It's Pride Month!

It should come as a surprise to no one that I am a HUGE supporter of the LGBT community, and am in fact, part of the LGBT community, as I identify as bisexual. I was struggling to come up with a post this week, but then it hit me. 

I wanted to do a post on Pride Month, but I tweaked it a bit, and decided to do a post where I recommend some books featuring LGBT characters in honor of it being Pride Month. I even asked my fellow book nerds for their recommendations because I wanted a pretty big list.

It encompasses MG, YA & NA.

Books that are already out

Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas features a gay character

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Bennway features a gay character

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli features two gay characters 

Black Iris by Leah Raeder features a bisexual main character

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson has a gay main character

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz has a bisexual main character

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz features two gay characters

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera features a gay main character

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley features two lesbian main characters

 The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson features two gay main characters

Alex as well by Alyssa Brugman features a male to female transgender character

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky features a male to female transgender character

Far From You by Tess Sharpe features a bisexual main character

The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi features a lesbian main character

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour features two lesbian main characters

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky features a gay character 

Just Between Us by J. H. Trumble features two gay main characters

Where You Are by J. H. Trumble features two gay characters

Don't Let Me Go by J. H. Trumble features a gay character.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan features two gay main characters

Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson features two gay characters

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan features two gay characters

 

One May Guy by Michael Barakiva features two gay characters

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth features two lesbian characters 

Focus on Me by Megan Erickson features two gay main characters

The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen features two gay characters

Upcoming releases

Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler features two lesbian man characters

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley features a lesbian main character & a genderqueer main character

Trust Me, I'm Trouble by Mary Elizabeth Summer features a LGBT character

Cam Girl by Leah Raeder features a LGBT character

I know this is a lot of recs and I was honestly shocked to see so many people recommend books to me. I wasn't expecting to have 30 books on this list.  This list is in no way, a complete list. They are just the ones I loved, or the ones my fellow book lovers recommended.

Thank you to Andi S.,Kim B., Jenny, Stormy, Danielle, Hannah, Shelly, Giselle, Stefani, Kayla, Amber, Estelle, Kat, Dahlia. I could not have created this list without your help!

Review: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Book Title: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

Published Date: April 7th, 2015

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Genre: YA Contemporary LGBT

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Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Oh my god, this book was perfection. It's been a long time since a book has filled me with such happiness. This book had it all! There was a lot of shippy feels, which made me insanely happy. There was a lot of food talk, which to be honest, made me insanely hungry & most of all, there were a ton of feels.

Did I mention this book was perfect?

I loved Simon's family. His parents were just so present in his life and in the lives of his older sisters. It was not something I see a lot in YA, so I was thrilled to see it in this book. Usually parents are nonexistent in YA books, and that's usually one of my issues. Not only were they present in his life, but they were supportive and loving. They may be my new favorite YA parents. His sisters were also totally awesome, supportive and loving. Usually we don't get to see such a positive relationship between siblings. With this book, we totally got that.

We got some great realistic friendships as well. When you're a teenager, friendships can be really complicated and most YA books don't address that. Simon has complicated friendships with Leah, Abby and Nick. He seems closer overall to Abby despite only knowing her for a few months and Leah gets pretty upset about that. Not to mention that when Abby, Nick and Simon go out one night, they intentionally leave Leah out. I felt for Leah because I remembered being left out and no matter what, it's never a good feeling. Mistakes are made within this friend group.

Simon and Blue may very well be my new favorite YA couple. Oh my god, I fell in love with them as a couple long before we found out Blue's identity. I did figure out who Blue was about halfway through the book, but I had so much fun reading about them that I didn't care if I was right about Blue's identity. The shippy-ness was something I wasn't totally prepared for. It had been awhile since I had totally shipped anyone this much. The ending was utter perfection and it was awkwardly swoony, which just made it even better.

I am so incredibly in love with this book. Go read it, tell your library about it, tell your friends about it. If you only read one book this year, make sure it's this one and I'm happily giving this book 5 stars. I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy of this book. 

