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1.05k reviews for:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Saundra Mitchell
3.92 AVERAGE
1.05k reviews for:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Saundra Mitchell
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Historical fiction isn't my usual genre and I don't read short fiction often so this was an interesting collection of stories for me. The quality was uneven, though I imagine that's typical in short story collections with a mix of authors. It was fun exploring different time periods and places with which I'm not so familiar. There were a lot of sweet and fun stories, one was excellent but felt unfinished, one was...truly incomprehensible, and the last one got me in my feels.
Rosa was a summer girl and I was a winter girl, but that fall we made magic.
My only complaint about this anthology is that I wish it had some aromantic rep (my identity keeps getting ignored that's cool lmao) and that the stories weren't so westernised (there was some latinx & chinese-american rep though which was cool) otherwise it was INCREDIBLE !!!
Also heads up that labels aren't really used at all which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I don't like using them for myself but I know how important they can be for others!!!!
Individual Ratings:
Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker ⭐️⭐️⭐️
And They Don't Kiss at the End by Nilah Margruder ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dresser & The Chambermaid by Robin Talley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Year by Malinda Lo ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Molly's Lips by Dahlia Adler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH OH MY LORD)
The Coven by Kate Scelsa ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Willows by Scott Tracey ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH AGAIN !!!!! from now on the only fae/human inspired stories allowed are f/f were they have a pet dog)
The Secret Life of A Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Walking After Midnight by Kodi Keplinger ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The End of the World as We Know It by Sara Farzian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three Witches by Tessa Granton ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Inferno & The Butterfly bu Shaun David Hutchinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Meja ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My only complaint about this anthology is that I wish it had some aromantic rep (my identity keeps getting ignored that's cool lmao) and that the stories weren't so westernised (there was some latinx & chinese-american rep though which was cool) otherwise it was INCREDIBLE !!!
Also heads up that labels aren't really used at all which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I don't like using them for myself but I know how important they can be for others!!!!
Individual Ratings:
Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker ⭐️⭐️⭐️
And They Don't Kiss at the End by Nilah Margruder ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dresser & The Chambermaid by Robin Talley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Year by Malinda Lo ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Molly's Lips by Dahlia Adler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH OH MY LORD)
The Coven by Kate Scelsa ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Willows by Scott Tracey ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH AGAIN !!!!! from now on the only fae/human inspired stories allowed are f/f were they have a pet dog)
The Secret Life of A Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Walking After Midnight by Kodi Keplinger ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The End of the World as We Know It by Sara Farzian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three Witches by Tessa Granton ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Inferno & The Butterfly bu Shaun David Hutchinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Meja ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good short story! I really liked the author's note with the herstory of Leonarda Emilia! It made me enjoy the story was bit more. It started of a bit confusing but then I understood the setting and time period.
Merged review:
I want to give it a solid 3.5 and I'm struggling with which way to lean towards. Idk why I like books complied of short stories when I know I'll end up not LOVING the short stories. I liked most of them! But none were something that was like omg this is amazing, exceptional! Except Every Shade of Red which I loved all the way to the end. The ending was so extremely disappointing and heart breaking I feel I can't be unbiased with it.
I think I feel accomplished when I read short stories. I feel like I'm reading so much when really it's just one book. I think I like the exposure I get to different authors, the fact that I'm consuming so many stories.
Merged review:
I want to give it a solid 3.5 and I'm struggling with which way to lean towards. Idk why I like books complied of short stories when I know I'll end up not LOVING the short stories. I liked most of them! But none were something that was like omg this is amazing, exceptional! Except Every Shade of Red which I loved all the way to the end. The ending was so extremely disappointing and heart breaking I feel I can't be unbiased with it.
I think I feel accomplished when I read short stories. I feel like I'm reading so much when really it's just one book. I think I like the exposure I get to different authors, the fact that I'm consuming so many stories.
I love that I read Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Before We Disappear before so that I could read their beginnings in short story form here. Super bummed that Elliot Wake hasn’t written a full-length version of Every Shade of Red and seems to have dropped off the face of the literary world since 2018. Amazing collection, there wasn’t really a story I didn’t like.
