Neurodivergent femme lesbian and autistic trans demi lesbian best friend make a summer love pact to find romance and end up finding each other. It wasNeurodivergent femme lesbian and autistic trans demi lesbian best friend make a summer love pact to find romance and end up finding each other. It was just as amazing as that one sentence makes it sound.
I will say this book is the most allo book I've read in a very long time. As someone who is demiromantic and asexual I feel like I had some whiplash from our main character's constant crush having ability. Like she immediately imagines herself with these people and it blows my mind that people actually experience that.
I've seen some reviews talk about how some of these labels feel forced but I think a lot of that is stemming from our own inability to grasp what teenage hood looks like now. Most of these reviews have been from adults and I know that a decade or two ago a friend group of mostly queer people who are out and loud and proud was non-existent and so to read stories about it are both heartwarming and heartbreaking for me personally. I love it though. I love knowing that kids now are able to know themselves in ways we could only dream of when we were their age. I love seeing all of the neurodiversity and acceptance of ADHD and autism and gender and sexuality and it just makes me so happy.
This book is the definition of queer summer joy and I relished it....more
I get asked ALL the time by folks offline what kind of books I read and my response is always "as long as it's queAROMANTIC TRANS AUTISTIC MC!!!!!!!!!
I get asked ALL the time by folks offline what kind of books I read and my response is always "as long as it's queer, I'll read it" and I feel like this book really embodies that. I'm not a thriller or horror fan necessarily but this book, and the authors previous, are so unabashedly queer that I was obviously gonna read them and I'm so glad I did because wow, wow wow wow are they fantastic.
I loved Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth but because I'm not a horror person, I often was a little grossed out by the gore and Compound Fracture has it's fair share of blood and gore but it is more of a thriller than a horror. I also really want to throw this book at people who claim that reading isn't political and that our very existence isn't political. Our entire lives are political and the choices we make and the media we consume is a political choice. Andrew Joseph White does a fabulous job explaining that and really pushing that fact home in this book.
I about lost my mind when I realized this book has an aromantic trans autistic main character because we genuinely do not have enough quality books with aromantic representation. This book is about Miles and his family and this generations long feud in his hometown. Started years and years ago, his family and another powerful one in town have this blood feud where members from each family are constantly harming the other. It began with Saint Abernathy and his role in the strikes and workers rights and his murder by law enforcement. Now Miles is the target of the current sheriff and his son.
This book is still very heavy and not for the faint of heart but it also has so much humor and love at the core behind the violence and the tragedy. There's a dog named Lady, who is safe and sound at the end of the book, and some wonderful friendships discovered and explored. There's a powerful display of family dynamics and what it can truly be like to come out in a small town.
I do recommend checking out the content warnings of which there are many before diving into this book, but I genuinely think this is a book that everyone should read and that everyone could find enjoyment in....more
Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with this but I LOVED Here the Whole Time so I was excited when I saw Vitor Martins had another book released anHonestly I wasn't sure what to expect with this but I LOVED Here the Whole Time so I was excited when I saw Vitor Martins had another book released and translated to English.
This book is about a house on Sunflower Street and those that lived in it. It's told from the houses perspective and we get three different decades of inhabitants.
First theres Ana in 2000 who lives there with her dad and is navigating being queer and how to tell her dad she's queer in the new millennium. Then there's Greg in 2010 who is sent to live with his eclectic aunt and work at her video rental store that's located in the garage. While doing so, he starts to fall for the cute delivery boy. Lastly there's Beto in 2020 who is stuck during COVID lockdown with his mom and older sister and trying to find his own place in the world.
Another reviewer said this book has quiet power and I wholeheartedly agree. It kind of just sweeps you up and brings you along. This isn't a romance or a even a very plot driven book. It's a character driven book and I really really loved it. Vitor creates these characters that are so realistic. All three MCs are queer and there is fat rep as well. Everything is emotional and raw and just such a wonderful slice of life book....more
I had the immense honor of beta reading this and can just say that y'all are not ready for the torment and the joy and found family and the magic thatI had the immense honor of beta reading this and can just say that y'all are not ready for the torment and the joy and found family and the magic that is coming your way....more
I couldn't tell you the last time I finished an ebook in one day. It doesn't happen to me very often and there were just so many things about this bo I couldn't tell you the last time I finished an ebook in one day. It doesn't happen to me very often and there were just so many things about this book that drew me in immediately and I could not put it down.
Time and Time Again is a time loop story where we have our Jewish fat disabled chronically ill lesbian with anxiety MC who is stuck on August 6th and she is not having a good time. She spends her days having breakfast with her mom, reading material about time loops, and then going over to play Scrabble with her dad and uncles then eating food that is going to give her extreme pain. And it starts all over. That is until her ex childhood friend and gay awakening hit her with their car and end up pulled into the time loop.
