Book Review-Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Title: Boyfriends with Girlfriends

 Author: Alex Sanchez

Series:  N/A

Published:  April 2011 by Simon and Schuster

Length:  219 pagesSource: bought

Other info: Alex has written The Rainbow Boys trilogy (which I was going to review for Rainbow Reads but gave up after three pages so I'm not) and many other prominant LGBT books.

Summary : Lance has always known he was gay, but he's never had a real boyfriend. Sergio is bisexual, but his only real relationship was with a girl. When the two of them meet, they have an instant connection--but will it be enough to overcome their differences? Allie's been in a relationship with a guy for the last two years--but when she meets Kimiko, she can't get her out of her mind. Does this mean she's gay? Does it mean she's bi? Kimiko, falling hard for Allie, and finding it impossible to believe that a gorgeous girl like Allie would be into her, is willing to stick around and help Allie figure it out.
Boyfriends with Girlfriends is Alex Sanchez at his best, writing with a sensitive hand to portray four very real teens striving to find their places in the world--and with each other.

Review:Sergio is bisexual, Lance and Kimiko are gay, Allie's not entirely sure. A meet up with Sergio and Lance leads to them getting together, and to Kimiko and Allie maybe getting together. There's a lot of differences in between them, and lots of questions to be answered.

I added this to my wishlist because there's just not that many books with prominent bisexual characters (at least, I can't think of many), and I feel like I should know about what representation we do have.  

Boyfriends with Girlfriends is a very character  book. centering around two sets of romantic relationships and the relevant friendships involved. Both romantic relationships start at the start of the novel and develop very differently over the course of the novel.

I like the racial diversity (Sergio is Latino, I think, and Kimiko is Japanese). Sorry, in literature (most media really) there's not that many non-white queer characters, which is something I'd really like to see change over time.

The characters, I felt, were very stock-y. Three secure in their sexuality, one not, the lesbian being your standard cut out of cardboard uber dyke, many stereotypes for all of them, not much more than that to them. I kind of related to Sergio and Kimiko, Allie was nice enough, and Lance pissed me off to no end in the first half of the book.

The writing isn’t very good. It’s immature at times, and simple, and it didn’t make me want to keep reading.

Boyfriends with Girlfriends approaches bisexuality from opposite ends of the spectrum-the one confident and secure with his, and the one starting to discover hers. 

I very much like the fact that Sergio constantly challenges Lance’s opinion that bisexuals are closeted homosexuals. Thank you someone for making that clear!

There’s some nice scenes with  Kimiko’s family and Sergio’s family regarding acceptance, but these seemed to take a backseat which is sad, cos these were interesting.

I like the fact that not everything ends amazingly. With the way the relationships were going, it didn’t seem likely that they would, but still. This is kind of realistic.

Overall:  Strength 2.5, slightly more a 3, to a book that looks at bisexuality well, but doesn’t do very well in terms of plot and character.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

PS- datassguardian has very eloquently voiced the thoughts I have on this book. Posted with permission.

Book Review-Grl2Grl by Julie Anne Peters

Title: Grl2Grl

 Author: Julie Anne Peters

Series:  N/A

Published:  1^st September 2007

Length: 160 pages

Warnings: child abuse, attempted rape

Source: Library

Other info: I really enjoyed Luna

Summary :I n this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity.
From the young lesbian taking her first steps toward coming out to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, from the transgender teen longing for a sense of self to the girl whose abusive father has turned her to stone, Peters is the master of creating characters whose own vulnerability resonates with readers and stays with them long after the last page is turned.
Grl2grl shows the rawness of teenage emotion as young girls become women and begin to discover the intricacies of love, dating and sexuality.

Review: I didn’t know what to expect from this. I really wasn’t paying attention when I got it from the library, so was surprised to find it was a collection of short stories.

Passengers-Tam starts getting to know the person on the train, and herself.
Can't Stop the Feeling-Mariah working up th courage to go to the GSA. Nice enough characters, open ending as to Mariah's choices later. I liked Lily.
After Alex- The dealing with Alex's break up with Rachel. Not much happened here.
Outside/Inside-Logan selects a card for the girl she likes. Nice little twist. This was a good one.
On the Floor-sporting competition. Not much happened.
Stone Cold Butch-Cammie's abusive father has made her cold. This was emotional.
Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder- a "sex ed" class leads to Aimee chatting to ex-best-friend Peyton, discussing things. Nice reunion. A little emotional.
Boi-the story of Vince, the transgender teen looking for hir sense of self, being looked after by hir brother Kevin, and ze gets attacked. This one was emotional. I got close to Vince in the story.
TIAD tells of two girls on a support forum, Scar_tissu and Black_Venus, who fall in love. This was a nice one.
Two-part Intervention-Kat and Annika, great friends, violinist and cellist, haven't seen eachother for a year. They reunite. Short, happy, nice use of music.

