Summertime Queer YA Readathon

Ah yes, queer YA, my favorite! This started out as a post about one book but then I immediately finished another one. (I looked up a list of best queer YA from spring 2021 and my library had like seven of the books on the list available.) So as long as I'm on this streak, I'll just keep updating here.

Cool for the Summer (by Dahlia Adler)

 This one was so good. It reminded me a lot of my young adult take on Persuasion but it's done so well.* The romance is hot, the characters are great, the bisexual representation is great, it's just really fun and delightful. 

*My first YA novel was set in Hollywood and I just found out she has a Hollywood series too. Dahlia might be my young adult twin?

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating (by Adiba Jaigirdir)

Oh my gosh I loved this. Reminded me a bit of Amelia Westlake Was Never Here in terms of the character dynamics, with fabulous bisexual representation (yet again!) and a great representation of Hani and Ishu's cultures.  (I particularly loved the portrayal of Hani, a Muslim whose parents are originally from Bangladesh.)

I follow Jaigirdir on Instagram where she is also very charming and delightful.  I hope this book is the massive hit it deserves to be.

Between Perfect and Real (by Ray Stoeve)

This is a coming-of-age narrative about a trans boy coming to terms with his trans identity. Dean is portrayed realistically; including, I thought, in true teenage fashion, having a lack of grace towards others who have a hard time adjusting to his transition but do their best.  But I wonder if Stoeve intends us to read Dean that way or if he's portraying all these other characters as firmly in the wrong for every misstep. 

This comes to a head with Zoe, his girlfriend, who makes many mistakes (some truly bad, like outing him to their friends) but then breaks up with him because she's a lesbian. I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but it seems valid for Zoe to decide she can't date a trans man because she is not attracted to men. Something about the way her character is treated didn't sit right with me.  But anyway, I enjoyed Dean's story and him as a character, for sure.