Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Ramona Blue
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson comes this sharp and thought-provoking novel about modern love, family, and the labels that we just cant seem to escapefrom Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin and Side Effects May Vary. Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, its been Ramona and her family against the world. One of only two out lesbians in her small town and standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona knows shes 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 responsible adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, her responsibilities weigh more heavily than ever. The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramonas friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon hes talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. As Ramona falls more in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift as well, and she must decide if knowing who she is is more important than figuring out who she might become.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
MaggieCarr
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Julie Murphy's setting/scene building just makes the stories so easy to get lost in. Each character grows and shines and comes into their own in a world that often tides against the protagonist again and again. Ramona Blue is no different; but she's fierce, loyal, and determined to put her family first to the point of settling herself. I am certain I audibly whooped when she triumphed over this characteristic that's hardly a flaw.

review
CaliforniaCay
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Good read for summer vibes 🌞

52 likes1 stack add
review
Zoe-h
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

The dialogue in this book saved it from a so-so. The plot felt a bit boring, except for a few parts. Ramona‘s life changed after Hurricane Katrina, even if she was too young to remember it. Her family lost everything and her mother moved away. Now, they live in a trailer park and she has to work two jobs. Ramona dreams of leaving her small town, but she knows it‘s not possible, especially now that her sister‘s pregnant. As ⬇️

Zoe-h ⬆️ she begins to question if she‘s gay after kissing a boy, she starts to question other things as well.
Overall a good book, but it doesn‘t stand out. 4⭐️
3y
10 likes1 comment
blurb
InkedBookworm13
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

5❤️- Ramona Blue
11/52 for #TBRDeckofCards
@Clwojick

26 likes1 stack add
quote
InkedBookworm13
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

"Life isn't written in the stars. Fate is ours to pen."

blurb
Mleanne
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
1 like1 stack add
quote
Hforrester12
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

"It's sad that sometimes we let ourselves believe that if it's not bad, it must be good."

blurb
Dr._Who_number10
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Ramona Blue or Darkest lie by Pintip Dunn. Those are my kind of feel good books...🤷🏽‍♀️😂
#10for10 @Laur89 Thanks for the giveaway!!! Love this idea🙏❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

laur89 This sounds like a super interesting book! I‘ve been all about diversity in literature this year. Thanks for sharing! 5y
36 likes1 comment
review
Dr._Who_number10
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

This book... I'm sorry I'm just in awe. It was just amazing! Definitely one of my most favorite books ever! The characters are just so catching (I can't even think of words!) I definitely think this is a book that a lot of people should read! Thank you so much Julie Murphy for such an amazing book!!! (This picture is from last year's #Nttbf where I got to meet Mrs.Murphy and got one of the books signed)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Definitely ❤️ this book

50 likes2 stack adds
review
Gissy
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Mehso-so

I liked how bisexual topic was described for a teenager that is still discovering herself as a person. She thought was lesbian but she felt attracted, in love with a male, because it is not about physical appearance is about the person you feel attracted, who you love. Bisexual persons sometimes feel judged even by the queer community b/c of their bi orientation. However, story was so slow, sometimes I was disconnected. From ok to so-so 3.3⭐️

35 likes2 stack adds
review
Rachiiebookdragon
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
Pickpick

Cute book and interesting storyline, overall a easy read 😊 5/5

review
imabusybee
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Finished this in one sittingor more like walking. Loved it!! 6/16 #BFC #bookfitnesschallenge @wanderinglynn

BookwormAHN Nice job 👏🏻 5y
61 likes1 comment
blurb
pocketmermaid
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

I‘m home early from work today because of snow. ❄️ And I am grateful for the extra time, because I have to read this book for a committee ... before Friday! 😮

27 likes1 stack add
review
MelissaSue81
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

I LOVED this. While I enjoy reading YA, sometimes i find the stories a bit shallow. This was not the case here. This book manages to touch on a lot of really tough issues in a relatable way. Ramona is a super awesome strong female character, but not without faults. The supporting characters are all great too, and I dare you NOT to fall in love with Freddie.

