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Be Gay, Do Crime
A follow-up to their runaway success Peach Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women, editors Molly Llewellyn and Kristel Buckley return with Be Gay, Do Crime, a celebration of queer chaos from an all-queer author lineup featuring Myriam Gurba, Emily Austin, Alissa Nutting, and Francesca Ekwuyasi
A trans woman makes increasingly frequent hoax calls to a business where she's had a negative experience, watching the consequences with perverse joy. A group of aging queers turns to bank robbery to stop the sale of their bungalow complex to a development company. As the president prepares to give a speech, two women lurk among the journalists, ready to shoot him. And an aspiring author takes to stealing items from strangers’ homes in a kind of cosmic redistribution each time one of her relationships fail.
In sixteen brilliant, wild-eyed stories, Be Gay, Do Crime delivers a celebration and reckoning of why queer people turn to crime–unintentionally, as a means of survival, as protest, as rescue, or to right injustices big and small.
A trans woman makes increasingly frequent hoax calls to a business where she's had a negative experience, watching the consequences with perverse joy. A group of aging queers turns to bank robbery to stop the sale of their bungalow complex to a development company. As the president prepares to give a speech, two women lurk among the journalists, ready to shoot him. And an aspiring author takes to stealing items from strangers’ homes in a kind of cosmic redistribution each time one of her relationships fail.
In sixteen brilliant, wild-eyed stories, Be Gay, Do Crime delivers a celebration and reckoning of why queer people turn to crime–unintentionally, as a means of survival, as protest, as rescue, or to right injustices big and small.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2025
208 people are currently reading
11760 people want to read
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June 29, 2025
In dark, backward times such as these, a collection of gay mischief short stories is just what I need! Lots of top-tier queer authors included. I'm especially excited to read new Alissa Nutting. Let's jump right in!
Myriam Lacroix - The Meaning of Life
LOL! When a lesbian couple discover a baby stuffed in an old couch in a bar alley, they decide to adopt him without following legal protocol. Wild from the first word, non-stop wit throughout. Hilarious and even a little poignant by the end.
I'm given an instant sense of belonging with this story. Straights can stop in and have a good time, but you probably won't get all the jokes and self-deprecating humor. Still, anyone should be able to agree this is one of the tightest, wittiest, and most enjoyable short stories ever. If the rest are even half this good, this book is gonna be a blast!
Update: On further inspection, it looks like this story was adapted, or excerpted from, Lacroix's novel How It Works Out. While perfect as a short story, I'm definitely going to check out this novel to see what happens next.
Soula Emmanuel - It's A Cruel World for Empaths Like Us
Dissatisfied with the ongoings of humdrum life, our protagonist makes false threat calls just to watch employees empty out onto the street, freed from their daily grind however briefly. With this story, the editors move us away from witty gags and into literary somberness. It's a good example of the range this collection is prepared to offer. The second person point of view is well-crafted to strip away any implication of gender. The story itself is a genderless one, filled with the kind of morose existence we can all relate to. Overall, while I appreciate the artistic delivery, this story is a bit of a downer. I look forward to continued diversity in delivery and tone of future stories, though. Next!
Temim Fruchter - Redistribution
A surprisingly effective thematic connection between income inequality and relationship inequality. There's something mesmerizing, and highly relatable, about watching the broken-hearted poor indulge themselves in the empty home of the wealthy. The queer aspect is very muted, but bubbles under the surface as added oppression. I like this one a lot!
SJ Sindu - Wild Ale
An all-too-real revisit to Covid times, domestic squabbles and retail therapy. All seems lost, but a rumble against the MAGA crowd unexpectedly brings back hope. Well-written enough to remind me of 2020 trauma. A bit of humor at the end to make it fun.
Alissa Nutting - Peep Show
Yes! It’s been too long since Nutting’s last novel and I couldn’t wait to read this story. Did it disappoint? Not at all! Just as wild as we’ve come to expect from the author of unhinged classics like Tampa and Made for Love.
When a lesbian steals the dog from her tech bro boss’s home, she begins to suspect the seemingly-alive dog is actually a spy camera watching her have sex. The hotter her girl-on-girl action is, the more promotions she seems to get at work. It’s a premise for the ages, managing to encapsulate numerous modern anxieties all at once. The only disappointment is that we don’t get 300 pages of this insanity, or a proper resolution to the mystery. I can only hope this is actually an excerpt of a novel-in-progress because I desperately want to read more!
Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya - Of Course, A Curse
A cursed hat and a pickpocket girlfriend places Naya in a surreal state of existence. Surprisingly relatable even with the fantasy element.
Aurora Mattia - Wild and Blue
Overly ethereal, I think, but another good showcase of dexterity. Maybe that should have been the theme--the impressive literary range of queer writers. Not seeing the "queer chaos" theme so much in this one. Next!
Anna Dorn - Bad Dog
Ooh! Now we're back on theme. Lots of bad gays in this one. Notably near-identical twin sisters, both with their own psychological issues. The extra "bad" one decides to impersonate the other to try to break off her engagement to an annoying woman whose main fault is loving dogs. The trick goes about as well as you would expect. Overall, a great story with characters who jump off the page and grow more complex with every paragraph. Super cute and definitely on brand for this anthology.
Mac Crane - Two Hundred Channels of Conflict
Watching another queer couple through their window, scrutinizing body language to decipher their level of happiness. Replying to wrong number text messages and fantasizing about another life. Going on random dates that don't go well, but the rejection stings anyway.
This story kinda fucked me up. There's no humor in the zaniness, only a depressing cloud. I found it highly relatable and, while not explicitly addressed, a powerful portrayal of queer relationship challenges. We don't have role models everywhere we look and sometimes it does feel we have to trespass on the neighbor's lawn to get a fleeting glance at what our life could look like. You don't have to be gay to be damaged or have difficult relationships, but I think there is unique isolation that comes with being part of the 5-10% of human sexuality. This story doesn't offer a lot of optimism, but it does an excellent job of mirroring what that isolation can feel like.
Francesca Ekwuyasi - "Fuck You" Money
Bisexual prostitute shenanigans are somewhat interesting, though not a main point of the story. There's a "curse" element in here which has become a repeated refrain in the collection. I think many queer persons feel as if their lives are cursed for various socio-political reasons, so I'm not surprised to see it come up again. I don't know that this story captures this dilemma in a particularly illuminating way, but it's fine.
Priya Guns - Make Life Great Again
An obnoxiously safe political story that says nothing and has no meaningful connection to the collection’s theme.
Myriam Gurba - Tooth Fairy
Adopting a vicious pet rabbit helps Nat realize she needs to break up with her moocher girlfriend. Okay? Doesn't offer much to dissect, but I guess it's all right.
Venita Blackburn - Black Jesus
Hmm, not sure what to make of this micro fiction. Felt like it was just heating up when it stops. Also collected in Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, a short fiction collection by Blackburn. Doesn't make sense for this collection, but I would read more by the author.
