LGBTQIA | Lost in a Good Book

Solve for i by A.E. Dooland

12 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, LGBTQIA Tags: a. e. dooland, Audiobook, cat gould, lgbt, LGBTQIA, two stars

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.

Published: 23 February 2017 (print)/20 July 2017 (audio)
Publisher: E Dooland/Tantor Audio
Pages: 358/12 hours, 32 min
Narrator: Cat Gould
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction Romance
★ ★ – 2.5 Stars

Maths wiz Gemma Rowe has found the one problem her maths can’t solve: she’s fallen for her female & very heterosexual best friend.

Gemma Rowe is a shy maths nerd from Sydney who, despite having an affinity for probability and logic, only just worked out at 28 that she’s not actually straight. Not only is she not straight, but she’s developed feelings for her best friend Sarah.

Sarah and Gemma go way back—since they met at university, they’ve been completely inseparable. They’ve travelled together, got jobs at the same company, and shared each other’s triumphs and sorrows. There was even that one memorable time when Sarah, completely drunk, told Gemma she couldn’t live without her. A relationship seems like the perfect solution.

There’s just one teensy little problem with this whole equation: Sarah is straight.

Gemma knows the logical thing to do is to get over Sarah. She wants to be in her own happy relationship and not caught up on her straight best friend. But how is she supposed to get over Sarah when, despite all those advanced problem-solving skills, she can’t even work out who she’s attracted to anymore?

This has been sitting in my unfinished drafts for a couple years and I keep thinking I should write a review before I open it and realise I have three lines of notes and no other recollection about the book. Which makes it perfect for a Long Lost Review.

I haven’t read a lot of adult LGBTQIA books and I found this one by chance and didn’t realise it was adult fiction. It contains a character who is trans and non-binary which I definitely have never read in an adult fiction so I loved that. I feel the adult queer books are not as promoted as well as the young adult, which is strange. Either that are there isn’t a push to highlight them, people will find them by chance if they do. Maybe I am just looking at the wrong lists (highly probable).

There were a few poor pronoun choices when talking about Min, the trans non-binary character, which always caught my attention, either character choice by Gemma or author choice to not try super hard about that we may never know. There was a line I recall where Gemma says Min doesn’t really mind which pronouns Gemma uses, but there were also the ones they did use, and Gemma choosing to ignore that, even given the pass felt a tad rude.

I’ve given this 2.5 stars so clearly I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book. I remember the feelings Gemma develops for Sarah, and a few scenes with Min, but I can’t say I remember much else about it I’m afraid.

You can purchase Solve for i via the following

Wordery | Blackwell’s

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Going BiCoastal by Dahlia Adler

10 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, bisexual, contemporary young adult, dahlia adler, four stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, mara wilson, romance, young adult, young adult romance

Published: 13 June 2023 (print)/13 June 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Wednesday Books / Spotify Audiobooks
Pages: 336/8 hrs and 57 mins
Narrator: Mara Wilson
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4.5 Stars

A queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she’s always wanted) or LA with her estranged mum (and the guy she never saw coming). In Dahlia Adler’s Going Bicoastal, there’s more than one path to happily ever after. Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mum in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)

How’s a girl supposed to choose? She can’t, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines – one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mum, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she’s always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mum, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.

I have wanted to read this since mid 2023 when it came out and now I finally have access to it and I loved it. I love Sliding Doors and I love seeing two different versions play out based on one single decision. The issue here is both options were good. I loved the natural way each relationship developed and how both had potential and benefits for Natalya.

With her east coast choice, the connection and relationship with Elly felt organic and real. You believed that they may have seen one another visiting the same places over and over again without their meeting and connection be a perfect stars aligning situation. Even though it was classed as a safe choice, it still gave Nat a chance to take chances.

For the west coast, Adam was a great new discovery and a good lesson on her taking risks and changing up her routine. His family and his story was unique and engaging and I loved the ease in which they suited one another.

All characters in both versions were really well developed. I kept forgetting most of them were teenagers, seventeen or eighteen, they felt and sometimes acted a lot older, I often found myself thinking they were in their twenties. But that isn’t a disservice to Adler, I think it’s great to show that people that age can be mature and confident, and can have engaging lives that don’t constantly remind you of being at school. And when the younger kids were hanging out with people older, they never felt like they were missing out, or immature. It was an easy mix and great to read.

