queerafictionado's reviews
362 reviews

fast-paced

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

2.5

I was really excited for this graphic novel, but it unfortunately just didn’t hit the mark. There was so much amazing rep in this story, including several LGBTQ+ and POC characters as well as a cane user. And the artwork was amazing. I truly loved the graphics. But the story itself left a lot to be desired. There was so much going on in this story, but about 95% was just straight up drama. The characters were all very immature - they felt more like freshman in high school than juniors and seniors in college. There was also a character who I thought was nonbinary but their pronouns shifted midway and there was never any discussion around their identity - so I really have no idea. All the characters felt very shallow with little depth to who they were, even around some very big topics like identity that could have been explored in this story. This story was basically one big dumpster fire of drama and poor choices. Nothing got settled or resolved, and it basically just ended with a giant shoulder shrug.

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian, Bi/Pan, POC, Nonbinary (maybe?), Trans (possibly - implied not stated)

Content Warnings

Waiting for Eternity by Alyson Root

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

The Loch and Key series by Alyson Root are quick, enjoyable books that put a new twist on vampires and vampiric lore that I absolutely gulped down! It’s important to read Risking Immortality first because Waiting for Eternity is a continuation of the story in book one and, while it could be read on its own, just won’t have the same impact. (Warning - spoilers ahead if you haven’t read book one yet.)

Erin is a human. Or at least she was born as one. But her whole life and world turned upside when she met Amelia Loch - a vampire. Amelia and Erin are fated mates - destined for one another and now bound together for eternity. Or so they hope. But no one is certain what is going to happen once Erin turns 30. Will she transform into a vampire and become immortal? Or remain human? Before they have a chance to find out, changes begin happening to Erin that are even more unexplainable, creating more questions than answers.

The more these changes begin to take place, the more terrified Erin gets of who she is becoming. No one is certain what these changes mean or if they are good or bad. But as other events begin to happen, it seems there may be more to these changes. And the more Erin learns, the more secrets she uncovers. Erin doesn’t want to be a savior. She just wants to enjoy life with Amelia. But Erin doesn’t realize Amelia has begun to change too. And together is the only way they will get through whatever lies ahead.

I really enjoyed book one, but book two was even better! I love the world building Alyson has done with this series - the different backstory to who vampires are, the stories of fated mates and fallen vampires and ancient prophecies. It was a unique and fascinating story line that kept me hooked from the start. I stayed up late finishing because I couldn’t put it down and needed to know what happened! I also love the bond between Erin and Amelia and watching the ways in which that bond evolves and strengthens throughout this book. The love and desire they feel for each other is palpable any time they are in the same room, and even when they aren’t thanks to some new found abilities! They are the perfect mixture of sweet and spicy and there are plenty of both deliciously steamy scenes as well as tender heartfelt moments.

Risking Immortality was told from Amelia’s POV, so I really enjoyed getting to hear Erin’s POV in this book. It gave me an opportunity to get to know and understand Erin better, especially as she began to go through all these changes. And without giving any spoilers - let me just say that this book will help you understand the title of the series and choice of color for the covers! And I cannot wait for book three to come out - I know it’s going to be thrilling!

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian

📝Tropes/Themes: Human/Vampire, Paranormal Romance, Established Couple, Adventure/Survival, Fated Mates, Femme/Femme, Family Relationships, Spicy, S3x Toys

Content Warnings

Moonstruck by Eija Jimenez

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funny mysterious 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

4.5

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Black Bisexual MC, Filipino Lesbian MC, Nonbinary SC, Queer & POC SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Witches/Magic, Adorable Dog, Small Town, Meet Ugly, Interracial Couple, Fall Festivities, Paranormal, Family Secrets, Grumpy/Sunshine, Femme/Femme, Canada

This was such a wonderfully witchy, sweet and spicy sapphic romance! I loved the world building and the backstory that Jimenez created for Moonstruck. It was a unique and interesting plot line that kept me hooked from the start.

Maya is a journalist working for one of those paranormal magazines writing stories about things like zombies and alien sightings that she doesn’t even believe in biding time until she can catch her big break. Then her boss finally gives her a story that seems like he might actually be something - thus begins her deep dive into the witches of Ravensglen. Ramona works in marketing. She also happens to be a witch. Her magic has been acting up lately and her new boss is a jerk, so she hasn’t been in the most stellar mood. And well…let’s just say that her and Maya do NOT get off to a great start. More like a meet ugly than a meet cute! But for some reason their paths keep crossing. And while Maya is very interested in getting to know the gorgeous grumpy woman, Ramona is a bit more reluctant. Especially when she finds out that this quirky, bubbly woman who has peaked her interest is a journalist investigating witches.

