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Queerleaders
“Mack snuck a look at the cheerleaders just as Veronica took her place at the top of the pyramid. Time seemed to slow down as the cheerleader swung her long blond ponytail over her shoulder, pompoms high in the air…”
Mackenzie is used to being different from other kids―and to being bullied for not fitting into the rigid social expectations of her Catholic High School. Luckily, Mack’s best friend Lila has her back so school isn’t the total hell it could be. But it’s pretty damn close.
Until something very mysterious happens―Mack becomes a cheerleader magnet. Even she has a hard time believing it. And Lila is not too happy about her friend’s sudden popularity with the cool kids.
Is Mack being set up for an epic fail? Or is she finally headed for acceptance–and maybe even romance…
M. B. Guel is the winner of Bella’s “fan fiction to published author” contest. Queerleaders is her debut novel.
A Bella Debut Novel
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Editor: Ann Roberts
Cover Designer: Ally Baldwin
Mackenzie is used to being different from other kids―and to being bullied for not fitting into the rigid social expectations of her Catholic High School. Luckily, Mack’s best friend Lila has her back so school isn’t the total hell it could be. But it’s pretty damn close.
Until something very mysterious happens―Mack becomes a cheerleader magnet. Even she has a hard time believing it. And Lila is not too happy about her friend’s sudden popularity with the cool kids.
Is Mack being set up for an epic fail? Or is she finally headed for acceptance–and maybe even romance…
M. B. Guel is the winner of Bella’s “fan fiction to published author” contest. Queerleaders is her debut novel.
A Bella Debut Novel
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Editor: Ann Roberts
Cover Designer: Ally Baldwin
148 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2020
10 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
M.B. Guel
4 books31 followersWhen M.B. isn’t writing, they work as a producer of the theatrical trailers everyone talks through when they go to the movies. They also spend their spare time skating in roller derby, pretending they're a cowboy, and playing with swords. Living in Los Angeles with their partner and herd of pets has taught them useful defensive driving skills and how to be too friendly. They has kindly requested that, if the time ever come, their lifeless corpse be dragged into LA County limits before they are officially declared dead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 22, 2020
“In truth there is light”. This was a cute read. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it was readable and entertaining. I enjoy YA a lot more now than I ever used to. One of the reasons is YA can really make you feel. It can be really emotional and tug at your heartstrings one minute but then it can also make you feel really good the next. I was looking for those different emotions tonight so I have to say I’m sorry that I didn’t really get that in this book.
While being a YA book, this also has a rom-com feel. It’s like the book wasn’t taking itself too seriously. If you are old enough to remember the “teen movie” craze from the 90’s: think Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Can’t Hardly Wait, American Pie, and on and on. These movies represented the type of feel this book had. It felt like watching one of those classic teen movies that totally represented my teenager-hood. I mean the book even mentioned the movie Jawbreaker, so I think the author was definitely giving a nod to this era. So while this book was different than I was hoping for, that little nostalgia feeling it gave me was nice.
Besides being a lighter rom-com feel, I did think the book felt a little young. I think this would be a cute book to be in school libraries. It could especially be good in a place that might be a little more conservative or religious for a kid who was worried about being themselves and/or coming out.
This wasn’t really a book for me but it was a cute, quick read that held my interest. If you want a lighter YA sort of “teen movie” type story, this would be a good choice. If you are looking for a YA book that is really deep and emotional, than this doesn’t really fit that bill.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
While being a YA book, this also has a rom-com feel. It’s like the book wasn’t taking itself too seriously. If you are old enough to remember the “teen movie” craze from the 90’s: think Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Can’t Hardly Wait, American Pie, and on and on. These movies represented the type of feel this book had. It felt like watching one of those classic teen movies that totally represented my teenager-hood. I mean the book even mentioned the movie Jawbreaker, so I think the author was definitely giving a nod to this era. So while this book was different than I was hoping for, that little nostalgia feeling it gave me was nice.
Besides being a lighter rom-com feel, I did think the book felt a little young. I think this would be a cute book to be in school libraries. It could especially be good in a place that might be a little more conservative or religious for a kid who was worried about being themselves and/or coming out.
This wasn’t really a book for me but it was a cute, quick read that held my interest. If you want a lighter YA sort of “teen movie” type story, this would be a good choice. If you are looking for a YA book that is really deep and emotional, than this doesn’t really fit that bill.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
March 14, 2020
"I'm sure once you take the hairnet off she's very attractive!"
Mack is a closeted gay gal navigating her senior year in high school. Super content to be coasting through her final year with her best friend, Lily. Mack has a crush on the head cheerleader, Veronica. She thinks Veronica is amazing and beautiful and smart and sweet. Lily thinks Veronica is not any of those things.
Mack decides to write a note to Lily describing all the reasons why she likes Veronica. Unfortunately, that note gets into the hands of the wrong person and suddenly Mack's senior year shapes up to be quite a bit different.
This was very young feeling. Rightfully so, as we are dealing with a main character who has never even kissed a girl before. It was cute to watch her experience things for the first time and then witness her hormones take over with her newfound knowledge of making out. But those hormones cause some issues when she tries to juggle more than one cheerleader at a time. Hey! She's only a human teenager finding herself!
But in finding herself, she ends up hurting others.
This was a quick and entertaining read. There were some funny lines that made me laugh out loud. And it was surprising in the unexpectedness of it. I thought it was heading one way and didn't go there.
I recommend this to people who like to read about romance, teenagers, coming out, coming of age, best friends, cheerleaders, high school cliques, and Macbeth.
