In Brian D. Kennedy's A Little Bit Country, readers are introduced to Wanda World — a fictional amusement park inspired by the real-life Dolly World. In fact, I picked up this book because of my love of amusement parks and a boyhood dream of working in one. The park, however, ultimately just serves as a backdrop for two young men, Emmett Maguire and Luke Barnes, as they navigate the complexities of identity, love, and ambition.

Emmett Maguire is a Chicago native who dreams of becoming the world's first openly gay country music star. With the help of his Aunt Karen, Emmett lands a summer job in a musical stage show at Wanda World, owned by his idol, the legendary and bigger-than-life Wanda Jean Stubbs. For Emmett, this opportunity is a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal, even though the park sits in a small, rural town that feels worlds away from his urban upbringing.

Luke Barnes, on the other hand, is a local boy grappling with his own set of challenges. Closeted in a very conservative community, Luke longs to escape his family's financial struggles and pursue a career as a chef. His family's history is intertwined with Wanda Jean's, as Luke's grandmother, Verna Rose, was once Wanda Jean's best friend and musical partner until a scandalous love triangle tore them apart. This connection to Wanda Jean is a sensitive subject within Luke's family, casting a shadow over their lives.

When Emmett and Luke's paths cross at Wanda World, there is an undeniable attraction. Their burgeoning relationship, however, is problematic from the first. Emmett is open about his sexuality and adores Wanda Jean's music, while Luke is deeply closeted and resents the music and the icon herself. As they navigate these challenges, they still try to support each other’s dreams — Emmett's musical aspirations and Luke's culinary ambitions.

Their relationship grows more complicated when Emmett discovers Luke's familial connection to Verna Rose and the possibility that Wanda Jean's hits were plagiarized from her work. As Emmett faces the pressures of pursuing a music career, including a disheartening encounter with an indie music agent, he must make tough choices about how he wants the world to see him. This collides directly with Luke's internal struggles and family pressures and culminates in a dramatic confrontation with Wanda Jean that reveals unexpected truths about her relationship with Verna Rose. 

A Little Bit Country is a competently written, mostly engaging story, though the interlocking tensions can feel overwhelming at times. Kennedy weaves a narrative rich in drama and dialogue, though it occasionally veers into soap opera territory with its multitude of subplots. While the story could have benefited from a more streamlined approach —particularly by leaving out some supporting characters and subplots, like Emmett's discovery that Aunt Karen is being cheated on—it still captures the challenges young LGBTQ individuals face.

The novel deserves credit for its realistic portrayal of the struggles young gay men endure, particularly the impact of homophobia. Emmett's refusal to hide his sexuality for the sake of a record deal is a commendable stance that, honestly, may have ended his career before it ever began. His decision to reject the continued use of Verna Rose's songs for personal gain highlights his integrity. In contrast, Luke emerges as a tragic figure. His homespun work ethic and salt-of-the-earth personality clash with his inherent dishonesty toward himself and those around him, and sometimes it’s very hard to like him, even when you feel sympathy for him. 

The plot twist involving Wanda Jean and Verna Rose was both surprising and a little heavy-handed. While I personally didn’t see it coming, it might have been more impactful if the story had fewer dramatic elements competing for attention. Honestly, by the time we resolved this plot point, A Little Bit Country was feeling like an old episode of the Dallas TV show. 

As for the central relationship between Emmett and Luke, it's hard not to question how long it could last. Their connection, rooted primarily in physical attraction, seems mismatched given the vast differences in their backgrounds and personal struggles. Whether their relationship could withstand the test of time remains uncertain.

Overall, A Little Bit Country is a decent read that captures the struggles of youthful ambition and identity amid family and cultural expectations. While it may not stand out as a great LGBTQ YA novel, it offers an honest look into the complexities of young love and self-discovery in a world where dreams and reality often collide.

I read Maurice by E.M. Forster in college. First written in 1913-14 and revised over the following decades, it is the story of two men — Maurice and Clive — who fall in love as students at Cambridge University. It was a brave endeavor, written at a time when gay relationships were essentially illegal in Great Britain. 

Although Forster showed the book to many close friends and colleagues, he never tried to get it published, possibly fearing prosecution. A note found in the manuscript after his death read, “Publishable, but worth it?”

