Love Month Recap

So... Love Month this year didn't quite work out like I had planned.  My initial plans were to read a lot more than I did but of course, life happened and got in the way. Or rather death did. My dad passed away at the beginning of February and not unsurprisingly I didn't feel much like reading or blogging. I still don't, not really. But things have to get back to normal eventually. So I thought I'd share with you some of my thoughts on the four books that I did read in February with LGBT characters or story lines.

Openly Straight by Bill Konisberg

This was the first book I read for the Love Month event.  I'm not entirely sure what put this book on my radar but I'm so glad that I read it.  Openly Straight by Bill Konisberg is about a teenage boy who is out and proud in his hometown in Colorado.  His family and school are supportive, he's well-known for being openly gay, for being an advocate for gay teens etc.  But when he gets accepted into a private all-boys school on the East Coast, he decides that ... for once, he just wants to be himself.  Himself, that is, without his sexuality colouring how everyone views him. Everything seems to be working out okay until he falls in love with his new best friend while out there...

I really loved this one. Loved the main character's voice and this exploration of his past and his experiences coming out and being gay that is explored through a writing assignment. It's also hilariously funny and really not to be missed. I am so looking forward to the sequel, Honestly Ben, which was recently published.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Next, I read Noteworthy by Riley Redgate and I couldn't have loved it any more than I did.  ...I'm not entirely sure what put this book on my radar? Perhaps it was listed on a list of books containing bisexual characters?  In any case, I decided that I had to read this book and I did and I loved it. It follows Jordan Sun during her junior year at a private performing arts high school. In order to save her place in this performing arts school Jordan ends up desperately auditioning for a men's acapella group just to keep steady.  And she gets in which means pretending to be a guy.

There was so much to love about this book.  I loved the explorations of friendship, identity, sexuality and love.  I thought the author wrote very well on the elements of coming from a poorer economic background, the fact that Jordan is Chinese-American, other members of the Sharpshooters being from diverse backgrounds, Jordan's father being disabled, Jordan's realisation of her own bisexuality.  It was a book about a boarding school and friendship groups, getting over first heartbreak, becoming more confident in oneself, but also a really great look into gender roles and norms for both men and women.  I loved it.  Plus,  a capella!

Three by Hannah Moskowitz

I'm not entirely sure what to make of Three by Hannah Moskowitz. I'd read other books by the same author before which made me take notice of this book. That, and the premise. I'd never come across another YA book that dealt with polyamory as this book does. So I picked it up incredibly intrigued by the story line ... and while I do find it interesting that this book is available and all, I did feel some disappointment over it.  There were quite a few typos and grammatical errors like it could been copy-edited better. But also ... it was pretty subtle. The story is that this girl moves some place new, and becomes attracted to this boy, he kisses her. Then she finds out that he is in a long-term relationship with another girl and that they are poly-amorous. The main character decides to give it a go at being in a relationship with him and also possibly her and that is the bulk of Three.  ...if I'm honest, I wanted more.

I had expected there to be a sexual relationship between the characters and there isn't. I expected there to be more of a connection between the two girls in this relationship ...but there really wasn't.  So I finished this book and it was so decidedly ...average that I almost don't have much more to say about it? What I'd like to read is a book that isn't too afraid to go to places most YA books wouldn't go. And I felt like this book mostly played things safe. Which was therefore boring to me. Shame.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli


Finally, I picked up The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. I loved the author's debut book, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda about two boys falling in love and I had incredibly high hopes for this one... and while I did enjoy it, it didn't quite live up to Simon Vs expectations. This premise of this book centres around Molly, a girl who has a million unrequited crushes.  She just never seems to take that step towards telling her crushes how she feels. That is, until her twin, Cassie meets a girl and introduces Molly to a cute new boy.  Will Molly be woman enough to tell her crush how she feels?!

So ... yeah. This book was cute, sure.  And there;s plenty of diversity here, from sexuality and race and mental health.  But I didn't really gel with the characters or the relationships.  And in fact, I kind of hated how the author sort of stood on her soap box and ranted through the characters about a myriad of things... even when I agreed with the character's point of view I just didn't love the lecturing, self-important tone.  And when the conversation about the social construction of virginity came about I just rolled my eyes. It was too much and there was no subtlety to it. It felt like being hit over the head with all these social messages and being scolded for outdated beliefs about sexuality and the rest of it. Have a message, sure. But don't be so patronising, please.

Still. That isn't to say I didn't also enjoy the story. I just wished I'd have enjoyed it more than I did.

