graceham22's reviews
23 reviews

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Lily’s thoughts and feelings and struggles are incredibly relatable, even when set in 1950 Chinatown,  this book seems to pull the queer experience right out of me and hits every nail on the head. From your first real high school crush to internal queer struggles, the main character embodies every young queer girl whether it’s 1955 or 2021. The middle seemed to go slow but luckily the pace picked up by the end. I always appreciate a queer book that has a decently equal amount of happy and sad scenes as well. 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.

Not a fan of this style of writing. Felt very choppy and simple. Also couldn’t get attached to any of the characters because the author is so vague about everything 

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

This book holds a very special place in my heart. I think I’ve read it 4 times and I’ll never get through it dry-eyed. If you’re a young queer person looking to start reading lgbtq books, this is a beautiful place to start. When I was 13 this book gave me invaluable hope. Another reviewer said it best: this book makes you feel powerful. 
The love story is so so cute and the message is so important. I’m so glad Nancy Garden took the risk and published this book. I like to think she’s looking down on all the young Liza’s and Annie’s just beaming. 
If you are a young lesbian (or an old one), I can’t recommend this book enough.