Hi everyone, back with another review of a queer book, who is surprised? This one is out today so don’t forget to add it on Goodreads and consider buying a copy from your local indie, Waterstones or Amazon! Hope you like the review! Sasha ❤

Fin & Rye & Fireflies by Harry Cook was a queer contemporary that was at once fun, enjoyable and heartwarming and also important and deep.

When Fin is caught kissing a boy, his homophobic parents decide to move to a new town in the hopes of giving Fin a new start so he can “straighten out”. However, here he meets a group of friends who make him feel more than ever that his parents are wrong to want him to change – lively, kind Poppy who immediately befriends him, her transgender girlfriend June who is braver than anyone Fin has met before, and Rye, the handsome and alluring boy who fin cannot help but fall for. 

This is a wonderful coming of age story with a heartwarming and adorable romance and queer found family that discusses important topics such as homophobia and conversion therapy, and I deeply enjoyed it.

It definitely shows how great this book was that despite the difficult and heart wrenching topic it discusses it’s still overall a fluffy and sweet book, full of fun, banter and friendship. 

Fin was a wonderful main character. He was brave and resilient, kind and awkward. I loved seeing him slowly become comfortable with his new friends and accept and love himself. He goes through so much in this book but is still so kind and loving. I ended up absolutely loving his character, and I really just wanted to give him a hug. He’s a wonderfully written character and realistic teenager, with his hopes and flaws and insecurities.

I didn’t expect Rye, the love interest, to get a POV too, but I found myself loving his perspective and the depth it gave his character. It was great to see how much he and Fin liked each other from both their perspectives, and Rye’s struggles with his anxiety added another important layer to this book.

I really loved the romance between these two – the chemistry was immediately clear and though it was slightly insta love I could really see how much these two made sense together, and loved seeing them become closer friends and eventually more. Their romance definitely lit up this book – it was adorable, vulnerable and heartwarming.

The topics discussed in this book are certainly heavy and I do urge you to check trigger warnings, but I thought they were tackled wonderfully. Fin’s parents shunning of his identity was a raw and unforgivable hurt and the scenes in the conversion therapy centre were claustrophobic and painful, but both of these things are harsh realities for queer teens and Fin & Rye & Fireflies was a testament to the strength and resilience that LGBTQ+ teenagers have, and it showed that amid these darkest points of life there can be a light. 

I throughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it! 

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence was wonderful and intriguing story of sisterhood with a complex mystery at it’s centre. It was beautifully written and full of personality, an exemplar of UKYA that I would really recommend. This one was out yesterday and so you can now grab a copy from your local indie, Waterstones or Amazon, remember how much purchases in the early days help, especially for marginalised authors! Hope you like my review – Sasha ❤

The stand out aspect of Eight Pieces of Silva was definetely the characters for me. Becks is an engaging main character with a refreshing and real voice that came alive on the page and was distinctly young but not too immature. Becks is immediately likeable and relatable with her fangirl-ish love for Black Panther and Kpop, her casual and curious voice. She is bold and brave and her character development was natural and well-done.

I loved how Becks being sapphic wasn’t a main point of the book. It was like, here is our main character, she’s a lesbian by the way, and there’s this whole mystery she has to solve, which was something I really appreciate. Sapphics deserve coming of age and discovering our sexuality stories but we also deserve all kinds of others stories where our sexuality isn’t the focal point, like straight people get!

Becks romance and dynamic with China was wonderful – they were already friends and it’s immediately clear how much they care for each other. What I loved most about this two was how undeniably and stoically they were there for each other and supported each other. They were loving, kind and truthful to each other throughout and I really shipped them.

Their romance also stood as an opposite of the toxic relationship discussed in this book, which I can’t give too many details about. I thought this relationship was discussed with care and compassion but still showing how it was unhealthy.

Silva was also a nuanced and interesting character, she was compassionate and fiercely loving, perhaps too much so. I loved the sisterly relationship of Becks and Silva, I wish it had been discussed even more in depth, but though these two haven’t always got on perfectly it becomes clear that they’ll be there for each other no matter what and over the course of the book come to understand the other and their needs better.

There were so many more themes in this book that I loved, including the complexities of family, grief and mental health and race.

My main grievance with this book and the reason I gave it four rather than five stars is the mystery aspect of the plot. While it was intriguing, I didn’t find it to be nearly as exciting or mysterious as I had hoped. This book was very much marketed as a mystery thriller but I didn’t really find it thrilling at all. The big reveal and build up were not nearly as high stakes as the beginning of the book might make you believe and some of the clues leading to Silva were barely relevant. There are also diary entries written by Silva that pretty much explain why she’s gone before Becks finds it out, very much deducting from the suspense and surprise we could have felt alongside Becks had these not been there. It still was a complicated and interesting mystery just not to the degree I’d hoped. I felt this book was very much a character focused mystery which is wonderful but didn’t quite work for me. However Eight Pieces of Silva is still amazing and totally worth a read, with so many great aspects to it.

