Tag Archives: LGBTQIA+

Apr2

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

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Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Cochrun, Alison. Here We Go Again. Atria, 2024. 384 pp. ISBN 9781668021194 $17.99.

****

This fantastic sapphic road-trip romance has shades of Mrs. Nash’s Ashes; rather than delivering ashes to a former lover, the goal is for two colleagues and former friends to bring their beloved dying drama teacher Joe across country to the love of his life. Although they both try very hard to avoid one another at their alma mater–where they both teach with Joe–Fuckboy Logan’s true meet-cute reunion with ice-queen Rosemary is when she (accidentally!) runs into Rosemary’s car with her own in an Applebee’s parking lot in their hometown. Joe brings them together again to let them know the cancer he has been fighting has metastasized, and he’s actively dying, and he wants them to take him on an epic road trip before he goes.

Logan, whose nickname is Chicken, has always had wanderlust but never been much more than fifteen minutes from her hometown. Rosemary, a planner, has mapped out every detail of the trip and shows up at Logan’s with a white chocolate mocha bribe. The trip should only take a week, with stops in major cities with good hospitals–just in case–but the best laid plans of mice and men, yadda yadda yadda. Logan agrees, they take off a second-hand van emblazed with the logo of The Queer Cuddler, and have their first fight before they’ve even left the driveway.

Rosemary and Logan are truly opposites attract: Rosemary, sort of WASPy, passes as straight, while ethnic Logan is openly gay; Rosemary has matching luggage and Logan’s belongings are stuffed into a duffle bag; Rosemary brings dried fruit and nuts and La Croix for road snacks while Logan loaded up on Funyans. Joe? Joe’s bringing along his record player and vinyl, a box of books, and a Pendleton blanket. And his dog. And his list of detours. He charmingly milks his death trip to take all the side trips he wants to fit in, smoke all the weed he wants, and to press Rosemary into correcting Logan’s assumption that she is straight.

Lyrics from musicals, literary and dramatic allusions, and pop culture references abound. Logan’s (and her father’s) penchant for substituting names of actors and singers for expletives/using the name of the Lord in vain is a cute tic, but could get a little wearing for some readers. Logan’s Greek Orthodox background adds a layer, as does the scenic descriptions of the landscapes they pass through from the Pacific Northwest to Bar Harbor, Maine. There are many sweet moments, like when they assume they are going to be victims of a hate crime in Idaho, the sublime view of the Grand Canyon, and how much Rosemary and Logan want to make Joe happy. The slow journey across the US mirrors the two former friends slowly becoming vulnerable to each other again in a very beautiful, often humorous, deliciously paced, wholly real way.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HereWeGoAgain from #NetGalley, courtesy of Atria Books.

Jan25

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

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Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

Khorram, Adib. Kiss & Tell. Dial Books, 2022. 384 pp. ISBN 978-0593325261 $18.99

*** 1/2

Boy bands are so often presented in a sanitized way–sexy, but not actually sexual, with each member typecast into a role to widely appeal to the market. Hunter, the only queer member of the Canadian boy band Kiss & Tell is allowed to be out, but not portrayed in a relationship, and certainly never admitting to sexual activity…until he and his (sort-of-sekrit) boyfriend have a spectacular breakup that results in the leaking of private messages and public heartbreak. While Hunter struggles with his real identity versus his band persona, he’s also getting over his ex, and maybe embarking on a new relationship with the cute lead singer of their opening act. The supporting characters were a little more one-dimensional, but I was fine with the focus on Hunter and his vulnerabilities. Queer sex-positivity is always a plus.

Author Khorram offers a realistic portrayal of the behind the scenes touring and songwriting–it’s not all glitz and glamour, but also long nights, hard work, disagreements that need to be resolved, and the various personalities in the band and their management. I really love when a novel’s narrative goes meta and includes interviews or text messages to offer a glimpse of insight or a new perspective on the story, but Khorram goes a step above and beyond with quizzes, social media commentary, and fanfiction summaries.

I read #Kiss&Tell via Overdrive through my local public library.