I received an ARC from Bella Books for an honest review.
Mack is a closeted gay gal navigating her senior year in high school. Super content to be coasting through her final year with her best friend, Lily. Mack has a crush on the head cheerleader, Veronica. She thinks Veronica is amazing and beautiful and smart and sweet. Lily thinks Veronica is not any of those things.
Mack decides to write a note to Lily describing all the reasons why she likes Veronica. Unfortunately, that note gets into the hands of the wrong person and suddenly Mack's senior year shapes up to be quite a bit different.
This was very young feeling. Rightfully so, as we are dealing with a main character who has never even kissed a girl before. It was cute to watch her experience things for the first time and then witness her hormones take over with her newfound knowledge of making out. But those hormones cause some issues when she tries to juggle more than one cheerleader at a time. Hey! She's only a human teenager finding herself!
But in finding herself, she ends up hurting others.
This was a quick and entertaining read. There were some funny lines that made me laugh out loud. And it was surprising in the unexpectedness of it. I thought it was heading one way and didn't go there.
I recommend this to people who like to read about romance, teenagers, coming out, coming of age, best friends, cheerleaders, high school cliques, and Macbeth.
I received an ARC from Bella Books for an honest review.
August 30, 2020
1.5 Stars
This book is going to get some very mixed reviews.
On the one hand I can see that this can be read as a cute romance. It moves along at a good pace with some sweet moments.
I can also see it being problematic for some Readers. The main character gets horribly outed. The rampant homophobia was a bit stomach churning and was largely unchecked and therefore condoned. Mack had food thrown at her, was shoved and verbally abused. The goal to snog as many cheerleaders as possible also felt a bit icky as people were starting to develop actual feelings. Mack neglected her best friend in her pursuit of cheerleaders. I don't know. It all felt a bit trashy and gross.
The ending was somewhat of a happy Hollywood cliche ending with Mack finally getting some support from fellow students. I had a small smile at the end so I must have felt that the story redeemed itself somewhat. I'm not sure if it will be a case of too little, too late for some Readers though.
This book is going to get some very mixed reviews.
On the one hand I can see that this can be read as a cute romance. It moves along at a good pace with some sweet moments.
I can also see it being problematic for some Readers. The main character gets horribly outed. The rampant homophobia was a bit stomach churning and was largely unchecked and therefore condoned. Mack had food thrown at her, was shoved and verbally abused. The goal to snog as many cheerleaders as possible also felt a bit icky as people were starting to develop actual feelings. Mack neglected her best friend in her pursuit of cheerleaders. I don't know. It all felt a bit trashy and gross.
The ending was somewhat of a happy Hollywood cliche ending with Mack finally getting some support from fellow students. I had a small smile at the end so I must have felt that the story redeemed itself somewhat. I'm not sure if it will be a case of too little, too late for some Readers though.
January 30, 2021
Review of Queerleaders by M. B. Guel, Audiobook narrated by Chloe Cannon
I normally don’t read young adult books but I’ve been curious about this short novel because of its title and cover. I’m glad that I’ve waited for the audiobook because the narration improved the written text.
Mackenzie Gomez is having a hard time in her senior year of high school apparently being the only queer person in a Catholic school. After an unfortunate incident in which she’s outed in front of the whole school, she suddenly starts to become popular among the cheerleaders to the chagrin of her best friend Lila and the rest of the school. Is Mack being set up for fail or will she find love in the process?
This debut novel by M. B. Guel was published by Bella Books as part of their contest “fan fiction to published author” which this author won. It’s a light and funny account of the typical lives of high school students, awkward teenagers who are experiencing their first relationships.
The book is written in third person from the sole point of view of Mack, a very reserved lesbian who is learning to navigate relationships with other girls and handling her own feelings and confusion. The story is very light and humorous and shouldn’t be taken too seriously despite the teenage angst and mortification. I particularly liked that even though there is a romance, there wasn’t an obvious direction to where it was heading.
The audiobook was read by Chloe Cannon who is a seasoned narrator but doesn’t seem to have done any other lesfic. I am really fascinated by Ms. Cannon’s narration as she’s got everything right: the pace, the distinctive voices by age, gender and even personality, and the expression of emotions. Color me highly impressed. Here is hoping that someone convinces her to do more lesfic and she joins the group of great voice actors that the genre has. The written text would have probably got a 3 or 3.5-star rating but Ms. Cannon’s
superb performance made me upgrade it to 4 stars.
Duration: 4 hrs and 8 mins
I normally don’t read young adult books but I’ve been curious about this short novel because of its title and cover. I’m glad that I’ve waited for the audiobook because the narration improved the written text.
Mackenzie Gomez is having a hard time in her senior year of high school apparently being the only queer person in a Catholic school. After an unfortunate incident in which she’s outed in front of the whole school, she suddenly starts to become popular among the cheerleaders to the chagrin of her best friend Lila and the rest of the school. Is Mack being set up for fail or will she find love in the process?
This debut novel by M. B. Guel was published by Bella Books as part of their contest “fan fiction to published author” which this author won. It’s a light and funny account of the typical lives of high school students, awkward teenagers who are experiencing their first relationships.
The book is written in third person from the sole point of view of Mack, a very reserved lesbian who is learning to navigate relationships with other girls and handling her own feelings and confusion. The story is very light and humorous and shouldn’t be taken too seriously despite the teenage angst and mortification. I particularly liked that even though there is a romance, there wasn’t an obvious direction to where it was heading.