Most of these were too short. They all felt like they were the beginning of something, and were cut off before I  could make that much of a connection with the characters.

That said, there’s some great things in these stories. There’s a very large range of characters, and I think everyone will see something of themselves in at least one of them. There’s a lot of issues coming up-homophobia, transphobia, abuse and so on, which gives the book a rather depressing, pessimistic feel, but is good in showing how some people cope.  The writing was gentle and suited the themes well.

Overall:  Strength 2.5, just about more a 3, tea to a book with great themes and topics raised, but stories I couldn’t get in to.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Q&A-Main Characters vs Secondary Characters in LGBT fiction

Hello people! Continuing with the discussion on presentation, I asked people

Do you think LGBTQIA characters are presented as well as they are when they are main characters, when they are secondary characters?

Here are their responses.

Suzanne: Main characters tend to be more three dimensional and more fleshed out just because they're main characters and the author takes more time getting into their head and presenting their various traits to the reader. From what I've read, LGBTQIA main characters are treated better and are less inclined towards stereotype than secondary characters that often conform to a certain archetype or simply fulfill a role required for the trope.

Ria: When they happen, I think they can happen well. But they're not as likely to happen. It's far more common to see a straight protagist with a gay best friend and sidekick, for example, than it is to see a gay protagonist.

LH: There's a difficulty in using sexuality as a defining character for a secondary character, because due to their 'secondary' status, that's all the time they have to make an impact. I do think though that with the shift in children's / YA literature over these past few year, you've got more and more authors writing with an increased awareness of what they're doing and what they're creating and that can only be a good thing.

Alfie: Too much emphasis is put on the sexual aspect of the characters.

Rie: No, usually when they are main characters they are portrayed in a realistic fashion. When they are secondary characters they are a joke, a plot device, or a stereotypical version of themselves.

Sean: Again, that depends on how familiar the author is with his/her subject matter.

M: I don't think I've read a teen novel where they are main characters (though I know these books exist).

Caitlin: I'd like to think so. Most of the recent books I've read have featured them more as secondary characters. I just like my characters to be well-rounded regardless of whether they are main or secondary, and being LGBTQIA features as part of that.

Megan: I think so.  Normally, anyway.  Except for when the secondary character is a guy and the lead character is a girl and the boy is gay.   Then it seems like it's just making the best friend gay to avoid a love triangle, something I think is wrong...

Charlie M: No, unfortunately some times they are more stereotypical. However in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, Bane is particularly well represented and appears initially as a secondary character. Authors should take care to make their secondary characters well rounded individuals, or have editors pick up on stereotyping.

Illjolras: No, their usually very exploitative, act like conforming to some stereotypes is bad, and almost tries to downplay the character's queerness.

Harriet: "Every character is presented in a different way, it doesn't matter if they are first or second characters.
In any novel, the protagonists of the story normally get the lime light, because you're following their story. If it was a book about the second character, they'll automatically become the protagonist of the story.
If the protagonist of the story is LGBTQIA then more detail will be put into their character. If the protagonist is not a LGBTQIA, then their character will have an equal amount of detail, as well. However if the LGBTQIA person is the second character, naturally there will less effort put into making and developing that character, unless you're going to continue the story as a series and have a book from the LGBTQIA point of view - thus you'll have a LGBTQIA protagonist and it goes back to what I was saying before."


A great range of answers from everyone. Please add your comments below, and remember that each comment is an extra entry in the giveaway.
Also, because this is a short post, you'll get another short post later.

Q&A- Stereotypes in LGBTQIA fiction

So. Yes. Question and answer time, because fabulous people answered so well that their answers won’t fit in with my posts. These posts are only edited for spelling and profanity, otherwise, these are exactly what people think. Please share your comments, and remember you could win some awesome books!

Today’s question: How prevalent are stereotypes in LGBTQIA fiction?

Suzanne: In general? I think many gay characters have, in the past, been token sidekicks, like the gay best friend who makes a great shopping partner and helps the female lead pick shoes for a date. I think fiction has also had the tendency to present LGBTQIA characters as confused and intrinsically unhappy in life. I've also seen lesbians portrayed as man haters, as women hurt or abused and therefore turned off men, instead of these women simply loving other women. Time and again, I've seen gay, lesbian and bi characters presented as promiscuous, more promiscuous than straight people, which is just ridiculous.

