pluvioreads

Queerly Beloved  By Susie Dumond   4/5 stars TW for homophobia   Genre - LGBT+ contemporary romance  Published May 23rd 2022   400 pages   Rep - lesbian, gay Review - I've seen Queerly Beloved at my local indie bookstore & the airport, but finally got my hold in at the library! I usually read YA romcoms, so adult is a bit different for me, but it was still really enjoyable. This book follows Amy after she gets outed at the religious bakery she works at and fired. At the same time, she starts dating a girl named Charley. I actually liked reading more about Amy finding a job she's good at/accepted at than I did the romance. If you like baking books or weddings, you'll enjoy this!  I wish more had been done about the homophobic bakery, but that's also realistic to the year we were in sadly.  I did like the conversations on LGBT+ marriages.  I remember being twelve and hearing about that on Tumblr and being so happy. 

  The Many Half Lived Lives Of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGreger   5/5 stars TW for panic attacks, bulling, murder, misgendering  Genre - YA horror Published May 24th 2021   304 pages   Rep - neurodivergent, asexual, nonbinary The Many Half Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is my new favorite YA Mystery/thriller book. Sam is an autistic, non-binary teen. They move schools after something did something horrible to them at their old school. This book also highlights mental health and PTSD. Both Sam and their father are on the asexual spectrum. Sam's father is literally the best dad <3 I love seeing supportive parents in books. They also both get migraines and as a fellow neurodivergent asexual migraine sufferer I ate this book up. I also loved all the Steven Universe references. If you like found family with lots of diverse characters you'll love this!   

 Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin   5/5 stars TW for bugs, panic attacks, blackmail, murder & gore  Genre - YA horror Published May 24th 2021   304 pages   Rep - sapphic, LGBT+     thanks Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! Primal Animals is a young adult horror book. It's also very queer in a casual way which I was happy to see. The main character is in a sapphic relationship and there's lots of other LGBT+ side characters. This follows Arlee as she starts at a summer camp her mother went too. She gets sucked into a cult there. This book is face-paced, I read it in one sitting. Arlee is a good representation of a 16 year old who is self-conscious and struggling from anxiety. I love how despite this, her character was also strong and fiery. I knew I'd love this book when Arlee's fear of bugs is shown from the first page. I don't think I've ever actually seen my own fear represented in a book this way and I immediately connect...

            When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill   5/5 stars TW for misogyny, cancer, child abuse, and homophobia    Genre - Adult fantasy/historical LGBT+   Rep - Lesbian      Published May 3rd 2022(thanks  Netgalley  for arc!)    When Women Were Dragons is a book that packs a punch. I normally don't like historical fiction, but paired with LGBT+ characters and dragons - I loved it! There is so much misogyny in this book that made my heart hurt for Alex. Alex lives in a world quite like ours' was, except every so often a bunch of women turn into dragons and the world forgets about it because it is embarrassing. It happens to her aunt, and her cousin becomes her sister. When her mom dies, she practically becomes her sister's mother because her father washes his hands of them. Throughout it all she is a strong, determined, hard-working girl despite what life throws at her. I recommend this...

  The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore   5/5 stars TW for sexual assault, PTSD, homophobia    Genre - YA magical realism retelling LGBT+   Rep - Pansexual, Mexican    Published May 16th 2021   311 pages   This book was a difficult but important read.  It follows Ciela and Lock, two teens trying to heal after being SA at a party. This is a YA book with magical realism. The magic in this book shows beautiful symbolism of emotion and a cruel representation of violation. It's also a retelling of the snow queen. The main character is pansexual and Mexican. I loved watching Ciela and Lock slowly help each other heal. This book does not hold back. I think this will be an important book for many teens. 

Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley    5/5 stars TW for  emotional abuse, manipulation, blackmail, self-harm, etc. Genre - YA fantasy LGBT+ Rep - Sapphic!  Out August 19th 2022 416 pages Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!  I requested Sofi and the Bone Song because it's described as a sapphic rivals YA fantasy. This book has a map, so I already knew I would love it. This book was queer, it was fantastical, and it was musical. I read it in one sitting, it flowed so well. It's told between the present and flashbacks to Sofi's past, where we get insight into why she is who she is now. Sofi lives in a world where only five musicians called Musik get to write and sing. Her father is one and looking for an apprentice. She's trained her whole life to be it, but a girl named Lara whose never even played before shows up out of nowhere and takes her future. To make matters worse, her father dies that night. Sofi suspects she has somet...

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze 5/5 stars tw for medical experiments, death  genre - YA paranormal mystery  tackles misogyny  Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!  The second death of Edie and Violet bond was just as good as it's cover!! This cover is beautiful, and the book was just as enthralling. Was easy to read in one sitting. This was like a YA paranormal murder mystery all in one. It gave me night circus vibes, the two sisters are currently with a group of all women that put on shows relating to their abilities with spirits beyond the veil. All with really cool abilities/concepts. Edie can pass between the veil, while her twin sister Violet can call spirits to her side on the living. I also really liked how this book tackled misogyny. I did find a spelling error but besides for that the story had a really good flow. Would recommend to any of my paranormal YA friends out there!