Maybe He Just Likes You and Dear Sweet Pea--"Sometimes seeing something from a distance is all it takes to figure out what you should have seen all along"OR: The one where I reminisce about beloved and problematic content in some favorite childhood books

Titles: Maybe He Just Likes You and Dear Sweet Pea

Authors: Barbara Dee and Julie Murphy


LGBTQ+ Representation: In both books, the main character has a good friend who is implied to be gay. In Dear Sweet Pea, the main character's father comes out of the closet after divorce, and a female teacher is married to another woman.


Content Warning: Sexual harassment, bullying, and gas lighting in Maybe He Just Likes You.


What they're about (in 75 words each or fewer): 

Maybe He Just Likes You--The updated "Bully plot" from my childhood favorite 1980's books. Mila isn't sure how it started, but she knows that she is very uncomfortable with how the boys keep touching her without her consent. Are they flirting? Why won't they stop? Mila gains some self-confidence through her karate classes, but will she ever get an adult to take her concerns about the boys' behavior seriously? 

Dear Sweet Pea--The updated "Advice column plot" from my childhood favorite 1980's books. Patricia "Sweet Pea's" parents are divorcing, and her dad only moved one house away. In between the two houses lives Miss Flora Mae, the newspaper advice columnist. When Flora goes on a trip, she asks Sweet Pea to forward her mail to her, but then, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on an advice letter, and thinks, hey, I could write a reply! Hijinks ensue.

Why I'm writing about these books: Ladies and gentlemen: these are the updated Bully and Advice Column plots found in so many of my childhood faves and after-school specials! Neither are *technically* LGBTQ+-enough for me to immediately want to write about them. Even combining them both in one post--that would be cheating and still not *quite* enough LGBTQ+ content.

So why am I reviewing them? Because in spite of the nostalgia-factor of the plots, neither of these books would have been the same if they had been written thirty years ago.

Anger is a Gift--"You gotta grasp on to it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it."

Title: Anger is a Gift

Author: Mark Oshiro


LGBTQ+ Representation: Gay, lesbian, biromantic/bisexual, LGBTQ+ adults, transgender, asexual, nonbinary


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Moss is a sixteen-year-old African-American boy with a great group of friends and a new love interest (cute Javier!). But Moss wishes he could be someone else--someone who doesn't suffer from panic attacks as a result of witnessing the police kill his innocent father. When the school administration begins an "enhanced security program" at the financially-stressed high school, Moss and the community, tired of being treated like criminals, stand up for themselves via organized protests.


What I think: This story is amazing, and I couldn't put it down--except, of course, when I HAD to put it down due to my anger and frustration--

In which I tweet my displeasure at a major event in the story, claiming "never to speak to author again" while already picking up the book to finish reading it.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens--"The only thing about bliss is that it's sometimes accompanied by ignorance"

Title: Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens

Author: Tanya Boteju


LGBTQ+ Representation: Lesbians, gay, drag queens, trans, gender non-binary, queer, questioning.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Seventeen-year-old Nima, is bored with small-town life in Bridgeton; plus, she's dealing with her mother abruptly leaving the family and a crush on her straight best friend. When Nima enters the mysterious "artsy" tent at the local festival, she befriends a drag queen and becomes a part of the drag scene in the neighboring town. Will Nima find love, overcome her awkwardness, keep her friends, and come to terms with her mother's decisions?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  Based on the cover, I expected a light-hearted, maybe silly, romp through drag culture, but this was definitely not the case with this book. However, even though it is not at all what I thought it would be, it's worth reading.

All Out--"Love is the only higher power I'll answer to"

Title: All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages

Editor: Saundra Mitchell


About the anthology: Seventeen different young adult authors from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum each wrote stories that are included in this anthology. The stories take place during different time periods, locations, and cultures, and across multiple genres.

I am going to review this collection similar to how I reviewed The Bane Chronicles, but not exactly the same since each story has its own author and those authors are all brilliant in their own rights.

Also, this will be a live review! No, I am not usually a zombie reviewing books from my kingdom of the undead, although that sounds intriguing. By live, I mean I am going to read each story, and then write down my thoughts about it right away.


Short story title #1: "Roja"

Author: Anna-Marie McLemore (author of When the Moon Was Ours)

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me--"I'm just willing what I'm feeling to be true. I'm willing myself to believe this is real."

Title: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me

Author: Mariko Tamaki; Illustrations by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main and supporting characters are lesbians and background characters are queer


Content Waring: Abortion


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Freddy is madly in love with her girlfriend, Laura, but Laura (who is popular, funny, cute, thoughtless, and MEAN) keeps breaking up with her. Freddy's friends can't understand why she keeps going back to Laura Dean, and their on-again, off-again relationship nearly causes Freddy to lose her best friend.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): Laura Dean is one of those books that I can see non-YA readers (or those who prefer their books to be moralistic in content) scoffing at. Teenage Freddy is besotted with Laura, who is just the WORST. I strongly identify with Rainbow Rowell's blurb on the back of the book:

How to Be Remy Cameron--"Discovery is in the journey, not the destination"

Title: How to Be Remy Cameron

Author: Julian Winters


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is gay.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Remy Cameron is pretty well-known at school: he is out and proud, surrounded by friends, and is confident that he wants to attend Emory after he graduates. However, when he is asked to write an essay defining himself, Remy does not know where to start. Gay? Black? Adopted? Single? When he meets a surprising new person and starts a new romance, Remy is more confused than ever. How should he define himself?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I read a lot of young adult literature--years of working with teenagers and happy memories of reading as a teenager fuel my love of books for teenagers. Every once in a while, I read a book in which the character's voice is extremely realistic: it hits that happy, confusing, hormonal, mature-yet-immature medium of teenage-hood.

