LGBTRepinBooks

Mistletoe & Mishigas

Revisado: 12-16-23

Trigger Warnings: cursing, past cheating, parental abandonment, homophobia, PTSD, masturbation, past death of a lover, war memories, sex

Representation: Gay, Jewish, twins, veteran, disabled, Bisexual

Mistletoe & Mishigas is the second installment of the Teachers in Love series. Sheldon Soleskin should be having a horrible day. Even though he’s been unexpectedly transferred to a new school right before the holidays, has only one day to set up his new classroom, and just discovered his twin sister's been hiding an invitation to his ex-boyfriend’s Christmas Eve wedding, he’s still ready to take on the world with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Theo Berenson just wants to be left alone to his custodial duties. When the chipper new first-grade teacher needs help moving furniture the Sunday after Thanksgiving, he's forced to do something he detests- help. To make matters worse, Theo's overbearing parents are coming for Hanukah in a few weeks, and he's told them he has a boyfriend. Except he doesn't. Because who would want to date an oaf like Theo?

Working together, these opposites discover they might be able to help each other out. Agreeing to be each other’s dates, they become friends as they practice for their upcoming events. But when all the rehearsing starts feeling a little too real, and both men's pasts come roaring back to haunt them, will they be able to pull off the ultimate holiday masquerade?

Maybe it’s me? I feel like every book I’ve read lately has just been very meh. Nothing great or having that wow factor. I’m not sure, maybe it’s me, but maybe it’s not, who knows? Unfortunately I wasn’t overly impressed with this installment in this series. I assumed I would really enjoy it because I loved the first book, but that wasn’t the case.

Now I love a good, smutty book. So not really enjoying the erotic scenes in this book was another disappointment. I’m not sure what exactly the issue was but some of the writing just seemed too over the top and like exaggerated but for no reason. I’m not a prude by any means, so I don’t want this to seem like I’m saying this because I’m bashful. The sex in this book just wasn’t written in a way that I enjoyed. This may not be true for everyone, though.

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Mistletoe & Mishigas

Revisado: 12-16-23

Trigger Warnings: cursing, past cheating, parental abandonment, homophobia, PTSD, masturbation, past death of a lover, war memories, sex

Representation: Gay, Jewish, twins, veteran, disabled, Bisexual

Mistletoe & Mishigas is the second installment of the Teachers in Love series. Sheldon Soleskin should be having a horrible day. Even though he’s been unexpectedly transferred to a new school right before the holidays, has only one day to set up his new classroom, and just discovered his twin sister's been hiding an invitation to his ex-boyfriend’s Christmas Eve wedding, he’s still ready to take on the world with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Theo Berenson just wants to be left alone to his custodial duties. When the chipper new first-grade teacher needs help moving furniture the Sunday after Thanksgiving, he's forced to do something he detests- help. To make matters worse, Theo's overbearing parents are coming for Hanukah in a few weeks, and he's told them he has a boyfriend. Except he doesn't. Because who would want to date an oaf like Theo?

Working together, these opposites discover they might be able to help each other out. Agreeing to be each other’s dates, they become friends as they practice for their upcoming events. But when all the rehearsing starts feeling a little too real, and both men's pasts come roaring back to haunt them, will they be able to pull off the ultimate holiday masquerade?

Maybe it’s me? I feel like every book I’ve read lately has just been very meh. Nothing great or having that wow factor. I’m not sure, maybe it’s me, but maybe it’s not, who knows? Unfortunately I wasn’t overly impressed with this installment in this series. I assumed I would really enjoy it because I loved the first book, but that wasn’t the case.

Now I love a good, smutty book. So not really enjoying the erotic scenes in this book was another disappointment. I’m not sure what exactly the issue was but some of the writing just seemed too over the top and like exaggerated but for no reason. I’m not a prude by any means, so I don’t want this to seem like I’m saying this because I’m bashful. The sex in this book just wasn’t written in a way that I enjoyed. This may not be true for everyone, though.

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Make You Mine This Christmas

Revisado: 11-29-23

Trigger Warnings: alcohol, cursing, coming out, sex

Representation: they/them pronouns, fat positivity, Bisexual, disabled, Lesbian

Make You Mine This Christmas is a holiday, sapphic romance. It's the golden rule of pretending to be someone's girlfriend: don't fall for their sister.

