Review to come in August.

I received this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

OMG, I was just squeeing in delight when I saw this graphic novel pop up on Netgalley. Not long before I spotted it I was fangirling over a tweet about it by the artist who I follow on Twitter. I was already planning on reading this book so I am extra delighted that I can read it so soon. Not having to wait until September. Though now I have another problem... I need more of this. This was just the cutest, adorablest (if that is a word), sweetest, and most fun graphic novel in a long time.

Meet Grace, a trans runaway who loves dresses and hopes to become an actress. She was just so sweet and I loved her from the start. I felt for her, that she saw no other option than to run away from her family. It was that or enlisting and no one wants that (well, OK, some people may want it). She wants to be her own person, she wants to be herself. I feel there may be trouble brewing for her given the time period, but for most of this book it seems that most people are either accepting (the tailor whom I am sure knows that Grace is not a girl biologically) or Grace is amazing at being a girl, she has the talk she has the walk and she got a gorgeous dress.

Flor? I loved her as well, maybe not as fast as Grace, but quite soon I could see she was a sweet, adventurous girl who happens to be an outlaw. :P Yep, Flor robs people and steal stuff. With the help of a hawk she is known as the Ghost Hawk. Whereas Grace is quite feminine, Flor is more tough and tomboyish. I do love myself a well-written tomboyish character, and Flor is all that and more. I also love how accepting she was of Grace. Many people wouldn't have been so accepting, but Flor. Flor is totally fine with the way Grace is.

I loved the sparks that flew between Grace and Flor and I was shipping them as crazy. They just had something, sparks and chemistry that made me want to see them share some sweet and romantic moments.

The heist, the adventures, and oh yes the goat, it was all terrific fun. Before I knew it the book was over and I was just prodding my screen to get more story. :P

The art is fabulous, I loved the character designs, but also the backgrounds are just wonderfully done. As I expected!

All in all, this is one LGBT graphic novel I would highly recommend. Sweet moments, fabulous characters, the great Wild West, heists, and more! You won't be disappointed.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this comic!

Title: Stage Dreams
Author: Melanie Gillman
My rating: 4 stars
Rep: F/F romance. Trans MC and queer & Latinx MC.

"To our queer and trans ancestors. Far too many of your stories were lost, but we remember you." - I have to admit that I had tears in my eye after I read this dedication.


First up, the characters:
-Grace is a trans woman, a runaway with a passion for acting, her dream is to be an actress someday.
-Flor is a queer, Latinx woman and outlaw. She was hilarious and I loved her character so much!

The story begins with Flor taking Grace hostage for ransom, but this plan doesn't last long. Once they start talking and realise they want the same things, they decide to join forces and help each other.

Set in the wild west, the illustrations and colours throughout the comic are gorgeous and definitely fit the theme!

One tiny problem that I had, but it's definitely a "me not you" situation, is the fact that I know absolutely nothing about the time in history that this is set, so I was confused about a few things. This is actually the first ever western book I have ever read.

Overall, this was just such a fun, hilarious and romanic short comic. Something to immerse yourself in for an hour or two. I highly recommend to anyone who loves LGBTQ+ comics, interesting plotlines and a lovely romance.

I was provided a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a sweet little surprise. The art is so lovely throughout and the book is very short so it’s nice for a quick uplifting read.

It’s a joyous queer western (which there aren’t enough of BTW) and I just really adored it. There are so many moments in the book where things could’ve turned sour but instead went a different route and surprised me. I genuinely teared up at three different beautiful moments. I hope the author continues this story in the future because it is so pure and the characters are so enjoyable.

"To our queer and trans ancestors. Far too many of your stories were lost, but we remember you."

If that isn't a heartwarming dedication, I don't know what is.

First off, I absolutely loved the characters. I haven't read many books in a historical setting featuring queer characters, and I especially haven't seen a lot of transgender characters represented in a historical setting. The characters were both really lovable as well.

Unfortunately, the story itself, and especially the setting and the dialogues surrounding the political situation, really confused me. That's probably mainly me, because I'm not American and I just don't know have a lot of knowledge about this time period. But I still feel like the context could have been made clearer. It was very helpful to get a little more background info at the back of the novel, though!

Aside from this, this graphic novel is rather short, and to me, it felt like it was cut off rather abruptly. I loved the romance aspect of the novel, but as far as the plot goes, I don't think it was really finished or resolved or anything like that.

I did absolutely love the art work though. The characters were all so distinctive, and I loved the muted use of colours as well.

Rep: f/f romance, trans MC, brown queer MC, several black side characters

This comic is set in the Wild West and it's a fun, heisty story about a trans woman who gets kidnapped and ends up working together with her kidnapper, who is a queer Latinx woman.

The style of the comic is cute although maybe not a personal favorite, but I love the color scheme and how it fits the scenery, and the facial expressions are so good!

This first volume is divided in a few chapters and I assume it's going to be the first in a series, because the story is by no means done. There's no cliffhanger though, and it's satisfying as a standalone too, until the next one comes out.

So! Heist, Wild West, badass women falling in love while having adventures! Get on it!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy.

This was a unique and we'll-written graphic novel. I wish that it was longer!

A sweet middle grade graphic novel about Grace, a trans woman escaping Confederate conscription, and Flor, a stagecoach robber, who join forces to ... well, I don’t know what. I think their objective is to steal from some rich Confederate barons, but instead they wind up with a map for planned attacks.

I’d give this to higher elementary-lower middle grade students. It’s a gentle intro to both gender questions and, slightly less so, to Civil War history.

I like that Gillman includes notes to explain some of the context, for example, about POC in the American West, as well as a lengthy segment about trans people in history, particularly those who served in the Civil War.

This is a fast-paced, engaging book, and I think young readers will appreciate both the story and the representation. My main point of contention is that it does portray life for Grace and Flor as quite a bit easier than I’m sure, historically, it would’ve been. Still, a kid who likes this book can dive further into that topic if their interest is piqued here. It’s not (always) my job to be a joy-killer.

Stage Dreams is a little western graphic novel set in New Mexico. It’s basically the story of Flor, a Latinx outlaw that everyone knows as Ghost Hawk, and Grace, a trans runaway. The two girls crash a Confederate gala and steal an important map but the real plot of this book is the love story that blossoms between the main characters.
The illustrations are in colored pencil and even though it’s not my favorite I found them nice anyway.
I really wish there was more to read, I found the book a bit too short.

If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "Man, there really aren't enough queer AF westerns in the world, are there?" (I have!), let me tell you, Stage Dreams is everything you've been looking for. It follows the heist of a Native woman and her new captive-turned-friend, a lovely trans southern belle escaping her father's wishes that she join the Confederate army. While the story takes place during the Civil War, not much of it actually focuses on that element; primarily, we're here to watch two ladies break into a party, steal a map, and fall in love in the process. It's cute, it's heartwarming, the art is lovely, and I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a nice, short graphic novel read.

While I thought that made the plot a little thin and underdeveloped, where it really shines is the sweet romance and the depiction of pre-20th century queer community. the artwork seemed a little rough but somehow appealing anyway, with really interesting character designs and lovely pastel coloring.

I would recommend for fans of graphic novels and people seeking LGBTQIA representation in genre fiction.