It’s Pride Month, so it makes sens that I would pick a couple of queer titles to recommend. After all, we’re celebrating here. And what better way to celebrate than with a couple of books featuring people realizing that they’re queer. Not all of us know from a young age that we’re part of the Rainbow Mafia. Thanks to the constant bombardment of the heterosexual agenda, many people just assume they’re straight and it’s not until they’re older -even middle aged and beyond- that it occurs to them that they might not be.
As it turns out, one of my favorite ways to read about other people discovering their queer identity is when the fall in love. It’s a romance trope I never knew I needed, but I do. Maybe you do, too.
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander- Eli Ward is returning to his hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, a very different person than when he left. Post-transition and sober, Eli finds himself moving in with his parents just in time for the Christmas holidays after the star of the TV show he was writing for decided to embroil himself in a scandal and put Eli out of work, something his parents don’t know. Running into his high school ex Nick Wu is the last thing Eli expects or wants, but the dedicated divorced dad with a busy life sparks a rekindling that could go beyond friends.
What I love about this book (aside from the fact that New Port Stephen is exactly what you think of when you think of a weird Florida town) is that our mains used to be an item before Eli transitioned. As someone who grew up with a person who transitioned after high school, I like seeing that acknowledged in fiction. Nick’s feelings about Eli being the same person he knew in high school even though his appearance has changed and he’s lived some life hit me where I live. We’re also treated to Nick’s queer journey when he finds himself falling for Eli. Not to spoil it, but we get some underrepresented queer rep in this one, which I very much appreciate.
Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey- Eden Sands has been a pop star for twenty years, but after the break-up of her marriage, the flop of her last album, and a tour unsold out, she’s finding her star status dimming. She needs a boost, but balks at the possibility of doing a duet with up and coming pop star Anna Moss at the Grammy’s. Anna is desperate to be taken seriously and dueting with her idol Eden Sands could do that for her. When the two of them finally come together, it turns out that they’re better suited for each other than they thought.
My director at the library actually put this one on hold for me as soon as she catalogued it because she knew I’d love it. What’s great about the book is that Anna is an out and proud pansexual, another underrepresented queer identity in the realms of fiction (at least in my opinion). She also has the past of a toxic relationship that probably happens far too often to young people experiencing stardom. Eden on the other hand has always assumed she’s straight, so falling for Anna is a wake-up call. The reason that love with her husband felt so lackluster wasn’t because love itself was overhyped, but that she wasn’t with the gender who lit her up. Ah, the insidious het agenda brainwashing at work. Even if Eden and Anna were purely platonic, watching Anna help Eden navigate these unexplored waters was lovely to read.
If you read these books, I hope you discover some queer joy. And if you don’t, keep searching. The gay is out there.
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