After a year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind stranger, a few too many drinks, and suddenly she's kissing Christopher under the mistletoe - in front of his ex-girlfriend. The next day the news is out that they're apparently a couple, madly in love, and coming to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher's family. Since Haf doesn't have better holiday plans and wants to save her new friend from embarrassment, she agrees to pretend to be Christopher's girlfriend for Christmas. This hi-jinx has the makings of a hilarious anecdote they'll be telling for years. Until Haf meets Christopher's sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit. Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along . . .

Another slam dunk of a holiday romance! The author’s prose is so warm and perfect for Christmas time and all the magic that comes with it. The representation throughout the book is incredible and provides such variety, plus each character is more than just their labeled identity. Also the fake dating in this story is absolutely *chef’s kiss* and is quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes! The meet cute in the story is so adorable and I loved all of the characters!

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The Wrong McElroy

Revisado: 11-28-23

Trigger Warnings: cursing, alcohol, racism, micro-aggressions, masturbation, on page coming out, sex, homophobia, adultery, marijuana

Representation: Lesbian, twins, Chinese-Malaysian-American, Asexual/Aromantic

The Wrong McElroy is a lesbian romance about finding unexpected love inside family expectations.

When Fiona Ng’s best friend, Michael, needs a pretend girlfriend to bring home for Christmas in Arkansas, Fiona girds her loins and steps up. Besides, how hard could one festive family weekend be, anyway? That’s before she meets the boisterous McElroy clan, with accents as thick as a homemade pie crust, and an endless supply of competitive siblings, including Lizzie, Michael’s beautiful younger sister. Lizzie seems to be everywhere, with her intoxicating scent, wandering hands, lingering gaze, and that bright, echoing laugh. The more time Fiona spends in her orbit, she wonders how she can even concentrate let alone pull off a convincing fake relationship.

This is another great holiday story! I am always a sucker for fake dating and an HEA! The author does a great job creating such a diverse group of characters within one family and the friendship between the two main characters is absolutely admirable. I also love all of the interactions between the couple and Michael’s family. Another perfect Christmas/winter Lesbian read!

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Ode to my First Car

Revisado: 06-22-23

Trigger Warnings: car accident, internalized biphobia, coming out, church, toxic relationship, dementia, sex

Representation: Bisexual, Transgender, Gay, Lesbian

Ode to my First Car is a young adult contemporary romance told in verse about a bisexual teen girl who falls in and out of love over the course of one fateful summer.

It’s a few months before senior year and Claire Kemp, a closeted bisexual, is finally starting to admit she might be falling in love with her best friend, Sophia, who she’s known since they were four. Trying to pay off the fine from the crash that totals Lars, her beloved car, Claire takes a job at the local nursing home up the street from her house. There she meets Lena, an eighty-eight-year-old lesbian woman who tells her stories about what it was like growing up gay in the 1950s and ’60s.

As Claire spends more time with Lena and grows more confident of her identity, another girl, Pen, comes into the picture, and Claire is caught between two loves–one familiar and well-worn, the other new and untested.

I always forget how much I enjoy a book written in verse! The short snippets of the character’s story are perfect bite size chunks to digest and process, while still providing a full story and world for us to dive into. This book is soft and sweet, a perfect summer read and I’m so glad I read it now! I will always cheer for a book with older lesbians! I absolutely adored Lena and her adventures with Claire. This is a great coming of age story and incorporates coming out so well! Overall a fantastic read!

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Skyler Phoenix

Revisado: 05-02-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Trigger Warnings: foster, religion/Christianity, terminal illness, past death of a parent, alcohol, abuse, homophobia, sex, masturbation, cancer, cursing, underage drinking, coming out, outing, bullying, violence, police interactions, alcoholism

Representation: Gay

Skyler Phoenix is a gay romance about Skyler Phoenix, who is abandoned by his foster parents when they find out he is gay. Skyler doesn’t understand how they can promise to love everyone at church but choose to hate him because he’s different. Skyler’s social worker told him to keep his chin up, but that is hard when he doesn’t know if he’s headed for the streets or the orphanage on the other side of town.

Honestly, I’m a little ashamed to admit this but I always fall victim to the misconception that indie published books are of a lower quality than traditionally published. I am so happy to say this story proved me incredibly wrong! This is a great story from an unknown to me author who perfectly captures what it’s like to not be accepted by “family” because of your sexuality. He did such a great job with balancing religious trauma and romance, no easy feat! While I have no experience with the foster care system, I thought this was a great example of some of the horrors within. Overall, I just really enjoyed this story and I hope it becomes way more popular soon!

