‘Lesbian Jesus’ Hayley Kiyoko has debuted her first novel Girls Like Girls, a coming-of-age romance based on her hit song of the same name!
“It’s summertime and 17-year-old Coley has found herself alone, again,” reads the synopsis. “Forced to move to rural Oregon after just losing her mother, she is in no position to risk her already fragile heart. But when she meets Sonya, the attraction is immediate.
“Coley worries she isn’t worthy of love. Up until now, everyone she’s loved has left her. And Sonya’s never been with a girl before. What if she’s too afraid to show up for Coley? What if by opening her heart, Coley’s risking it all?
“They both realize that when things are pushed down, and feelings are forced to shrivel away, Coley and Sonya will be the ones to shrink. It’s not until they accept the love they fear and deserve most, that suddenly the song makes sense.
“Based on the billboard-charting smash hit song and viral music video GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel is about embracing your truth and realizing we are all worthy of being loved back.”
It was the Sapphics’ reaction to the Girls Like Girls song and viral video that convinced Kiyoko a book needed to be written. “Girls Like Girls [the song] kind of took a life of its own,” Kiyoko says, in an interview with Publishers Weekly. “I released it, I immediately followed it with a music video, and that music video connected me to this community that I was craving for growing up.”
“People really felt connected to the characters. When I wrote the song, I wasn’t planning to write a book about it. But when I did the video and saw how amazing it was to see how hope brought people together, I wanted to expand that story.
“I had initially wanted to make it into a feature film and direct it, but it’s easier said than done. Years went by and I’m just like, I don’t know if this is ever going to happen. How else do I get to share this story? Then the other option was to make it into a novel.”