Jul2

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

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Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

*****

Sarah Adler. Mrs. Nash’s Ashes. Berkley, 2023. 352 pp. ISBN 9780593547793 $17.00

Former child television star Millicent is on an epic journey to reunite Rose, her elderly former roommate’s ashes, with Elsie, the love of her life, but when a glitch grounds all planes, she needs to find another way to get to her destination. Desperate to get to Florida, where Elsie is in hospice care, Millie is ready to fork over $400 to a stranger for a ride, but is rescued by Hollis Hollenback, a writer and member of her ex-boyfriend’s co-hort. Hollis seems surly, but doesn’t want her to risk possibly murder from hitchhiking, and offers to share his rental care. Their forced proximity allows them to actually get to know one another beyond the time he took her home, crying, after the ex was mean to her.

The author does a fantastic job managing multiple plot points and moving back and forth in time to reveal history, Rose and Elsie’s romance, and the present day road trip. The character’s push and pull of being vulnerable and pulling back was so real. Hollis was en route to a FWB type hookup that Millie obsesses over for much of the trip, and the third act breakup is predictable but well done. Of course, lots could have been cleared up earlier with better communication, but it’s the journey, not the destination, right?

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #MrsNashsAshes from #NetGalley.

May29

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

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The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

Sebastian, Cat. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. Avon/Harper Voyager, 2021. 352 pp. ISBN 9780063026216 $15.99

***1/2
This was the first queer duke-on-duke romance I’ve read, and it contained well-balanced action, emotion, intrigue and romance in a historical setting. Kit, disabled, has a shady past and has abandoned his life of crime to run a coffee shop. Aristocrat Percy seeks Kit for hire to recover his mother’s book. A changed man, Kit won’t participate in the crime, but WILL give lessons to ensure Percy’s success. Time spent in proximity leads to friendship and then more.

Although in the past he has only been with women, Percy is compelling, and Kit doesn’t question the attraction, which might be out of place for a Georgian-era setting. I am not a fan of mystery in general, and did find myself skimming a bit through the slow burn.

It took me almost two years to sit down and write a review because I just didn’t love it in the way I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, which also pairs an aristocrat and commoner, and a person who mostly dated women with someone who exclusively dates men.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheQueerPrinciplesOfKitWebb from #NetGalley.

Jan29

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales; Cale Dietrich

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If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales; Cale Dietrich

Gonzales, Sophie and Cale Dietrich. If This Gets Out. St. Martin’s Press, 2022. 416 pp. ISBN 9781250805805 $18.99 $18.99

****

The members of Saturday, a fictional band modeled after One Direction, met at music camp as teens, and now at eighteen are hugely famous and on their first international tour. The singers are increasingly chafing at the archetypal boxes that management presses them into: the bad boy, the goofy one, the sexy one, the boy next door. The tour doesn’t leave any time for actual touring, it’s one locked hotel room after another. And fans have gone from cheering at a distance to smothering in their screaming adoration. Told in alternating chapters by Zach and Ruben, If This Gets Out details their affectionate friendship and growing attraction, Zach coming to terms with coming out, and the response from their colleagues, management, families and fans. Ruben has known he was gay for a long time, but recognizes their brands are designated to cultivate a wide fan base, and keeps things discreet. Management has been telling him since he was sixteen that he can’t come out; they promise that he and Zach can disclose their relationship publically “after Russia” but as time goes on, it seems like NO time is a good time to rock the boat.

This novel for teens is a sex (not TOO detailed), drugs and rock and roll lifestyle expose and critique that feels disturbingly realistic as it captures the sexualization of youth and homophobia still present in the entertainment industry and the high pressure environment of impossibly perfect standards and exhausting schedule that successful performers endure. The character development is strong as the members push through stereotypes and strain at their confines. Ruben’s passive-aggressive (possibly narcissistic, if I were diagnosing) mother is a piece of work, constantly berating him for not being good enough; Zach is sweet but confused, Jon is open minded but comes from a super-religious family, and his dad happens to be the big deal music producer that formed their boy band; Angel is delving into drugs and getting out of control. Ruben and Zach’s romance is fraught with fear but also passion. When the lovers try to spin the narrative on their own, the management company turns on them… but then their moms show up as a united front.

