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.
Queer Small Town Livin’: Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin
Mara loves basketball—which is a problem, because she’s currently not allowed to play. After getting in a fight during a game, her coach kicks her off the school team and bars her from rejoining until she can prove that she can be a team player. In an attempt to prove her ability to not let her angerRead More
Love, Friendship, and Hair Care: Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! In Wash Day Diaries, readers follow a group of four young Black women from the Bronx, getting a glimpse of their daily lives through their hair care routine and wash day experiences. Presented as five interconnected short story comics, we get to meet Kim, whoRead More
Teen Witches Cover Up a Murder: When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Alexis and her five friends share a secret—they all have magic powers. On prom night, Alexis’s magic goes wrong and a boy ends up dead. Now, the six teens have to keep this a secret as they try to make things right. Bonds areRead More
A Small Middle Grade with a Big Punch: The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Sunny St. James has a new lease on life. In her case, this is literal after she receives a heart transplant and finally, finally has a chance to have something close to a normal summer. Swimming in the ocean, staying up late to watchRead More
A Comforting Queer Cozy Fantasy Comic: The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! One of my favourite micro niches is queer cozy fantasy middle grade comics—which mostly just means I adore the Tea Dragon series by K. O’Neill. I have a print from that series on my wall. I have the box set. I have the cardRead More
F/F Jamaican-Inspired YA Fantasy with Dragons: So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Any other Eragon girlies out there? Check out So Let Them Burn, a Jamaican-inspired F/F young adult fantasy that delivered from beginning to end! This moving and action-packed debut has made me a Kamilah Cole fangirl and I can’t wait for the second book inRead More
A Dark, Magical Story of Gender Versus Tradition: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, written by Juno Dawson, is an enthralling urban fantasy that explores gender in a magical world that, similar to our own, finds itself strictly divided along the binary. It questions concepts of power, friendship, love, and feminism in a world in which traditional power structures are challenged and,Read More
Childhood Nostalgia is a Trap: Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link I wasn’t sure if I would review this for the Lesbrary at first, because although the main character mentions that she’s bisexual at the beginning, it didn’t seem to come up again. Once I finished it, though, I realized that queerness is essential to the underpinning of the story. (There are alsoRead More