Have you ever found out something about a close relative that made you view them in a whole new light? Like, it made you realize there were whole other parts of their lives that you knew nothing about? When Gayla Turner discovered wedding photos dated 1915, she finds out that her grandmother had a secret. She discovers a secret lesbian social club and uncovers the romance her grandmother had with the woman in the wedding photos.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m a huge fan of uncovering and sharing queer pasts of people, and Gayla’s grandmother was a fun person to learn about, as was her lover. Definitely recommend if you’re into biographies, nonfiction, and the history of people in the queer community.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.mystery with a twist. Fun quick read for sure.

I thought this was a well-written story that the author presented of her grandmother and her life as a queer woman in the early 1900s. I'm always a little skeptical when there is so much dialogue in stories like this where we know that there isn't a way that all of this dialogue was actually said but I think the author created a wonderful, emotional narrative of the times and how it affected the women in her family both past and present. The society that the grandmother lived in and how she was able to join a community that made her feel welcomed and understood was relatable across the decades. I think the author presented the story in a balanced manner, going back and forth between the past and the present. We really got a good sense of each person's personality and motivations for how they acted and why.

SPOILER: My only criticism was that even though I know this book was focused on the women in her family, what was revealed about the grandfather was also very interesting and I wish we could have delved more into his experience and what he was feeling, especially given how similar their circumstances ended up being. Again, I know this biography was meant to focus more on the grandmother and the other women in her life, but it felt like a missed opportunity to explore the grandfather's experience as well, either narrated from the past or reflected on from the future.

Book received for free through NetGalley

This book was so good, heartwarming, and sad. So glad I came across it. So hard to put down. Love the switch between the fictional and non-fiction

Sometimes you learn the most surprising things about family - and those things bring you closer.

Gayla, a present day, out lesbian, is going through her grandmother's treasure box of photos - of a much younger Grandma Ruby, her friends and family.

Gayla is intrigued and begins an investigation of Ruby's story.

The story evokes a by gone era and explores what it was like trying to live a fulfilling life before women's and gay rights were considered guaranteed.

Book review : Don't you Dare by Gayla Turner is an immense thrilling and a romantic story that holds to find out secrets of your old.

Grandma stories we all hear in our childhood. But what if we get to know about their secrets and unravel hidden stories that they will never tell you. This book deals with such a spicy story of the author's grandmother Ruby.

This unforgettable book begins with the discovery of these hidden wedding photos dated June 8, 1915. As these photos unveiled an awe-inspiring secret, Gayla Turner embarked on a seven-year journey to find out more about her grandmother and the woman standing next to her dressed as the groom.

Curiosity led to extensive research that uncovered a love story between Ruby and the mystery woman in the photos. The author also uncovered a secret lesbian social club that was formed in the early 1900s by a local businesswoman. Women from as far away as Chicago traveled by train to the little farm town of Amherst, Wisconsin, to attend her exclusive parties. The local town people thought Cora held private tea and card parties so single young ladies could talk about how to find a husband. Little did they know, finding a man was not a subject of their conversations.

The author has beautifully depicted all the characters and the way she brings light to all the characters is really thrilling. The book is in beginner friendly language and depicts emotions beautifully.

I loved reading this book and look forward to more of the author books. I am thankful to netgalley and the publisher for providing me this book in return of an honest review.
Happy Reading!

As someone who almost exclusively reads fiction, I wasn't sure how I would feel going into this book. However, I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of a hidden love interest 100 years in the past. Turner told the story of her grandmother and her first marriage wonderfully, and the photos included were so lovely!

So I did not know that this book was a memoir. I have to be in the mood to read memoirs. I mostly like fiction books. Nevertheless, I still thought that this was a good one. This book had LGBTQ+ themes which I really liked. I also really like the writing style of this book. Loved this one and I do think that everyone should read it.

Talk about an interesting story. How would you feel to find out someone had a completely different life that you knew nothing about? This is the journey the author went on to learn about her mother after she passed and learn who her mother really was.

This compulsively readable book provides larger historical context for the author's Grandmother's youth in 1910s Wisconsin, the violent policing of sexuality and resulting dangers faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. In reading Ruby's story, I felt youthful spirit coming through the pages, which helped to uplift the heartbreak I was also feeling throughout. I hope this important book gets the attention it deserves.

This was an interesting book and I rrally liked it. Gaya Turner writes about her grandmother named Ruth who was gay in a small town Amherst Winsconsin.

Definetly an interesting read.

📚 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 📚

Book 44/100 - 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, I think this author had a great idea. A love story (stories) told about the LGBTQ+ community. The history the author wrote about in the book was great. It was a wonderful point of view. We sometimes forget how much the older generation had to hide their true selves.