Review: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Book Title: Lies We Tell Ourselves

Author: Robin Talley

Publish Date: September 30th, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA Historical

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Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town’s most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept “separate but equal.”

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Harlequin Teen via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

"I don't think right and wrong is always that simple."

This book made me feel all the things. Anger, sadness, happiness, hope, despair and so many other emotions, it's hard to keep it all straight. Right off the bat, we're introduced to Sarah Dunbar, her sister Ruth and 8 other "colored" students who are attempting to be the first colored students to integrate into Jefferson High. 

I had studied this time period in college history classes so I was worried it wouldn't feel authentic. But it did. Everything that Sarah, Ruth, Yvonne, Chuck, Paulie & Ennis went through was heartbreaking and before I had even gotten a quarter of the way through it, I had sobbed out loud, multiple times, scaring my cat.

Not only is Sarah dealing with integrating at a new, all-white school, she's also dealing with sinful thoughts about girls.

"I used to think the wrong things all the time. Before I knew they were wrong." -Sarah-

At this time in history, being LGBT was considered "wrong" and "sinful" and "not normal" Sarah struggled with knowing that the way she felt about girls was considered wrong by society & by God. She's so focused on pleasing her parents and being a good girl and not disappointing them, that she doesn't take the time for herself to think about what she wants and what she believes.

"I don't talk back and I don't ask questions. That's what good daughters do. Being good means being invisible." -Sarah-

I know I would have failed big time in this time in history. I get that it was a totally different time in our history, but wow, things have definitely changed at least in some ways.

"It isn't right for girls to talk about being smart around boys." -Sarah-

This line absolutely infuriated me. Again, I know that this was a very different time in our history where girls were expected to shut up, not question their father or their husband and pop out babies. I was absolutely livid at reading this. Especially knowing that Sarah was smart. She was very smart, yet she couldn't talk about that around boys.

"Everyone is counting on me. I can't be a failure." -Sarah-

That seems like a lot of pressure on a teenager and I was, once again, infuriated on Sarah's behalf. She was so concerned about not failing anyone and I was honestly worried for her. What would happen if she did fail? Would she be able to deal with the disappointment and move on?

Linda had it all. She was popular, worry free and seemingly happy. Her father was well known in the community and he was also very well respected. But Linda's hiding a secret, well a couple of secrets. Both of which she knows she cannot leak out or it would damage her family's reputation.

Since she was a small child, she's obediently listened to her father and willingly parroted all his beliefs to her friends. She agrees with everything her father says about the dangers of Negroes and how the end of segregation is going to ruin America. But everything changes when she meets Sarah.

"It didn't seem right that she had to be so scared just because she was a Negro. She couldn't help the color of her skin." -Linda-

Linda waffled on her beliefs a lot and while I was continuously frustrated by her, I understood her, at least a little bit. All her life her father had said bad things about Negroes and she was so desperate to get his approval that she agreed with him without doing any of her own thinking on the subject. Meeting Sarah was exactly what Linda needed in order to realize that maybe these people were okay. Maybe they weren't lazy, uneducated slobs like her Daddy always said they were.

Linda was also dating a much older boy in the hopes that they would get married after graduation and she could move out of her father's home and start popping out babies with Jack. She honestly didn't think there were any other choices. At that time, marriage and babies were really the only choice for most women.

"Jack is all I need." -Linda-

That quote frustrated me, but again I know why she felt like that. She wanted to get away from her awful father and she truly believed that Jack was all she needed because she wanted to marry him and leave home. She was convinced that a life with Jack was all she wanted and needed.

It's Sarah who tries to get Linda to figure out on her own what she believes and to stop taking everything her father says as gospel. Sarah is not afraid to call Linda out on it either. That I loved.These two had so many passionate discussions on what was right and what was wrong. That was the basis of many of their conversations early on which I thought was awesome.

I wish there had been more in the way of romance. I was definitely excited to see the romance unfold and I was disappointed that we really didn't get a lot of it. Also, at about 65% of the way through, it had slowed down and it was a bit boring for awhile. Thankfully it picked back up. I did enjoy this book a lot, more than I expected to actually and I'm really glad I took a chance on this book. I'm giving it 4 stars.

