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I was just going to review this book EXACTLY how you did! Weird.
I read this book when I was 15 and loved it! Now, at 31, I'm not sure how I would feel about it.

Same! I was thinking of rereading it a couple of days ago but I don't want to hate it now - as an adult.

I too have not read it since becoming an "adult" I feel like if I do I would be desecrating something sacred. I took this book every where with me when I was younger.

I re read it as an adult and do think that it did lose some of its luster but you can't blame it on the book the validity of the story is still there even though its easier to see through

I re-read this as an adult ( after initially reading it at 16) and although I have this nostalgia book-love for it, I would advise against it.

Agreed. I desperately want to re-read this, but the power it held for me so many years ago would likely be gone at 33. Great book though!

I'm so happy to read this thread. I felt the same way about the book. I recently unearthed it from a box containing relics from my childhood bedroom and I'm not sure if I want to ruin something that was so profanely sacred to me.

I'm 35 and re reading it now. It holds up. Still a fantastic read.

I've just stumbled across this thread and wanted to say that I've read it for the first time when I was 22, and it was brilliant. I guess the magic of teen years and nostalgia it might hold for you could possibly get lost, but the book is phenomenal, even for adult readers.

I re-read it as an adult. I didn't hate it, but it didn't grip me the way it did when I was younger. It did take me on a nostalgic ride though, so I don't regret reading it again.

I believe I will let this beautiful thing sit in the back if my mind. rereading it as an adult aid likely alter my view of it completely. I'd rather keep at least one small piece of my adolescence intact as a sweet memory.

Also, I have to say, it's really great to read all of your comments! Even greater to find others who adores this book the way I did as a teenager!��

I reread this 20 some give or take years later and the best adult take away was going and getting a bottle of chartreuse to see what all the fuss was about, it’s valid. It totally holds up! Love this thread 🖤

I also read it when I was 14-15 years old. I totally loved it and I'd like to reread it now more than 10 years later, but I'm also scared it will not be as great as I remember it to be and I will lose my fond memory of it.

Lost Souls is one of my lifetime-favorite books. I’m 47 and I just finished re-reading it for the first time since 1995 (!). This book transports me back to a different era—through both its actual story, as well as its importance to me during my young adulthood. I remember now why I adored it, even with its flaws, and why I was left wanting more.♥️

agreed. i read this when i was younger than 15, but, agreed.

"so read it if you happen to be fifteen. otherwise i imagine it's a little too much." THIS. I loved this so much when i was 15.

I'm 36, also stumbled upon this in High School. It was a worn 2nd hand copy in a sale bin. I couldn't believe that there was an honest, well written, poignant and surprising tale about vampires with lgbtqai characters as the main characters. I couldn't believe how deeply I connected with every book I read of theirs. I think Lost Souls was the 1st book to make me openly cry so hard I couldn't see the words on the page. They also managed to put me off a vampire (that'd be a 1st) in this novel.

Brite's work always hits me, always feels personal and comforting. Especially when I was in pain or just lost. All their stories are brave, and bold, and if you like nothing else about them they're a credit to the gay community which does not get this kind of representation in storytelling.

Drawing Blood is my favorite and it ends better with more deserving characters. But with this, it's more personal. I read it when I felt as dark and hopeless as some of the characters.

We Are Not Afraid

I haven't reread this in over 20 years but it still sits with all my favourites on my bookshelf. It was such a wonderful book when I was 15.

I am 73. Reading it for the first time and it is wonderful, powerful, and tragically beautiful. When I was 15 I was reading the LOTR for the first time. I wish this book had been available then. At that time this would have been subversive and genuinely revolutionary.

I really wish that I had read this as a teen, but still enjoyed it as an adult.

A perfect gift for that bookish, possibly isolated, queer teen in your life.

I'm 45 and wishing I hadn't dismissed her at the time in favour of Burroughs, Dick etc. Teen me would have benefited from her. At 45, like?

I love your review. I read this book in my mid 20s. I absolutely loved it, and (in my young 20s mind) thought I could never read another book because I would never love characters more than these in LS). Like you, I don't think I'll revisit it - I'll leave it as a favorite from my 20s).

I probably would have devoured this religiously if I’d stumbled upon it during my teens. Now I’m 22 and I certainly think this is a great book all in all. It’s not without its quirks and mistakes, but honestly, what book is?