Maame Blue - Distraction
At this point I’m starting to feel bamboozled. This is a perfectly decent literary short story, but why is it in this collection? One of the characters reveals she got an abortion a year ago. Was that supposed to be the “crime” part? What’s going on? Are there really not enough queer writers out there to fill an anthology that stays on theme?
Emily Austin - Grand Beaver Cabin
A woman enters children's coloring contests to feel validated as an artist. Hilarious premise and superb delivery. At last, a return to theme. The editor should have moved this story way closer to the front. I worry readers will put the book aside before reaching this point. If you find yourself in a slump, skip ahead to this one.
Sam Cohen - Operation Hyacinth
DNF. It's the longest story and I could tell immediately it wasn't going to be my thing. Ordinarily I would power through no matter what, but this collection put me in a major book slump and I just had to end it.
Overall...
So disappointed! After the first story I thought this was going to be right up my alley, with characters navigating gay existence and silly crimes. It wasn't all a loss, however, since there were a small number of excellent stories. As with any compilation, there's going to be hits and misses. I would have felt much better if the misses at least met the brief, though. Queerness is shockingly absent from most of the stories, and so is any element of crime or bad behavior.
I did discover Myriam Lacroix, Anna Dorn and Emily Austin by reading this. I'll be watching their careers closely. Alissa Nutting also proves to be fabulous once again. I hope other readers will have a better experience than me with it. Looking back, I wish I had just skipped the stories that didn't grab me right away. I hope my review helps you identify the best stories in the collection, or at least the ones which best match the marketing.
Myriam Lacroix - The Meaning of Life
LOL! When a lesbian couple discover a baby stuffed in an old couch in a bar alley, they decide to adopt him without following legal protocol. Wild from the first word, non-stop wit throughout. Hilarious and even a little poignant by the end.
I'm given an instant sense of belonging with this story. Straights can stop in and have a good time, but you probably won't get all the jokes and self-deprecating humor. Still, anyone should be able to agree this is one of the tightest, wittiest, and most enjoyable short stories ever. If the rest are even half this good, this book is gonna be a blast!
Update: On further inspection, it looks like this story was adapted, or excerpted from, Lacroix's novel How It Works Out. While perfect as a short story, I'm definitely going to check out this novel to see what happens next.
Soula Emmanuel - It's A Cruel World for Empaths Like Us
Dissatisfied with the ongoings of humdrum life, our protagonist makes false threat calls just to watch employees empty out onto the street, freed from their daily grind however briefly. With this story, the editors move us away from witty gags and into literary somberness. It's a good example of the range this collection is prepared to offer. The second person point of view is well-crafted to strip away any implication of gender. The story itself is a genderless one, filled with the kind of morose existence we can all relate to. Overall, while I appreciate the artistic delivery, this story is a bit of a downer. I look forward to continued diversity in delivery and tone of future stories, though. Next!
Temim Fruchter - Redistribution
A surprisingly effective thematic connection between income inequality and relationship inequality. There's something mesmerizing, and highly relatable, about watching the broken-hearted poor indulge themselves in the empty home of the wealthy. The queer aspect is very muted, but bubbles under the surface as added oppression. I like this one a lot!
SJ Sindu - Wild Ale
An all-too-real revisit to Covid times, domestic squabbles and retail therapy. All seems lost, but a rumble against the MAGA crowd unexpectedly brings back hope. Well-written enough to remind me of 2020 trauma. A bit of humor at the end to make it fun.
Alissa Nutting - Peep Show
Yes! It’s been too long since Nutting’s last novel and I couldn’t wait to read this story. Did it disappoint? Not at all! Just as wild as we’ve come to expect from the author of unhinged classics like Tampa and Made for Love.
When a lesbian steals the dog from her tech bro boss’s home, she begins to suspect the seemingly-alive dog is actually a spy camera watching her have sex. The hotter her girl-on-girl action is, the more promotions she seems to get at work. It’s a premise for the ages, managing to encapsulate numerous modern anxieties all at once. The only disappointment is that we don’t get 300 pages of this insanity, or a proper resolution to the mystery. I can only hope this is actually an excerpt of a novel-in-progress because I desperately want to read more!
Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya - Of Course, A Curse
A cursed hat and a pickpocket girlfriend places Naya in a surreal state of existence. Surprisingly relatable even with the fantasy element.
Aurora Mattia - Wild and Blue
Overly ethereal, I think, but another good showcase of dexterity. Maybe that should have been the theme--the impressive literary range of queer writers. Not seeing the "queer chaos" theme so much in this one. Next!
Anna Dorn - Bad Dog
Ooh! Now we're back on theme. Lots of bad gays in this one. Notably near-identical twin sisters, both with their own psychological issues. The extra "bad" one decides to impersonate the other to try to break off her engagement to an annoying woman whose main fault is loving dogs. The trick goes about as well as you would expect. Overall, a great story with characters who jump off the page and grow more complex with every paragraph. Super cute and definitely on brand for this anthology.
Mac Crane - Two Hundred Channels of Conflict
Watching another queer couple through their window, scrutinizing body language to decipher their level of happiness. Replying to wrong number text messages and fantasizing about another life. Going on random dates that don't go well, but the rejection stings anyway.
This story kinda fucked me up. There's no humor in the zaniness, only a depressing cloud. I found it highly relatable and, while not explicitly addressed, a powerful portrayal of queer relationship challenges. We don't have role models everywhere we look and sometimes it does feel we have to trespass on the neighbor's lawn to get a fleeting glance at what our life could look like. You don't have to be gay to be damaged or have difficult relationships, but I think there is unique isolation that comes with being part of the 5-10% of human sexuality. This story doesn't offer a lot of optimism, but it does an excellent job of mirroring what that isolation can feel like.
Francesca Ekwuyasi - "Fuck You" Money
Bisexual prostitute shenanigans are somewhat interesting, though not a main point of the story. There's a "curse" element in here which has become a repeated refrain in the collection. I think many queer persons feel as if their lives are cursed for various socio-political reasons, so I'm not surprised to see it come up again. I don't know that this story captures this dilemma in a particularly illuminating way, but it's fine.
Priya Guns - Make Life Great Again
An obnoxiously safe political story that says nothing and has no meaningful connection to the collection’s theme.
Myriam Gurba - Tooth Fairy
Adopting a vicious pet rabbit helps Nat realize she needs to break up with her moocher girlfriend. Okay? Doesn't offer much to dissect, but I guess it's all right.
Venita Blackburn - Black Jesus
Hmm, not sure what to make of this micro fiction. Felt like it was just heating up when it stops. Also collected in Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, a short fiction collection by Blackburn. Doesn't make sense for this collection, but I would read more by the author.
Maame Blue - Distraction
At this point I’m starting to feel bamboozled. This is a perfectly decent literary short story, but why is it in this collection? One of the characters reveals she got an abortion a year ago. Was that supposed to be the “crime” part? What’s going on? Are there really not enough queer writers out there to fill an anthology that stays on theme?
