• All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: The Passing Playbook

    3 June, 2021

    So you’re looking for an ownvoices trans m/m book by a Black author? Boy, do we have a treat for you! And listen, even more importantly The Passing Playbook is one of the most joyful & loving young adult books we know of – loving in a way that it lets the LGBT teens know they’re loved and valued.

    Read on to see more reasons why you absolutely should order yourself a copy, too! And we even have a music mix to listen to while reading!

    And hey, while you’re at it, follow Isaac on twitter!

    Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother and a Messi-in-training. He’s also transgender. After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of bullying, Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley, the most liberal private school in Ohio.

    At Oakley, Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates, a decent shot at a starting position on the boy’s soccer team, great new friends, and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates. The problem is, no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans – he’s passing.

    So when a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him after he discovers the ‘F’ on Spencer’s birth certificate, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or publicly fight for his right to play, even if it means coming out to everyone – including the guy he’s falling for.

    The Passing Playbook

    Isaac Fitzsimons

    Goodreads

    Rep: biracial Black mlm trans mc, gay li, bi side character, nonbinary side character
    CWs: mentions of past transphobic violence, religious homophobia
    Release: 3rd June 2021

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  • Book of the Month,  Literature

    Book of the Month: The Dangerous Kingdom of Love

    2 June, 2021

    We wavered between a few releases for June’s book of the month and eventually settled on this one on account of the number of adds it has on Goodreads. Because we’re fair and scientific like that (in theory). This month’s selection is for all the historical fiction lovers out there, so feast your eyes on it!

    Everyone else? Well, best start reading historical fiction, since you won’t want to miss out on this one!

    Related: Don’t forget all releases can be found in our monthly lists here.
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  • Wrap Ups

    Wrap-up: May 2021

    1 June, 2021

    May was a busy (and somewhat stressfully hectic) month for us! As you have by now hopefully noticed, we’re self-hosted, thanks to the incredible generosity of Kayla Ancrum (a sign that you need to read her books now if you haven’t already — her next is out on 22nd June, so there’s still time to preorder!). After a wobbly start, we think we know what we’re doing now, although I’m sure Hostgator support would disagree.

    But anyway, if you’re interested in what we’ve been reading and watching in the meantime, check it out!

    And, of course,

    🌈 🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!! 🌈🌈

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  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: June 2021

    31 May, 2021

    If you think that a lot more LGBT books come out during Pride than all the other months, you would be correct! And this post is a real-life proof. Took days to prepare, but here we are: 166 LGBT books out this June!

    And yes, you read that right: one hundred and sixty six. Surely, you will find something for yourself here.

    As always, a rainbow emoji next to the title indicates the author is part of the LGBT community – if I made any mistakes here, please do correct me. And if you need some more books, you can find all our previous monthly releases posts here.

    Read More
  • Interviews

    Author Interview: Isaac Fitzsimons

    29 May, 2021

    If you could inject yourself with serotonin, I imagine it’d feel about the same as reading The Passing Playbook. It’s a book about a trans kid who joins his new school’s football team, a rivalry turned romance, and a found family that will have you grinning uncontrollably. In other words, it is the perfect way to kick your Pride month reading off.

    If, for some reason, you’re still not convinced, our reviews will be up for The Passing Playbook in the next week, and don’t forget you can follow Isaac on twitter right now!

    Read More
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun

    27 May, 2021

    Please don’t be fooled into thinking I’m biased in my opinion about Jonny’s book, I’m really not. They really just are that talented and created that lovely & soft novel. The music mix accompanying this review is titled “inside your arms i feel so much warmer” (Where We’re Going / Gregory Dillon), and that is exactly the vibe of this book.

    And hey, we actually interviewed Jonny some time ago, check it out!

    Also don’t forget to follow Jonny Garza Villa on twitter!

    A poignant, funny, openhearted novel about coming out, first love, and being your one and only best and true self.

    Julián Luna has a plan for his life: Graduate. Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life.

    Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown—literally—out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.

    Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.

    Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.

    Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun

    Jonny Garza Villa

    Goodreads

    Rep: Mexican American gay mc, Vietnamese American gay li, gay, lesbian, bi & pan side characters
    TWs: past & present parental abuse, physical abuse (chapter 14 & 28), homophobia, outing, mc gets kicked out
    Release: 8th June 2021

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  • All Reviews,  Literature

    Blog Tour: How to Become a Planet

    24 May, 2021

    I loved In the Role of Brie Hutchens…, so when I was invited to take part in a blog tour for Melleby’s new middle grade book, it was a no-brainer. And I was right, and got exactly as soft & thoughtful book as I was expecting. So yeah, big thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for allowing me to shout about this lovely novel!

    Apart from a review, I also prepared a music mix you can listen to while reading the book.

    Also don’t forget to follow Nicole Melleby on twitter!

    For Pluto, summer has always started with a trip to the planetarium. It’s the launch to her favorite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mom’s pizzeria, and her best friend Meredith’s birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible.

    A month before the end of the school year, Pluto’s frightened mom broke down Pluto’s bedroom door. What came next were doctor’s appointments, a diagnosis of depression, and a big black hole that still sits on Pluto’s chest, making it too hard to do anything.

    Pluto can’t explain to her mom why she can’t do the things she used to love. And it isn’t until Pluto’s dad threatens to make her move with him to the city—where he believes his money, in particular, could help—that Pluto becomes desperate enough to do whatever it takes to be the old Pluto again.

    She develops a plan and a checklist: If she takes her medication, if she goes to the planetarium with her mom for her birthday, if she successfully finishes her summer school work with her tutor, if she goes to Meredith’s birthday party . . . if she does all the things that “normal” Pluto would do, she can stay with her mom in Jersey. But it takes a new therapist, a new tutor, and a new (and cute) friend with a checklist and plan of her own for Pluto to learn that there is no old and new Pluto. There’s just her.

    How to Become a Planet

    Nicole Melleby

    Goodreads

    Rep: sapphic mc with depression and anxiety, nonbinary li, side sapphic couple
    CWs: panic attacks
    Release: 25th May 2021

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  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: Jay’s Gay Agenda

    22 May, 2021

    To say we have mixed feelings about this book is probably a very fair statement. So, we discussed and we figured the best thing to do in reviewing this book would be like so: split the review into factors that we liked, and factors that we didn’t get along with. The caveat of course being that these are our personal opinions, so please don’t let us put you off this book unnecessarily!

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    There’s one thing Jay Collier knows for sure—he’s a statistical anomaly as the only out gay kid in his small rural Washington town. While all this friends can’t stop talking about their heterosexual hookups and relationships, Jay can only dream of his own firsts, compiling a romance to-do list of all the things he hopes to one day experience—his Gay Agenda.

    Then, against all odds, Jay’s family moves to Seattle and he starts his senior year at a new high school with a thriving LGBTQIA+ community. For the first time ever, Jay feels like he’s found where he truly belongs, where he can flirt with Very Sexy Boys and search for love. But as Jay begins crossing items off his list, he’ll soon be torn between his heart and his hormones, his old friends and his new ones…because after all, life and love don’t always go according to plan.

    From debut novelist Jason June comes a moving and hilarious sex-positive story about the complexities of first loves, first hookups, and first heartbreaks—and how to stay true to yourself while embracing what you never saw coming.

    Jay’s Gay Agenda

    Jason June

    Goodreads

    Rep: gay mc, Chinese-American gay li, gay genderqueer side character, gay side character
    CWs: vomiting
    Release: 1st June 2021

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  • Interviews

    Artist Interview: Jxckson

    21 May, 2021

    Today is something of a celebration for Jxckson, given his debut EP Paradox was just released. In his own words, “[it] explores a mix of genres including pop, dancehall, and synthwave, where no two songs sound alike, yet drive the listener through the twists and turns of one cohesive story.” The EP, alongside the songs, features two poem written by Jxckson’s sister, who’s working on her own debut, but in the publishing world.

    Read on to learn how Jxckson uses visuals to create lyrics & stories, and how much of an influence Britney Spears is for him.

    And of course, you can listen to Jxckson’s music here, and follow him on twitter.