Harriet:"In my opinion, the term 'stereotype' belongs as a cheat code to describe what something or a type of group is like. For example, if I were to say 'Goth', we'd all get an image of a person dressed all in black, with black make-up on and sat in a dark corner (and so forth.)
Stereotypes belong because the human race (generalising) ignore the fact that they can describe each person as being different and not in a sub group.
We also only use stereotypes because it is easier to identify the character and portray them.
You can look on at the term as a cheat code or a derogatory word, either choice we all know that everyone knows that not everyone is like their stereotype.
I believe, because I have this opinion, that others have this opinion too.
Now, I haven't read every LGBTQIA fiction under the sun but I do believe that not everyone is going to portray a character the same. Therefore, stereotypes are prevalent."

Illjolras:"Very. Usually the side characters are gay, and if that's so, they're very camp and flamboyant. If it's a main POV character, they are always closeted until they fall for just that /one/ person."

Charlie M: I think some stereotypes are prevalent, but am hesitant to say that those stereotypes shouldn't be represented (theatrical gay guys exist after all). But there should be MORE fiction that contains a variety of personality types and interests. Sexuality shouldn't define those interests or restrict them.

Megan: "I think we're definitely going away from the stereotypes now - not all gay men are overly feminine and not all lesbians are 'butch' or whatever.  Something I think is stupid: it's not like all people who are LGBTQIA are the same person - they don't all have the same, stereotyped personalities and likes!  Everyone avoids stereotypes when writing heterosexual people so why don't they do the same when they're writing gay people?!
Sorry for the rant.  It annoys me when people judge.
Anyway, my point is that we're getting away from stereotypes.  Now LGBTQIA are 'normal' - unique and their own person, rather than a bunch of stupid stereotypes."

Caitlin: I honestly couldn't say, I guess, when you have people writing about them who don't really know...there might be some stereotypes? But then, there are always stereotypes in fiction? Most of the things I've read I wouldn't class as being stereotypical.

M: Not sure because I don't go out of my way to read this. I avoid 'romance' as a genre and this might be where they pop up in storylines? But, I have noticed that LGetc. characters pop up more in current teen fiction than when I was younger, albeit as secondary (or even tertiary) characters.

Sean: I suspect the stereotypes are quite real because some authors aren't intimately involved in the reality of life for LGBTQIA teens.

Rie: Very. Every time I read a secondary character that is gay they are always as flamboyant as can be. It's become an immediate groan when they introduce gay characters.

Alfie: Very prevalent in shi-- sorry, worse books, but after all, they are the bad books. Unfortunately, most LGBTQIA fiction is badly written, because it's often very badly-written smut. Or at least, what I've been exposed to has been badly-written smut.

Ria: Hard to say. Less prevalent than years ago, as greater exposure and media coverage doesn't allow for blatant negative stereotyping as much anymore. That being said, we're not completely free of stereotypes, partly because the stereotypes are so numerous in themselves, and partly because some writers aren't quite sure how to not write a stereotype.

You can see (mostly) my thoughts on the matter here, but they’re essentially that the camp stereotype is overplayed,   but we’re getting better and more varied representation now. What are your thoughts on the matter? 

Guest Post-Trans* Narratives in Fiction by Riley from Reading Books in Bed

Today, we have Riley from Reading Books in Bed talking about trans* narratives in fiction. I’m not an expert on this area, so I’m really glad we have someone who’s better qualified to talk about this, and what we have is an eye-opening and personal, post.

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The phrase people are most likely to use to describe a trans* person, especially a transgender character, is "born in the wrong body."  I can guarantee you that if you go to the Goodreads page of any book centered on a trans* person, the blurb, a large amount of the reviews, or both will use some form of this phrase.  I guess it's a simple way of describing things; it's not difficult for people to understand the idea that the body you were born in doesn't match up with what's in your head.  The wrong body, though?  Like some sort of trans-Freaky Friday?  The fact is, there are trans* people who just don't feel that they were born in the wrong body - a body that isn't their ideal, maybe, or one they feel comfortable with, but not wrong.  Honestly, to me, that sounds scary - it sounds like the plot of a paranormal novel.  That's not how I want to think about my body, as much discomfort as I often feel in it, and that's not how I want others to think about it.  Obviously, from trans* person to trans* person, this varies.  There's a wide spectrum of ideas about bodies in the trans* community, because, you know, people are individuals.