Once Maurice was printed, critics’ major point of contention was its happy ending. It was one thing to write about homosexuality, but quite another to portray gay relationships in a positive light. The trope of the tragically doomed gay man — a depressed, self-loathing, and often suicidal outsider condemned to a miserable existence — was expected of any author who dared to broach the subject. Anything less looked like an endorsement of homosexuality. 

​(I should note that Forster specifically wanted his book to have a happy ending — perhaps to shatter this ugly expectation.)

In the novel, Maurice finds his soulmate in Clive’s groundskeeper, Alec. William di Canzio’s book, Alec, written over 50 years after Maurice was published and almost a century after it was written, focuses on this character almost entirely.

Although Maurice was a fascinating, even uplifting book, I always wondered how an upper-crust investment banker and a lower-class working man could make their relationship work in British society. It always seemed like the two men would have to separate themselves from Great Britain altogether — maybe by emigrating to another country, maybe by hiding away in some vast wilderness. So, as this novel takes us through Alec’s early years, his sexual awakening, his romance with Maurice (as relayed by E.M. Forster), the World War that separates them, and ultimately their reunion, it also shows their intention to do just that. 

Di Canzio, having the benefit of writing in a more enlightened time, doesn’t pull any punches in showing how difficult it would’ve been for men of this era to build lives with each other. World War I notwithstanding, Alec and Maurice have all kinds of existential forces conspiring to keep them apart, and they find few allies along the way. One of the biggest challenges for both is their individual feelings about their own homosexuality. As detailed in Forster’s book, Maurice is highly mindful of his position and his privilege, often going to great lengths to repress or even “cure” his gayness. Alec, by contrast, is more accepting of himself — and much less concerned about others’ opinions. Maybe it’s because Alec has less to lose, or maybe just that he’s more defiant of a social hierarchy that is already cruel and unfair to people like him. Whatever the reason, Alec’s journey to self-acceptance means multiple and early affairs with both men and women, and none of the attempts to scrub away his sexuality we saw in Maurice. 

In the end, Alec leaves the reader exactly where Forster did: with the two men still struggling to find their place in the world, still hoping to find some wilderness where they can hide from the prejudices of others. This may not be the romantic ending some modern readers of LGBTQ fiction will want. Still, considering the era in which the book is set, it’s an honest ending, an important reminder of how things used to be, and a cautionary note about returning to that ugliness. 

RELATED FEATURES: LGBTQ Collection | Pride on the Big Screen 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a very good book, very good book.  

Let’s just get that out of the way early so any criticism I present will seem paltry in comparison.  The novel is smartly written and deals sensitively with a topic that’s probably more of an issue with image-conscious teens than adults – having an openly gay best friend.

As the curious title might imply, the story is told by two boys, both named Will Grayson, who live in the Chicago area. The first Will Grayson (let’s call him Will #1) is a likable but timid guy who always tries to do the right thing but can quickly lapse into self-recrimination whenever it brings unwanted attention to himself. His timidity probably isn’t helped by the fact that his best friend is a giant of a young man, ironically called “Tiny,” who’s not only a football star but is unabashedly gay with loud moments of great drama.  Will #1’s relationship with Tiny goes all the way back to elementary school. Even in those early days, Tiny possessed a level of courage and self-confidence that produces from Will #1 envy, admiration and embarrassment.  Will #1’s hypocrisy often makes life with Tiny a challenge.

Will #2 is an inner-city kid who has struggles of his own. He tries to manage both his depression and his homosexuality by keeping himself isolated from most other people. His difficulty with other people has prompted Will #2 to construct an elaborate online relationship with an unseen boy named Isaac. Can you see trouble a-brewing here?  It turns out that “Isaac” is the creation of a female classmate who is angered by Will #2’s disinterest in her and has made it her personal quest to out him. Will #2 discovers the deception when he agrees to finally meet “Isaac” and finds himself standing in the doorway of a porn shop in a seedy Chicago neighborhood. This is where he encounters – purely by chance – the other Will Grayson. Will #2 confides his humiliation to the stranger with the same name who, being an inherently empathetic person, responds kindly.  It is through Will #1 that Will #2 meets Tiny, whose undying sense of romance manages to pull the boy out of his dark funk and experience affection with a real person.