Those are the books I read during the month of February. But at least I also still have a lot of great-sounding LGBT books still on my TBR pile...

Have you read any great LGBT stories lately? 

REVIEW: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Pantomime. I thought it had amazing characters and a wonderful fantasy setting and I was always going to be excited to read the sequel. However, I did put off reading Shadowplay by Laura Lam for a very long time because I was slightly worried that my expectations might be slightly too high for any book to live up to.

Now that I've finally read this book I can happily say that I absolutely loved it. Everything that I loved about Pantomime is apparent in Shadowplay apart from the back and forth with the timeline.  Fabulous characters, mystery, a magical setting, a wonderful fantasy world, and great relationships. 

Shadowplay takes place immediately after the explosive events of Pantomime and Micah and Drystan, the white clown, find themselves with a desperate need for refuge. For this, they throw themselves at the mercy of Drystan's old magician friend, Jasper Maske, and soon they become more invested in Jasper's life and troubles and get more involved in magic and illusion. 

Because it has been a while since I read this book I will leave you with this brief list: Things I love about Shadowplay:

I really loved the circus setting in Pantomime. (Every one did, right?) But I also really loved all of the detail and training and history involved in turning Drystan, Micah, and new character, Cyan, into illusionists in Shadowplay.  I really did enjoy every single detail of this journey that were all on.  I loved the bit of mystery surrounding Jasper Maske and his mirrors and everything he was working on. My heart really went out to him when learning of his past and the reason he can no longer perform magic in front of an audience and because of my emotional connection to him, I really wanted things to work out in his favour.

I also absolutely loved Ellada as the fantasy setting of both books.  There is a bit of mystery surrounding this shady man who appears to be following Micah and Drystan and I found it really interesting to see them wandering about collecting clues. Also, there is a great deal of information regarding Penglass in this book which was very satisfying.

I've been pretty outspoken about my love for Micah Grey as a character and I really stand by that.  I think he's a great and well-developed character and he really grows into himself in this book.  Part of that is because of him learning new skills as an illusionist, part of that is down to the amazing relationships he has in his life.  I am very fond of his relationship with his brother that we are able to see briefly in this book and his budding friendship with Cyan was quite nice to see as well. And part of his growth in confidence is down to the information (sometimes misleading and vague!) that he gets regarding how and why he is so very special.  I can't wait to read more about this aspect of Micah's story.

And finally, we have the slow burn romantic relationship between Micah and Drystan.  This has to be a slow burn, as Micah is still grieving for Aenea, but even during Pantomime I was rooting for Micah and Drystan.  It seems to take them both a pretty long time to be okay with their relationship progressing but it felt very natural when it did happen. I want them to have a happily ever after!

All in all, Shadowplay was everything I wanted it to be. Fascinating and mysterious and magical.  I do need more Micah Grey in my life.

REVIEW: Huntress by Malinda Lo

I've had a copy of Huntress by Malinda Lo on my TBR pile for such a long time.  I can't think now why I waited so long before tackling this wonderful novel?  Huntress is set in the same world as Ash but many centuries before it and is filled with great characters, an exciting adventure and a world filled with the detail and influences of Chinese traditions.  I found it very easy to relate with these characters and with this interesting fantasy world. 

Huntress is the story of a band of travellers who are on a quest to visit the mythical Fairy Queen who might have answers to why the crops are failing, why the seasons have stopped changing and why strange things are happening and why dangerous creatures have started appearing in their lands.

On this journey are Taisin, who is studying to become a Sage. She is inexperienced in dealing with the otherworldly but is also someone who holds great promise and skill who is able to see visions of what the future holds. With her is Kaede, the daughter of the King's chancellor and who is somebody who has no skill in becoming a sage but who is competent in other things. She goes on this journey in order to escape her father's expectations of her and the prospective marriage for political gain.  With them is the Prince and three guards. 

I really loved the adventure that this band of people go through during the course of the novel. Things don't run very smoothly but it is the way in which these events shape the characters and how they react to them that made everything much more interesting.  I really enjoyed reading the way in which Taisin was trying to gather more information and evidences about the weird occurrences on their trip and also the way in which Kaede began learning to protect herself and the others from the guards. Their goal of meeting the fey queen and solving the issues that have affected the world they live in was always the number one priority for Taisin, Kaede, and the others and the feelings that crop up between the two girls becomes and secondary story line.  I liked that about this book. That this lovely, slowly built-up romance appears in the book but that character development and the main plot always continue as the main focus. 