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green was a hilarious, heartfelt and deeply enjoyable book about two boys who fake an amazing summer to get back at their cheating exes, and maybe discover feelings for each other along the way…

This book was so funny, full of gay shenanigans, and deeply relatable. Simon James Green really knows how to be relatable to queer youth! The characters were loveable, interesting and had a wonderful dynamic, the plot was so entertaining and delightful, and the writing made it easy to fly through this book – every time I sat down to read I was surprised by how easily I read a hundred odd pages 🙂

Nate and Jack were both wonderful main characters, both so distinct and full of personality. Jack was flamboyant, hilarious and unapologetically over the top. I immediately liked him, his dry sense of humour and his sharp wit. He was dramatic and vivacious and overall a wholly loveable character. Nate was a bit quieter, sarcastic and a little anxious at times. At first he was slightly shy  and conflicted but his personality shone through and I couldn’t help but love him, too.

Jack and Nate’s dynamic was seriously so great. At first they grudgingly sought revenge together, but as they got closer they became pretty good friends…and perhaps more. Every interaction between these two – except a couple that were full of miscommunication and angst – was amusing, genuine and just so much fun to read.

The plot was so entertaining, full of joy and humour as Nate and Jack travelled around Britain on a road trip to prove how over their exes were. There was even a little of the fake dating trope, which is honestly always a win. The boys are only 16, so they were with Nate’s family, which presented some hilarious difficulties, and in their search for some instagrammable content they went to a vegan festival, camped in huts in the woods, watched a local talent show and more engaging and utterly hilarious shenanigans.

I loved the gay rep, obviously, it’s ownvoices so how could I not. I could see my own queer experiences reflected in Nate and Jack’s, and I loved how sexuality and coming out was discussed but not the centre of the book. This book is truly a win for the gays!

The writing was full of the boys’ personalities, it was humorous and easy to read and follow, I could have read it in one sitting without looking up if only I had the time!

Overall, Heartbreak Boys was a superb, witty and enthusiastic story that sparkled with fun. I would really recommend this joyful, queer and deeply entertaining book!!

Hi all!! Both Sasha and I were *incredibly* lucky to have gotten ARCs of Micaiah Johnson’s THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS from Hodder & Stougton, and here’s our thoughts on it! You’re not going to want to miss this one 😉 – Sasha and Amber ❤

Micaiah Johnson’s THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS is a stunning debut sci-fi novel all about inter-dimensional travel, deception, family and fighting for what’s right.

Amber’s Thoughts:

This book really managed to tick every box for me, I mean, a debut novel about a queer Black girl who travels between worlds AND there’s a f/f relationship?!?! And it really did not disappoint me! I loved everything about this book from the characters to the way the author kept the plot moving, and once I had gotten into it, I devoured the rest of the book in near enough one sitting.

Cara is one of her world’s top traversers and she is tasked with travelling to other worlds to collect intel to bring back to Earth Zero. And while Cara loves her job, it doesn’t come without a price. If her doppelganger still lives in the world she travels to, she won’t make it back home alive, and every time she traverses, she comes back bruised and in pain, but that’s a tiny price to pay for doing something you love, right…?

But this book isn’t all travelling between worlds and having fun, and soon Cara finds herself caught up in a world where she ends up stuck and what she learns there unravels a whole web of secrets back on Earth Zero. I absolutely adored the journey that Cara went on when stuck in this world and I loved the characters we met there and how they helped to shape the rest of the book. You could actually see how her experiences changed and shaped her once she was back from this earth.  I think Johnson is very good at introducing new characters but making it feel as though you’ve known them throughout the whole book and then doing a complete 180 on the character once we’re back in another universe. It was super fun to read about how each doppelganger is different in each world and which bits of their personality stay the same!

I absolutely adored Cara as a main character; she’s tough, intelligent and doesn’t take crap from anyone which I really admired about her. She’s willing to stand up for what’s right, even if that means putting her own life at risk, yet she doesn’t do it in a self-destructive way;  which is something we don’t see all that often in books. I especially loved getting to see her around her family and the way her whole demeanour changes when she interacts with her siblings was super sweet.

