#dahlia adler

[lgbtqreads]

Happy Lesbian Visibility Day 2024!

Happy Lesbian Visibility Day 2024! We’re celebrating with these lesbian protagonists, and you can too! For more recs, check out past years’ posts!  Young Adult We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller Jordan Elliott is a fat, nerdy lesbian, and the first junior to be named editor in chief of the school newspaper. Okay, that last part hasn’t happened yet, but it will. It’s positive thinking that has gotten…

[traeumenvonbuechern]

⚾ Books To Read If You Love "A League of Their Own" ⚾

I can’t believe Amazon canceled "A League of Their Own" 😭 Here are some books you should read if you miss this show as much as I do.

(Also, please remember that ALOTO wasn't canceled "due to the strikes". Amazon is the one to blame here, not WGA & SAG-AFTRA!)

Book titles:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (comes out September 19, 2023)

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise and Oscar O. Jupiter

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Joy, to the World by Kai Shappley and Lisa Bunker

The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

Running With Lions by Julian Winters

[girlzoot]

She wants to know it all, and it feels like so long since anyone has pried me open like an oyster and searched for the pearls you left behind. —Dahlia Adler/Lygia/His Hideous Heart

[the-forest-library]

Me: I’m never reading YA romance again

Dahlia Adler: *drops a new book*

Me:

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

Title: Cool for the Summer

Author: Dahlia Adler

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, romance, LGBT+, contemporary

Blurb: Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now, on purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life...except she's haunted by the memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. The memory becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers. Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams...but if she's finally got the guy, why can't she stop thinking about the girl?

[andiree]

New cover of mine featuring COOL AWESOME STRONG GORGEOUS SPORTY SPICY GALS!!! Actually titled Out of Our League: 16 Stories of Girls in Sports, this anthology is a powerhouse of athleticism and good vibes. Happy and thrilled to take part in this!

Art Directed by L. Whitt

[bookcub]

started reading at midnight a collection of short stories of fairy tale retellings and theres so much good rep, like im deeply obsessed, i cant wait to finish it!!

[the-final-sentence]

‘A friend once told me it’s not that deep.’

Dahlia Adler, from “Volley Girl”

[sapphic-book-tournament]

Wilder Girls by Rory Power-

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler-

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she's only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can't stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.

[read-bi-lina]

Happy Pride🩷🤎🖤❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Of course I celebrated by crossing off some queer titles from my TBR list! I listened to Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli, Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum, and Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler this month on Audible. My picks had a noticeable but unintentional trend given each of them are YA with Jewish representation, bi/les couples, redheaded MCs or love interests (or maybe not bc Imogen from Imogen, Obviously may be brunette judging by the artwork on the author’s Instagram…?) and 2/3 mention the movie,

which, thank goddess they did because they had me finally get around to watching it.

But this post isn’t about movies, it’s about books. So let’s get into them.

Imogen, Obviously

Imogen is surrounded by queer friends and family but she herself identifies as a straight ally. To show her support, she’s part of Pride Alliance, she loves queer pop culture, and she’s always there for her loved ones. Case in point, she’s also agreed to go along with her recently out best friend, Lili, and the lie she’s told her new, queer college friends about the two of them previously dating. It’s no problem for Imogen. Except when starts to get close with one of said friends, Tessa, and she begins to struggle with withholding the truth from her. She was never with Lili — she’s not even queer. Or is that only partly true?

TW: Biphobia, pressured/forced outing of a character, toxic friendship, gatekeeping, gaslighting, queer stereotypes

Opinion: First thing’s first, I’ll say it’s probably best to read this book for yourself rather than listen to the audiobook because there is a lot of texting. I was distracted (and slightly annoyed) by the constant mention of character initials and text timestamps within the narration. Other than that, this book resonated with me since I too was once a closeted bisexual whose sexuality was never once questioned because we were all convinced I was straight (curse comphet). Once it dawned on me I am in fact, not straight, it made so much sense looking back. It’s no surprise I’ve also experienced biphobia since coming out. I couldn’t relate to everything in the book; I’ve never found my own Tessa (I love her character) and I’ve never had a queer circle of my own. None of that stopped me from enjoying the story, however, and I can see this book making an impact on others. Especially the next generation.