The rest of the novel deals with the intertwined relationships between these characters, set against the backdrop of an autobiographical play Tiny is producing for his high school.  The play contains caricatures of many of his friends, including both Wills, which is both revealing and uncomfortable for all parties.

The novel is refreshing in that it avoids the usual coming-of-age or tortured-soul themes that often mark novels on this topic. Although Tiny’s flamboyant behavior is often a source of embarrassment to his friends, they never persecute him for it. Likewise, when Will #2 begins to come out to others, he finds most of his friends and his mother to be very supportive. This may not be a reality enjoyed by many American gay youth, but it is a happy possibility that may give some hope.  

The book is written in first person with alternating chapters written by the respective Wills. Authors John Green and David Levithan do a good job of giving both boy a separate and distinctive voice, mainly because each wrote a Will independently of the other. If there was one off-putting thing about this technique, it was Will #2’s voice which is written almost entirely in “cyber speak.”  While it is true that a disturbing number of teenagers believe that “what” is spelled without an “h” and that capital letters don’t exist at all, reading ten chapters of this proved irksome.  I kept wanting to send Will #2 to remedial English class.

This being said, the authors were spot-on in their characterizations of modern teens.  Even the cruel deception that Will #2’s classmate perpetrates could be lifted right off the front page of a modern newspaper (...uh, make that the homepage of a news websites.) One thing that did surprise me (I won’t use the word troubled here), was the virtual lack of any relationship between the two Wills. Once they have their chance encounter in the porn shop, and a touching moment of spontaneous bonding on the street, the two characters never see each other again until the last pages of the book. The boys acknowledge the weirdness of having the same name and being drawn through circumstances to a place neither of them would normally go, but then the happenstance seems to be forgotten. I point this out because it seems almost as though the book is miss-titled. By the time the Wills meet, the book is really about Tiny.  

​Still, all things considered, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a mesmerizing novel that I had a hard time putting down.  It’s worthy of all the kudos its received from other critics and I personally look forward to other titles from these authors.  

All June, Bookshop.org is celebrating Pride Month by offering 15% off on select titles. I have curated my own selections for Laughing Boy Books, concentrating on LGBTQ titles that intersect with nerd genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian, myth and legend and select young adult. 

The 15% discount applies to any of the titles shown below and is valid through June 30, 2026. Use code Pride26 at checkout. Discount off list price. Excludes ebooks.

RELATED FEATURES: LGBTQ |Quinton's Curious Mind Book Series | Pride on the Big Screen | How Tim Drake Reclaimed the Gay Robin Story | 

Breaks is a beautifully drawn and written graphic novel series by Emma Vieceli and Malin Ryden. While ostensibly an LGBTQ story about a damaged teen living in the UK who's trying to get by in high school, it's actually much more about bullying — and the regret of bullying. It's a thoughtful and well-executed story with engaging characters and a more mature tone.

I read the first two volumes of the series in 2020 during the height of the pandemic (amazing how much reading I got done that year!) but the books actually date back to 2017. Now they're being reissued with a release date in March — and I'm delighted to learn that there's a Volume 3 which was published in 2024! I'll review that in the near future.

Because I love these books so much, I wanted to give them a special shout out here. Each book is summarized below with ordering links. Enjoy!

​Read my interview with Emma Vieceli here >>

BREAKS, VOLUME 1: Cortland Hunt has made some dangerous mistakes. Now he's waiting quietly for those mistakes to catch up with him. Ian Tanner coasts through life denying the spark of anger beneath his laid back exterior. When school politics and personal lives become a battleground, the pair find that what they share may just be their only safe haven. 
Breaks is the story of two young men discovering who they were, who they are, and who they will become. It's a love story . . . but a bit broken.

BREAKS, VOLUME 2: Ian and Cortland are all too aware that the bubble they've made for themselves can't last. Shifting relationships and tested friendships may be the least of their worries, though, as they learn more about each other and the pasts they'd rather leave behind. Familial legacy, fragile ambition and potentially devastating secrets; their budding relationship is going to need a stronger foundation than secrecy if they want to face what life has in store for them together.