TrishB Loved this one too 💕 5y
Lovesbooks87 Loved this one too! I love Julie Murphy's books! 5y
73 likes2 comments
blurb
MelissaSue81
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

1. Ramona Blue, and Elizabeth Warren‘s Fighting Chance on Audio.
2. Coffee
3. Diet Pepsi.. but am considering another coffee. #weekendreads

rachelsbrittain I still need to read Ramona Blue. Thanks for joining in ☕😊 5y
faequeen84 1.Wicked king and between the trees (yes im reading 2) 2. Peppermint mocha from starbucks. 3. Dunkin doughnut mocha coffee from gas station (i get up way to early to make coffee) 5y
54 likes2 comments
review
RavensCarm
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
Pickpick

I just loved this book!! Can‘t wait to read more Julie Murphy!

blurb
Easytiger
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Has anyone else watched Dumplin on #Netflix yet?
It was good, so dragged out my copy of Ramona blue. #femaleleadsmakegoodreads

Soubhiville I liked it! 5y
8 likes1 comment
review
TrishB
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Yes, it‘s YA and yes, it has romance in it - but I really enjoyed it and loved the MC Romana. She had so many things going on you wondered if she‘d every see any positive future! A lovely little read.

Cathythoughts Sounds like a good book while you‘re recovering too. Cosy. 5y
AmyG Feel better. 5y
Blaire Sounds like a good holiday read. 5y
See All 11 Comments
jenniferw88 Hi Trish, meant to write this earlier but forgot! I hope you are feeling better and bbc radio 4's book of the week is something to do with Sylvia Plath this week if you need something to listen to whilst recovering! 5y
Cinfhen Is your daughter picking your books again?!??! 😘😘 5y
TrishB @jenniferw88 thanks! Just had a look and have the book on my tbr so might try to have a listen. 5y
TrishB @Cinfhen she picked this one😁 it was just the right day tbh! 5y
TrishB @AmyG thank you 😘 5y
eraderneely Glad to hear it was good 5y
TrishB @eraderneely I really enjoyed it 💕 5y
123 likes5 stack adds11 comments
review
Lovesbooks87
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

I loved this book as much as Julie Murphy's other books. She knows how to perfectly deal with issues that many teenagers and adults face! Can't wait to see what she writes next!

monalyisha I loved this one, too! 5y
Lovesbooks87 @monalyisha me too! She is such an amazing author! 5y
66 likes4 stack adds2 comments
blurb
Matilda
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

I‘ve been deprograming at night with an audiobook that isn‘t crime. Tonight I‘m starting this one.

68 likes1 stack add
review
monalyisha
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Ramona Blue was just as good as everyone told me it would be. I stayed up late, reading until the wee hours of the morn. I had bags under my eyes & was maybe, possibly, even a little late for work this morning...but it was worth it.🙈💙

If you‘re looking for a fast, swoon-worthy Summer read — one that doesn‘t shy away from discussions of class, gender, race & sexuality — while still managing to be, first & foremost, a love story, this is for you.

71 likes8 stack adds
blurb
monalyisha
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Reading past my bedtime & turning the pages so, so quietly so that my husband doesn‘t wake up from where he fell asleep, snoozing on the couch, & tell me that it‘s time for us to go to bed. 😬🤫😴

Bklover I will be veeerrry quiet! 🤫 6y
Librariana Be vewy vewy quiet. We're hunting wab... I mean, we're reading books! 6y
Slajaunie 😂😂 6y
monalyisha @Librariana You know I would never hunt the alternative! 😅🐰 6y
100 likes4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

I finally made it outside & the joy is so real!

Side note: Who else loves Scrabble?

Word nerd dream: A New England #litsymeetup. We bring books to swap (obviously) & Scrabble boards to play. When you finish one game, there‘s another empty board & another ready nerd waiting for you. No one tries to play abbreviations or proper nouns & everyone goes home happy - with new books & a feeling of dorky victory.

