Who hasn’t fantasized about Nancy Drew being at least a little bit gayer? If you are anything like me and the subtext between Nancy and George isn’t quite enough for you, then Cherry Aimless and the Not-So-Nice Nurse has got you covered.

Cherry has been working as a nurse and is finally going on her two week vacation. Cherry is eager for her trip to San Francisco where she plans to visit her spinster aunt. She has almost escaped the hospital when the intimidating head nurse stops her to ask a favour. Cherry, eager to please, accepts the request to deliver the package as it is on her way. But, when Cherry arrives in San Francisco she finds her aunt kidnapped, and to add to the disheartening news, her idol Nancy Clue has gone missing. It’s up to Cherry and her rag-tag crew of queer women to solve the case and save Cherry’s aunt. And how is the head nurse and her package tangled in this whole mess?

Cherry has a sweet, naive innocence which drives her interactions with other characters. Over the course of her adventure she slowly meets a friendly crew of queer women. She never questions their sexualities, or even her own, but accepts love as love. While Mabel Maney never uses the word lesbian in the work, the relationships between the characters are explicit.

Cherry Aimless and the Not-So-Nice Nurse is a fun parody of Nancy Drew that pokes fun at the original without being mean spirited. It is a light romp which holds a special place in my heart. Told from Cherry’s perspective, she wears rose tinted glasses that create a lighthearted version of the 1950s. The book brushes with issues like racism and homophobia, but Cherry doesn’t pay these issues much heed.

Would I recommend the book? Definitely! It is an easy read, it is funny, and who wouldn’t want a reality where every woman you meet is queer?