive and engaging reading. Very enjoyable.

Thanks to net galley.com, Janelle Reston and NineStar Press, LLC for the advance copy for my honest review.

I never really was a huge fan of short stories, till the late Marina Keegan made me realize I was missing out on some really good writing.

Not a bad read, Janelle Reston packs a lot into this one, easily could have been developed into a series verse being really a 50 page outline. As Harriet tells her story, of growing up in the 50's dealing with gender stereotyping, sexuality and liking females.

You can't help but like both Harriet and Jackie, they met at the age 8 in school, grew up together as friends, came from different family types, even back in 50's and it gives the story credibility.

It's after World War 2, the cold war between the US and Russia is going on, Sputnik the first man-made satellite has bee put into space and the Kids even at school have practice drills should Russia fire missiles at them.

The author even cleverly has several 50's TV shows making cameo appearances into the 'Tomboy' storyline, along with the Dennis the Menace comic strip, then Harriet with her friend Mandy write and receive autographed photo's from iconic singer Rosemary Clooney and actress Amanda Blake of Gunsmoke fame.

For me, Vanda's Juliana series, really hurt my liking this one, not for it being bad but rather it's easy to see that 'Tomboy' easily could have been expanded into full novel or made into a really good series. Let the reader really get to know Harriet and Jackie better.

Since when you read, 'Tomboy', you want more than just a short story and giving this one 4 stars.

A quick and cute read about two lesbians navigating life, love, gender, and identity.

A wonderful quick read about gender stereotypes, sexuality and finding out that love has been in front of your face the whole time... It’s a really sweet, light, quick read which will definitely warm your heart. Though extremely short, it definitely packs a punch and covers some really important, vital topics in a wonderful way. I found this insightful, interesting, diverse and interesting to read. Though short, I didn’t find it lacking in substance. I often find that with shorter reads I feel a little bit lost in the story because there isn’t much happening or not much has been built on, but the author gets it spot on for this one - the back story is built as it develops and the characters develop quickly also; the dialogue isn’t excessive and it’s just enough to feel like a story with a strong substance. The subject matter is intrinsic, and I think that definitely enhanced the story. Such a well thought out, developed, strong and interesting story is woven in the small space - don’t be put off by its length! It’s definitely got enough in there to draw you in and to leave you clawing for more!

The storyline is exquisite - we follow a lovely, charming character who is trying to figure out who she is. Her best friend is someone that her heart has tangled with but she doesn’t quite know what she wants - from her life, her relationships, her family... she doesn’t know where she should turn and this short story is truly a feat in finding who you are and how to attain the information you long for. The characters are developed brilliantly and are all so immensely likeable and diverse. The plot is sweet, but balances the necessary intensity of the topics at hand with the adorable heart melting moments. The ending was my favourite part - seeing how her life ended up unfolding made my heart glow with joy. I really enjoyed piecing together the story and becoming entwined with these characters lives. Even though it’s short, it’s written in such a brilliant way that you get so invested in the characters, their growth and the plot. Such a great read.

I can imagine reading this on a cold winters day when I’m in need of a burst of joy... excellent! Loved it!

I don’t know what to think about Tom Boy by Janelle Reston. I read this last night and I’m still not sure what to think. It was meant to be short and sweet. I could see shades of that in this but it felt too much like fanfiction to me. It was like I was supposed to know who Harriet and Jackie were already but I didn’t. And there wasn’t enough happening that I knew anything about either of them. There is so much potential for this story. I just felt like I was given a teaser of the scenes that would make up a larger novel.

This was a really cute novella. It was more of a long short story than an actual novel, though a lot of time (from age 8 all the way through the MC's teenage years) was covered in the 50 pages.

It read a lot like a lesbian version of 1950s TV shows... Leave it to Beaver, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best. The MC was unsurprised to find that she had feelings for her girls, and no one else really made a huge fuss about it either. Some people knew the truth about her and others didn't, and that was that. There was a simplistic treatment of gender and gender roles in lesbian relationships, and lots of fun references to jello salad (who knew people used to make it with <i>vegetables</i> in it!) and other time period things.

It was basically a really sweet, very surface lesbian love story that was firmly rooted in a certain period of time, which is a lot of what gave it its charm. Did any lesbian in the 1950s actually have a similar relatively easy, self-directed, self-actualizing experience? I don't know. But (unlike when authors make black and white teenage girls fall in love in the Jim Crow south because I find that highly problematic in certain ways) I don't actually care, because wouldn't it have been wonderful if they had?

I loved this book so much and the more i think about it, the more i love it! The two main characters were written really well and i felt like they grew so much from when we meet them as children in the beginning to the beautiful passionate lovers they become. The way that Reston wrote made the locations came alive and the way that she made the 50s seem was great. The only thing that means i can't give it the full five stars is that it was too short and i feel like it could be developed into a full length novel by Reston.

Loved, loved, loved this! This cute novella just got more and more captivating with every page and I loved this look at growing up as a lesbian in the post-WWII US.

“The first time I saw Jackie, I thought she was a boy.”

Tomboy is a very sweet and delightful love story set in post-war America, following Harriet’s growing up and the gradually blossoming relationship between two school friends. Harriet is frustrated by the rigid expectations of the times and is more interested in space travel than in boys, make-up and marriage. And as time goes on, she also finds herself drawn to glamorous, very feminine screen and music stars - and to Mandy, the prettiest girl in the school. The tomboyish Jackie, while a good friend, holds no romantic interest for her... at least, not initially.

It’s a coming of age story with a strong sense of the era - Sputnik, McCarthyism, Gunsmoke - and a welcome avoidance of stereotype.

Both girls are fortunate to have parents - Harriet’s father, Jackie’s mother - who love and accept them as they are. There are some very moving moments involving Harriet’s father, in particular.

It’s a little idealised at times. But that’s okay.

Beautifully written and genuinely touching - I loved it.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This is a truly beautiful novella written from the point of Harriet who recounts her experience of growing up and coming of age in the post WWII McCarthy era. She recalls seeing Jackie for the first time when she is eight and starts at her school but is dressed as a boy. Harriet questions why she’s dressed as a boy and she responds, “I’m a girl. Whatever clothes I wear, that makes them girls’ clothes. Because I’m a girl. That’s what my mom says, and I think she’s right.” From then on they become firm friends, perhaps seeing a likeness in each other.

Harriet’s self-realisation doesn’t come as easily as Jackie’s, perhaps because she because she comes from more traditional family - with a small hint of subversiveness. Her father holds the unpopular (and dangerous for the time) belief that the Russians have better things to do with their time than drop bombs on the US. His opinions are measured even though there is an indication that he is suffering from PTSD. He has a great support of his daughter which is beautiful and heart-warming. Adult opinions are portrayed in the fuzzy bite-sized pieces that a child might see them and then with greater clarity as Harriet ages.

Jackie is a wonderful character with strong sense of self and a ton of common sense. Her mother was a mechanic during the war and opened an auto shop after the war needing to support the family when her husband and Jackie’s father was killed by the Germans. She wears what she is comfortable and hold opinions that aren’t necessarily acceptable. Harriet is drawn to feminine women and doesn’t see Jackie as more that a friend she can hold a conversation with.

In spite of its length (easily read in two hours) 'Tomboy' is clearly located in history by the references to movies, TV shows, politics and fashion. There is a gentleness that runs through the story with moments of poignancy as well as happiness. I was very moved by the story and highly recommend it.

Book received from Netgalley for an honest review.