Category: LGBQTIA

‘Hideous Beauty’ – William Hussey

Even though one of the characters dies early on, this is a love story through and through. It’s the love story of Dylan and Ellis, but it’s also about the love between friends and the love we need to have for ourselves to really live.

The book opens with Ellis and Dylan making a big coming-out statement at their school dance. There’s a very positive vibe – until we learn this situation has been somewhat forced on them after someone anonymously posted a clip of them being intimate online. It seems they’ll overcome this – but as they leave the dance Ellis seems to be acting oddly. Something has upset him. He is distracted. Then, before we know it, they have crashed and plunge into a local lake. Ellis drowns, and Dylan is convinced someone rescued him but nobody seemed to be around when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Dealing with such grief would be awful at any age, but the doctor who treats Ellis makes a comment that shows even though things may still not be quite as accepting as they could be it’s still a huge improvement on the past. Perhaps not unexpectedly, Dylan struggles with his feelings after this – convinced someone left Ellis to die, so he determines to investigate and try to find out why.

Though there is an element of mystery to this, the fact we don’t really know what happened in the aftermath of the crash means we’re never sure what the mystery is to solve. Strange drawings turn up in Dylan’s mail and they seem to offer clues as to who might have played a part in Ellis’s abrupt change of behaviour.

As we watch Dylan piece together what happened I was very glad he had his best friend, Mike, looking out for him. An odd dynamic but, when it counted, they totally had each other’s back.

The last part of the book, where Dylan finally confronts the hideous truth about what happened to Ellis did come slightly out of nowhere. That’s not to say it didn’t ring true, but it was hard to reconcile the image we’d been given up to this point with the truth.

I liked the fact that Dylan was, eventually, able to start looking as if he would look back on his time with Ellis fondly. At times uncomfortable reading, but there was also a lot of positivity that I found quite uplifting.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

 

‘The Fascinators’ – Andrew Eliopulos

The Fascinators was one of those reads that I’m not quite sure what to make of.

The prologue opens by getting us to see young Liv picked up by a group that we know nothing about and hints at something awful happening before completely switching focus. The story then shifts to a trio made up of Sam, James and Delia. They practise magic and are definitely something of an oddity in their hometown. We don’t know where their magic comes from or why it’s such a big deal to them, and this lack of detail was part of the issue with the book for me.

These characters live in a world where magic is fundamental to the story unfolding for us, yet we are never shown how we come to this position. With the arrival of new guy Denver we can see there’s a shift in the dynamics but it’s unclear just why this comes about.

A key factor in this story is the focus on Sam coming to terms with his feelings for James and how this impacts on their group dynamic. There’s clearly been tension for some time before we encounter the group but we don’t really get to understand this until a lot later on, by which time we’ve probably decided our views on them all and what we want to happen.

In terms of plot, it’s actually quite straightforward – but without really getting a full picture of the world/attitudes to magic it was quite hard to really understand the significance of details until quite late on. Sam was infuriating at times, but the end result was actually quite positive and suggested that his relationship with James could have been held up to closer scrutiny.

 

‘The Gravity of Us’ – Phil Stamper

Cal dreams of being a reporter. He has his life planned out, so it throws him a little when his dad drops a rather major piece of news…he’s applied to NASA to be one of those involved in the planned travel to Mars. This means the whole family has to move from New York to Houston, where their every move will be reported on as Cal Sr prepares for his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This would be something of a shock to anybody, but for Cal – whose growing fanbase on social media is one of his passions – the threat of not being able to voice his opinions online is not one that goes down well. His mother is scared of moving across country and losing the link she has to her past. However, in the pursuit of such passion their needs are somewhat ignored – this never really gets touched on fully, and it seems like a glaring attempt to sweep some quite important things under the carpet in pursuit of ‘the story’.

I’ll admit to having only a glancing interest in the story of space travel, but the passion and enthusiasm shown for the subject here shone through and drew me in far more than I was expecting. I may never get as excited over ‘space dirt’ as some of the characters we see here did, but it’s clear to see the reverence such a program is held in and how much it means to many. Does it justify so many others having to shelve their dreams, or the costs involved? I’d find it hard to agree with.

A substantial part of our story focuses on the romance between Cal and Leon Tucker, son of one of the other astronauts. Things got set in motion ridiculously quickly, but the developing relationship between them was only a part of the focus. Watching how they worked together to figure out how to support their loved ones actually worked pretty well.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

 

‘Date Me, Bryson Keller’ – Kevin van Whye

I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to have to think so much about your sexuality, or to be so cautious about your thoughts/feelings. Whatever your views, however, nobody should be forced to come out unless they choose to. Some of the actions in this made me unbelievably cross, and I hate the fact that this will be something people even have to consider.

I’ve read a couple of views criticising this novel for being so similar to some other stories. I can’t comment on that, but I can certainly say how much I enjoyed this story.

Our main character, whose point of view we’re predominantly focused on, is Kai. He knows he’s gay, but hasn’t said anything to either his friends or family. He seems fairly happy in himself, but we learn he’s desperate to head to college so he can be himself. Kai is a character on the periphery of his high school experience, but he finds himself in a rather unusual situation.