I absolutely loved the banter and the pining between these two. They were so adorable together and their connection was palpable. They truly belong together. Plus the way that Maya affected Ramona’s magic… So wholesome. I was beyond excited when they finally kissed. The tension building up between them was explosive in all the best ways! 🥵

I also loved Ramona’s relationship with her sister, Stevie, and all of Stevie’s sass! And Stevie and Amarie’s relationship was definitely goals. Plus YAY for nonbinary rep! I think I might have to steal the term “auncle” now! And I can’t forget adorable little Tisha. I’m a sucker for a story with a cute dog.🥹

I knew at some point things were going to go down and Maya would be caught between her job and her feelings for Ramona. I was not wrong about that…but the way everything happened was also nothing like what I expected. And there was a plot twist I never saw coming! This was my first book by Eija Jimenez but it certainly will not be my last!

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.

Content Warnings

Sleigh Bells Ring by Alyson Root, Tara Sullivan

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MC/LI, Queer SCs, SC w/brain injury

Alyson Root is one of those authors where I know that no matter what the story is about and what the overall atmosphere of the story is - I’m going to enjoy it! Sleigh Bells Ring was a truly delightful and fun story that has me pumped and ready for Christmas! This story has so many good things all packed into a fast and festive read. It’s got a sexy calendar photoshoot, ice skating, a Christmas market, family togetherness, sibling shenanigans, an adorable dog (and pet beaver too), plus sapphic pining, very athletic s3x, and a beautiful friends to lovers romance all set in a quaint small town in the UK.

I adored the whole Robinson clan, but especially loved the dynamics between Nic and her siblings, Beth and Liam, as well as her friendship with Tammy. I also loved the inclusion of a prominent side character (Liam) with an anoxic brain injury (and yes, I looked up the term for it). After an accident that deprived his brain of oxygen, he has permanent brain damage. “Operation Sleigh Bells” started the year following Liam’s accident. And the Robinsons’ siblings have spent nearly a decade trying to figure out the mystery of the sleigh bells. This tradition is part of Nic’s yearly holiday plans to spend the entire month of December back home with her family.

But it’s also the Robinson family Christmas traditions that have led to countless break ups for Nic. Now at number 17, Nic is not sure she will ever find someone who’s okay with her family traditions. But she also never planned for Niamh (pronounced Neev), or Nim as her best friend Liam calls her. Nic hasn’t seen her in a decade. And between her Irish accent, captivating looks, and flirtatious personality, Nic knows sleigh bells will be the least of her worries.

The attraction Nic feels for Nim is apparently not one-sided either. But Niamh is only looking to have fun after a bad relationship, no strings. And since Nic is done with crappy relationships and only in town for a month…why not have a little fun while she’s there, right? 😏And it turns out the magic in the air might be bigger than just sleigh bells.

Sleigh Bells Ring has all the cheesy Hallmark Christmas vibes I love, plus a cast full of characters that endeared themselves to me from page one. Add into that Alyson Root’s humor and a sweet and spicy sapphic romance and you’ve got a perfect holiday season read to warm you up and ring your bell! 🔔😜

I received an advanced copy from the author and this is my honest review.

📝Tropes/Themes: Femme/Femme, Return to Hometown, Sibling Relationships, Christmas Fun, Friends to Lovers, Small Town (UK), Sexy Firefighter, Low Angst, Humor

Content Warnings

Wolfpitch by Balazs Lorinczi

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

I loved Doughnuts and Doom so I was very excited to get an eARC of this graphic novel through NetGalley. This was a super fun read and I really enjoyed it. I mean…it’s about a paranormal girl band competing in a battle of the bands AND it has an enemies-to-lovers sapphic subplot. I loved Izzy and Delilah and Geraldine. I also loved getting to see how their friendship, as well as their music, evolved and grew throughout the course of the story. The graphics and the coloring were also wonderful and this story just brought me a ton of joy. Plus it has amazing rep - queer, POC, and disability. I’m looking forward to seeing what Balazs Lorinczi puts out next!

Pumpkin Spice and Poltergeist by Ali K. Mulford, K. Elle Morrison

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

HOLY FREAKING SPOOKY CUTENESS!! I was super excited for this book and worried it was not going to live up to the hype or my expectations. But I absolutely adored this book and am SO GLAD it’s the first in a series - because I need more books with these characters in this adorable paranormal town!

