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Review: Ellen Outside the Lines
Review: Ellen Outside the Lines
Title: Ellen Outside the Lines Author: A.J. Sass Stars: ★★★★ (4 stars) Two things to know about my personal biases before going in: 1) My mother worked most of her life for BOCES, and as I worked summer school for them when I was older, I worked with a variety of kids on the autism spectrum. 2) I’m non-binary. That meant I was walking into a book on edge. Luckily, A.J. Sass is non-binary…
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“Passing Strange” by Ellen Klages
Description: San Francisco in 1940 is a haven for the unconventional. Tourists flock to the cities within the city: the Magic City of the World’s Fair on an island created of artifice and illusion; the forbidden city of Chinatown, a separate, alien world of exotic food and nightclubs that offer “authentic” experiences, straight from the pages of the pulps; and the twilight world of forbidden love, where outcasts from conventional society can meet. Six women find their lives as tangled with each other’s as they are with the city they call home. They discover love and danger on the borders where mystery, science, and art intersect.
Representation: The main characters are all queer. Specifically Helen is Japanese-American and sapphic, Haskel is Jewish and either bi or pan (unspecified), and Emily is a lesbian.
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Length: 131 TW(s): Misogyny, racism, homophobia, sexual assault, domestic abuse, parental abuse, suicide
Nicky has a tiny heart-attack when he realizes the extent of Kosher eating. Shiloh only keeps Kosher on the Sabbath but avoids pork entirely.
Shiloh: Nicky, I’m Jewish. Pork isn’t kosher.
Nicky: Ok. Shrimp it is!
Shiloh, allergic to shellfish and mollusks: Wrong again. That’s both not Kosher and I’ll die.
Nicky: Error 404
“The Seep” by Chana Porter
Description: Trina Goldberg-Oneka is a trans woman whose life is irreversibly altered in the wake of a gentle—but nonetheless world-changing—invasion by an alien entity calling itself The Seep. Through The Seep, everything is connected. Capitalism falls, hierarchies and barriers are broken down; if something can be imagined, it is possible. Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence—until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seep-tech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated. Heartbroken and deep into an alcoholic binge, Trina chases after a young boy she encounters, embarking on an unexpected quest. In her attempt to save him from The Seep, she will confront not only one of its most avid devotees, but the terrifying void that Deeba has left behind.
Representation: The main character, Trina, is a Jewish Native-American trans woman in an established relationship.
Genre: Sci-fi Length: 203 TW(s): Transphobia, racism, depression, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gun violence, death/loss of a loved one
“Criminal Intentions” by Cole McCade
Description: When a string of young queer men turn up dead in grisly murders, all signs point to the ex-boyfriend—but what should be an open-and-shut case is fraught with tension when BPD homicide detective Malcolm Khalaji joins up with a partner he never wanted. Rigid, ice-cold, and a stickler for the rules, Seong-Jae Yoon is a watchful presence whose obstinacy and unpredictability constantly remind Malcolm why he prefers to work alone. Seong-Jae may be stunningly attractive, a man who moves like a graceful, lethal bird of prey...but he's as impossible to decipher as this case. And if Malcolm doesn't find the key to unravel both in time, another vulnerable young victim may end up dead.
Representation: Malcolm is Jewish, persian-american, and bisexual. Seong-jae is korean-american and gay demigray asexual. Additionally there is a continuous romance between the two throughout the series.
Genre: Mystery, Romance Length: 212 TW(s): Homophobia, mention of suicidal thoughts, drug use, gore, gun violence, police brutality, kidnapping
“Cool for the Summer” by Dahlia Adler
Description: Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life. Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.
Representation: The main character is bi/pan and Jewish. Her love interest jasmine is Syrian.
Genre: Romance, YA Length: 272 TW(s): internalized homophobia, biphobia
See You Yesterday Review
See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon #NewAdult #Romance #ScienceFantasy #Jewish CW: PTSD, Described Panic Attacks, Sexual Harassment, Bu
See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
CW: PTSD, Described Panic Attacks, Sexual Harassment, Bullying (past), Neglectful School Faculty, Described Sex, Underage Drinking, Racism (past), Swearing, Violence/Gore
5/5
While I certainly still have a few more Rachel Lynn Solomon books left to read, I was very excited when she announced See You Yesterday. At first, I did think it was a sequel to Today, Tonight, Tomorrow due to the cover art and the references to time in the titles. To be clear, it is not. However, you can expect all of the elements that make Solomon's books so enticing. Jewish characters, a Seattle setting, and an enemies-to-lovers plot. If you have never read any of Solomon's work, I highly recommend all of it (even those on my TBR), including this one. The wait for my turn to read the book was long, but so worth it!
In See You Yesterday, Barrett Bloom is just starting college, hoping it will change everything for her and give her the chance to be someone new. She has a terrible first day including her ex-best-friend being her roommate, dealing with a jerk in her physics class, blowing her journalism interview, and accidentally setting fire to a frat house. The only thing that could make it worse would be having to go through it again. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. Barrett gets stuck in a time loop with that jerk from her physics class, Miles. While he's been stuck a lot longer, neither one has any idea how to get out of it.
I am a sucker for time loop stories. They're formulaic and comfortable, allowing the reader to focus on the personal touches an author gives it. In case you have a preference, this is the kind of time loop story that is aware of other time loop fiction. Still, the characters don't assume that any of those stories have the answer. They're willing to try things, but they know it's all just experimenting until something works. Although I had moments where I wished I could suggest something to the characters, I was relieved that the characters at least both got to see/hear their moms each loop. This is something The Map of Tiny Perfect Things unnecessarily made the main boy work for. Solomon was able to balance each loop and each attempt to break it perfectly. I could hardly put the book down and stayed up way too late to keep reading.
The Jewish identity of Solomon's books was what drew me to her in the first place. After reading Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequited, I knew I needed a lot more Jewish books in my life. There Solomon was with Today, Tonight, Tomorrow; a nerdy, Jewish, enemies-to-lovers, contemporary YA book. A potentially niche genre, but exactly my type. Due to the time loop of See You Yesterday, Barrett and Miles are stuck on a Wednesday and with each other. This leaves them with plenty of time to talk about their Jewish experiences and the holidays they may never see again. Barrett laments about wanting to join Hillel, Miles discusses how he's been ostracized for being both Japanese and Jewish, and they share a sweet makeshift Shabbat. The only thing I cannot stand by is the author making both of these characters like maror. Fellow Jews will understand.
I appreciate all the things Solomon took time to have her main characters face, overcome, and push for. They each have something major from their past that they work to confront and start to heal from or help improve the situation. They both have relationships they wish to rekindle and have to get there several times over due to the loops. They both have experiences they want but have never had the time, resources, or drive to do. I also appreciate that Solomon includes diversity in her writing, an interracial couple, bigger bodies, queer characters, and mental health problems. Her characters are very real even if their situation is impossible. That's the beauty of a good time loop story.
I hope it doesn't seem like I've given too much away about See You Yesterday. There's so much to discover in its pages (or just words if you opt for the audiobook read by the very talented Emily Lawrence). Unless you hate time loop stories, you won't regret picking this one up. If you do read it, drop me your thoughts or throw me some discord about maror!
Romance Review: The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Romance Review: The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Hi friends! I *LOVED* The Roommate (See review here) so I immediately added The Intimacy Experiment to my list and was super excited for Naomi’s romance but I will say this story wasn’t quite what I expected but in the best way! One of the best things about love, real love, is that it doesn’t demand perfection. It simply invites us to live up to our potential. The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie…
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