This novel could have gone so wrong, and read like bad 1D fanfiction, but it beautifully explores insecurity, anxiety, and a lot of other complicated emotions about people who love each other, change, and spend a lot of time in proximity. For another more adult look at romance while boy-band famous, read The Idea of You by Robinne Lee.

I checked this ebook out of the local library via #OverDrive.

Jan23

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery

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Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery

Bowery, Liz. Love, Hate & Clickbait. Harlequin, 2022. 336 pp. ISBN 9780778311898 $15.99

***

Political campaigner Thom is convinced that his employer, the governor of California, will be the next POTUS, and is only in the job for how far it will launch his own career. He vehemently dislikes his co-worker, data analyst Clay, who comes off as smug (Clay thinks Thom is pretentious). When the governor makes an off-handed remark about her lack style because she doesn’t have enough gays on staff, there’s an uproar. What do you do when you can’t spin it? subvert the narrative. Clay and Thom are caught in an intense argument during the fallout, and a reporter snaps and posts a photo that makes it look like there’s about to share a heated kiss. The governor offers a promotion and raise to both men if they agree to fake-date throughout the campaign–and things escalate from a few gads about town, and spending a LOT of time together, and eventually getting off together under the guise of being the only options for the time being. When the governor demands a proposal at the Santa Monica pier, they gamely go along; how far will they take it, and at what cost.

At the beginning of the novel neither are out; in fact, Thom breaks up with his girlfriend in chapter one, choosing work over her; Clay’s preferences were very subtle and not disclosed until at least midway through the novel. When Thom realizes that he is in fact attracted to Clay, the subject is dispatched in about a paragraph that he’s open to whatever and it’s NBD, really. Thom is distanced from his family, and it’s never resolved, and pretty sad. Homophobia and bullying are barely addressed. A side plot with Clay’s first tech start up and some challenges with his current project are not fully resolved, except he settles when charged with a lawsuit. The narrative exposes problems with fame, politics and clickbait, but doesn’t take a strong stance in analyzing.

This book is terrific for wonks! I had to look up a few things, including stump speech, body man and pork. While in most cases I discerned from contact, I found Political Dictionary really helpful. The writing is sharp, funny, and set firmly in present day, and there are some really lovely moments of introspection, witty banter, and steamy sex…but the lack of character development and Thom almost always being terrible made this a 3-star instead of a 4-star book for me. It was a fun read and very entertaining.

Love, Hate & Clickbait might be a read-alike for Red, White and Royal Blue or Not The Plan, for those who like their romance with a side of politics.

I received a free copy of #LoveHate&Clickbait from #NetGalley.

Dec25

Paris Daillencourt is About To Crumble by Alexis Hall

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Hall, Alexis. Paris Daillencourt is About To Crumble. (Winner Bakes All, #2) Forever/Grand Central Publishing, 2022. 368 pp. ISBN 9781538703335 $15.99

****

Alexis Hall is sort of like the James Patterson of the romance genre: he pumps out a pretty decent bestseller every 4-6 months. In this one, Paris, a wealthy ball of anxiety, goes on a competitive baking show when his larger than life Glaswegian sex goddess roommate signs him up for it, where he meets Tariq a sweet Muslim man abstaining from sex until marriage. They embark on an relationship with an agreement to be honest with one another, but Tariq comes to the honest conclusion he cannot in fact handle Paris’s Parisienne-ness, and they split which prompts Paris to seek a diagnosis and get some professional help in managing his GAD.

Conversations about penises and consent; race, class, colonialism, and religion; celebrity, fame, and social media; and toxic masculinity and mental health are the chunky, hefty, salty peanut butter to the decadent chocolate that is the two weekly baking challenges. That’s not to say that part is going smoothly–except with every challenge Paris is sure he’s getting sent home and he wins the two in a row. The hosts are hilarious caricatures of the worst of competition cooking shows. I did squirm at jokes about Nazis, homophones, and anti-semites, but they were lambasting them, not supporting them. Tariq and Paris work through several misunderstandings and conflicts in very a healthy, mature, and realistic manner. The first half of the narrative is focused on the filming and the crumbling of Paris, while the second half is focused on the airing of the showing and rebuilding of Paris.

