Staff Review: Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous

Title/Author: Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous - Mae Marvel

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Rom-Com, LGBTQ+, Celebrity Culture

I was lucky to get an advance copy of this and I have to say: I loved this book! I loved this book so incredibly much!

It probably won't be for everyone. I mean, a romance about people communicating their needs in a healthy, productive manner? Who could imagine that. lol

This book was really unexpected. I love how many tropes this story didn't have. Don't get me wrong, tropes are tropes for a reason, they can be very loved (including by me), but they aren't going anywhere. And it's refreshing to have something different, even in the framing of a second chance/friends-to-lovers type story.

Our two leads Wil and Katie were wonderful. Tarnished, perhaps, but recognizing areas they sought comfort, and willing to grow. Everyone was wonderful, apart from the ones who weren't and were meant to be like that. 

Moreso, this book does an exceptional job examining celebrity culture, both where it can be extremely toxic (as we often see reflected in the real world), but also the beauty and wonderfulness it can bring about. 

Any issues I have are minor. Pick this up asap. 

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Mistakes Were Made

Title/Author: Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Rom-Com, LGBTQ+, Spicy

This is, hands down, the spiciest all the queer romances/rom-coms I've come across, at least outside of books actively marketed as erotica. It is not going to be for everyone just how much sex is in this book, essentially from the very start. That caveat out of the way, this is also one of my favourite reads of 2022. 

Looking for a simple one night stand, university senior Cassie meets and hooks-up with a mysterious, gorgeous older woman one night, not realizing that the woman is Erin, the mother of her new best friend, freshman Parker. Cassie and Erin have all the reasons in the world to pretend the affair never happened, just let it be a pleasant memory, but the two keep getting pulled back together, and may need to acknowledge there’s something there besides simple attraction.

This book does a fantastic job exploring an age-gap relationship, both the highs and and lows. It examines the worries about power imbalances, goals in life and work, concerns about body image, and mental illness/trauma. And it does so with heart, caring, and no small amount of humour. You easily fall in love with Cassie and Erin, and can’t help but turn the page to find out what will happen next until before you know it, you’re finished and want to turn around and read it all over again. 

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Camp Spirit

Title/Author: Camp Spirit - Axelle Lenoir

Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Mythology

Perfect for fans of Heartstopper!

Summer 1994, Elodie has just graduated from high school and now dreams of her future in college. But first, city girl Elodie is being forced by her mother to spend the summer as a camp counselor in northern Quebec, much to her chagrin. And yet, an odd collection of near-feral redheaded girls, a weirdly enthusiastic Camp Chief, not to mention fellow counselor Catherine, might just win her over!

Quebec writer-artist Lenoir infuses this story with an expressive art style that jumps off the page, delightfully quirky characters you can’t get enough of, and a hint of mystery and the supernatural, all culminating in a fantastic summer read. Or any other time of year, for that matter!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Title/Author: The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

Genre(s): Fantasy, Humour, LGBTQ+, Cozy Reads

Linus Baker is an ordinary man with an extraordinary job: A case worker that oversees the well-being of magical children. When he is given a classified assignment to a mysterious island of dangerous children and their intriguing caretaker, his life becomes fantastical. These wild, outstanding children and their handsome caretaker, Arthur Parnassus, quickly charm their way into Lunus’ brittle heart. With gnomes, sprites, wyverns and more, this right fantasy landscape is full of LGBTQ themes of chosen family. This story is about tearing down the systems of power that try to hide those that are different. It is about examining fear and bias towards the unknown, and embracing messy, life-changing love, even when it comes from unexpected places.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

House In The Cerulean Sea is a story about a mundane life turned upside down, about alienation and facing bigotry, and about love and found family.

Linus is a hard worker who has no life outside of his job. He gets a sort of promotion and ends up on a strange island for a month to determine whether the orphanage there is up to standards. At the orphanage, he meets many *interesting* children, but the head of the orphanage must be the most interesting of them all.

TJ Klune writes to make you feel like you're getting the best hug of your life. Every page of House In The Cerulean Sea made me laugh, cry, or "awww!" out loud. The characters in this story are unique and have such charming personalities, you're sure to fall in love with all of them. This is one of those books that I wish I could experience for the first time once more, and from the first chapter it became my favorite title on the shelf. This story is for anybody who needs to feel loved (read: everybody).

Reviewed by: Nat

Staff Review - Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Title/Author: Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

Genre(s): YA Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, History

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is set in the perspective of an Asian(Chinese)-American teen living in San Francisco during the 1950s. Lily Hu is just beginning to understand her sexuality that has been lingering within her ever since she could remember. Throughout the novel the reader becomes encapsulated by Lily's growth and exploration of herself and her boundaries. This journey is not an easy one for Lily. After all, she is a lesbian in the 1950s. Lily has to tiptoe around her father and the nosey neighbours within Chinatown. This book is thrilling, painful, and heartwarming. A necessary read for Queer youth.