Who shares my dream? ✋

😍😭🤓

trazo Adorable slippers 😍 6y
Quirkybookworm I‘ve got one too! 6y
RebelReader Sounds fabulous! I love Scrabble. Sadly, I live too far away. 😩 6y
See All 18 Comments
monalyisha Thanks @trazo! And @RebelReader: what a bummer! Steal my dream & create a local chapter? 😉 6y
monalyisha @Quirkybookworm A dream, you mean? 🙏🏻 6y
Ashley_Nicoletto I also love scrabble. 6y
TiredLibrarian I ❤ Scrabble too! Where in New England might you be dreaming about? 6y
monalyisha @TiredLibrarian I‘m in Rhode Island & am 90% sure I could get my old bookstore (which has a nitro coffee cart, to boot 😉☕️) to host us, if that‘s something we were interested in. I also work in Central MA, so that‘d be an easy locale for me. And I‘d be willing to drive for such an event - within reason. 😊 6y
Redwritinghood Sounds fun! 6y
monalyisha @Redwritinghood Thanks! 🙌🏻Are you in the area or just expressing support? 6y
Redwritinghood @monalyisha I‘m in CT. 6y
monalyisha @Redwritinghood That‘s (potentially) close to me! 6y
TiredLibrarian @monalyisha I'm in upstate NY so central MA is do-able 🚗😊 6y
MaureenMc 🙌 (Also, I need those slippers in my life.) 6y
daena I support your dream! Now I need to find those with the same dream where I live! 6y
Bookish_AF I just need to tell you that I own those exact same slippers. Mine are close to falling apart because I wear them so much 😂 It was a bday gift from my cousins. I really think we are the same person!! 😝 6y
monalyisha @whippoorwill815 OF COURSE you do! 😂 I love our parallel lives! 🙌🏻 6y
MoMogrl That sounds like a great idea! I'm in CT so it may be doable for me. 6y
76 likes18 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

A school of fish. A gaggle of geese. What do you call a bunch of unwanted guests? 😅 I was about to head outside but my landlord‘s entire extended family just appeared (around a newborn babe) on my once-quiet deck.

Most of the time, I don‘t want the hassle of home ownership. But sometimes, when I‘m feeling antisocial & I don‘t want to coo, I get it.

Relegated to my husband‘s office, where the early evening light is best. Best kick off my shoes.

CouronneDhiver Ha! Yep. I might not love taking out my own trash (miss the apartment shoot) but I don‘t miss the landlord interruptions. 🙄 6y
vivastory I think the collective noun is a cacophony of company. 😂 6y
monalyisha @vivastory I concur! Brilliant! 6y
See All 6 Comments
monalyisha @CouronneDhiver This apartment is actually a godsend. We‘ve been here for about 2.5 years & our landlord is fantastic. We have a communal garden, chickens for eggs, & he even bakes every now & again & shares the goods! This past week has just been a little crowded. Babies‘ll do that. 🙄👶 6y
CouronneDhiver Well that‘s excellent! Seems like a decent set up ... for the most part 😉 6y
monalyisha @CouronneDhiver It is! I really shouldn‘t complain. That‘s why I do it on the Internet. 😉😅 (edited) 6y
84 likes6 comments
review
AshleyS
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

I was so excited for this book I accidentally bought it twice, in hardcover and on kindle, and it did not disappoint me. So good and sweet.

31 likes3 stack adds
blurb
OneBookishBabe
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

"Life isn't always written in the stars. Fate is mine to pen. I choose guys. I choose girls. I choose people. But most of all: I CHOOSE." - Ramona

I love that!

#25infive #8inTwo #Readathon #WeekendsAreForReading #PrideBooks

8 likes2 stack adds
quote
OneBookishBabe
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
review
Mem_ugh
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Ramona Blue is 6‘3”, a high school senior, from a small town and is 17 going on 45. Ramona feels a certain sense of responsibility for keeping her family afloat, especially after her older sister gets pregnant by a typical townie. She doesn‘t see a future for herself aside from staying in her town and getting a job to help out her dad. All and all, pretty good, Ramona reminds me of myself, total martyr complex😂 4/5 ⭐️‘s

blurb
Mem_ugh
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

blurb
anored
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

2 likes1 stack add
review
Deborah42
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Ramona, 6‘3” and blue-haired, has lived in a dilapidated FEMA trailer ever since Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home. She shares the tiny space with her dad, her sister, and her sister‘s baby daddy.

