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We Had No Rules
A defiant, beautifully realized story collection about the messy complications of contemporary queer life.
A young teenager runs from her family's conservative home to her sister's NY apartment to learn a very different set of rules. A woman grieves the loss of a sister, a "gay divorce," and the pain of unacknowledged abuse with the help of a lone wallaby on a farm in Washington State. A professor of women's and gender studies revels in academic and sexual power but risks losing custody of the family dog.
Corinne Manning’s defiant, beautifully realized story collection about the messy complications of contemporary queer life follow a cast of queer characters as they explore the choice of assimilation over rebellion, feeling the promise of a radically reimagined world but facing complicity instead.
A young teenager runs from her family's conservative home to her sister's NY apartment to learn a very different set of rules. A woman grieves the loss of a sister, a "gay divorce," and the pain of unacknowledged abuse with the help of a lone wallaby on a farm in Washington State. A professor of women's and gender studies revels in academic and sexual power but risks losing custody of the family dog.
Corinne Manning’s defiant, beautifully realized story collection about the messy complications of contemporary queer life follow a cast of queer characters as they explore the choice of assimilation over rebellion, feeling the promise of a radically reimagined world but facing complicity instead.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2020
33 people are currently reading
3157 people want to read
About the author
Corinne Manning
4 books34 followersCorinne Manning is a prose writer and literary organizer. Their stories and essays have been published widely, including in Toward an Ethics of Activism and Shadow Map: An Anthology of Survivors of Sexual Assault. Stories from We Had No Rules have appeared in Story Quarterly, Calyx, Joyland, Vol 1 Brooklyn, The Bellingham Review, The Southern Humanities Review, and Moss. Corinne is a two time MacDowell fellow and has received grants from Artist Trust, 4Culture and the Hub City Writers Project. Corinne founded The James Franco Review, a project that sought to address implicit bias in the publishing industry.
My favorite review of We Had No Rules: https://www.tribes.org/features-1/202...
My favorite review of We Had No Rules: https://www.tribes.org/features-1/202...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
April 24, 2020
The deft of hand with which Corinne Manning discusses the nuances and tensions of contemporary queer life through the stories in "We Had No Rules" is unparalleled in recent queer literature.
Each story in "We Had No Rules" pries apart the tension that lies at the heart of queerness: in being who I am do I become like everyone else or stand out? What is the right answer? From queer sisters, spurned from their homes but finding love with each other, to a young gay man who can't seem to reconcile his desire for monogamy with what his elders tell him gay men ought to desire, to a femme-presenting character who though outwardly presenting as a woman is more fluid in her gender identity while the love of her life settles into his own gendered existence. Every story in this collection is real, unique, and meaningful.
"We Had No Rules" is Manning's debut collection, and the stories within its cover are their announcement to the world that queerness is complicated. But in that complexity exists beautiful tales waiting to be told.
Each story in "We Had No Rules" pries apart the tension that lies at the heart of queerness: in being who I am do I become like everyone else or stand out? What is the right answer? From queer sisters, spurned from their homes but finding love with each other, to a young gay man who can't seem to reconcile his desire for monogamy with what his elders tell him gay men ought to desire, to a femme-presenting character who though outwardly presenting as a woman is more fluid in her gender identity while the love of her life settles into his own gendered existence. Every story in this collection is real, unique, and meaningful.
"We Had No Rules" is Manning's debut collection, and the stories within its cover are their announcement to the world that queerness is complicated. But in that complexity exists beautiful tales waiting to be told.
March 25, 2020
A (deliberately) messy, very queer collection of contemporary short stories. The focus is on queer people as flawed humans; it emphasizes the (true) nasty things about our communities and characters' dark impulses, sometimes a bit too much for my liking. The tone isn't exactly cynical, but it can be harsh and unflinching. One story had a great sense of humour; I would have loved to see more. Very real, sharp nuggets of dark wisdom and observation -- particularly about white queers from middle class backgrounds.
July 23, 2020
For the most part, these are all lgbtq+ in theme, but these are overall not coming out stories. These are adults, in relationships, making decisions for better or worse. A lot of imperfect people, sometimes making damaging decisions, but always this striving for inner truth, which comes across as very true itself.