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Like & Subscribe for Murder

Revisado: 09-19-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Trigger Warnings: Murder, alcohol, sex off the page, sex, off the page blackmail, infidelity, revenge, affair, drug addiction, blood, attempted murder, domestic violence, lying, bribery, arrest, gun, reckless driving, police brutality

Representation: They/them pronouns, MLM relationship, Gay, Non-binary

Like & Subscribe for Murder is a funny, queer murder mystery which centers a wedding on an island between two social media influencers. When a dead body is found, Detective Sam appears on the scene to help solve this mystery. They quickly discover that the island isn’t as perfect as it seems and this case won’t be open and shut.

Wow I really liked this story! It is very quirky and funny! The mystery keeps you on your toes throughout the entire book and is not spooky or scary! The author does a fantastic job crafting this crazy wedding/social media world that parallels a fun murder mystery with a bunch of twists! This story also provides a cutesy love story for any romance fans. I feel like this book is such a gem and needs to be found by more queer readers and readers alike!

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Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun

Revisado: 02-25-22

Trigger Warnings: Catholic school, homophobia, toxic masculinity, slurs, underage drinking, child abuse, coming out, deceased parent off page, hate crime, vandalism, internalized homophobia, cursing, parental rejection, sex

Representation: Gay, Mexican, Vegetarian, Vietnamese, Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual

Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun is the story of Jules, a high school senior, excited to leave for college next year and finally be his true self. One night after too much to drink, Jules outs himself accidentally. The story follows the aftermath of this mistake.

Overall, I felt this was a great book! Very inspiring and although the main character has to put up with way more than he should, his strength is abundantly clear. His character is flawed like anyone else, but his love for his friends is amazing. I loved how others had to continuously point out how strong he is. I also loved the name dropping! This was such a great book for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera! I got some serious Arthur from Here’s to Us vibes!

I loved all of the feelings that this story evoked. I was happy, sad, angry, laughing, crying all in one book! I thought the idea of meeting someone online and then dating them was a crazy concept, but it really has become so much more common. I could relate to this as someone who met her girlfriend on an app and did the long distance thing for a while. I also just loved how much love existed in this story! The characters showed romantic love, love for friends and family, and love for oneself. This was such an empowering part of the book!

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Meet me in Madrid

Revisado: 01-28-22

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol, sex, racism, mention of cancer in side character, coming out, past death of a parent, cheating, homophobia, drugs, suicide, cursing

Representation: Queer, Lesbian, POC, Bisexual, Jewish, Gay

Meet Me in Madrid is the story of Charlotte and Adrianna who must balance their romance and careers across continents. Charlotte, a museum courier, travels for work while she tries to become a professor, her dream job. Adrianna, an art historian, lives in Madrid while she does research. The two start a long distance relationship until their careers threaten their love.

I absolutely loved this book! The story is great and I couldn’t put it down! I loved reading about adult women in a relationship and thriving in their fields! I loved reading about adults and their continued struggles with their professions. I also really enjoyed learning about life and professionalism through a POC lense.

Overall I felt the story had great pacing and fully developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the instalust but also the chemistry that the main characters had. My only wish is that the scene with James and the boss was expanded more, it felt very rushed. I would’ve love to seen more of that because I felt it was more important than the book makes it seem.

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All of My Friends Are Rich

Revisado: 07-07-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Trigger Warnings: Poverty, alcohol, drugs, sex, orphan, death of a parent, cancer, addiction, violence, sex for money, cursing, therapy, mental health, cheating, STDs, jealousy, suicidal thoughts, depression, mania

Representation: Gay, Mental Health (Bipolar)

All of My Friends Are Rich is a contemporary adult fiction novel about Leo who finds himself in a life he cannot recognize after his divorce. He works at a job he hates, he’s struggling with his Bipolar, and quite literally is poor compared to his rich friends. When his best friend asks him to be her best friend, Leo has to figure out a way to make money fast. Will the lengths Leo goes to to make money ruin his life or help him succeed?

I can’t believe how much I loved this book! While I’m not a gay man in London, I felt Leo was so relatable and I loved reading about another 29 year old! I think this story was incredibly well written and contained a great depth of sarcasm and vulnerability. I loved the spotlight on mental health and how much it can affects one’s life. The author used a very endearing approach when writing Leo’s inner monologue and his morbid thoughts.

Overall, I felt the book was very real and so much more than I was expecting. Leo is real and fully developed and felt like a human that I could encounter. The side characters were also well developed and I loved journeying through Europe with them.

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