#wlwlit

[wlwbookshelf]

IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE - ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashley Herring Blake has written another sapphic romance that I was barely able to out down until it was finished. Iris and Stevie are incredibly cute. The book is really successful take on fake dating that actually seems like a plausible reason two people could fake date! 

I loved seeing Bright Falls one last time, although I do wish there was two epilogues one for the Iris/Stevie and one for the whole cast! 

Based on this trilogy, any sapphic story Ashley Herring Blake writes will be an auto-buy for me. 

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Iris Kelly is released today (Oct 24th) in the US!

[lunaathorne]

books read in 2020: this is how you lose the time war by max gladstone and amal el-mohtar (★★★★☆)

the twist of you in me. the writhe. you're a whip uncoiling in my veins, and I write between the rearing and the snap. of course I write to you. of course I ate your words.

[nodsgay]

wlw literature: The miseducation of Cameron Post

beyond, beyond, beyond, not beneath the surface at all, but beyond and waiting.

[radishbear]

#wlwlit PLEASE

I find it extremely disturbing that when I went to the library to try and find a book about wlw i can’t, not eVEN ONE. But I can find MORE THAN TWO books about a person falling for their teacher…

[rhodeslibby]

@ storyseekers event 08 : favorite 2020 read — [ this is how you lose the time war ]

“I love you and I love you and I love you, on battlefields, in shadows, in fading ink, on cold ice splashed with the blood of seals. In the rings of trees. In the wreckage of a planet crumbling to space. In bubbling water. In bee stings and dragonfly wings, in stars. In the deapths of lonely woods where I wandered in my youth, staring up - and even then you watched me. You slid back through my life, and I have known you since before I knew you.”

[wlwbookshelf]

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE - LEX CROUCHER Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 Gwen and Art Are Not In Love tells a tale as old as time - boy meets girl, both are gay, and a little queer clique is formed. 

The writing is funny, and all the characters are loveable. It features a lesbian knight! Watching the friendships and romances develop with a backdrop of court intrigue and knight tourneys was perfect. 

I assumed this was going to be a King Arthur retelling, it’s not at all. But it is set at Camelot a few hundred years from the actual events. Although it is an alternative history, social pushback still exists against defying gender norms (i.e., being a lady knight) and same-sex relationships. 

I will re-read this when I get my hands on a physical copy in November (for UK people, I think it came out in May, go read it now!!) 

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[wlwbookshelf]

CLEAT CUTE - MERYL WILSNER Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lesbians and soccer, a pairing as old as time. A cute read in a world cup year. This book has Meryl’s trademark spice (so a lot of it, and it’s good), plus lovable main characters Phoebe and Grace are so compelling that I rushed through the book in a day. 

Many thanks to St Martin’s Press for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. 

[wlwbookshelf]

IN CHARM'S WAY - LANA HARPER Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this fourth Thistle Grove installment, the series circles back to the house of Harlow. Delilah is a compelling main character, and as always, there is a magical problem for her to solve, as well as a romance to be had. The love interest Catriona is an outsider and a complex character. 

I think these books can no longer be standalone at this point in the series. Thanks to the lore/worldbuilding from prior books so, if anyone wanted to start with this book, I would say to read at least Payback’s A Witch and Back In A Spell before it for better context. 

I enjoyed this book and still find this a solid series/world and am looking forward to reading the next installment about Dahlia Abramov.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. 

[wlwbookshelf]

THE SUN AND THE VOID - GABRIELA ROMERO CRUZ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Sun and the Void is told from the dual points of view of Reina and Eva, both young women that are trying to fit into societies that reject them. Gabriela Romero Lacruz uses a South American setting and mythology to create a world unlike any I’ve read before. 

As this is the first book in a series it does have some worldbuilding that slows the start of the book down. However, once that initial build-up is done, it is realized to its full potential and becomes an exciting, fast-paced book. 

You cannot help but root for both Reina and Eva, and I am excited to pick up the next one and find out what happens. 

Many thanks to Orbit Books for an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[wlwbookshelf]

THE SHADOW CABINET - JUNO DAWSON Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After the cheeky way Juno Dawson ended book one, I was glad to get an ARC for The Shadow Cabinet, the second book in Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. I have been desperate for answers. The book didn’t disappoint, and it was good to reconnect with the coven. 

I genuinely appreciated how the book blended personal dilemmas with more significant, high-stakes conflicts, giving each character a rich complexity that drew me in even more. 

Once again, the ending packed a powerful punch that left me reeling. The unexpected twists throughout the story kept me on my toes, and I found myself utterly absorbed, racing through to see what would happen next. 

The Shadow Cabinet is an easy five stars for me, and I can’t believe I now have to wait for book three!!! Thanks to Penguin for an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[wlwbookshelf]

MINDBREAKER - KATE DYLAN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mindbreaker offers a gripping journey into a dystopian sci-fi landscape set in a futuristic New York. The protagonist, Indra, grapples with the consequences of her cult upbringing, facing a series of daunting choices. 

Indra's character is well written, portraying resilience in the face of a bleak future. Indra has a cute sapphic romance that was the heart of the story for me. I loved the whole cast of characters and the found family dynamic this book has. 

While Mindbreaker can be enjoyed as a standalone, if you have previously read Mindwalker it might add some nice little nods and updates for past characters. 

The audiobook narration by Stephanie Cannon was great and really added to book. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAlley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! 

[wlwbookshelf]

FIREBIRD - SUNMI Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Author and illustrator Sunmi created a sweet slice-of-life story about high schooler Caroline Kim coming into her queer identity. I loved the art; it suited the story's tone, conveyed the characters' emotions, and added to the story. 

The cast in the book was my favorite part. Caroline had supportive friends, genuine family relationships, and crush-worthy Kimberley Park-Ocampo. I would read (and enjoy) volume two, picking up after Firebird and discovering what happened with everyone. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAlley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! 

[nodsgay]

wlw literature: Under the lights

her fingers tangle in my hair as she pulls me back and it’s not just me, it’s her, and it’s us, and obviously, neither of us is ready to say goodbye just yet.