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1.04k reviews for:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Saundra Mitchell
3.92 AVERAGE
1.04k reviews for:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Saundra Mitchell
3.92 AVERAGE
A wonderfully diverse anthology featuring stories by 17 masterful young adult authors, All Out celebrates queer relationships throughout history. This highquality collection of historical fiction and retold folktales covers a wide range of cultures, time periods and identities, ranging from 14th century Sherwood Forest to late 90s Massachusetts. No matter the time period or setting, each protagonist is on a personal journey of learning, loving, self-discovery and growth. Standout stories include “Molly’s Lips” by Dahlia Adler, “Every Shade of Red” by Elliot Wake and “Burnt Umber” by Mackenzi Lee. The positive, hopeful tone of all the stories in this collection will appeal to fans of romance and coming-out stories.
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Trans Throughout the Ages is a collection of queer stories set throughout many different eras - where they always were, but many stories don't reflect this reality. There were new stories intermingled among queer retellings of some favourite folktale stories.
This anthology started out on an incredibly high note with the story of Roja by [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516319453p2/6434877.jpg], a gorgeous retelling of Red Riding Hood set in 19th century Mexico with a transgender romance. This was a beautifully written story and I was just enraptured by the storyline and the beauty of the writing. You could tell that this author really knows how to write a transgender character respectfully and I would love to see all transgender characters get the same level of respect and authenticity.
"Though everyone else feared that our rage might kill them, the lives it more often took were ours."
If I'm being honest, I was slightly disappointed throughout the rest of the book because no other story quite matched up to Roja. Perhaps my opinion might be different on the rest of the book if Roja was positioned towards the ending of the book, so that I wasn't comparing the quality of the other stories to Roja.
I am so happy that there are queer stories being written and being written well - it's about time.
This anthology started out on an incredibly high note with the story of Roja by [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516319453p2/6434877.jpg], a gorgeous retelling of Red Riding Hood set in 19th century Mexico with a transgender romance. This was a beautifully written story and I was just enraptured by the storyline and the beauty of the writing. You could tell that this author really knows how to write a transgender character respectfully and I would love to see all transgender characters get the same level of respect and authenticity.
"Though everyone else feared that our rage might kill them, the lives it more often took were ours."
If I'm being honest, I was slightly disappointed throughout the rest of the book because no other story quite matched up to Roja. Perhaps my opinion might be different on the rest of the book if Roja was positioned towards the ending of the book, so that I wasn't comparing the quality of the other stories to Roja.
I am so happy that there are queer stories being written and being written well - it's about time.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Been on my "to read" list forever. Glad I had the chance to finally read it! I enjoyed the stories in this anthology; there was a good mix of time periods and themes represented, and a mix of fantasy and contemporary. Some were written in a more plain YA style while others had more ornate prose. I liked that not all the stories were necessarily romance themed (although most were). Likewise, most stories have happy or hopeful endings, although not all of them. This is an anthology full of strong writers.
3.5
All Out is a YA anthology following queer teens through history. I've been interested in reading this ever since I first heard about it and it has been sitting on my TBR for two years now. It took so long for me to pick this up because I tend to have mixed opinions on short-story collections. But I ended up really enjoying this, I liked most of the stories, some of them were really cute and sweet, and it introduced me to quite a few authors that I should pick up.
I do think that this anthology could have been more diverse, not only with the queer identities represented but, with more POC main characters, five of the nineteen stories followed queer people of color, and the book definitely could have had more.
Here are my individual reviews of each story:
Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3/5
(rep: trans mc; Latinx MCs)
This was a solid introduction to the collection. It set the tone for how the stories were going to be like. I didn't feel that strongly about it. I really liked the fairytale-like writing style and it convinced me to pick up some of Anna-Marie McLemore's other books, but that's kind of it.
The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker: 3/5
(rep: f/f romance)
Like with the first story, I didn`t feel strongly about it but I really liked the concept, and the ending was cute.
And They Don't Kiss at The End by Nilah McGruder: 3.5/5
(rep: ace-spectrum mc; black mc)
I LOVED the aesthetic of this story, and just the whole idea of it, a main character on the ace-spectrum, figuring out her identity and what she wants from her relationships set in the 70s. I just wished the story was a bit longer.
