

This was fine. Good read. I'd rate four stars because I enjoyed it, though the humour did get tiring in places. But I added an extra star to negate the homophobic Karen with the algorithmically promoted Goodreads review I had the immense displeasure of reading just now. Cheers, love.
This was fine. Good read. I'd rate four stars because I enjoyed it, though the humour did get tiring in places. But I added an extra star to negate the homophobic Karen with the algorithmically promoted Goodreads review I had the immense displeasure of reading just now. Cheers, love.

“Queer people don't grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we've created to protect us.”
This one was a bit real at the start. Growing up gay in the Queensland public school system was fine enough, but it was a time of incredible shame and confusion and it was uncomfortable reading those early chapters. The rest of the book deals in drugs, drag and stardom, but eventually comes to a heartwarming conclusion about gender identity and self. It was sweet, and I learned a couple of things.
“Queer people don't grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we've created to protect us.”
This one was a bit real at the start. Growing up gay in the Queensland public school system was fine enough, but it was a time of incredible shame and confusion and it was uncomfortable reading those early chapters. The rest of the book deals in drugs, drag and stardom, but eventually comes to a heartwarming conclusion about gender identity and self. It was sweet, and I learned a couple of things.

A compelling enough murder mystery, and a fun romp through an interesting world. But the way this was anchored around a young Elizabeth I—a 13 year old—narrating some fairly lewd sexcapades felt super contrived and a more than a bit tasteless.
A compelling enough murder mystery, and a fun romp through an interesting world. But the way this was anchored around a young Elizabeth I—a 13 year old—narrating some fairly lewd sexcapades felt super contrived and a more than a bit tasteless.