I was glad there were more conversations happening that weren’t entirely school related. I enjoyed seeing characters have their attention and plot on something other than school, or having their deep and meaningful summer of change (not that those don’t have a place). This story balances the big decisions of leaving school and having a summer themed book all without making it “the summer that changes their life” profoundness. The casualness was what made it so enjoyable to read.

I loved Nat’s parents and the different relationships and seeing the two storylines overlap was creative and a great way to show off how some things would always have happened, even if you made a different choice. There is also great representation of the Jewish faith and seeing it play a large part in Nat’s life was something I hadn’t seen before in a book. I’ve read stories where being Jewish is mentioned, but not shown to be as intertwines in day to day life as this.

As I said, I loved the Sliding Doors element, I thought there was going to be a way to have it merge together, but Adler makes it a choose your own adventure which puts great power in the readers hands and lets you pick your own ending. I must say I had trouble picking, but based on my enjoyment of each side of the story I did enjoy one a lot more, or I felt was more rewarding I should say. One would have happened anyway, while the other one felt like she was missing out if that hadn’t happened. Cryptic enough? No spoilers? Good-o.

You can purchase Going BiCoastal via the following

Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox

05 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, aussie, Aussie YA Challenge, australian women writers challenge, contemporary, contemporary young adult, helena fox, kaiya jones, lgbt, LGBTQIA, loveozya, three stars, young adult

Published: 28 March 2023 (print)/28 March 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Dial Books/Macmillan Australia Audio
Pages: 384/10 hrs and 35 mins
Narrator: Kaiya Jones
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

George’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under.

But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as distant wildfires begin to burn.

George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the memories roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colors. And it’s here George would stay—quiet and safe—if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put.

A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, and love, and about our hopeless, hopeful world.

Having read an amazing award winner recently, it was clearly an exception to my usual experience of award winners being long and boring because this one fell right back into the long and bit boring track. This book is clearly an award winner, there’s big ideas, poetic words, long drawn out emotional explorations. Which is fine. That’s why these books win awards. But it’s something you have to remember going in. I haven’t done a literary award winner in a while and I had to get used to it again.

The plot was interesting but the slowness takes away from your full enjoyment. Needing to move the plot along faster became my main wish and while I enjoyed the characters and their lives, it was drawn out. I had my audiobook on 1.75x speed and it still seemed to take forever. I thought it was almost over and I still had four hours left.

I enjoyed the environment Georgia explores. Living on the water, going out in the kayak and feeling peace in solitude. Those are wonderful moments of peace and reflection, which Fox does well. The emotional release of art as well as being on the water was a great new approach than what usually happens in books. I love Australian YA because we have these amazing stories that are outside of school settings that are about people’s fascinating and complicated lives outside of school drama.

There are a lot of characters in play which breaks up the long emotional and introspective thoughts and contemplations. Her mum and stepmother Mel are the parents, there’s grandad and his eccentricities, as well as the friendships between Tess, Lars, and Georgia. Not to mention a potential new friend in Calliope.

There are emotional moments and a lot of big issues that come into play. Alcoholism, abandonment, pregnancy and complications, as well as a variety of mental illnesses. It’s a complicated and messy life with complicated and messy characters. Lars is annoying, Tess is annoying, but I kind of enjoyed that in it showed imperfect people and how you can still be friends with them. Not to mention the bonds of childhood friendships and the obligations that entails. It’s also a good example of how as people grow up they change and as their lives go in different directions it’s a big thing for friendship groups.

There is actually a lot of things happening but the focus remains on Georgia so we only get bits and pieces as she interacts with it and the action around it is few and far between. The snippets we learn about of her father, the mystery of her flashbacks and various memories, as well as the drama of Tess’ intentional teen pregnancy added some flare.

The mention of the Black Summer fires hits a bit too close to home, as did the Covid mention. The reminder is always so depressing about that fire season and the anxiety rises to the surface as you relive it. It’s good that it isn’t being forgotten though and it plays into the story well. On the flipside, things are still long and overdone and they counteract good plot by distracting from it and making it feel weighed down.

It’s a good coming of age story that deals with changing relationships, discovering who you are, and how trauma shapes your life whether you realise it or not. I’m glad I read it but I also think it could have worked if it was less literary. But that isn’t how profound internal discovery and life changes happens. It was probably the best format to explore these ideas, it certainly makes them more impactful despite the pacing issue.

