deepbutdazzlingdarkness's reviews
350 reviews

When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan

informative inspiring reflective

4.5

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely fantastic and possibly one of the best YA books I’ve ever read ngl.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

Might finish eventually but got 10% in and didn’t pick it up again for a week so I returned the library loan so the person waiting could get it.

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Oh man, this was SO FUN, I loved it. I admit it’s probably not a 5 star book on its own, maybe 4-4.5, but for nostalgia purposes I had to bump it up on GR. (For here on StoryGraph I will keep it as a solid 4.5). I loved the whole Dawson’s Creek-esque setting obviously, but also the Buffy references delighted me, as well as all the littler ones to different shows that I caught and didn’t catch. (I liked that the author included a little section about them at the end!) 

 

I really enjoyed how the sweet happy veneer of Carson’s Cove started to wear off and how Sheldon started to get more and more creepy and menacing as Brynn started to not follow his plan. Brynn and Josh’s chemistry was so good and I really liked their relationship. The third act conflict/climax made me super emotional and the way things resolved was soooo satisfying. One of the things that never worked for me about Dawson’s Creek is how Jen and Joey were so often at odds during the series and they never really became friends, and while that wasn’t quite the same in this universe (with Sloan having Poppy as a best friend), I liked that part of Sloan’s happy ending was becoming real true friends with Luce. 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given. 

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

3.0

I have really mixed feelings about this, and it was hard to rate. Personally, I didn’t agree with a lot of Allen’s conclusions. I totally support the premise that there are queer people even in red states and that they deserve support and to not be dismissed. I lived in Nashville and loved it there, I have so many queer friends who still live there, and the lesbian bar The Lipstick Lounge is one of my absolute favorite places. I loved that aspect of this book, and parts of it made me really emotional, but I didn’t like the sort of pitting against each other of cities vs. small towns. 

I'm a city person and always will be, and the idea that many people in big cities are miserable…sure, but not automatically BECAUSE they’re living in a city. I accept that Allen would never want to live in New York City, but the denigration of public transportation is um. Something. And she specifically has a discussion of intersectionality and yet doesn’t really mention that as a reason why people would want to move to/stay in big cities??? Overall I did really enjoy this, but that aspect of it bothered me. The audiobook was a quick listen, and I always like when they’re read by the author! 

Love from the Pink Palace: Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret through the AIDS Crisis by Jill Nalder

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

5.0

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

3.0

Wherever Is Your Heart by Anita Kelly

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was sooooooo sweet I loved it so much 🥹🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰

Bad Summer People: A Novel by Emma Rosenblum

3.5

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

4.0

I really enjoyed this. It didn't hit the transcendent heights the music video did (and still does) for me, but I knew it wouldn’t, so I just loved getting Coley and Sonya’s full story. I didn’t necessarily think the writing was all that great when I started, but as I kept going, the emotions were so real and it definitely made me tear up multiple times. 

I liked that it was set in 2006, as someone who was 16 at the time the inclusion of LiveJournal, AIM, etc. was so nostalgic lol. The LJ entries were a great way to get Sonya’s POV without it being a full dual POV book and helped balance it out. Yeah she was shitty to Coley but internalized homophobia/comphet is a bitch and it feels very true to the time period. 

And I really liked seeing the relationship with Coley and her dad evolve, him making her the tiger’s eye necklace got me super emotional and I’m glad they have each other. Overall, I’m glad I read this!