The audiobook was read by Chloe Cannon who is a seasoned narrator but doesn’t seem to have done any other lesfic. I am really fascinated by Ms. Cannon’s narration as she’s got everything right: the pace, the distinctive voices by age, gender and even personality, and the expression of emotions. Color me highly impressed. Here is hoping that someone convinces her to do more lesfic and she joins the group of great voice actors that the genre has. The written text would have probably got a 3 or 3.5-star rating but Ms. Cannon’s
superb performance made me upgrade it to 4 stars.
Duration: 4 hrs and 8 mins
March 24, 2020
Oh, what a silly story! Silly. Silly. Silly. But kinda cute.
March 17, 2020
This had the potential to be so cute, but unfortunately fell flat for me.
Read the full review & more on the blog.
Content warnings include: bullying, homophobia, repeated outing of queer characters against their will, cheating, toxic definition of queerness, religion, homophobic authority figure threatening queer teen, TONS of public humiliation and second hand embarassment.
It wasn’t all bad. There were some cute moments, and particularly towards the end there were some unexpected turns where instead of turning south like I thought they would, it went up in the best way instead.
But ultimately it only reminded of me why I usually hate American High School romcoms: they are formulaic, perpetuate harmful stereotypes and revolve solely on second hand embarassment and putting the protagonist down.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Read the full review & more on the blog.
Content warnings include: bullying, homophobia, repeated outing of queer characters against their will, cheating, toxic definition of queerness, religion, homophobic authority figure threatening queer teen, TONS of public humiliation and second hand embarassment.
It wasn’t all bad. There were some cute moments, and particularly towards the end there were some unexpected turns where instead of turning south like I thought they would, it went up in the best way instead.
But ultimately it only reminded of me why I usually hate American High School romcoms: they are formulaic, perpetuate harmful stereotypes and revolve solely on second hand embarassment and putting the protagonist down.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
December 9, 2020
(c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph) 2.5 Oooof. Look I'm not as mad about this as some other reviews have been. It's... It's fine. It just reads like middle school fanfiction instead of a published, fully realized novel. The writing style, the plot, the characters, they are just all a little too simple, a little too obvious, a little too on the nose. It's cute, it's fine, it is just that "fine" is about as nice a word I can come up with. There's not much meant in the story plus the homophobia displayed by the majority of the school is also a little... outdated. It reads more like when I was in high school than what I've seen today. Not that homophobia isn't legit still a thing, only that schools, even private catholic schools, can't really get away with that level of it anymore. IDK it's more or less a CW tv show put in a book but with more canon gays. Not for me.
July 31, 2020
The writing is also very clever and I found myself highlighting passages as often as I was smiling or laughing. I’m a massive sucker for banter, and Queerleaders delivers that in spades.
Full review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/r...
Full review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/r...
March 13, 2020
This is a short and sweet high school rom-com about a girl who is outed by a jerk football player, and she makes a bet with him about on how many cheerleaders she can kiss. This is on the basis that Mack (our earnest to a fault gay mess) has a very hard crush on the head cheerleader, Veronica and her little love letters made their way to Veronica's boyfriend. Mack spends the rest of the story getting closer to the quirky Beth, bickering with best friend, Lila, and kissing some cheerleaders.
I liked the premise of the book initially, because it sounded like the cheerleaders in question were somewhat interested in Mack and she has to navigate being suddenly the center of attention and a potential romantic interest. But it turned out that Mack was just a little skeevy (if unintentionally) and didn't stop until she realized she was hurting the people she cared about. It was interesting that one cheerleader was trying to kiss away the gay, using Mack, while others had different motivations. Veronica was a surprisingly deep person, and I was more interested in her than some of Mack's antics.
It is a pretty solid debut, and gives us a sneak peek into what the author can do with a full length novel or even a novella. I did knock off a star because I really didn't like the whole "I can get all the girls" bet, even if Mack had learned a couple of lessons on the way. It does hit on some really great notes, and I do hope that one of the other characters might get a book of their own, too.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion
I liked the premise of the book initially, because it sounded like the cheerleaders in question were somewhat interested in Mack and she has to navigate being suddenly the center of attention and a potential romantic interest. But it turned out that Mack was just a little skeevy (if unintentionally) and didn't stop until she realized she was hurting the people she cared about. It was interesting that one cheerleader was trying to kiss away the gay, using Mack, while others had different motivations. Veronica was a surprisingly deep person, and I was more interested in her than some of Mack's antics.
It is a pretty solid debut, and gives us a sneak peek into what the author can do with a full length novel or even a novella. I did knock off a star because I really didn't like the whole "I can get all the girls" bet, even if Mack had learned a couple of lessons on the way. It does hit on some really great notes, and I do hope that one of the other characters might get a book of their own, too.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion
March 10, 2020
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Content notes:
Oh no, I hated this. I liked the idea of a cute rom-com where a teen lesbian tries to steal cheerleaders after being outed by football player, but yikes… this…was not cute or funny and just all around failed as a romcom in my opinion. The romance was predictable but isn’t actually pursed until last 15-20% of the book and in the process so many people are hurt. I was also really uncomfortable with the amount of lesbomisia and the bullying and harassment throughout the story. I wanted something cute and funny, and what I got was a great big ball of Disappointment.
Content notes:
Oh no, I hated this. I liked the idea of a cute rom-com where a teen lesbian tries to steal cheerleaders after being outed by football player, but yikes… this…was not cute or funny and just all around failed as a romcom in my opinion. The romance was predictable but isn’t actually pursed until last 15-20% of the book and in the process so many people are hurt. I was also really uncomfortable with the amount of lesbomisia and the bullying and harassment throughout the story. I wanted something cute and funny, and what I got was a great big ball of Disappointment.