So now we have Phoebe and Jess who are both reliving the same day over and over again and Jess is determined to show Phoebe how to have fun. I mean they might as well take advantage. Jess is also a disabled chronically ill Jewish lesbian and they are non-binary. So as this book continues we see the two of them have fun and sad and painful experiences and fall in love along the way all while stuck in a time loop where no one else is going to remember it.
This book is fun and so raw at the same time. It's a very realistic and unfiltered look into being chronically ill and being disabled and how we deserve to be able to share our stories and our pain and have someone understand without dismissing or immediately trying to fix us. Another recurring theme throughout this book is Phoebe's history with fat phobia and the medical system. Knowing how much care is denied to fat people is infuriating but it is a realistic look at what it's like to be fat and disabled.
I loved this. I read a lot of books with fat characters but to see one that looks almost exactly like me on a book cover is pretty life changing.
Also I just KNOW Phoebe and Jess would love my trans frog cookie and fat pride candles ...more
Elf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. IElf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. It's about this elf prince who is kidnapped by this orc leader in hopes of ransoming off and bargaining with the king. Except the orc overestimated how much the king would want the elf back and how annoyingly bratty the elf would be. And the elf overestimated how much he would enjoy living with the orcs and having the freedom which sounds counterproductive since he's being held prisoner essentially.
The two of them very slowly begin to trust each other and to see the goodness in each other even though they've been told their entire lives how terrible the others are. The elf is able to embrace himself and his true calling and to find a place where he actually fits in in the orc is able to find someone to provide for and show his community that leading by example is the most important thing there is.
I don't know how to explain how great this book is. If you don't mind explicit scenes in books, I highly recommend this one. The descriptions of everything are really exceptional but I especially love the descriptions of the top surgery scars. Truly beautiful. 10/10 recommend...more
I don't remember anything about this book except that it's a horror book and it was really really really really good. I genuinely hate past me for beiI don't remember anything about this book except that it's a horror book and it was really really really really good. I genuinely hate past me for being the absolute worst at reviews because I have this listed as a favorite on my spreadsheet and I remember the vibes from it and that I absolutely loved it but that's legit it. One day I'm gonna have to reread it so that I can write an actual review that isn't just "vibes and feelings".
Ooh I remembered something. One of my favorite parts about this book is the queer diversity. There is asexual and aromantic characters and it's not just a thrown out idea but they are fully fleshed out and they're wonderful and I just loved it. Okay that's all....more
I really enjoyed this one. It's got an enemies/rivals to lovers situation going on with a fat MC.
I feel like there's a little bit of a disconnect witI really enjoyed this one. It's got an enemies/rivals to lovers situation going on with a fat MC.
I feel like there's a little bit of a disconnect with what age group this book belongs in. This is a college-aged book which means that it is a new adult. This is NOT young adult. I see some things in the reviews that make me believe people don't quite get that. There is hinted at explicit sexual content in this book as well as a bullying / humiliation kink kind of thing going on. None of it is like explicitly stated in those terms except in a joking way but there's definitely submissive vibes from the male love interest which I was here for. I fucking love submissive men. Something about saying fuck you to patriarchal standards of masculinity. I'm here for it.
Anyway, this book is about these two college freshmen who are working at one of the college newspapers as grunts or like interns. They both are vying for a paid position at the end of the semester and spend the semester trying to one up each other on their stories and then realize maybe they need to work together. There's also an internet connection at the same time via a campus selective dating app.
I really liked every element to the story. I liked both of our main characters, I loved the newspaper article element, I loved the dating app conversations, I loved the fat representation, I loved the friend group and the discussions about what friendship means etc. This book has a lot going on and it all works....more
So I only had a couple days left on my Libby loan for this book and I was not in the mood for nonfiction in any way shape or form but thisPhenomenal.
So I only had a couple days left on my Libby loan for this book and I was not in the mood for nonfiction in any way shape or form but this book told me that I didn't know what I wanted to read because almost as soon as I started it I needed to finish it. This is such a captivating memoir and one that I think would benefit so much of the general population. I especially believe that this book belongs in the hands of queer people and Muslim people. There is so much conversation within the queer community itself about religion and religious trauma and finding religious queer people isn't very common and so there's become this stigma around the very concept of being both religious and queer that I think we really need to tackle as a community and hold space for.
