emdowd's review
3.0
Short story anthologies are always hit and miss for me, but this was more of a hit than anything else. I liked the breadth of the stories, some were truly short and others felt like longer works crammed into one chapter, there was sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and romance and a good balance of each.
"The Soft Place" was a standout for me and probably the story I'll be thinking about the longest.
"The Soft Place" was a standout for me and probably the story I'll be thinking about the longest.
ohheyitsalexis's review
5.0
I absolutely adored the previous anthology, [b:All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages|35140599|All Out The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages|Saundra Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514494195l/35140599._SY75_.jpg|53278915]. This one had a couple more misses for me (compared to All Out's 0) but it was still an absolute delight.
ramreads's review
adventurous
hopeful
2.0
This was a disappointment for me. I was pretty excited to read this follow up anthology to All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages, but I ended up not enjoying this as much as the previous one. The biggest reason why is because a lot of these stories are contemporary fiction and that’s the one genre I struggle to get into the most. That being said, the only story I loved in this entire anthology was “Victory Lap” by Julian Winters and that was contemporary so it’s not impossible for me to enjoy a story from that genre. The only other story I really liked was “Follower” by Will Kostakis but I only got into the last half.
Every other story I kind of liked always had some element to it that kept me from fully enjoying it. For example, I liked the romance in “What Happens in the Closet” by Caleb Roehrig but the writing made me cringe one time too many. “Lumber Me Mine” by CB Lee was good but felt way too long. “The Coronation” by Meredith Russo probably would’ve been one of my favorites if not for the weird age gap romance that was present in the story. It did have a great message and an interesting world though.
I also can’t get over the fact that Harry Potter is mentioned in two stories and both of those stories feature trans characters. This book came out in 2020 and I’m pretty sure that at that point it was obvious that J.K. Rowling was transphobic so having Harry Potter being mentioned only in stories that featured trans characters felt really weird. Seems like a bit of an oversight on the editors part.
Speaking of the editing, the way this anthology was put together drove me insane. Most of the shorter stories are near the beginning while most of the longer ones are near the end. I think story length is an important part to consider when deciding what stories should go where in an anthology. I prefer having a good mix of story lengths in an anthology instead of getting all the short ones right away and then getting bombarded with all the longer ones near the end or vice versa.
The same can be said with genre. Most of the fantasy stories in this were at the end of the book and as someone who struggles to get into contemporary stories but loves fantasy this made the beginning of the anthology a chore to get through. There are seventeen stories total in this anthology, and in the first ten stories only one of them is fantasy. There should’ve been a better mix of genres to keep readers like me engaged throughout.
I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this anthology as much as the previous one. I know it’s because the theme of this anthology seems to be “contemporary queer teens going about their life” since even the fantasy stories all took place in modern day. Unfortunately I just don’t connect with contemporary stories as much as I do with any other genre. Even though this anthology didn’t click with me I still plan on checking out the next one, Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder, since that one sounds like it’ll be more my speed. Here’s to hoping!
Every other story I kind of liked always had some element to it that kept me from fully enjoying it. For example, I liked the romance in “What Happens in the Closet” by Caleb Roehrig but the writing made me cringe one time too many. “Lumber Me Mine” by CB Lee was good but felt way too long. “The Coronation” by Meredith Russo probably would’ve been one of my favorites if not for the weird age gap romance that was present in the story. It did have a great message and an interesting world though.
I also can’t get over the fact that Harry Potter is mentioned in two stories and both of those stories feature trans characters. This book came out in 2020 and I’m pretty sure that at that point it was obvious that J.K. Rowling was transphobic so having Harry Potter being mentioned only in stories that featured trans characters felt really weird. Seems like a bit of an oversight on the editors part.
Speaking of the editing, the way this anthology was put together drove me insane. Most of the shorter stories are near the beginning while most of the longer ones are near the end. I think story length is an important part to consider when deciding what stories should go where in an anthology. I prefer having a good mix of story lengths in an anthology instead of getting all the short ones right away and then getting bombarded with all the longer ones near the end or vice versa.
The same can be said with genre. Most of the fantasy stories in this were at the end of the book and as someone who struggles to get into contemporary stories but loves fantasy this made the beginning of the anthology a chore to get through. There are seventeen stories total in this anthology, and in the first ten stories only one of them is fantasy. There should’ve been a better mix of genres to keep readers like me engaged throughout.