BREAKS, VOLUME 3: School is over, adult life beckons, and new beginnings lie before Ian and Cortland as their relationship deepens. But when Ian's father is released from prison, questions of trust and deceit threaten to tear them apart. The boys will walk a dark path together as the shadows of the past try to claim the present. The answers to all their questions will be revealed in this final volume, and some may prove dangerous beyond their wildest imaginings...

RELATED: Quinton's Curious Mind Book Series | LGBTQ | How Tim Drake Reclaimed the Gay Robin Story | Pride on the Big Screen

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee is a historical novel which appeals on many levels. At times, it is a throwback to the sentimental romantic literature of the 18th century (during which it is set), a peep show into the seamier side of the British aristocracy, an institution well practiced at hiding scandal, corruption and basic human compulsions behind wealth, power and rigid class structure. (If you’ve read anything by Jane Austen you will have some sense of how this highly stratified society works.) At times, it has elements of a modern romantic comedy, with three young protagonists trying to navigate family drama while finding their places in society. Finally, it is an awkward coming-out tale for its aristocratic narrator, Henry “Monty” Montague — although the concept of “coming out” would have been unimaginable during his era.

Monty is the eldest son of a rich British nobleman and heir apparent to the old man’s vast wealth, lofty reputation and stifling social duties. By Monty’s own admission, he’s a constant disappointment to his unloving and highly traditional father. As the story opens, Monty is about to depart on an expected rite of passage for a young gentleman living in Georgian era England: a grand tour of the European continent. This traveling holiday will serve as his indoctrination into high culture and politics before returning to his family’s estate to assume his inherited duties. While Monty’s future promises splendid wealth and privilege, it is very much a gilded cage. Every aspect of his manhood will be dictated for him — and he knows it. The only problem is that Monty’s as anti establishment as a person could be, starting with the fact that he’s an unapologetic “buggerer,” a contemporary term meaning he likes boys as well as girls. Despite homosexuality being outlawed in England during this era, Monty doesn’t seem to mind who knows about his preferences, perhaps feeling immune to any legal consequences thanks to his title and position. For his father however, it is a source of recurring humiliation.

In order to keep Monty’s wild side under control, his father decides he will be accompanied to Europe by a strict chaperone named Mr. Lockwood; his younger sister Felicity, whom he barely tolerates; and his best friend Percy, with whom he’s secretly in love but who’s mixed-race heritage has made him a social pariah. While Mr. Lockwood intends to keep the young lord away from drink, gambling and debauchery, Henry manages to steal away from a banquet held at the French palace of Versailles with a royal courtesan. Their sexual encounter is interrupted by the woman’s lover — the former French prime minister — with whom Monty had a previous unpleasant encounter. To spite the man, Monty steals a small box from his desk, the contents of which inadvertently launches he, Percy and Felicity on a cross-continent treasure hunt with French assassins close on their heels. 

While The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue perhaps relies too much on Murphy’s Law — whatever can go wrong, will go wrong — it is an enjoyable and often moving romp. Monty is a hedonistic rogue, but also a fascinating narrator who reveals himself to be unexpectedly kind, passionate and damaged. His begrudging love for his traveling companions — he’s a man who outwardly eschews just sentimentality — is also his redemption. In the end, all three main characters buck the norms of their society: Monty due to his sexuality; Felicity due to her gender; and Percy due to his racial background. The ending of the book, while probably unlikely for real people of the 18th century, will certainly appeal to the more egalitarian audiences of the 21st century and is thus quite satisfying.

Mackenzi Lee’s The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is the lively sequel to her best selling young adult novel, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. The story is told from the perspective of Penelope Montague, the intellectual daughter of an abusive English Lord and sister to Henry “Monty” Montague, an aristocratic drunkard, fop and buggerer (to use the 18th century terms). Penelope and her party-boy brother couldn’t be any different if they tried, and the first book did an excellent job of showing both of their strengths and weaknesses as they became reluctant allies on a cross-continent adventure. Although Penelope played a supporting role in The Gentleman’s Guide, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is entirely her story.