Emily Austin - Grand Beaver Cabin
A woman enters children's coloring contests to feel validated as an artist. Hilarious premise and superb delivery. At last, a return to theme. The editor should have moved this story way closer to the front. I worry readers will put the book aside before reaching this point. If you find yourself in a slump, skip ahead to this one.
Sam Cohen - Operation Hyacinth
DNF. It's the longest story and I could tell immediately it wasn't going to be my thing. Ordinarily I would power through no matter what, but this collection put me in a major book slump and I just had to end it.
Overall...
So disappointed! After the first story I thought this was going to be right up my alley, with characters navigating gay existence and silly crimes. It wasn't all a loss, however, since there were a small number of excellent stories. As with any compilation, there's going to be hits and misses. I would have felt much better if the misses at least met the brief, though. Queerness is shockingly absent from most of the stories, and so is any element of crime or bad behavior.
I did discover Myriam Lacroix, Anna Dorn and Emily Austin by reading this. I'll be watching their careers closely. Alissa Nutting also proves to be fabulous once again. I hope other readers will have a better experience than me with it. Looking back, I wish I had just skipped the stories that didn't grab me right away. I hope my review helps you identify the best stories in the collection, or at least the ones which best match the marketing.
Read
June 27, 2025In a Nutshell: A anthology of “gay crime” stories. The queer content was decent but the crime content left me somewhat dissatisfied. Also, the R-rated content and language in many stories wasn’t to my reading taste. So this collection wasn’t my cup of tea, though I did find a few gems herein.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The moment I saw that amazing punny title, I knew that I would have to get my hands on this collection. Seeing gay + crime within the same title stoked all embers of my curiosity. The fact that the book was included in the GR Reading challenge for Pride reads was the icing on the cake. However, the expectations created by the title were met only to some extent.
This anthology has sixteen stories, each of which feature an LGBTQIA+ character and a crime. Sounds like a fun combo, right? But it doesn’t exactly work that way.
Thanks to the contributing authors coming from varied backgrounds, we get a nice diverse experience with stories being set in different locations from multiple countries. However, in terms of characters, the queer diversity is missing. A majority of the stories had only lesbians in the lead, with one story featuring an (implied) trans character. I’d have expected more colours of the rainbow to be represented adequately.
The crime content was also much tamer than what I had thought. A word like “crime” conjures up expectations of murders and heists and kidnappings. But most of the crimes in this collection barely touch the murkier end of the criminal spectrum, as they contain relatively petty transgressions such as prank calls, fraudulent participation in contests, and tales of vengeance. If you are looking for darker and bloodier offences, you might be disappointed.
This doesn’t mean that the stories aim at a younger audience such as YAs. On the contrary, more than half of the stories have explicit sexual content or vulgar language, both of which aren’t to my reading taste. In a book about crimes, I didn’t expect to see so many open-door steamy scenes, most of which were totally unrelated to any crime and hence superfluous for the plot.
The writing style also was a mixed experience for me. Some stories were genuinely funny in an ironic sort of manner. Many had quirky characters and quirkier plots. But quite a few stories contained flashbacks, which broke the main narrative flow. Some had too many characters, while some others had too many subplots. Reading these stories felt like an endless trudge towards nowhere and the percentage indicators on my Kindle just wasn’t moving upwards quickly enough, despite this being a relatively short book at just 260-odd pages. After a point, I was so frustrated that I even contemplated DNFing the book. But I don’t DNF easily, and my persistence was rewarded in the second half, which had some really creative tales.
The characters save my experience to some extent. It is rare for contemporary books to depict a member of the LGBTQIA+ community as flawed; the idealised portrayal of homosexual relationships in Queer fiction is not just repetitive but also misleading. So such storytelling feels novel and refreshing. Most stories don’t have likeable leads, which is quite obvious from the title. But their flaws and their vulnerabilities enhance the impact.
As always, I rated the stories individually. To my regret, a major chunk of the book didn’t work well for me. Of the sixteen stories, only five stories reached/crossed the 4-star mark. The remaining eleven stories went all the way from 1 star to 3.5 stars, creating a shaky reading experience. These are my top favourites with 4+ stars each.
All in all, I had hoped for a memorable experience given that amazing title, but I guess it wasn’t to be. I am not sure if my incorrect expectation (of wanting more crime) led to this disappointing result, or if the writing itself, with its back-and-forth scenes and suggestive content, created a greater reader-book mismatch.
That said, many of the stories weren’t bad; they just weren’t to my taste. So perhaps you might still like the book if you go in with the right expectations: petty crime, mostly lesbian leads, unstructured story flow, R-rated scenes/language.
Leaving this without a rating as a major chunk of the low-rated stories fared worse because of my discomfort with such content.
My thanks to Dzanc Books for providing the DRC of “Be Gay, Do Crime” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The moment I saw that amazing punny title, I knew that I would have to get my hands on this collection. Seeing gay + crime within the same title stoked all embers of my curiosity. The fact that the book was included in the GR Reading challenge for Pride reads was the icing on the cake. However, the expectations created by the title were met only to some extent.
This anthology has sixteen stories, each of which feature an LGBTQIA+ character and a crime. Sounds like a fun combo, right? But it doesn’t exactly work that way.
Thanks to the contributing authors coming from varied backgrounds, we get a nice diverse experience with stories being set in different locations from multiple countries. However, in terms of characters, the queer diversity is missing. A majority of the stories had only lesbians in the lead, with one story featuring an (implied) trans character. I’d have expected more colours of the rainbow to be represented adequately.
The crime content was also much tamer than what I had thought. A word like “crime” conjures up expectations of murders and heists and kidnappings. But most of the crimes in this collection barely touch the murkier end of the criminal spectrum, as they contain relatively petty transgressions such as prank calls, fraudulent participation in contests, and tales of vengeance. If you are looking for darker and bloodier offences, you might be disappointed.
This doesn’t mean that the stories aim at a younger audience such as YAs. On the contrary, more than half of the stories have explicit sexual content or vulgar language, both of which aren’t to my reading taste. In a book about crimes, I didn’t expect to see so many open-door steamy scenes, most of which were totally unrelated to any crime and hence superfluous for the plot.
The writing style also was a mixed experience for me. Some stories were genuinely funny in an ironic sort of manner. Many had quirky characters and quirkier plots. But quite a few stories contained flashbacks, which broke the main narrative flow. Some had too many characters, while some others had too many subplots. Reading these stories felt like an endless trudge towards nowhere and the percentage indicators on my Kindle just wasn’t moving upwards quickly enough, despite this being a relatively short book at just 260-odd pages. After a point, I was so frustrated that I even contemplated DNFing the book. But I don’t DNF easily, and my persistence was rewarded in the second half, which had some really creative tales.
The characters save my experience to some extent. It is rare for contemporary books to depict a member of the LGBTQIA+ community as flawed; the idealised portrayal of homosexual relationships in Queer fiction is not just repetitive but also misleading. So such storytelling feels novel and refreshing. Most stories don’t have likeable leads, which is quite obvious from the title. But their flaws and their vulnerabilities enhance the impact.
