Coming-Out-Series (P3): An LGBT+ Review (AUTOBOYOGRAPHY) Internalised Homophobia, Self Acceptance, Love and Religion All In One.

I am dying of emotions, but 1) that’s nothing new, 2) it’s worth it.

13/10 recommend the experience.

May recommended this read to me, and it did not disappoint! I think that I’ll be rereading this until I die* because it was too good to let go of. (Hence why I read it, and then reread it)

I just. This book was amazing, and it will honestly be one of my TOP reafs for the rest of time. It’s so powerful, it’s a hard read, but MY MY MY**, that only makes it better.

I READ IT IN A DAY. I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN. THIS WAS BRILLIANT. GO READ IT. <- THAT WASN’T A SUGGESTION 😉

*ie when I think of this book again… **yes. that is a Troye Sivan reference. EMBRACE IT.

-LGBTQ!!!!!!!!!!!

– great plot/premise -> BOTH WRITERS AND JGSJG

– I can’t even with how cute this is while also dealing with a lot of heavy topics.

– IT’S HARD TO MAKE ME CRY, BUT THIS BOOK SUCCEEDED.

– This was so hard to read at times

– Internalised homophobia and links with religions/beliefs.

– All the characters were so well developed!! Even side characters!! WHICH WE HARDLY SEE SO THIS WAS AMAZING.

– Tanner’s parents were SO developed and supportive of their son and that was great.

– Basically, a heartbreaking book that made me cry an awful lot.

– this was beautiful

– I totally don’t have a twitter thread dedicated to quotes… DEFINITELY NOT.

– Not everyone was great all the time but Tanner had character development and SEBASTIAN. SO. MUCH. DEVELOPMENT. I feel like a proud mother, okay? I just. Sebastian is everything. He’s such a cutie.

– everyone read this book.

 jUST. precious.

Tanner’s voice was AMAZING and strong and comedic and POWERFUL. And the book… was the book he was writing for class?? IM PRETTY SURE?????????????? Tanner is all feel-first-think-later and I LOVE that about him. He’s impulsive, but a cute ‘ol cinnamon roll and DID I MENTION FUNNY?

Sebastian was polite and thoughtful and basically perfect BUT 100% did not stand up for his own emotions. HES THE SWEETEST.

THEY’RE CUTE AND SO SMITTEN WITH EACH OTHER AND YES I JUST USED THE WORD SMITTEN DON’T JUDGE

Sebastian struggled with INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA

It b r o k e me when he told Tanner that he wasn’t gay “I’m not… that.” because of what his religion believes about homosexuality. He “wouldn’t choose that” and it discussed in the book how some Mormons believe that it is ok to have homosexual thoughts, but not to act upon them and, personally I think that it’s messed up to believe that, but at the same time, cannot undo hundreds+ years of teachings. SUCH A GREAT JOURNEY ABOUT love and religion and self-acceptance and just being whoever the frick you are AND I SHIP THAT.

great rep!!

Tanner, MC, is bi. And Sebastian asks why he wouldn’t just be with a girl is he could, and he replied with something like “it’s not about the parts, it’s about the person” and I think that LGBTQ rep was great b/c when Tann spoke to Autumn, she said, “this feels like a big deal,” and he responded with,“it is a big deal, I’m explaining how my heart beats,” or something like that and I READ THAT AND DIED because it’s such a beautiful way to explain it!!

nO, My HeARt DidN’T JusT SHatTer.

And also: internalised homophobia. SO many people go through it, and it was great to see it represented. Even THOUGH IT’S SO HEARTBREAKING IT NEEDS TO BE SPOKEN ABOUT.

AHHHHHH THE RELIGION ASPECT. A;[31aJ\Ro3rj

So, you’ve got Tanner’s fam, who all wave the LGBTQ flag and support 1000%.

– Then you have Sebastian’s family who cannot even say the word “gay”.

– What I didn’t like however about Tanner’s family, is that they really encouraged him not to tell anyone that he was bi, because of where they lived (it’s pretty darn conservative and sure, they think that it’s “protecting” their son).

– I think that that really got to Tanner and worsened his own view on things, and I personally think that they should have asked Tanner what HE would have preferred, considering it’s HIS sexuality, and he shouldn’t have had to have hidden it if he didn’t want to.

IDK OKAY IT’S HARD TO PHRASE.

There was so much family and LOVE in this book.

Sebastian = A SUNBEAM, HONESTLY.

He’s so fu*king pure.

But Sebastian’s family? Nooooo, thank you.

They’re VERY devout Mormons. And what I loved was that there was so much talk about Mormons, and it was actually really interesting and learning about some of their beliefs was really great!! BUT. Personally, I have 0% tolerance for religions that think that being queer is a sin, and who believe it should be hidden, or “made to go away”.

I think that it’s discussed well, and respectfully, and it didn’t try to demonise the church. And it still showed how they loved their son, and his family were shown as very caring people.

When there was a reference to a Mormon who had gone on to marry his boyfriend, the first response from Sebastian’s mother was “how are his parents?. And it was SO SAD. And I just,,, he’s their son, they should love whether their child is LGBTQ or not. 

It’s hard and brutal to read at times and it was so so so sad. It’s so emotional, and does NOT agree with the church, but it does NOT paint the Mormon community as bad people, but it does disagree with their opinion on LGBTQ matters and discusses how of course God loves LGBTQ people because he made them and Sebastian himself had to deal with this because INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA and how he didn’t feel that it was wrong and that God still loved him and that was RGNKRNG. MY HEART.

Tanner’s family is wonderful.I don’t agree with ALL they did, I disagreed with some of their attitudes as they were kind of anti- the relationship, but I think that it was all really hard to navigate, and I think that it was really clear that they wanted the best for their son. LIKE HIS MUM LEAVES AROUND PAMPHLETS ABOUT BEING A QUEER TEEN/YOUNG ADULT AND HOW IT’S OK. THAT’S PRECIOUS. And his mum is so wonderful to Sebastian when he’s like,, CRYING AND HIS LIFE IS FALLING APART. But it’s chill… oml it’s SO not chill guys. I’m dying. 

OTHER:

• Has a girl/boy friendship that is complicated…. but good!!
• I think that there was this part that kinda made it eh… BUT THEY BOUNCED BACK.
• And that was great!!
• And I think that Autumn, his BFF, was a really well-developed character and that despite having a few faults, people are never perfect, and on the whole, she was supportive of Tanner and that was great.
• I read this in a day???
• I know. This hardly happens.
• Okay, I feel so guilty b/c… exams. BUT. I hardly even noticed that I was reading it so fast. I was thinking “oh I’ll read the first 50 pages,” AND NOPE. By the time I knew it, I was finishing it and my face was covered in tears and I think I broke my tear-making-whatever and MY EYES ARE STILL PUFFY.
• This book is full of love, self-acceptance and smol feelings that make me unable to compute.

  boys kissing and biscuit crumbs, and a whole lot of writing and stargazing that thoroughly succeeded in SHATTERING mY HEARt.

Summary: go read it and then come back and flail with me

Have you read this book? Ok if you answered no, go read it now then and come back and flail with me. What are some of your favourite LGBTQ books? Authors? What are some of your favourite reads recently?  REC ME BOOKS. GO READ THIS ONE. PLEASE. MY HEARRRTTTTT.