I learned a lot about resilience while reading this book. This was definitely a story that needed to be told.

A year in Crystals life she’s a drag queen an outsize wild personality.Shes sassy fun keeps nothing to herself a raw reveal all memoir.Buckle up for a story you will not forget lots of laughs lots of honesty.#netgalley#fs&g

Speaking as someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, there were aspects of this book I really enjoyed and was able to relate to and I think that's really important. The themes of identity, coming out, finding yourself and coming to find a family of people like you that can absolutely relate to your journey were really strong for me and those were the parts I loved reading the most. There was a section about their dad and nail polish that actually really got to me. I think for me, and it seems a few others, there were just sections that fell a little short, aka the many sex stories. While I understand the full circle-ness of it all and that they are likely there for shock value and appreciate the vulnerability that goes into a piece of work like this, I personally don't think there needed to be quite as many. Overall I did enjoy my time with this book and if you're looking for something that handles some of the themes I mentioned well, then I would recommend picking this book up.

I really wanted to love this book. I love memoirs, and I really enjoy drag queens. I thought, "Wow! This book is right up my alley." But, in the end, it wasn't. There was a lot of gratuitous sex, which I didn't really enjoy reading about, but I appreciate that Rasmussen felt comfortable enough to share these details. I think that my reaction was a "I went in expecting something different" problem. I wanted funny, and I did chuckle in places, and I wanted somewhat crude, but I think that this book errs on the disgusting and fails to truly transcend into something great.

Such an enjoyable book. I laughed. I learned and I was totally entertained. Step out of your comfort zone and explore a book outside your viewpoint. It might surprise you how much you'll enjoy this sassy book. Happy reading!

This was a very different book. I originally fell for the written in diary form of this. Give me a book written in diary form and I’m all over it. Being about a person is drag is my second favorite trope. Should have ben a win win.

It was just okay. I liked the part about coming out and having a supportive family but the gratuitous sex and cheating just didn’t do anything for me. I’m definitely not a prude, it just felt way over the top. It ended up being just okay.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. I gave this 3 /5.



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Well, um…I can safely say that this is the first book I didn’t finish in the span of probably a couple years. And I somehow choked down Juno Roche’s book. I wanted to like this. I did. I was so intrigued and interested in learning about drag queens, what that persona and lifestyle and night life entailed, because really, I don’t know as much as I’d like to about it, and I think that there’s definitely power in knowledge. Besides, it’s a known fact that empathy and sympathy grows the more you read about perspectives that aren’t your own. But.

But.

I read the first 10% (as an ebook, hence the percentage), and I really don’t know how I did it. No matter what page I was reading, there were mentions of cum. Sperm. Semen. BDSM. Nudes. And strange interjects from who I can only assume was Crystal, who seemed to have a (made up) life filled with drama and flair. Look, I don’t think I’m a prude. But dear god am I SO tired of seeing this fetishizing of women’s bodies, reading about sloppy, slobbery, semen-crusted walks of shame, imagining egregious amounts of make-up and money not-well-spent on shitty, mindless things that are supposed to make us feel better because we’ve rewarded ourselves with something ‘new’ or through their purpose of somehow aiding us ‘self care’ in the midst of capitalism.

What I understand is that drag can be uplifting, an expression of gender and pushing and pulling against stereotypes. And, at its most accepted, it’s fun! Yet this was just…self-aggrandizing, borderline egotistical, and Crystal felt like a mockery of women at best.

However fun it was for Tom and Crystal, it was equally gross for me. DNF.

For me, this book was pretty good. I liked the exploration of identity and society, along with the personal stories. It was interesting and I found myself getting sucked into Crystal's story fairly quickly. I hope to read more by this author in the future. We have ordered a copy for our library.

A year in the life of Crystal, a drag queen extraordinaire. Full of frank discussion about sex, prejudice, social commentary, LGBTQ rights, this is an open and honest look at someone's life.

This is not for the faint-hearted.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It doesn't seem fair to judge someone else's memoir. They are opening up their life (for whatever reason or purpose) for the full view of others. That takes courage.

Diary of a Drag Queen is a courageous book. Crystal and Tom Rasmussen tell their story with openness, honesty, humor, pain, lewdness and an in-your-face frankness. If you're a prude, you will be offended and this is not the book for you. If you're not, you'll find yourself laughing and enjoying their story. For awhile. Somewhere along, the book seemed to become one-note, and like any note hit again and again and again and again, it becomes tiresome.

This is strictly my opinion, all people and readers view things from a different perspective. I can only speak my own truth.

My thanks to NetGalley and FSG Originals for allowing me to read a copy of Diary of A Drag Queen in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Love the cover! Quite a bit of sex, which took away from my enjoyment of the book. Had me laughing a few times and was a good glimpse into the life of Rasmussen.

A frank examination of identity, pride, and sex politics though an intimate first person perspective. Crystal's voice is so clear in this book, and makes the story very personal and easy to connect to.

This one was just ok for me. I feel like I’ve read too similar stories in the past for this to be a higher rated book for me.