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl

Baby, closeted lesbian, Margo, gets lessons from out-and-proud bisexual, Abbie, on how to “ace” being ✨gay✨ and discovers a new friendship with her experienced mentor, as well as her growing feelings for the girl of her dreams.

TW: Biphobia, homophobia, toxic friendship, gatekeeping, gaslighting, queer and lesbian stereotypes

Opinion: This book was my favorite of the three and I found myself relating a bit to both Margo and Abbie. There’s not much else I can say about it without giving away spoilers but I will say I loved this book and I highly recommend it!

Going Bicoastal

Follow Natalya along two different realities, one where she’s living with her father in New York City and getting to know “the redhead” she’s had her eye on. The other, she’s staying with her mother in Los Angeles and warming up to the intern she shares a desk with at her mother’s place of work.

TW: Self harm, divorce/divorced parents

(Unpopular) Opinion: As a fan of Adler’s Cool for the Summer and Home Field Advantage, not to mention a fan of this concept, I was really excited for this to release. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. While it had potential, I thought it was kind of boring. It seemed to me more care was put into the mentioning of food than the plot. I didn’t develop much of an interest in the characters, either. It was entertaining enough to finish but I wouldn’t personally recommend it. Not over Dahlia’s other works and not over Imogen, Obviously or Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl. However, if you want to, I encourage you to give it a try yourself and develop your own opinion. There are many other good reviews out there for this one. It appears I’m the odd one out, which is fine.

[lgbtqreads]

Happy Jewish American Heritage Month 2024!

Happy Jewish American Heritage Month! As always, we’re celebrating with books! For even more recs, check out previous years’ posts! Middle Grade Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass Thirteen-year-old Shai is an expert problem-solver. There’s never been something they couldn’t research and figure out on their own. But there’s one thing Shai hasn’t been able to logic their way through: picking at the…

[qbdatabase]

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can’t stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.

[girlzoot]

I loathed her with a hatred belonging more to demon than to man. —Edgar Allan Poe/Ligeia

[rieleyedenelkins]

cool for the summer

cool for the summer was so fucking GOOD !! queer main characters, so many pop culture references and it had me bawling at the end. this is the first book ever that ive ACTUALLY read in one sitting. although i do feel kinda bad for chase but there is SO MUCH representation. bi, questioning, a little mlm gay, a little non-binary, a little aromantic, i think there was a more but i can’t remember all of it off the top of my head

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

[the100thballoon]

the best YA sapphic books i've read, aka some fluffy book recs

The Gay Girl's Guide to Ruining Prom by Siera Maley

When Zoey's friend Skylar gets stood up at prom, Skylar sends her on a mission: revenge. Zoey sets out to find Chelsea, capture her heart, and then abandon her. The only problem is, Chelsea and Zoey have history.

I LOVED this book. It's one of my top comfort reads; it's well-written, neatly paced, ✨fun✨ at some points and heart-melty at others. 6/5 give it a read!

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Ruby is a cheerleader, slated to cheer for (and by extension, seduce) the new quarterback, Jack, who's just transferred from a nearby school for senior year. Only, Jack is short for Jaclyn. Homophobia, misplaced grief, and keeping up appearances pose a serious threat to Ruby and Jack's budding relationship.

Another comfort read. Dahlia Adler is such a talented author, and this is for sure one of her best works.

The Falling-in-Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

TBH, I don't remember a lot about this book- it's been a minute and I'm too lazy to look up the synopsis. Basically a girl meets her best friend's swoony cousin and they make a pact to act out all the romcom tropes- without the falling-in-love part. Obviously.

Like I said, it's been a hot minute since I read this, but it was one of the first WLW romances I read, and it has a special place in my heart. It's also fucking HILARIOUS.

[libraryleopard]

YA coming-of-age/romance novel

At the start of her senior year of high school, a girl finds herself torn between the guy she's had a crush on for ages and the girl she had an unexpected summer fling with who turns up at school without a warning

Dual timeline split between the summer and the school year

Bisexual, Jewish main character; Syrian American, Jewish, bisexual love interest; F/F and F/M romances