Maintaining a long-distance romance with Grace gets complicated when her childhood bestie comes back to town and makes her question her sexual identity.

Wonderfully diverse and vivid cast of characters. I loved it!

TheBookKeepers Oh that sounds interesting!! What age is the MC? 6y
Deborah42 She‘s a senior in high school. 6y
4 likes2 comments
blurb
shutterbug_mama
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Snagged 4 books off the Kindle Flash Deal going on today! Ramona Blue, The Queen‘s Rising, Orphan Train and The Keeper of Lost Things. There‘s 30 to choose from! #justtakemymoney

Julsmarshall Loved Orphan Train! 6y
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Rabidgummibear
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Today for 1.99 you can pick up Ramona Blue! I‘m really excited to finally read this one since I loved Dumplin!

Jess7 Thanks for the heads up! Done! 6y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
VanChocStrawberry
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

At first I was concerned about the central story, but it‘s just as important for queer kids to realize sexuality can be fluid as it is for straight kids (and adults, let‘s be real.)
I always enjoy Murphy‘s writing and this one stuck in my head.

review
Deebee
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

✴✴✴1/2
I really enjoyed the first half of this book, a YA about a gay girl dealing with her girlfriend leaving and the return of an old friend. The 2nd half was not as enjoyable getting bogged down in problems and a Ramona I had trouble liking. So a decent mixed read that had some good moments, but not enough for me to love it. #romansty #osrbc

review
AnniesJournals
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

6 likes1 stack add
review
EllenG
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
Pickpick

Excellent contemporary YA fiction about a girl who is 17 going on 30. The story of her evolving and confused sexual identity is also central to the story.

1 stack add
quote
ghandigl
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy

Life is a series of conflicts, and maybe the only resolution is accepting that not all problems are meant to be solved.

1 stack add
blurb
Yournewfriendsams
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

I love Julie Murphy. That's all.

Sassy_Steph She's so good! I loved Dumplin and Ramona Blue 6y
56 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Clare-Dragonfly
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Mehso-so

I liked this book but didn't love it. The feelings were messy and raw in a good way, but parts of the plot felt forced or too easy. Also, I had some expectations about what kind of a queer book this was going to be, and it turned out to be a different kind of queer book, so that was a disappointment that is most likely unique to me.

blurb
pocketmermaid
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

I finally got the unicorn lamp from Target that so many people have told me about. And of course there‘s no room on my bookshelf for it. But i made it work. #shelfie

Notafraidofwords Absolutely love it. 6y
dylanisreading That lamp is fantastic! 6y
38 likes2 comments
quote
Clare-Dragonfly
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

"I'm sort of impressed with myself. Not because I'm good, but because I don't stop."

review
Sarahreadstoomuch
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Loved this! Beautiful love story that shows how fluid sexuality is with an impactful post-Katrina setting.

20 likes1 stack add
blurb
BrandiNB
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Loving Julie Murphy‘s newest. I want so much more for Ramona that she seems willing to settle for.

blurb
That-Bookish-Hiker
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Julie Murphy is the best!

Photo cred to the husband.

#pdxbookfest #wordstockpdx

Yournewfriendsams This panel was so good. 6y
That-Bookish-Hiker @Yournewfriendsams it was! My husband and I had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard at her Selena Story. As hispanics we related to that so much. 6y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
GirlMeetsBook
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

A few months ago I was listening to this and then... disc 3 restarted after track 4! 😱😭 it's finally back in my possession (and fixed), so this half hour I have to spend waiting for a friend for dinner is no big deal! 😍

24 likes1 stack add
blurb
Kelly
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image

Queer reads for today's #riotgrams

38 likes2 stack adds
review
Bookbeez
Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy
post image
Pickpick

Life is complicated and Ramona's life seems to be getting more complicated by the minute. A good book about identity and friendship. Not too serious but not too fluffy either. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️