This is a must-have for any young queer historical fiction fans. There’s a wonderful variety, both in the stories themselves and the people they represent. It was great to see stories from across the LGBTQ community, including trans, asexual, and gender fluid characters, and settings that ranged from the middle ages to the new millennium (which, as a 90s baby, I object to as historical fiction!).

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Most of the stories followed a similar format: two boys/two girls meet; neither of them know any queer people so feel alone; realise they fancy each other; story ends with a kiss. The collection is prevented from becoming too repetitive though with a few dotted throughout that have completely different storylines. My personal favourite was Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake, which retold the Robin Hood legend and broke my heart along the way. All of the little touches and details were so well-done, it felt like I was watching a well-crafted blockbuster movie rather than reading a short story. Another favourite was The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez. It started out as a getting-together story, but resolved beautifully into a coming-of-age tale about family.

A great collection to either dip in and out of or read cover to cover, I dare anyone to read this and not find at least one story that resonates deeply with you.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.