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About Olivia Hinebaugh
Olivia Hinebaugh loves all stripes of literature for children. When she isn’t writing fiction, she can be found writing freelance, making art, discovering new songs on spotify, texting her writing buddies, or folding laundry. She lives near Washington, D.C. with her spouse, three kids, a dog that looks like a coyote, and a one-eyed cat. The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me is her debut novel. Her bio feels incomplete without this mention of coffee.
Thanks, Jen, for letting me drop by and talk about my book!
I wanted to talk about my wonderful cover, because each of those beautiful icons on the front relate to something in the book. I’m going to break it down for you! (Spoiler free)
The Bird and The Bee
They are in the title, so I guess that one’s easy, and in case you ‘ve ever pondered “Why birds? Why bees?” there is a handy Wikipedia page about the origins of that phrase.
The Menstrual Pad, The Tampon, The Menstrual Cup
The main character Lacey doesn’t want anyone to feel shame about any normal bodily function. She’s always well stocked, in case she’s surprised by a period, or if any of her friends are. In high school if I ever had a surprise visit from Aunt Flo early period (OK, but seriously, euphemisms like “birds and bees” and “aunt flo” keep things shrouded in shame and mystery, so let’s stop using them so much), I knew the people who always had the goods when I came up short. Those super steadfast friends who were not afraid to carry around a ton of pads because they just didn’t get flustered easily. That would be Lacey.
The Headphones
Lacey and her two best friends Theo and Evita have a band called the Sparrows. Evita is sort of like a singer/DJ and she spends much of her time with headphones on.
The Mouth
So much of Lacey’s sex ed campaign is done by word of mouth. She gives advice to anyone who asks her for it.
The Microphone
This is also referring to the music aspect of the story…but I like to think it also represents finding your voice.
The Peach
It looks like a butt. Also, a certain character might have a cute one, and finding cute butts attractive is nothing to be ashamed of.
The Eggplant
This one is also anatomical. It just makes me laugh. If you pay attention, there might be an eggplant joke in the book. 😉
Birth Control Pills
Lacey’s mom has always made sure Lacey has access to birth control pills if she needs or wants them. Lacey and her mom have open and frank discussion about all sorts of things, which brings me to the next item…
The Condom
I feel as though this is really the central emoji here. Lacey’s activism starts with a condom. And pretty soon, there are condoms basically everywhere. But, hey, the more people who have them, the less embarrassing it is for a person who’s going to be having sex to walk around with it in their pocket. And, like, ditto tampons, right?
The Asexual Pride Flag
This is the one that makes me smile the most, because it is the one image that has gotten the most response. The asexual pride flag is four stripes of black, gray, white, and purple. Evita is asexual biromantic, and she very proudly has a pin exactly like this one on her backpack. Just like how every high school student has a varying interest in, say, football, the feelings about sex are varied as well. Lacey might be sex positive, but the stereotype of “hormonal teenager who can’t help themselves” is pretty darn harmful. It just does not apply to everyone. I feel like this flag being on here is just a little push toward inclusive sex ed.
And that’s it! That’s all of them! In a perfect world, I’d have each of these made into a real pin and find a light blue hoodie to pin them to, but I haven’t done that yet.
All in all, I hope people are intrigued by the cover. I hope they feel empowered by carrying around condoms, even if they are just pictures of condoms.
Title The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me
Author Olivia Hinebaugh
Pages 304 Pages
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Genre Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publication Date January 22nd 2019 by Swoon Reads
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
A teen who’s never even been kissed becomes her school’s unofficial sex expert in Olivia Hinebaugh’s fun, voice-y contemporary YA romance debut.
Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke feels like the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she’s been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita.
But then everything changes.
When Lacey sees first-hand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls’ restroom. Meanwhile, things with Theo have become complicated, and soon Lacey is not just keeping everyone else’s secrets, but her own as well.