February 22, 2021
A poignant collection of short stories that focuses on queer relationships and their dissolution. I liked that there were several stories that focused on the same families, but were presented from a different point of view or a different moment in time.
June 26, 2020
This book instantly became one of my favorite collections of short stories. Some folks say they don't like short stories, but this is a collection that will make someone fall in love with the short story. It is radical and queer and also sweet, kind, gentle, and so loving. The charters are all so real, cool and complicated that you will want to read the stories over and over again to feel more connected to them.
June 22, 2020
This collection of stories focuses on queer relationships. There was a lack of variety in that the majority of the stories focused on the dissolution of relationships and similar types of relationships. Good overall, but the writing could have been stronger. 3.5 stars
April 28, 2020
I did not realize at first that these stories are interconnected, that you see characters from different perspectives and at different points in their lives throughout. This debut short story collection by Seattle non-binary author Corinne Manning is a compelling, clear-eyed look at queer lives. Relationships are central to these stories--exploring marriage, parenting, the dissolution of relationships, and the never-ending work of discovering the self.
June 21, 2020
Unique. I love that all these stories possess this element of uncertainty — they all have this quality of "okay, I've gotten what I wanted, but something feels off.. something feels not quite right".. they all have this element of stepping into your truth but leaving something crumbling, broken or strangely illuminated, behind you.
For example, Seeing In The Dark, this story shares the feelings this woman has after leaving her husband because she's a lesbian. She's stepped into her truth, so why is she so concerned about his new chick? How basic the new girl is. Why is she mad that everyone they know is sorry for him for the time he's spent with her? etc. It's like as you try to right yourself for yourself, the things around you get skewed and your emotions become more and more complex, even tho you're no longer being untruthful to/about who you are as a person. I really liked that story.
Each story is real-world messy relationship wise. They are also an engaging sequence of stories that you don't realize, until you're more than 65% into the book, are actually connected.
My favourite story is of them all is The Painting on Bedford Ave. I've definitely been in the presence of something that makes me question my existence and if I'm actually doing the things that I want to do or if I'm really just living into someone else's depiction of what my life or our lives should be. Eventually you go nuts and throw everything away and then you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. It's all recalibration. I loved that story.
Overall a really good set of stories, albeit nothing completely breathtaking or outstanding but totally readable!
For example, Seeing In The Dark, this story shares the feelings this woman has after leaving her husband because she's a lesbian. She's stepped into her truth, so why is she so concerned about his new chick? How basic the new girl is. Why is she mad that everyone they know is sorry for him for the time he's spent with her? etc. It's like as you try to right yourself for yourself, the things around you get skewed and your emotions become more and more complex, even tho you're no longer being untruthful to/about who you are as a person. I really liked that story.
Each story is real-world messy relationship wise. They are also an engaging sequence of stories that you don't realize, until you're more than 65% into the book, are actually connected.
My favourite story is of them all is The Painting on Bedford Ave. I've definitely been in the presence of something that makes me question my existence and if I'm actually doing the things that I want to do or if I'm really just living into someone else's depiction of what my life or our lives should be. Eventually you go nuts and throw everything away and then you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. It's all recalibration. I loved that story.
Overall a really good set of stories, albeit nothing completely breathtaking or outstanding but totally readable!
March 22, 2021
This was not my cup of tea. I liked that the stories were intersecting, with main characters popping up as side characters later and vice versa. Yet none of the characters really stood out to me and all of them left me feeling really uncomfortable and cold. On some level that’s the point, since this collection is about the discomforts of being queer and most stories revolve around a breakup. But I felt disconnected from all of the characters and found them insufferable and weird. Stories repeated narrative patterns too often, there were heavy handed attempts to throw in social justice and queer theory, and something just felt “off” and surreal to me in a bad way even though the stories intended to reflect real life.
dnf
October 21, 2021dnf at 49%
notes on the stories that i have actually read below. but overall continuing this just feels like a chore and i'm not about that life
we had no rules: weird, kinda sad but not bad, kinda interesting. 3 stars
gay tale: interesting story telling. ultimately meaningless. 2 stars.