The f/f relationship in this book was frustrating to say the least, but in the best way!! The dynamic between these two is honestly adorable and the way they both put up a façade around each other to avoid admitting their feelings WAS SO PRECIOUS!! And it made it all the more worth it when they *finally* got together. I loved the way they supported each other and were both strong, independent women who don’t let that change just because they’re in a relationship.

The pacing of this book really picked up for me around page 50, and from then I was flying through the rest of the book and eager to find out what happened next. This book truly doesn’t read like a debut and the writing style is so flowy and beautiful – I can’t wait to see what they author does next!!

The ending of this book was sweet and hopeful, and while this is a standalone, I would absolutely love a novella or something that is a couple years in the future, just so we can see where the characters are and how they’ve continued to grow!

Sasha’s Thoughts:

The Space Between Worlds by Michaiah Johnson is a stunning and evocative sci-fi debut which is both an inter dimensional adventure and an important look at privilege, class and belonging.

With a Black bisexual main character,  and a slow burn f/f romance, this book intrigued me from the get-go, and I was not disappointed at all. It was perfection in so many ways, from it’s distinctive and in-depth characters, it’s unique world and complicated, exciting plot. This book is a masterpiece if there ever was one.

I immediately loved Cara, and my fondness for her only grew as the plot progressed. I felt for her immediately, as she struggles to find her place in the world, yearns over a beautiful woman who inexplicably shies away from her and navigates the job that both astonishes and wounds her. Cara is smart and hard working, she is realistic but allows herself to hope. She’s so strong, and goes for what she wants in life no matter what. As the plot unravels, we see how resourceful and incredibly smart she is. She is perceptive and insightful, and despite everything she has been through she strives for a better world and continues fighting. I loved her relationship with her little sister Esther, which brought out her best side, how protective and loving she was, and how daring. 

I also completely adored the dynamic between her and Dell. The slow burn was real, and I loved every minute. They were both independent and wonderful women in their own right, and they were so perfect together. Seeing Cara yearn for Dell and Dell show her affection in her own individual way was so beautiful but also, as a romance fan, a lot of fun. I often find romance in adult SFF books aren’t as entertaining and yearning-filled as those in YA SFF, but this one really ticked all my boxes. 

The plot of The Space Between Worlds was exciting, fast paced and high-octane. Once it picked up with a breathtaking plot twist around 50 pages in, I was completely hooked. I revelled in attempting to predict some plot twists and was caught completely off guard by others. The storyline of this book was so intricately woven, with clues everywhere arranged in such an amazing way, I am seriously in awe! On top of this, important themes are discussed in this book in such a raw and eye opening way, fitting seamlessly into the plot as well as being relevant commentary on our own society. The clear class differences and the stereotypes that come with them are seen from Cara’s perspective as she navigates being part of both class, but not being sure where she belongs in the end. The discussion of poverty and privilege is also incredibly layered, gritty and frank.

The world building was incredible – on top of the interesting and relevant class divided society – the idea of a multiverse was approached in an intriguing and unique way, and inter dimensional travel was something both beautiful and awe inspiring as well as fierce and brutal. I was so fascinated by every aspect of this astonishing, distinctive sci-fi dystopian multiverse. 

Overall, The Space Between Worlds is a simply wonderful, breathtaking and completely unique Sci-Fi that I cannot recommend enough. It’s a remarkable debut that is rich in every element of it’s story and reaches even it’s highest ambitions, and is truly the pinnacle of magnificent sci-fi. 

Hi all! Today’s blog post is a review of a gorgeous book that I recently had the opportunity to review! Please check out all the links at the bottom of the post! Enjoy – Amber ❤

THE STORY OF BABUSHKA is a gorgeous story aimed at children and teens about Babushka, who wants to find out the meaning of life.

Babushka lives in a gorgeous, close knit forest with animals and some of her closest friends. But Babushka is certain that the meaning of life is not for her to stay in the forest forever, so she starts sending her bodies out into the world in order to figure out some answers.

This story is beautifully written, with an incredibly strong and important message portrayed to young readers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

Each of Babushka’s bodies represents something about her whole self, there’s beauty, wealth, talent, wisdom and love. These parts together complete Babushka, and as she starts sending them off into the world, she realises that she is incomplete without them. Mary (the embodiement of love) is incredibly giving, kind and selfless, and she helps Babushka to see all the reasons why she should continue to send her bodies off into the world. And so she does.
But it’s not until Mary is all alone that she starts wondering why she feels like she still isn’t fulfilled. And so, Mary embarks on a journey to find the meaning of life for herself, and where does it lead her? Right back to her other bodies, where one by one, they make her feel complete again.

What Mary didn’t realise or consider when sending her bodies off is that would exploit them, and that perhaps, after all this, they’re just as miserable as she is without each other.