Having said that, Kaede and Taisin's relationship is utterly sweet and I was really rooting for them throughout. A lot of barriers to their relationship are brought up initially - rules of becoming a Sage and also the pressures of making political alliances - but I really was hoping for the best for them both! 

Huntress was a wonderful and adventurous fantasy novel filled with the great characters and relationships. I found it quite easy to believe in the world-building and the situations and problems they had to face. I will continue to look forward to reading anything else by Malinda Lo...

Some of my favourite LGBT YA #LGBTApril

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan


One of the first books I remember reading with LGBT characters was Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.  I really love this book when I read it and I will continue to look back on it and remember the wonderful feelings it made me feel when reading.  I loved this community that  Paul lives in which gay characters are embraced and supported in a way that exists absolutely no where in reality. It made me really happy when I was reading it of the possibility that we could work towards something like this though (and this is balanced out by Tony's experiences with ultra-religious parents).  I thought Paul's relationship with Noah was incredibly sweet and I loved Infinite Darlene.

This was the first book by David Levithan that I picked up to read and I have since read many of his others and have three books of his that I would like to read on my April TBR pile!

Pantomime and Shadowplay by Laura Lam


Pantomime and Shadowplay are relatively recent additions to my list of favourites and it would appear not only on my list of favourite books with LGBT characters but also my list of favourite books in general!  Micah Grey is one of my favourite ever characters. I really love witnessing the exploration of identity that goes on with Micah and witnessing Micah's journey and the relationships that are formed in both of these books. I really enjoyed both Micah's relationships with the aerialist, Aenea and the white clown, Drystan and how Micah's feelings for both a female and male character progress throughout both of these novels.

The author, Laura Lam, is planning on released some self-published novellas/short stories based in the fantasy world of Ellada over the summer and I for one am very much looking forward to reading them! 

Far From You by Tess Sharpe


I recently re-posted my review of Far From You and I am definitely not yet finished absolutely raving about this beautiful book.  I love it so wholly and completely.  Not just because of the strength of feelings between the two (female) characters, or because the main character identifies as bisexual but also that this story is written in such a way that all of the strong and complicated feelings of guilt and grief are so apparent that it was hard not to be pulled into this story and to feel all of these emotions as the reader. 

I love that this book is about addiction as well. I thought that aspect of the story was really well done.  It's really amazing that this book is the author's debut as well and I'm hugely excited to read more by Tess Sharpe.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

I really loved this story. It's a story about love and friendship as well as grieving and finding a place to belong.  It contains a crazy road trip and I loved the fiery relationship between Cass and her arch-nemesis, Heather, but also the exploration of Cass's feelings for her dead best friend, Julia.

I love how much ground this book covers, from being okay with yourself and moving on from events in the past, looking forward to the future and the celebration of both friendship and love.  I've not seen that many reviews of this book around but would definitely for it to reach more readers!

Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters


Keeping You A Secret is a book that I read only a few weeks before the start of #LGBTApril but I really loved it.  I felt very emotional when it came to reading Holland's story.  She is a person who has it all, great grades, popularity, a good boyfriend. Until Holland falls for a new girl at school and her world quickly crumbles. I think that Holland's relationship with her mother is the most heart-breaking aspect of the story but I also loved witnessing the unexpected support that Holland receives from the other people in her life.


And special mention goes to the awesome character that is Tiny Cooper in Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. 

What are some of your favourite YA novels with LGBT characters?

REVIEW: Ask the Passengers by A. S. King

After reading Please Ignore Vera Dietz and now Ask the Passengers, A. S. King is quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors.  What I loved so much about this book is how philosophical it became. I loved Astrid's thoughts on love and equality and respect especially and how she connected different events with her family, her friends and her schoolmates at school together to form really interesting conclusions about these different things.  I thought it was a really interesting book and it was definitely a book that made me sit up and really think about things. 

Ask the Passengers is a story about Astrid, a teenage girl living in a small town. At the start of the story, it's pretty apparent that Astrid's family isn't one that is very conducive to opening up about Astrid's thoughts and feelings, especially about her feelings for Dee, a female co-worker at Astrid's weekend job.  Astrid's mother is a bit overbearing and her dad is very laid-back and uninterested and Astrid pretty much dismisses her younger sister. And instead of confiding in them or with her best friend, Astrid spends the majority of her time in the background staring up at the sky and sending love to the planes that pass by overhead because she feels her love is going to waste in her own life.  