When last we saw Penelope, Monty, and Monty’s lover, Percy, they were sailing with pirates in the Greek Isles, runways from their privileged but stifling places in English society. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy picks up several years later. Penelope’s working for a kindly Scottish baker and has ambitions to become a physician at a time when being a midwife was the closest a woman could come to a medical career. After suffering numerous rejections from universities, a sympathetic physician encourages Penelope to reach out to Alexander Platt, a brilliant but unconventional doctor. This is a thrilling prospect for Penelope who has followed Platt’s career for years. In an unbelievable coincidence, Platt also happens to be engaged to Penelope’s former best friend, Johanna Hoffman. Penelope leaves for Austria in the company of a female pirate / bodyguard called Sim, who wants access to the Hoffman estate for reasons unknown. 

The rivalry between Penelope and Johanna is one of the best things about this book. As girls, they used the Montague’s sprawling estate as a backdrop for games about world exploration, becoming famous scientists and raiding lost temples. Then they grew up. Penelope remained serious and nebbish while Johanna became a “proper lady,” complete with frilly dresses, elaborate hairdos and an utter dependence on men. Although Penelope and Johanna manage to forgive each other for past transgressions, they still disapprove of each other’s life choices. Penelope considers Johanna silly and pretentious, and Johanna finds Penelope elitist and mean-spirited. 

Penelope‘s introduction to Dr. Platt is also a wake up call. The rogue physician is not only a drug addict, but not nearly as open minded as Penelope fantasized. Not only is he using Johanna for her wealth and social position, but to gain access to the scientific journals of her late mother, a woman who successfully bucked convention and became that world explorer Penelope and Johanna once fantasized about. Sim also has an interest in the journals, but it’s not until Johanna disappears just before her wedding that the importance of these writings becomes clear.

In many ways, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is superior to its predecessor with a more lively pace and a roster of interesting characters. McKenzi Lee does it skillful job making this Penelope‘s book, using Monty and Percy sparingly, and authentically depicting the roles and frustrations of European women of the Georgian Era. The hardest thing for Penelope to accept is just how stacked the system is against women — even women of privilege. Denied the freedom of education, movement, economics, and even marriage, the only thing Penelope has under her control is her intellect. And she uses it as often and as effectively as she can. 

Lee reminds the reader that women come in different forms and that they can be just as sexist towards each other as men. Whether it’s Penelope the bookish intellectual; Johanna the disgraced heiress; or Sim the roughhewn daughter of a pirate king; they all have skills and values they come to appreciate in each other... but not right away. On the downside, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy suffers from too much coincidental happenstance, such as the aforementioned engagement between Johanna and Dr. Platt. (This was a problem with The Gentleman's Guide, too.) The ending also relies on a deus ex machina plot device which is never a satisfactory way to end any book. Regardless, there’s a lot to like here. Add this one to your reading list.

RELATED: Review of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue | Historical Young Adult Collection

On the verge of Halloween, let’s dive into the shadowy, mysterious world of Carmilla, a novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, a 19th century author known for his works of gothic horror and mystery. Written as a newspaper serial between 1871 and 1872, Carmilla is one of the earliest known works of vampire literature, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by a good 25 years. So, let's sink our fangs into this lesser-known yet profoundly influential novella.

Carmilla embodies the quintessential elements of Gothic fiction: supernatural figures, old castles, dark and rambling forests, and superstitious townsfolk. The story unfolds in an Austrian castle, where a young woman named Laura lives a lonely, isolated life with her wealthy and widowed father. But everything changes when a carriage accident outside their home introduces them to Carmilla, a girl of Laura's age. Mysteriously, Carmilla bears a striking resemblance to a girl Laura dreamt about in her childhood. From the get-go, there's a magnetic pull between the two, hinting at the exploration of sexuality that makes Carmilla so groundbreaking.

Carmilla isn't just any vampire—she's the prototypical example of the lesbian vampire. Her relationship with Laura is emotionally intense and, theoretically, sexually charged. (It was the Victorian era, so don’t expect any overt sexuality within the text!) Unlike the male vampires of the era, Carmilla is deeply involved with her victims, establishing a mutual connection that defies the negative stereotypes of lesbianism prevalent in the 19th century. Le Fanu's portrayal of women challenges the Victorian view of women as mere possessions.
​
As the story unfolds, Laura begins to notice Carmilla's eccentricities. She never joins in household prayers, sleeps much of the day, and seems to sleepwalk outside at night. Meanwhile, young women in nearby towns begin dying from a mysterious malady. Laura herself suffers from nightmares featuring a large, cat-like creature leaping onto her bed, and her health starts to decline. 