Professor M: liked the uncertainty of the protagonists gender - because that information is ultimately meaningless, as it should be. something missing though, it could have hit harder. 3 stars.
the boy on the periphery of the world: god uncle Rick is an asshole. 2 stars.
chewbacca and clyde: okay? wild. 3 stars.
the appropriate weight: “Sal’s a cunt man, and he wants it all over him." WHY WOULD YOU SAY THIS TO YOUR EX HUSBAND ABOUT YOUR NEW HUSBAND
don't understand what the problem with being queer is? considering that person apparently doesn't even feel comfortable with the word "man" in relation to themselves so queer being more fitting then gay makes sense? what does it have to do with feminist liberation?
i have conflicted feelings. 2 stars.
notes on the stories that i have actually read below. but overall continuing this just feels like a chore and i'm not about that life
we had no rules: weird, kinda sad but not bad, kinda interesting. 3 stars
gay tale: interesting story telling. ultimately meaningless. 2 stars.
Professor M: liked the uncertainty of the protagonists gender - because that information is ultimately meaningless, as it should be. something missing though, it could have hit harder. 3 stars.
the boy on the periphery of the world: god uncle Rick is an asshole. 2 stars.
chewbacca and clyde: okay? wild. 3 stars.
the appropriate weight: “Sal’s a cunt man, and he wants it all over him." WHY WOULD YOU SAY THIS TO YOUR EX HUSBAND ABOUT YOUR NEW HUSBAND
don't understand what the problem with being queer is? considering that person apparently doesn't even feel comfortable with the word "man" in relation to themselves so queer being more fitting then gay makes sense? what does it have to do with feminist liberation?
i have conflicted feelings. 2 stars.
September 11, 2020
without a doubt, i will read anything corinne manning shares with the world. this book is made up of the nuances of queerness i search for in art i consume. it is no wonder i stretched out the reading of this one across weeks, savoring it.
January 27, 2020
I really enjoyed these stories - I think the author writes convincingly from a number of perspectives, thus that we get to see a portrait of sympathetic (and deeply flawed) trans and queer characters. I feel like as trans and queer readers, we're either presented with grand tragedies or (less likely) happy endings. This was a book of people surviving the everyday difficulties of being in relationships and in community with each other. There are a lot of stories in here that I would re-read.
February 19, 2020
Sprinkled with pain and humor, We Had No Rules is a beautifully written and wonderfully eclectic collection of queer stories. Manning renders these characters with such grace and generous complexity. Get this book for all the queers in your life!
January 1, 2021
This is a stellar collection of queer short stories. Certainly, there's a central theme around rules, speaking to respectability, self-regulated oppression, yadda yadda. All of that is great and the critique is necessary. But there are two other threads that resonated with me:
First, several stories differentiated the act of "being out" from being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, each asking: what does it mean to be on the periphery of "your" community, to be reluctant to join or to feel omitted from it?
Second, several stories looked at the moments beyond the "classic" LGBTQIA coming out narratives. In "The Appropriate Weight," we see a man at the funeral of his ex-wife, who he divorced years prior as an act of coming out. In "Gay Tale," we meet a woman exploring her sexuality while actively avoiding every cliched queer narrative, like sleeping with the first queer person who expresses interest. All of these stories move beyond the expected, knowing full well that our subconscious can fill in those mainstreamed details without prompting.
Full disclosure: There were a few points in the early stories where I thought, "Cheezus, this writer is pReTeNtIoUs, omg." But by the end, I knew I was wrong - Manning's talent is beyond reproach.
First, several stories differentiated the act of "being out" from being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, each asking: what does it mean to be on the periphery of "your" community, to be reluctant to join or to feel omitted from it?
Second, several stories looked at the moments beyond the "classic" LGBTQIA coming out narratives. In "The Appropriate Weight," we see a man at the funeral of his ex-wife, who he divorced years prior as an act of coming out. In "Gay Tale," we meet a woman exploring her sexuality while actively avoiding every cliched queer narrative, like sleeping with the first queer person who expresses interest. All of these stories move beyond the expected, knowing full well that our subconscious can fill in those mainstreamed details without prompting.
Full disclosure: There were a few points in the early stories where I thought, "Cheezus, this writer is pReTeNtIoUs, omg." But by the end, I knew I was wrong - Manning's talent is beyond reproach.
June 29, 2020
“Can I exist if I’m only in relation to myself?”
★★★★★
We Had No Rules is the debut short story collection from non-binary author Corinne Manning, and I’m completely obsessed with it.