April 29, 2021
When Mack is outed in front of her peers it sets off a chain of events that will see her have her first kiss, her first fight with her best friend, and finally confronting her lifelong crush. All of these things could be a new ground for a unique and authentic text, but it falls flat. In an attempt to point out its own shortcomings, the book often notes that it is delving into teen romance movie cliches. Rather than help clarifies the issues, it just draws attention to the fact that so much of this book is unoriginal. There are also logistical questions that when brought up once aren't an issue, but when events in the story revolve around them, you find yourself asking things like how many kids are in this school? Other than as a plot point, what's the actual reason this is in a Catholic school? VERDICT: I want to like this book more than I did. It's a cute read and the twist is a fun moment, but nothing makes this an authentic text with any emotional depth. If you have a free day and want a mindless read I would suggest it, but there is no new ground broken with this book.
April 11, 2020
I actually really liked this book... it's a sweet story.
April 28, 2020
Kinda fun. 3.5
September 2, 2020
Alleen gelezen voor de Q in mijn alfabet-challenge...
September 28, 2020
This was a cute read. I like that Mack (the protagonist) is vulnerable but determined. I had a best friend like Veronica, so the relationship between her and Mack made me smile. It is appropriate for ages twelve to eighteen, for sure.
August 24, 2020
2/2.5*
Sorry but the main character is kinda a crappy person ://
Sorry but the main character is kinda a crappy person ://
April 29, 2021
Now, I was trying to come up with a reason to give this two stars, but my gut wasn't comfortable with it. For a coming of age novel about an LGBTQ+ teen, this is one of the most prejudiced things I've ever read.
Back when I was a little baby gay, I too read Afterellen and the likes religiously, collecting signs of queerness and scanning girls' nails to figure out if they were short enough to classify them as possibly gay. Reading this book as an adult, this filled me both with nostalgia and concern. Mind you, I wasn't nearly as bad as the girls in this book.
One of the main characters at one point describes a girl she suspects of being a lesbian as "totally smelling like golf court", which is, first off weird af and, second off so outdated and early 2000s it hurts. That one screams L Word. (Speaking of, there's also that other character, a "stupid" bicurious cheerleader who over-humanises her cat that reminds me so much of Brittany from Glee it can't be a coincidence.)
Now the thing bugging me most about this book is the positively icky plot. Our main character Mack, after being outed by a classmate, sets out to make out with as many cheerleaders as she can, thus proving she can "steal them from their boyfriends".
There's so much wrong with this. I won't go into the whole "stealing someone from somebody" deal, since that's a whole other issue, but will instead focus on the "turning straight girls gay" part. In this essay, I will -
Just kidding. I won't go into too much detail, but I really dislike the "spaghetti girl" thing. (You might know the meme - a girl who is straight until you get her wet).
Firstly, that is the EXACT thing homophobes and creepy men are saying to queer women ("I'll turn you straight, you just haven't been with a real man before.")
I feel like that trope deprives the girls in question of their identity, being their own persons, their own sexualities and inner lives. They are basically objects for our main character.
Maybe I'm all the more aggrevated because Mack is a fucking creep. Her flirting with girls made me want to gouge my eyes out, honestly
The weirdest fucking thing is that these cheerleaders are essentially throwing themselves at Mack, begging her to make out with them, for one reason or another. Not to open a whole other can of worms, but one of them wants Mack to kiss her to "bleed the gay out of her". I'm sure people like that are out there, but most of the characters in this book feel like caricatures.
The writing isn't the worst, but doesn't build any tension or atmosphere. It's a quick read, but not worth it in my opinion.
Back when I was a little baby gay, I too read Afterellen and the likes religiously, collecting signs of queerness and scanning girls' nails to figure out if they were short enough to classify them as possibly gay. Reading this book as an adult, this filled me both with nostalgia and concern. Mind you, I wasn't nearly as bad as the girls in this book.
One of the main characters at one point describes a girl she suspects of being a lesbian as "totally smelling like golf court", which is, first off weird af and, second off so outdated and early 2000s it hurts. That one screams L Word. (Speaking of, there's also that other character, a "stupid" bicurious cheerleader who over-humanises her cat that reminds me so much of Brittany from Glee it can't be a coincidence.)
Now the thing bugging me most about this book is the positively icky plot. Our main character Mack, after being outed by a classmate, sets out to make out with as many cheerleaders as she can, thus proving she can "steal them from their boyfriends".
There's so much wrong with this. I won't go into the whole "stealing someone from somebody" deal, since that's a whole other issue, but will instead focus on the "turning straight girls gay" part. In this essay, I will -
Just kidding. I won't go into too much detail, but I really dislike the "spaghetti girl" thing. (You might know the meme - a girl who is straight until you get her wet).
Firstly, that is the EXACT thing homophobes and creepy men are saying to queer women ("I'll turn you straight, you just haven't been with a real man before.")
I feel like that trope deprives the girls in question of their identity, being their own persons, their own sexualities and inner lives. They are basically objects for our main character.
Maybe I'm all the more aggrevated because Mack is a fucking creep. Her flirting with girls made me want to gouge my eyes out, honestly
The weirdest fucking thing is that these cheerleaders are essentially throwing themselves at Mack, begging her to make out with them, for one reason or another. Not to open a whole other can of worms, but one of them wants Mack to kiss her to "bleed the gay out of her". I'm sure people like that are out there, but most of the characters in this book feel like caricatures.
