Almost dnf’ed this but I’m so happy I didn’t! So heart warming and at times, hilarious.
I do wish we got to learn more about Tessa as a character and IAlmost dnf’ed this but I’m so happy I didn’t! So heart warming and at times, hilarious.
I do wish we got to learn more about Tessa as a character and I felt like we saw less of Jamie as the story progressed but still recommend reading it if it’s on your radar.
Look forward to seeing more from this author!...more
I predicted this to be a solid five stars but unfortunately it just didn't quite hit the way it seems to for everyone else.
The writing is bea3.5 stars
I predicted this to be a solid five stars but unfortunately it just didn't quite hit the way it seems to for everyone else.
The writing is beautiful and it's written with the intimacy of a memoir (I know it says 'a novel' on the cover but I had to check two or three times to make sure that it wasn't actually a memoir).
Unfortunately, the beautiful writing was often detrimental to the pacing of the novel. Part two, in particular, seemed to drag on forever, and I had to reread paragraphs to make sense of what was going on. I also felt overwhelmingly sad while reading it, which made having to reread certain parts even more harrowing.
Please be aware, there are some very graphic scenes (trigger warning for animal cruelty)....more
editing to change my rating from four to five stars because I’m still thinking about this masterpiece
The Black Flamingo is a beautiful and powe editing to change my rating from four to five stars because I’m still thinking about this masterpiece
The Black Flamingo is a beautiful and powerful book, written in verse and peppered with poems and illustrations.
We follow Michael from childhood to university as he explores his identity and learns to make labels fit him, rather than fit himself into someone else's label.
Being mixed-race, Michael struggles with not feeling Black enough, not Greek enough, not gay enough, unsure where he fits in life. Once a young adult, he finds the university Drag society, a place where can can express himself and be celebrated for everything he is.
I loved how The Black Flamingo manages to explore so many topics in a very short time: race, sexuality, gender, identity, racism, homophobia, internalised homophobia, belonging and the art of drag.
The ending was so moving, watching Mike find his wings and celebrate his feathers. I wish it was a little longer though. We see Mike flourish and then have to say goodbye to him.
Recommend if you enjoy: - novels told in verse and/or poetry - exploration of race and identity - the art of drag - coming of age stories ...more
Cheer Up! is an adorable graphic centred around friendships, gender and identity and self-acceptance.
When angry Annie joins the cheerleading squad to Cheer Up! is an adorable graphic centred around friendships, gender and identity and self-acceptance.
When angry Annie joins the cheerleading squad to make her college applications look more desirable, almost no one is happy about it - including her. The only person on the squad willing to give Annie a chance is her former friend, Bebe, a trans girl and all-round people pleaser.
I loved watching Bebe teach Annie to be more soft and vulnerable while Annie helps Bebe to stand up for herself. It was a really sweet dynamic. We do have the beginning of a romance between these two characters but it was a definite sub-plot, with their friendship taking up more space in the book. There's also a lot of conversation in here about what it means to be an ally.
I loved how diverse the cast was, even at the most basic visual level, we have a cheerleading team with girls of all sizes and body shapes. It was so positive to see.
There were times when the writing made me feel a little lost, as though this was a sequel and I had missed the first book (I actually stopped reading midway to check if this was the case). This is the only reason that I can't give it five stars as I thoroughly enjoyed every other aspect and hope for more graphic novels with these characters!
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this graphic novel.
Recommend if you enjoy: - light contemporaries that touch on deeper topics - learning to accept yourself - diverse cast of characters - female/female romance - Heartstopper, The Avant-Guards or Check, Please! ...more
“Dedicating your life to understanding yourself can be its own form of protest, especially when the world tells you that you don’t exist.�
I always f “Dedicating your life to understanding yourself can be its own form of protest, especially when the world tells you that you don’t exist.�
I always find it difficult to review memoirs as I don't think I'm qualified to review someone else's life and experiences, or how they choose to write them - but I absolutely inhaled this.
Samra takes us from her early childhood in Pakistan to immigrating to Canada, through an arranged marriage and around the world as she learned how to express herself freely. I loved reading about Samra's relationship with her religion and the way she ultimately found a way to practice Islam while accepting and honouring her identity as a queer Muslim.