I obviously won't speak for the Muslim community but I just looking at some of the reviews for this memoir lead me to believe people were not paying very close attention when they read....more
For the love of everything I need a way to force myself to write reviews immediately after I finish books. At the very least within a few days. It hasFor the love of everything I need a way to force myself to write reviews immediately after I finish books. At the very least within a few days. It has been at least two weeks since I finished this and I remember absolutely loving it. That's about all I've got. I love that this isn't a will they or won't they situation. It's a they will and here's how things happen and it is messy and it's poetic and it is lovely. I've been collecting sapphic books that match Chappell Roan songs and I've assigned this one to Kaleidoscope specifically for the line about having someone who could write a song about you better because there is no one other than these two that can write poems about each other as beautiful as they are....more
I wasn't ready to cry reading this but here we are. As someone currently going through a gender journey this book really felt like a warm hug. I lovedI wasn't ready to cry reading this but here we are. As someone currently going through a gender journey this book really felt like a warm hug. I loved it with my entire being....more
When I was about 30% of the way in I was convinced that this book was going to be a three to a four star for me. I was enjoying it but I wasn't lovingWhen I was about 30% of the way in I was convinced that this book was going to be a three to a four star for me. I was enjoying it but I wasn't loving it. And then Kade joins and oh my god. This book went to a five-star so fast. I love so much about this book. I love the poly representation and the routinely checking in about communication. I loved the drinking and the cocktail recipes were such a fun addition. I feel like this book has a lot of balance for a contemporary romance. I do think I would have liked a little bit more details about Bebe and Kade professionally. But I'm not nitpicking. I love this book.
My favorite moments are the snow storm and the cocktail competition and afterwards. Iykyk ...more
As much as I liked the first book in this series, this one just blew that one away. I loved these two so much and I especially loved the autism rap anAs much as I liked the first book in this series, this one just blew that one away. I loved these two so much and I especially loved the autism rap and the aspec representation. Clementine is autistic and on both the asexual and aromantic spectrums which is just glorious triple representation for me.
The chronic pain rep was also fantastic and I just don't have anything negative to say. I can't wait for the audiobook of the third book to release!...more
I had no idea what this book was about when I started it and I laughed my way through the entire thing. There is an underlying message about not neediI had no idea what this book was about when I started it and I laughed my way through the entire thing. There is an underlying message about not needing to prove yourself but overall this book is just a quirky chaotic hilarious romp. It's about this trans boy who starts a new school and wants to join a club to prove that he's a boy So he picks the one that sounds the most boyish . Little does he know that this club is actually the borrow a boyfriend club masquerating as an Italian club.
In order to gain admittance, Noah has to go through these trials and they're all hilarious and so serious and their seriousness is what makes them so funny.
I really liked this. It is feel good cutesy and just a really great young adult book. I highly recommend....more
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little gOH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little group of queer found family and this historical fictional town. I love them so much. This one follows Gerry and I was so excited to see her get her book. I've loved her since the very beginning and her independence and tenacity is something that I couldn't wait to see incorporated into a romance.
Then we have Basil and holy wholesome hunk of a man. He is thoughtful and kind and so concerned with making sure that his half siblings are cared for and have what they need that he thinks that he can't be in a romance at the moment. But he is so enthralled by Gerry even though he has no idea about magic at all and that is Gerry's entire life.
The pining and the meddling and the healing oh my god it's just so perfect. If you have not started this series what are you even doing. They are all available as audiobooks and I highly recommend them. I will say that even though I like both narrators, I did not like the voice that The feminine narrator used for Gerry. I loved her narration voice and I wish she had used that for Gerry as well and not this weird high pitched tone. But it wasn't enough to turn me off this book because I love them all so much.
I am absolutely dying for another Pip book and honestly I didn't think I'd ever say this but I would pretty much kill for a John book too at this point. Kick Veronica to the curb and let's see some growth man. Also in the author's note the idea of having all of Basil's siblings get books brings me so much joy and I'm like screaming with excitement because that's so many more books and I just get to stay in this little fictional historical queer normative town forever and ever and ever and ever. I don't ever want to leave.
Also forgot to mention Gerry is demiromantic and Basil is pansexual and I LOVE m/f queer books. Also Basil's best friend is a queer trans woman. There is an absolutely unending list of queer representation in the series So I'm just adding what this book adds to the table but just know that there's demisexual rep, aromantic, trans, bi, gay, nonbinary, pan, etc. Literally everything. It's amazing....more
Wow. This was phenomenal. I honestly had no doubts that I was going to love this because I adored We Deserve Monuments and this book is so different yWow. This was phenomenal. I honestly had no doubts that I was going to love this because I adored We Deserve Monuments and this book is so different yet just as amazing.
It follows a biracial lesbian main character, her girlfriend, and her best friend as they try and get into this elite sorority group for black women.
Blake is an alcoholic but that's not acknowledged until almost the end of this book and a big hunk of this book is her partying and drinking and abusing alcohol to the point where it starts to ruin her relationships and her friendships. She is peer pressured into drinking constantly during this pledging process and her girlfriend is super problematic. There is a wealth difference between Blake and her girlfriend and that is discussed pretty in-depth. I really loved Blake's relationship with her best friend and overall this book is incredibly important. It's engaging and you're going to get sucked in and it's gonna end up as a favorite for you too....more