Sarvat Hasin’s Strange Girls delves into the complexity and fervor of the codependent female friendships that bloom, burn, and scar in adolescence. Told in two perspectives and two timelines, the novel reveals the truths behind the stories each woman told themselves about a life-altering relationship. Aliya and Ava were once inseparable, but after a ten-year silence, theirRead More
Sophomore Graphic Novel Fires on All Cylinders: Cannon by Lee Lai Review
Cannon by Lee Lai (she/her) is a thought-provoking and propulsive graphic novel that explores how one can get taken advantage of in all different types of relationships—family, friend, romantic, and professional—and the importance of making yourself and your mental health a priority. Lucy, also known as Cannon, a nickname lovingly coined by her best friend, Trish,Read More
Between Devotion and Obsession: Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Review
In “Lonely Crowds,” we follow the complex relationship between protagonists Ruth and Maria. The two meet as children at their all-girls Catholic school in New England and become fast friends. Ruth is the only child of recent immigrants, and Maria is an orphan under the care of her mentally ill aunt, and the two are someRead More
A Queer Coming-of-Age Story Told From the Margins (Literally): The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker Review
I tend to take a traditional approach to fiction. I learned the three elements of a story—plot, setting, character—pretty early, and it stuck because is made sense. The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker is an exception. Before genre or protagonist, above theme or prose, this book’s most remarkable feature is its format. It’s a tale told inRead More
A Novel for Mere Mortals: Woodworking by Emily St. James Review
Woodworking by Emily St. James is a novel for mere mortals. It takes place in the shadow of the 2016 presidential election, and of all the goings-on of those few months, of all the things said and seen; Woodworking is set in rural South Dakota, against a backdrop of bad community theatre and doomed local progressiveRead More
A Gentle Queer Awakening: Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
Racquel Marie’s Ophelia After All follows high school senior Ophelia Rojas, a boy-crazy rose gardener. With prom and the end of high school swiftly approaching, Ophelia is reluctant to let anything else change, least of all her understanding of who she has always thought she is, but when she finds herself crushing on her classmate Talia Sanchez,Read More
A Romp through New York City: Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
In July, my fiancée and I had an opportunity to go to [words] Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey. I hadn’t been to [words] in several years, but we were in the area on a Saturday and stopped by on a whim. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. After wandering through the store for a while, I sharedRead More
A Joint Memoir of Two Ex-Wives: Slayers, Every One of Us by Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs Review
In 2016, Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs starting the podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer. Jenny was a long-time fan, and her wife Kristin was a new fan. The podcast would go on to blow up in popularity, becoming a full-time job. It supported its mostly queer fanbase through Trump’s first term and, later, theRead More
An Underground GSA at Catholic School: Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju Review
When Cassie was in elementary school, she made friends with Ben, a ballet dancer who seemed unrestrained by gender norms. They quickly became inseparable, and in the world they created together at the creek, Cassie began to face her own queerness—until they were caught by judgmental classmates, and Cassie betrayed Ben. He left for anotherRead More
A Sentimental Romance That Takes You for a Ride: Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz Review
Despite not reading reviews about Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz, I set my expectations high for this contemporary romance. Estranged childhood friends-to-lovers, a road trip, siblings, grief and healing, a dual timeline, and third person present tense? Maybe I have some specific selling points, but consider me sold.