My only teeny tiny critique is that it could have been longer! Some parts felt a little rushed through and I would have loved to spend a few more pages reading Samra's thoughts and feelings on certain experiences....more
Okay, why does no one talk about this series??? This was so freaking cute and funny, and it ends on a cliff-hanger so of course I'm going to 4.5 stars
Okay, why does no one talk about this series??? This was so freaking cute and funny, and it ends on a cliff-hanger so of course I'm going to pick up the next volume.
Our main character, Charlie, transfers to an art college where there's no sports team - until over-achiever Olivia decides to create a girls basketball team. Olivia invites a hesitant Charlie to join the team and in doing so, Charlie finds herself amongst the most heart-warming group of friends who are all so different yet clearly adore one another.
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel features a diverse cast of characters including a non-binary character as well as anxiety representation. There's also the potential for a romance between Charlie and Olivia that I am here for.
Recommend if you enjoy: - the Heartstopper graphic novels - stories around sport - female/female romance - diverse characters including non-binary rep - anxiety representation - strong female friendships ...more
Edited to raise the rating from 3.5 to 4 because it's months down the track and I still think about how fun this was to read.
Daughter of a con-artist,Edited to raise the rating from 3.5 to 4 because it's months down the track and I still think about how fun this was to read.
Daughter of a con-artist, our main character has been a lot of girls. Today as she walks into the bank with her girlfriend and ex-boyfriend, she is Nora O'Malley.
The three of them find themselves hostages in a bank heist, and unlucky for the bank robbers, all the girls she's been gives Nora the tools needed to fight deadly situations.
The Girls I've Been is a fast-paced - and mostly unbelievable - YA thriller. Between the current day chapters in the bank, we have flashbacks to Nora's life as she's groomed by her mother to play part in her cons.
Nora's character is definitely edging on morally grey and she'll do anything in the name of survival and protecting her loved ones. Iris, Nora's girlfriend, is a vintage-wearing angel. Wes is a bit dull but sweet. I did love that this book focused on strong female characters (view spoiler)[ and ultimately the girls saved Wes, rather than the other way around (hide spoiler)].
This would be a great book to get out of a reading slump - it's fast and entertaining but not to be taken too seriously.
Recommend if you enjoy: - morally grey main characters - bank heists - bisexual representation (main character) - female/female romance - endometriosis representation - fast-paced thrillers ...more
This was absolutely beautiful! I love these characters. I love this story. It was quite humorous and wholesome while also addressing more serious topiThis was absolutely beautiful! I love these characters. I love this story. It was quite humorous and wholesome while also addressing more serious topics like transphobia and misgendering, gender and identity within traditional Latinx culture.
While the villain was a tad predictable, it didn't spoil my enjoyment at all. I took off a star due to pacing problems but would 100% recommend if you're looking for an urban fantasy with ghosts and LGBT romance.
Also, Maritza deserves her own book!!
“It's astrology, and it totally makes sense!" Maritza continued. "His big, obnoxious Scorpio energy is invading your cozy Cancer safe space!�
Recommend if you're looking for: - YA urban fantasy - trans main character - conversations on gender and Latinx culture - sassy ghost boys ...more
Content warnings: physical and emotional abuse, homophobia, drug use, sexual assult/rape, death/murder.
Written in verse, Muted explores the darkerContent warnings: physical and emotional abuse, homophobia, drug use, sexual assult/rape, death/murder.
Written in verse, Muted explores the darker side of the music industry - and although not explicitly stated - seems heavily inspired by the R Kelly allegations.
Denver, Dali and Shak are small-town girls with big voices and even bigger dreams. Led by Denver, the girls put themselves in the path of R&B legend, 'Merc' in hope that he can help them reach those dreams - and for a while, he does, but at a cost the girls aren't even aware they're paying.
This story was incredibly difficult to read but I applaud the author for her raw and evocative prose. In addition to the verses, we're also given text messages and news headlines which made the story feel really well-developed.
While this story is definitely not a romance, there were some really sweet and tender moments between Denver and Dali, including their own special way of saying I love you. It was incredibly heartbreaking to see the way Merc used their friendship and love for one another as a tool of manipulation.
The ending absolutely destroyed me. I thought Tiffany D Jackson's Monday's Not Coming couldn't be beaten as the most soul-destroying ending I'd read this year - but it turns out, I was wrong. Muted takes the cake.
While the synopsis does allow this to be compared heavily to Grown, I feel both authors delivered their stories with enough differences that you are able to enjoy both without feeling like you're reading a book you've read before.
