Shampoo Unicorn

By: Sawyer Lovett

Narrated by: Scott Farley, Erik Ransom, Christine Rose Schermerhorn

Shampoo Unicorn: (noun)

1. A shower hairstyle in which one styles their lathered hair into the fluffiest soapy unicorn horn possible.

2. A podcast by two mysterious hosts exploring rural queer life—the isolation, the microaggressions, the boredom, and occasionally, the sky-shattering joy.

In the small town of Canon, West Virginia, most people care about three things: God, country, and football.

Brian is more into Drag Race, Dolly Parton, and his gig as one of the mystery hosts of his podcast, Shampoo Unicorn.

Greg’s life should be perfect as the town’s super-masc football star, but his secret is he’s just as gay as Brian.

Leslie is a trans girl living in nearby Pennsylvania, searching for reasons to get out of bed every day. Her solace is listening to her favorite podcast. . . .

When a terrible accident occurs, it’s Shampoo Unicorn that brings the three teens’ lives together. And what begins as a search for answers becomes a story of finding connection.

Sawyer Lovett’s powerful and ultimately joyful debut novel is about three teens, one podcast, and carving out a rainbow pocket in an otherwise red state.

©2025 Sawyer Lovett (P)2025 Disney Hyperion

Could have been great

I was really hoping to like this book, and some of it was quite good. But there were, in my opinion, some serious issues. The first was with the plot line about Leslie. It felt like all of her story was tacked on to the rest as an afterthought. Maybe someone told the author they needed a trans character, and so one was shoehorned in. That might explain why, in the last third of the book, Leslie pretty much disappeared.

In addition, the book seemed to be awfully boy heavy. Even the girl MC had a pretty flat characterization. Often in the Shampoo Unicorn podcast, she was either left out or not given credit for all the hard work she did. This became even more evident as the book progressed.

Finally, the book had an odd writing style. It often flipped from 1st person narrative to 3rd person narrative without readon. i found this ti be annoying. This could have been a great book: the discussion of queer problems growing up in a religious, red, and rural area is something many of us can relate to. But like others said, the book suffered from an odd writing style, plot lines that didn't quite hold together, and the loss of Leslie. 3 stars

Poignant and funny

Wonderful coming of age book about LGBTQ+ experiences in small town rural America. Highly recommend!