#camryn garrett

[blacksapphicguide]

Cleo x Imani It Had To Be You (short film)

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Romance TBR - Part 1

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Full Disclosure

Author: Camryn Garrett

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2019

Genres: fiction, contemporary, LGBT+, romance

Blurb: Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time, things will be different. She's making real friends, making a name for herself as the student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she's HIV-positive, because last time...well, last time, things got ugly. Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps isn't so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real - shy kisses escalating into much more - she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she's positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she's terrified of how he'll react...and then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles, or everyone else will know too. Simone's first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on.

[authorsshipzutara]

Camryn Garrett ships Zutara.

Explore her works on GoodReads and StoryGraph.

Website: https://camryngarrett.com

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[wttnblog]

6 Incredible LGBTQ+ Romance Books Eligible for The Goodreads Choice Awards

It’s Goodreads Choice Awards season once again, and as per usual it has already done its best to be un-inclusive and problematic. In a stroke of creative antagonism, Goodreads removed the Poetry, Middle Grade, and Children’s categories from contention, meaning that three entire genres of books cannot be recognized. At the same time it added “romantasy”, a trend sub-genre that is already…

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread  

Friday I’m In Love

YA contemporary romcom

a girl who missed having a sweet 16, but wants to save up and throw a coming out party instead

meanwhile there’s a cute new girl from Ireland she has a crush on

self-discovery, friendship, love, Black joy

[richincolor]

It's getting very cold in my part of the world, so I thought it would be fun to compile a list of books I want to read this winter with a hot beverage and selection of snacks. What's on your TBR list?

Strike the Zither (Kingdom of Three #1) by Joan He, illustrations by Kuri Huang Roaring Brook Press

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds Roaring Brook Press

What’s more important? Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried.

Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Mahalia Harris wants.

She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi. She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back. She wants a break from worrying--about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.

Then inspiration strikes: It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a Coming Out Party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms.

The idea lights a fire in her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the Coming Out of her dreams. But it's not long before she's buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English Lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia's party be over before it's even begun?

A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.

[libraryleopard]

YA contemporary coming-of-age/romance

Follows high schooler Mahalia, who is determined to throw a coming-out party to celebrate her queerness after she’s unable to have a Sweet Sixteen

While planning for her party, Mahalia also starts to fall for the new girl at school, Siobhan

However, Siobhan’s racist boyfriend and money troubles might get in the way of a budding romance and Mahalia’s party before they even happen

Black, bi/pan protagonist; biracial Black & white, questioning bi love interest; F/F romance

[qbdatabase]

Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

[just0nemorepage]

Full Disclosure || Camryn Garrett || 320 pages Top 3 Genres: Young Adult / Contemporary / LGBTQIA+

Synopsis: Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She's making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she's HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real--shy kisses escalating into much more--she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she's positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she's terrified of how he'll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone's first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on...

Publication Date: October 2019. / Average Rating: 3.94. / Number of Ratings: ~6780.

[blacksapphicguide]

Cleo x Imani It Had To Be You (short film)

[stardustandrockets]

DECEMBER RAINBOW CRATE SPOILERS

I think the rep boxes are some of my favorites! This is my third one (I missed the ace box as I wasn't aware of them back then) and they keep getting better! Especially now that they're doing more customizations on the books.

Included in the box: • tradpub: Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales with a redesigned dust jacket and signed book plate • indie pub: The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic by F.T. Lukens with a whole new design and signed bookplate to match • Monthly collectible magnet inspired by Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett • bisexual book coasters • bisexual pride pin • bi pride metal mark inspired by I Knew Him by Abigail de Niverville (not pictured because of transit issues)

The coasters have already gotten a lot of use, and the magnet lives on my fridge with the others.

[carladuquette]

everyone go read FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE

it’s a wlw love story + also includes a great friendship

it’ll make you laugh

it’ll make you cry

i rest my case.

[neverthetwinsshallmeet]

#QueerYourYear prompt 17: a book about queer joy

For this prompt, I picked Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett. Garrett’s novel is a a young adult coming-of-age story starring Mahalia, a high schooler who decides to throw a coming-out party to tell the world that she’s bisexual. Mahalia has dreamed of having a Sweet Sixteen for years, but when family money problems get in the way of having one, she decides to save up for a party on her own terms. At the same time, she starts falling for Siobhan, the new girl at school and finds herself juggling new responsibilities that might put a stop to her party before it’s even begun. 

This is a sweet and emotional read like an ode to rom-coms and queer joy. While Friday I’m in Love covers some heavier topics like poverty, religious homophobia, and the racism that Mahalia encounters at school as a Black girl, it’s still a story with plenty of joy and uplifting moments. Mahalia’s budding romance with Siobhan is sweet and I thought Mahalia was a well-crafted teenage protagonist–passionate and flawed, reacting realistically under a lot of pressure. It’s a quick read, one I sped through in the course of one weekend morning in bed, and I think one that works really well for this prompt since it’s ultimately all about Mahalia’s dream to authentically celebrate herself and find joy in her identity. 

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: Friday I’m In Love by Camryn Garrett

Have you ever seen a more joyful cover than the one on this book? I knew that I was going to adore this story before I even opened it and I’m happy to report that it did deliver!

Mahalia Harris and her mum didn’t have the money for a Sweet Sixteen but Mahalia has a plan. She’ll save the money up herself and have a Coming Out party. But it seems that the road won’t be smooth. Bills need to be paid, bosses need to be impressed, parents need to be navigated, school work needs to be done and to top it all, there’s a cute new girl called Siobhan. Can Mahalia juggle it all and still have the funds for her dream party?

Mahalia’s mum is very religious and the two go to church every Sunday. So, Mahalia is used to the judgements of church ladies. However, she isn’t sure she believes in a God that allows his flock to undergo so much suffering. Religion isn’t a huge feature in the book but it’s definitely there and of course, it’s a very relevant, important part of Mahalia’s upbringing.

Mahalia’s friends all come from wealthy families and the tension that this causes occasionally shows. Her best friend Naomi doesn’t always understand Mahalia’s struggles and while she always has good intentions, they are sometimes misplaced. However, I really loved watching their beautiful, genuine friendship and never had any doubts that they’d be very close for life.

Siobhan dates an irritating, popular boy called Danny and this makes it harder for Mahalia to know whether she would ever have a chance with her. I really admired how self-aware Mahalia was. Perhaps the fact that she has grown up Black, gay, female and poor has forced her to mature quicker than her peers but I was really impressed with how she handled the tough situations she was thrown into with kindness and forethought.

Friday I’m In Love is a really wonderful, smile-inducing YA queer romance and the story seemed to shine out of the pages. Mahalia wants to work in radio and there are also several eclectic playlists scattered throughout the book, forming a soundtrack. Full of warm heart and self-acceptance, this is a gorgeous, musical, romantic treat that will leave you twirling the night away.