Review: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Book Title: Fan Art

Author: Sarah Tregay

Published Date: June 17th, 2014

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: YA Contemporary

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Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

Disclaimer: I got this book from Katherine Tegen via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Oh man, I was so excited about this book and for the first about 20% of it I was actually enjoying it. But everything took a downward turn and I started to feel really bored while reading this book. 

I was so excited about the possibility of Jamie and Mason getting together as best friend romances are some of my favorite things in the world. Add on the LGBT aspect of it and that would ordinarily excite me so much that I'd devour the book at lightening speed. I am not really the artsy type but I was hoping that the slow burn romance would allow me to overlook the artsy parts of the book.

But not with this couple. I really felt like Jamie and Mason would be much better as friends and that a romance would really ruin the friendship. I wanted to root for them to get together, but I didn't feel "it" between them so I didn't root for them because I didn't feel any chemistry. It was awful feeling like this and feeling like there was no character development for either of them, which was definitely something I was looking for.

It kills me to admit this, but this book really disappointed me and I was so bored while reading the book. So I'll be giving it 2 stars. It had a lot of potential, but it wasn't executed all that well and it felt like a chore to pick this book up every single time.

Review: One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

Book Title: One Man Guy

Author: Michael Barakiva

Publish Date: May 27th, 2014

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Genre: LGBT YA

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Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A heartfelt, laugh-out-loud-funny story of romance, family, and self-discovery.

Alek Khederian should have guessed something was wrong when his parents took him to a restaurant. Everyone knows that Armenians never eat out. Between bouts of interrogating the waitress and criticizing the menu, Alek’s parents announce that he’ll be attending summer school in order to bring up his grades. Alek is sure this experience will be the perfect hellish end to his hellish freshman year of high school. He never could’ve predicted that he’d meet someone like Ethan.

Ethan is everything Alek wishes he were: confident, free-spirited, and irreverent. He can’t believe a guy this cool wants to be his friend. And before long, it seems like Ethan wants to be more than friends. Alek has never thought about having a boyfriend—he’s barely ever had a girlfriend—but maybe it’s time to think again.

Disclaimer: This is a library book.

Review:

This book was PERFECT!

I am so, SO glad Blythe & Lili pushed this one on me. I tend to have very similar tastes in books with these two ladies so I had a feeling I'd love this book. And I was right. I loved the insight into the Armenian culture as I didn't know anything about it. It sounds depressing and sad, but the only knowledge of the Armenian culture was through the Kardashians. 

However, I loved learning about the family and food aspect of the culture. I was drooling over the foods Alek and his family made throughout the book, which is funny, because I don't generally go for the types of foods depicted in the book. Yes, Alek's parents were strict, but I got the feeling that was par for the course in Armenian families. I thought the whole thing about his parents packing his lunch & laying out his clothes to wear was a little much. I mean he IS fourteen. But again, that was part of the culture.

It is Ethan who teaches him the difference between "have to" and "want to" Ethan encourages him to break the rules and do something that he wants to do instead of what his parents say he has to. Ethan is the one who helps Alek realize he's gay. It was nothing Alek had ever considered before. He had had girlfriends before, but it had been awhile.

It was Alek's best friend Becky, who encouraged him to go after Ethan, to tell Ethan how he felt. I loved that Alek had a female best friend. I really think opposite sex friendships are very underrepresented in YA, so I was excited to see Becky & Alek's friendship continue throughout the book. I really loved that Becky didn't abandon Alek when it was revealed that Alek was falling for Ethan. So many teenagers lose friends when they come out, thankfully Alek did not.

Their first kiss was so adorable, sweet and just so PERFECT. I totally thought that Ethan would kiss him first, but I actually liked that Alek initiated the first kiss. I felt that it actually made so much more sense than it would have if Ethan had initiated the kiss. 

This book was about family, friendship, and realizing who you really are. I cannot say enough amazing things about this book. It was funny, cute, romantic. It really was an absolutely perfect book and I'm so excited and happy that I read it. 5 stars to this book that stole my heart.