Reviewed by: Madison

Staff Review: Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Title/Author: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care - Ashley Herring Blake

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, LGBTQ+

Ashley Herring Blake is an almost preternaturally readable author. I first discovered her through her writing for younger readers, and it never mattered whether she was writing middle grade or YA, you cared for her characters, and felt their intensely human joys and follys. And even when her focus was on kids, the adults were still three dimensional. Now, she’s taken a step into writing adult queer romance, and everything I’ve always loved about her writing is there, as well as cute romance and fun spice. 

Delilah Green is back in her home town of Bright Falls, Oregon, for the first time in years to photograph her step-sister Astrid’s wedding. What she doesn’t expect is to begin a forbidden relationship with Claire Sutherland, part of Astrid’s ‘coven’ of best friends who’s known Delilah since childhood. At first, the flirting starts out as a way to annoy Astrid, with whom Delilah shares a rocky relationship, but before long, and without really meaning to, real feelings enter the relationship for both of them.

The first in what will end up being a trilogy about this group of friends, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is my favourite of the many (many) queer rom-coms I’ve devoured in the last few years, and I can’t wait for book 3 (I may have already gotten to read an ARC for book 2, coming in November, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail).

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Suture

Title/Author: Suture - Nic Brewer

Genre(s): Horror, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ+

Local author Nic Brewer creates the unsettling world of Suture, a place where art is dangerous and involves substantial self-mutilation and self-sabotage. Underneath the blatant metaphor that all art is essentially a piece of ourselves we have cut out and shared with the world is Brewer's graphic look at the excruciating pain that comes from revealing your own pain and trauma and sharing it with others. Through the themes of self-sacrifice in romantic, familial, and self love, Suture itself is a work of art that challenges just how comfortable we are with creating.

Reviewed by: Shelby

Staff Review: Compass Rose

Title/Author: Compass Rose - Anna Burke

Genre(s): Sci-fi, Dystopian, Climate Disaster, LGBTQ+

There was a movie in the 90’s called Waterworld. It was widely panned for being a ridiculous premise (as well as being the most expensive movie ever made at the time), however it wasn’t actually the premise, it was the execution. If you take such an idea—a far future dystopia where our climate issues just keep getting worse that the ice caps melt, and humanity is forced to abandon dry land as it’s too toxic to remain and live our their lives on boats and floating islands—and write it with more plausible science and an eye for character, you will get Compass Rose! This is an incredible book full of incredibly nuanced characters where no one is ever 100% good, or 100% bad. Future pirates, exciting adventure, drama to keep you on the edge of your seat...what’s not to love?! The first part of a (as of right now) trilogy, followed by Sea Wolf.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Thorn

Title/Author: Thorn - Anna Burke

Genre(s): YA, Retellings, LGBTQ+

Is Anna Burke quickly joining the ranks of one of my favourite authors? I think so! After my enthusiastic enjoyment of her Robin Hood reimagining, Nottingham, I sought out more titles by this writer, and came across Thorn, an imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This story follows Rowan, a city girl forcibly relocated to a village with her family due to financial ruin, Rowan herself used as a bargaining chip in an arranged marriage with the son of the village’s most powerful family. The beast is instead The Huntress, a woman of legend whose beauty is as cold as the perpetual winter that surrounds her castle high in the mountains. When Rowan’s father crosses her, his daughter is taken in payment for the misdeed, and in the Huntress’ cold realm, Rowan finds something unexpected: her life’s purpose, and possibly more. This story has the feel of a wonderfully classic Scandinavian folktale while also being a wonderfully modern fantasy. A highlight of the 2021 reading year!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Not My Problem

Title/Author: Not my problem - Ciara Smyth

Genre(s): YA, LGBTQ+, Coming-of-Age

Set in Ireland and reminiscent of the hilarious, heartwarming show Derry girls. This is a Queer coming of age high school story with delightful characters that you will immediately fall in love with. At the center is a developing romance between the uptight, nerdy daughter of the principal and the witty, standoffish daughter of a recovering alcoholic. Both girls keep getting thrown together under chaotic circumstances that only escalate more as they form a group of unlikely friends. This story also explores the complex difficulties teenagers face from their parents, the complicated feelings of living with a parent who is recovering from an addiction, and the flaws of the education system in accommodating students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are struggling with difficult home lives. At its core this book is about learning how to open oneself up to friendship and love, and accepting the help from people that care about you.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: The Pump

Title/Author: The Pump - Sydney Warner Brooman

Genre(s): Short Stories, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+

Brooman's debut collection of short stories reads like a mixture of magical realism, horror, and Southern Ontario Gothic. Each story adds to the terrifying world of The Pump - a small Ontario town that has become so polluted by local factories that its entire ecosystem has become completely disturbed. Together Brooman's stories entwine to rope you further into each character's unsettling tale, with prose haunting and elegant. The world that Brooman creates is the real highlight of this debut. Dare to enter the corrupted life of The Pump at your own risk.

Reviewed by: Shelby

Staff Review: Music from Another World

Title/Author: Music from Another World - Robin Talley 

Genre(s): YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

This book looks at a particular time in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, namely the period from June 1977 and November 1978, between when Harvey Milk was elected and when he helped defeat California Proposition 6. The story is told through letters and journal entries between pen pals Tammy, who’s hiding the fact that she is gay from her fundamentalist Baptist family, and Sharon, living in the heart of San Francisco trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. This is a wonderful book all about identity, human rights, how religion can be twisted into something ugly, and the importance of hope in the face of seemingly hopelessness, and has wonderful parallels to today's continuing struggle for equality, particularly in the US. 

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Payback's a Witch

Title/Author: Payback’s a Witch - Lana Harper

Genre(s): Fantasy, Magic & Witches, Rom-Com, LGBTQ+

Emmy Harlow, the prodigal daughter of one of four witch families returns to her small midwestern magical town after nearly a decade to take part in a once-in-a-generation magical tournament to finally put her past behind her and move on with her non-magical life. However, upon returning she makes a pact with her best friend, and the beautifully enticing Talia Avramov, all of whom had their hearts trampled on by Gareth, heir of the Blackmoore family & presumed frontrunner to win the tournament. As they work to prevent their rival’s victory, however, Emmy and Talia begin to grow close, and Emmy’s forced to question the magical-free life she’s built in Chicago. A wonderful rom-com, and the perfect Halloween read!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Honey Girl

Title/Author: Honey Girl - Morgan Rogers

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, BIPOC Experiences, Psychological, LGBTQ+

28 year old Grace just completed her PhD in astronomy and is looking towards her future in STEM, where her status as a biracial, gay woman means she is going to have to work three times as hard to gain respect as her white, male, heterosexual peers...and so she drunkenly marries a woman she doesn’t know in Vegas. This book divides it’s time between being a rom-com and being an examination of women’s trauma. When it’s being cute, it is very, very cute, but it truly shines when it looks at the hoops marginalized identities, particularly women of colour, have to jump through against the establishment of primarily straight male dominated fields, and the psychological toll that can take, a toll we often overlook.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff review: On a Sunbeam

Title/Author: On a Sunbeam - Tillie Walden

Genre(s): Graphic Novels, Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+

On a Sunbeam presents a wonderful visit to an enchanting universe. Walden draws the reader in with the novel's dream-like visuals and then keeps them with its compelling cast of characters. A must-read for sci-fi and coming-of-age fans alike.

Reviewed by:

Staff Review: Once & Future

Title/Author: Once & Future - Cori McCarthy & A.R. Capetta

Genre(s): YA, Sci-fi, LGBTQ+

The story of King Arthur takes on a new twist in this imaginative story where we meet the 42nd reincarnation of the fabled king, & the first that is a girl, Ari Helix. At once classic and also totally original and wonderfully intersectional, this book does what the best of sci-fi always does: gives us ideas of fantastical possible futures while also mirroring our world’s issues today.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: The Falling in Love Montage

Title/Author: The Falling in Love Montage - Ciara Smyth

Genre(s): YA, LGBTQ+, Romantic Drama

A near-perfect examination of love and what it means to connect with another person, in all it’s pain and joy. The main characters of this book look at the tropes of queer storytelling and basically dismiss them all, even as they try to copy the tropes of the rom-com genre throughout a summer romance. A girl looking at a future of almost-guaranteed early-onset dementia diagnosis determined not to get close to anyone has her world turned upside down by a beautiful stranger, and learns the message that love doesn't have to mean 'forever' to be meaningful or true.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: The Charm Offensive

Title/Author: The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, LGBTQ+

For everyone who loves to hate reality TV. This story is located on the travelling TV set of a show reminiscent of ‘The Bachelor’. Providing a hilarious inside scoop on the staged drama of reality TV, the twist is that behind the scenes a gay romance is blossoming with the show’s lead Prince Charming. With witty dialogue and characters that will have you rooting for them from beginning to end, this book is also a meaningful exploration of the fears of intimacy, anxiety, OCD, and depression. A delightful queer love story that defies the inflated ego of heteronormativity.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood

Title/Author: Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood - Anna Burke

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Retellings, LGBTQ+

Another fantastic retelling of a classic story, this book tells the ‘true’ story of Robin Hood: that the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest was actually a woman, and still in love with maid Marian, in spite of her being the daughter of Robyn’s hated enemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. A wonderful intersectional feminist retelling of the famous story, Anna Burke gives this ancient world life, infusing a modern twist while maintaining a thoroughly historical setting. One of my favourite reads of 2021!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: This Poison Heart

Title/Author: This Poison Heart - Kalynn Bayron

Genre(s): YA, Dark Fantasy, LGBTQ+

This riveting story is filled to the brim with magic and mystery, small town secrets, a surprise inheritance, a hidden garden, and a girl with a magical connection to plants - the trees bend towards her as if she were the sun. Where do her powers come from? With hints of gothic horror, greek mythology, and a pair of delightful lesbian moms who just want the best for their magical daughter, this book is an intriguing and mesmerizing read for all the plant lovers out there!

Reviewed by: Rosemary