As always, I rated the stories individually. To my regret, a major chunk of the book didn’t work well for me. Of the sixteen stories, only five stories reached/crossed the 4-star mark. The remaining eleven stories went all the way from 1 star to 3.5 stars, creating a shaky reading experience. These are my top favourites with 4+ stars each.
🏳️🌈 The Meaning of Life - Myriam Lacroix: No way would I have been able to predict the direction of this story. Weird yet wonderful. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏳️🌈 Redistribution - Temim Fruchter: Witty concept. I would have rated it higher if it had continued for at least a scene more. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏳️🌈 Peep Show - Alissa Nutting: Didn't expect the title would be literal. Might have rated this higher had the steamy content been more to my comfort level. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏳️🌈 Bad Dog - Anna Dorn: Can dogs be bad or are they simply dogs belonging to bad owners? This hilarious story explores this question and much more. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏳️🌈 Grand Beaver Cabin - Emily Austin: This is the kind of story I picked up this book for. It was perfect in terms of plot, characters, and theme. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All in all, I had hoped for a memorable experience given that amazing title, but I guess it wasn’t to be. I am not sure if my incorrect expectation (of wanting more crime) led to this disappointing result, or if the writing itself, with its back-and-forth scenes and suggestive content, created a greater reader-book mismatch.
That said, many of the stories weren’t bad; they just weren’t to my taste. So perhaps you might still like the book if you go in with the right expectations: petty crime, mostly lesbian leads, unstructured story flow, R-rated scenes/language.
Leaving this without a rating as a major chunk of the low-rated stories fared worse because of my discomfort with such content.
My thanks to Dzanc Books for providing the DRC of “Be Gay, Do Crime” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
January 3, 2025
i love gay people! i love crime! i love gay people doing crime!
June 2, 2025
4 stars | Coming out on June 3rd!
These delightfully chaotic stories feature queer women carving out space for themselves in the world and committing acts of deviance along the way. This book was deeply emotional at times, yet wonderfully unhinged at others. I never knew if the next story would make me laugh, cry, or sit there and dissociate about it afterward (in the best way). I loved that this collection was set in the characters' everyday, often monotonous lives rather than some sort of fantastical world of crime you would find in mystery/thriller novels, because it made the stories hit closer to home.
Some of my favorites were:
✨"The Meaning of Life" by Myriam Lacroix: Three women, an abandoned baby, and a tiny apartment make for an unexpected found family.
✨"Peep Show" by Alissa Nutting: Think Schrodinger's cat meets peeping Tom.
✨"Of Course, A Curse" by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya: Grand theft and a hat that simply won't disappear.
✨"Two Hundred Channels of Conflict" by Mac Crane: A tale of marital conflict, bad dates, and catfishing that starts with a lack of cable and a wrong number.
I'd very much recommend this if you're in the mood for a little dose of unpredictable queer chaos! I'm definitely going to grab a physical copy of this once it's released.
Many thanks to the publisher, Dzanc Books, for providing an advanced copy in return for an honest review!
________________________
*Pre-Read*
SCREAMING OVER THIS ARC!! I'm about to inhale this book.
These delightfully chaotic stories feature queer women carving out space for themselves in the world and committing acts of deviance along the way. This book was deeply emotional at times, yet wonderfully unhinged at others. I never knew if the next story would make me laugh, cry, or sit there and dissociate about it afterward (in the best way). I loved that this collection was set in the characters' everyday, often monotonous lives rather than some sort of fantastical world of crime you would find in mystery/thriller novels, because it made the stories hit closer to home.
Some of my favorites were:
✨"The Meaning of Life" by Myriam Lacroix: Three women, an abandoned baby, and a tiny apartment make for an unexpected found family.
✨"Peep Show" by Alissa Nutting: Think Schrodinger's cat meets peeping Tom.
✨"Of Course, A Curse" by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya: Grand theft and a hat that simply won't disappear.
✨"Two Hundred Channels of Conflict" by Mac Crane: A tale of marital conflict, bad dates, and catfishing that starts with a lack of cable and a wrong number.
I'd very much recommend this if you're in the mood for a little dose of unpredictable queer chaos! I'm definitely going to grab a physical copy of this once it's released.
Many thanks to the publisher, Dzanc Books, for providing an advanced copy in return for an honest review!
________________________
*Pre-Read*
SCREAMING OVER THIS ARC!! I'm about to inhale this book.
June 10, 2025
[3.5 stars] A whimsical and charming short story collection about deviants and deviance. Like any collection, some stories resonated with me more than others, but the good entries are really strong and I only had a handful of misses amongst the sixteen entries. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women, but that comes down to personal preference more than anything!
The stand-out entries in this include:
- Peep Show by Alissa Nutting, which explores a messy cladestine relationship between two coworkers and their voyeuristic supervisor
- Bad Dog by Anna Dorn, the story of an evil twin marred by a pitbull and determined to get revenge (my personal favourite of the collection)
- Two Hundred Channels of Conflict by Mac Crane, where modern dating and the life of a peeping tom intersect
- Make Life Great Again by Priya Guns, a satirical commentary about life in the White House told from the perspective of a custoian
- Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austin, which chronicles the adventure of an adult artist who continually wins art contests intended for children
A fun collection of queer chaos that would be a great read for pride month, or anyone wanting to celebrate immmoral, queer women making space in the world. Thank you to Dzanc Books and my bestie Molly (who edited this!) for sending a copy my way.
---
this has entries from almost all my favorite authors btw
The stand-out entries in this include:
- Peep Show by Alissa Nutting, which explores a messy cladestine relationship between two coworkers and their voyeuristic supervisor
- Bad Dog by Anna Dorn, the story of an evil twin marred by a pitbull and determined to get revenge (my personal favourite of the collection)
- Two Hundred Channels of Conflict by Mac Crane, where modern dating and the life of a peeping tom intersect
- Make Life Great Again by Priya Guns, a satirical commentary about life in the White House told from the perspective of a custoian
- Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austin, which chronicles the adventure of an adult artist who continually wins art contests intended for children
A fun collection of queer chaos that would be a great read for pride month, or anyone wanting to celebrate immmoral, queer women making space in the world. Thank you to Dzanc Books and my bestie Molly (who edited this!) for sending a copy my way.
---
this has entries from almost all my favorite authors btw
Want to read
December 6, 2024I'm here for the title
January 9, 2026
Freakin iconic. Thank you for my early copy, Dzanc Books! I’m in love with the cover art as well as the stories inside!! 💗 out 6/3!
June 11, 2025
Absolutely LOVED this, it was just what I was in the mood to read and honestly, each story was so unique.