    Read More
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: One Last Stop

    20 May, 2021

    Kicking off the Pride releases’ season the right way, with our reviews of an absolute gem, a sapphic time-travel rom-com of your dreams. One Last Stop hits all the spots for a perfect book.

    And as an extra treat, apart from the mix you can listen to while reading the book, we want to offer you one more thing: Charlotte actually set up a bot that will start tweeting in mid June, to avoid spoilers.

    Cynical twenty-three-year old August doesn’t believe in much. She doesn’t believe in psychics, or easily forged friendships, or finding the kind of love they make movies about. And she certainly doesn’t believe her ragtag band of new roommates, her night shifts at a 24-hour pancake diner, or her daily subway commute full of electrical outages are going to change that.

    But then, there’s Jane. Beautiful, impossible Jane.

    All hard edges with a soft smile and swoopy hair and saving August’s day when she needed it most. The person August looks forward to seeing on the train every day. The one who makes her forget about the cities she lived in that never seemed to fit, and her fear of what happens when she finally graduates, and even her cold-case obsessed mother who won’t quite let her go. And when August realizes her subway crush is impossible in more ways than one—namely, displaced in time from the 1970s—she thinks maybe it’s time to start believing.

    Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

    One Last Stop

    Casey McQuiston

    Goodreads

    Rep: bi mc with anxiety, Chinese American lesbian li, gay side character, Black sapphic side character, Black gay side character, Puerto Rican American trans side character, Black pan side character
    CWs: past homophobic violence, off page death
    Release: 1st June 2021

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  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: The Kingdoms

    18 May, 2021

    We needed abut half a second to decide we want to request an early copy of this book, once they became available. We’ve read everything else that Natasha Pulley has written, so we thought we know what to expect. And yet, The Kingdoms just stunned us. It’s a masterpiece.

    There’s a mix at the end of this post, and I highly recommend you listen to it while reading the book. It somehow makes it more painful. And after, make sure to follow Natasha on twitter.

    (Also for those of you who are already fans of Pulley’s work, can I point you in the direction of a bot I made that tweets quotes from her books every two hours?)

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    For fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and David Mitchell, a genre bending, time twisting alternative history that asks whether it’s worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved.

    Joe Tournier has a bad case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English-instead of French-the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently knows himself, and he’s determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire’s Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.

    From bestselling author Natasha Pulley, The Kingdoms is an epic, wildly original novel that bends genre as easily as it twists time.

    The Kingdoms

    Natasha Pulley

    Goodreads

    Rep: gay mc with epilepsy, gay li
    CWs: implied conversion therapy & rape, violence, gore
    Release: 25th May 2021

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  • All Recommended,  Film & TV Recs,  Film & TV Shows

    Film & TV Recs: Foreign LGBT movies

    15 May, 2021

    My small offering to you in these horrible times is a list of ten LGBT movies made outside of the US (or even UK, for that matter). It’s good to remember that the world doesn’t start and end with North America, and LGBT people actually live everywhere around the globe. You might also be interested in one of my previous posts, about movies with two QPOC leads.

    And a quick reminder that on this blog we do not recommend movies with trans characters played by cis actors, ever.

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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Standalone Fantasy

    13 May, 2021

    After a few days of unintentional downtime (can you tell neither me nor Anna has the slightest clue about self-hosting), we’re back with a rec list of standalone fantasy books. For those times when you don’t want to invest in reading an entire series, but you do want something fantastical.

    I’m sure we can all relate.

    But anyway. Enough waffling on, because it’s been days since we’ve been able to post. I’m sure you all just want to get straight into it (so to speak).

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  • All Releases,  Music,  Music Releases

    Music Releases: LGBT songs of April 2021

    6 May, 2021

    If you need a little break from the everything going on in the world right now, here are some sixty songs from last month that I know about. Listen to some music to recharge.

    I also want to point out that Presence of a Legend by Shea Diamond is featured on the documentary about Gloria Allen, a Black transgender activist, titled Mama Gloria. You can read more about it here.

    And if you need even more new music, check out all my previous monthly posts right here!

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