Review: The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

Book Title: The Summer I Wasn't Me

Author: Jessica Verdi

Release Date: April 1st, 2014

Publisher: SourceBooks Fire

Genre: YA/LGBT

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Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lexi has a secret…
Ever since her mom found out she was in love with a girl, seventeen-year-old Lexi’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good. 

You are on the road to truth. Help is on the way.

The road signs leading to New Horizons summer camp promise a new life for Lexi—she swears she can change. She can learn to like boys. But denying her feelings is harder than she thinks. And when she falls heads over heels for one of her fellow campers, Lexi will have to risk her mother’s approval for the one person who might love her no matter what.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from SourceBooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Wow, with this book being Jessica Verdi's second book ever and second book that I have really enjoyed of hers, she has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy list. I'll read anything this woman writes. She's that awesome. She doesn't shy away from the more difficult topics which I applaud her for. She goes for it 100%

I wasn't sure if I'd get this but I decided to request it anyway and boy am I glad I did. I read it in one night and even after a decent night of sleep, I still don't know how I am going to review this book, but I'll give it a shot.

When we first meet Lexi she is being driven up to New Horizons by her mother. New Horizons  is a de-gayification place. Yup, totally cringe-worthy already. Seriously not cool at all but I know these things exist and that super conservative families place a lot of value in this type of thing.

You'd expect Lexi to be defiant and refuse to go along with this. But she's resigned to her fate for the next 8 weeks. She's doing it for her mom. She desperately wants her mom back. Her mom hasn't been the same since Lexi's father died and things only got worse when she found out that Lexi was in love with another girl. Yet ever since she agreed to come to New Horizons, her mom has perked up and she's more like the mom that Lexi remembers.

Within hours of being there, Lexi learns that she will be required to wear a uniform complete with a cross necklace so that "Jesus will be with you on your journey" As an atheist, this line made me cringe big time but then I had to remember that this camp was a highly religious camp. She meets campers, David, Matthew, Carolyn as well as others

The director or leader or whatever you want to call him, Mr. Martin is kind & understanding. He has been where Lexi was and he claims that SSA or Same Sex Attraction was cured by him choosing to shut it down and recommitting to God. So Lexi looks up to him. There is also Kaylee and Brianna, both who were campers a decade ago and Lexi wants so desperately to be like them.

Yet as the days go on, they are forced to participate in an activity called Father Wounds. This is where Mr. Martin attempts to find a reason for the sickness that he calls being gay. At this point, I had to put the book down and walk away for a bit. I was SO flipping ANGRY. For Lexi, he says she's gay because her mother worked out of the home and her father was more her friend than a father. So her gender roles were all messed up. 

Seriously? I swear he'd have a field day with me. My mom worked and I was cared for by my grandma and uncle and my father was nowhere to be found. Mr. Martin was an absolute lunatic.We don't realize exactly how much of a lunatic he is until much later in the book. This book doesn't shy away from some of the most extreme lengths that these places go to in order to "pray away the gay"

Lexi becomes really close to Matthew. Matthew clearly does not believe that this will work and the counselors and Mr. Martin have a field day with him. He's been with the same guy for a long time and his feelings for the boyfriend don't shift one iota.I won't hand out any spoilers but just know that Matthew is funny and sweet and awesome and he is put through the wringer.

Oh Carolyn, I really liked how she and Lexi became friends and how they bonded over The Great Gatsby. Totally made me want to reread that book.How they would leave little notes for each other was absolutely adorable. So darn CUTE. Their first kiss was sweet and I absolutely loved it. Unlike the other teenagers, Carolyn was the one who wanted to come to New Horizons and de-gayify herself.

Watching Lexi go through the summer was awesome. She totally changed her opinion on this whole thing. She began to realize that it was a total crock and that being gay is okay and nothing to be ashamed of. She wasn't ready to fight for Zoe, but near the end of this book, she realizes that she wants to fight for Carolyn. That is, if Carolyn will allow her to.