I absolutely loved the messages woven into this story. Things such as self-worth and standing up for what is right are such important things to be highlighting for all generations to come and this story does it so flawlessly and beautifully. I loved that once back together again, Babushka realised that what she already had WAS the meaning of life, and that all she needs it to be complete again and she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. The illustrations in this story were so vivid and delightful to see! I think they really completed this book and will draw in the target audience immediately!

A huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book to review!

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If you’re looking for a fun and quick middle grade to read, I’ve got you! I loved this book and I hope you’ll take my reccomendation and pick it up too! Sasha < 3

"'But nothing is impossible is it?' Diana thought. There was always hope if you knew where to look for it."

Diana and the Island of No Return by Aisha Saeed was a fun, exciting and high-stakes new look into the life of Wonder Woman, this time seeing her as a twelve year old girl hoping to prove herself. 

Her mother Hippolyta won’t let her train yet, but Diana is determined to prove herself so she can play her part in keeping her home, Theymiscara, safe, and in this book she will have to do so much more than she anticipates to save her people, her home and her way of life- if she can survive long enough…

If you’re new to Wonder Woman, this is perfect place to start, and if you’re already a fan, this is a nostalgic and childish look at Diana’s younger years that is so enjoyable to read. Any fans of middle grade will love this book – combining the Greek mythology and high-octane storytelling that so many people love in Percy Jackson with a fierce and loveable young heroine coming into her powers, it’s sure to be a hit with readers of all ages.

I love the Diana in this! Though I know her better as a young woman or adult, her distinctive bravery and personality still shone through in her younger self, and I could really recognise the person who would become one of my favourite superheroes! Diana is fiercely loyal to her friends and family, doing whatever it takes to save them, and her compassion stretches to anyone in need. Though she is only just coming into her own in this book, she is already so smart, strong and fierce, defying the odds to save herself and her friends time and time again. 

I absolutely love the secondary characters, Sakina and Augustus. They’re both so intelligent in their own ways and I liked them straight away. Along with Diana they make a formidable, if young, team and I hope to see more from this trio in the future!

Diana and the Island of No Return was written so well – it was fun and light with the usual style of middle grade, which I loved. It was full of Diana’s personality and wit. It was simple and fluid, perfect for younger readers but also a nice change of pace for older ones.

The story is fast paced, wonderful and so exciting to read! It’s a little formulaic in it’s structure, but in a way that is deeply enjoyable and kind of comforting. The stakes were high but Diana and team fought back hard, determined to defeat evil! I was entertained the whole way through this book, reading it quickly in two sittings, though I do have some questions that I really hope the second book will answer!

Overall this was unique and adventurous story about friendship and bravery, with an exciting and compulsively readable plot, that I would seriously recommend! I’m officially an Aisha Saeed stan now, too. This is the second book I’ve read by her and she’s such a wonderful author.

Hi everyone!! Today’s post is the first in a series that we came up with!! (we think? correct us if someone else did it first!!). Every week or every 2 weeks we will be sharing a wrap up of our recent wlw reads, so here’s the first one! – Sasha and Amber ❤

If you want to take part, we’d LOVE that, and do tag us! You can share just one recent WLW read or as many as you want! Let’s share the love for sapphic books 🙂

Amber’s Recent WLW Reads:

I recently reread some old favourites, books which I’ve talked about a lot on this blog, so instead of my *actual* most recent sapphic reads, I’ll list my most recent sapphic reads that weren’t rereads 🙂

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

This book was STUNNING! We got approved for it on netgalley and it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it’s safe to say it is definitely a new favourite!! This is a sapphic thriller about a woman who kills bad men. She kills men who are rapists, men who are paedophiles, men who are just generally the scum of the earth. This thriller was SO fun to read, it’s full of twists and made me gasp multiple times!

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Another sapphic thriller (this is becoming my brand and I’m not mad about it at all). This book is a hard-hitting story about a girl who lives with her mother and is estranged from both her family and society. Her mum is very particular about how she likes things, and Margot is fed up of not knowing where she comes from. When she finds a photo of her Gram, she runs away and plans to find out all about her family, but she didn’t expect there to be a dead girl who looks exactly like her on the day she turn up at her Gram’s farm.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Both Sasha and I were incredibly lucky and recieved ARCs of this book to review. It’s a stunning sci-fi debut by a Black author with a Black lesbian MC. Enter Cara. Of the 382 realities that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but eight; when one of her eight remaining doppelgangers dies under mysterious circumstances, Cara is plunged into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and future in ways she never could have imagined – and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse. Look out for our full reviews soon! You don’t want to miss this one 🙂

Sasha’s Recent WLW reads:

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

It’s really difficult to put into words how beautiful, mesmerising and heartbreaking this book is – I was crying nearly the whole second half.

