Forward March

FORWARD MARCH is a lovely and captivating read about being true to yourself, friendship, complicated family, and bullying. Harper is a senior in a prestigious private school, where her mother is dean and most of the students are related to politicians. In fact, her own father is currently running for president, as a Republican. Harper would be more than happy to play her saxophone, stay out of the spotlight, and live her life, but her parents put a great deal of pressure on her to be exactly what they want her to be.

Things begin to change when she is confronted by Margot, a girl from the drumline that she barely knows. However, this girl has had an entire relationship with "Harper" on Tinder. While they quickly realize someone was using Harper to catfish Margot, Harper finds that she actually does like spending time with Margot as a friend. This is particularly helpful as her friends have started to turn their backs on Harper for nebulous reasons. As the year continues, Harper begins to confront what she really wants, her sexuality, and what her life should look like away from her parents' control.

What I loved: This was a really compelling YA contemporary read about finding yourself, staying true to who you are, and surrounding yourself with people who will support you in being your best self. Harper has been living with her parents hefty influence, their opinions about who she should date, where she should go to college, and what she should study. All this pressure creates a lot of stress and anxiety for Harper, who just loves to play her saxophone and wants to live a life that feels right to her. These sentiments are compounded by their spotlight as her father begins his campaign, using her as a prop to bolster his family image. Themes around parental expectations, complicated familial relationships, and standing up for yourself will resonate with many readers.

Other themes around coming out, coming-of-age, relationships, friendships, acceptance, forging your own paths, bullying, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support you as you are make this a really thought-provoking, heartfelt, and genuine read. Harper and Margot are particularly compelling characters, and I loved getting to know them both through the story. They are each so full of life, flaws and beauty that it would be impossible not to really love them. I also really loved getting to know Margot's sister and family, as well as some of the key side characters. Sarah was a particularly enjoyable character with a minor role, and she often brought a dash of comedy alongside solid and supportive friendship.

This ended up feeling like a really consuming read, in part because of the strong themes, but also the steadily paced plot that keeps it moving forward in a great way. The band and music enthusiasm added to the story in a really delightful way as well, and I loved that Harper has found her own places where she can celebrate herself and find joy. As she finds her boundaries and learns more about what she wants for herself, this really grows - her journey is really strong and engrossing.

Final verdict: A heartfelt and genuine reading about finding yourself, FORWARD MARCH is a delightful YA contemporary that I would highly recommend for fans of THE (UN)POPULAR VOTE, BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, and LOVELESS.