I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing the small world in this little town through different POVs and I appreciated knowing how things turned out in the end. There were storylines I would've loved a deeper dive into, but at the end of the day, I wanted to keep returning to this book and read it in two days so that's a win for me.

Under the Rainbow is a fun, heartwarming read despite covering some heavy subject matter. The novel is composed of stories, each following a different character in the fictional town of Big Burr, Kansas, the most homophobic town in the U.S, where a task force of social activists arrives to change the town’s beliefs. Upon reading the first story, I couldn’t put it down. Laskey’s direct writing style makes the pages fly, and I looked forward to getting in the head of a new character with each story. This reads more like a short story collection than a novel, so I wish the plot was a bit stronger to pull everything together, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book. I highly recommend it if you enjoyed Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

This is like the fourth book I've read this year only to realize after finishing it that the author is in New Mexico. I'm inclined to take it as some sort of sign, though of what I'm not yet sure. Happy there are so many queer NM authors though.
Okay - the book. The first page read like a YA novel to me, and I had to go back to the description to see if it actually was, which it is not. Mostly because most of the characters are adults. But in tone it reads that way. That made it a quick and easy read for me, and certainly will make it a more accessible title for many people.
This book didn't compel me to think deeply or critically at much of anything, and the happily ever after aspect to many of the stories struck me as convenient (I'm learning I may not be a fan of the Happily Ever Afters), but it was a fun light read with some compelling characters and a format I've not had much experience with. In a word: enjoyable.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley.

A LGBTQ social activist group moves into the most homophobic town in America, Big Burr, Kansas. As they meet and work with local people to show there’s nothing to fear from homosexual people, slow progress is made. Each chapter is told by a different person’s point of view. Although we don’t know exactly what happens to each, the last chapter told 10 years after the story, shows how things have changed for the better and that the town has become more accepting of people who don’t share the same life styles. It is political and feminist. Laskey is an author who is observant and able to give depth to a wide range of citizens in Big Burr and her debut novel is worth reading.

When Big Burr, Kansas is named the most homophobic place in America, a group of activists moves in to try to make a difference. The novel starts from the perspective of one of their children, and moves from there to others in the town and in the group. Laskey captures the pressures of small town life and the destructive nature of homophobia, but also the beauty of embracing your true self or learning to accept your neighbor. My only slight quibble was as a reader, connecting with a narrator and then losing the internal perspective of their story. I still feel concerned for Avery and Zach, and want to know what happened with that billboard lady! There is also a touch of wishful thinking but wouldn't you?

This is a wonderful charming read. It takes the ordinary, translates it , and gives you hope that the extraordinary will happen. The good news is that everyday lives are changed as a group of LGBTQ volunteers move to the most homophobic town in America for two years in order to foster tolerance and queer awareness. The results are in some cases predictable but for others life changing. There is a warmth to each episode and an underlying resistance to the conformity that has been the lives of the good citizens of Burr. It is the subtle change of heart in most cases and the resolve to let the change continue that has you smiling in the end.

This book quickly captured my interest and I really enjoyed that each chapter was from a different perspective. The characters are complex and intersect in surprising and interesting ways. I found it a little frustrating to only get bits and pieces of each story, but I really enjoyed this book overall.

Solid. Timely. Dry. If you're a fan of character driven books, this one is for you. The variety in narrators shouldn't be a deterrent - in fact it was the strength of the novel. Really great.

Character driven novels can be tricky, but Laskey has given us one of the most captivating novels for 2020. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different town member and each voice is unique and compelling. Additionally, Laskey does a masterful job of connecting each narrator's experiences making it impossible to forget any of the characters. Certainly a must-have for library collections and an excellent choice for book clubs and/or discussion.

Anyone who's from a small town can relate to the outdated attitudes of the people who live in Burr, Kentucky. Fortunately for them and for us, there are always a few kind, understanding souls who teach us what it means to be human. This is a great read for anyone who thinks that everyone is accepting and tolerant in 2019 and that bigotry and prejudice are a thing of the past. Celia Laskey does a great job of opening their eyes with the pictures she paints in the details in Under the Rainbow.

A review of Celia Laskey's Under the Rainbow

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of Under the Rainbow that I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really liked this book and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, it had an interesting plot that really drove the story. Yes, the characters were well-written and felt very authentic. But there is a lor more to it than that. The style, that of a composite novel told in non-repeating shifting perspectives (which I was really resistant to at first) actually showed the evolution of the town and the way all the interactions did eventually feed off each other. It really served to make Big Burr the main character, as it should be.

This book reminds me a lot of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, and not just because of the composite novel form. Also, in many ways its almost like an update of the plot: a quiet, idyllic small town where one would suspect innocence is really harboring darkness beneath the surface. Not too earth shaking when I describe it like that, but mixed in with the idea that this small town (Bigg Burr Kansas), "the most homophobic town in the country" is--and I am struggling to find the right word because everything that captures how the residents would feel, like invaded by, feel problematic to be as a staunch LGBT supporter--visited by a task force of LGBTQ advocated who have agreed to spend two years trying to bring around the bigoted community, it is really a pretty complex and engaging novel with a lot of really interesting moments.