I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this anthology as much as the previous one. I know it’s because the theme of this anthology seems to be “contemporary queer teens going about their life” since even the fantasy stories all took place in modern day. Unfortunately I just don’t connect with contemporary stories as much as I do with any other genre. Even though this anthology didn’t click with me I still plan on checking out the next one, Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder, since that one sounds like it’ll be more my speed. Here’s to hoping!
francisopal's review
5.0
Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/review-queer-we-go-again/
“And you hate that word. Control. You hate that word because it is so very rare that you have any. Over your life, your sexuality, your gender, your pronouns, your heartbeat when you’re around a beautiful girl.”
It’s hard to make generalizations for so many stories beyond the fact that they were all thoroughly entertaining, sometimes sweet, sometimes sexy, and brought endless joy and pride to my heart. While I’d love this series of LGBTQ+ anthologies to continue forever, I am equally excited about the work of authors I’ve discovered in Out Now and truly hopeful for the future of queer YA. Rating: five excellent titular Mamma Mia references/five
Favorite quotes:
- ”They’re kissing. And it’s different, not because it’s a girl, not just because it’s a girl, but because it’s not Nathan, and Eliza had dreaded this moment from the minute she considered breaking up, because how could she ever kiss anyone else? But now - now it’s the greatest decision she’s ever made, because this is… this is not what she’s used to, this is being wanted, being desired, this is... connecting…”
- “Because people who should care didn’t, until they absolutely had to. Until their inhumanity was so big, they crumbled under its weight.”
- “He thinks of the woman on the train, how sometimes a given skin can give you warmth and courage until you’re okay with your own.”
“And you hate that word. Control. You hate that word because it is so very rare that you have any. Over your life, your sexuality, your gender, your pronouns, your heartbeat when you’re around a beautiful girl.”
It’s hard to make generalizations for so many stories beyond the fact that they were all thoroughly entertaining, sometimes sweet, sometimes sexy, and brought endless joy and pride to my heart. While I’d love this series of LGBTQ+ anthologies to continue forever, I am equally excited about the work of authors I’ve discovered in Out Now and truly hopeful for the future of queer YA. Rating: five excellent titular Mamma Mia references/five
Favorite quotes:
- ”They’re kissing. And it’s different, not because it’s a girl, not just because it’s a girl, but because it’s not Nathan, and Eliza had dreaded this moment from the minute she considered breaking up, because how could she ever kiss anyone else? But now - now it’s the greatest decision she’s ever made, because this is… this is not what she’s used to, this is being wanted, being desired, this is... connecting…”
- “Because people who should care didn’t, until they absolutely had to. Until their inhumanity was so big, they crumbled under its weight.”
- “He thinks of the woman on the train, how sometimes a given skin can give you warmth and courage until you’re okay with your own.”
bookishbay's review
3.0
Avg: 3/5
Kick. Push. Coast- 3/5
What Happens in the Closet- 3.5/5
Player One Fight- 1.5/5
Lumber Be Mine- 2.5
Follower- 2.5/5
Refresh- 3.5/5
Victory Lap- 3.5/5
A Road of One's Own- 2/5
Seditious Teapots- 3.5/5
Star-Crossed in DC- 4/5
Floating- 2.5/5
The Soft Place- 5/5
A Pound of Flesh- 4/5
One Spell Too Many- 5/5
Far From Home- 1.5/5
The Coronation- 1.5/5
Once Upon a Seastorm- 2/5
Kick. Push. Coast- 3/5
What Happens in the Closet- 3.5/5
Player One Fight- 1.5/5
Lumber Be Mine- 2.5
Follower- 2.5/5
Refresh- 3.5/5
Victory Lap- 3.5/5
A Road of One's Own- 2/5
Seditious Teapots- 3.5/5
Star-Crossed in DC- 4/5
Floating- 2.5/5
The Soft Place- 5/5
A Pound of Flesh- 4/5
One Spell Too Many- 5/5
Far From Home- 1.5/5
The Coronation- 1.5/5
Once Upon a Seastorm- 2/5
jordb1213's review
3.0
3.25 stars total.
This has the same fault of many of these anthologies- there are some stunning standouts, but a lot of mediocre or filler stories. This also didn't have as much cohesion as the original All Out anthology. While that focused on queer historical fiction, this is mostly contemporary stories with some fantasy. I did however, really love that this pulled from some lesser known voices in queer YA.