You can purchase The Quiet and the Loud via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Long Lost Review: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

08 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, LGBTQIA, Long Lost Reviews, Young Adult Tags: #llr, becky albertalli, contemporary young adult, five stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, young adult

Published: 2 May 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel.

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

Sometimes you read too many books too fast and then suddenly what you think you read only last year turns out to have been read in 2023. Where does the time go? But this is a good Long Lost Review because my notes on it are few, the vibes are good, and I think it works based on what I remember about the story. The worst part is, this was in my Top Five of 2023 and it still didn’t get a real review so it’s a shame really to be reduced to a LLR but here we are.

This is a great exploration of identity and is a fantastic story about how being a passionate advocate for queer lives can also be damaging and toxic. Albertalli demonstrates with remarkable skill and grace, even a bit of compassion, that there still exists toxicity in queer spaces and there is always a chance of going too far.

Imogen’s journey of self-discovery is a wonderful reminder that there is no age limit on finding out who you are. Her inner monologue shows how unsettled she feels in herself, while also feeling so sure of who she is at the same time. As this becomes upended as the story goes along we follow this path as Imogen navigates her feelings, her friendships, and the lives of those around her to work out who she really is.

The cast of characters in this book are well rounded and complex. Even with so many characters in play they each get attention and are fully developed. It is easy to fall into their banter and support, as well as experience their ups and downs with them.

Gretchen is a great character in that she is a terrible but she is a perfect representation of what it means to police other people and to try and gate keep and control how other people experience their own lives. The challenge of having a friend like her, while also trying to be supportive and guided by their experiences and not your own, means Imogen tries her best to be an ally but at the same time deals with the problems Gretchen creates.

Being an older YA makes this story sit right at the cusp of leaving school/entering uni which is wonderful representation for anyone feeling like they need to have themselves worked out by the time they are 16 or before, like many queer YA books demonstrate. I enjoyed how it showed there is no time limit on discovering yourself and what makes you happy.

Full of realism and representation, Imogen, Obviously is a sweet and romantic story that deals with current and evergreen issues in the queer community from both inside and out. It’s light-hearted but not without conflict, and highlights the importance of friendship and being true to yourself.

Long Lost Review: Night Swimming by Steph Bowe

13 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers, LGBTQIA, Long Lost Reviews, Young Adult Tags: #llr, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, loveozya, steph bowe, three stars, young adult

Published: 03 April 2017
Publisher: Text Publishing
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

Imagine being the only two seventeen-year-olds in a small town. That’s life for Kirby Arrow—named after the most dissenting judge in Australia’s history—and her best friend Clancy Lee, would-be musical star.

Clancy wants nothing more than to leave town and head for the big smoke, but Kirby is worried: her family has a history of leaving. She hasn’t heard from her father since he left when she was a baby. Shouldn’t she stay to help her mother with the goat’s-milk soap-making business, look after her grandfather who suffers from dementia, be an apprentice carpenter to old Mr Pool? And how could she leave her pet goat, Stanley, her dog Maude, and her cat Marianne?

But two things happen that change everything for Kirby. She finds an article in the newspaper about her father, and Iris arrives in town. Iris is beautiful, wears crazy clothes, plays the mandolin, and seems perfect, really, thinks Kirby. Clancy has his heart set on winning over Iris. Trouble is Kirby is also falling in love with Iris…

I read this book in 2017 and unfortunately I recall absolutely nothing of it. So much so that every time I see my draft review for it (which literally only contains the blurb, not even a single note or thought) I think I need to reread it because I can’t even summon up any recollection at all. This has obviously not improved as the years went on and I still recall nothing and the hope of suddenly remembering pieces of plot diminished further. I should reread it, but for now I am making it a Long Lost Review because if these are for anything it is for those book we read in 2017 and remember nothing of it whatsoever.

I also feel given the passing of Steph Bowe that I should reread. And I may. But for now I will say I read it, gave it 3 stars, and nothing in the blurb sounds even remotely familiar. At a stretch I could say it was one of the earliest F/F books I’d ever read. Maybe the first? Seems like a hard thing to pin point but I do recall that being a stand out reading the blurb.