I decided to read this collection of short stories last month because it featured Black and Latinx working-class queer voices. I became aware that my Pride month reading list was lacking some diverse viewpoints and took steps to remedy that in the second half of June. Unfortunately, I did not connect with this title in the way that I hoped. For one, I am not familiar with Houston, the setting of this piece of literature. The city plays a prominent role in this story (some might even say it is a character in itself) and my lack of knowledge about the area led me to not be able to connect emotionally with each story. In addition, I listened to this title as an audiobook which left me sometimes confused about when each story ended and how they connected to the other pieces. I do think that if I had read this collection as a physical book, I would have enjoyed it more, as there would have been less confusion. Despite these issues, I am planning on reading Washington's new(ish) novel, Memorial, soon because I did enjoy his writing style. Hopefully, I will appreciate that piece more than this one. 

Hm. I am not sure where I should begin with this review. Purely from a literary standpoint, Autoboyography is pretty good. The story that the authors decided to write is interesting and important. However, I am not quite sure it was their story to tell. This book is a romance between two teenage boys, one who belongs to the church of the latter-day saints and one who does not. While it is obvious both authors took time to really research Mormonism and how homosexuality is viewed in that religion, neither of them are actually Mormon and/or gay men. I know that the own voices debate can become heated, but for this romance writing power duo, I felt like they kind of grabbed at this idea and ran with it. It is my opinion, that writers should be able to write from a variety of perspectives, but I think this particular story would have been told more accurately by someone who had personal experiences with the relating topics.

How could I write a review for this book without mentioning how cute this cover is??? I am very happy to report that the story is just as good as its cover art. Cool for the Summer features a queer love triangle, summer love, and an important theme of self-discovery. I cannot wait for the library I work at to get a copy of this title in its YA section because I think teens (and lovers of the YA Contemporary genre) will absolutely adore this one. There are a few holes in the plot of this story, which pushed me not to give it a 5/5 star rating, but other than that, I have no complaints. Add this one to your shelf!

After seeing mixed reviews for this title, I wasn't sure how much I would like this one. However, the synopsis caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. When No One Is Watching is a slow-paced, suspenseful novel that tackles some important issues including gentrification, biomedical ethics, and racial discrimination. I did not really feel connected to the main characters, Theo and Sydney, until almost the end of the story - which made it hard for me to appreciate them. In contrast, the storyline kept me guessing and I definitely was surprised by certain plot points. I have read other suspense novels that I enjoyed more than this one, but I would be willing to read another similar title from Cole in the future.

Hana Khan Carries On was one of my most anticipated book releases of the year. I absolutely adored Ayesha At Last, Jalaluddin's debut, and this book did not disappoint. The only reason why I did not give it a 5/5 star rating is that the storyline was a little bit predictable. I loved the Muslim representation and that all of the characters, not just the main characters, felt so real. One note to potential readers: I have seen this title being compared to The Ex Talk, a contemporary romance that I read earlier this year and thought was just okay. In my opinion, other than the main character working at a radio station, I think these two books are pretty different. If you weren't impressed with The Ex Talk don't skip over this book because of the comparisons other readers have made between the two! 

Let's Talk About Love is a contemporary romance novel that features an asexual protagonist. This representation is not one that I have come across in literature often and I thought that this book would be a perfect addition to my Pride month reading. Kann, the author, does a fantastic job clearing up misconceptions about asexuality throughout her story. However, the writing in this book was just okay. I found the plot to be pretty flat and I am not sure I would recommend this book to others because of that. I will continue to look for titles with this type of representation, as I would love to have a book that I could recommend to others featuring an asexual protagonist. 

Even though this book was published in January, I waited until Pride month to read this title. Of course, you can read queer books at any time of the year (and I do!), but I just felt like this one was going to be special and wanted to save it. I was not wrong. While it is messy and chaotic, Detranstion, Baby is a very special book. Readers who enjoy character-focused stories will appreciate this one as it is written almost as a character profile of three women. Peters, the author, explores topics such as gender identity and womanhood in a way I have not seen before in literary fiction. This may be because the author is a trans woman herself and admittedly, I have not read a lot of fictional work from transgender authors. I did end up taking one star off of my rating due to my personal enjoyment of the story and the quality of its writing, but I encourage other readers to add this title to their reading lists and join me in highlighting the writing of trans authors.

Looking back at my review of The Roommate, the first book in this series, I saw that I found the romance being overshadowed by the physical intimacy in that story. However, that was not the case with its sequel. The Intimacy Experiment is a super unique, sex-positive book, that surprises you with two characters facing their spiritual and emotional connections. I absolutely adored Naomi and Ethan's story and ultimately ended up rating this title 5/5 stars. If you are looking for a contemporary romance with some great representation and a solid storyline, I would recommend this story!

Oh, Seth Rogen. Sometimes his humor is a little juvenile for me, but I truly admire him as a person. This title is a collection of personal essays that allow readers/fans to get a more personal look into his life. If you are interested in this memoir, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Seth himself. His unmistakable laugh really adds to the humorous stories he is reading. My only wish is that we got an essay on his pottery - if you don't know what I am talking about, check out his social media for pictures of his art! He is very talented!