Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'
So, wie du bist: Roman | Die LGBTQI+-RomCom des Jahres: »Pride and Prejudice« meets »The L Word: Generation Q« | »Warm, witzig und wundervoll!« Alexandria Bellefleur, Bestsellerautorin von »Written in the Stars« by Camille Kellogg
10 reviews
micaelacccc's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content
yasidiaz's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
Just As You Are is a Sapphic retelling of the beloved Pride & Prejudice. Liz Baker is a writer for a queer magazine in New York. When Nether Fields is bought at the last minute after almost shutting down, Liz finds it hard to feel grateful when Daria Fitzgerald -the minor investor- is a big pain in her ass. Things, of course, when Liz and Daria spend more time together and the former wonders if maybe, just maybe, she was too quick to judge.
Let me let you in on a little secret. Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite romance stories of all time. I read it for the first time during my teenage years and have been a big supporter of Jane Austen since then. I remember even fighting my favorite English teacher after I found out he didn’t like Pride & Prejudice. So when I hear about a retelling of my favorite book and it is queer? Of course, I have to read it. And this book seriously didn’t disappoint.
This book was so queer in the best ways possible. It made me miss my friends and all the stuff we would do together. Each character felt like someone I met at some point at my school’s Queer Student Association and any other queer spaces. Seeing so many queer characters just living their lives felt refreshing, I will never get tired of it. There will never be enough books that celebrate our lives for me. Please give me more.
I enjoyed seeing how they reimagined some of my favorite scenes and moments from the original. I knew what was coming but at the same time, I didn’t. However, since I knew where the story was going I was crushing on Daria way too fact. I spent most of the time yelling at Liz and had to remind myself I would react almost the same if I didn’t have the context. Especially when this book made me realize just how much I related to Lizzie Bennet and now Liz Baker.
Her struggles with her gender expression also made me feel so seen and it made it easier to relate to Liz. This wasn’t hard anyway, since I already related to Liz's impulsivity, her struggles on writing, etc. But as a Trans Masc person who uses He/They pronouns, I struggle a lot with how to present myself. Sometimes I worry about not trying hard enough to be masculine and it doesn’t help when people comment on my makeup and even my body. So seeing Liz switch from femme to masc and the reactions from others, it hit close to home.
Just As You Are is a love letter not only to Pride & Prejudice but to queer culture as well, mainly Sapphic culture, which is something still so underrepresented. So if you love Austen and are queer, you will for sure love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Lesbophobia
attolis's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Just as You Are is a Pride and Prejudice-inspired romance about a late 20s fluff-piece writer
working at a failing queer magazine as she finds herself falling for the rich, cold woman who is helping keep the magazine alive.
The novel delves lightly into gender expression and butch identity and is one of few lesbian romcoms where both leads are somewhere on the masc-identifying spectrum. An old-fashioned feel-good, comforting love story.
working at a failing queer magazine as she finds herself falling for the rich, cold woman who is helping keep the magazine alive.
The novel delves lightly into gender expression and butch identity and is one of few lesbian romcoms where both leads are somewhere on the masc-identifying spectrum. An old-fashioned feel-good, comforting love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Drug use
katelynnelawson's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
4.5
Just as You Are hits a fine line, paying dutiful homage to Austen's Pride and Prejudice while still remaining very much its own story - Kellogg's playfully crafted take on modern queer life in NYC.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Lesbophobia
bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia and Homophobia
frantically's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
2.0
A good retelling a good story does not make.
Can you believe sapphic representation has gone so far lately?? We're getting our own toxic relationship stories 🥲
Okay, first the positives: I loved how unapologetically queer everything was — we stick together and that was shown here beautifully. There's also good starting thoughts about lesbian/sapphic gender expression and how sometimes we put ourselves back into heteronormative relationship norms by being obsessive about whether someone's a butch or a femme.
I really struggled with this, I'm sad to say. Liz wasn't developed enough at all as a main character and while Daria was developed, it wasn't in a positive sense. There's so much telling and not showing especially when it comes to their relationship. Suddenly they're confessing feelings for each other and there was just no build up to it. Daria gets her little redemption arc but she just seems to be two completely different people from the start of the book to the end.
The drama annoyed me a lot too — there's consequences for a mistake that Liz made but it's not even her fault! Suddenly she's out here apologizing to everyone for being a terrible friend but she's not even the one who made a mistake in the first place, it infuriated me so much.
So — nice butch representation, love myself a queer found family but the plot just wasn't it.
Can you believe sapphic representation has gone so far lately?? We're getting our own toxic relationship stories 🥲
Okay, first the positives: I loved how unapologetically queer everything was — we stick together and that was shown here beautifully. There's also good starting thoughts about lesbian/sapphic gender expression and how sometimes we put ourselves back into heteronormative relationship norms by being obsessive about whether someone's a butch or a femme.
I really struggled with this, I'm sad to say. Liz wasn't developed enough at all as a main character and while Daria was developed, it wasn't in a positive sense. There's so much telling and not showing especially when it comes to their relationship. Suddenly they're confessing feelings for each other and there was just no build up to it. Daria gets her little redemption arc but she just seems to be two completely different people from the start of the book to the end.
The drama annoyed me a lot too — there's consequences for a mistake that Liz made but it's not even her fault! Suddenly she's out here apologizing to everyone for being a terrible friend but she's not even the one who made a mistake in the first place, it infuriated me so much.
