thoughts on books

Category: LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈

  • we burned so bright by tj klune

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    A very, very enthusiastic five stars (while sobbing)

    A short tale of two elder gays at the end of their life. Well, everybody’s life. The earth is just a few weeks away of being sucked into a black hole. Don and Rodney are in their seventies, having been together 40 years. They leave their home behind and take their rickety RV on a road trip to Washington DC. They meet various folks along the way who at different places in accepting the world’s fate. Some are in denial, others angry, others in a blissful acceptance.

    Throughout the story we learn about LGBTQ history in the US. Don and Rodney have lived through the AIDS crisis, marriage equality, and the passing of so many to violent hate crimes. They are survivors helping those they meet along the way to find peace. The fantasy/sci fi elements are a necessary part of the plot, but the narrative doesn’t go deep into this.

    At its core, this is a love story. I immediately pre-ordered, as I’m eager to highlight and annotate my favorite parts.

    It’s well paced for audio and a great audiobook performance from narrator Kirt Graves.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this outstanding ALC. the best book about the end of the world that I have ever read.

  • shapes of love by lv penalba

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    “I’ve always hated the expression More than friends, as if romantic love were one step above friendship.”

    A deep, meaningful and funny “romance” book that has so much to tell us about identity and love. A YA book that is very true to the voice of Gen Alpha. Shapes of Love challenges our assumptions about romantic love and partnership.

    Sasha (stage name Sassy) is just at the crux of stardom and she has found a solid audience. Her campaign year for Best New Artist Grammy, the world is very interested in her love life. She accidentally likes a post potentially outing her as aroace. Although her closest friends know, her producer Shirley and studio does not. As a PR stunt, her manager decides to hire her ex boyfriend and ex best friend Kai for fake dating for 6 months. She also gets a guest role on her favorite show and they meet Asher, a nepo baby with a penchant for partying.

    Young Adult books can sometimes be heavy handed in their messaging, but I found this to be very meaningful and plot driven. The characters are wonderful. As a cis middle aged lady, I picked this up to educate myself so I can be a better and more educated ally to our aroace friends. I definitely found myself reading and realizing I have a lot to learn about the aroace community. Shapes of Love is the perfect title to describe all the ways we experience love, connection and partnership. And romantic love is not the only path, just like there’s not only one way into the ocean.

    If you enjoy queer YA romance, don’t miss this one!

    Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. Book to be published May 18, 2026.

  • you won’t forget me by mazey eddings

    A rock-n-roll romance with a lot of ambition and a lot of heart. Cubby is the leader of a band in Iceland, they are about the make it big when their lead guitarist and her recent ex goes out on his own, steals her lyrics, and hits it big with a song about her. She is understandably furious at him. Thank God she has her best friend Darcy, the bassist, and her other friends in the band. Soon a post by Harry, Connor’s best friend, suggests that she and Harry are an item. So they, naturally, start fake dating, the Trope of 2026.

    This is a bit of a twist on fake dating, because Cubby is in love with Darcy, not Harry. She has a twin brother, Oliver. Oliver and his girlfriend Tilly are my favorite part of this book, I only wish they were on page more often. Oliver is autistic and he and Cubby have two moms. Despite this, Cubby is still ingrained in heteronormativity and is confused by her sexuality. There is a dee sadness and depression to her, and Connor treated her as if she were hard to love. This is hardest and most awful thing to hear as someone with depression.

    Stories about straight passing women dealing with wondering if they are queer are not for everyone. But that is this book, and while it is done very respectfully this is hard for some to read.

    This one grew on me over time with some of the storylines and other storylines I felt were unnecessary.

    3.5/5 stars

    Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. Book to be published June 9, 2026.

    SMPEarlyReaders

  • take me with you by steven rowley

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    A quietly humorous, self-deprecating contemporary story of a long term relationship, being abandoned, and finding your spirit. Part “Same As It Ever Was” [Claire Lombardo] and part “Then She Was Gone” [Lisa Jewell] and part “Emperor of Gladness” [Ocean Vuong]

    Jesse and Norman have been together for decades; they’ve settled into their privileged life, and suffer from the general malaise of late capitalism. Jesse is a semi-celebrated writer, teaching at university, whose most celebrated work may be behind him. His husband Norman goes to the backyard to investigate a soft but encompassing light in the backyard one night, then disappears.

