queerafictionado's Reviews (374)

Even though I enjoyed this book when I first read it, I am changing my review and will no longer be reading anything by this author because they are not who they say they are. AC Adams is actually a 50 something year old straight man pretending to be a 20 something lesbian. Do not read anything by this catfishing liar.

This was a quick, fun read with sapphic, spooky vibes with the perfect opening line! I really enjoyed Frankie and Ivy’s story. They are two seemingly opposite characters - goth girl/cheerleader, grumpy/sunshine - but when it comes down to it, they really aren’t all that different under the surface. Babylove is kind of a combination of The Craft, Warm Bodies, Mean Girls, and Frankenweenie…but sapphic! You get pet resurrection, zombies, rituals, and other paranormal goodness all mixed up with the typical teen high school popularity drama of who’s cool and who’s not. It was an all around quick and enjoyable read!

I didn’t realize until after I read this book that it was a prequel to I.S. Belle’s Zombabe. I don’t think it was necessary to read Zombabe first, but I think it would have helped me have a better understanding about the town (Bulldeen) and who the characters were. I’m looking forward to the next two books in the series and hope to learn more about Bulldeen and this spooky cast of characters.

4.5/5 Stars. I absolutely loved “In the Event of Love” and was so excited when Courtney announced book 2 about Ben and Adam, even though I prefer sapphic romance. But after meeting Ben and Adam in the first Fern Falls book and seeing the chemistry between them I really wanted to see them get their HEA. This book only starts and ends in Fern Falls and is predominately set in Maywell Bay, CA.

The story is told from Ben’s point of view so we get a lot more of Ben’s story than we do of Adam’s, but we do learn more about his back story, too. This book was lighthearted and fun at times and emotionally intense at other times. There is a lot of mental health rep in this book and I loved how Courtney handled those parts. Ben has a history of family trauma, parental abandonment, emotional abuse/manipulation, and more. And while he still has a long way to go, I love how Courtney highlights his progress and the fact that healing is a journey. And that triggers happen. I’m nearly 10 years out of an emotionally abusive relationship with a partner and I can tell you…healing takes time and is anything but linear. And when you’ve been through something like that, it’s hard to feel worthy of love. To accept love. To let people in.

There were a lot of plot lines running through this book and at times it felt a bit like “A Series of Unfortunate Events” for poor Ben. But in my opinion, all those various plot lines added to the power of the mental health arc in his story and helped paint a picture of why Ben is the way he is.

It was definitely intense at times and I LOATHED Ben’s deadbeat dad, who just kept popping up and infuriating me more and more every time. But it’s interspersed with cheeky humor, bun puns, romance, and a very quirky, eccentric grandma (aka G-Ma) who I absolutely loved (but would also kind of hate to have as a grandma…

I was really excited about the premise of this book and that it was a children’s book about genders outside the binary from cultures around the world. But beyond that I unfortunately have nothing good to say about this book. First of all, it is written as though it is an indigenous person telling this story, but as the author’s note at the end tells you - it is actually written by a white American. I had an off feeling the whole time I was reading and couldn’t quite figure out what it was until the end. Rather than this being an informative book about different genders from different cultures, it felt more like cultural appropriation. Even the title is very misleading. These aren’t even stories about real people, but made up stories (some of which might loosely be based on actual people).

I would love for books like this to exist, but the way this was handled and written is not the way. If real people’s stories had been told and it was called something like “Different Genders from Around the World” and actually lifted up the voices and stories of BIPOC and gender diverse people, it could be a good book. But sadly that is not what the author did here. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

3.5/5 stars.
This book was a lighthearted, cute, and quick read. The author did a good job of setting the scene and fleshing out enough of the characters backstories that you knew why they were the way they were. I loved the premise of the story and it was decent, but unfortunately it just kind of missed the mark for me.

The story is told from Spencer’s point of view and I honestly can’t name one thing I liked about her as a character and I’m not sure what Blake, the love interest, saw in her. Blake was very wholesome and sweet and I really liked her. But the author tried to do A LOT in less than 50 pages. It was an attempt at a rivals-to-friends-to-lovers trope and that is just too much for a short story. The resolutions to the conflicts in the story were very abrupt, which is normal for a short story. But they were so extreme that they just weren’t believable. Complete 180s that didn’t mesh with the character or plot line. I honestly probably would have upped my review to 4 stars if the last scene was cut out entirely. It was a bit much and just didn’t fit in with the rest of the story.

High school is hard enough. It’s even worse when you’re a punk, anti-social lesbian being forced into extra curricular activities. Or a shy, people pleasing trans girl who just wants to be yourself and fly under the radar, but you keep getting thrown into the spotlight and becoming the center of attention. And almost exclusively because of your gender - not simply because of who you are.

I absolutely ADORED this story and the main characters, Annie and Bebe. It had been on my TBR for awhile and I
wish I had picked this up sooner. It is a true gem, and a book I will keep recommending to people over and over. The illustrations were amazing and beautiful and added so much to the story. I haven’t read a lot of graphic novels yet, but Cheer Up has me wanting to read more.

This is a sweet, lighthearted story about love, friendship, and belonging. But it also touches on some really serious topics - like transphobia, fat shaming, microaggressions, and sexual harassment. I thought Crystal did a great job exploring these heavy topics without getting too intense or deep. And she gives readers positive, affirming messages to take with them.

I truly enjoyed the character development of both MCs. They helped balance each other out. Bebe helped soften Annie and showed her what it’s like when you let people in and make friends. And Annie helped sharpen Bebe - helped her find her voice and stand up for herself. I loved the development of the side characters in the story, too. There was also great rep including a Latinx MC, BIPOC side characters, trans MC, and a non-binary side character. Crystal packed A LOT into this short story but nothing felt rushed or like it lacked development.

Honestly - I really hope this becomes a series because I want more! I don’t have enough good things to say about this book! I just love it!

I don’t have a lot of experience reading graphic novels, so maybe that is partly why this one felt lacking to me. The story was adorable and I loved the two princesses. But it felt a little all over the place for me. Everything felt rushed and there wasn’t really any plot or character development. It seemed more like a series of random events than a cohesive story line. It was a very short (less than 50 pages) graphic novel, and there’s only so much you can do in under 50 pages. This was also a Middle Grade novel. So maybe I’m being a little too harsh in my judgment. But it just wasn’t a win for me. It’s not that I thought it was bad. Just not something that overly excited me. It was a fun, quick read that made me smile. I will still give this author another try because it was a super cute story and the graphics were wonderful.