In a quest for answers, Laura and her father journey to a nearby town to seek medical help. En route, they uncover an old tale of a girl who suffered in a similar way as Laura after a mysterious girl named Millarca came to stay with the family. The chilling revelation comes to light that Carmilla and Millarca are anagrams of the same name—and a vampire in disguise.

The tale reaches its climax with the intervention of a legendary vampire hunter who locates Carmilla's tomb and destroys her while she sleeps, immersed in blood. Laura's father takes her on a year-long Italian tour to help her recover, but the trauma lingers. Carmilla leaves an indelible mark on vampire lore, influencing countless adaptations over the years.

In 2023, Dark Horse Comics released Carmilla: The First Vampire, a fresh take set in 1990s New York City. Written by Amy Chu with artwork by Soo Lee, this graphic novel integrates snippets from the original story as the main character investigates a series of murders. The graphic novel went on to win the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel..

​So, if you haven't yet ventured into the eerie, seductive world of Carmilla, now's the time. It's a tale that not only entertains but also challenges societal norms and explores the complexities of human relationships. Happy reading!

RELATED FEATURES: Horror Book Collection | Supernatural Book Collection | Review: Summer Shadows Book 1 | The Bram Stoker Novel That Inspired The Mummy

What If It's Us is a LGBTQ teen novel about two boys who have a chance encounter on the streets of New York City and spend the rest of their summer obsessing over each other. It's also a bit of a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of dating your friends... as by the end of the book all the characters are hooking up more freely than Rachel, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica. And yes, this causes problems.

The main characters are Arthur and Ben. Arthur's just in the city for the summer, doing an internship at his mother's high-powered law firm. He does very little work as he's more interested in Instagram stalking his friends back home, trying to score tickets for the HAMILTON Broadway Show, and checking out cute guys. While making a coffee run for the law firm, he runs into Ben on the street. Slightly older and much more experienced, Ben's on his way to the post office to mail off a box of belongings to his ex-boyfriend, Hudson. Arthur strikes up a conversation, but before he can ask for the stranger's name and contact info, Ben vanishes. The only clue Arthur has to his identity is a crumpled up mailing label with Hudson's name on it.

Both guys regret not learning more about the other, but Arthur takes it upon himself to begin a 21st century style investigation via social networking and web-stalking. Against the odds, he manages to locate Ben. But their reunion is still fraught with difficulties. Ben's not quite over Hudson... and Arthur's insecure and jealous. Plus, the clock is running out and Arthur will soon have to return home to Georgia.

The book is co-written by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. The writing style, with each author assuming the voice of one of the characters, reminded me of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Frankly however, I think it was done more effectively in that book than this one. While the two voices are distinct and nicely rendered, there's a lot of repetition of plot which slows down the action. Also, Arthur's whininess and obsession with pop culture becomes tiresome after a while. The latter issue even seems like fan-pandering. While putting constant modern day references, tons of emojis, teen slang, etc. into a book might connect with youth reading it in 2018, it will definitely date the book in the years to come. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book but the love story was the least interesting part for me. The first third of the novel, before the boys know who the other person was, is actually more intriguing. We've all had those chance encounters with others that seem to have promise but are then cut short. And our ignorance about who the other person actually is allows us to build our own stories about them. Romantic Arthur fantasizes that Ben will be a knight in shining armor who will heroically rescue him from his lingering virginity. Ben wonders if Arthur will the be "true love" he's been looking for but seems to keep sabotaging. While the quest for each other isn't enough to maintain the drama for the entirety of the novel, finding each other just kind of reinforces how incompatible they actually are yet I don't feel the book really addressed this. Instead, we get a "everything's OK" ending that really does feel like a FRIENDS episode. 

I liked Abertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda much more, and I liked Silvera's voice for Ben more than Albertalli's voice for Arthur. But, that being said, What If It's Us is still a fun rom-com-style ride. 