Also, while most trans* invididuals experience dysphoria - the conflict between a person's biological sex and their gender identity - it isn't a prerequisite for trans-ness.  No, really, I can't speak for all trans* people but many of us don't spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week hating our bodies!  Which is why it's so upsetting to me that readers of YA may come away from certain books on the subject thinking that all trans* people utterly despise their bodies - especially the ones who are struggling with gender identity issues themselves.  "Well," they might say - I know I did - "I don't feel this much hatred towards what I'm like physically - I guess I'm not transgender, after all."

For a personal example: the first trans* book I can remember reading, before I'd even started to question my identity, was Luna by Julie Ann Peters.  The narrator recalls a memory of her sister, a I never felt an urge to do anything like that.  It's not like I ever tried to cut my boobs off or anything when they first showed up.  If this is what transgender people feel, I guess I can't be one.  Or even recently, only months ago, I was sitting on a Greyhound bus with a copy of Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirsten Cronn-Mills (a book I otherwise really relate to) and again, in flashback, the protagonist Gabe gets his first period and is absolutely devastated, to the point of nearly committing suicide.  I put the book aside for a moment, trying to think back to my own experience.  Absolute terror that I was dying before I realized, oh, that's why I'm in so much pain - yes.  Suicidal urges - no.  Is this something every trans man felt but me? I wondered.  I didn't even know trans* people were a thing, really, at that time, let alone that I could be one, and the past few years of relatives covertly handing me books on puberty had prepared me for the whole thing.  Even now, more secure in my own identity, the few stories of people like me being told not matching up to my own (or the ones shared with me by trans* friends) makes me question myself.

trans woman, as a young "boy," attempting to cut her penis off so she could look like the other girls.  I remembered that book one night when I was browsing through LGBT forums, hoping to find the one definite sign that would tell me: am I really a boy or not?  And I remembered that scene, because who wouldn't?  It's heartbreaking.  And I thought to myself:

Now, I know there will probably never be books to match up with every trans* experience.  There are a lot of trans* people in the world, after all; that would be one hell of a lot of books.  But can't we at least do better and step outside the box that says trans* individuals must hate their bodies, that their bodies are fundamentally wrong?  Can't we portray more than just that one experience?  If a wider variety of ideas about how trans* people relate to their bodies is going to make one less confused kid out there tell themselves that their feelings are invalid, then to me, it's all worth it.

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Thank you very much for writing this! Riley would also like to share this, a short document from the American Psychiatric Association  bringing to your attention that gender dysphoria is NOT a disorder.  

You can find Riley on Goodreads and on his blog Reading Books in Bed. 

Discussion post: Presentation of LGB characters

Hello and welcome to the first of our discussion posts. I thought a lot

 about how to present this, but in the end, I settled on raising a question/topic, giving my thoughts, and quoting other people as we go along, when they fit. Then, there’ll be a Q&A post, with everybody’s response to the questions I set, with no comment from me. I hope this format gets across everybody's views, and interests you.

So, the first one is about how LGB people are currently presented in YA lit. 

Stereotypes are everywhere, and this is true for every demographic of everything.  They’re set in people’s minds, and it’s really hard to avoid them. TV Tropes has a lot of lists of tropes, or conventions, revolving around the LGBTQ community in general and bisexuality and gender bending. A quick look over, I’d guess that about a third of these are very common stereotypes, in general or in YA literature.

I asked about bad presentations of LGBT people in literature. I’m really glad that most people couldn’t think of specific examples, because it means that there can’t be that many in prominent literature. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some, because there almost certainly will be, but still. 

There are some certain stereotypes that come through particularly. Suzanne says “I have been mildly annoyed by certain gay characters being presented as super emotional to the point of melodrama as this is borderline stereotyping.” Charlie says “Usually the side characters are gay, and if that's so, they're very camp and flamboyant. If it's a main POV character, they are always closeted until they fall for just that one  person. The gay best friend trope is so over used and so easily ruined.” I’ve seen a couple of times in teen fiction the “all gays are promiscuous” , but the one I see most is the “camp best friend” one.

The thing that often gets me when reading LGB fic is that sexuality is the one of the  first things presented about a character. In very explicit terms. For example, Boy Meets Boy, there’s chapter 2 which says “Paul is definitely gay”, and then in other books  that I don’t have to hand there’s things to that effect. And I don’t mind that so much, but the fact that it’s presented as a defining thing. Sexuality does not define a person. I’m sure for any character introduced this way, you can find a much more interesting thing about them than the gender of who they fall in love with.

That presenting first of sexuality, I find, comes across mainly when the person in question is a  secondary character (by secondary, I mean not the main one, nor the POV).  I get that secondary characters don’t need quite the detail of a main one, but my thoughts are put  nicely by Rie as “usually when they are main characters they are portrayed in a realistic fashion. When they are secondary characters they are a joke, a plot device, or a stereotypical version of themselves.”

