Well, now that the new year is approaching, I’ve decided that it’s finally time to pick up all the books I purchased 15 months ago and actually read them. Even if that also means… finishing the book I started back in June after accidentally leaving it under a stack of candles for six months.

Yeah, that pretty much describes my reading style. I may not be the fastest to the finish line when it comes to books… but, I get there eventually!

So, today, we’re talking about the cute lil’ YA novel I left under the candle stack… which is the LGBTQ+ friendly Hot Dog Girl.

And, just so you know in advance… I actually really liked this one.

The Book Overview

For some reasons, this book kept reminding me of some old rom-com… but I can’t exactly pinpoint which one because, I’m sure, there’s a lot of them that have a similar plot line.

This book was very similar to a rom-com though… and it basically followed the trope of “girl-wants-guy, but guy-has-a-girlfriend-already, so girl-dates-best-friend-to-make-him-jealous, but girl-falls-for-best-friend-instead”. You know, that old predictable plot.

However… if you thought the best friend was just some other guy, think again. Because, in this story, the best friend is actually another girl.

Ah–and therein lies what makes this story new and different.

The Book Cover and Description, Taken from Goodreads:

It’s for readers who love LGBTQ+ romance… or for those who want to give the genre a try!

My Review

Honestly, I can get a little annoyed with the typical rom-com tropes when they’re… well, you know, just used in general. I’m sure a lot of other readers feel the same way though… I mean, there will always be those kinds of stories that make us roll our eyes or, worse, gag.

But… this is kind of the first book I’ve read in a long time with a trope that doesn’t actually annoy me.

Let me tell you why…

It’s Got a Fresh Perspective

You can’t deny that queer romance is more popular now than ever, and I only imagine that the genre is going to get bigger in the years to come. And, for good reason–it’s kind of about time, isn’t it?

So, the main thing this book’s got going for it is its fresh perspective on the romance trope I mentioned above. I mean, it’s kind of got that classic plot… but, it’s with a twist. It’s got diverse characters (in terms of sexual orientation, that is), and that makes it a whole lot less boring that other books that follow the same trope.

This book also, even though the characters are diverse in those regards, refrains from “labeling” everybody. Our main character, Lou, even says at one point that she doesn’t know how she would label herself if she had to–she dates/likes girls, she dates/likes boys, and she is a teen still trying to figure herself out, after all. Give the girl a break!

It’s Got Humor

So, I’ll admit this: I totally judged this book by its cover before I bought it. But, for once, that was actually a good thing!

The title and the cover of this book really does reflect its inner contents, which… yeah, we don’t always get, do we? But, with a name that makes you look twice at the shelf (I got this one as a hardcover at a Half Price Books store, and I do remember saying aloud, in the corner by myself, ‘wait… hot dog girl?’) and an illustrated cover to boot, it certainly is a humorous attention-grabber.

I was not disappointed with the amount of humor in the book, too, which… I am pleased to share! I mean, Lou was honestly hilarious, and she was the perfectly relatable teen narrator. Oh, and there were plenty of times that she made me laugh out loud. Actually, she reminded me a bit of the overly-sarcastic main character in my own ‘Emma Lenford’ books… and, when I make that kind of comparison, you know I must really like that character.

I can’t even count how many times Lou must have thrown up at the most awkward times, too. Or how many times she described the condition of the hot dog suit in disgustingly great detail.

“Your lover boy.” She swoons. “He said you ran into the breakroom, pulled off almost all your clothes, and started crying and puking in the garbage can.”

…But it Gets Slow

I don’t really remember how or why I put this book down for six months under the candle stack… but, perhaps, it’s because I reached the breaking point of the plot (when something major happens… I won’t spoil it or anything, but I will say it’s kind of super predictable), and then there was a long drawl.

Sure, the long drawl was also a predictable part of the overall story… but, honestly, it could have been shortened a bit, or something else could have happened to keep it moving. Because it was a good 40 pages of nearly crickets, and I ended up just skimming the rest to the last few chapters.

But, I will forgive for the drawl because, otherwise, there wasn’t too much else that I found boring! And, let’s be real, I can’t stand boring books…

So, check out this book with me, and let me know what you think!

Tl; DR: Hot Dog Girl is a great LGBTQ+ twist on a classic rom-com trope… plus, it’s got plenty of humor with an awkward teen main character.

–Kari