    Jesse needs to grieve the loss, learn who he is without Norman by his side, and come to terms with feeling abandoned by his father before he was born and his emotionally distant mother. He is joined by his sister-in-law Lally, who is also grieving the disappearance of her brother, figuring out what middle age is going to look like for her, and figuring out how to get close to people who might leave.

    This is beautiful writing, surprising in its simplicity, and with deep themes. The writing is clever, not laugh-out-loud funny, but specific to really develop the characters into being endearing. It all builds up to a heartwarming scene. With Steven Rowley, you always know he’ll make you think, laugh, and cry. This one fits the bill.

    4.25/5 stars “I loved it”

    Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC. Book to be published May 18, 2026.

  • star shipped by cat sebastian

    A lively MM romcom set in modern day Hollywood. Charlie and Simon are starring in the nerd space show “Out There,” and the discord servers think their characters are queer coded. Charlie came up as an influencer, and Simon is thinking of leaving the show. He doesn’t think much of Charlie, despite he is a mid-20’s beautiful actor that takes a lot of gym selfies.

    The best thing about this book is the banter- it is truly elite. Some people are sort of bothered by enemies-to-lovers banter, as sometimes it is mean and passive aggressive, but I found this to be really clever. I wouldn’t say the leads are exactly “enemies” just two co-workers that are more like rivals.

    Cat Sebastian has written so many classic historical fiction novels, and has established herself as a voice that gives authenticity to the LGBTQ experience while closeted and living in a time that was not safe for queer people. In this novel, we have a current day experience but still one of the leads is closeted and questioning. The setting was intriguing as we had a little behind the scenes of how TV shows are produced, the show runners, the social media presence. The interstitial chapters are a discord of fans of the show, and these were some of my favorite parts of the book. It explores celeb worship and how sometimes we think we are entitled to the details of their lives.

    4.5/5 stars
    Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Book to be published 3/3/2026

  • husband of the year by MA wardell

    Absolutely romantic, heartwarming, an unforgettable blend of sweetness and spice. How many books do you know of that are both 10/10 for sweet AND 10/10 for spice??

    It is the last in the “Teachers in Love” series, and although it can be read as a standalone, do yourself a favor and read them all. In Husband of the Year, we return to the original couple, Marvin and Olin. They are planning their wedding and settling into their family dynamic with Olin’s daughter Ilona, Marvin’s future step-daughter. When Olin’s family of origin goes through a crisis in Chicago, he goes to stay with them to help just a few months before the wedding. How will Marvin and Ilona cope as a pair?

    There are so many wonderful things to talk about here—
    -Minor characters made famous from the rest of the series taking on the community role
    -The evolution of Marvin and Ilona’s relationship (from her kindergarten teacher in book 1 to her stepdad)
    -SARAH BLOCK the ideal and perfect Jewish mom and her Fanny Brice references
    -The found family is STRONG on this one
    -Scenes of Marvin teaching his kindergarten class are incredibly authentic (the author taught early elementary for 15 years)– seriously my favorite scenes in the book
    -Motown fun facts
    -THE EPILOGUE- girl I am still in tears

    I have used this word already a few times, but if I can give you one word for this book, it is authentic. I loved it from beginning to end. Although I am a “closed door” reader and I typically skip/skim all open door scenes, I can tell based on other reviews that the spice is strong and excellent in this one. So see other reviews on that.

    Audiobook review- the same narrator for Marvin from the first book. I liked the frenetic pace he used during Marvin’s “anxiety overthinking” moments and how calm and happy he was when talking or texting with Olin. I also appreciate that Hachette used a black narrator for Olin. Sometimes it was duet in the text messages but other times the Marvin narrator did both parts. But not to the point it was distracting.

    I also bought the finished copy and I LOVE the little cartoon heads at the start of every chapter so YAY on the physical version.

    Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC, and to Hachette Audio, Forever, and author MA Wardell. Book published 11/18/2025

  • isn’t it obvious by rachel runya katz

    An enemies-to-lovers “You’ve Got Mail” type romcom. Yael is a school librarian with a secret podcast, she reviews classic literature. She hires Kevin to be her audio producer, and they have a good relationship. Over time they bond over more than just work. In real life, Ravi is a volunteer at her school. At first they don’t like each other, because of a meet-disaster. Over time they connect. Professionally they are using different names so they don’t discover they are the same person.

    I liked the representation and the feeling of not being lovable with bipolar and difficult issues. I thought the characters had good chemistry. The story did drag a little in the middle and I found the ending to be rushed. Other than that, I found it to be a pretty enjoyable read.

    Audiobook review: Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. I appreciated the performance from Tamika Katon-Donegal and Leon Nixon. The book uses both narrators in the same chapter, so the POV changes although it is not duet narration within conversations. I went back to re-listen several times at the beginning because a lot of the book is exchanged emails and text messages, so it was difficult to distinguish these. However, once I received my copy in the mail from Aardvark Book Club, I transitioned to doing a “tandem” read, alternating between reading my physical copy while listening when I put my book down. In the physical copy there are different fonts and easy ways to determine where you are in the narrative. I liked this much better!

  • they want us dead by cj montblanc

    A Young Adult Locked Room Mystery with a touch of romance, They Want Us Dead.

    Sam is going to a retreat for content creators that are influencers in the area of true crime. Their online troll/enemy Dylan is also coming as a last-minute substitute. It doesn’t take long for them to be stranded with no wi fi or information, just as a dead body happens to fall into their laps (or down the steps).

    A lot to like here- a non-binary main character, enemies-to-lovers energy, a cast of characters with foibles and dialogue around their craft. At 320 pages, it is intensely readable. In particular the main character Sam is endearing, and while insecure, I thought their voice was a solid one throughout the novel. The Gen Z/Gen Alpha language was pure and very believable. For me, what didn’t work was the pacing and the legacy family storyline. But this book already has really strong reviews so I know others will enjoy it.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. Book to be published April 28, 2026

  • where there’s room for us by hayley kiyoko

    A well produced narrative, this is a well crafted and performed audiobook for fans of Emma Alban. The story itself felt a little slow to me, but I do absolutely love the premise. A historical book set in the English countryside, but it is a different version than actually happened in history- this universe is much more accepting of queer couples. Although the inheritance traditions do leave the same sex couples out, gay marriage and gay couples are widely accepted. I really loved being in this kind of environment and imaging what it would be like if we were far ahead. The story itself is reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice or Little Women, but in a world a little more accepting than our own. Ivy and Freya had a lot of yearning, each with a different voice, with great chemistry.

    The audiobook not only has a strong performance, but also includes sound effects (horse hooves, etc) and brief musical interludes.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published 11/4/25

    #macaudio2025

  • Long Island girls by Gabrielle korn

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    “Everything is changing all the time, regardless of our feelings about it.”

    One of my favorite quotes from the book is also exactly a perfect reflection of its best themes. The book follows Susan and has a few snapshots from her life. Sort of like how the memories on your phone hit you hard sometimes… it’s incredible how not much seems to change day to day but a snapshot from 2019 can really knock you off your stool.

    Starting in 2005, Susan doesn’t know who she is and has typical self-centered teen relationships. She comes across Eliza briefly but immediately loses track of her and sees her as the one that got away.

    The first chapter is rife with early 00s nostalgia, you’ll be surprised at things that have since faded away that were so entrenched in the every day. The Lancôme juicy tubes and downloaded punk rock.

    The subsequent chapters jump and while you miss Susan’s coming out, her career start, I love the way this book skips the “big event” scenes and just cuts to a sort of a normal day. Just as in real life, people who are main characters in one phase of your life become a forethought in the next.

    All throughout, Susan sort of romanticizes Eliza although she truly doesn’t really know her. It’s less of a Romance than a coming of age LitFic character study. It is solidly Susan’s POV and shows a jump in her maturity and a loss of innocence and a growth with each passing year.

    “Maybe love is trusting how someone feels about you.”

    You’ll highlight several sentences.

    Thanks to NetGalley and st martins press for the ARC. Book to be published June 22, 2026.