1. Kick. Push. Coast by Candice Montgomery - 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the ways this focused on the process of discovering identity, but it felt a little too pointed and I didn't love the writing style.
2. What Happens in the Closet by Caleb Roehrig - 4 stars.
This was a really interesting premise and I enjoyed the writing style. I personally didn't love the vampire lore (it was a little too basic for my taste). I think Roehrig's new novel, [b:The Fell of Dark|44211453|The Fell of Dark|Caleb Roehrig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572020198l/44211453._SY75_.jpg|68748010] is very similar to this so if you liked this, check that out.
3. Player One Fight! by Eliot Scherefer - 2.5 stars.
I don't have any particularly strong feelings on this - it's a fairly basic m/m romance with a video game element. It just felt a bit pointless and aimless.
4. Lumber Me Mine by C. B. Lee - 4 stars.
I loved that there was a wider variety of rep in this and thought it was a super sweet premise, but the writing felt a little young for YA.
5. Follower by Will Kostakis - 3.5 stars.
This had nice writing and I enjoyed that it was set in Australia, however it still felt very basic and not in a good way.
6. Refresh by Mark Oshiro - 5 stars.
I loved this! It was super cute and I loved the message.
7. Victory Lap by Julian Winters - 5 stars.
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt through this entire thing. I loved it so much. This was just pure joy and I really want to check out some of Julian Winter's other books.
8. A Road of One's Own by Kate Hart -2 stars.
This had a cute roadtrip and nice rep but felt kind of aimless and was confusing.
9. Seditious Teapots by Katherine Locke - 4.5 stars.
The premise and setting of this is awesome and I loved that it was about figuring out identity. However, writing could get confusing at points.
10. Star-Crossed in D.C by Jessica Verdi
If you want to write an across the aisle romance this is how you do it (people change and grow, instead of love conquers all!) However, the POV character could get really annoying (she's 18 and doesn't know her own father's policy opinions?) and writing was confusing.
11. Floating by Tanya Boteju - 2 stars.
I literally did not understand what was happening in this one, but I guess it was cute?
12. The Soft Place by Hillary Monahan - 1 star.
It seemed like this had a lot of potential and an interesting premise but it really wasn't executed well and I think it'd work better as a full length novel.
13. A Pound of Flesh by Kosoko Jackson - 5 stars.
This was such an original and unique perspective and I want a full novel in this universe.
14. One Spell Too Many by Tara Sim - 5 stars.
I will automatically give 5 stars to any well executed cozy kitchen witch story, especially if it's queer. I wasn't sure what the MCs identity was, but there were on the page queer side characters.
15. Far From Home by Saundra Mitchell - 3 stars.
I did not understand what was happening with this. To be fair, I read it during a lecture, but my review, my rules.
16. The Coronation by Meredith Russo - 3 stars.
again, did not follow what was happening, but also in lecture.
17. Once Upon a Seastorm by Fox Benwell -4.5 stars.
I really liked this. The way selkie lore was included was lovely and the setting was beautiful. It was a little confusing at points though.
This has the same fault of many of these anthologies- there are some stunning standouts, but a lot of mediocre or filler stories. This also didn't have as much cohesion as the original All Out anthology. While that focused on queer historical fiction, this is mostly contemporary stories with some fantasy. I did however, really love that this pulled from some lesser known voices in queer YA.
1. Kick. Push. Coast by Candice Montgomery - 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the ways this focused on the process of discovering identity, but it felt a little too pointed and I didn't love the writing style.
2. What Happens in the Closet by Caleb Roehrig - 4 stars.
This was a really interesting premise and I enjoyed the writing style. I personally didn't love the vampire lore (it was a little too basic for my taste). I think Roehrig's new novel, [b:The Fell of Dark|44211453|The Fell of Dark|Caleb Roehrig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572020198l/44211453._SY75_.jpg|68748010] is very similar to this so if you liked this, check that out.
3. Player One Fight! by Eliot Scherefer - 2.5 stars.
I don't have any particularly strong feelings on this - it's a fairly basic m/m romance with a video game element. It just felt a bit pointless and aimless.
4. Lumber Me Mine by C. B. Lee - 4 stars.
I loved that there was a wider variety of rep in this and thought it was a super sweet premise, but the writing felt a little young for YA.
5. Follower by Will Kostakis - 3.5 stars.
This had nice writing and I enjoyed that it was set in Australia, however it still felt very basic and not in a good way.
