LGBT

The Sky Blues

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Rating: 3.5/5

I think it’s the timid and slightly terrified energy he gave off; it reminded me of myself, when I get caught up in walking the straight way down the hall, or sounding less gay, or carrying my books like a guy is supposed to. We’ve both been struggling to bury our otherness beneath the surface, but I shouldn’t have assumed our otherness was the same.”

Going into his senior year, Sky is ready to go out with a bang and make his best yet. Sky comes up with a brilliant plan to ask his crush, Ali to the prom and has to do that within thirty days. Sounds easy right? Well, when his brilliant plans get leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic email causes him to wish that he could leave town and finish his year at another high school. But, when his friends and others at the school encourage Sky to find out who is the behind the hack and expose them. Will Sky be expose this person for they are or will his small town blues stop Sky from embracing his true self? Find out in this fun, witty, and heartfelt debut!

This heartfelt debut was definitely one to enjoy from beginning to the end. There were a few things that I didn’t like that but I’ll get into that later. Sky is such a fun, witty, kind, friendly and wonderful main character I felt like I knew him. The other characters were a bit of hit and miss for me, I felt like some were well written and others were added for the sake of diversity. While I did enjoy the story, there were a few things that I think could’ve been better. The subplots felt rushed and quick so it was hard for me to stay invested and the ending was a bit vague.

Other than that, it was a pretty fun read so if you want to check it out, go for it!

Between Perfect and Real

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Rating: 4/5

“This is it; this is the moment when someone appears out of nowhere, demands to know what I’m doing with clothes for the wrong gender.”

Between Perfect and Real is a stunning and moving debut about finding your voice, being confident with who you are, and coming into your own. Dean Foster, the main protagonist is going through a lot of struggles with their identity as they are pretty sure they are transgender but their girlfriend, friends, and other family think they’re a lesbian. Dean is struggling with coming to terms with that and understanding that some people close to him may not be as accepting as they want. But, when Dean gets cast as the untraditional Romeo for the school play, things start to change as he feels this is their time to embrace who they are truthfully and authentically.

It didn’t take me long to become fully invested in the story especially with Dean’s journey throughout the book. While the book is full of moving and heart warming moments where you see Dean become more comfortable with themselves, there are also moments that break your heart and you want to give Dean a hug and tell them everything will be okay. I feel like I felt every emotion while reading this book and the way Stoeve fleshes out his characters, main and side makes you feel like you know them. They were very real and relatable especially Dean who wanted to not only be accepted by others who they really were but find that self-acceptance.

I very much enjoyed the LGBT with the other main and side characters. Zoe who is Dean’s girlfriend is lesbian, Ronnie is Dean’s best friend is black and gay, Allison, one of Dean’s and Zoe’s good friends, is japanese-american and bisexual, and then there are Nina and Jade who are trans and non-binary. I loved how welcoming they were and providing Dean and each other with love, acceptance, and support.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone as it was a very moving and empowering debut on coming into your own and being proud of it.

s.

Loveless by Alice Oseman

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Rating: 5/5

“She’s happy with who she is. Maybe it’s not the heteronormative dream that she grew up wishing for, but… knowing who you are and loving yourself is so much better than that, I think.” 

What a cute and endearing coming out story! Loveless is a story about Georgia, a young eighteen year old who struggling to come to terms with the fact that she’s never kissed, never had a relationship, or even a crush. She’s perplexed as to why that is and is trying to make sense of it while she starts at Durham University with her two best friends, Pip and Jason. With a new environment, new friends, and new adventures, Georgia starts a journey of self-acceptance, empowerment, and learns that love is so much more than she thought it was.

I’m a huge fan of Alice Oseman, she’s one of my favorite writers and I was really excited to start this for the LGBTQIA readathon. This was such a beautifully written coming out story and I loved that the main character, George identified as Aromantic-Asexual because that is what I identify as and it’s been a long journey to feel comfortable with that identity. I felt like out of all the characters, I related to her the most not just because of the aro-ace identity but to her personality. As someone who was a very shy, quiet, and reserved, I didn’t enjoy parties and going out and I did some of the same things Georgia did with her friends, Pip and Jason. I think she’s a well written character that teens and others will find relatable.

