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A review by annas_sweets_and_stories
Crystal's House of Queers by Brooke Skipstone
5.0
4.5
Woah. This book is super intense but oh so important. It's a difficult one to process but damn, I really loved it. It's set in this small town in Alaska where three queer girls are just trying to be out and proud and stand up to the abusive men in their lives. This book is SO FUCKING QUEER. It's unapologetic and amazing. Crystal is neurodivergent, as her her brother who is also physically disabled, due to negligence on their absent mothers part during pregnancy. They both live with their grandparents in the small Alaskan town where covid is a myth and queer people don't exist, supposedly. But Crystal is queer and she wants to be with her best friend Haley, except Haley is trapped in a toxic abusive relationship with her boyfriend who happens to be the mayors son. He has all the privilege and power and physically, emotionally, and sexually abuses Haley, out in the open and everyone except Crystal just accepts it. But Haley has finally had enough and she and Crystal end up at Crystals house along with a new girl in town. Payton has just come to town and is out and queer and not afraid of boys who hurt people. She and her younger sisters are on their own after leaving their own abusive situation and refuse to bow down to queerphobia and hatred. Payton is dead set on helping Crystal and Haley learn to "wave their dyke flag" and to fight against all the toxicity in their lives.
This book is heavy. There's on page sexual assault and drug use and emotional manipulation, in addition to covid, pregnancy, and hospitalization. There is a lot to cover but it's done with grace.
There is a lot of outwardly sexual content, which made me uncomfortable at times but that is my own sex-repulsion when it comes to sex scenes with vaginas. It is worth noting for my fellow asexuals that the sex scenes are frequent and detailed if that is also something you struggle with.
as a whole, I definitely recommend this book and was absolutely here for the unapologetic lesbian content. The only reason I didn't do 5 stars was because I felt the focus on sex was a little too pertinent. A casual comment about how physicality isn't necessary to be queer would've been appreciated.
Woah. This book is super intense but oh so important. It's a difficult one to process but damn, I really loved it. It's set in this small town in Alaska where three queer girls are just trying to be out and proud and stand up to the abusive men in their lives. This book is SO FUCKING QUEER. It's unapologetic and amazing. Crystal is neurodivergent, as her her brother who is also physically disabled, due to negligence on their absent mothers part during pregnancy. They both live with their grandparents in the small Alaskan town where covid is a myth and queer people don't exist, supposedly. But Crystal is queer and she wants to be with her best friend Haley, except Haley is trapped in a toxic abusive relationship with her boyfriend who happens to be the mayors son. He has all the privilege and power and physically, emotionally, and sexually abuses Haley, out in the open and everyone except Crystal just accepts it. But Haley has finally had enough and she and Crystal end up at Crystals house along with a new girl in town. Payton has just come to town and is out and queer and not afraid of boys who hurt people. She and her younger sisters are on their own after leaving their own abusive situation and refuse to bow down to queerphobia and hatred. Payton is dead set on helping Crystal and Haley learn to "wave their dyke flag" and to fight against all the toxicity in their lives.
This book is heavy. There's on page sexual assault and drug use and emotional manipulation, in addition to covid, pregnancy, and hospitalization. There is a lot to cover but it's done with grace.
There is a lot of outwardly sexual content, which made me uncomfortable at times but that is my own sex-repulsion when it comes to sex scenes with vaginas. It is worth noting for my fellow asexuals that the sex scenes are frequent and detailed if that is also something you struggle with.
as a whole, I definitely recommend this book and was absolutely here for the unapologetic lesbian content. The only reason I didn't do 5 stars was because I felt the focus on sex was a little too pertinent. A casual comment about how physicality isn't necessary to be queer would've been appreciated.