podanotherjessi's reviews
850 reviews

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen

hopeful fast-paced

This reads almost more as memoir than deep research, which is not a criticism but simply setting expectations. I really enjoyed Allen's journey, learning both about her own relationship to various places and the people she meets.
This book does answer the question "why would queer people choose to live in red states?" ....kind of. It does provide reasons why queer people would choose not to leave those states. Lower cost of living, tighter community, the ability to enact significant change... And none of it seems super revolutionary, but it does feel like it needed to be said. But really, this book feels more like a plea to media and other queer people to not treat conservative place in the US like a desolate wasteland where it's impossible to be out and proud, and I think Allen accomplishes that very well.

But I would be remiss to not address the fact that this book is far from comprehensive. When I think "red state," I can't say very liberal and urban Atlanta is the first thing that comes to mind. Allen's focus is on liberal havens in red states, urban communities where even if the state votes red, maybe the county doesn't. Where the population is high enough that statistically, there will be a community. And while that is very valuable, it still leaves so many questions. And I'm left wondering "what's it like to be queer in Appalachia? What's it like to be queer in Idaho or Wyoming? What's it like to be queer not only in a red state, but in a red county or red township with not even the one gay bar?"
And as a criticism less of Allen and her work and more an ongoing issue in the queer community at large... why is the first step to finding queer community in a new city to seek out the one queer club? Why must the culture center drinking and partying?

Overall, despite the flaws, this was a very good book. It's just the start of exploring and answering the questions Allen proposes, but it's a good start. And if you read it more as a narrative of Allen's journey and less of a sociology text, there's a lot to be found.

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.25

I feel similarly about this book as I did about the first in the series. I would recommend it to the target audience, but my personal enjoyment was relatively low. This book suffers from what feels like dramatic character changes between installments and also trying to beat me over my head with a theme that somehow wasn't fully supported in the final act. But the world was still interesting and got even more rich (although often times in ways that felt like Thomas was checking off a list of questions fans had after the first book). I do love the characters despite the minor inconsistencies. This is a fine conclusion to the duology but simply not a series I will think of frequently.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.5

There was a lot to love about this book. The characters were interesting and went through compelling growth. There's beautiful exploration or queerness and acceptance. I cried at the epilogue. But I just never quite bought the couple.
The romance is done very abruptly in the first section of the book. I think this is a product of the childhood friends element, but the characters fall in love with very little reason or growth toward that point. Maybe flashbacks to their childhood together would have helped, but I also completely understand why that wasn't how this book was done.
So overall, I felt interested in the characters, but not in their love story.

Finding Echoes by Foz Meadows

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

There was potential here, but the books was far too short to effectively do the character work and world building I think it was trying to do. I found the story interesting enough, but it took 2/3 of the book for me to get my feet under me and appreciate it. I would loved a longer novel set in the same world with more time to develop everything.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.5

I don't know how to talk about how much I like this book or why. I love horror as an outlet to explore trauma. This messy, dramatic family grieving and healing together is just beautiful.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

I really liked the concepts in this book, and I will readily recommend it for a middle grade to YA audience. But for my personal enjoyment, it just didn't quite do enough. I had questions about the world, questions about character motivations, and it didn't give me any of that. But the story was fun and the end was a nice twist!

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

I want to give a coherent review of this book, but I simply cannot. It's just so good in so many ways, and it's hard to fully sum up my feelings. I laughed, I cried, and I had a really good and really emotional time.
The world of this book is fascinating. I was gripped by the story and wanted to know more. Some of the twists and turns I saw coming, but the reveals around the central mystery were all surprising. I wanted to learn more about the game being played, and every bit of info I got just intrigued me further. And the romance!! Incredible.
Infinity Train vibes with a sapphic batman/catwoman romance and wonderful ruminations on new motherhood. I can't imagine how much harder this would hit for a parent. I loved the whole thing.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual assault

Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.

It's often hard for me to really explain what does or doesn't work for me in memoirs, but I knew this one just wasn't working. The whole thing just sounded vaguely like a grant proposal. Graham never goes into quite enough detail in any of her stories for the message she wants me to get to fully sink in, and the metaphors comparing sharks to black Americans were often strained. I think I just wanted it to be more personal, and if that's not what Graham wanted to present, then that's her choice. But it just fell flat for me.

One Piece, Vol. 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda

adventurous fast-paced

I'm not sure I get the hype. I'll keep reading, but so far it's just a typical shoenan with a plucky (and honestly annoying) protagonist that everything works out for despite their best efforts.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I adored Part One of this book. It was exactly the kind of relaxing, low stakes book I was really craving. It's just a slice of life and coming of age over the course of a year, and it was delightful. If the book had stopped there, this would have been very close to a 5 out of 5.
But I really didn't care for Part Two. It felt like character assassination for nearly everyone. Jo is really the only character who's growth

with the exception of the abrupt romance arc

felt natural. Meg

is barely in the second half except the occasional story of her marital troubles that are somehow always her fault

, Amy

gives up her dreams in favor of being the perfect wife

, and I don't even know where to start with Laurie. I understand the constraints of the time and the pressures of LMA, so I can forgive what happened here, but it doesn't mean I like it.
Still good, overall, but I hate that it wasn't the story I loved at the beginning.