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee: 3.5/5
(rep: m/m romance)
Mackenzi Lee is not only a problematic author that I don't want to support but also an author that I haven't enjoyed what I've read from and so, I was going to skip this short story, but, whenever I do that when I'm reading an anthology I always feel guilty so I pushed myself through this one. And, it wasn't bad, again, I don't think anyone should support this author, but the story was cute, I just wished it was written by another person.
The Dresser and the Chambermaid by Robin Talley: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance)
I wasn't sure when I started this one if it was going to be something that I was going to enjoy, because I didn't love the writing style, but, in the end, I actually really liked it. It gave me lots of Downton Abbey vibes, but gay.
New Year by Malinda Lo: 3/5
(rep: sapphic mc, Chinese-American mc)
This was one of the just ok stories. I really liked the historical details included but didn't love or connect to the MC all that much.
Molly's Lips by Dahlia Adler: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance)
One of the shortest stories in the collection but also one of the ones that most impressed me. I loved the concept and the romance was very cute.
The Coven by Kate Scelsa: 2/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This was one of my least favorites just because it was kind of forgettable. I don't really remember a lot from this one, I just remember that it was about two girls, involved in witchcraft, falling in love, but that's about it.
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake: 5/5
(rep: trans mc, m/m romance)
I really enjoyed this one, because it has such a cool concept, an m/m retelling of Robin Hood with a trans Robin as the love interest. I don't love retellings, especially when I know the original story, but I don't know a lot about Robin Hood, just the basics, so I managed to like this.
Willows by Scott Tracey: 2/5
(rep: enby mc or gender-fluid mc, m/m romance)
This was, by far, my least favorite in the collection. The writing style was incredibly confusing. I had to start it two times and to be completely honest, I still don't understand everything that happened in here or what the queer rep even was. I think it was possibly going for a gender-fluid or non-binary main character, but I'm not sure.
The Girl With the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe: 3.5/5
(rep: f/f romance)
I liked this, the romance was adorable, and loved the faerie vibes.
The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez: 5/5
(rep: m/m romance)
I LOVED THIS ONE. My favorite from the whole anthology, it was a romance-to-aid-coming-of-age-narrative, it was sweet and soft, it had a great summery aesthetic, and I wish it was a full novel.
Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger: 3.5/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This was sweet, really love the whole ambiance of two people spending the night wandering around a sleeping town, having a conversation, and possibly falling in love.
The End of the World As We Know It by Sara Farizan: 2.5/5
(rep: f/f romance; Turkish mc)
This one was very forgettable, and I didn't enjoy the romance or the main characters because it was so short.
Three Witches by Tessa Gratton: 2/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This one was kind of confusing and so short for me to form any solid opinion on it.
The Inferno & The Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3/5
(rep: m/m romance)
Shaun David Hutchinson is another problematic author that I don't want to support any more. But, as was the case with the Mackenzi Lee story, I was going to skip it, but decided to finish it. I really disliked the writing style and didn't care a lot about it.
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance; Latinx MCs)
I LOVED the writing style, it was atmospheric and poetic, and I'm definitely going to read more of this author.
All Out is a YA anthology following queer teens through history. I've been interested in reading this ever since I first heard about it and it has been sitting on my TBR for two years now. It took so long for me to pick this up because I tend to have mixed opinions on short-story collections. But I ended up really enjoying this, I liked most of the stories, some of them were really cute and sweet, and it introduced me to quite a few authors that I should pick up.
I do think that this anthology could have been more diverse, not only with the queer identities represented but, with more POC main characters, five of the nineteen stories followed queer people of color, and the book definitely could have had more.
Here are my individual reviews of each story:
Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3/5
(rep: trans mc; Latinx MCs)
This was a solid introduction to the collection. It set the tone for how the stories were going to be like. I didn't feel that strongly about it. I really liked the fairytale-like writing style and it convinced me to pick up some of Anna-Marie McLemore's other books, but that's kind of it.
The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker: 3/5
(rep: f/f romance)
Like with the first story, I didn`t feel strongly about it but I really liked the concept, and the ending was cute.
