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 - 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: 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