Like I said, I really enjoyed this story.  I found the whole situation with Astrid and her family to be really interesting to witness as throughout the story Astrid begins to question her place in the family and to question the conditions of her family's love towards her and to also demand more respect.  Their family dynamic was one of my favourite parts of the book and I was really glad to see that there was more love and support from them than Astrid had known of or believed.

I was less certain of Astrid' friendships.  Her best friend, Kristina, was all kinds of pushy and demanding and I wasn't sold on the strength of Astrid and Kristina's friendship at all. Kristina is gay but still in the closet and drags Astrid to a local gay bar regularly but seems to bail on Astrid when things get tough.  While Astrid is still pondering the definition of being gay and trying to process what it means to have feelings for another girl, the people in Astrid's life seem to have so many demands on her. To have definitive answers, to be out, to tell her parents, to tell the world, to go further in their relationship than she's ready to go.  It's all a little bit much for Astrid and I really felt for her throughout. 

This is a very thinky book, with a lot of philosophical questions thrown in and even the embodiment of Socrates himself towards the second half of the book.  Sprinkled throughout Astrid's narration are excerpts from the passengers in the planes that Astrid is sending love and questions to.  I get what the author was trying to do with these passages - highlight the fact that what we send out to the universe has an effect on other people - but about halfway through the book I started skimming the passengers stories as I felt like it was taking away from Astrid's story and her perspective.

Overall though, I really enjoyed Ask the Passengers and I found it really interesting to read Astrid's story and see how she faces the different relationship problems that she has in her life from her parents, her sister, her best friend, her girlfriend and from other people in her life. I love how many different versions of love that Astrid comes across and how she deals with each of them. I really liked this one and can definitely recommend it.

REVIEW: Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Oooh, I really enjoyed Adaptation by Malinda Lo.  I've been reading quite a few books about teenagers exploring their sexuality a lot this month and it was nice to also read about that in this book where the focus is less on 'gay issues' and more about the science fiction elements and the government conspiracies but also include some questioning of sexuality  as well.  While it is always interesting (and important) to read books about coming-out I think books like Adaptation are important too.  Because while Reese does question her attraction to both a male and female character and while it is important to the story, that also isn't the direction of the main storyline. 

Adaptation, right from the first page, left me feeling really disturbed and uneasy about this world that the main character, Reese, is in and what she goes through.  At the beginning or the story, Reese and her debate partner, David, are in Arizona having just competed in a debate tournament. They're at the airport when they see on the news that birds have simultaneously brought down airplanes across the United States and in Canada and Mexico. Reese and David and their debate coach decide to rent a car and try to drive back to San Francisco themselves and I found it really disturbing to witness the birds in this whole situation. Who knew birds could be so creepy? On their way home, David and Reese experience some really horrific things and find themselves in a car accident in the middle of the desert. When they wake up, it's a month later and they are being treated in this secure, private government medical facility.  Reese and David are sent home with lots of questions and no real memories of the past month.  And strange things start occurring back at home that bring up yet more questions...

I really enjoyed Reese as a main character.  I really connected to her as a character, I thought her crush on David and the embarrassment of what happened between them in Arizona was something that come across really strongly right from the start. Through her, we can really feel how much the world has changed with all of these bird problems. And while she obviously feels uneasy about it all, Reese also doesn't let that stop her from pursuing answers. I loved her partnership with her best friend, Julian, and how Reese ends up being pulled into his conspiracy theories with his connections to those with more knowledge and equipment and everything. Plus, Julian and Reese together are both super geeky and I love super geeky. 

And then there's Reese and her feelings for both David and Amber.  I really loved how very different David and Amber are in their personalities but also how different Reese's feelings for both of them are as well.  With David, it's more of a slow burn as they've known each other for years and Reese admits to it being more scary to be involved with someone with such a history together. And with Amber it's more of an immediate explosion with Amber sort of barging through the walls that Reese has put up around herself. I feel like the back and forth between David and Amber will be something that continues in the sequel and I really look forward to seeing if my opinion on both David and Amber will change. 

Overall, I thought Adaptation was a really exciting and tense read. I loved all of the characters and relationships together. I thought the story line involving the government and the different changes in David and Reese after they're home were really interesting and I thought the developments in Reese's romantic relationship went in very satisfactory directions. I am really excited to read more in this series!  Bring on September and the UK publication of the sequel, Inheritance!