This situation involves the school golden boy, Bryson Keller, who’s got himself caught up in what could be a pretty crass scenario. Whoever asks him out on a date each Monday he has to accept, and date them for the week. For reasons I’m still not totally sure about – but it stems from a chance detention and a drama task – Kai ends up asking Bryson on a date. And he agrees.

We follow Kai and Bryson through their somewhat unexpected week. They keep it quiet, and at points I feared this might be because Bryson was going to do something awful. That wasn’t the case, though, and this quickly becomes a tale of two boys finding a mutual love. Almost insufferably cute, it would take a fairly hard-hearted person not to warm to these two.

There’s hints that this will not be plain sailing. I know some might have a worse experience, but when it matters people are generally seen to do the right thing. Kai’s little sister was wise beyond her years and the kind of cheer squad anyone would be proud to have. Plenty to like in this, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

 

‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ – Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’d heard lots about this book over the last few months, and the fictional Evelyn Hugo seems to have created quite a stir. The premise certainly made me curious – I couldn’t imagine what would possess someone to marry seven times – but I was reluctant to start this in case I didn’t feel quite the same way.
From the outset we are spun a story about the woman the world knows as Evelyn Hugo. We learn that her daughter has died and she is going to auction some of her well-known dresses to raise money for cancer charities. For reasons that we are not permitted to know until much later on, reclusive Evelyn agrees to an interview – but she insists on a relatively inexperienced journalist called Monique being the one she’ll talk to.
Though Evelyn holds the cards here, we follow Monique as she meets with Evelyn and prepares to interview her. Upon their first meeting we are told that Evelyn wants Monique to write her biography. We know there’ll be a reason for this, but we don’t get told what it is until we’re truly invested in the situation.
I was intrigued by the press excerpts from the time as they showed the reality of the world Evelyn was part of. We are given Evelyn’s frank account of her relationships and her determination to rise to the top of her profession. We follow Evelyn through her marriages to her co-stars, a well-known singer, a director and her best friend amongst others. We see the price she was prepared to pay for her fame and her feeling of wanting to achieve what she felt she should. What we are told fairly early on is how she sacrifices so much for her true love, the one she has never spoken of until now.
While Evelyn herself was not always the most likeable of characters, she was presented in a way that elicited sympathy. Sometimes she made terrible decisions, but she often made these decisions from a desire to do right by those she loved. I felt quite angry for her and Harry, and so many other characters, that they could not be honest about themselves because of attitudes in the world they inhabited.
Monique was a character that I couldn’t quite fathom. Her interactions with Evelyn allowed us to slowly learn about her life, and the time devoted to her background and situation certainly had me thinking she would be more integral to the story than she initially seemed to be. By the time we have revealed the exact link I was imagining all sorts. The revelation certainly justified Monique’s somewhat ambivalent attitude to Evelyn, and it made sense of her actions towards the end.

 

‘Autoboyography’ – Christina Lauren

I knew very little about this book before picking it up, but I am so pleased that I did.
Our main character is Tanner, a young boy who identifies as bisexual. He is out to his parents, who are supportive and honest with him in such a way that felt like this book should be a call to all parents to read, regardless of their child’s sexuality. His father is Jewish and his mother has had a difficult time, cut off from her Mormon family for supporting her sister when she came out. That family background is crucial to know for this story, as it definitely plays a huge part in how they treat Tanner.
The family have moved to a small town, mostly Mormon, and Tanner has opted to keep quiet about his sexuality. His best friend, Autumn, doesn’t know this pretty important detail about him and he imagines things will tick along until the time he leaves for college…
Then he and Autumn sign up for an elective that involves writing a novel. There’s a student who took the course the previous year who is about to have his book published and who is going to act as a support teacher during the course. The young man concerned, Sebastian Brother, is the son of the local bishop. His life is pretty much set out for him…so, it’s an inevitable complication when Tanner falls for him.
What follows is a time-old story – two people trying to work out how they feel about each other – but the back-drop of the religious background of the characters and the link to the novel-writing process makes this a little more interesting.
I veered from laughing at the cuteness of Tanner and Sebastian as they find the courage to act on their feelings for each other to almost crying at the complications they faced. Throughout, I was struck by the maturity that these characters showed – can’t imagine anyone being so clued-up at that age. Yet there was an underlying bitter-sweet feeling as the shadow of Sebastian’s struggle with his religion never went away.
This was not a book I’d heard much about prior to reading and that feels such a shame as it had such a positive feel to it. It created such a range of emotions, and there was a real honesty to the characters/their experience that I couldn’t help but fall for.

 

‘The Mercies’ – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Having only read Hargrave’s fiction for younger readers I was unsure quite what to expect of this. The subject immediately made me think of The Crucible and I was intrigued by the remote physical setting and the historical setting. Having just finished, I am struck by the immersive quality to this. It caught me quite unawares and I have to say that for such an unpleasant subject it was a pleasure to read.

The book begins relatively slowly. We’re introduced to the islanders and we begin with the depiction of the dreadful storm that killed all but a handful of men. Watching Maren and the other women as they realise their husbands/sons/brothers are never coming home was a heart-wrenching moment.

Knowing that from this point forwards they would have to find ways to live with the unimaginable immediately created sympathy with their experience, which certainly helps when we see what is in store for them.

I have been fascinated by the posts Hargrave has shared on Twitter showing her visit to the place which inspired this read. It was remote, and it reminded me of the books I’ve read about life on places such as St Kilda. Even in the modern world such places are remote, and it takes a certain mindset to survive in such conditions. To do so in the time in which this story is set must have been tough.
Following the details we’re given about the island women I was unsure why we suddenly switched to the character of Ursa, the daughter of a shipowner who lives in relative ease in Bergen. When her father organises a marriage to Absalom Cornet we learn that Ursa is to become the wife of this man she’s never met before – a man sent from Scotland to travel to Vargø and investigate the lives of the women left behind.

Although we’re told this focuses on the real-life events on Vardø and the witch trials of 1621, the sense of unease created once Ursa arrives on the island was distinctly uncomfortable. Seeing this young girl struggle to develop as she becomes little more than the property of her husband was uncomfortable. Though she grows closer to Maren it doesn’t take long before relationships fracture and the hunt begins.

Once the details of the witch hunt were in the open, Hargrave holds little back in depicting the true horror of this time. At the time of reading I was struck by the obvious pride felt by Absalom and others at what they were doing. Seeing the way the women turned on each other was definitely uncomfortable, and yet there were little glimpses of positivity in the way Maren and Ursa turned to each other and sought comfort where they could.

This is one of those stories that I could imagine reading again, delighting in the depiction of setting and characters. It is both brutal and tender. The ending left many questions, but it also served to resolve some of the concerns raised. I can’t wait to see what others I know make of this.

 

‘Amelia Westlake Was Never Here’ – Erin Gough

 

It seems this book was simply published as ‘Amelia Westlake’ everywhere but the US, but I have to say that I love my bright pink cover…it’s the kind of cover that jumps out at you and immediately screams ‘pick me up’…so when I read the summary I was so excited to try this.

Our story centres around two very different students at Rosemead School, Harriet Price (top grade student and all-rounder) and Will Everhart (trouble-causer), and the way they find themselves colluding in a potentially life-changing scheme. I was rather surprised to see this had an Australian setting as the depiction of the characters was quite generic.

The girls find themselves in trouble for making comments about the sexist behaviour of the swimming coach. Together they come up with a plan to raise awareness of this issue, without putting their names to it, by inventing a student who voices the views that many share but nobody has the courage to articulate.

Before they know it the mystery student – Amelia Westlake – has got herself involved in a number of incidents. The staff are desperate to out our erstwhile student, and the other girls are desperate to see what she’ll do next.

Harriet and Will were totally unprepared for the effects Amelia’s presence has on them. How far will they go to maintain this deception? How far can they push their attempts to change the status quo? And, perhaps the one thing readers will be most keen to find out, how long until they realise their feelings for each other are not quite as simple as they each believe?

‘Full Disclosure’ – Camryn Garrett

Simone is, in so many ways, your typical teen. And in others, she’s not. In ‘Full Disclosure’ we get what is best describe as a ‘warts-and-all’ insight into her life.

Early on we’re told Simone has HIV. We get a lot of information about the practicalities of living with this, but we also get to look at the emotional support offered to teens in this situation. Simone is also a black girl, adopted by two gay men, who is exploring her sexuality. There’s a lot to take in.

Although raising awareness of our attitudes to HIV seems to be high on the agenda, the main story focuses us on Simone trying to work out how she feels about Miles and her directing a school production.

There’s a lot going on in this story. Simone and her friends are refreshingly frank in their discussions about sex and relationships, and the focus on her growing feelings for Miles is probably what many readers will empathise with. I felt the way the narrator showed Simone getting on with her life was such a positive message, and yet the prejudice shown by many of the characters highlights just how necessary this story is.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this in exchange for my thoughts.

 

‘Wranglestone’ – Darren Charlton

A curious concept. Post-apocalyptic world and we don’t know what happened, but people are scared of those who are different.

Our focus is on a small community who live on a lake. They look out for those they call The Restless Ones, and the only time they truly fear is winter. Winter is when the ice comes, the lake freezes and the zombies can come.

Peter, our main character, has never felt as if he fits in. Interested in sewing and other activities unsuited to this outdoorsy life, Peter harbours a secret crush on his neighbour, Cooper, who is the original outdoor hero. Two seemingly polar opposites, but it’s okay – this love is definitely reciprocated and the story is about how the pair can use their feelings for each other to try and make a difference to their world.

When Peter fails to check ID of someone trying to come ashore, he sets in motion a quite unusual sequence of events. He comes to question everything he has been told since he was little. Nothing is quite as it seems, and the question is to what extent this can change people’s lives.

At its heart this is a romance, but there’s suggestions of a bigger story coming into play. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to, but I did feel the latter part of the story was a little frenetic. We don’t know exactly who certain characters are or how they just happen to turn up at the right time, but there’s certainly more to these scenarios than we’ve been told here.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my review.