Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the earc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5, rounded up.

Before We Disappear follows Jack and Wilhelm (a pair of thieves, but like- loveable, thieves) as they attempt t0 earn a living and, really, just survive the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle 1909. Things aren't exactly what they seem, however, and Jack soon learns Wil has many secrets and an incredible hidden talent. As they get to know one another and feelings develop, Wil must decide whether or not to let Jack in on those secrets and accept the help he so desperately wants to live a better, free life.

So, I absolutely adored Wil and Jack. Like, from the beginning knew I would be crushed if anything bad happened to either of them. Wilhelm really goes through it, and boy did my heart hurt for him, but things worked out okay in the end.

I really enjoyed the dual pov in this book, and I think it worked well. Both boys were great at telling their part of the story, and I liked seeing things from each of their perspectives. It was also nice to see them interact with all the other characters on their own, too. It was super easy to read and though it was long, I didn't feel like it was being drug out or that I was just pushing through to finish.

It really tugged at my heartstrings, and I was ready to FIGHT for Willhelm so many times. Bless him. He's precious snd never done a thing wrong in his life.

I also loved that the author made it commonplace for same-sex relationships to be happening in 1909. It was refreshing not to see mountains of homophobia on top of all the other awful things the characters were facing, and I appreciate this choice.

I definitely recommend picking this one up! Enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the arc of this book!

3.5, rounded up.

This was honestly just such a FUN read. It's the perfect amount of cheesy and trope-y and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The story follows Aubrey, a struggling bookstore owner in London who is really goin' through it. When a film production sets up shop in his bookstore for filming, Aubrey and hunky Amerian actor Blake get close- real close. They begin an incredibly cute romance and things are going great until the paparazzi and exes throw a wrench in things. Will Aubrey and Blake get it together in time to realize what they mean to one another?

This was such a fun, sweet little read. I loved Aubrey from the jump and he was so relatable. Also, he's got kickass style, haha. I rooted him from the beginning and seeing him find his confidence and going after what he wanted was such a satisfying journey for me. I wanted to be his friend. Blake was such a charmer, and I was worried about him at first, I won't lie, but he quickly won me over. The two of them together are such a sweet, believable couple.

If you want a quick, heartfelt, feel-good romcom, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Perseus Books, Running Press and NetGalley for the earc of this anthology in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun array of queer, romantic trope stories! I loved seeing so many familiar tropes done in some absolutely new settings. I generally struggle with anthologies, but this one kept my attention and really turned quite a few tropes on their ear.

A few really stood out for me, and I think everyone will enjoy this collection a great deal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the earc of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This book. This book!

This book manages to pack every wonderful, freeing feeling of being surrounded by fandom friends and being your authentic self that attending a convention entails. From karaoke, to decorating your silly little hotel doors, or simply getting to meet and be in the presence of your pocket friends for the first time, this book had me reminiscing about every favorite con memory I possess. After the last few years and all the cons being putting on hold, this had me tearing up a few times because I miss this feeling SO much. England captures that con feeling perfectly and it's lovely to get swept up in.

Kay and Teagan meet when a fan convention for a popular Sherlock Holmes tv show is held in the same hotel as the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant takes place. Kay has A List of things they're determined to accomplish at this con, and when they bump into Teagan, Miss Virginia in the pageant and a fellow secret fandom nerd, sparks fly. Teagan is hiding many things- her sexuality, her love of all things nerdy, etc., to make it through this final pageant and land a scholarship to the school of her choice. As the pair tries to enjoy their time together and make it through the weekend under the radar, they are met with several obstacles.

This was just SO FUN. I love the con atmosphere, as well as the taking on of all the stereotypes of both pageant girls and people in fandom. It's a celebration of being who you are for you, not who you try to be for others. The side characters are fabulous, and I swear I know people like all of them in my fandom circles. It's incredibly relatable and has something for everyone.

I couldn't put this down. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to red this ARC!

Ya'll. I am obsessed with this book. I stay up til four am straight up devouring it because I had to know what happened next, and it was worth every hour of sleep lost.

Charlie is a disgraced tech genius who is looking for a way to make a comeback. He doesn't believe in true love, or love at all, really, and yet he decides to participate in tv's most popular reality dating show Ever After (seriously, they're on season 37!), Charlie is awkward and stiff on camera, with no chemistry between himself or any of the women contestants, and nearly immediately regrets his decision to compete on the show.

Enter Dev, one of the show's producers. Dev loves love and is assigned with getting Charlie to look at least like he isn't going to bolt the minute the cameras start rolling. Despite dealing with a nasty breaking just six months prior, and still having to work with his ex, Dev is fantastic at his job. He goes above and beyond for Charlie, and he knows he can make him fall in love this season.

Only, what happens when it's not one of the contestants Charlie falls in love with?

The characters in this book are just absolutely amazing, oh my gosh. The cast is diverse, there are several different sexualities represented AND Dev and Charlie are not these shining, perfect princes themselves. They struggle with OCD and depression, respectively, and it's so nice to see it done in a way that people actually experience every day.

I wanted to scoop Charlie and Dev up and keep them in my pocket where no harm would ever come to them again. Seriously, I cannot wait for this book to release so I have people to scream about it with me.

Pre-order this. You won't regret it.

tw: anxiety, ocd, depression, homophobia, albeism

i literally do not know what to make of this, but i’m sure as hell gonna keep reading.

i don’t understand why i like these. at all. but i will die for the foxes

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC!

3.5 stars.

I love Alaska. She's a fierce queen and just a fucking cool human. I loved reading about her life and all the crazy stuff she has done.

This does focus a lot on her time with Sharon, and honestly, I think that's smart because we know folks are gonna eat that up (myself included, haha). I do feel like in doing that, though, some of the cooler things were kind of just barely grazed on the surface, or kind of glossed over. I also feel like it kind of ended rather abruptly.

However, I did really enjoy this. The pictures and look back were such an amazing addition.

If you're an Alaska fan, I think you'll really enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for the arc!

This book is a gay reimagining of the Wizard of Oz, and despite some wonderful themes throughout, it just fell flat for me. It was basically a play-by-play remake of the old story, but gayer (obviously), and a lot of it just didn't fit.

It also felt a bit rushed and I wasn't a fan of the writing style.

It had some really clever parts and a few good one-liners, but overall I wasn't a fan of this one.

First, a massive thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I, admittedly, am not an avid poetry reader. I enjoy the ones I have read, but I don't tend to go seeking it out. I knew this collection, from pretty much the moment it was announced, was going to be an exception.

Collins divides his collection of poems into six sections, spanning a wide variety of topics that all feel so deeply personal and honest I often felt like I was intruding on conversations and thoughts I had no right to bear witness to. The first section, titled 'love poems' is the section that will stick with me the longest. 'The Center' in particular put such a lump in my throat and an ache in my chest I had to set my phone down to process.

Collins also writes about several of his "people" and those poems are some of my favorites in the collection. Particularly the one entitled 'Marder' near the end of the book. Its theme is admittedly a bit dark, but I adore it.

The other sections are equally lovely and soul-baring. Collins doesn't hide anything from the reader, again making you feel like a voyeur trespassing in his private thoughts. There are happy poems, incredibly heartwarming poems, poems that made my heart ache for him, poems that made me laugh out loud, and poems about feeling so sad for reasons you don't understand that you just curl up in a ball and cry. Collins really wrote about such a wide variety of situations and emotions that I feel like everyone will be able to gain something from this collection.

Poetry reader or not, definitely pick this collection up if you want to break your own heart a little and put it back together a bit more tender than it was before.