Sometimes I’m not sure if Hall is trying too hard or just truly over the top brilliant and funny, but the acknowledgements and book club questions at the end are as screamingly funny as other moments in the books, so I’m going with authentic, real deal. The dialogue is fast paced and whip smart, and Paris is so painfully awkward it’s not to be believed … except I DO know people like that. Hall puts the comedy in romantic comedy for sure. Some readers may find the humor and situations cringe-worthy but I know others will eat it up. Side note: Paris texts his absentee parents once a week, and they never reply; this added a poignant counterpoint to the shenanigans. The recipes at the end are a nice touch. And the cover art is pretty perfect: a rainbow layer cake that hints at the baking theme, the seven-episode art of the competition, the character complexities, the LGBTQIA+ cast, and the delicious story.

Perfect for fans of The Great British Bake-off or Rosaline Parker Takes the Cake (also by Hall) which has some of the best qualities of Paris Daillencourt—great foodie descriptions, warm relationships and quirkier characters—with the anxiety and penis jokes dialed back.

I received a free advance readers review copy of # from #NetGalley.

Sep26

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

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Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Cochrun, Alison. Kiss Her Once for Me. 368 pp. Atria Books, 2022. ISBN 978-1982191139 $17.99

*****

I feel the same about LGBTQIA+ romance as I do about science fiction novels: as long as the plot is engaging, the setting is strong, the characters compelling (and their names pronounceable), I’m in, even though I don’t self-identify as a science fiction fanatic or queer. I selected this from NetGalley’s offerings months ago, tugged in by the twisty premise of demisexual girl gets fake engaged for money to her ex’s brother. I felt like I just wasn’t in the mood for a queer romance, or a holiday story, and avoiding cracking open my ARC until there were only about three days left on the ticking clock of the review window. I could not put this one down and finished it just in time.

Told in flashbacks that describe a webcomic series based on a perfect romantic snow day with a mysterious Jack one a year ago, and Ellie’s present day dilemma (should she confess the terms of the engagement to Jack? Disclose to Andrew Jack is the manic pixie dream butch from last Christmas?), the only thing that could make this more perfect is if the described comic sections were actual panels…or if the entire book was a graphic novel, hint, hint, @SimonAndSchuster, get on it already!

Ellie is an empathetic character. An animation school grad who got her dream job and then got let go for not being able to cut it, she landed at a coffee-shop with a terrible boss where Instagramming foam creations on lattes is her artistic outlet. Denied a promotion and facing eviction because her terrible! mother is exhorting her as payback for RAISING her, a wealthy investment banker/hedge fund type overhears her plight, takes her on a date, and suggests they catch two birds with one stone and get engaged to solve her financial troubles and allow him access to his inheritance that will only be unlocked if he marries. Ellie drunkenly agrees, and Andrew whisks her off to spend the holidays at his family’s cabin (read: mansion) to introduce her to his relatives and solidify the relationship. His sister Jacqueline/Jack turns out to be the beautiful butch baker from last year’s Powell’s excursion. In a side plot, her best friend–trans tattooed kindergarten teacher Dylan–was Andrew’s super-sekrit hookup last year when Jack was skipping the family festivities and hooking up with Ellie.

The characters are three-dimensional and pop off the page, and they are also delightfully messy and unexpected. Andrew and Jack’s Korean-Americanism is a subtle undercurrent. The rich widowed grandmothers are best buds with an it’s five o’clock somewhere attitude, and in spite of their imbibing, are more astute than they initially let on. Only Andrew and Jack’s father is stereotypical, with a piece on the side and outdated, unsupportive, critical attitudes. Pop culture is a strong secondary character in the novel, with Alexa playlists popping up to provide the perfect pop music soundtrack. Cochrun pays homage to Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Fun Home, and While You Were Sleeping. Portland has a life of its, with its lack of snow planning, coffee culture, and queer pride.