The secondary characters were well written and had great dynamics throughout the book. The story involves drama just as you would expect but it all works itself out in the end and you get a sense that Georgia is going to continue with her journey of self-acceptance and that something that we can all relate to in our own lives. Definitely would recommend this book to anyone! It’s super cute, real, relatable, and very empowering.



Zara Hossain Is Here

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Rating: 5/5

“It’s so easy to paint all the people you don’t want to accept with the same brush. That way you can tell yourself you’re just protecting your way of life and that they’re the ones encroaching upon your space.”

TW: Biphobia, Islamaphobia, Racism/Bullying, & Gun Violence

Looking at Zara Hossain from the outside, it would appear that she was living typical life of a teenage. But beneath it all, Zara is struggling to find and accept who she truly is also while battling islamaphobia at her high school. She doesn’t want to cause any trouble that would bring more harm to her and those around her especially when it comes to her family. Especially since anything could jeopardize their family’s stay in Texas while awaiting the approval of their green card which has been nine years in the making. But, what happens when Zara’s tormenter Tyler Benson starts leaving threatening messages that leads to a violent incident that puts Zara’s future at risk?

As someone who identifies as white reading this story was important for me not just because of the LGBT themes but also racism, bullying, and islamaphobia. These are important themes that people should be educated and I felt like I was taking more away from this book than I anticipated. Especially in the wake of what has been happening in the last year or so and recently with the attacks on Asian American’s. I liked how she captured the racial prejudice that immigrants face in and outside their communities. I’ve taken a few courses during my counseling degree that actually talk about this particular issue and it can impact so much and it’s very sad.

I loved Zara, I thought she was a very well written protagonist and relatable. I felt for her especially when she was dealing with biphobia and islamphobia throughout her journey of not only living in Texas but attending a Christian High School. This is how she meets her love interest, Chloe who is also dealing with her own struggles that include her homophobic parents who refuse to believe that their daughter is part of the LGBT community. The other characters were well-written that really give great dynamics throughout the story. So in short, I think everyone should read this book because I took a lot away from it and I think others will too.

Late To The Party

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Rating: 4/5

“And I think being friends with someone should be like the concept of infinity—like you truly believe that person has no limits, and you just want to keep counting upward with them to see where they go.” 

Codi Teller never considered herself a party girl. Not because she hates parties but she prefers to be with her two best friends, Jakory and Maritza watching netflix or hanging out in their basement. So when Jakory and Maritza invite her to crash a party, she’s not too keen on the idea. But, what happens when she discovers one of the cool kids, Ricky kissing another boy in the dark. An unexpected friendship forms and takes Codi on a journey of expression, love, and self-acceptance than she ever imagined.

So this book was full of fun, energy, love, and great dynamics from beginning to end. The book deals with very real issues that teenagers deal with like outgrowing your friends, how you present yourself to others, and how that can impact your true self. Being a teen is complicated and I felt the way that Quindlen addressed the issues throughout the book was very well done and handled with care. Codi and Lydia were absolutely adorable and I thought the development of the relationship was well done and not over the top. In addition, there’s complex friendships that help add to the main characters and it felt real.

This is a coming of age story about understanding who you are as a person and the importance of self-acceptance. This is something that I strongly related to myself cause I didn’t truly start to accept myself until I was much older. When you’re a teen, it can be hard and difficult to know you want in life and who you want to be. Taking your time and understanding who you takes time and it shouldn’t be rushed.

Even if you’re not a teenager, I think anyone would find this book enjoyable so I was glad to come across it.

Can’t Take That Away

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Rating: 4/5

“It’s a song about rising above people’s expectations, because in order to become your best self, you have to stay true to yourself and choose love.”

The story starts with Carey, who dreams of being famous and being able to bring the house down. But, underneath all the talent are emotional scars from events that have occurred in their that is making harder to focus not only finding their voice but being to feel good with themselves. But things start to change when they meets Cris, a singer/songwriter who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. When Cris’s help, Carey starts to accept who they are and embrace their identity. What follows is a tale of expression, acceptance, and most importantly love.

