In 2022 I've read more new releases than usual--and I've been burned more than once. So when Lavender House came in for me at the library, I added it to my Kindle with some trepidation. I did not want this book to be another dud.

Luckily, Lev AC Rosen really delivers here. The marketing around this book made it sound a lot cozier and more humorous than it is, so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be more hardboiled than I expected! It's clear from the writing itself (and confirmed in the author's note) that Rosen did his research into queer history and brought that knowledge to the page, and I appreciated both the feeling of authenticity and the willingness to look dead-on at homophobia.

I feel like most of the queer books coming out now are incredibly fluffy, and look: I get why, and I'm glad that fluffy books exist. I will always come down on the side of more queer books existing. But I can't exaggerate how relieved I am to read something grittier. A book where bad things happen and no one talks like they're trying to get an A in therapy. Something that doesn't feel like the queer literary equivalent of spiritual bypassing. When my state is trying to legislate trans people out of existence, remove queer books from schools and libraries, and eradicate pride festivals, head-in-sand, escapist positivity sometimes rings hollow. Lavender House, on the other hand, is galvanizing.