6. Refresh by Mark Oshiro - 5 stars.
I loved this! It was super cute and I loved the message.
7. Victory Lap by Julian Winters - 5 stars.
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt through this entire thing. I loved it so much. This was just pure joy and I really want to check out some of Julian Winter's other books.
8. A Road of One's Own by Kate Hart -2 stars.
This had a cute roadtrip and nice rep but felt kind of aimless and was confusing.
9. Seditious Teapots by Katherine Locke - 4.5 stars.
The premise and setting of this is awesome and I loved that it was about figuring out identity. However, writing could get confusing at points.
10. Star-Crossed in D.C by Jessica Verdi
If you want to write an across the aisle romance this is how you do it (people change and grow, instead of love conquers all!) However, the POV character could get really annoying (she's 18 and doesn't know her own father's policy opinions?) and writing was confusing.
11. Floating by Tanya Boteju - 2 stars.
I literally did not understand what was happening in this one, but I guess it was cute?
12. The Soft Place by Hillary Monahan - 1 star.
It seemed like this had a lot of potential and an interesting premise but it really wasn't executed well and I think it'd work better as a full length novel.
13. A Pound of Flesh by Kosoko Jackson - 5 stars.
This was such an original and unique perspective and I want a full novel in this universe.
14. One Spell Too Many by Tara Sim - 5 stars.
I will automatically give 5 stars to any well executed cozy kitchen witch story, especially if it's queer. I wasn't sure what the MCs identity was, but there were on the page queer side characters.
15. Far From Home by Saundra Mitchell - 3 stars.
I did not understand what was happening with this. To be fair, I read it during a lecture, but my review, my rules.
16. The Coronation by Meredith Russo - 3 stars.
again, did not follow what was happening, but also in lecture.
17. Once Upon a Seastorm by Fox Benwell -4.5 stars.
I really liked this. The way selkie lore was included was lovely and the setting was beautiful. It was a little confusing at points though.
kaycee_k's review
4.0
3.5
Where do I start with this! I love a good anthology and better yet a queer anthology! There is a mix of different kinds of short stories in this. Even though this is a solid anthology, I do feel that there need to be more different stories from different parts of the LGBTQIA+ community. Even though there are many, there are even more people not represented in this book, which hits the reason this is a 3.5 rating. If there were more different representations this the rating would have gone up. I am not going to talk about every story in this book but I am going to say that my favorite was Victory Lap by Julian Winters. I felt that not only was it amazingly written there was a mix of representation. This book has a vampire to aliens to many more different kinds of characters. Overall, I think this is a good read. If you are wanting to start reading queer books (I don't know why you wouldn't already be reading them.) but let's say you are new to reading queer books then this would be a good start.
Where do I start with this! I love a good anthology and better yet a queer anthology! There is a mix of different kinds of short stories in this. Even though this is a solid anthology, I do feel that there need to be more different stories from different parts of the LGBTQIA+ community. Even though there are many, there are even more people not represented in this book, which hits the reason this is a 3.5 rating. If there were more different representations this the rating would have gone up. I am not going to talk about every story in this book but I am going to say that my favorite was Victory Lap by Julian Winters. I felt that not only was it amazingly written there was a mix of representation. This book has a vampire to aliens to many more different kinds of characters. Overall, I think this is a good read. If you are wanting to start reading queer books (I don't know why you wouldn't already be reading them.) but let's say you are new to reading queer books then this would be a good start.
figthefruit's review
3.0
Like any anthology, it’s got some good ones and some bad ones! Some more experimental stories this time around, some of which just did not work for me, some of which I adored.
ettegoom's review
4.0
A refreshingly sweet collection of coming out stories. A good read wrapped up on the couch with a hot chocolate!
greylandreviews's review
3.0
3.25 stars
ARC provided by Inkyard Press through NetGalley for honest review
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did All Out but, this was still a good anthology about queer teens. My top three favorite short stories were: One Spell Too Many, Seditious Teapots, and Victory Lap.
Trigger Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, child neglect, AIDS, loss of a loved one, hate crime, and violence
ARC provided by Inkyard Press through NetGalley for honest review
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did All Out but, this was still a good anthology about queer teens. My top three favorite short stories were: One Spell Too Many, Seditious Teapots, and Victory Lap.
Trigger Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, child neglect, AIDS, loss of a loved one, hate crime, and violence