The writing isn't the worst, but doesn't build any tension or atmosphere. It's a quick read, but not worth it in my opinion.
March 13, 2020
Thanks, NetGalley, for the advance copy of a book that feels like it should be part of something bigger.
Mack is gay and has a serious crush on her school’s head cheerleader, Veronica. After she writes a note outlining her crush, Mack has to suffer the indignity of being outed by the boyfriend of her crush. This alone is bad enough, but the reaction of students in her Catholic school is terrible.
Not one adult steps up and tries to deal with the homophobic behaviour that is very much in evidence. Mack doesn’t give in to this awful behaviour - but she does vow to get her revenge by making it her mission to kiss all the cheerleaders. There's no rhyme nor reason to this, but it suits the story arc so we go with it.
To cut a long story short, Mack suddenly finds herself very popular. From never having been kissed to getting a range of girls keen to experiment. This goes to her head a little so it’s no surprise when she falls for further attempts to shame her.
However, this time round there’s a little more support for Mack and she has a girlfriend to help her through this.
Queer leaders was a very short story and it really felt as if it should form part of a bigger picture. It was all a little bit too much like a wish-fulfilment exercise and I felt there was a distinct lack of background detail to help us engage with Mack and her experiences.
Mack is gay and has a serious crush on her school’s head cheerleader, Veronica. After she writes a note outlining her crush, Mack has to suffer the indignity of being outed by the boyfriend of her crush. This alone is bad enough, but the reaction of students in her Catholic school is terrible.
Not one adult steps up and tries to deal with the homophobic behaviour that is very much in evidence. Mack doesn’t give in to this awful behaviour - but she does vow to get her revenge by making it her mission to kiss all the cheerleaders. There's no rhyme nor reason to this, but it suits the story arc so we go with it.
To cut a long story short, Mack suddenly finds herself very popular. From never having been kissed to getting a range of girls keen to experiment. This goes to her head a little so it’s no surprise when she falls for further attempts to shame her.
However, this time round there’s a little more support for Mack and she has a girlfriend to help her through this.
Queer leaders was a very short story and it really felt as if it should form part of a bigger picture. It was all a little bit too much like a wish-fulfilment exercise and I felt there was a distinct lack of background detail to help us engage with Mack and her experiences.
April 6, 2020
Oh Queerleaders is a great story.
I love LGBT fiction. I love YA fiction. Put those hands together and you have Queerleaders. The story of Mack and how she is forced to come out by the arrogant and narrow-minded bullies in her school and how she manages to lose herself and find herself all at once.
It is a story of friendship and a story of self discovery. Mack is shown to be a warts and all brilliant protagonist whose downfall is due to her own indulgence and greed but gosh I loved her.
If you love stories of the LGBT variety and you want something completely heart-warming then Queerleaders is the book for you.
Queerleaders by MB Guel is available now.
I love LGBT fiction. I love YA fiction. Put those hands together and you have Queerleaders. The story of Mack and how she is forced to come out by the arrogant and narrow-minded bullies in her school and how she manages to lose herself and find herself all at once.
It is a story of friendship and a story of self discovery. Mack is shown to be a warts and all brilliant protagonist whose downfall is due to her own indulgence and greed but gosh I loved her.
If you love stories of the LGBT variety and you want something completely heart-warming then Queerleaders is the book for you.
Queerleaders by MB Guel is available now.
November 15, 2020
3.5 stars
A cute little book. I got this one on Audio and I was surprised that I liked the narrator, Chloe Cannon. They did a great job of showing the difference between characters speaking, and so it was very easy to listen along to.
There were a few spots that I found a bit silly, but I understood the plot convenience that was needed. I appreciated that the end didn't go the totally cliche way I was expecting it to, it threw me off not once but twice. Glad I stumbled upon this one, it would be a great read for any young person!
A cute little book. I got this one on Audio and I was surprised that I liked the narrator, Chloe Cannon. They did a great job of showing the difference between characters speaking, and so it was very easy to listen along to.
There were a few spots that I found a bit silly, but I understood the plot convenience that was needed. I appreciated that the end didn't go the totally cliche way I was expecting it to, it threw me off not once but twice. Glad I stumbled upon this one, it would be a great read for any young person!
May 13, 2022
Hilarious and sweet.
Mack is a stupid teenager who makes really bad choices, but overall she is kind and caring, and she's trying to be better and make up for her mistakes.
I liked Beth and Lila a lot more.
The story is great and feels more like a cliché movie, in a fun way.
Mack is a stupid teenager who makes really bad choices, but overall she is kind and caring, and she's trying to be better and make up for her mistakes.
I liked Beth and Lila a lot more.
The story is great and feels more like a cliché movie, in a fun way.
August 29, 2020
This was so freakin’ delightful!
June 5, 2023
this books awfully felt like reading a (ryan murphy’s) Popular fanfiction in the 2000s. One star for the trip to the past.
January 10, 2021
It's okay, and kind of sweet, but the story is rushed and the writing unpolished. The ending isn't satisfactory either. You're lead in an entirely different direction for the whole book, and while the ending is sweet... like, you know that relationship isn't going to last.
June 23, 2020
In all honesty, I think quite a number of people might like this, it reads entirely like a basic Netflix romcom à la Half of It (but more romantic) or Love, Simon. This was a list of cliché after stereotype, with a main character that reads like a romcom teenage boy.
She is self-centered and selfish, and has both low self-esteem and the compensating cocky arrogance, which all translates to using girls disrespectfully, and as props to her ego, in the name of... I don't even know what, fun or revenge or self-acceptance. Everyone praises her and seems to like her despite her being this awful.