Wow, what a beautiful written emotional debut by Steven Salvatore. From the first to the last page, I went to laughing, crying, and feeling overwhelmed by the story. Salvatore brings so much life and complexity to the characters and made them very real and relatable. I found myself enjoying reading the different perspectives and thought they were all fleshed out well written character. What I really loved about this book is that Salvatore, titles the chapter in accordance with the individual’s pronouns. I found that very endearing and wonderful it was a way of letting the reader know what pronouns that individual wants to be referred by. I really liked that because I know that misgendering can be very upsetting so I thought that was sweet touch.

All in all a really great debut and I will looking out for more from Salvatore because I really enjoyed his writing style and how they craft their characters.

.

Perfect on Paper

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Rating: 4/5

For the first time, the very very first time, I really believed them. That my relationship status did not change me. And that even if other people didn’t agree, every single person in this room had my back without hesitation. I was with them and they were with me and we were with each other. A community within a community within a community. No questions asked. No proof needed. No valid form of identification required. We just belonged because we belonged.” 

For a fee, Darcy Phillips can solve all your relationships woes and tries to use her power for good. But, when her least favorite person Alexander Broughram finds out about her secret relationship advice service, she’s forced into being his personal dating coach or he will tell her secret. Alexander wants to win back his ex-girlfriend and Darcy is hiding a secret of her own that if it gets out, it could ruin all the happiness she has.

I picked this book up late for the June Goodreads Challenge on the discord server and I’m actually super happy that I did. I hadn’t heard of the book or writer before but I am going to check out her other books as I found this book very enjoyable and real. It was a very well written book that tackles not only tackles LGBT issues well but also writes about teens making questionable choices and making mistakes, well-written characters, good dynamics between the main and secondary characters etc.

Darcy is such a mess but I love it and I found her very relatable especially her struggles with her bisexuality and the biphobia she deals with. Not only that but I loved that Darcy’s sister was trans and they had such a wonderful relationship, it was so loving and supportive. I really had such a fun time reading this and I was really happy with the representation as that can be really hard to find.

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Written In The Stars

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Rating: 5/5

“Life would be a lot better if we all spent a little more time staring at the stars.”

Darcy is a nonsense, analytical, by the books and Elle is free-spirited, fun, and is one of the authors of a very popular astrology twitter page. But, when Darcy’s brother who also happens to be Elle’s new business partner spills his happiness about their first date being a success, Elle is sure he’s confused. Darcy begs Elle to go along with it and she agrees but on one condition: Darcy has to help Elle navigate the holidays with dealing with overbearing family. What happens a fake relationship starts to turn into something real?

Holy shit, this book was so good! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and it was done so well here. I loved everything about this book especially the relationship with Darcy and Elle. It really was believable and I loved seeing their feelings change for each other throughout the book and the smut was hot too. In addition to that, I really enjoy Darcy and Elle step out of their comfort zones and deal with issues that are relevant and it felt very real. They came over their own fears and insecurities and learn that not only do they need to love others but also themselves.

Overall, this was a really fun book so I definitely recommend it especially if you like sapphic novels. This was a real delight!

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

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Rating: 3/5

“It’s not cool to stare, I know that, but this is literally the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

Devastated by the revelation that her best friend/on-off again girlfriend kissed someone else, Millie Quint can’t bare to confront her so she decides apply for scholarships so she can get far away. The last place she expected to get accepted into would be one of the most exclusive and elite boarding schools in Scotland. Not only is the school gorgeous but it’s a completely different life than her own. There’s only one problem: Princess Flora of Scotland is her roommate and the two couldn’t be more different. What happens when the two start to realize they aren’t that different than they think? Will sparks fly or will Millie get burnt again?

Originally, wasn’t on my tbr until I started looking again at LGBT recs on Goodreads last night and this popped up for me. I would’ve given it a higher rating had the relationship between the two feel rushed. I would’ve liked to seen more development in the relationship. The writing also could’ve been a bit better as I feel like that would’ve helped with the development of the relationship. But, aside from that I loved Millie and Princess Fiona, I thought they were very well written characters who were very unique in their own right. Plus, I love enemies to friends and eventually lovers, it’s probably one of my favorite tropes.

Overall, it was a cute book!