How to Be Remy Cameron is that book.

Our Own Private Universe--"It's our duty to love everyone, the way God loves everyone. There's no reason why any one group is less deserving of love than any other"

Title: Our Own Private Universe

Author: Robin Talley


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character identifies as bisexual, another main character as bisexual/pansexual/questioning, and minor character identifies as gay. F/F relationship.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Aki is on a Church mission trip in Mexico, when she meets Christa, a girl from a nearby high school, and they fall hard for each other. Aki is thrilled that she can finally do what she is sure other teenagers her age are doing--but what if Christa finds out she doesn't have any experience? Meanwhile, Aki participates in a church debate that enables her to clarify her beliefs and find a new passion.


What I think: In the Acknowledgments, Talley explains that this book is the one she had always wanted to write and wished she'd had as a young-adult reader. I agree 100%--in fact, Our Own Private Universe reminds me of Judy Blume's Forever but with a girl/girl relationship.

Lord of Shadows--"Lex malla, lex nulla" OR "I brought chocolate"

Title: Lord of Shadows, Book #2 of The Dark Artifices

Click here for Lady Midnight, Book #1 of The Dark Artifices
Book #3, Queen of Air and Darkness, coming out December 4! NEXT WEEK!

Author: Cassandra Clare


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): After the events of Lady Midnight, Emma begins fake-dating Julian's half-faerie brother Mark, in order to make Julian fall out-of-love with her so that they can escape the Parabatai curse. Meanwhile, the Unseelie King is tired of the cold peace and refuses to follow the Shadowhunters' demands, the Seelie Queen is trying to get the Black Volume for her own needs, and where is Annabel?  Is she alive?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I've already talked about what I love about the Dark Artifices series, and even though I meant to only talk about Lady Midnight in that review, I actually mentioned quite a bit of Lord of Shadows also.  Oops.  So if you haven't read that review, you should read it first, and then we will (well, I, but you can virtually) geek out about what we want to see and don't want to see happen in Queen of Air and Darkness.

Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)--"Let's talk about sex, baby!" OR "I wish you so much love--because love has nothing to do with sex"

Title: Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)

Author: L.C. Rosen


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Jack is an openly gay high school student who is not ashamed of his active sex life. He agrees to write an "anonymous" (technically--most students know he's the writer) teen sex advice column for his friend. Jack enjoys giving advice until someone begins leaving notes in his locker that start out admiring but become threatening. Can Jack figure out who his stalker is before his friends and family are in danger?


What I think: Hey guess what?? This book talks about sex!! And boy, was it ever mentioned in every review and article I read about the book.  Even all of the blurbs on the cover are about how sex-positive the book is. I was actually getting tired of reading every reviewer mention sex, but my curiosity (and excellent employee discount at work) got the best of me, so I bought this book the day it came out.

Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World--"Is this what a crush felt like? A constant stomachache, a bubbly feeling in your fingertips?"

Title: Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

Author: Ashley Herring Blake


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Twelve-year-old Ivy and her family are displaced and devastated when a tornado destroys their home. Ivy is especially upset because she loses her notebook of secret drawings (some of which are of girls holding hands) and feels lost and ignored by her stressed-out parents. Meanwhile, Ivy becomes friends with and develops a crush on June, and then starts to receive mysterious notes from someone who has found her notebook.  Who's the keeper of Ivy's secrets?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): This book is adorable; I felt so warm and fuzzy after reading it. Ivy is a realistic seventh-grader who expresses her feelings through her art and is just figuring out her sexuality.  The tornado is terrifying to read about; the Indiana girl that I am has been through several tornadoes but never one that destroyed my home. I would have been so very upset had that happened to me when I was twelve.

The 57 Bus--"I am not a thug, gangster, hoodlum, nor monster." OR "He's a sixteen-year-old kid and sixteen-year-old kids are kind of dumb."

Title: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives

Author:  Dashka Slater


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Sasha is an agender nonbinary teenager who attends a private school for academically gifted students. Richard attends Oakland High School, is turning his life around, and is determined to graduate. One day they are both on the bus, and Richard is joking around with a lighter and sets Sasha's skirt on fire. Sasha spends months in the hospital, and Richard is arrested, charged as an adult, and could face life in prison if convicted.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): When I was a teenager, I watched the movie Twelve Angry Men, a story of jurors serving on a murder trial. A lot of damning evidence is presented at the trial, and eleven of the jurors want to immediately come to a guilty verdict. But one juror decides that they need to reexamine the evidence, and in the process, they discover enough reasonable doubt that each juror eventually changes his vote to not guilty.