And of course it all ends well with a stupid prom scene where everyone "unionizes" around her, , while they had no issue laughing at her when she was outed and mocked. And okay it's hard to stand up to your friends and to a whole school on your own, but then we see none of the work necessary for any of them to do that, the only explanation we get is the MC acting impulsively in anger and "just doing her thing" somehow translating into positive action (which includes cockily claiming she'll steal all the cheerleaders from their boyfriends, and no one questions the misogyny of it, and the MC keeps insisting you can't convert anyone to gayness as if she didn't just imply that with her anger-induced self-imposed challenge and as if she doesn't actively try to do so for a big part of the book *eyeroll*).
She is self-centered and selfish, and has both low self-esteem and the compensating cocky arrogance, which all translates to using girls disrespectfully, and as props to her ego, in the name of... I don't even know what, fun or revenge or self-acceptance. Everyone praises her and seems to like her despite her being this awful.
And of course it all ends well with a stupid prom scene where everyone "unionizes" around her, , while they had no issue laughing at her when she was outed and mocked. And okay it's hard to stand up to your friends and to a whole school on your own, but then we see none of the work necessary for any of them to do that, the only explanation we get is the MC acting impulsively in anger and "just doing her thing" somehow translating into positive action (which includes cockily claiming she'll steal all the cheerleaders from their boyfriends, and no one questions the misogyny of it, and the MC keeps insisting you can't convert anyone to gayness as if she didn't just imply that with her anger-induced self-imposed challenge and as if she doesn't actively try to do so for a big part of the book *eyeroll*).
January 7, 2022
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I got an ARC of this book.
I got this book, because iam had it. I am that easily swayed to read a book. I knew nothing else about it except that the title was a pun. I am a simple queer. Give me a dad joke and a queer love story (preferably with cowboys or with a cute dog sidekick) and I am in.
The book wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible, but the bad outweighed the good. The writing itself wasn’t all that bad. It was typical YA stuff. Nothing earth shattering, but better than a lot of things I have read. The issue with mostly the plots and characters.
Mack: of course the main character would be a more masculine lesbian. That is so much easier to digest for people. What I would not give for a femme/femme pairing. Give me two girls who do each other’s nails and then go “fuck, I think I love her”. Though I do love butch characters, it just was annoying in the sense that there were so many tropes and stereotypes that you have the butch character messing up relationships exactly like how the boys do in YA books. You could replace Mack with a guy and the book would barely have to change. Her character is pretty flat. She is obsessed with a cheerleader, but then through the book learns that she really doesn’t like her? I just didn’t buy the romance.
Lila: She was totally in love with Mack. There is no denying it, except in this world love is based on physical attraction. So their love is totally discredited since there was no “spark”. I’m sorry. I ship Lila and Mack hardcore. They are there for each other, they trust each other, they care for each other. 10/10 best relationship in the book. (Hell, Lila actually texts with Mack’s mom. It is a match made in heaven.)
Chad: Can you just guess his role and personality? Enough said.
Plots: Mack is outed in front of the whole school. Outing her is never really punished in any way. It is the whole catalyst for the wonderfully YA idea of hooking up with every cheerleader to prove I don’t know what. There is constant homophobia. It generally stays in the area of physically harmless pranks. It read as very middle school. I had similar pranks played on me in middle school. So it was really boring for me, but could be really triggering for someone else. The homophobia is never addressed. It just is. Hell, Mack is told that she is getting it placed in her record that she is gay since it is a Catholic high school (that fact is not revealed until after the scene where Mack is harassed by her principal I believe which made the scene just confusing). So there is institutional homophobia that is not addressed until the very end, but in a teen romcom ending (to be fair, the ending had my favorite part. The teacher’s response to the scene at prom is just great).
If Mack was not interchangeable with every single whiny cis boy from YA that makes his own messes, then this book might have been more fun. The only reason this book was gay was there were girls kissing and even one of the pairs of girls kissing was doing to to counter act “the gay”. So homophobic gay kissing? I just don’t understand.
I wanted to like this book.
I got an ARC of this book.
I got this book, because iam had it. I am that easily swayed to read a book. I knew nothing else about it except that the title was a pun. I am a simple queer. Give me a dad joke and a queer love story (preferably with cowboys or with a cute dog sidekick) and I am in.
The book wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible, but the bad outweighed the good. The writing itself wasn’t all that bad. It was typical YA stuff. Nothing earth shattering, but better than a lot of things I have read. The issue with mostly the plots and characters.
Mack: of course the main character would be a more masculine lesbian. That is so much easier to digest for people. What I would not give for a femme/femme pairing. Give me two girls who do each other’s nails and then go “fuck, I think I love her”. Though I do love butch characters, it just was annoying in the sense that there were so many tropes and stereotypes that you have the butch character messing up relationships exactly like how the boys do in YA books. You could replace Mack with a guy and the book would barely have to change. Her character is pretty flat. She is obsessed with a cheerleader, but then through the book learns that she really doesn’t like her? I just didn’t buy the romance.
Lila: She was totally in love with Mack. There is no denying it, except in this world love is based on physical attraction. So their love is totally discredited since there was no “spark”. I’m sorry. I ship Lila and Mack hardcore. They are there for each other, they trust each other, they care for each other. 10/10 best relationship in the book. (Hell, Lila actually texts with Mack’s mom. It is a match made in heaven.)
Chad: Can you just guess his role and personality? Enough said.
Plots: Mack is outed in front of the whole school. Outing her is never really punished in any way. It is the whole catalyst for the wonderfully YA idea of hooking up with every cheerleader to prove I don’t know what. There is constant homophobia. It generally stays in the area of physically harmless pranks. It read as very middle school. I had similar pranks played on me in middle school. So it was really boring for me, but could be really triggering for someone else. The homophobia is never addressed. It just is. Hell, Mack is told that she is getting it placed in her record that she is gay since it is a Catholic high school (that fact is not revealed until after the scene where Mack is harassed by her principal I believe which made the scene just confusing). So there is institutional homophobia that is not addressed until the very end, but in a teen romcom ending (to be fair, the ending had my favorite part. The teacher’s response to the scene at prom is just great).
If Mack was not interchangeable with every single whiny cis boy from YA that makes his own messes, then this book might have been more fun. The only reason this book was gay was there were girls kissing and even one of the pairs of girls kissing was doing to to counter act “the gay”. So homophobic gay kissing? I just don’t understand.
I wanted to like this book.
December 23, 2021
Well, this was a massive disappointment. This book clearly sets out to be a rom-com, except the comedy consists almost entirely of lesbian stereotypes and skin-crawling cringe humor. The characters all seem to be time travelers from 1998; people are reading print magazines and passing notes on paper; the main character seems to sincerely not even know the word "Twitter"; and the author apparently forgot that texting exists until halfway through the book.
I can't for the life of me figure out this setting; as someone who was queer at a conservative Catholic high school (in the early 2000s, no less!), none of this felt even close to familiar. This place is apparently hardcore enough to call Mack in to the principal's office for a stern warning and call an assembly to warn the whole school about the evils of homosexuality, but then as Mack proceeds to, well, mack on half the cheerleader squad...literally nothing else happens? Excuse me?
Who are these characters? I've never seen such a cast of cardboard cutouts; it's literally just a bunch of stereotypes from like every 90s teen movie. Beth is literally just Brittany from Glee, right down to treating her cat like a human for "comedy" purposes. Lila has no personality or motivation beyond plot convenience; she encourages Mack at the beginning, gets jealous in the middle because the plot needs some extra tension, and then conveniently decides at the end that she's not jealous after all because it's time for the happy ending.
And Mack. My god. Don't get me started. I hated her so much. I know teenagers can sometimes be short-sighted and self-centered, but this girl apparently has not one ounce of empathy, self-awareness, or common fucking sense. Every decision she makes is a trainwreck, and how anyone is even still speaking to her by the end of the book is beyond me. I couldn't sympathize with her because I was too busy bouncing between putting my eyes back in their sockets at how she could be so dense and wanting to wring her damn neck.
And finally, the plot is both ridiculous and gross. Sure Mack, you can just "steal" all the football players' girlfriends; surely the girls themselves don't have anything as inconvenient as actual feelings on the matter. And where the hell did that ending come from? Ridiculous. No thank you, please.
I can't for the life of me figure out this setting; as someone who was queer at a conservative Catholic high school (in the early 2000s, no less!), none of this felt even close to familiar. This place is apparently hardcore enough to call Mack in to the principal's office for a stern warning and call an assembly to warn the whole school about the evils of homosexuality, but then as Mack proceeds to, well, mack on half the cheerleader squad...literally nothing else happens? Excuse me?
Who are these characters? I've never seen such a cast of cardboard cutouts; it's literally just a bunch of stereotypes from like every 90s teen movie. Beth is literally just Brittany from Glee, right down to treating her cat like a human for "comedy" purposes. Lila has no personality or motivation beyond plot convenience; she encourages Mack at the beginning, gets jealous in the middle because the plot needs some extra tension, and then conveniently decides at the end that she's not jealous after all because it's time for the happy ending.
And Mack. My god. Don't get me started. I hated her so much. I know teenagers can sometimes be short-sighted and self-centered, but this girl apparently has not one ounce of empathy, self-awareness, or common fucking sense. Every decision she makes is a trainwreck, and how anyone is even still speaking to her by the end of the book is beyond me. I couldn't sympathize with her because I was too busy bouncing between putting my eyes back in their sockets at how she could be so dense and wanting to wring her damn neck.
And finally, the plot is both ridiculous and gross. Sure Mack, you can just "steal" all the football players' girlfriends; surely the girls themselves don't have anything as inconvenient as actual feelings on the matter. And where the hell did that ending come from? Ridiculous. No thank you, please.
September 24, 2020
Cute and funny
This is like the movie Booksmart, but funnier, and to be honest, I liked it more. With Booksmart, they captured a time and place and while it was funny in parts, a lot of it was a massive cringe due to the really awkward stuff that went on. I found it really stressful!
Whereas this book has many cringe moments as well ( as someone who was "intimate" with her three best friends in our last year of high school, I can relate to getting in over your head romantically a LOT) there's much more humour in here to get you over the rough spots, and more good-heartedness all round.
(BTW, this book is definitely PG or T-rated)
Mack is a cute dork and I totally relate. I also totally relate to having the more socially-savvy friend there to kick you in the pants.
I myself came out nearly 35 years ago (thank goodness it was less turbulent than Mack's experience), but I really loved that it represents how you still need a certain kind of bravery to make that step, no matter much your parents know in advance or how accepting your friends are. The broader consequences are still real.
And I especially loved the depiction of how more "feminine"-appearing people validate and support more "masculine"-appearing people - it's so important - and how THEIR bravery inspires us "non-feminine" types to be better, more resilient people.