This book was so awesome and heartbreaking and full of hope. The only issue I had was with the ending. I wanted more resolution to a few things and was bummed that we didn't get that I hate being vague but it involves some major spoilers so I will not say anything about why I wanted more resolution and for what. However the book itself was awesome and well worth the 4.5 stars I am going to give it. I definitely plan on ordering a hard copy for myself.

Review: No Such Thing by A.M. Arthur

Book Title: No Such Thing

Author: A.M. Arthur

Release Date: February 17th, 2014

Publisher: Carina Press

Genre: NA/LGBT/Romance

Series: Book 1

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Twenty-two-year-old Alessandro Silva knows that returning to tiny Perch Creek to help his foster mother was the right thing to do. With no degree and a delinquent's reputation, he's lucky to have landed a job waiting tables. But not everyone is happy he's back, and the only thing keeping his move home from being a total bust is his boss's hot brother.

Jaime Winters spent most of his life watching the world go by, first from a series of hospitals and then from behind big stacks of textbooks. Studying is easier than facing the fact that years of heart failure means he's still a virgin at twenty-three. Until the new waiter in his sister's diner awakens desires he'd long ago given up on.

The last thing Alessandro wants is to fall for someone as fragile as Jaime. And Jaime may have a new heart, but he's scared of what giving it to another person would mean. Their no-strings-attached, instructional approach to sex keeps emotion safely at bay, until a secret from Alessandro's past forces them to confront their feelings in the present...

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Carina Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review:

When I read the synopsis, I just knew I had to read this book. Like Jamie I spent years of my life in and out of the hospital.Like Jamie I dealt with poor health due to my heart problems. Unlike Jamie I haven't needed a transplant (knock on wood) Being ill with a chronic illness causes you to grow up fast in some ways but you are basically assured an immature social life.I related to Jamie big time in this book. He sought comfort in his books and school much like I did.

Jamie didn't know how to suddenly emerge into the dating world because he had spent so much of his teenage years, sick and lacking the energy to do much. I know that feeling. I also know the feeling of feeling like everyone is lightyears ahead of you in personal milestones. Marriage, kids, owning a home etc.

Jamie wasn't out to anyone except for his sister Shannon, who I loved. She was a total sweetheart but she also was willing to open up a can of whoop-ass on whoever hurt or even threatened to hurt her baby brother. Fiercely protective she was.

That's why I was happy to see how she warmed up to Alessandro. From the beginning the attraction between Jamie & Alessandro was evident. Shannon herself noticed how her brother and her new employee looked at each other but aside from inquiring about how they were doing as a couple, she stayed out of it.

Oh Alessandro, I loved that you returned to help your former foster mom out. His devotion to family was so nice to see. His former foster father had recently died, so Alessandro was back to help Eunice and her two foster kids Tony & Molly.Tony needed a stable male influence around as he was easily swayed by older and cooler kids.Molly was a little shyer but she was a sweetheart underneath all of her fears.

This book was weird as I loved the relationship between Alessandro and Jamie but through a decent chunk of the book it was straight up erotica. Now I don't mind erotica at all but I think that there was too much of it and it detracted from the story arcs for Jamie & Alessandro. 

Jamie's arc was his growing confidence and his refusal to stay in the closet any longer. He also allowed himself to believe that he was worthy of love and that the vertical scar that ran down his chest as a mark of how far he had come. Alessandro's arc was learning to allow someone into his heart and allowing him to lean on Jamie as he faced demons from his past.

At about 70% through it I was getting frustrated with the sexy scenes. But then something happened that totally turned the book around for me. It was at this point that I shed tears. I was heartbroken for Jamie and Alessandro and scared for them both throughout the rest of the book.

I am really conflicted on what to rate this book. I don't think removing two whole stars is okay just because of the excess sex scenes, but I don't know. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes. Did I enjoy the book outside of the sex scenes? Yes. I wouldn't continue the series if it was a 3 star rating because a three star rating means (to me) that I am indifferent on the book. But I'm not. indifferent. So I'll give this book 4 stars. I am excited to see where the series goes next.