RELATED: LGBTQ Book Collection | LGBTQ YA Collection on Bookshop.org

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW OF THE NOVEL:

Within the first paragraph of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys, I was worried I had made a mistake. After all, the first things Maggie tells us about her female protagonist, Blue Sargent, is that she comes from a long line of psychics and that it's been foretold by said psychics that she'll eventually kill her true love with a kiss. Poor Blue has grown up with this grim specter and it's become even more frightful now that she's 18 and seriously interested in boys. At this point, I admit that my cynicism for young adult fiction took over. 

Ah shit, I thought, I just spent money for another tedious YA paranormal romance. There will be nothing for me in this novel but a rising sense of irritation.

Fortunately, I was dead wrong. 

The Raven Boys turned out to be a highly engaging novel which both surprised and pleased me by not indulging in the usual YA paranormal tropes about a demure girl with special powers who's loved by a contingent of dangerous, damaged bastards but is afraid to love them back. In fact, props to Stiefvater for not only providing authentic male characters, but also presenting young male culture as being both supportive and welcoming (because it can be, you know). 

The meat of the novel revolves around Blue's family gift and its connection to a mysterious energy corridor called a ley line which runs near her hometown of Henrietta, Virginia. Blue's not overtly clairvoyant  but when she visits the ley line on with her aunt on St. Mark's Eve — a night when the spirits of those who will die in the next year march by — she has a ghostly vision of a young man who identifies himself as "Gansey." As it turns out, "Gansey" is Richard "Dick" Campbell Gansey, III, a wealthy student at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The students at the all-male prep school are cumulatively known as "raven boys" by the Henrietta natives who view them with a mixture of intolerance and envy. Blue would normally eschew "raven boys," partly because of their reputation, partly because of that whole I-will-kill-you-with-a-kiss thing. Instead, she's drawn into Gansey's circle and his obsessive quest for a legendary Welsh king called Gwendower he swears is buried someone along the ley line. According to myth, anyone who awakens the sleeping king will be granted a supernatural favor. Gansey's Gwendower fixation and Blue's ominous vision of the boy eventually culminate in an uneasy partnership shared by three other Aglionby students and — unbeknownst to all of them — their unscrupulous Latin professor.

Stiefvater's prose is rich and highly atmospheric, sometimes straying close to poetry in a way reminiscent of Neil Gaiman. Her vision of the fictional Henrietta, a southern town curiously populated by powerful psychics and affluent schoolboys, becomes a fascinating backdrop for a variety of subplots. Stiefvater should also be complemented for tying up enough loose threads to make The Raven Boys a satisfying novel on its own while simultaneously leaving enough unresolved so the reader is craving the next book in the cycle.

​Check this one out!

RELATED: Review of The Dream Thieves: The Raven Cycle Book 2

REVIEW OF THE RAVEN BOYS: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

The Raven Boys Graphic Novel, adapted by Stephanie Williams and illustrated by Sas Milledge, breathes visual life into Maggie Stiefvater's bestselling YA supernatural fantasy, The Raven Boys. Originally published in 2012, the novel embarked readers on a mesmerizing journey through The Raven Cycle, a four-book saga steeped in myth and mystery. This graphic novel adaptation, released in August 2025, seeks to capture the enchantment and suspense that endeared the original to countless fans.

Williams's adaptation is a testament to the power of storytelling through visuals. The necessity of condensing Stiefvater's intricate plot into a graphic format inevitably simplifies certain elements, akin to a book being translated into a film. As a result, some of rich complexities, especially the nuanced relationships between the Aglionby Academy students—Gansey, Noah, Ronan, and Adam—and Blue, the girl entwined in their quest, are somewhat diminished. Despite this, the core narrative remains intact: a slowburn quest to find the legendary Welsh King Glendower and the looming prophecy over Gansey's tragic fate.

Sas Milledge's artwork employs heavy ink work and a limited color palette, perfectly complementing the novel's dark supernatural plot mixed with subplots about abuse, grief, trauma and murder. While Milledge's artistic interpretations may diverge from what readers of the original novel might have imagined, this divergence adds a unique dimension to the story, offering fresh perspectives on beloved characters.

Notably, the graphic novel retains the suspense and surprising twists that captivated readers in Stiefvater's original work. Whether you're a first-time reader or a long-time fan, this adaptation promises an engaging experience, allowing you to rediscover the magic and mystery of The Raven Boys through a new lens.
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