title: Our Own Private Universe
author:  Robin Talley 
description: Gr 9 UpAki has always been a perfect preacher's daughterresponsible, polite, safe. This summer, though, things will be different. Aki will be traveling with a group of teens and chaperones (her father included) to help build a new church in rural Mexico. Aki is hoping for a distraction after being rejected by the music program of her dreams. She finds it in Christa. Both girls want a simple summer romance, but Aki is out as bisexual only to her best friend, and Christa is terrified that her parents will find out that she likes girls. Talley does an excellent job of portraying how a closeted relationship can start to unravel despite genuine affection, and the depiction of Christa's and Aki's emotional lives seems honest and real. There are sometimes too many side plots, such as sudden revelations about Aki's long-deceased uncle, but they don't overwhelm the central themes. And even with her infatuation, Aki never becomes singularly focused. She devotes energy to her brother and to conversations about the upcoming convention, where their church will take official stances on topics such as same-sex marriage and foreign aid. Particularly important is the novel's information, so commonly ignored, on safe sex between two women, which is effortlessly worked into the narrative. VERDICT This pitch-perfect romance is all heart, touching on serious issues but never becoming too heavy, and will be a strong addition to any teen collection.Amy Diegelman, formerly at Vineyard Haven Public Library, MA
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ROBIN TALLEY is the New York Times bestselling author of the highly acclaimed
  novels Music from Another World, Pulp, Our Own Private Universe, As I
  Descended, What We Left Behind and Lies We Tell Ourselves. Her books have won
  accolades including the Amnesty CILIP Honour and have also been shortlisted
  for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.
  
  She worked in digital communications for LGBTQ rights, women’s rights,
  educational equity, and other progressive causes for fifteen years before she
  turned to writing full-time. Robin lives in Washington, DC with her wife and
  their daughter.
  
  You can find her online at [www.robintalley.com](http://www.robintalley.com)
  or on Twitter @robin_talley.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Also by Robin Talley](index_split_006.html#filepos5274)
  
  Music from Another World
  
  Pulp
  
  As I Descended
  
  Our Own Private Universe
  
  What We Left Behind
  
  Lies We Tell Ourselves
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
  
  Robin Talley
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright](index_split_006.html#filepos5408)
  
  ![](i