I could immediately tell We Had No Rules was something special, a collection of stories I’d never want to end. By the end of the third story, I’d already ordered a paperback copy for my collection. By the seventh, I was scared to keep reading, worried I’d binge the rest of the stories in one go. In fact, I intentionally avoided finishing it for weeks because I wasn’t ready for it to be over, but, as I received an advance copy for review, I could only prolong the inevitable for so long.
There are eleven stories in all, each fully realized and unique and messy and irreverent. Manning forces the reader to reckon with queer people as we really are – flawed, multifaceted human beings – by exploring some of humanity’s darker impulses, filtered through the perspectives of queer characters with varying LGBTQIA+ identities. The results are as unsettling as they are brilliant.
Another Goodreads reviewer, Erik, summed things up perfectly: “Each story in We Had No Rules pries apart the tension that lies at the heart of queerness: in being who I am do I become like everyone else or stand out? What is the right answer?”
If I had to choose my favorite story (please don’t make me), I’d be hard pressed to decide between two of the more humorous offerings: Gay Tale and Ninety Days.
Gay Tale begins “Oh, fuck it. I’m writing lesbian fiction. I know I’d do better to write gay fiction, or in some academic circles, queer fiction. How many people, I wonder, have stopped reading already?” and made me laugh aloud multiple times.
Ninety Days is told from the perspective of a queer femme, and (as a femme myself) I found many of the character’s observations and sentiments to be highly relatable: “As someone assigned female at birth who presents as femme I have to make a series of conscious decisions to be visible as queer, and I still have to come out, multiple times a day.”
I could go on, but I’d rather allow Manning’s prose to speak for itself. I highly recommend checking out We Had No Rules, especially for queer readers. It was refreshing to see the complexities of modern queerness explored so unflinchingly. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one.
Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Book Blog | Twitter
We Had No Rules At A Glance:
Genre: Short Story Collection, LGBTQ+ Fiction
LGBTQ+ Rep? Yes! So much queer rep!
OwnVoices? Yes!
Content Warnings (CWs): Unfortunately, I was so engrossed in these stories that I forgot to keep a running list of CWs for this one. It definitely tackles some heavy, potentially triggering subjects, so read with care!
ARC Note: Thank you to Arsenal Pulp Press and Edelweiss for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
★★★★★
We Had No Rules is the debut short story collection from non-binary author Corinne Manning, and I’m completely obsessed with it.
I could immediately tell We Had No Rules was something special, a collection of stories I’d never want to end. By the end of the third story, I’d already ordered a paperback copy for my collection. By the seventh, I was scared to keep reading, worried I’d binge the rest of the stories in one go. In fact, I intentionally avoided finishing it for weeks because I wasn’t ready for it to be over, but, as I received an advance copy for review, I could only prolong the inevitable for so long.
There are eleven stories in all, each fully realized and unique and messy and irreverent. Manning forces the reader to reckon with queer people as we really are – flawed, multifaceted human beings – by exploring some of humanity’s darker impulses, filtered through the perspectives of queer characters with varying LGBTQIA+ identities. The results are as unsettling as they are brilliant.
Another Goodreads reviewer, Erik, summed things up perfectly: “Each story in We Had No Rules pries apart the tension that lies at the heart of queerness: in being who I am do I become like everyone else or stand out? What is the right answer?”
If I had to choose my favorite story (please don’t make me), I’d be hard pressed to decide between two of the more humorous offerings: Gay Tale and Ninety Days.
Gay Tale begins “Oh, fuck it. I’m writing lesbian fiction. I know I’d do better to write gay fiction, or in some academic circles, queer fiction. How many people, I wonder, have stopped reading already?” and made me laugh aloud multiple times.
Ninety Days is told from the perspective of a queer femme, and (as a femme myself) I found many of the character’s observations and sentiments to be highly relatable: “As someone assigned female at birth who presents as femme I have to make a series of conscious decisions to be visible as queer, and I still have to come out, multiple times a day.”
I could go on, but I’d rather allow Manning’s prose to speak for itself. I highly recommend checking out We Had No Rules, especially for queer readers. It was refreshing to see the complexities of modern queerness explored so unflinchingly. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one.
Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Book Blog | Twitter
We Had No Rules At A Glance:
Genre: Short Story Collection, LGBTQ+ Fiction
LGBTQ+ Rep? Yes! So much queer rep!
OwnVoices? Yes!
Content Warnings (CWs): Unfortunately, I was so engrossed in these stories that I forgot to keep a running list of CWs for this one. It definitely tackles some heavy, potentially triggering subjects, so read with care!
ARC Note: Thank you to Arsenal Pulp Press and Edelweiss for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 24, 2020
I flew through this collection -- many of these stories interrogate power dynamics and ethical issues in queer relationships and are on-point fictional treatments of the convos many of us have been/are having -- about femme/transmasc dynamics, age difference in relationships, non/monogamy stuff, queer generation gaps, queers and their pets. In short I feel REFLECTED albeit in mostly unflattering ways! Some overexplainyness aside, I really loved this -- a solid collection of new queer fiction.
April 22, 2022
I'm rounding this up from 2.5 stars. I found this a bit more variable than other short story collections I've read recently -- most of the stories didn't connect with me, and many felt a bit abrupt. That said, when I did encounter a story that hit the mark, it blew me out of the water. The opening story of the two sisters and the story of the contrasting gay uncles were by far the best sections of this work -- I'd gladly take more like that.
January 26, 2022
Oh fuck it. I’m writing lesbian fiction.
Messy queers navigation messy relationships; my fav short collection of the year.
4.5
Messy queers navigation messy relationships; my fav short collection of the year.
4.5
October 3, 2020
* ARC received from Edelweiss*
This was both a difficult and a wonderful read. In a collection of brutally honest and beautifully authentic stories, Corinne Manning uncovers the everyday of queer life - the good, the bad and the messy. To be honest, I'm the type to usually go for the queer stories containing "cruel optimism", as the author branded it in her prologue interview. But then, what is cruel optimism to one, will be a lifeline to another.
Still, the stories in "We Had No Rules" are ones that need to be told. They are touching in the way that they allow the reader to connect with the emotion and experience within them. As I read those stories, it felt to me as if the author was holding up a mirror and saying: "Look - this is you. This is us. Feel. Ask questions. Fail. Learn."
There are no happy endings here nor easy answers here, but there's a sense of belonging and connection that makes it a satisfying experience. It's a brilliant collection of well-written stories that leaves you wondering, asking...feeling.
This was both a difficult and a wonderful read. In a collection of brutally honest and beautifully authentic stories, Corinne Manning uncovers the everyday of queer life - the good, the bad and the messy. To be honest, I'm the type to usually go for the queer stories containing "cruel optimism", as the author branded it in her prologue interview. But then, what is cruel optimism to one, will be a lifeline to another.
Still, the stories in "We Had No Rules" are ones that need to be told. They are touching in the way that they allow the reader to connect with the emotion and experience within them. As I read those stories, it felt to me as if the author was holding up a mirror and saying: "Look - this is you. This is us. Feel. Ask questions. Fail. Learn."
There are no happy endings here nor easy answers here, but there's a sense of belonging and connection that makes it a satisfying experience. It's a brilliant collection of well-written stories that leaves you wondering, asking...feeling.
February 4, 2021
I'm not usually the biggest fan of short story collections, but I really enjoyed this. I guess a book exclusively about queer people is the key to getting me to like short stories. There are a lot of the same themes running through these stories, and sometimes characters show up in more than one. It's not a particularly happy book. It captures a lot of messy moments--people messing up their relationships, tense hard times between kids and parents. Predictably, I finished this a few days ago and can't remember a lot of the stories in it now (this is the problem with short fiction for me). But I did want to keep reading it, and each story felt like it offered me something.
July 7, 2020
We Had No Rules is a queer short story collection written in crisp and cutting prose. Manning's stories are heartfelt, devastating, hilarious, and quirky. In a world that clings to one-dimensionality, Manning demonstrates just how many queer stories there are to tell. Their stories tackle gender presentation, parenting, divorce, coming out early/late in life with responses ranging from rejection to open-hearted acceptance. No story felt trite. No story felt like one I'd heard before. I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.
(full review at jdreads.com)
(full review at jdreads.com)
February 1, 2022
This book is acutely unsettling - it touches on some of the beauty and a lot of the harm and short sightedness that come from either no rules or unspoken rules. Themes are queer breakups, intergenerational queer relationships/abuse, how people deal with other people changing, and how perspectives and behaviors change - or don’t at all - with age.
