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kateywaldhart's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Biphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer and Death
cheriepie's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I'm queer and from the tail-end of the millennial years, so a lot of the pop culture referenced was just stuff I missed because I was too busy watching Spongebob, and therefore couldn't relate to a lot of the sweeping statements about "queer millennial culture". The essays feel a little disjointed, with the memoir portions and the pop culture portions being only tangentially related and rambly at many points, but when they click they're pretty engaging. It really reads like a millennial is writing it though, so take that as you will.
The book also keeps claiming it's a safer time for people (especially Gen Z) to come out, which is aggravating to read because of just how out of touch it is. Perhaps for a thirty-something Reductress writer living in a queer-friendly area, seeing more positive queer representation in pop culture, it feels like it would be safer to come out. But positive queer representation in pop culture unfortunately just doesn't correlate to "it's easier to be out now, everywhere."
Also, I hope to god that "Claire" is a pseudonym. The idea that the author might have outed someone, even if only to a few people who would know who Claire is, in order to...prove a point about her own pride (???) makes me feel sick.
The book also keeps claiming it's a safer time for people (especially Gen Z) to come out, which is aggravating to read because of just how out of touch it is. Perhaps for a thirty-something Reductress writer living in a queer-friendly area, seeing more positive queer representation in pop culture, it feels like it would be safer to come out. But positive queer representation in pop culture unfortunately just doesn't correlate to "it's easier to be out now, everywhere."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Biphobia, and Homophobia
riverestyx's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
This was a great read. The author is a few years older than me so we consumed a lot of the same media growing up.
It was nice to look back on some of the media and reflect on it now that I've been out for a bit. Like the author, I was in the closet into adulthood- deeply closeted at that. This even inspired me to write a poem in defense of the song I Kissed A Girl because the essay on it got me thinking about the song in a new light.
If you're a queer millennial who came of age from like 2006 to 2011 then I think you'll enjoy this book.
It was nice to look back on some of the media and reflect on it now that I've been out for a bit. Like the author, I was in the closet into adulthood- deeply closeted at that. This even inspired me to write a poem in defense of the song I Kissed A Girl because the essay on it got me thinking about the song in a new light.
If you're a queer millennial who came of age from like 2006 to 2011 then I think you'll enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Biphobia
ninjamuse's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Minor: Biphobia and Transphobia
lilybear3's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
From the introduction, Grace Perry had me hooked! I rarely laugh while reading a book, even if it's funny. This book broke that for me as I laughed many times throughout. Grace and I are technically in the same generation, albeit I'm so close to the next one. Her voice is exactly my humor, so I felt like I had a grasp on the pop culture moments that were before my time. A++ for essay titles, my favorite being "Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Gay Character." "Taylor Swift Made Me a U-Haul Dyke" is one of my favorite chapters, because I semi-grew up knowing and sometimes liking her and her music. I have to agree with Grace, listening to her music made me a romantic, to my detriment at times.
I enjoyed reading Grace's experiences and her use of pop culture to tell these stories. I found myself reflecting on my own journey in discovering my sexuality, often relating to the pop culture references. It was a super fun read and I will be recommending to everyone.
I enjoyed reading Grace's experiences and her use of pop culture to tell these stories. I found myself reflecting on my own journey in discovering my sexuality, often relating to the pop culture references. It was a super fun read and I will be recommending to everyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, Chronic illness, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Sexual content, and Medical content
livbarry's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.75
Desperately needed an editor and I will leave it at that…..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Biphobia, Cancer, Outing, and Homophobia
Author unabashedly details dubiously consensual sex while under the influencebryelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
The authors life experience of coming out, and working through being gay. The fun of the pop culture references and how they shaped not only the author but a generation of millennials to being this specific type of gay. The author only looks at the queer aspect of things, and does little to acknowledge other aspects of her identity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death
melaniekarin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Funny and touching memoir about growing up queer in the 2000s, all connected to queer and queer adjacent pop culture of the time. Especially enjoyed the essay on Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Lesbophobia
reading_between_the_trees's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book got me. Perry put into words so many things that have shaped who I am without me even realizing it. The book covers a very specific set of media, but if you were consuming it at the time it came out, you were being influenced in a very specific way. It was like the puberty of queer media- when it was starting to become socially acceptable to portray queerness, but not so much that it was done overtly or correctly. Instead, it was done in a confusingly suppressed way that warped the brains of all the queer tweens watching.
Some highlights of the book were Perry's description of the layered closet, where she describes the various stages of coming out to yourself and then to others. Other great chapters were the one connecting the Taylor Swift songwriting framework to U-haul Dyke culture, the one absolutely calling out JKR for her half-assed admission of Dumbledore being gay, and the entire chapter on Disney's attempt to just take the parts they wanted from queerness for their characters.
But my favorite part of the book was where Perry flips the quintessential gay question "do I want to be them or be with them?" from a realization of your sexuality to a realization of your gender: "do I want to be with them or do I want to be them?". Reading that was a "aha moment" for me in understanding my own sexuality. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who was conscious for even part of the 2000s. Whether you're queer or not, this will give you a whole new look at some very familiar media from that time.
Some highlights of the book were Perry's description of the layered closet, where she describes the various stages of coming out to yourself and then to others. Other great chapters were the one connecting the Taylor Swift songwriting framework to U-haul Dyke culture, the one absolutely calling out JKR for her half-assed admission of Dumbledore being gay, and the entire chapter on Disney's attempt to just take the parts they wanted from queerness for their characters.
But my favorite part of the book was where Perry flips the quintessential gay question "do I want to be them or be with them?" from a realization of your sexuality to a realization of your gender: "do I want to be with them or do I want to be them?". Reading that was a "aha moment" for me in understanding my own sexuality. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who was conscious for even part of the 2000s. Whether you're queer or not, this will give you a whole new look at some very familiar media from that time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Biphobia
Moderate: Death, Cancer, and Medical content
mallory10100's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
i loved this book, easily the most relatable book i’ve ever read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cursing and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Suicide
i loved this book. at some points it felt like grace literally peeked inside my own brain. however i wish she used the D slur a lot less (yet i understand that it’s an a reclaimed fashion)