Overall, whether a character is main or secondary, sexuality is often one of the facets of them that is most focused on. I understand the reasoning for this when a book is generally about this, ie a coming out story, but for when it isn’t the plot, I don’t see why. Luckily, we’re moving away from this slightly, and I hope representation will continue to improve in the future. 

Book Review-The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

Due to procrastination, tiredness, and the ridiculous ease with which I am distracted, a quick change in schedule. Discussion post #1 will be up tomorrow. 

This is up for offer on the UK giveaway!

Title: The Bermudez Triangle

 Author:  Maureen Jonson

Series:  N/A

Published:   October 2004 by Razorbill

Length: 370 pages

Source: bought

Summary : What happens when your two best friends fall in love...with each other?
"Their friendship went so far back, it bordered on the Biblical -- in the beginning, there was Nina and Avery and Mel." So says high school senior Nina Bermudez about herself and her two best friends, nicknamed "The Bermudez Triangle" by a jealous wannabe back on Nina's eleventh birthday. But the threesome faces their first separation when Nina goes away the summer before their senior year. And in ten short weeks, everything changes.
Nina returns home bursting with stories about Steve, the quirky yet adorable eco-warrior she fell for hard while away. But when she asks her best friends about their summer romances, an awkward silence follows.
Nina soon learns the shocking truth when she sees Mel and Avery...kissing. Their friendship is rocked by what feels like the ultimate challenge. But it's only the beginning of a sometimes painful, sometimes funny, always gripping journey as three girls discover who they are and what they really want.

Review: Mel, Nina and Avery are the Bermudez Triangle; lifelong friends who'll be separated for the first time for a long period of time when Nina goes to a ten-week thing at Stamford while Mel and Avery stay in New York waiting tables. Nina finds love in ecowarrior Steve, while Mel and Avery also find love. In each other.

 I read this because 1. Maureen Johnson and 2. I've been recommended this many times for LGB fic.

Nina is a really  self-obsessed at times. She's also a bit of an idiot. I didn't really like her. I liked Mel. She's very sweet.  Avery talks back and is sarky, which I sometimes  like, but didn’t really.  They feel like tropes, and if I had a long time, I’d tell you exactly which ones. But they just weren’t very interesting, or that original.

It felt like two separate stories, really. The one with Nina and Steve and the long distance relationship that causes problems, and one with Mel and Avery, and the questioning of sexuality and place in world that causes problems. They're both interesting, but they didn't really intertwine  very well. 

The friendship thing  was good. The dynamics change a lot, and it covers a lot of things in terms of romantic and platonic relationship issues and how these relationships change and develop. I like the fact that while coming to a good close for the story, not everything ends totally happy ever after, reflecting the fact that life isn’t always happy ever after either.

Overall:  Strength 3  tea to a good book about relationships, but I just didn’t find the characters interesting enough to care.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review-Student Bodies by Sean Cummings

Title: Student Bodies

Author: Sean Cummings

Series: Poltergeeks #2

Published: 3^rd September 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 304 pages

Source: Netgalley

Summary :
Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy? For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn't give a damn if you've found true love for the first time in your life. There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity. After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus are in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks. All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates. If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.

Review: Julie Richardson is now a Shadowcull, the city's protector from evil, and she's needed. Because, after one classmate almost dies and another one actually does, they discover there's a plot involving Soul Worms, turning the students of the high school into hollow shells of themselves. Julie teams up with Twyla, a practicioner of ancient, Aboriginal magic, in the battle to keep everyone safe.

I really enjoyed Poltergeeks, and knew as soon as I finished it that i'd want to read the sequel.

Very quickly, it's established that this is different to Poltergeeks. There's still a bit of Julie's trademark humour in the writing, but the subject (bullying, the whole depression aspect of the soul worms) and the general tone of the thing is a lot darker than Poltergeeks.

Julie is still awesome. Marcus is pretty cool, and their relationship development was good. Twyla was really awesome (I think she might now be my favourite character), as were the Maven and Twyla's grandfather. Generally cool cast for Student Bodies.

I love the fact that family is important in Student Bodies. Both the Julie/her mother and the Twyla/her grandfather relationships are developed and important, when most of the good relationships in YA are romantic.

The inclusion of another magic system is great. It adds a good dose of diversity to the fantasy and YA selection of books, and it mixes in with the lore from Poltergeeks really well.

Unexpected ending. Be prepared for sadness on two counts. 

Overall: Strength 4 tea to a darker, but still great, book in this series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads |