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thereadingwren's review
3.0
3/5
This was such a mixed bag of stories. Some I adored, some I nearly despised. It was really great to read so much Aussie slang and there’s just this different energy in the stories that makes them Australian.
Each story rated individually below:
Rats - Marlee Jane Ward
3/5
This was really hard to get into with the voice of the main character, but it made sense for who they were. I nearly shed a tear at the normal way a non-binary character was portrayed. The story and the world was really cool and the romance was very sweet.
In Case Of Emergency, Break Glass - Erin Gough
4/5
Actually very delightful. I’m not a big fan of Erin Gough’s writing, always feels a little dull to me, but this was lovely and interesting. It made me smile.
Bitter Draught - Michael Earp
4/5
I didn’t actually like this at first but then it got really good. I really wasn’t expecting a sad ending and it threw me, but in a good way. Also loving a non-binary character named Wren ;)
I Like Your Rotation - Jax Jacki Brown
2/5
I wanted to like this for the queer disability rep but it didn’t feel like a story at all. It was really forced with the disability acceptance. It was too picturesque.
Sweet - Claire G Coleman
2.5/5
The idea of a non-binary society seems cool (as an agendered person) but this whole story felt too pointed, too much like a message. I did appreciate the friendship group and the indigenous rep.
Light Bulb - Nevo Zisin
3/5
This was a struggle to get through but the ending was so beautiful that I’m glad I stuck it out. I adore supportive parents.
Waiting - Jen Wilde
5/5
OMG OMG OMG this was the best. Queer nerd culture and standing up to arsehole friends, so beautiful. The Destiel mention, I love it. I desperately want to read more of Jen Wilde.
Laura Nyro at the Wedding - Christos Tsiolkas
5/5
Oh wow. The beauty of this. It is absolutely and wholeheartedly beautiful. My heart hurts and it is healed at the same time. I love this and I need to read more Christos Tsiolkas.
Each City - Ellen van Neerven
1/5
What the flip was that. None of it made sense. I have no idea what happened. But aboriginal rep, yay.
An Arab Werewolf In Liverpool - Omar Sakr
2.5/5
There’s a lot of internalized homophobia going on here. I am 100% obsessed with werewolves but this wasn’t it. This was kind of confusing actually.
Stormlines - Allison Evans
3.5/5
I’m a little confused but intrigued. I really love the use of different pronouns. The characters were interesting.
Questions To Ask Straight Relatives - Benjamin Law
5/5
Wow. Just wow. That was powerful and so unbelievably true, I was nodding along thinking ‘Yass!’ at every question.
This was such a mixed bag of stories. Some I adored, some I nearly despised. It was really great to read so much Aussie slang and there’s just this different energy in the stories that makes them Australian.
Each story rated individually below:
Rats - Marlee Jane Ward
3/5
This was really hard to get into with the voice of the main character, but it made sense for who they were. I nearly shed a tear at the normal way a non-binary character was portrayed. The story and the world was really cool and the romance was very sweet.
In Case Of Emergency, Break Glass - Erin Gough
4/5
Actually very delightful. I’m not a big fan of Erin Gough’s writing, always feels a little dull to me, but this was lovely and interesting. It made me smile.
Bitter Draught - Michael Earp
4/5
I didn’t actually like this at first but then it got really good. I really wasn’t expecting a sad ending and it threw me, but in a good way. Also loving a non-binary character named Wren ;)
I Like Your Rotation - Jax Jacki Brown
2/5
I wanted to like this for the queer disability rep but it didn’t feel like a story at all. It was really forced with the disability acceptance. It was too picturesque.
Sweet - Claire G Coleman
2.5/5
The idea of a non-binary society seems cool (as an agendered person) but this whole story felt too pointed, too much like a message. I did appreciate the friendship group and the indigenous rep.
Light Bulb - Nevo Zisin
3/5
This was a struggle to get through but the ending was so beautiful that I’m glad I stuck it out. I adore supportive parents.
Waiting - Jen Wilde
5/5
OMG OMG OMG this was the best. Queer nerd culture and standing up to arsehole friends, so beautiful. The Destiel mention, I love it. I desperately want to read more of Jen Wilde.
Laura Nyro at the Wedding - Christos Tsiolkas
5/5
Oh wow. The beauty of this. It is absolutely and wholeheartedly beautiful. My heart hurts and it is healed at the same time. I love this and I need to read more Christos Tsiolkas.
Each City - Ellen van Neerven
1/5
What the flip was that. None of it made sense. I have no idea what happened. But aboriginal rep, yay.
An Arab Werewolf In Liverpool - Omar Sakr
2.5/5
There’s a lot of internalized homophobia going on here. I am 100% obsessed with werewolves but this wasn’t it. This was kind of confusing actually.
Stormlines - Allison Evans
3.5/5
I’m a little confused but intrigued. I really love the use of different pronouns. The characters were interesting.
Questions To Ask Straight Relatives - Benjamin Law
5/5
Wow. Just wow. That was powerful and so unbelievably true, I was nodding along thinking ‘Yass!’ at every question.
z_reads4's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
3.25
Overall an interesting collection, but most stories weren't for me.
My favorites were Omar Sakr's An Arab Werewolf in Liverpool, Christos Tsiolkas' Laura Nyro at the Wedding, and of course, Benjamin Law's Questions to Ask Straight Relatives. All were funny, sweet insights into the worlds of the authors and their queerness.
My favorites were Omar Sakr's An Arab Werewolf in Liverpool, Christos Tsiolkas' Laura Nyro at the Wedding, and of course, Benjamin Law's Questions to Ask Straight Relatives. All were funny, sweet insights into the worlds of the authors and their queerness.
charlottefauchon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
_lish_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
gabbyreadswithtea's review
4.0
Average Rating: 3.5
My Rating: 4
A good mix of genres, with contemporary stories at the lead. Was surprised by the few darker stories in this collection, based on the cover I thought this would contain a lot of light and fluffy content (but don’t worry - there’s definitely that too!) felt like this could’ve benefited from some trigger warnings prior to some of the darker stories. As per usual with an anthology, there were a mix of ratings within this collection for different reasons. I’ve provided a short review of each story in this collection.
Being a queer gal I obviously related to some stories more than others, but I felt like I learnt a lot about my fellow queer community and felt a sense of safeness and home between these pages.
I found some new authors that I’ll definitely check out because of this collection! And a few that I knew of already, but have solidified my interest in their other works; namely Jen Wilde & Christos Tsiolkas.
RATS, MARLEE JANE WARD - 2.5/5
Confusing is probably the best way to explain this story for me. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style which made it hard to read. And it felt like this story was part of a bigger world that we were given no indication to. (After doing a bit of research, I think this was part of, or inspired by this authors’ longer series). Overall this could’ve done with more worldbuilding, I do understand this is a limitation that comes with writing short stories. It was an interesting concept, however.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS, ERIN GOUGH - 3.5/5
A sweet story, I loved the sections that were about cooking. Really liked the magical realism vibes, and the story. Wasn’t a big fan of the cheating aspect, or the fact that the author tried to justify the character in question’s actions.
BITTER DRAUGHT, MICHAEL EARP - 3.5/5
This had such a wonderful setting! I would love to read a longer story based in this world. The bittersweet ending killed me. Loved all the characters and the story.
I LIKE YOUR ROTATION, JAX JACKI BROWN - 3.5/5
The writing felt a bit juvenile, and some of the dialogue was unrealistic. Still thought it was a very sweet story, with an interesting ending. Loved the perspective and characters.
SWEET, CLAIRE G COLEMAN - 4/5
I loved the issues this brought to the table. The beginning was confusing but once I realised what the story was doing, I was shocked and impressed. Very creative by spinning current issues on their head. Had a similar vibe to “Rats” but with more worldbuilding and a different subject.
LIGHT BULB, NEVO ZISIN - 4.5/5
This was so creepy! I don’t read horror, honestly not a big fan of the genre. But this was tame enough that I could get through it and I was really impressed! Written fantastically and well crafted. Probably needed some trigger warnings for sensitive readers; out of all the stories this was the one that made me the most uncomfortable; (Trigger Warnings for mention of suicide, death of a parent & illness). Overall this story gave me the chills and I still think about it.
WAITING, JEN WILDE - 5/5
My absolute favourite story in this whole collection (and probably of all time!) From the first fandom reference I was pretty much sold. Love the Convention theme and the story was brilliant. This gave me so many emotions in such a short span of time and I was cheering Audrey on from the beginning. Definitely plan to read more from Jen Wilde because of this collection. Super sweet, fluffy story.
LAURA NYRO AT THE WEDDING, CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS - 4.5/5
This was such an interesting story. I love how Christos Tsiolkas gives us these really complex characters and situations where you feel for everyone involved and don’t know the way out. Was incredible storytelling and the exact reason I want to read more of his works like “The Slap” which has interested me for quite a while through recommendation from a friend.
EACH CITY , ELLEN VAN NEERVEN - 2/5
Super confusing. Felt like this story was too vague and I didn’t know what was going on most of the time, especially the ending. I don’t think the story this author wanted to tell really suited the format of a short story. Really needed to be fleshed out.
AN ARAB WEREWOLF IN LIVERPOOL, OMAR SAKR - 1/5
Werewolves are one of my favourite creatures so I was excited to dive into this story. However this was my least favourite of the collection. The writing style made me uncomfortable, it was very weirdly sexual (almost seemed older than YA?) which could be a personal preference but I wasn’t a fan. Some of the language used was a bit too aggressive for my taste.
Along with that, there were so many characters and names that I could never get the hang of, and all the relations made it even more confusing. Story; also extremely confusing and the ending seemed to make it worse rather than tying it all together. I felt like this was meant to have a magical realism aspect that went wrong.
I really, really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me.
STORMLINES, ALISON EVANS - 3.5/5
This had a really interesting concept and setting. Gave me Robinson Crusoe vibes which was my favourite classic as a child.
I was introduced to “ve” pronouns because of this story. I hadn’t heard of them prior to this, and I want to do more research on this pronoun and find out how they differ from “they/them” gender-neutral pronouns.
QUESTIONS TO ASK STRAIGHT RELATIVES, BENJAMIN LAW - 5/5
Another favourite. This read kind of like an essay mixed with a story but it had the perfect balance of both. Loved the cultural aspects and while I have Italian heritage rather than Asian, I felt so understood by this character and could understand completely the struggles they were going through. It really did hit close to home for me, and was really interesting to read so many different views from the family on the topics discussed.
Thank you to Walker Books Aus for sending me a review copy! All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
My Rating: 4
A good mix of genres, with contemporary stories at the lead. Was surprised by the few darker stories in this collection, based on the cover I thought this would contain a lot of light and fluffy content (but don’t worry - there’s definitely that too!) felt like this could’ve benefited from some trigger warnings prior to some of the darker stories. As per usual with an anthology, there were a mix of ratings within this collection for different reasons. I’ve provided a short review of each story in this collection.
Being a queer gal I obviously related to some stories more than others, but I felt like I learnt a lot about my fellow queer community and felt a sense of safeness and home between these pages.
I found some new authors that I’ll definitely check out because of this collection! And a few that I knew of already, but have solidified my interest in their other works; namely Jen Wilde & Christos Tsiolkas.
RATS, MARLEE JANE WARD - 2.5/5
Confusing is probably the best way to explain this story for me. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style which made it hard to read. And it felt like this story was part of a bigger world that we were given no indication to. (After doing a bit of research, I think this was part of, or inspired by this authors’ longer series). Overall this could’ve done with more worldbuilding, I do understand this is a limitation that comes with writing short stories. It was an interesting concept, however.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS, ERIN GOUGH - 3.5/5
A sweet story, I loved the sections that were about cooking. Really liked the magical realism vibes, and the story. Wasn’t a big fan of the cheating aspect, or the fact that the author tried to justify the character in question’s actions.
BITTER DRAUGHT, MICHAEL EARP - 3.5/5
This had such a wonderful setting! I would love to read a longer story based in this world. The bittersweet ending killed me. Loved all the characters and the story.
I LIKE YOUR ROTATION, JAX JACKI BROWN - 3.5/5
The writing felt a bit juvenile, and some of the dialogue was unrealistic. Still thought it was a very sweet story, with an interesting ending. Loved the perspective and characters.
SWEET, CLAIRE G COLEMAN - 4/5
I loved the issues this brought to the table. The beginning was confusing but once I realised what the story was doing, I was shocked and impressed. Very creative by spinning current issues on their head. Had a similar vibe to “Rats” but with more worldbuilding and a different subject.
LIGHT BULB, NEVO ZISIN - 4.5/5
This was so creepy! I don’t read horror, honestly not a big fan of the genre. But this was tame enough that I could get through it and I was really impressed! Written fantastically and well crafted. Probably needed some trigger warnings for sensitive readers; out of all the stories this was the one that made me the most uncomfortable; (Trigger Warnings for mention of suicide, death of a parent & illness). Overall this story gave me the chills and I still think about it.
WAITING, JEN WILDE - 5/5
My absolute favourite story in this whole collection (and probably of all time!) From the first fandom reference I was pretty much sold. Love the Convention theme and the story was brilliant. This gave me so many emotions in such a short span of time and I was cheering Audrey on from the beginning. Definitely plan to read more from Jen Wilde because of this collection. Super sweet, fluffy story.