Second, I had a very hard time reading this book. It was all over the place at times and seemed to drag in others.

I really think this could have been a very amazing book. For me, it just didn't all blend together organically. I feel like the book seemed as though it was written by 2 different people.

Could someone else truly love this book, yes. It personally did not catch me.

What a very interesting book I really liked it. GAYA Turner Write about her grandmother in 1900. It was interesting how her grandmother named Ruth was gay in a small town and Amherst Wisconsin. She wouldn't go back-and-forth and time. It all started with a Box of photographs her grandmother would take around and And her mother inherited. It was interesting how gay life was like at that time. All these women were forced to conceal their identity and also get beaten up as well. Sarah and hold the parties with these other gay people. And these women can dress up like men and just feel like themselves. Her grandmother fell in love with EL LA O'Brien. And she really loved this woman but she was torn between getting married or leaving her family. ELRA They loved Ruth and was very hard for her because she was so strong all in her butt just started to marry this guy named author. Ruth was pressured into this because her family built this was the right thing to do. EL LA O'Brien a O'Brien went over to Portland Oregon destroyed her life over again. I'm grandmother kept these photographs sitting but her granddaughter actually polished them with the book it was pretty amazing I think her granddaughter realized how hard it was for her grandmother in those days She was gay but she could be open about it and travel and do things and that's why she was tracing her aroun And if you thought it was important to explain this history to people. They're clinging right letters to each other they have to Do hide this because the mail will open their letters. I think this is a great book for teaching because it shows how people have survived this diversity over time and how much They can be themselves now. Nowaday. In the old days they would be killed or lose their jobs or even their homes. The title don't you dare Great because explains how they could not come out to their families or people on the olders Great read

Beautiful, heart-breaking, comforting, quietly intense, immersive, hopeful and contemplative. I'm so thankful to Netgalley for the chance to preview this novel. This story is the history, truth, and love of the LGBTQ community. As a queer person who's family is from the midwest I could feel the dusty wind on my face, feel the self-doubt and butterflies of Ruby and her granddaughter. I relate strongly to the characters and my heart rose and fell with their struggles and losses. It gave me a sense of gratefulness for where we are now in society as well as a fear of slipping back.
I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend this story to and honestly wish everyone would take the time to read it. I think queer people will appreciate learning and feeling part of their history and straight people will get a chance to walk in the shoes of someone else. Beyond the labels of society is the story of the human quest for love, acceptance, security, and belonging.

I was very curious about how this book would unfold. There are two parts to the book, the story of the author and the fictionalized story of her grandmother. I was more drawn to the story about the gradmother although it gave me a lot of feelings about how women were treated back then.

It's not an easy story to read because women and especially women like Ruby did not have it easy back then. But it is interesting to read about it and like the author I am so happy of how far we've come. This is a story about love and hope and strenght.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.The premise had me curious about what she would discover and it didn’t disappoint. It was an eye opening and interesting read. I liked reading about Ruby’s past although I wasn’t sure how much of story was fiction. It would have been nice to see how the author came up with the story. (Like did other family members mention stories or have a diary?) It felt like an important read and seeing all the pictures really hit deep. This was an awesome read and I would definitely recommend others check it out.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

CW: physical violence

Ms. Turner’s grandmother’s story was one of moments of such happiness but of a life more of duty than contentment. I’m glad we’ve come this far since Ruby’s time, but we still have far, far to go for women’s rights in general.

The writing here is perfectly adequate but I personally found it be lacking to the point where what could have been good, was merely okay, and that did affect my enjoyment of this slice of history. Though this left me feeling agitated about the past and the current state (Roe v. Wade ruling to come), it's an important story.

One of my absolute favorite subgenres of nonfiction is someone researching a relative of theirs, so I was immediately drawn into this story. Gayla Turner does an incredible job of sharing her family's history.

The book is written in a combination of old photographs, historical records, and the author's own testimony. Stories about older, hidden LGBTQ people are often lost to time and it is such a blessing when their stories are preserved for a time when it is safe for them to be revealed. Turner's grandmother's story is one that was, unfortunately, far too common. A young lesbian who is pushed into a marriage to a man she does not love or want, and forced to leave her community and partner behind. At times I had to pause in my reading because I was getting too emotional.

This is truly a special book, I absolutely recommend it. You will not be disappointed.

This was a fascinating story about a grandmother's secret life. While i appreciated the author's own story, i felt as though it over shadowed the story i was interested in and wanted to read about -'the grandmother. Three and a half stars.