YA LGBT Books discussion

After coming in second several times, we will be reading Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde as our Aug-Sept Book of the month.

Three friends, two love stories, one convention: this fun, feminist love letter to geek culture is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.

Trigger warnings - from reviews, all I'm seeing is- mental health issues. If anyone who had read this thinks I should add some, let me know.

This thread is for discussion of this book - there is no specific reading schedule and you may post at any time. There may be spoilers in the comments, so be aware if you have not yet finished. Especially if you are posting early in the two months, please try to put real plot spoilers into a spoiler-hiding tag - write <*spoiler> before the text and <*/spoiler> at the end of it - with both * removed to make it work, and it will be hidden, revealed only (view spoiler)[ to those who choose to read it. (hide spoiler)]

I look forward to seeing what the group thinks of this one.

I am so excited!

:D I'm finishing Radio Silence, but I bought this one.

I loved this book, too! It was super fun and light-hearted. The anxiety and bi rep was on point. I adored Charlie in particular and also the fact that it was set in a comic con :D

Ari wrote: "I loved this book, too! It was super fun and light-hearted. The anxiety and bi rep was on point. I adored Charlie in particular and also the fact that it was set in a comic con :D"

Did you feel like the setting was authentically done? I've never been to a con (although my older son loves them)

I really liked this, and I particularly liked reading this directly after reading Radio Silence. While Radio Silence is (apart from the initial collaboration between Aled and Frances) about the negatives of fandom and creative works and creators and how those things collide, Queens of Geek is about the flipside - it's about finding your people, finding your family and finding yourself, all things that happen in fandom spaces. It's the reason people have meetups and go to conventions and premieres and signings - it's sharing that experience with others who, like you, have found the thing they're passionate about. I gave it five stars despite the light and fluffy story, because I NEEDED a light and fluffy story this week, and because it was so great to see an autistic girl in fandom spaces crafted well by an #ownvoices author.

I have a son on the spectrum - I'll look forward to this, then. (Been super busy but I own it, just have to get to it.) I'm glad you felt it was well done.