LAURA NYRO AT THE WEDDING, CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS - 4.5/5
This was such an interesting story. I love how Christos Tsiolkas gives us these really complex characters and situations where you feel for everyone involved and don’t know the way out. Was incredible storytelling and the exact reason I want to read more of his works like “The Slap” which has interested me for quite a while through recommendation from a friend.
EACH CITY , ELLEN VAN NEERVEN - 2/5
Super confusing. Felt like this story was too vague and I didn’t know what was going on most of the time, especially the ending. I don’t think the story this author wanted to tell really suited the format of a short story. Really needed to be fleshed out.
AN ARAB WEREWOLF IN LIVERPOOL, OMAR SAKR - 1/5
Werewolves are one of my favourite creatures so I was excited to dive into this story. However this was my least favourite of the collection. The writing style made me uncomfortable, it was very weirdly sexual (almost seemed older than YA?) which could be a personal preference but I wasn’t a fan. Some of the language used was a bit too aggressive for my taste.
Along with that, there were so many characters and names that I could never get the hang of, and all the relations made it even more confusing. Story; also extremely confusing and the ending seemed to make it worse rather than tying it all together. I felt like this was meant to have a magical realism aspect that went wrong.
I really, really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me.
STORMLINES, ALISON EVANS - 3.5/5
This had a really interesting concept and setting. Gave me Robinson Crusoe vibes which was my favourite classic as a child.
I was introduced to “ve” pronouns because of this story. I hadn’t heard of them prior to this, and I want to do more research on this pronoun and find out how they differ from “they/them” gender-neutral pronouns.
QUESTIONS TO ASK STRAIGHT RELATIVES, BENJAMIN LAW - 5/5
Another favourite. This read kind of like an essay mixed with a story but it had the perfect balance of both. Loved the cultural aspects and while I have Italian heritage rather than Asian, I felt so understood by this character and could understand completely the struggles they were going through. It really did hit close to home for me, and was really interesting to read so many different views from the family on the topics discussed.
Thank you to Walker Books Aus for sending me a review copy! All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
emmaby's review
3.0
(technically book 50! except a few that were counted towards my goal were shorter stuff so not really 50 ig)
3.5 i think its safe to say at this point i am not a huge short story anthology fan haha
always nice to see niche aussie stuff in books!!
favs were:
- i like your rotation
- light bulb
- waiting
3ish stars:
- rats
- in case of emergency, break glass
- questions to ask straight relatives
- laura nyro at the wedding - would have been higher but had mixed feelings re. seeming almost apologetic to the dads actions at some points???
didn't quite vibe with a few including sweet - i know what it was trying to show but i don't think it came across properly
there were also a few that i skim read bc i just couldn't get into them
3.5 i think its safe to say at this point i am not a huge short story anthology fan haha
always nice to see niche aussie stuff in books!!
favs were:
- i like your rotation
- light bulb
- waiting
3ish stars:
- rats
- in case of emergency, break glass
- questions to ask straight relatives
- laura nyro at the wedding - would have been higher but had mixed feelings re. seeming almost apologetic to the dads actions at some points???
didn't quite vibe with a few including sweet - i know what it was trying to show but i don't think it came across properly
there were also a few that i skim read bc i just couldn't get into them
brookesbookstagram's review
4.0
A beautifully written set of short stories by such a wonderful and diverse range of Australian authors.
I'm not usually one for short stories, always as soon as I get sucked in, I find they wrap up and leave me lingering, but I still really enjoyed each and every story in it's individual way. There were some that were stand outs and I really enjoyed over others.
I also really loved the broad scope of stories, characters, themes and the diversity throughout. A lovely read when I was sick with the spicy flu!
I'm not usually one for short stories, always as soon as I get sucked in, I find they wrap up and leave me lingering, but I still really enjoyed each and every story in it's individual way. There were some that were stand outs and I really enjoyed over others.
I also really loved the broad scope of stories, characters, themes and the diversity throughout. A lovely read when I was sick with the spicy flu!
bookish_brooklyn's review
5.0
Review to come upon my posting date for the upcoming AusYABloggers blog tour of this amazing book! Thank you Walkers Books & AusYABloggers for having me on the tour 🏳️🌈
jess64au's review
fast-paced
5.0
Amazing collection of short stories. All own voices. All queer. Mix of First Nations. Disability. Diverse culturally.