Bisexual characters #LGBTApril

I don't watch a lot of television. I've started watching several television programmes over the last few years but I've come to realise that I prefer to immerse myself in stories where I control what everything looks like in my own head.  So there are few programmes that I stick with.

One of those programmes lately has been Revenge (although I'm nearly at the end of my tether with it!) about a girl seeking revenge on a powerful family in the Hamptons.  One of my favourite things about this show? Is the main character's best friend, Nolan Ross. 

Nolan Ross is very loyal to the main character. I love his wit and humour. I love that he's handy with technology and is able to help out with his quick-thinking.  I also love his outlandish fashion sense. There's a real vulnerability about him though. You can tell throughout the entire span of this programme that he wants to feel included. As Emily's friend and as her family. And I can relate to that need to belong. 

But the thing I like the most is that throughout however many seasons it's been, Nolan has had significant relationships with both men and women on the show. I don't often come across openly bisexual characters either in television, film and definitely not many in the fiction that I read. 

And this is definitely something that I would like to see more of in YA. I don't admit to knowing that much about things like biphobia (which is a term I've only just discovered when searching for YA books involving bisexual characters) and I don't feel like I am a very knowledgeable person when it comes to issues concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people or how the representation of these people appear in fiction in different, sometimes harmful, ways.  But I would definitely love to see more sexual diversity within YA including more bisexual characters.  I was also recently talking with an author on Twitter about how we need more bisexual characters on TV/film as well.

Some YA fiction that I've read recently that I would recommend that contain bisexual characters include Adaptation by Malinda Lo, Empress of the World by Sara Ryan, Far From You by Tess Sharpe, Pantomime by Laura Lam (does this count?) and Pink by Lili Wilkinson.

REVIEW: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

This review was originally posted in October of 2013 but is being republished today for #LGBTApril which I've been taking part in this month! Far From You by Tess Sharpe was recently published. Get your hands on a copy now!

Far From You by Tess Sharpe was combination of absolutely everything that I love about YA. The story felt real and emotional. The characters were wonderfully created and relateable. The relationships between the characters was messy and complicated which made it heartbreaking to read. There was a diversity of characters which I always enjoy reading about, an interesting look at a difficult subject and a thrilling mystery that had me at the edge of my seat.

I really shouldn't have tead Far From You when I did. I was studying for an important exam and this book isn't being published until April of next year. I didn't even fully know what it was about due to the vagueness of the product description (which I do have issues with, more on this later!) But on a whim, I clicked on this one to read on my Kindle and I just couldn't put it down once I'd started. I don't always love stories that are told for differing timelines and Far From You is told from THREE. But everything fit together really well with no confusion and I came to really enjoy the emotional impact that came with telling Mina and Sophie's story split over three sections.

Sophie Winters has nearly died twice. The first was when she was 14 and she was involved in a car accident involving her best friend, Mina, and Mina's brother, Trev. That accident affected Sophie in many ways but two major consequences of that accident include... a limp that she'll have forever and an addiction to painkillers that will take years to kick.  Then, at 17, Sophie nearly dies again. This time she's attacked in the woods alongside Mina ... who does not survive that attack. The third section of this story relates to several months after the death of Mina in which Sophie is finally released from a forced stint in rehab. Nobody - Trev, Sophie's parents, the police - believes Sophie's version of events or the fact that Sophie did not relapse. So on top of battling an addiction that will stay with her forever, grieving for the loss of her best friend, and without the support of friends or family Sophie is on a mission to track down Mina's killer and finally put to rest what happened that night. This mystery while a very large portion of the story is very interesting and twisty turny but at the same time, for me anyway, take a backseat to the main thing in the story - Sophie and Mina's friendship.

Honestly, I went through so many feelings during the course of this book.  Sophie and Mina's relationship is so beautiful and complicated and messy. And Sophie's grief over her death is so palpable. I felt her grief on every single page of Far From You. I also felt her anger at how little belief that her parents or anybody place in her. While it is understandable to have a shattered sense of belief in Sophie after she lied for several years about her oxy addiction it is also quite horrible how badly treated she is from the people who she expected to love and support her. I loved that this is a story about the consequences of addiction. The lying and concealment of it, the battle to fight it, and the destruction that it has caused in Sophie's life and in her relationships.

And as Sophie recalls memories of her friendship with Mina, I experienced them too. I felt like I was part of this story, I felt like a member of this little trio between Sophie and Mina and Trev. I felt the heartrending betrayal and the grief and especially the different types of love. It was all in there. My only gripe with this story is that the product description is ambiguous about the secrets that Mina and Sophie share. I won't spoil it for you, but I don't believe this type of story needs to be misleading about what it is.