“Mabel. Loving on you is prayer, like the prayers of bees is honey. We loved on each other like we always been. My fingers caressed your naps in this life. It placed oils. And we was infinite and knew how to love. On the scalp. Along the cornrow and on each other. These coilings was anoited like a real love. We was a cosmic conversation, before I even met you in this life.” 

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

This unique fairytale retelling was spearheaded by a Black lesbian fighting the patriarchy. I flew through this book – the writing was gorgeous, powerful and full of emotion as well as being easy to read! This was so exciting, I couldn’t stop reading! The plot was full of twists and turns, capturing and intriguing and full to the brim of feminism and dismantling the system!
Sophia was loveable, brave and wonderful, I loved her so much. She was so strong but also vulnerable, I loved Constance too and how they protected each other. Reading this, I felt anger sadness and hope along with Sophia as she fought the patriarchy, as well as smiling so much when Sophia was yearning for Constance and attempting to flirt with her.

Something To Talk About by Meryl Wisner

This fun slow-burn romance was full of personality and kept me reading and never bored! It kept me on my toes, full with yearning! It was really cute but also discussed some important issues. Both Jo and Emma were so loveable, people in and of themselves as well as in relation to each other, both driven & interesting with strong personalities and goals! This book made me so happy, and also frustrated that they wouldn’t just kiss already 🙂

Hiya everyone, today I have a review of a book I absolutely adored for you! I seriously think you should all pick this up, as I make clear in my review below! Don’t forget to also check out #ownvoices reviews for this book, if you wrote one I’d love if you’d do me the favour of dropping it in the comments so I can boost and link it 🙂 Sasha ❤

This Is My America by Kim Johnson was absolutely fucking phenomenal. Discussing the racism in the justice system and the accusation and incarceration of innocent Black people, along with a thrilling whodunit mystery, told with the powerful & raw voice of a young Black girl determined to find justice for her father, brother and all those wrongly hurt by the system just because they are Black. I am blown away by this wonderful, timely and stunningly written book, and i cannot recommend it enough.

I’m not sure what else to say about this book. I loved Tracy, she was such a complex character, she was so strong and intelligent, driven and passionate. 

I was so impressed by how brave Tracy was in the face of adversity and everything that was going on, how determined she was, and I enjoyed seeing how she kept a hold of her dreams and ambitions. She was just such a wonderful character.

I loved Tracy’s relationships with the other characters – the bond between her and her family was beautiful and cute too, they loved each other so much and cared for each other endlessly. Her friendship with her brother was wonderful, I liked their dynamic so much. I also liked her friendship with Tasha a lot.

I personally am team Quincy, but I loved reading her relationship with both him and Dean! The romance aspect wasn’t the biggest, but it was there and it was very enjoyable, I loved how Quincy is there for her no matter what and how clear it is that he cares for, Dean was also alright, I suppose. 

The themes of racism and the corrupt justice system and the way they’re intertwined in this book were important and eyeopening. It discusses the harmful stereotypes of thugs and criminals perpetuated onto Black people that can lead to unjust accusations, arrests and imprisonments. Tracy’s brother Jamal is a model student and amazing athlete and yet in the end the police and society still couldn’t see him as anything but a killer when it was a white girl who was killed. Of course, even if Jamal had been a slacker or something, he wouldn’t deserve being branded a thug, but this book shows how in the end, some people refuse to see anything but the colour of someone’s skin and what they associate that colour with when accusing them. 

“I want to be angry that Jamal ran, but I can’t blame him. What else are you supposed to do when the world treats you like a monster?”

This was just one of the many important topics This Is My America talked about, bringing up how capitalism and white supremacy hold each other up, how the police target and attack Black people, daily microagressions that Black people, especially Black women, face, and more. 

As well as these important discussions, This Is My America was also a wonderful and compulsive mystery. There was a murder to solve, with clues and tidbits left throughout the plot. This was so exciting and kept me so hooked on the plot, I think it’s so impressive how this was one of the best mysteries I’ve read but that was just one of many many amazing aspects of this book! 

This is My America was written so well, Tracy is such a distinct voice and the writing was full of her personality and passion, as well as being easy to read and lyrical all at once. It swept me up and made this book even easier to fly through.

Overall this was such a wonderful book that completely blew me away and I cannot recommend it enough, it was so powerful and combined so many well-done aspects to become a groundbreaking success.

"I wanted to go to the police, but they are the police. Who were they going to believe?"