Ramona Blue

Age range: young adult
Audio narrated by: Therese Plummer

For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson, a gorgeously evocative novel about family, friendship, and how sometimes love can be more fluid than you first think.

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s 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 adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool.

But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke.

Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.

Available now

Praise for Ramona Blue

★ Kirkus Reviews

“An exquisite, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind and the fluidity of relationships, sexuality, and life.”

★ Booklist

“Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.”

School Library Journal

“A must-have work that will resonate with teens”

Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not

“Julie Murphy delivers a fresh and glorious love story that addresses all the complexities of one’s heart. Ramona Blue’s discovery of limitless love is total beauty.”

Robin Talley, New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Tell Ourselves

“Ramona Blue is Julie Murphy’s best book yet. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s so, so real. I just wish I’d had this book to read during my own teen years!”

Publisher’s Weekly

“Murphy creates a place that feels deeply real…a great setting for a coming-of-age story, as Ramona realizes that she’s capable of more than she imagined and that some categories are more fluid than she’d thought.”

Brightly

“In a wonderful, complicated way, Ramona Blue turns the queer coming-of-age trope on its head.”