Far From You is a beautiful and emotional story about friendship and love. It's a story about honesty and addiction and the aftermath and grief of traumatic experiences. I'm so glad that I picked it up to read and I couldn't recommend it any more than I do. I will be looking out for more by Tess Sharpe.

REVIEW: A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

I was super excited to read another book by Cat Clarke. I've loved all of her previous books and I love how emotional everything she's written has been.  I especially loved the idea of this book.... the idea of a large secret that comes between two people starting out in a new relationship. 

 I don't fully understand why the official product summary is vague about this secret that threatens this relationship between Alex and Kate, especially as the secret is revealed (to the reader) fairly quickly.  I wish that books such as this would be a little bit more open about the topics that it covers as I now feel like revealing the secret in this review will spoil something for others in their own reading experience.   So I will have to keep the rest of this review slightly vague.

I think the thing that I loved about this book is that it is a book that showcases the strength and beauty of love. I absolutely adored both main characters in this book, but especially Alex.  Alex carries around this huge amount of guilt and for that I really came to care more for Alex than I ever expected despite the lies and deception that takes place.  Alex is a person who believes that this relationship with Kate is an opportunity for happiness and love that could potentially be missed out for good if this secret is revealed.  So things carry on with Kate far longer than they should and while Alex and Kate slowly fall in love with each other, their happiness is tinged with this awful foreboding for what will happen when all parties learn the truth.  I felt really bad for both Alex and Kate.  My heart absolutely broke for them both and while I hoped for a happy ending, it really didn't seem at all possible.

A Kiss in the Dark is told in two parts, before and after, and we are able to see this relationship from both Alex and Kate's perspective which I think was really interesting, especially as in both parts each of these characters is dealing with some pressure and guilt for their own actions.  I think it was definitely important to see things from both points of view in order to get a clear picture of everything that has happened though I did find it a little harder to connect with Kate's narration. 

The other thing that I really loved about this book is the support from Alex's mother and brother.  I really love both of these characters and the ways in which Alex's mother and Jamie go out of their way to voice their love and acceptance of Alex both in subtle ways as well as in more explicit terms. 

A Kiss in the Dark was a really interesting book to read.  I loved the way in which perceptions of gender and sexuality are challenged and explored.  I found it interesting to see both main characters dealing with an awkward situation and carrying it on longer than necessary even when it becomes apparent how hurtful the consequences are because of how difficult it becomes to tell the truth.  But more than anything else, I thought Alex and Kate's love was a really beautiful thing to witness and I'm so glad that I took this journey with them.

Well done, Cat Clarke, for writing such a beautiful, emotional, and heart-wrenching story! Highly recommended.

REVIEW: Gold Rush by Jordan Lynde

Gold Rush by Jordan Lynde is an ebook that is being published this month by Random House. I find it really interesting that books such as this, which was originally published on Wattpad by the teenage author, are attracting the attention of mainstream publishers.  I can't say that I loved Gold Rush, but I did enjoy parts of it, especially the diversity of sexualities within the book. 

Gold Rush is the story of a girl, Iris, who is charged with showing around new classmates, Noah, Luke and Rian at the private school they all attend.  Iris is class president and really focused on her studies and doesn't need any distraction. And she also seems to be the only person in her school who doesn't lose her head and sensibilities around the new boys ... as they are the members of hot new boy band, Gold.

While I did feel like there needed to be more character development and something else to the story besides Iris and her friends' interactions with the members of Gold, it was still a fun book to read and I read it in a very short period of time.  A lot of the story revolves around Iris and her two best friends and how they become friends and love interests to the three Gold band members. We do see a little bit of the fan-frenzy that Gold face on a daily basis and we do see a little bit of them trying to be normal teenagers doing normal things. I thought it was great that the tables are turned slightly in the second half of the book where it's Gold who become a little starstruck by another band.  Overall though, it was a little bit too cheesy and slightly immature for me.  It's a bit too much 'OMG, you want to buy me a donut?' in parts and there's very little conflict.

What I did enjoy about the book the most though is the fact that there is a character who identifies as bisexual. He's open about it and accepted by his peers and because of the reactions this character has had about his sexuality, it pushes another character to come forward and tell people that he is gay.  I don't come across enough bisexual characters in YA, so this story line really kept me reading despite my problems with the rest of the story.