Read
May 23, 2025Admittedly, I picked this up based on the title alone. This is the same editor team who did Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women, and I would imagine that most of the stories included in Be Gay, Do Crime would fit easily into that collection as well. (Most of these stories are about queer women. I actually can’t remember any that aren’t, but I may just be forgetting them.) While I imagined this as stories about queer heists and righteous rebellions, most are about messy, aimless queer women indulging in petty crimes, like shoplifting.
While I’m glad I read the stand-out stories I enjoyed, the majority weren’t my style. The beginning story is about a woman who is angry after a break-up (she cheated on her partner repeatedly first) and decides to break into a wealthy writer’s home, where she breaks some decorations, uses her bathtub, and falls asleep in her bed. That pretty much sets the tone for the kind of petty crimes that take place in most of the stories.
It’s a lot of messy people doing messy things. If you’re looking for short stories that would fall into the crime genre—thrilling heists or gruesome murders—you’ll be disappointed. But if you want literary short stories about flawed queer character that each happen to include some law-breaking (usually minor), I think you’ll enjoy this.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
While I’m glad I read the stand-out stories I enjoyed, the majority weren’t my style. The beginning story is about a woman who is angry after a break-up (she cheated on her partner repeatedly first) and decides to break into a wealthy writer’s home, where she breaks some decorations, uses her bathtub, and falls asleep in her bed. That pretty much sets the tone for the kind of petty crimes that take place in most of the stories.
It’s a lot of messy people doing messy things. If you’re looking for short stories that would fall into the crime genre—thrilling heists or gruesome murders—you’ll be disappointed. But if you want literary short stories about flawed queer character that each happen to include some law-breaking (usually minor), I think you’ll enjoy this.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
November 30, 2025
3.5 rounded up. Great concept and some of the stories were excellent. However I am indefinitely quitting reading short stories. Came to the realization that reading them is just like having to start a book 15 times for the price of one???????????? When the first 20 pages are objectively the worst 20 pages of the book??
Anywho some more detailed thoughts-
The meaning of life - 3.5! It was silly and also I couldn’t suspend my disbelief that any of that would happen with 20 pages for context
It’s a cruel world for empaths like us - 3! Misses the mark a bit, didn’t totally enjoy the way we were removed from knowing the narrator/ protagonist
Redistribution - 5! Would have happily read a whole book re this. Going out on a limb here and saying we’re collectively not doing heists enough in books
Wild ale - 4.5! Enjoyed the interpersonal dynamics and the absolute decompensation vibes of Covid were real
Peep show - 3 because it was compelling but I felt icky about the concept lol
Of course, a curse - creeeeeepy, 5 stars! Could have read the full book for sure
Wild and blue - 5! Super fun concept. Again would have definitely kept reading. Would make a good movie. Felt very mystical or hallucinatory or something lol
Bad dog - 3. Wanted this to be different an go differently than it did. Twin swaps shouldn’t be boring. Started strong though
Two hundred channels of conflict - 2.5 I dunno I didn’t like this one! I felt a bit bored and overall not into it. Ending felt flat
“Fuck you” money - 4. I liked this. It was a unique concept and a fun execution
Make life great again - 2. Meh, nothing burger vibes. If we’re gonna write a short story about assassinating the president of the US in a book about queer chaos, why didn’t we really commit to the bit here?! Wanted more. Last paragraph was fun though
Tooth fairy - 4.5 loved this. Huge fan of people finding their self-worth and leaving their shyte partners. In fiction and irl!!
Black Jesus - 2….. sorry but four pages is just too short!
Distraction - 3. Meh! Full of gay yearning but lacking the crime we signed up for I fear
Grand beaver cabin - 5! Loved this. Very silly and very sweet and very Emily Austin- this one was the reason I came across this and purchased and it didn’t disappoint!
Operation hyacinth - 4.5. Hectic in an excellent way I really enjoyed this. Many characters and complex things going on and pretty impressive to wrap into a few dozen pages.
My faves were:
Redistribution by Temim Fruchter
Wild Ale by SH Sindu
Of Course, A Curse by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Wild and Blue by Aurora Mattia
“Fuck You” Money by francesca ekwuyasi
Tooth Fairy by Myriam Gurba
Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austin
and Operation Hyacinth by Sam Cohen
—————————
a little crime for the gays, as a treat :)
(!!!!!)
Anywho some more detailed thoughts-
The meaning of life - 3.5! It was silly and also I couldn’t suspend my disbelief that any of that would happen with 20 pages for context
It’s a cruel world for empaths like us - 3! Misses the mark a bit, didn’t totally enjoy the way we were removed from knowing the narrator/ protagonist
Redistribution - 5! Would have happily read a whole book re this. Going out on a limb here and saying we’re collectively not doing heists enough in books
Wild ale - 4.5! Enjoyed the interpersonal dynamics and the absolute decompensation vibes of Covid were real
Peep show - 3 because it was compelling but I felt icky about the concept lol
Of course, a curse - creeeeeepy, 5 stars! Could have read the full book for sure
Wild and blue - 5! Super fun concept. Again would have definitely kept reading. Would make a good movie. Felt very mystical or hallucinatory or something lol
Bad dog - 3. Wanted this to be different an go differently than it did. Twin swaps shouldn’t be boring. Started strong though
Two hundred channels of conflict - 2.5 I dunno I didn’t like this one! I felt a bit bored and overall not into it. Ending felt flat
“Fuck you” money - 4. I liked this. It was a unique concept and a fun execution
Make life great again - 2. Meh, nothing burger vibes. If we’re gonna write a short story about assassinating the president of the US in a book about queer chaos, why didn’t we really commit to the bit here?! Wanted more. Last paragraph was fun though
Tooth fairy - 4.5 loved this. Huge fan of people finding their self-worth and leaving their shyte partners. In fiction and irl!!
Black Jesus - 2….. sorry but four pages is just too short!
Distraction - 3. Meh! Full of gay yearning but lacking the crime we signed up for I fear
Grand beaver cabin - 5! Loved this. Very silly and very sweet and very Emily Austin- this one was the reason I came across this and purchased and it didn’t disappoint!
Operation hyacinth - 4.5. Hectic in an excellent way I really enjoyed this. Many characters and complex things going on and pretty impressive to wrap into a few dozen pages.
My faves were:
Redistribution by Temim Fruchter
Wild Ale by SH Sindu
Of Course, A Curse by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Wild and Blue by Aurora Mattia
“Fuck You” Money by francesca ekwuyasi
Tooth Fairy by Myriam Gurba
Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austin
and Operation Hyacinth by Sam Cohen
—————————
a little crime for the gays, as a treat :)
(!!!!!)
May 14, 2025
What’s better than reading a novel by one of your fav authors? An anthology of short stories by 3+ fav authors.
Or, if the authors aren’t familiar, reframe it as speed dating. No commitment intros to authors, with a clear out should you need it 😂
Think: giggles of “weird girl” lit meets the feisty, badass vibes of Reservoir Bitches.
Comin atcha’ 6/3, Be Gay, Do Crime includes stories from many favs. Alissa Nutting, Anna Dorn, Mac Crane, Venita Blackburn, Sam Cohen & Emily Austin, to name a few.