Halloweentown is one of my all time favorite movies and I watch the whole series at least once a year. So imagine my delight to find a queer book set in a town just like that! If I could go visit Maple Hollow I would be there this instant. Harlow, Jordyn, and Lou all had my heart from page one. I adored them all so much. Not because they were perfect, but because they were far from it!

Harlow is this chaotic, wonderful mess of a human being who I relate to so freaking much. She just wants to be seen and understood and loved. And when she finds out the town her sister’s cafe is located in is full of paranormal beings and that monsters and vampires and witches are real…she just rolls with the punches. Maybe a little too freely at times lol.

And Jordyn is this seemingly standoffish witch who owns an apothecary with her best friend, but just really hasn’t been the same since her ex died not long after she broke up with her. Then one night she stupidly decides to summon the spirit of her ex girlfriend to get closure, but then her ex’s ghost gets stuck there and she can’t pass on. I mean…talk about messy lesbian drama! 😜 Lou was full of snark and sass and literally died in the epitome of lesbian attire and had me cracking up numerous times throughout the story. She had so many great one liners and was just always up to shenanigans.

And Harlow and Jordyn’s connection was off the charts. And I loved how at times they were both kind of hesitant and shy and uncertain and then other times just couldn’t contain themselves. It was adorable and also sexy AF.

I also love the way the narration was done for the audiobook. There were three different narrators - one for Jordyn’s parts, one for Harlow’s, and one for all the male characters in the story. It was amazing and felt almost like a full cast narration at times.

The vibes alone in this book were top notch, but add into that the sweet and spicy sapphic romance, the snarky ghost ex girlfriend, the murder mystery sub plot, and all the various paranormal inhabitants of the town with all their unique personalities - I AM OBSESSED! I absolutely can’t wait for the next Maple Hollow book! 🎃👻

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian FMC, Bisexual FMC, Sapphic, Queer SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Rom Com, Cozy Paranormal, Ghosts, Witches, Small Paranormal Town, Murder Mystery, Cute & Spooky, Sapphic Romance, Halloweentown Vibes

Content Warnings

The People Next Door by Anna Woiwood

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This story was a bit different from Anna’s previous novels, but just as amazing! And like with all her other books, I didn’t want to put this one down! Anna has a way of writing these beautifully flawed, messy human beings that are easy to connect and relate to, even though I have no idea what it is like to live or be queer in the 1950s. She does a phenomenal job of pulling you into the context and time period of the story. You can picture yourself there, sitting with the characters having a drink.

I absolutely loved Madelyn. She was so just uniquely her and as the story progresses we learn more and more about her and her husband’s relationship, including their special arrangement. And as the layers get peeled back on her marriage, we also learn more about her family, her past, about what makes her who she is. It is clear from the start that she is a sexual being, but as she observes the new neighbors next door, new desires and needs get awakened inside her.

The new neighbors are eccentric and different, free in their affections toward other people. They are intriguing and attractive and Madelyn gets pulled into their orbit in ways she can’t explain or understand. And the farther she gets pulled in the more she realizes about herself, and harder it becomes to go back to who she was before.

I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to share spoilers, but there are so many different people and points of awakening on Madelyn’s journey to discovering her queerness. There is also so much in this story about family relationships and there are parts that will just crack your heart open.

If you love queer historical fiction stories with flawed and messy characters and plenty of spice - you should definitely read Anna’s books!

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Bisexual FMC

📝Tropes/Themes: Queer Awakening, Historical Romance, Threesome, Open Relationships, Age Gap, Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers

Content Warnings

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

OMG! I absolutely devoured this book! It was the perfect way to start out my October reading!

Come Out, Come Out is about three best friends who go into the woods one night, the same woods they had found safety in so many times before. But on that night everything changed. Only two left, but neither can remember why they were there, or anything about the friendship they all shared.

The story was told in a dual timeline with three POVs (two present, one past) and I love the way Parker wove the story together through the alternating POVs and timelines.

This story is so much more than your typical horror story. Yes there is some blood and gore, a twisted spirit and strange paranormal activity. But there’s a different horror in this story too. A horror that too many queer people face far too often. Jaq, Fern, and Mallory found each other when they were young for a reason. They were different, with secrets about who they were that they were too afraid to share. The danger in being exposed was real. Being outed would come with serious consequences. Then they found a place where they could be themselves. Where they could be free. But the spirit that lurked in the woods was not quite the spirit the stories described.

