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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
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I found these stories quite enjoyable. Great writing!
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
i’m not usually one to read an anthology or novellas, especially if they’re not part of an ongoing series but i was definitely intrigued by this one when it was available for request as part of the book tour. this book felt like a warm hug whilst also keeping me on my feet with the storytelling. i hadn’t expected the first story to be a little red riding hood retelling set in our world. i honestly think it was the first time i read a fantasy retelling in such a manner and i was so absorbed into the story as i read because i honestly had no clue how it would play out. this anthology is rich with diverse stories from lots of different cultures, that i shamefully had not read about before, and it was just such a joy to
[24 Jul 2018] was totally into the idea behind this anthology, because I love finding good LGBTQ content to consume, especially in book form. I think every story was well-written, but to be honest, a majority of them didn’t hold my attention very well. They just felt boring and difficult to connect to. That being said, I do want to highlight a couple of my favorite stories from this collection.
“Burnt Umber” by Mackenzi Lee: A Dutch boy works as an apprentice in an artist studio. Super GAY (m/m), funny, cute, and sweet.
“The Dresser & the Chambermaid” by Robin Talley: The two title characters, who serve the same a princess in a palace, develop a romance (f/f). I thought it was cute.
“Walking After Midnight” by Kody Keplinger: A girl misses her midnight train and must find a way to spend her time in the city while she waits for the morning train to arrive. I really enjoyed the way the two characters in the f/f romance here offered each other new perspectives.
TL;DR: This is a wonderful source for well-written stories with LGBTQ representation, but if you find yourself getting bored, don’t feel bad just skipping to the next story haha.
“Burnt Umber” by Mackenzi Lee: A Dutch boy works as an apprentice in an artist studio. Super GAY (m/m), funny, cute, and sweet.
“The Dresser & the Chambermaid” by Robin Talley: The two title characters, who serve the same a princess in a palace, develop a romance (f/f). I thought it was cute.
“Walking After Midnight” by Kody Keplinger: A girl misses her midnight train and must find a way to spend her time in the city while she waits for the morning train to arrive. I really enjoyed the way the two characters in the f/f romance here offered each other new perspectives.
TL;DR: This is a wonderful source for well-written stories with LGBTQ representation, but if you find yourself getting bored, don’t feel bad just skipping to the next story haha.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Because this is for my enjoyment and my enjoyment only, my review of All Out is basically just a meta-analysis of how I rate other short story collections.
Whenever I review a collection, I will rate every story individually, and take an average. But while thinking about this book, I realised I have never rated a collection anything but three stars, regardless of how much I enjoyed it as a whole. Why?
Well, this is the nature of collections--some stories are decent, some aren't great, and some are fantastic. If you take an average, it rounds everything out, and becomes three stars. Even if the fantastic stories are far more memorable, and leave you with a lasting opinion of the book far higher than three stars, it ends up middling anyway, no matter the overall impression.
So I have decided to begin rating collections on the same criteria I use for every other book. It's unfortunate I had this epiphany on one I would rate three stars.
ALL OUT: THE NO-LONGER-SECRET STORIES OF QUEER TEENS THROUGH THE AGES
Read 29/11/24 to 1/12/24
3/5 stars
A few notes on the actual book itself:
- I love [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg] and need to read everything they've ever written
- There are some stories which didn't feel fully thought our or finished, like they never formed a clear thesis. These didn't ever end up capturing my attention, which definitely brought the overall score down. But for every story I slogged through, there was a gripping and well-written piece that brought new and interesting ideas (which is always what I look for in themed anthologies).
- This isn't rated three stars as in 'nothing wowed me but everything was pretty good', this is three stars as in 'some of these stories were brilliant, and some I could barely get through, so it rounds out'. Which is interesting--despite not using the old strict average rating system, I think I'm still achieving the same result. Hm. I'll have to think on that.
- I love [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg] and need to read everything they've ever written
- As with every queer anthology I've ever read, I do wish there was more of a range of identities represented, as a lot of it was romance, and we don't often see adequate representation of genderqueer, aspec, and even trans identities. But there was more there than I've come to expect, (which is a low bar to be sure) but I still really enjoyed it. Huzzah!
- And another note about [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg]: Is their contribution to this anthology the inspiration for [b:Dark and Deepest Red|44218347|Dark and Deepest Red|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569251791l/44218347._SY75_.jpg|68749682]? I noticed quite a lot of striking similarities. I might be a big fan of them at this point. You'd never guess from this review.
Whenever I review a collection, I will rate every story individually, and take an average. But while thinking about this book, I realised I have never rated a collection anything but three stars, regardless of how much I enjoyed it as a whole. Why?
Well, this is the nature of collections--some stories are decent, some aren't great, and some are fantastic. If you take an average, it rounds everything out, and becomes three stars. Even if the fantastic stories are far more memorable, and leave you with a lasting opinion of the book far higher than three stars, it ends up middling anyway, no matter the overall impression.
So I have decided to begin rating collections on the same criteria I use for every other book. It's unfortunate I had this epiphany on one I would rate three stars.
ALL OUT: THE NO-LONGER-SECRET STORIES OF QUEER TEENS THROUGH THE AGES
Read 29/11/24 to 1/12/24
3/5 stars
A few notes on the actual book itself:
- I love [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg] and need to read everything they've ever written
- There are some stories which didn't feel fully thought our or finished, like they never formed a clear thesis. These didn't ever end up capturing my attention, which definitely brought the overall score down. But for every story I slogged through, there was a gripping and well-written piece that brought new and interesting ideas (which is always what I look for in themed anthologies).
- This isn't rated three stars as in 'nothing wowed me but everything was pretty good', this is three stars as in 'some of these stories were brilliant, and some I could barely get through, so it rounds out'. Which is interesting--despite not using the old strict average rating system, I think I'm still achieving the same result. Hm. I'll have to think on that.
- I love [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg] and need to read everything they've ever written
- As with every queer anthology I've ever read, I do wish there was more of a range of identities represented, as a lot of it was romance, and we don't often see adequate representation of genderqueer, aspec, and even trans identities. But there was more there than I've come to expect, (which is a low bar to be sure) but I still really enjoyed it. Huzzah!
- And another note about [a:Anna-Marie McLemore|6434877|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1706635278p2/6434877.jpg]: Is their contribution to this anthology the inspiration for [b:Dark and Deepest Red|44218347|Dark and Deepest Red|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569251791l/44218347._SY75_.jpg|68749682]? I noticed quite a lot of striking similarities. I might be a big fan of them at this point. You'd never guess from this review.
Decent little collection! As most of these goes some where stronger than others. Some where a bit confusing and others were just so cute. We had so much diversity in here which is always lovely to see.
Some of my favorites were Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake, The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe, The Inferno and the Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson and Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia!
I always love reading these cause they're just such a great way to find new authors to read! I think I will try and get my hands on the 2 other books in this Queer Anthology series!
Some of my favorites were Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake, The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe, The Inferno and the Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson and Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia!
I always love reading these cause they're just such a great way to find new authors to read! I think I will try and get my hands on the 2 other books in this Queer Anthology series!