4.5 Stars

CW: Horrific period shaming sexual content, slut shaming, threats of rape, sexualisation of periods, cyber bullying

Well I feel like I have just read something incredibly important.

This verse novel looks at changing the narrative around women, periods and sex. Lucy explores period shaming, slut shaming and toxicity between women on social media in this engaging story. It is very intense at times and I felt ill at the threatening nature of the online bullying that Frankie faced after a meme about her went viral. I honestly could not put this down as I felt connected to this story and invested in the characters. Absolutely fantastic! ( )

An amazing book about period shaming, cyberbullying and the true power of friendship, #girlpower. I read this in 24 hours. Very well written as a novel in verse. I didn't want it to end. Why young men think that a menstruation cycle is a bad thing is beyond me. Girls menstruating is a normal everyday occurrence, not a reason to slut-shame someone. It's the reason those boys were able to be born! The cyberbullying aspect of the story drew me in and kept me reading late into the night. The power of social media and how everyone believes what is posted blows my mind every time. Why not use social media for the better, not the worst. Every girl needs to read this book. ( )

When it is revealed that Frankie started her period while being intimate with her boyfriend, a moment of embarrassment turns into weeks of embarassment as a mean spirited meme goes viral. Blood Moon shines a light on how internalized misogyny causes both boys and girls to denigrate women for their bodily functions and sexuality. The ending was happily tied up, but the shame spiral and isolation that the main character experienced as she lost control of the narrative of her story felt grounded in reality.

This is a young adult book. The language is coarse but the sexual activity is depicted quite modestly. One of the few (if not first) young adult novels I've read where the female character openly achieves orgasm with her boyfriend, and the whole intimate experience is written positively. #endperiodstigma ( )

High school drama with a happy ending
Rumors
BFF betrayals
Supportive parents
Overcoming harassment
Girl power
It’s just blood ( )

This book has the perfect YA balance of romance with some steam and teenage problems of today along with overcoming hateful situations and normalizing bodily functions. Frankie is an astronomy loving teenager with a close group of friends, but when best friends seem to turn on one another, where does the group's loyalty lie? Embarrassment is a normal teenage rite of passage and this story encompasses the feeling of mortification and the reader follows along with the devastation and the subsequent empowerment of taking the brave stand and making a change. ( )