Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit – Jaye Robin Brown

A couple of years ago Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit would not be a book I would pick up. That’s what I thought when I started reading and thought throughout the book, basically. But the writing by Jaye Robin Brown was so good, and the story of Jo so captivating, I finished it in no time. It turned out to be one of my favs. What a cute and wonderful novel this is 🥰.

Joanna (Jo) Gordon is 17 and out and proud as a lesbian. Her father is a popular radio evangelist and has totally accepted his daughter being gay. When he marries for the third time, he moves them to Rome, Georgia. Then he asks Jo to do the impossible, he asks her to go back in the closet for appearance sake! Just to get them settled in and accepted by their new community. He promises Jo her own radio show if she helps him with his request for a year.

Jo loathes the whole idea. But the promise of her own show which she intends to use to help young people with their struggles, keeps her honoring her promise to her dad. Elizabeth, aka 3 for the third wife, helps Jo transform into a more acceptable looking teen. Jo transforms into a hot but proper babe 😂. She makes friends with the popular people she meets in school and church events. And she meets Mary Carlson, the cutest girl she’s ever met. She can’t let Mary Carlson know about her crush. But then the tables turn and Mary Carlson confesses her own crush to Jo. Oh Lord 😏.

By then Jo has been lying so much to all her new friends, she is getting deeper and deeper trapped in her lies. While the possible love of her life is presenting herself on a plate! God 🤦🏼‍♀️! Her best friend Dana isn’t helping either, she gives all the wrong advice with only good intentions. Poor Jo, I really felt for her. Such a mess! Then Elizabeth gets pregnant and that makes it even harder for Jo to come clean. Threatening to lose it all, her friends, her good buddy Barnum, her love Mary Carlson, and maybe even her show.

Wow, my frustration with Jo got almost too much to bare. I was urging her to come clean, screaming at my book 😂. This devotion to her dad was unreal! Or maybe just very sweet. Elizabeth turns out to be a treasure. She’s nothing like her horribly pious mom, frankly the main reason for this ruse. No, she is more like her dad, Tater. Such a friendly character. As a fact, all the characters in this book are so loveable. They helped me endure the frustration at Jo’s misery. In the end, they helped Jo too 🥰. One of the things I appreciate most about this book, is that it’s a Christian setting. There’s no more hostility in this book towards being gay then any other bigot minded people will show.