Tbh if that doesn’t already win you over… 🤨🤨🤨
BG,DC doesn’t feel like a sophomore collection in that there’s no glaring step up from Peach Pit. In juuust about any other circumstance that could be a downfall. But here, with an entirely new set of authors, I was relieved to find they both could hold their own.
fav stories:
• Two Hundred Channels of Conflict by @marisa_crane
• Black Jesus by @v_is_for
• Bad Dog by @___adorn
• Grand Beaver Cabin by @emilyraustinauthor
I’d recommend these to anyone w an author they love included (esp if you’ve exhausted their backlist & want more from them), want to speed date new-to-you authors or only have small spurts of time to read during (I love short stories for those cases 🤷🏼♀️).
Molly & Kristel, ya picked great stories, tysm for putting this together for us!
Thank you bunches to Dzanc Books for the #gifted ARC! We’re lucky to claim ya as Michiganders 😋
When I say I'm honored to be able to read this early, I mean it. When started my booksta last September I remember seeing Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory WomenPeach Pit EVERYWHERE. Sometimes the copies were gifted. I set a goal for myself to eventually "make it" to that level. Fastforward 7 months...I'm able to read Be Gay, Do Crime early!? I sh!t you not, I cried when I opened this.
Or, if the authors aren’t familiar, reframe it as speed dating. No commitment intros to authors, with a clear out should you need it 😂
Think: giggles of “weird girl” lit meets the feisty, badass vibes of Reservoir Bitches.
Comin atcha’ 6/3, Be Gay, Do Crime includes stories from many favs. Alissa Nutting, Anna Dorn, Mac Crane, Venita Blackburn, Sam Cohen & Emily Austin, to name a few.
Tbh if that doesn’t already win you over… 🤨🤨🤨
BG,DC doesn’t feel like a sophomore collection in that there’s no glaring step up from Peach Pit. In juuust about any other circumstance that could be a downfall. But here, with an entirely new set of authors, I was relieved to find they both could hold their own.
fav stories:
• Two Hundred Channels of Conflict by @marisa_crane
• Black Jesus by @v_is_for
• Bad Dog by @___adorn
• Grand Beaver Cabin by @emilyraustinauthor
I’d recommend these to anyone w an author they love included (esp if you’ve exhausted their backlist & want more from them), want to speed date new-to-you authors or only have small spurts of time to read during (I love short stories for those cases 🤷🏼♀️).
Molly & Kristel, ya picked great stories, tysm for putting this together for us!
Thank you bunches to Dzanc Books for the #gifted ARC! We’re lucky to claim ya as Michiganders 😋
When I say I'm honored to be able to read this early, I mean it. When started my booksta last September I remember seeing Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory WomenPeach Pit EVERYWHERE. Sometimes the copies were gifted. I set a goal for myself to eventually "make it" to that level. Fastforward 7 months...I'm able to read Be Gay, Do Crime early!? I sh!t you not, I cried when I opened this.
June 29, 2025
average rating of these came out to a bit over 3 stars. i enjoyed a decent amount of the stories, but some of them had such miserable, unlikeable main characters. they genuinely needed to seek treatment and it was hard to get through those stories and find any silver lining in them. however, the ending was very strong and a lot of those stories were fantastic!
- the meaning of life (myriam lacroix): 3 stars
- it's a cruel world for empaths like us (soula emmanuel): i think i'm too dumb to understand the point of this one so i'm leaving it unrated lmfao. i def did not enjoy it that much
- redistribution (temim fruchter): 4 stars
- wild ale (s j sindu): 3 stars. these people lowkey need couples therapy, but the ending was alright
- peep show (alissa nutting): 0 stars. did not like this AT all. lines were crossed. idk what the point was other to shock the reader and i don't like that kind of plot
- of course, a curse (kayla kumari upadhyaya): 4 stars! this one was fun (other than the weird random cheating confession but i'm choosing to ignore that part)
- wild and blue (aurora mattia): 5 stars
- bad dog (anna dorn): 3.5 stars
- two hundred channels of conflict (mac crane): 3 stars
- "fuck you" money (francesca ekwuyasi): 5 stars
- make life great again (priya guns): 3 stars
- tooth fairy (myriam gurba): 4 stars
- black jesus (venita blackburn): 3 stars
- distraction (maame blue): 5 stars
- grand beaver cabin (emily austin): 5 stars. i will read literally anything emily austin writes. thank u for writing fantastic stories about lesbians
- operation hyacinth (sam cohen): 4 stars
- the meaning of life (myriam lacroix): 3 stars
- it's a cruel world for empaths like us (soula emmanuel): i think i'm too dumb to understand the point of this one so i'm leaving it unrated lmfao. i def did not enjoy it that much
- redistribution (temim fruchter): 4 stars
- wild ale (s j sindu): 3 stars. these people lowkey need couples therapy, but the ending was alright
- peep show (alissa nutting): 0 stars. did not like this AT all. lines were crossed. idk what the point was other to shock the reader and i don't like that kind of plot
- of course, a curse (kayla kumari upadhyaya): 4 stars! this one was fun (other than the weird random cheating confession but i'm choosing to ignore that part)
- wild and blue (aurora mattia): 5 stars
- bad dog (anna dorn): 3.5 stars
- two hundred channels of conflict (mac crane): 3 stars
- "fuck you" money (francesca ekwuyasi): 5 stars
- make life great again (priya guns): 3 stars
- tooth fairy (myriam gurba): 4 stars
- black jesus (venita blackburn): 3 stars
- distraction (maame blue): 5 stars
- grand beaver cabin (emily austin): 5 stars. i will read literally anything emily austin writes. thank u for writing fantastic stories about lesbians
- operation hyacinth (sam cohen): 4 stars
June 18, 2025
I am rating this 2 stars.
I really loved the idea of having different stories written by a variety of authors, but I found many of the stories to be quite bland. Maybe I was not in the proper mood to read the book, but I felt my brain was being eaten away as I read.
I have been really tired, so that probably explains why I felt a lot of the "short" stories themselves were a bit long? I read an online version, and it felt never-ending. No matter how much I read, the stories would still go on and on and on.
I really loved the idea of having different stories written by a variety of authors, but I found many of the stories to be quite bland. Maybe I was not in the proper mood to read the book, but I felt my brain was being eaten away as I read.
I have been really tired, so that probably explains why I felt a lot of the "short" stories themselves were a bit long? I read an online version, and it felt never-ending. No matter how much I read, the stories would still go on and on and on.
June 22, 2025
I expected something different. The type of humor in this wasn’t for me, for the most part, and I expected more of the “crimes” to be more than petty theft or smoking weed.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad read and maybe I’m just not a short stories person. This isn’t the first time I’ve been disappointed in a short stories format.
The last 3 short stories were BY FAR my favorite and saved my rating of this book- Distraction, Grand Beaver Cabin, and Operation Hyacinth. If it had just been those three I think my rating would be closer to a 4. Wild and blue, Fuck You Money, and Tooth Fairy were decent too. The rest, eh I didn’t think were very good, and unfortunately that’s less than half that I thought were good.
Anyway, if this type of humor is for you, you’d probably enjoy it more than I did overall. Im still not mad I picked it up. Just disappointed that the entire first half wasn’t to my liking. Spread out the good stories a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad read and maybe I’m just not a short stories person. This isn’t the first time I’ve been disappointed in a short stories format.
The last 3 short stories were BY FAR my favorite and saved my rating of this book- Distraction, Grand Beaver Cabin, and Operation Hyacinth. If it had just been those three I think my rating would be closer to a 4. Wild and blue, Fuck You Money, and Tooth Fairy were decent too. The rest, eh I didn’t think were very good, and unfortunately that’s less than half that I thought were good.
Anyway, if this type of humor is for you, you’d probably enjoy it more than I did overall. Im still not mad I picked it up. Just disappointed that the entire first half wasn’t to my liking. Spread out the good stories a bit.
July 22, 2025
[2.5/5] a solid middle ground. some stories were absolute chef's kiss, others felt a little forgettable. still worth checking out for the clever and funsy concept alone (and queer folks obv)<3
July 28, 2025
A roller coaster of a short story book, But loved every minute of it.
November 2, 2025
muy curiosos algunos. me gusto el último, te deja buen sabor de boca. creo que es la materialización de support gay rights and wrongs.
June 17, 2025
i thought this was about the stonewall riots. it's wattpad-worth fiction. save a couple stories, I can't even remember what I just read. never trust Goodreads challenges.
July 9, 2025
oh do i love a lil collection of short stories! make (most of) them about gay people committing crimes and i like it even more!
June 25, 2025
2.5
this just didn’t hit the way i was hoping for unfortunately. i was really excited for this release bc queer people being chaotic and unhinged sounded so fun! but alas it was not as unhinged as i wanted as the crimes mainly consisting of like.. stealing. borrringgg!!
and some of the stories were way too weird for me and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t mind weird books. like being obsessed with fucking your girlfriend in front of the dog you stole from your boss bc you think your boss hid a camera in the dog and you think that’s the reason you’ve been getting promoted at work? or a couple kidnapping a baby and raising it as their own and the eventually living with the mother of said baby and raising him all together? fucking STRANGE! way too strange for me but to each their own
i rated each book individually and at least 2/3 of the books ended up being 1-3 stars but a median rating of 2.4 which i’ve just rounded up to 2.5
my favorites were:
- “Fuck You” Money by Francesca Ekwuyasi - Our MC, Sharifa, has been having terrible luck and it turns out it’s bc her ex gf put a curse on her when they broke up! And years later to make amends she decided to finally lift the curse which puts a stop to Sharifa’s struggles
- Tooth Fairy by Mryiam Gurba - A couple adopts a rabbit and unbeknownst to our MC, Nat, the rabbit that she didn’t want at first ends up helping her escape a toxic relationship
- Distraction by Maame Blue - Clare has an unrequited crush on her best friend Ren and the story follows Clare’s journey on how she finally decides to choose herself
and some honorable mentions:
- Redistribution by Temin Fruchter - Every time a girlfriend breaks up with her, M steals something. But things become too much when her latest partner, Jack (that she genuinely liked), breaks up with her so she decides to take it a step further and break into a house occupied by a famous writer M has become obsessed with
- Bad Dog by Anna Dorn - Iris blames all her bad behavior and struggles on a dog attack that happened when she was 12 years old. Iris is envious of her twin sister and now she is about to get married to a dog rescuer! But in order to put a stop to it, she decided to impersonate her twin to break off the engagement.
- Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austen - Our MC heals her inner child by entering coloring contests meant for kids and therefore is winning a lot of prizes but it jeopardizes her relationship
- Operation Hyacinth by Sam Cohen - A group of older queer folk decide to rob banks to get the money to buy their complex to stop the gentrification of their street
the other stories not mentioned weren’t ones i enjoyed. no hate to any of the authors just weren’t my cup of tea!! i will always enjoy a short story collection, especially one as diverse as this because it introduces me to so many wonderful new authors
this just didn’t hit the way i was hoping for unfortunately. i was really excited for this release bc queer people being chaotic and unhinged sounded so fun! but alas it was not as unhinged as i wanted as the crimes mainly consisting of like.. stealing. borrringgg!!
and some of the stories were way too weird for me and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t mind weird books. like being obsessed with fucking your girlfriend in front of the dog you stole from your boss bc you think your boss hid a camera in the dog and you think that’s the reason you’ve been getting promoted at work? or a couple kidnapping a baby and raising it as their own and the eventually living with the mother of said baby and raising him all together? fucking STRANGE! way too strange for me but to each their own
i rated each book individually and at least 2/3 of the books ended up being 1-3 stars but a median rating of 2.4 which i’ve just rounded up to 2.5
my favorites were:
- “Fuck You” Money by Francesca Ekwuyasi - Our MC, Sharifa, has been having terrible luck and it turns out it’s bc her ex gf put a curse on her when they broke up! And years later to make amends she decided to finally lift the curse which puts a stop to Sharifa’s struggles
- Tooth Fairy by Mryiam Gurba - A couple adopts a rabbit and unbeknownst to our MC, Nat, the rabbit that she didn’t want at first ends up helping her escape a toxic relationship
- Distraction by Maame Blue - Clare has an unrequited crush on her best friend Ren and the story follows Clare’s journey on how she finally decides to choose herself
and some honorable mentions:
- Redistribution by Temin Fruchter - Every time a girlfriend breaks up with her, M steals something. But things become too much when her latest partner, Jack (that she genuinely liked), breaks up with her so she decides to take it a step further and break into a house occupied by a famous writer M has become obsessed with
- Bad Dog by Anna Dorn - Iris blames all her bad behavior and struggles on a dog attack that happened when she was 12 years old. Iris is envious of her twin sister and now she is about to get married to a dog rescuer! But in order to put a stop to it, she decided to impersonate her twin to break off the engagement.
- Grand Beaver Cabin by Emily Austen - Our MC heals her inner child by entering coloring contests meant for kids and therefore is winning a lot of prizes but it jeopardizes her relationship
- Operation Hyacinth by Sam Cohen - A group of older queer folk decide to rob banks to get the money to buy their complex to stop the gentrification of their street
the other stories not mentioned weren’t ones i enjoyed. no hate to any of the authors just weren’t my cup of tea!! i will always enjoy a short story collection, especially one as diverse as this because it introduces me to so many wonderful new authors
June 25, 2025
Unfortunately DNFd at about 70% because I couldn't take it anymore! When I picked this book I expected a fun/sad/wise/emotional collection of stories about crime in the gay community. I love a good short story collection and I anticipated reading this one.
I thought it was going to feature queer people turned to crime due to the restrictions of the world around them - like a trans person turning to identity theft in order to be able to live their truth, a gay youngster having to steal clothes and accessories because their strict family forbids them to experiment with their self expression this type of thing. A light to shine on the actual issues the gay community is facing in a humorous and raw way.
Instead I read a collection of stories about the worst people to ever live who also happened to be gay. Almost every single story I read was featuring the most horribly entitled toxic spoiled person ever who did heinous vile acts because they felt like the world owned them (maybe except Fuck you money and (maybe) The meaning of life which were actually good).
One story featured a woman who got dumped once so she started self sabotaging her relationship till the other person couldn't take the lying and cheating anymore so she could feel justified when they dumped her and she'd have a good excuse to go ahead and rob some random soul. Another had a raging alcoholic who was abusive towards her spouse, and yelled and belittled her all the time.
We were somehow supposed to root for these people. How is any of that ok??? At some point I started to wonder if this was actually a rage bait because of how bad it was. The MCs were all rotten to the core and not even in the fun way that allows you to root for the villain just narcissists and entitled jerks that treat everyone in their lives badly.
Another huge thing about this book is how badly it was written. Usually in collections the difference between different authors styles give me a bit of a whiplash. You can feel the unique voices and ideas
Not here though! This either had the world's most overbearing editors, or the stories somehow were written in at least a partial collaboration because they felt the same - boring, rambling, not making any sense, with a very hard to follow plotline that popped and disappeared randomly, and NO resolutions in almost none of these stories.
It read like a writing class who got an assignment and the best 16 were published after their teacher went to town with the red pen. Pure horror. I'm extremely disappointed ij this one and definitely urge you to read literally anything else by gay authors.
I thought it was going to feature queer people turned to crime due to the restrictions of the world around them - like a trans person turning to identity theft in order to be able to live their truth, a gay youngster having to steal clothes and accessories because their strict family forbids them to experiment with their self expression this type of thing. A light to shine on the actual issues the gay community is facing in a humorous and raw way.
Instead I read a collection of stories about the worst people to ever live who also happened to be gay. Almost every single story I read was featuring the most horribly entitled toxic spoiled person ever who did heinous vile acts because they felt like the world owned them (maybe except Fuck you money and (maybe) The meaning of life which were actually good).
One story featured a woman who got dumped once so she started self sabotaging her relationship till the other person couldn't take the lying and cheating anymore so she could feel justified when they dumped her and she'd have a good excuse to go ahead and rob some random soul. Another had a raging alcoholic who was abusive towards her spouse, and yelled and belittled her all the time.
We were somehow supposed to root for these people. How is any of that ok??? At some point I started to wonder if this was actually a rage bait because of how bad it was. The MCs were all rotten to the core and not even in the fun way that allows you to root for the villain just narcissists and entitled jerks that treat everyone in their lives badly.
Another huge thing about this book is how badly it was written. Usually in collections the difference between different authors styles give me a bit of a whiplash. You can feel the unique voices and ideas
Not here though! This either had the world's most overbearing editors, or the stories somehow were written in at least a partial collaboration because they felt the same - boring, rambling, not making any sense, with a very hard to follow plotline that popped and disappeared randomly, and NO resolutions in almost none of these stories.
It read like a writing class who got an assignment and the best 16 were published after their teacher went to town with the red pen. Pure horror. I'm extremely disappointed ij this one and definitely urge you to read literally anything else by gay authors.
April 24, 2025
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!
I love a good unhinged read. I enjoyed Peach Pit and this collection just called to me like that one did. The stories here were nothing but chaos and I loved it. My favorite story was Peep Show by Alissa Nutting cause what was that. That whole thing had me screaming. All these stories dealt with women much like Peach Pit and how these women commit chaotic crimes. From stealing babies, calling in bomb threats, and entering children’s coloring contests as an adult, this book has a wide array of crimes. This book was funny and heartfelt and some of it really hit deep while others just made me laugh out loud. Solid collection and a super fun read.
I love a good unhinged read. I enjoyed Peach Pit and this collection just called to me like that one did. The stories here were nothing but chaos and I loved it. My favorite story was Peep Show by Alissa Nutting cause what was that. That whole thing had me screaming. All these stories dealt with women much like Peach Pit and how these women commit chaotic crimes. From stealing babies, calling in bomb threats, and entering children’s coloring contests as an adult, this book has a wide array of crimes. This book was funny and heartfelt and some of it really hit deep while others just made me laugh out loud. Solid collection and a super fun read.
August 12, 2025
Honestly, the only reason I read this is I'm a huge fan of Emily Austin. Unfortunately, it's rare I find a collection of short stories that I enjoy. These were typical short stories for me - start of strong, and then fizzle out OR they never even getting started. I often feel the stories end with no ending or resolution.
I would say about 8 of the 16 really grabbed me and I was enjoying them, until the end. I loved Austin's (which is why 3 star instead of 2) and I believe it's not just because I knew the author. It had a satisfying ending.
I truly appreciated how every story followed the CRIME and CHAOS theme...many, many laughs :)
I would say about 8 of the 16 really grabbed me and I was enjoying them, until the end. I loved Austin's (which is why 3 star instead of 2) and I believe it's not just because I knew the author. It had a satisfying ending.
I truly appreciated how every story followed the CRIME and CHAOS theme...many, many laughs :)
August 10, 2025
4 | So glad to have been alerted to this book of short stories (such a great book club pick, Jess!) While the stories were up and down and middling for me, I had a few standout favorites (F You Money, Tooth Fairy, Grand Beaver Cabin) and added other works by those authors to my TBR. Overall really loved the spirit and vibes of the stories.
June 19, 2025
I support women’s/gay’s/they’s rights and I support women’s/gay’s/they’s wrongs.
September 27, 2025
Stories tonally united by characters who are transparent in their unpleasantness.
September 8, 2025
I’ve never been much of a short story reader, but I guess it’s fun to see how different types of writing can hit - some were fun, others I didn’t care for much
June 12, 2025
Read this as part of the good reads pride challenge. It was very interesting and the short stories were mostly good. I wish they had been a little more chaotic tbh. The name and cover for this book was fun
October 9, 2025
All of these stories were aggressively similar and frustratingly sexualized. I would never have guessed that multiple authors worked on this, because the writing style is the same throughout, and every story ends on a weird, awkward cliffhanger. I wish there was more variety, because if I had known beforehand that I was just going to end up reading 16 stories almost exclusively about an unhappy lesbian couple that bangs for no reason right in the middle of every story, I wouldn't have bothered to pick it up. I don't think I've read the word "breast" so consecutively in my life.
December 4, 2025
3.5 Stars [Pretty Good+] A mostly good collection of queer stories by queer writers. Another reviewer complained about the crimes in these stories not being significant enough to warrant much attention, but I actually liked how mundane some of them were. Especially because, in many cases, the crimes weren’t really about the law-breaking itself, but symptoms of relationship troubles, childhood trauma, and fear of abandonment (among other things).
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