A review by rainbowreadsbooks
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so engrossing I was literally inventing projects so I could listen to more of this story unfold. The story is told by a rather cheeky narrator and is a fascinating web of interlocking stories both past and present. The story within a story structure kept me on my toes the whole way through.

This book was eerie, intricate, and very very queer. There wasn't a minute of this book that I wasn't eager to learn more of the slowly unfolding mystery that was Brookhants. This book had me questioning everything in an effort to figure out what was real and what was fabricated. I listened to the audiobook of this one and the narrator, Xe Sands, delivered the cheeky storytelling of the narrator in such a fantastic and engrossing way.

I would most definitely recommend this one if you're into queer mysteries that delicately walk that line between mystery and straight-up horror.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈/5

Rep: lesbian, gay, bi, queer

CW: death, gore, alcoholism (mentioned), suicide, homophobia, fatphobia, assault (attempted rape), murder, drowning, forced outing