Some of us might look tough on the outside, but often that shell can be very brittle. Often we need others to show us how to be truly resilient. The strongest character in this book might be surprising, but her strength and determination are amazing.
I love it that she and the lead character inspire each other (that's how it should be).
This is like the movie Booksmart, but funnier, and to be honest, I liked it more. With Booksmart, they captured a time and place and while it was funny in parts, a lot of it was a massive cringe due to the really awkward stuff that went on. I found it really stressful!
Whereas this book has many cringe moments as well ( as someone who was "intimate" with her three best friends in our last year of high school, I can relate to getting in over your head romantically a LOT) there's much more humour in here to get you over the rough spots, and more good-heartedness all round.
(BTW, this book is definitely PG or T-rated)
Mack is a cute dork and I totally relate. I also totally relate to having the more socially-savvy friend there to kick you in the pants.
I myself came out nearly 35 years ago (thank goodness it was less turbulent than Mack's experience), but I really loved that it represents how you still need a certain kind of bravery to make that step, no matter much your parents know in advance or how accepting your friends are. The broader consequences are still real.
And I especially loved the depiction of how more "feminine"-appearing people validate and support more "masculine"-appearing people - it's so important - and how THEIR bravery inspires us "non-feminine" types to be better, more resilient people.
Some of us might look tough on the outside, but often that shell can be very brittle. Often we need others to show us how to be truly resilient. The strongest character in this book might be surprising, but her strength and determination are amazing.
I love it that she and the lead character inspire each other (that's how it should be).
September 5, 2020
Made Me Laugh And Stress Out!
4.5 out of 5 stars
I went into this one pretty blind. I read a bit of the synopsis and knew that I wanted to jump into it. It had the feel of the teenage romance movies you grew up with (and at a few points mocks and makes fun of them). But it had an edge to it. A vulnerability and then a self-realization. It was really enjoyable. It obviously has a lot in common with a lot of teen romances but it reminded me a lot of Mean Girls and a little bit of Easy A if I were to try and pin it down (which it is so much more than those films/stories).
At one point I was worried that the author was going full-on typical teen rom-com trope (I won’t spoil specific which one, but anyone who reads it will know which one I’m talking about). But, thankfully there was a pretty funny scene where it’s discussed, even tested, then thrown away quickly.
Queerleaders was one of those stories that I was able to start and finish very quickly, Guel wrote a story that I wanted to know how it ended and a few times gave me exactly what I wanted, while at others they tiptoed right along the edge of “if she does this I’m done!” I found that kept me on my toes and definitely had me enjoying it up until the last few chapters.
Overall, a great coming-of-age story about finding yourself, finding out a lot of other people around you don’t have it figured out, and honestly just an enjoyable story.
Chloe Cannon did a great job voicing Mack to the point where I forgot that Chloe wasn’t actually Mack. That’s a pretty great feat when narrating a book.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I went into this one pretty blind. I read a bit of the synopsis and knew that I wanted to jump into it. It had the feel of the teenage romance movies you grew up with (and at a few points mocks and makes fun of them). But it had an edge to it. A vulnerability and then a self-realization. It was really enjoyable. It obviously has a lot in common with a lot of teen romances but it reminded me a lot of Mean Girls and a little bit of Easy A if I were to try and pin it down (which it is so much more than those films/stories).
At one point I was worried that the author was going full-on typical teen rom-com trope (I won’t spoil specific which one, but anyone who reads it will know which one I’m talking about). But, thankfully there was a pretty funny scene where it’s discussed, even tested, then thrown away quickly.
Queerleaders was one of those stories that I was able to start and finish very quickly, Guel wrote a story that I wanted to know how it ended and a few times gave me exactly what I wanted, while at others they tiptoed right along the edge of “if she does this I’m done!” I found that kept me on my toes and definitely had me enjoying it up until the last few chapters.
Overall, a great coming-of-age story about finding yourself, finding out a lot of other people around you don’t have it figured out, and honestly just an enjoyable story.
Chloe Cannon did a great job voicing Mack to the point where I forgot that Chloe wasn’t actually Mack. That’s a pretty great feat when narrating a book.
May 27, 2021
Delicious cotton candy, a stupid teen romcom in book form The writing reads young, and this is the kind of book where the prose's job is not to be obtrusive while you blow through the whole thing in 2 hours. But not everything has to be a work of great literature.
Mack has to deal with a lot of homophobia, but the whole book has such an arm's-length relationship to gritty reality that it didn't ruin the cotton candy-ness for me (and forced-outings are touchy for me). Like a little salt on your sweet dessert. Think teen romcom, heavy on the com, levels of seriousness.
Mack is delightfully messy and boneheaded, just kind of barreling through life without realizing how her actions might have consequences, but ultimately good-hearted. You know, a teenager.
All in all, a fun, light evening read for when you're trying to cut down your screen time. Skip if you're looking for Serious Literature, a morality play, or you're not far enough removed from high school homophobia to be interested in reading even cheesy romcom versions of it.
Mack has to deal with a lot of homophobia, but the whole book has such an arm's-length relationship to gritty reality that it didn't ruin the cotton candy-ness for me (and forced-outings are touchy for me). Like a little salt on your sweet dessert. Think teen romcom, heavy on the com, levels of seriousness.
Mack is delightfully messy and boneheaded, just kind of barreling through life without realizing how her actions might have consequences, but ultimately good-hearted. You know, a teenager.
All in all, a fun, light evening read for when you're trying to cut down your screen time. Skip if you're looking for Serious Literature, a morality play, or you're not far enough removed from high school homophobia to be interested in reading even cheesy romcom versions of it.
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