Big thank you to one of the editors of this collection who sent me a free digital ARC for review! Obviously a huge proponent for chaotic queers, and this anthology is chock full of them!

There were 16 stories total, 8 I thought were excellent, chef’s kiss, either great fun or honestly a bit emotionally wrecking. There were a couple that felt rushed, or just left me feeling like ‘and what?’. Others were a lot of fun while reading but not hugely impactful. But given my track record with anthologies, I feel like 7 stellar stories is a win for me, and that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy (most) of the others! I appreciated the breadth of the crime in the pages, not all were showy, flashy bank heists (one is, and I LOVED it lol), some were quieter. 

My standouts were Fuck You Money by francesca ekwuyasi, where an artist discovers the mysterious and unexpected root of her recent bad luck, Distraction by Maame Blue, where a girl falls for a sticky fingered thief, Grand Beaver Cabin, a sweet and silly and sad story where a woman enters children’s colouring contests, and Hyacinth Forever. This last is my absolute favourite of the collection, and involves the aforementioned bank heist. I’ve never read any Sam Cohen before but I’ll definitely be seeking out Sarahland after falling in love with this story, featuring a ragtag group of queers fighting to save their home from developers. Peep Show, Redistribution, Bad Dog and The Meaning of Life were my other faves. 

I was a bit disappointed by Priya Guns’ story, Black Mirror-esque near future dystopian which felt jumbled and confusing - a shame cause I loved Your Driver Is Waiting. I’m also a fan of SJ Sindu’s work, but Wild Ale lost me completely - I simply have no interest in home brewing lol. 

Overall a really solid, fun collection of chaos with some unexpectedly tender moments thrown in for good measure. Happy that I have some more authors to explore now too!