Review: Secret Lies by Amy Dunne

Book Title: Secret Lies

Author: Amy Dunne

Release Date: December 16th, 2013

Publisher: Bold Strokes Books

Genre: YA/Contemporary/LGBT

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Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Would you face your biggest fear, to save the one you love? 

Nicola Jackson escapes from her abuser, only to realize she has no one to turn to and nowhere to go. In a twist of fate, she accidentally bumps into Jenny O’Connor, the most popular girl at school. They strike up an unlikely friendship. As their trust in each other develops, they share their darkest secrets, and their relationship blossoms into a secret romance. 

Jenny loves Nicola, but she is fearful that if their secret relationship is discovered, she might lose her family, friends, and her seemingly perfect life. 

Nicola confronts her abuser and blackmails him to leave for good, but things go terrifyingly wrong. Jenny is left with a life-changing dilemma: should she face her fear and accept who she is, or let Nicola take the blame and pretend their relationship never happened?

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

This author was a new author to me so I had no idea what to expect when I began this book. I found myself really liking the story. Yes, the timeline was a bit unbelievable but when you are in an abusive situation you'll use any means to get out of the situation. Even if that means befriending a girl that you had hardly ever spoken to before. 

I totally understand why so many people disliked the book because of the unrealistic timeline, but for me it didn't both me much. Maybe because the characters were so great all down the road.Out of both Nicola and Jenny, I liked Nicola more. She was resilient and determined not to play the victim which was amazing given all that she had been through in the past 5 years.

I liked Jenny too. It was hard to hear about how she dealt with things but I'm glad that it wasn't treated as a taboo subject like so many things still are. However, it was her family that made me like her even more. Despite being very devout Catholics,they were warm and loving which was really nice to see. Even Elizabeth, who was a class A bitch initially, grew on me.

The relationship itself was a bit insta-lovey which makes me cringe but they were able to be themselves around each other which was good to see. Outside of Laura, Jenny really didn't have any decent friends.I didn't like how once they were together and alone together, they always went to sex. But then I had to remember that they were teenagers and many teenagers are sex-crazed.

The ending just about broke me and it only made me love Jenny's parents more and actually made me have sympathy for Nicola's mother, which I never expected to happen.I cried a lot of tears during the end.So the feels were definitely there. 

Overall, I really liked this one. The timeline was unrealistic and sometimes Jenny & Nicola both got on my nerves for being so sex crazed so those are the reasons I'm giving it 4 stars.I think I'll probably read any book the author writes in the future.

Review: How Sweet It Is by Melissa Brayden

Book Title: How Sweet It Is

Author: Melissa Brayden

Publish Date: November 19th, 2013

Publisher: Bold Strokes Books

Genre: LGBT/Contemporary

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Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Some things are better than chocolate...

Molly O’Brien is a sweetheart. Her friends and neighbors all think so. While she enjoys her quiet life running the town bakeshop in Applewood, Illinois, she wonders if there could be more. After losing the love of her life four years prior in a plane crash, Molly thinks she’s ready to navigate the dicey dating waters once again. However, you can’t always pick who your heart latches on to. When Jordan Tuscana, the beautiful younger sister of her lost love, returns to town, Molly finds her interest piqued in a manner she wasn’t prepared for.

As secrets are uncovered, Molly and Jordan must figure out how to navigate the difficult terrain of their multi-faceted relationship. Especially when something much deeper seems to be bubbling between them.

Disclaimer: I received this e-galley from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:
I've been reading more and more books in the LGBT genre lately and so far they have been a hit or miss for me. This one was kind of in the middle.Some parts of it, I loved while some other parts drove me insane.

Molly is clearly still carrying around a lot of pain from losing Cassie four years previously but she is also realizing that she wants to start dating again.That's both exciting and scary. Molly doesn't want to hurt her second family, Cassie's family.

Personally I understood why she let Cassie's family know that she was ready to start dating again,but the fact of the matter is,she didn't have to. It's none of the Tuscana family's business when she's ready to date. So I thought that was just a little too much. Yes they are close but what was Molly gonna do if they told her not to date yet? Agree with them? I hope not.