Come Out, Come Out is so many powerful stories all wrapped up in one. It’s a story about gender and sexuality exploration and trying to figure out who you are while dealing with parental, societal, and religious expectations. It’s a story about coming out and coming into yourself at the same time. It’s a story about crushes and young love and first kisses. It’s a story about the risk it takes to be yourself in a world that says who you are is wrong and needs to be “fixed.” It’s about the power of friendship and the importance of queer community and found family. It’s a story about the fear and terror that often come with being a queer person in this world, but also about the joy and hope that is just as much a part of queer existence and resistance. It’s a story that will grab you by the heart and not let go until the final sentence. The emotional aspects of this story mixed with the paranormal and horror elements magnified the impact for me and made it hard to put down. This book was everything I hoped for and more!

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and Penguin.

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian, Genderfluid, Bi/Pan

📝Tropes/Themes: YA Horror, Three POVs, Dual Timeline, Erased Memories, First Kiss, Queer Re-Awakening, Young Love, Gender/Sexuality Exploration, Paranormal, Theater

Content Warnings

Knife River by Justine Champine

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Knife River is categorized as mystery/suspense, but the mystery components of the story weren’t what I found most compelling. While this story is in fact a mystery, in my opinion it is mostly a story about grief, loss, and family. Jess and her sister Liz processed their mother’s disappearance in very different ways, partly because of their ages at the time, and partly because of their different relationships to their mother. When Jess turned 18 she left home, moving from girlfriend to girlfriend, barely even experiencing her own life. Liz stayed in their home in Knife River, working the same job, and channeling her grief into a search for answers.

You do eventually find out the truth of what happened, but the part of the story that moved me the most was the ever-evolving relationship between Jess and Liz. They spent years on the periphery of each other’s lives. But when their mother’s remains are found, they get thrust together again. As the story unfolds, the dynamics begin to shift as they finally communicate with each other about their grief and memories and lives. They slowly begin to build a new kind of relationship together.

I also loved the messy dynamics between Jess and her high school girlfriend, Eva. Jess left without saying goodbye, but it’s clear that a decade later the pull between them is still as strong as ever. Except now things are even messier than before and their relationship is still something that can’t see the light of day.

There was a lot I really enjoyed about this story - the small town vibes, the mystery, the messy relationship dynamics between Jess and Liz and Jess and Eva (really Jess and everyone), the sapphic romance subplot, the quirky old lady/friend, the different twist on forced proximity, the flawed characters trying to find their way through complicated situations. I was expecting a bit more mystery and suspense in the story, but all in all it was an enjoyable read. And I can’t wait to read what Champine releases next!

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MC, Sapphic Pairing

📝Tropes/Themes: mystery, family relationships, grief & loss, sisterhood, return to hometown, second chances, small town

Content Warnings

The View from the Top by Rachel Lacey

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

GAHH!! Let me just gush for a moment about how much I needed this story in my life!! First of all, I am (without shame) an absolute sucker for Hallmark movies. But most hallmark movies with the exception of a few only feature cishet people. The View from the Top gives all the quintessential Hallmark movie vibes in book form - but it’s sapphic and super queer!! Plus right off the bat we get this super sexy multiple chapter long one-night-stand that will make you 🥵🥵🥵!!

I mean, seriously - what’s more Hallmark than your one-night-stand turning out to be the corporate bigwig trying to buy your family’s small town inn?? And add into that fall vibes and festivities, a nearly tragic turned adorable meet cute, a cast full of lovable side characters you wish you could be friends with, a cute rescue sparrow named Jack, and insanely wholesome sapphic grandmas running a quaint little LGBTQ+ friendly inn in Vermont! What’s not to love?🥰

There was also SO MUCH amazing representation in this book. There were main and side characters with anxiety, characters that made up every letter of the queer alphabet, family trauma that was being unpacked, the most heartbreaking yet heartwarming backstory between Emily and her grandmas, cis and trans characters, characters of different races and ethnicities. I love that Rachel Lacey has started to include more and more representation in her books. It makes me happy to see!

If you love hallmark movies but wish they were queer and spicy - go read this book!! Then come gush about it with me! I adore all these characters so much and I want to live in this story and go on hikes and go to trivia night and pick pumpkins in the dark and all the things!

I received an advance copy from the author and this is my honest review.

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MC, Bisexual MC; queer & trans prominent side characters, MC w/anxiety (on meds)

📝Tropes/Themes: One Night to Forever, Opposites Attract, Found Family, Hallmark Vibes, Small Town, Artist, Business Woman, Outdoor Adventures, Fall Festivities

Content Warnings

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queerafictionado's reviews 362 reviews

queerafictionado's reviews
362 reviews