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victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Deportation, War, and Miscarriage
bishop_504's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book got a hold on me from the very beginning. I started listening to it on Spotify because it was free, but then I realized that you only get so many hours of Spotify per month, and I couldn’t listen to it anymore. So I went the same evening to the bookstore and bought it because I had to know what happened next lmao.
I loved the way that Lily slowly came to understand her sexuality. She knew there was something about herself that she couldn’t name, and through the course of the story she discovers this whole part of herself that she never knew before.
Lily and Kath are so sweet and I adore their hesitant and loving relationship. They are able to be a spark of hope to each other throughout the dark events that they endure together.
I know a lot of queer books have unhappy endings, and I was worried that this book would as well. I was relived that, while it wasn’t a perfect fairy tale ending, it was hopeful. Kath and Lily had each other.
I loved the way that Lily slowly came to understand her sexuality. She knew there was something about herself that she couldn’t name, and through the course of the story she discovers this whole part of herself that she never knew before.
Lily and Kath are so sweet and I adore their hesitant and loving relationship. They are able to be a spark of hope to each other throughout the dark events that they endure together.
I know a lot of queer books have unhappy endings, and I was worried that this book would as well. I was relived that, while it wasn’t a perfect fairy tale ending, it was hopeful. Kath and Lily had each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
tey_lynn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Deportation, Miscarriage, Bullying, Drug use, and Cursing
mmontgomery's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Miscarriage
egnolan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
renny_penny's review
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
pich's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
i definitely feel as though the characters could be a little more detailed, whether through their interactions or with more backstory. the pacing was a little off at times, and maybe with those additional parts, it would balance out. i would’ve liked more on lily and kath’s relationship, as well. it felt sort of rushed in a way, and maybe hearing more about lily’s thoughts during the whole thing would’ve been better. I still really enjoyed this, and the added notes on the various historical aspects were cool to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage
scarletthequeen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Xenophobia
churroeon's review against another edition
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
3.75
i would like to mention that i did enjoy this book. i love learning about gay history and i believed the author was successful in illustrating 1950s gay culture and even gave the reader some background knowledge on lesbians, their roles, etc. I loved that! however, i just feel a little dissapointed in the story, especially the ending... i will dive into some spoilers so be aware
im not much of a person who likes sad stories because i really love happy endings! but honestly, i absolutely endored how the author depicted Lily's emotions while her and Kath were separated. i was able to feel what she was feeling and honestly!!!! i felt my heart hurt!!! thats really rare because i feel like authors just dont know how to do that anymore, but Lo really did so i gotta give her props. but when Lily was gone for a year and her and Kath met up i felt like it was rushed? like so we didnt see each other physically, only by letters or phone calls, and here we are together reunited. all that i am given is that they love each other (awesome i love that) and that we will meet again at a restaurant later today. thats it??? nothing else? i felt like more emotional writing could've been applied here. the author knows how to write impactful scenes, why didnt they do that here? kath and lily have not seen each other in a year and were separated. i feel like there should've been some more meat towards the ending because it felt rushed. there is potential and im sad it wasnt achieved.
overall, i have to give this book a 3.75. i was expecting more, but it was a fun read nonetheless :3
overall, i have to give this book a 3.75. i was expecting more, but it was a fun read nonetheless :3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Homophobia
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a bittersweet story about a lesbian Chinese-American girl coming of age in 1950s San Francisco. Elements of the book fell flat for me, but I did like it. I thought it was very well-researched, the author does an excellent job of giving the sociopolitical context of the time period to show what it was like to be Chinese in the US during the Red Scare and the Cold War. I also really enjoyed the depictions of Chinese immigrant culture and Chinatown, for example the cultural traditions and food were interesting to read about. I also enjoyed the book’s discussion on queer culture at the time and how LGBT people created underground spaces for each other despite being marginalized by society. I thought the author did a good job at showing Lily realizing she was a lesbian and discovering these queer spaces, while also acknowledging that her intersectional identity of being queer and Chinese meant that she was marginalized in both of her communities. I’m glad the author took so much care in researching this time period and I think the book is worth a read for that aspect.
Some of the other elements of the book fell flat for me though. While I did like Lily as a character, she felt one-dimensional at times and so did the side characters and the relationships she had with them. Her blossoming relationship with Kath was cute but it felt superficial to me, I didn’t know much about Kath other than she was a lesbian and she wanted to be a pilot. I was more interested in Lily’s dynamic with Shirley, just because of how complex it was. They had this shared history of growing up together but they wanted different things and that made for a very interesting yet toxic relationship to read about. I also felt that the chapters about Lily’s family members making their way in the US were some of the more compelling plotlines in the book and I wanted more of her family dynamic.
Additionally, I found myself becoming bored about halfway through. Once Lily started going out with Kath to the club the plot felt kind of directionless, I didn’t see what it was working towards so it just seemed like so much was happening but a lot of the little plot points didn’t go anywhere. The research and care that went into this story was definitely evident but I wish the characters and plot had been developed a little more.
Some of the other elements of the book fell flat for me though. While I did like Lily as a character, she felt one-dimensional at times and so did the side characters and the relationships she had with them. Her blossoming relationship with Kath was cute but it felt superficial to me, I didn’t know much about Kath other than she was a lesbian and she wanted to be a pilot. I was more interested in Lily’s dynamic with Shirley, just because of how complex it was. They had this shared history of growing up together but they wanted different things and that made for a very interesting yet toxic relationship to read about. I also felt that the chapters about Lily’s family members making their way in the US were some of the more compelling plotlines in the book and I wanted more of her family dynamic.
Additionally, I found myself becoming bored about halfway through. Once Lily started going out with Kath to the club the plot felt kind of directionless, I didn’t see what it was working towards so it just seemed like so much was happening but a lot of the little plot points didn’t go anywhere. The research and care that went into this story was definitely evident but I wish the characters and plot had been developed a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual harassment