Jordan was the black sheep of the Tuscana family.She went as far away from the family career of medicine as she could.What never changed for her was how she felt about her dead sister's longtime girlfriend. From the time Jordan was young,she had always crushed on Molly.

One of my biggest problems is that I didn't feel the chemistry between Jordan and Molly. I tried my hardest to see it, but I just didn't see it or feel it at all. That's rough because their love story is the main plot point for this book.The idea that everything you could ever want was right in front of you and you never realized it.

"You can't choose who you fall in love with." -Molly

I did love how close Molly and her dad were. Very rarely do we see families as close knit as both Molly's and Jordan's were.Eden, Damon, Louise and George were four great secondary characters and I loved that the four of them played their parts in this book.They were definitely in the book enough which was great as sometimes secondary characters aren't really in the book that much.

I had such high hopes for this book and it absolutely KILLS me to have to give it only 3 stars.It's a problem when you root for the couple to be apart rather than together. I liked Molly and Jordan when they were simply friends.They were stronger characters for me when they were apart.

Blog Tour: Review of Just Between Us by J.H. Trumble

Title: Just Between Us
Author: J.H. Trumble
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Pages: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Fiction/Romance/Contemporary/LGBT
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Amazon

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Luke Chesser is trying to forget his spectacular failure of a love life. He practices marching band moves for hours in the hot Texas sun, deals with his disapproving father, and slyly checks out the new band field tech, Curtis Cameron. Before long, Luke is falling harder than he knew he could. And, this time, he intends to play it right.

                                                       

Since testing positive for HIV, Curtis has careened between numbness and fear. Too ashamed to tell anyone, Curtis can’t possibly act on his feelings. And Luke—impulsive, funny, and more tempting than he realizes—won’t take a hint. Even when Curtis distances himself it backfires, leaving him with no idea how to protect Luke from the truth.

Confronting a sensitive topic with candor and aplomb, acclaimed author J. H. Trumble renders a modern love story as sweet, sharp, and messy as the real thing, where easy answers are elusive, and sometimes the only impossible thing is to walk away.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my participation on a Book Blog Tour.

Review: 

Oh boy,I'm not even sure where I can start with this one. It is an amazing and realistic story of love,sacrifice and heartache. I loved both Luke and Curtis so much and it was clear from the beginning that this wasn't going to be a typical LGBT romance.It started off slowly and I loved that.It quickly turned serious and ordinarily that would have driven me bananas,but with Luke and Curtis,it just worked.

Curtis' family was amazing and so loving and supportive of him.I was so glad to see that there was a family who supported and loved him. As many people in the LGBT community will tell you,it's often not easy for parents and families to be okay with a relative who is a part of the LGBT community.Luke's family was different and I was thrilled when his mother threw his homophobic father out of the house.Luke's mother and brother were very supportive which was awesome.

Curtis' actions after he learned of his HIV status was unfortunately not uncommon. It broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces watching him push Luke away although Luke clearly didn't want to be pushed away.It was obvious that Curtis didn't want to push Luke away and that he was even more miserable without Luke at his side. Some might say that Curtis was being a martyr but he wasn't. He didn't feel like it was fair to tie Luke to him when he had such a serious illness. However,he didn't allow Luke to have any say in it. Really he couldn't tell Luke that he,Luke shouldn't have to stick around. That was Luke's decision.

This book tackles a tough subject with both candor and sensitivity which is hard to do.It is one of those rare books that can have you sobbing and laughing while reading the book because it is so full of emotion. Not just for Curtis and Luke but for their friends and families as well.

Stories like this were once rare but now I see them gaining more and more presence in the literary world. I absolutely love seeing this. This book was so wonderful and I have no qualms about giving it a full five stars. It's not a book for everyone but I absolutely loved it.


Author Bio:

J.H. Trumble is a Texas native and graduate of Sam Houston State University. You can visit the author online as well as on Facebook  and Twitter.

Connect With The Author:

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