JC

I love returning to the Vancouver Agitators Universe. Each book is packed with humor but always manages to be emotional and grounded. And this book was no different.

Why this book got 5 stars:

• I loved the found family trope with the boys, and how their girlfriends had a bit more of a role in this story. 
• The setup was perfect. It jumps around a bit in the timeline but it makes for a very satisfying ending.
• The narration was amazing as most full cast narrations are.
• The book's main tropes aren't usually one that I gravitate towards but this book just nailed them! 

I loved the diversity in this book. It included a lot of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. It felt very relatable and not at all forced.

Most of the stories were very well written. It was very easy to connect to the characters and root for them even in such a short amount of pages. Each told with just the right amount of whimsy, made the whole book a fun and enjoyable read. That being said I did have to DNF 3 of the 12 stories for one reason or another. 

So while it's not a perfect book for me, it is definitely one that I recommend! Especially since it introduced me to so many cool authors whose backlist I now want to read.

After being burned by several books with this much representation, I found this book refreshing and satisfying in its realistic portrayal of queer, neurodivergent, POC, and poly characters. There wasn't a reliance on stereotypes or stale tropes. And it made this book wonderfully understanding and sensitive in its handling of minority identities. Additionally, the main characters were all treated as individuals rather than a tool to assist Lane through her character arc. All in all, very well done. 

I also liked the crew announcements. I thought it was well implemented, especially as a world building aspect. They made understanding the set up of how everyone's new life worked easy. In regards to the world building in general, the building's layout and individual rooms were easy to visualize.

With that being said, the pacing of this book did not work for me. The beginning was good. I was engaged at page one. The ending was great, with plot twists that were surprising and held me on the edge of my seat. But the in between was all over the place in terms of pacing. Some parts seemed rushed, especially as we approached the ending. Some seemed too slow, as the book seemed to favor the world building and character development with a bit too much of a heavy hand at times.

Final Thoughts: A great new voice in the hope punk speculative fiction genre wrapped into a book with good representation, surprising twists, and an interesting world worth diving into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mythic Roads Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this book!!

I must admit, when I picked this book up, I was not expecting such a good representation of BDSM. And for that, I apologize to the author for doubting them. In all honestly, this book was phenomenal.

I know this book has a disclaimer saying it is not educational material, but I feel like this book was really good rep. It was a great way to see all of the lingo and safety in action/scene. Phenomenal, enough said.

However, the names were a little cliche and created almost a preconceived caricature. The female MC was very unlikable. But, you don't need to like a character for the book to be good. And this book was good.I'd definitely still recommend it, a great read overall.

An okay read that made me laugh, until I realized the fmc is barely legal. That being said the mmc's age was never mentioned, but I got the sense that he was a bit older. Made me a little uncomfortable. Other than that a fun, easy read.