And They Don't Kiss at The End by Nilah McGruder: 3.5/5
(rep: ace-spectrum mc; black mc)
I LOVED the aesthetic of this story, and just the whole idea of it, a main character on the ace-spectrum, figuring out her identity and what she wants from her relationships set in the 70s. I just wished the story was a bit longer.
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee: 3.5/5
(rep: m/m romance)
Mackenzi Lee is not only a problematic author that I don't want to support but also an author that I haven't enjoyed what I've read from and so, I was going to skip this short story, but, whenever I do that when I'm reading an anthology I always feel guilty so I pushed myself through this one. And, it wasn't bad, again, I don't think anyone should support this author, but the story was cute, I just wished it was written by another person.
The Dresser and the Chambermaid by Robin Talley: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance)
I wasn't sure when I started this one if it was going to be something that I was going to enjoy, because I didn't love the writing style, but, in the end, I actually really liked it. It gave me lots of Downton Abbey vibes, but gay.
New Year by Malinda Lo: 3/5
(rep: sapphic mc, Chinese-American mc)
This was one of the just ok stories. I really liked the historical details included but didn't love or connect to the MC all that much.
Molly's Lips by Dahlia Adler: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance)
One of the shortest stories in the collection but also one of the ones that most impressed me. I loved the concept and the romance was very cute.
The Coven by Kate Scelsa: 2/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This was one of my least favorites just because it was kind of forgettable. I don't really remember a lot from this one, I just remember that it was about two girls, involved in witchcraft, falling in love, but that's about it.
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake: 5/5
(rep: trans mc, m/m romance)
I really enjoyed this one, because it has such a cool concept, an m/m retelling of Robin Hood with a trans Robin as the love interest. I don't love retellings, especially when I know the original story, but I don't know a lot about Robin Hood, just the basics, so I managed to like this.
Willows by Scott Tracey: 2/5
(rep: enby mc or gender-fluid mc, m/m romance)
This was, by far, my least favorite in the collection. The writing style was incredibly confusing. I had to start it two times and to be completely honest, I still don't understand everything that happened in here or what the queer rep even was. I think it was possibly going for a gender-fluid or non-binary main character, but I'm not sure.
The Girl With the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe: 3.5/5
(rep: f/f romance)
I liked this, the romance was adorable, and loved the faerie vibes.
The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez: 5/5
(rep: m/m romance)
I LOVED THIS ONE. My favorite from the whole anthology, it was a romance-to-aid-coming-of-age-narrative, it was sweet and soft, it had a great summery aesthetic, and I wish it was a full novel.
Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger: 3.5/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This was sweet, really love the whole ambiance of two people spending the night wandering around a sleeping town, having a conversation, and possibly falling in love.
The End of the World As We Know It by Sara Farizan: 2.5/5
(rep: f/f romance; Turkish mc)
This one was very forgettable, and I didn't enjoy the romance or the main characters because it was so short.
Three Witches by Tessa Gratton: 2/5
(rep: f/f romance)
This one was kind of confusing and so short for me to form any solid opinion on it.
The Inferno & The Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3/5
(rep: m/m romance)
Shaun David Hutchinson is another problematic author that I don't want to support any more. But, as was the case with the Mackenzi Lee story, I was going to skip it, but decided to finish it. I really disliked the writing style and didn't care a lot about it.
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia: 4/5
(rep: f/f romance; Latinx MCs)
I LOVED the writing style, it was atmospheric and poetic, and I'm definitely going to read more of this author.
A great collection of queer stories. A few unfortunate insta-love situations, but the rest were great reads. I really enjoyed the mix of genres and writing styles.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
3.5 stars
I quite enjoyed reading most of the stories, but I would have liked a little more diversity in gender identities and sexualities. It was mostly wlw and mlm stories and I don't think any of the characters were described as bi/pan. A few of the stories featured trans characters, but never as the main character, unless you count that one story of a boy who remembers a past life as a girl. There was an ace story though so that was nice.
I quite enjoyed reading most of the stories, but I would have liked a little more diversity in gender identities and sexualities. It was mostly wlw and mlm stories and I don't think any of the characters were described as bi/pan. A few of the stories featured trans characters, but never as the main character, unless you count that one story of a boy who remembers a past life as a girl. There was an ace story though so that was nice.