So — nice butch representation, love myself a queer found family but the plot just wasn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use and Drug abuse
fromthefoxhole's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
It's a sapphic retelling of Pride and Prejudice, of course I cried or squealed the entire time.
I love the modernizations and tweaks to the plot that keep it refreshing. Focusing on a queer found family, gender bending half the cast, and never shying away from heavy handed pop culture references all point to 2023, but there's still so much respect being paid to the source material.
I love Liz. In any p+p adaptation Lizzie is my twin flame, but Liz especially came swinging for me with conflicted feelings on gender presentation, taking the leap to become an author, and general rage against capitalism. I completely used up two bunches of sticky tabs with things said, referenced, or done that I felt were relatable. Tack on the deep sense of injustice with how little representation of the broader spectrum of queer folks exists out there? Its like Kellogg ripped my brain out of my skull and smeared it on the page (ew, why is that my metaphor? I'm so sorry).
I've always wanted to be a very openly and loudly queer person because I never had that growing up (I'm being so real, I think the closest I had was clay Aiken being gay. shout out clay Aiken, I guess?). I definitely didn't have a non binary pansexual role model (or probably whatever other labels might define me down the road). I feel very strongly that I don't want future generations of queers to feel the same loss I do from the past decades of marginalization and hiding and violence. Seeing that reflected in Liz's deep appreciation for Moira, her delight in finding queer spaces and seeing other people confident and happy, knowing that Kellogg feels those things too, it really helps me feel connected across the miles.
okay, hopping off my soapbox to say - this book is so gay!! I don't even know if there's a straight amongst the entire cast. there are non binary people, trans people, gay and lesbian and bi people, the whole gamut. half of the lesbians have dated each other, as is tradition, there's a non binary person with a bow tie obsession. It would feel like caricatures of I didn't know those people in my own life, y'know? there are so many references and inside Jokes, winks and nudges to the queer reader that feel like Kellogg herself is writing to us directly.
reading just as you are felt like receiving a gentle kiss on the forehead. I want to frame the entire thing, or use it as wallpaper or something.
I love the modernizations and tweaks to the plot that keep it refreshing. Focusing on a queer found family, gender bending half the cast, and never shying away from heavy handed pop culture references all point to 2023, but there's still so much respect being paid to the source material.
I love Liz. In any p+p adaptation Lizzie is my twin flame, but Liz especially came swinging for me with conflicted feelings on gender presentation, taking the leap to become an author, and general rage against capitalism. I completely used up two bunches of sticky tabs with things said, referenced, or done that I felt were relatable. Tack on the deep sense of injustice with how little representation of the broader spectrum of queer folks exists out there? Its like Kellogg ripped my brain out of my skull and smeared it on the page (ew, why is that my metaphor? I'm so sorry).
I've always wanted to be a very openly and loudly queer person because I never had that growing up (I'm being so real, I think the closest I had was clay Aiken being gay. shout out clay Aiken, I guess?). I definitely didn't have a non binary pansexual role model (or probably whatever other labels might define me down the road). I feel very strongly that I don't want future generations of queers to feel the same loss I do from the past decades of marginalization and hiding and violence. Seeing that reflected in Liz's deep appreciation for Moira, her delight in finding queer spaces and seeing other people confident and happy, knowing that Kellogg feels those things too, it really helps me feel connected across the miles.
okay, hopping off my soapbox to say - this book is so gay!! I don't even know if there's a straight amongst the entire cast. there are non binary people, trans people, gay and lesbian and bi people, the whole gamut. half of the lesbians have dated each other, as is tradition, there's a non binary person with a bow tie obsession. It would feel like caricatures of I didn't know those people in my own life, y'know? there are so many references and inside Jokes, winks and nudges to the queer reader that feel like Kellogg herself is writing to us directly.
reading just as you are felt like receiving a gentle kiss on the forehead. I want to frame the entire thing, or use it as wallpaper or something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Cursing
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Drug use
Minor: Lesbophobia and Outing
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to The Dial Press for the free advance copy of this book.
- Raise your hand if you're looking for a sweet, funny, and smart lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling! Oh, everyone is looking for that, and here it is in JUST AS YOU ARE!
- This book is a loving homage to P&P, to queer culture, to trying to find yourself when you're somewhere between labels. I adored Liz and Daria, modern incarnations of Elizabeth and Darcy down to every last detail.
- One of the things I loved most about this book was how steeped in queer culture it is. So often books feature one or two queer characters surrounded by straight people, but this book is queer down to the bones. Every character is queer, they move entirely through queer spaces, and references to our pop culture touchstones abound. Heaven.
- Raise your hand if you're looking for a sweet, funny, and smart lesbian Pride and Prejudice retelling! Oh, everyone is looking for that, and here it is in JUST AS YOU ARE!
- This book is a loving homage to P&P, to queer culture, to trying to find yourself when you're somewhere between labels. I adored Liz and Daria, modern incarnations of Elizabeth and Darcy down to every last detail.
- One of the things I loved most about this book was how steeped in queer culture it is. So often books feature one or two queer characters surrounded by straight people, but this book is queer down to the bones. Every character is queer, they move entirely through queer spaces, and references to our pop culture touchstones abound. Heaven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Alcohol
ladieswholunch's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use
More...