I was provided a review copy via Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

I NEED MORE.

REP: trans girl, non-binary, queer characters, POC, anxiety & panic attacks

I was so invested in this story and the characters! What a great, diverse, queer story. I laughed so much during this and ah, I just loved it so much. It was so pure but also talked about mental health and break-ups. The illustrations were very colorful and detailed, I was fully immersed into the Avant-Guards world.

When I'm looking for a book about time travel, Time Between Us has everything I want! Reading Tamara's debut after having read more of her recent work, I was impressed by how good this was.

The element of time travel in books is a touchy subject for me as I've read books with time-travel elements in the past that didn't execute it well. However, Time Between Us had the perfect amount of time travel and it was written well enough that the time travel process wasn't confusing. I would compare it to the films: The Time Traveler's Wife or 13 Going On 30.

I wish the book had added a dual POV because Bennett's POV lacked and I feel as he was a very important character that the addition of his perspective would've really added to the plot. Possibly his POV from 2012 and 1995.

Also, the side characters were developed but if Emily was her best friend, I would've liked to know more about Emily besides the fact that she was British, which I was really confused by. Maybe Danielle, too? I feel like she was really brushed off. However, I really enjoyed Justin's character and I could relate to him a lot.

In terms of the historical aspects, I often forgot that the book was set in 1995 aside from the music references, it didn't feel too much like 1995.

Overall, it was a great read and Tamara is one of my favorite authors, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading her debut because it met my expectations!

A beautiful graphic memoir about Marjane Satrapi's childhood and growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and resilience.

FIVE STARS!! This was an excellent debut novel about police brutality and using your voice. Highly recommend to everyone! #Ownvoices

I love the fantastical elements and the lgbtq+ characters! I would like to continue the series.

Re-read 7/28/18: Lowering my rating to 4 stars because I had some issues with the pacing and felt that the autism rep could've been included more. I felt like the vlogger lifestyle that Charlie was apart of felt really unrealistic and the term vlogger isn't used like it is today. I wish we could've gotten more information on Charlie's YouTube label as a gaming channel. Also, she was mentioned as a vlogger but I didn't seem to see much of her making vlogs aside from her making one with Alyssa, which wasn't a typical q&a. I also felt like the relationship was rushed but they became my OTP at the end.

Review from 7/28/17
It's almost scary how much I related to both Charlie and Taylor during their trip to SupaCon. I struggle with anxiety. My anxiety is at its worst during conventions, which are my happy place. The anxiety rep in this novel is spot-on and I am so happy it existed. It showed the real struggle of anxiety through Taylor's character and how it affected her, i.e. anxiety/panic attacks.

Taylor is a fat mc, she is also on the Autism spectrum like the author making this novel #ownvoices.

I absolutely LOVED the bisexual representation of a Chinese American girl from Australia and her first relationship with a black girl. Applause!! The two romances captured in this novel were executed great & not too much.

However, I did devour the heck out of this book and loved everything about it...It was in fact very predictable where I predicted almost everything that was going to happen. This is definitely a "dream convention" where mostly all of the characters wishes come true. Plus some drama added.

Trigger Warnings: Molestation/sexual assault, homophobia, racism, use of the N-word and homophobic slurs
*They are also mentioned at the beginning of the book.

I resonated with this novel in so many aspects and it taught so many crucial and valuable lessons while George told their childhood story. Through trauma, grief, loss, and coming to terms with their sexuality, Johnson shares their own life lessons and proceeds to teach a lesson to the reader. This was an incredibly thought-provoking novel. There were so many important aspects of being a queer person from the perspective of a Black non-binary person that I learned from and could reflect on in my own life.

Toward the end, I SOBBED. I didn't know I needed to hear so many of George's quotes about death and grief as much as I did right now. So, I will leave you with some of my favorites but I did highlight & tab almost every page.


Quotes

"The greatest tool you have in fighting the oppression of your Blackness and queerness and anything else within your identity is to be fully educated on it"
"If a world can have miracles, then it must have tragedy too"
"You truly never get over death. It just gets easier to live with every day"
"I saw what it looked like for people to be "slowly dying" because they never got to live in their authentic selves"
"Time and Death are much closer than many of us would ever like them to be "

Poems about being a queer Black non-binary person who is HIV positive, grieving, and mourning the loss of those taken too soon, depression, suicidal thoughts and American racism. Danez Smith is a powerful poet and they are hilarious. The audiobook is narrated by the author and I really enjoyed listening to author recite their poems.

"Scooby-doo was trying to tell us something when every time that monster mask got snatched off it was a greedy white dude."

"One dead boy makes the forest a grave"

Trigger warnings: homicide against LGBTQ+ people, homophobia and domestic abuse.

I absolutely loved this story as it gave me another perspective of the LGBTQ+ community and culture. Rukhsana is Muslim and a closeted lesbian in a secret relationship with her girlfriend, Ariana.

Throughout the story, Sabina Khan shows the hardships of being in a Muslim family and the toll it can take on the children. I really liked being able to see how Ruhksana was treated by her parents because she is gay and the things she had to go through and the anxiety she developed because she had to hide who she truly was, it really broke my heart, but at the same time I was tearing up so much and crying because I could relate to Ruksana on a personal level.

This story was so well done; the pacing was quick and I devoured this book! I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. However, I did have some issues.

1. Ariana and Ruhksana's friends were so annoying and they frustrated me to no end. I really would've liked to see Ruhksana just break up with Ariana because it was in her best interest, Ariana was so wishy-washy and I understand that this was because she didn't fully grasp what Ruhksana was going through but her friends still belittled her and didn't even try to understand what she was going through, they just dismissed it.

2. THE LAST PART OF THE BOOK -

This book easily would've gotten a 5 star if the last part of the book met my expectations, but it didn't. If I could re-write any ending, it would be this one. I really wanted Ruhksana's parents to have opened their eyes in a different way rather than just killing off Sohail. I get this was to show how hard it is to be LGBTQ+ in Bangaldesh, but I really would've liked to see her parents realize what they were doing to their daughter in a different way. Realistically, if parents are unaccepting, it will take years for them to come around. Overall, I would've liked a different ending.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

Simone is directing her high school's production of RENT and I may be biased but RENT is my favorite musical and that just added to my experience reading this book! Simone switches schools when she is outed to the school by another student about her HIV status. Now, at her new school, she is happy living life with her friends Lydia and Claudia - Lydia is bisexual and Claudia is an ace lesbian - until she finds a letter in her locker telling her that she must stop spending time with the guy she likes, Miles or the anonymous writer will reveal her HIV status.

This is a very important read and I learned a lot about HIV from Simone's story. Full Disclosure is a very sex-positive book. There are many scenes talking about how having HIV doesn't make sex impossible, the MC masturbates and she goes to a sex shop with her friends to buy a vibrator. There's also discussion about sex with Claudia, an ace lesbian.

This debut novel talks heavily about being an adopted Black girl who is HIV-positive. Simone struggles a lot and we see how HIV affects her life. If you like musicals, you'll love this book because it is filled with references! This is a very important YA novel. We need more books like Full Disclosure.