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1/10 Reviews Written.
Overall Rating: TBA
❦ This is an anthology, so there is going to be an individual review for each short story, and overall thoughts after I finish the whole book!
❦ I don’t read enough queer books. And since I’m reading GOTSM now, I am in the mood for anthologies, so I picked this up from my library. Since Out Now is another anthology that was recently released, I guess I’ll read this! I think this is going to be better than Out Now because I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, but we’ll see!
Overall thoughts
Coming soon!
❦ Roja by Anna-Marie Mc Lemore ➵ ★★☆☆☆
»El Bajío, México, 1870 | trans mf
This story is about a Mexican folklore or story about La Roja and El Lobo. Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea what those mean because I don’t speak Spanish. The reason why I gave this 2.5 stars was because I had no idea what the heck was going on up until the last page of the story. Idk, maybe it is because I was a dumbass, and I didn’t know a word of Spanish. However, the last page actually made me tear up, that’s why it deserves a 2.5. I liked the historical setting and the relationship between a female mc who dresses like a man, and a trans man. The first half was told through flashbacks and the mc reminiscing about her past, so I wasn’t so invested until the last page. The writing and prose was very beautiful, and the author’s note did it’s job. I hope the later stories will make me like this book much more.
Overall Rating: TBA
❦ This is an anthology, so there is going to be an individual review for each short story, and overall thoughts after I finish the whole book!
❦ I don’t read enough queer books. And since I’m reading GOTSM now, I am in the mood for anthologies, so I picked this up from my library. Since Out Now is another anthology that was recently released, I guess I’ll read this! I think this is going to be better than Out Now because I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, but we’ll see!
Overall thoughts
Coming soon!
❦ Roja by Anna-Marie Mc Lemore ➵ ★★☆☆☆
»El Bajío, México, 1870 | trans mf
Now I understood what my grandmother had wanted, for me to keep my heart soft but the edges of me hard enough to survive the world as it was.
This story is about a Mexican folklore or story about La Roja and El Lobo. Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea what those mean because I don’t speak Spanish. The reason why I gave this 2.5 stars was because I had no idea what the heck was going on up until the last page of the story. Idk, maybe it is because I was a dumbass, and I didn’t know a word of Spanish. However, the last page actually made me tear up, that’s why it deserves a 2.5. I liked the historical setting and the relationship between a female mc who dresses like a man, and a trans man. The first half was told through flashbacks and the mc reminiscing about her past, so I wasn’t so invested until the last page. The writing and prose was very beautiful, and the author’s note did it’s job. I hope the later stories will make me like this book much more.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
AAAAAAAHHH FINALLLY I FINISHED!!!!!!
I've been meaning to read this book since last year and it was so worth the wait.
All Out tells the stories of LGBTQ+ teens throughout history. It not only covers lesbian and gay people but also has stories on asexuality and transgender which is awesome!!!!!
I absolutely loved this anthology, especially because it's through history. The stories are set in different time periods and it's so different to the usual contemporary novels I read which made it SO GOOD!!
I love each and every story because they not only focus on the whole LGBTQ+ aspect, but also on how to accept who they are during those times.
This book is just so cute and soft and if you like 2 artsy boys falling in love in like 16th century Germany, or lesbian witches from Europe, then definitely read this!! <3333
I've been meaning to read this book since last year and it was so worth the wait.
All Out tells the stories of LGBTQ+ teens throughout history. It not only covers lesbian and gay people but also has stories on asexuality and transgender which is awesome!!!!!
I absolutely loved this anthology, especially because it's through history. The stories are set in different time periods and it's so different to the usual contemporary novels I read which made it SO GOOD!!
I love each and every story because they not only focus on the whole LGBTQ+ aspect, but also on how to accept who they are during those times.
This book is just so cute and soft and if you like 2 artsy boys falling in love in like 16th century Germany, or lesbian witches from Europe, then definitely read this!! <3333