Recommend if you enjoy: - books told in verse - books about music/fame - hard-hitting contemporaries - female/female romance ...more
I wish I had reviewed George when I first finished reading it but just know that this is a sweet and powerful middle-grade that I think everyone couldI wish I had reviewed George when I first finished reading it but just know that this is a sweet and powerful middle-grade that I think everyone could enjoy!...more
This is the second 'Growing Up ... in Australia' anthology I've read.
Similar to Growing Up Disabled in Australia (and all anthologies really)3.5 stars
This is the second 'Growing Up ... in Australia' anthology I've read.
Similar to Growing Up Disabled in Australia (and all anthologies really) I loved some of these stories, cried in others and didn't connect with others.
As a collection of stories, some of them felt very similar (small country towns, catholic schools) which did become repetitive. There's a Q&A portion of this anthology placed right in the middle of it which felt a little awkward - I would have preferred it at the end.
Highlights for me included Boobs, Rags and Judy Blume, Radelaide/Sadelaid and Vivian Quynh Pham's Why I've Stopped Coming Out to My Mum.
One common thread throughout Growing Up Queer in Australia was the lack of representation in books/movies the authors had growing up and the call for more representation, highlighting just how important these collections are (as well as rep in fictional books and films)....more
This was vvvvvery cute. To be honest, I'm giving this 3.5 stars but it will absolutely be a five star book for someone else.
Loveable characte3.5 stars
This was vvvvvery cute. To be honest, I'm giving this 3.5 stars but it will absolutely be a five star book for someone else.
Loveable characters, diverse and inclusive cast, a fun setting (Once Upon a Pageis every book lover's dream job) and a sweet slow-burn romance. Sprinkle in lots of music references and a very relatable MC who finds himself 18 and technically an adult but has no idea what he wants to do with his life.
The reason I can't rate this any higher is that it just lacked tension for me. I thought the plot was predictable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the middle really lagged and I found myself getting a little impatient with the story.
I would definitely read more from Julian Winters though and would recommend this to a younger audience looking for a fun Summer read with loveable and diverse characters....more
The Chosen and the Beautiful is a stunning, atmospheric retelling of The Great Gatsby, and in many ways Nghi Vo tells it far better than F. Scott FitzThe Chosen and the Beautiful is a stunning, atmospheric retelling of The Great Gatsby, and in many ways Nghi Vo tells it far better than F. Scott Fitzgerald did.
� There are women who will forgive a great deal for a moment of kindness from a handsome man, but Daisy and the other older girls who had taken me under their wings had taught me not to be one of them.�
Those who have read The Great Gatsby will be familiar with the characters however this time our protagonist is Jordan Baker and she is a queer Vietnamese orphan with magical paper-cutting powers. Jordan was a much more interesting main character than Nick Carraway. She had a very dark and understated sense of humour which I loved.
In addition to race, class, and perception, The Chosen and the Beautiful explores what it meant to be a Vietnamese woman in the 1920s, particularly in the sense of being treated like a novelty or doll, rather than as a person.
There were a few parts that I struggled with. As beautiful as the magical elements were, they did sometimes feel a little out of place. Jordan is obviously very in love with Daisy and this occupies a lot of her thoughts which became a little tedious at times.
I think fans of The Great Gatsby will enjoy The Chosen and The Beautiful and appreciate how the new elements are woven into the heart of the original.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book!
Recommend if you enjoy: - The Great Gatsby - Historical Fiction - Unique magic systems - Queer characters - Exploration of race and class in a historical time period ...more
After having her heartbroken by her best friend-turned girlfriend, Saoirse has sworn off relationships.
Until she mThis was such a cute Summer romance!
After having her heartbroken by her best friend-turned girlfriend, Saoirse has sworn off relationships.
Until she meets Ruby.
Ruby, a rom-com fanatic, is only in town for the Summer and comes up with the idea of a 'falling in love montage' a combination of moments as seen in all of her favourite movies.
More than just a romance, The Falling in Love Montage also covers complex family issues including dementia, sibling illness and blended families.
Saoirse won't be everyone's cup of tea (or coffee) but quite frankly she was my whole kettle. She's sarcastic and clever, and while she can seem a little apathetic, she's secretly a big softy on the inside.
Recommend if you like: - books set in Ireland - female female romance - books set after high school, before college/uni - sarcastic main characters - romantic comedies (the movie list in here is extensive) - ya contemporaries with a combination of romance and harder hitting topics ...more
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