Social Intercourse--"If I had known losing my virginity would be so nerve-wracking, I would've stayed home and watched the Golden Girls marathon with my dad"

Title: Social Intercourse

Author: Greg Howard


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): High school seniors openly-gay Beckett and star quarterback Jaxon have little in common, but then Beck's dad starts dating one of Jax's moms. Beck is afraid that his dad will get his heart broken again, and Jax wants his moms to get back together and be a family again.  Meanwhile, Beck is planning the Rainbow Prom, Jax is struggling with his bisexuality, and all have to deal with homophobia in their small Southern town.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): My summary doesn't reflect the tone of this book--it is absolutely hilarious!  Sure, it deals with some serious subjects, but the voices of each narrator are so down-to-earth that Social Intercourse is delightful to read.

The Beauty that Remains--"No one ever talks about the living who have unfinished business with the dead. How do they ever find peace again?"

Title: The Beauty that Remains

Author: Ashley Woodfolk


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Logan's ex-boyfriend, Bram, died in a mysterious "suicide."  Shay's twin sister, Sasha, died of leukemia. Autumn's best friend, Tavia, died in a car accident on the way to a party that Autumn (and Tavia's brother, Dante) were supposed to attend. Logan obsessively watches Youtube videos of Bram; Shay struggles to keep up Sasha's music blog; Autumn writes messages to Tavia's email account.  All these grieving teenagers have some connection to the defunct band, Unraveling Lovely.


What I think: I thought I had read some sad, yet moving, books this year, but this one was . . . WOW.  I originally picked it up because it had a blurb from Angie Thomas, the author of The Hate U Give, on the cover: "Be prepared to be broken, be prepared to feel whole again." Since The Hate U Give is one of the best books I've ever read (and I've read LOTS of books), I picked up The Beauty that Remains. And again, wow.

Little and Lion--"A good choice for a literature circle or book club"

Title: Little and Lion

Author:  Brandy Colbert


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Suzette returns to her LA home after spending the school year in a boarding school.  While she was there, she had a romantic relationship with her roommate and is now confused about her sexuality.  While home, Suzette develops a crush on her female coworker, Rafaela, and begins dating her childhood friend, Emil. Lionel, Suzette's bipolar stepbrother, begins dating Rafaela and stops taking his medication.  Suzette is very worried about Lionel, which affects her other relationships.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I just finished reading and am still trying to process all the issues and discussion-able topics in Little and Lion.  If I were still teaching high school, this would be a great choice for a small group discussion literature circle.

Drama Queens in the House--"Please adopt me, Jumbles"

Title:  Drama Queens in the House

Author:  Julie Williams

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer):  Jessie lives right across the street from and has grown up in the Jumble theater and school, along with several biological and surrogate family members.  Jessie's parents opened the theater with another couple and have been running it for over twenty years.  Jessie has just graduated from high school and is figuring out what to do next when she catches her father kissing the theater's male costumer. What other Jumble secrets will Jessie uncover?

What I think (in more than 250 words--too many characters to limit words):  First of all, my summary and all of the other summaries I've read online can't begin to describe what this book is about.  Jessie herself describes her family as a "proverbial French farce" and I can't help but agree.

Ramona Blue--"Not a free ticket out of queer town"

Title:  Ramona Blue

Author: Julie Murphy


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Ramona lives in Eulogy, a small southern Mississippi town known for its beach and vacation rentals. She, her father, and her pregnant sister Hattie live in a small trailer and can barely make ends meet. When Ramona's childhood friend Freddie moves into town, Ramona and he have a romantic relationship, which confuses Ramona because she identifies as a lesbian. Plus, Ramona struggles with what she wants to do after graduation--will her family survive without her? 


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  I usually don't read any other reviews of a book until I've written my own, but I made an exception when I discovered so many mixed reviews of Ramona Blue. I think it's too far to say that the book is lesbophobic, biphobic, and acephobic, and even though I agree that it's insightful and moving, I didn't think it was perfect.

The Upside of Unrequited--"I was Molly in high school"

Title: The Upside of Unrequited

Author: Becky Albertalli


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Molly's had 26 crushes, all unrequited because she just can't get herself to take a chance and possibly be rejected.  But now Molly's twin sister, Cassie, has a new girlfriend with a single friend, Will. Could he be the one Molly takes a chance on?  But what about Reid, the Tolkien and Game of Thrones guy Molly works with?  He doesn't make Molly as nervous as Will does, so is he the right one for her?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  If you are looking for a book with diverse characters, this is a very good choice. Cassie identifies as pansexual. Their family is Jewish.  Molly and Cassie have two moms, Patty and Nadine.  Patty is white and bisexual; Nadine is African-American and lesbian. Cassie's new girlfriend, Mina, is Korean-American. Biracial Abby, from Simon Vs the Homosapiens Agenda, is Molly and Cassie's first cousin. Simon makes a cameo appearance.