It’s difficult not to contrast Kiss Her Once for Me with Not The Plan, which I read in the same week. Both couples have a keyword that means time to tell the truth; “honesty game?” works for Jack and Ellie in a way “blunt, honest?” does not for Isa and Karim. The slow burn and careful respect is hot with Jack and Ellie, and plodding and wooden with Isa and Karim. The detailed sex scenes in Kiss Her Once For Me incorporate sensory detail and delicacy, emotion and acceptance, and make unsexy parts sexy, instead of focusing just on erogenous zones. Bodies in Not The Plan are described in gym-honed terms, firm and perfect, while in Kiss Her Once for Me the imperfections are adualated: stretch marks and soft bellies and hairy legs are celebrated as “so fucking perfect.”

Ironically, what makes Kiss Her Once for Me a 5 star (perfect!) book is how it celebrates messy, looking at failures as falls you can pick yourself back up after. “It’s not a failure to let people see you imperfections, it’s vulnerability,” says the best friend who seems to have her shit together but failed her bar exam. Words to take to heart.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #KissHerOnceForMe from #NetGalley

Sep14

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

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A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Hall, Alexis. A Lady for a Duke. Forever, 2022. 480 pp. ISBN 978-1538753750 $15.99

***

Presumed dead at Waterloo, Viola takes this opportunity to emerge as her true self, leaving behind not just a title and wealth, but best friend and companion the Duke of Gracewood. Reunited after many years, he doesn’t recognize his old friend and she is distressed at his decline from war wounds, PSTD and his grief over her loss in his life.

There is a LOT of angst (but not so much around gender/acceptance), a small amount of drama and above all, acceptance in a “the heart wants what the heart wants and parts don’t matter so much” kind of way. Lush, romantic and swoon-worthy, with excellent period details, and finely drawn secondary characters.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #ALadyForADuke from #NetGalley.

Apr11

Out of the Blue by Jason June

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Out of the Blue by Jason June

June, Jason. Out of the Blue. HarperTeen, 2022. ISBN 978-0063015203. 384 pp. $17.99

***

Merperson Crest is on a coming-of-age journey on land to help a human and earn his return to the sea — if they choose to return after experiencing the wonders of twenty-first century Los Angeles. When Crest, who goes by Ross on land, runs into recently (unceremoniously) dumped Sean, it seems their mission is to help Sean win back his ex, and Crest/Ross becomes a willing participant. Of course, there are rules: no human can find out Crest/Ross’s true nature, and if they return to the sea before the month is up, they will have to remain on land forever. Rules, of course, were made to be broken, amirite?

An accidental reveal at the Hollywood Walk of Fame results in a surprising plot twist that I didn’t see coming–well done on author Jason June, it’s difficult to pull a fast one on someone who has been reading YA romance for 35 years. The writing was a little disappointing overall. Although well-plotted using Sean’s film-making interests and Crest’s time constraints to lay out an agenda, there was a LOT of drama: characters yelling and screaming for emphasis or to TELL us emotion instead of conveying and revealing through action. There was consent in the sexual scenes, but also snapping towels and ass-smacking and a violent outburst from another student.

I’m lumping this into magical realism rather than fantasy, but the worldbuilding for under the water and in the Blue was nicely done, simple and complete. Sometimes the merperson lingo or oceanic references were a little too much, and sometimes, Crest’s/Ross’s dissing of human consumption and environmental concerns struck a didactic note (though I am by no means in disagreement with Crest/Ross’s assessments.

I especially appreciated the diversity of the cast; straight people are the anomaly and like L.A., the book is peopled with real people in all colors, shapes and sizes, and it’s mostly NBFD. I wanted to care more about Crest/Ross and Sean than I did, but the ending definitely tugged at my heartstrings. Like most fake-dating tropes, the characters of course come to care for one another (and are wildly attracted!). When they act on their instincts, it’s developmentally appropriate and safe.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #OutOfTheBlue via #NetGalley.