The Queer Review meets Spanish author Álex Beltrán, whose debut novel Little Rock was published earlier this year. Growing up in Valencia, Beltrán's love for storytelling took him to Los Angeles and New York to study film, leading to writing and directing the gay shorts, My Friend Jaime (Mi amigo Jaime) in 2013 and Lost... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Broken Valley by Owen Lach ★★★1/2
Broken Valley, Owen Lach’s follow-up to his sci-fi debut Founder’s Mercy, sees his band of young runaways crossing the country to find freedom and answers while staying one step ahead of the forces hunting them. Roadtrip! I was a big fan of Lach’s first book in the Neskan Chronicles. It blended action, sci-fi world-building, character,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Gay Man Talking – All the Conversations We Never Had by Daniel Harding ★★★1/2
Growing up queer can be an isolating experience. Many of us are shaped by the way that we retreated from the world while we figured things out, or by the way we faked it till we made it to who we really are. UK journalist Daniel Harding has looked back at these gaps in his... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Fraternity by Andy Mientus ★★★1/2
Broadway and television star Andy Mientus evokes the spirits of 1991 for his queer supernatural novel, Fraternity, set in... a fraternity. This is dark academia with 90s nostalgia, filled with the demons that young men face. We meet Zachariah “Zooey” Orson as he transfers to the elite Blackfriars School for Boys after leaving his old... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Jack’s On Fire by Owen Lach ★★★
Jack Martin’s life isn’t great right now. He’s being bullied at school by homophobes, lives with a parent who is at the end of her tether and hardly supportive, he’s full of talent but struggling to get by. Things change when Jack’s mum sends him away to San Francisco to live with his older brother.... Continue Reading →
Book Review: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain ★★★1/2
Matt Cain’s The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a heartbreakingly sweet story about how times of crisis can trigger moments of rewarding growth. Melancholic and romantic, it charts one man’s realisation that it is never too late to live life to its fullest. Albert Entwistle is a postman in an English country village. A... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Young Men in Love editors Joe Glass & Matt Miner “we want cool parents to buy this book for their queer kids”
Indie comic publishers A Wave Blue World's new queer comic romance anthology, Young Men in Love is drawing a lot of attention. This collection of 20 gay love stories spans genres, art styles, and relationships, with a top-tier collection of queer creative talents including Sina Grace, Josh Cornillon, Chris Shehan, Charles Pulliam-Moore, David Booher, Anthony... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Out of the Blue by Jason June ★★★1/2
Nonbinary merpeople on a magical journey of self-discovery meets teen swim team relationship drama, Jason June (author of Jay’s Gay Agenda) has delivered a queer rom-com that’s, well, okay… silly and cheesy and a bit daft, but also adorable AF. Crest is about to start their Journey, a tradition for teen merfolk (mer are nonbinary,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Heat Wave by TJ Klune ★★★
TJ Klune wraps up his YA superhero trilogy, The Extraordinaries, with Heat Wave which sees teenager Nick launching into his superhero career, as well as launching into his fully-fledged relationship with Seth. Quick note: being the last part of a trilogy, there’s no way to avoid spoilers for the previous books in this review. Nick... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper ★★★★
If you’re looking for a cute, contemporary gay romance to snuggle up with then Kris Ripper’s Book Boyfriend is a good place to start. Behind it’s rom-com trappings, it has hidden depths and a beautifully flawed lead character in PK. Preston ‘PK’ Harrington is an editorial assistant (and wannabe author) working at a book publisher... Continue Reading →