July 1, 2023
2.5 stars bcs the narration as a whole—except for my highlights are too implied for me to decipher. Also, yes, it’s an alien kind of book for me. But, I have to admit the author did a good job portraying the bitterness of those characters that have to face the big transitions of the people they love and be open with their suddens come outs.
May 5, 2022
my god. this HIT
July 28, 2020
A fantastic short collection of short stories that cover many different experiences of LGBTQ folks. While many of the narrators/protagonists maintain a similar voice, the stories are drastically different and imaginative, skirting cliche and exploring the contemporary in a chiseled, yet fluid, way. Looking forward to more from Corinne Manning down the road!
January 16, 2023
I gave it a 2 because some of the stories are passable, but meh.
September 13, 2021
Brilliant, vivid prose and sharp characterizations explore queer desire, ambivalence, and rage.
July 10, 2021
Deep and full of feeling. Messy and so queer. Evokes heavy-hitting moods, then forces you to sit in those feelings. I will read this many more times.
May 6, 2020
"It's weird to be a community when all you have in common is how you feel about gender and who you want to have sex with."
Corinne Manning coming in PIPING HOT with their debut collection of short stories! This concise book of eleven stories puts the messiness of queer life and relationships front and centre in a true-to-life and complex way. I loved the way these stories articulated the nuances of the power dynamics within the queer community, including those of gentrification, white supremacy, cultural appropriation and consent. I also really liked how the majority of the characters, even the parents and side characters, were queer, and how Manning did not limit themselves to only interrogating the queer community from a young person's point of view. My favourite story was "Professor M," which was about a non-binary queer theory prof having an affair with a student. I also especially liked the four stories that all involved the same characters - I think if the whole collection had done this, it would have really sent it over the top for me. Bonus points for including a scene where a queer woman sees Bruce Springsteen in a bookstore and tries not to look at him. I feel seen.
Corinne Manning coming in PIPING HOT with their debut collection of short stories! This concise book of eleven stories puts the messiness of queer life and relationships front and centre in a true-to-life and complex way. I loved the way these stories articulated the nuances of the power dynamics within the queer community, including those of gentrification, white supremacy, cultural appropriation and consent. I also really liked how the majority of the characters, even the parents and side characters, were queer, and how Manning did not limit themselves to only interrogating the queer community from a young person's point of view. My favourite story was "Professor M," which was about a non-binary queer theory prof having an affair with a student. I also especially liked the four stories that all involved the same characters - I think if the whole collection had done this, it would have really sent it over the top for me. Bonus points for including a scene where a queer woman sees Bruce Springsteen in a bookstore and tries not to look at him. I feel seen.
June 27, 2020
Didn't love the writing style, but I loved how refreshingly, casually queer this was. The overall feeling is rather urban-white-american-queer-vaguely hipster (for lack of a better term), but the author has definitely made an effort to showcase a variety of lgbtq experiences. Lots of pertinent observations about gentrification, generational gaps in the community, coming out late, identity and presentation in contemporary queer culture, radicalism etc.
The characters all feel human, with the messiness that this entails, even though I'd like to believe that people aren't as prone to dysfunction as Manning makes them out to be. Someone who's lived more of the experiences described within would probably love this more than I did.
Overall, this is a great collection about lgbtq folks that isn't a story of suffering or tragedy or YA fluff. It's a story about everyday queer life, full to bursting with it, and in that way it's a sort of literary defiance. More of these kinds of narratives please!
Personal enjoyment level a 3, objective rating a 3.5-4, because I didn't vibe with it but I can vibe with what Manning's trying to do.
The characters all feel human, with the messiness that this entails, even though I'd like to believe that people aren't as prone to dysfunction as Manning makes them out to be. Someone who's lived more of the experiences described within would probably love this more than I did.
Overall, this is a great collection about lgbtq folks that isn't a story of suffering or tragedy or YA fluff. It's a story about everyday queer life, full to bursting with it, and in that way it's a sort of literary defiance. More of these kinds of narratives please!
Personal enjoyment level a 3, objective rating a 3.5-4, because I didn't vibe with it but I can vibe with what Manning's trying to do.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews