Before I Let Go--"Kyra burned so brightly. Until she had nothing left to give."

Title: Before I let Go

Author: Marieke Nijkamp


LGBTQ+ Representation: I know this sounds contradictory, but the rep is both insignificant to the plot AND contains spoilers. Just rest assured that there is LGBTQ+ rep.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Corey and Kyra were best friends in their Small Alaskan town, Lost Creek. Corey goes to boarding school, and days before she visits Lost, Kyra dies. Corey returns to Lost, but something's different. The people reject Corey, calling her an outsider, and worship the memory of Kyra, claiming Kyra's death was "meant to be." Corey is determined to find out the cause of Kyra's death and figure out the mysterious events in Lost.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): What am I reading? I asked myself at least one hundred times while reading. And yet, I couldn't put it down.

Ship It--"Maybe I'm not straight or bi or anything. Maybe I'm just me."

Title: Ship It

Author: Britta Lundin


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is queer. A supporting character is queer and a homoromantic pansexual.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Claire is a sixteen-year-old obsessed with Demon Heart. Her fanfiction shipping the show's two male leads is super popular online. But when Claire questions  lead actor, Forest, about his character being gay, he laughs her off, revealing his homophobia. When the Q&A goes viral, Claire is invited to tour with the show cast to Comic-Cons to help repair the show's now homophobic image. She then meets another fangirl, Tess, and Claire questions her own sexuality.


What I think: First of all, Claire is me in high school. Honestly, Claire is me now--I get obsessed with books, movies, and TV shows. I love cosplay and conventions, and if the Internet had been around when I was a middle-schooler, I would have written countless fanfics, and to quote myself from an earlier review:

I am a geek. Full stop. I can quote from a bunch of fandoms and also have a mind full of useless trivia, about such topics as Sweet Valley High, The Baby-sitters Club, Star Wars original trilogy, The Twilight Zone, Outlander, Muppets, and about a billion middle grades and YA novels and plays.

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity--"Stay away from online comments sections for anything having to do with gender nonconformity"

Title: Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity

Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Jess has been estranged from her father since he left her mother (for her mom's best friend!) and was not supportive of Jess's transition from male to female. Now Jess's dad is getting remarried, and Jess decides to drive cross-country with her friend Chunk to crash her dad's wedding--and force her dad to accept her as the girl she knows she is. Along the way, Jess and Chunk learn more about themselves and their friendship.


What I think: Road trip books are so fun because real road trips (in my experiences) are boring, and book road trips always become extended metaphors for becoming mature. Seriously, who hasn't gone on a road trip that you've secretly wanted to be like Perfect Summer? (Probably none of you, but I've never outgrown my love of that particular SVH story.)

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.