I wanted to love this book. I love the concept and I appreciated learning about queer women in the 70s, but there were a lot of issues that I couldn’t get past. The biggest one was that there was not a single decent male character; I get it, men are shit, they do shit things to women, but I still would like a bit more complexity in the writing of the male characters. I also didn’t love the writing, pop culture references, or mentions of COVID (I’m not against talking about it, but I read this kind of book for escapism).

So first off, I love getting to read from the perspective of someone who was queer from the 70s. The main character has had to hide who she is for years, and with a town and world so viciously against her, she’s going in an uphill battle. The fact that the story touches on topic of issues still current in todays time is important. On a second note, I do believe that there could have been better character development.
Further from that the teamwork of likeminded women pulling together against wicked evils for the name of love, and the freedom to be who you are without bounds.
I really enjoyed this story, but I do think that dialogue, character development could be improved.
Rating : 3/5

I give this a 4.5 out of 5 as I absolutely love Brooke and Taylor’s love everything about it was so beautiful and her ending made me cry. Towards the end I struggled with the town going after them and it felt like it dragged on for pages and pages and waiting for it to end. I’m excited to see what’s in store for “Brooke” next and love finding so amazing lesbian authors!!!! Thank you to NetGalley allowing me a copy of this book to read.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, especially because this is the first book I have seen about queer women in the 70s. However I was not a fan, I did not enjoy how there was not a single decent male character. I get that maybe the author was just trying focus on women and feminism (maybe) but it was just a flop for me. I also felt that the relationships were a whirlwind and at times i felt like i missed something because things were moving so fast.

I really struggled with what rating to give The Queering. There was a lot I liked about it. It was awesome to see representation of older lesbians. The book-within-the-book was really well written and compelling--I'd give The Life and Death of Brooke Skipstone 5 stars in a heartbeat. The overall theme and message of the book is a really important one.

In the end, though, for me the negatives outweighed the positives. The characters all felt pretty flat, the villainous men especially, but the main characters as well. The actual Brooke, the "real" one written about in The Life and Death of Brooke Skipstone, felt like a run of the mill manic pixie dream girl, except she was working her magic on a girl instead of a boy. And the writing was inconsistent. At times the book felt like a piece of high school fanfiction. I really struggled with ending fatigue when it came to finishing the book; it felt like it should have ended 3 or 4 times before the actual end. I did like the ultimate, hopeful ending though.

I've also been surprised to see The Queering referred to as YA; there's some pretty explicit sex and violence, enough that I'd be uncomfortable recommending this book to any of the teens in my life (I'd feel the same if the sex was between boys and girls and written equally explicitly). As a teacher, I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable adding this to my classroom library or recommending it to my high school students.

Which is too bad, because I do think older teens probably would enjoy The Queering, and it does have an important message. I'm glad the book exists, but it just wasn't really for me.

The Queering by Brook Skipstone is a beautifully written story of love and friendship that features a complex set of characters, all struggling in some way with their identity and finding their place in the world. It is a much needed endearing story of what it means to be queer.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of The Queering for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read that contains another book. The main character—Taylor Baird MacKenzie—has written an autobiography of her college years with her best friend and eventual lover, Brooke Skipstone. Why? Because her brother is out of prison and seeking revenge. Taylor wants the world to know about her life with Brooke before her brother kills her. And this book could be a separate novel. So exciting and tense and full of romance.

But it's just part of this amazing story. Taylor discovers that she isn't alone in her battle against her brother. She finds another 70-year-old grandmother, Shannon, and the awesome Grace and Maddi to help her fight against not only her brother, but the homophobic world all these women live in.

Overall, a poignant story of our times. Very timely.

The Queering by Brooke Skipstone is a story of female rage and lesbian revenge (two of my favourite things), but also a love story, a tragedy, and a happy ending.
I really enjoyed this book. It was filled with ups and downs, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time wondering what would happen to the characters in both the past and the present. I think lovers of female rage and revenge will love this book and I think a new favourite literary character can definitely be found in Taylor Baird/Brooke Skipstone.
See my full review on Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5141675183

ok this has to be one of the most awesome queer book i've ever heard
i went inside with no expection
and i got EVERYTHING
like woah! this book keeps u hooked till the end. the mystery, the plotting, the characters, everything was top notch
one thing that i didn't appreciate was the lack of at least decent men
if u come here searching for decent men, there are none
not even one and that's troubling
but aside from that, this was really amazing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️
Age range: 18+

Quotes:

“Okay, last night was a one-off, and I’ll keep my hands off you.” I traced her mouth with my finger. “But if you ever kiss me on the lips again, I am not responsible for what happens next.”
“Find yourself a good woman,” Grace said with a smile. “You’d be much happier with life.”
“We form our own cocoon, and for a little while, we become entirely one.”
“I loved one woman with my entire soul and might have found another to love, but I fell into a trap.”
Evil people try to tear you down. Or force you to live their way and agree with their beliefs.

Review:
How does so much happen in one book? That’s what I kept asking myself as I continued to read each chapter. As the story unraveled I was pulled in more and more. So many twists and turns that this type of book needs to be read by more than just our community. Everyone should read what happens still in 2022 to so many of our youth and this book could help with that.

Tropes:
Romantasy
Repeat History
Touch her and die
Friends to Lovers

Well.

The last quarter of the book was great, I really enjoyed it even though it was kind of unreal and almost looked like something out of Home alone.

The charactersseemed built from a checklist, becoming caricatured, especially the villains. A lot of the politically charged dialogue felt unnatural and the final relationship lacked sufficient development.

I really appreciated the opportunity to read about a queer woman in ther 70's, we need more characters in this age range.

The mystery was interesting and the plot of the past I liked a lot

I read Crystal’s House of Queers at the start of 2022 and really enjoyed it so couldn’t wait to read another of Brooke’s novels.

Flitting between the 70s and modern day Alaska, Taylor, an in the closet queer author uses the pseudonym of Brooke Skipstone, to write queer stories inspiring and encouraging others to come out and live their truth. She writes as Brooke, her best friend turned lover, who was murdered at the hands of her homophobic racist brother. With her brother released from prison and hell bent on revenge, Taylor has no choice but to come out and seek refuge with her fellow lesbians and finally face who she really is.

This was a tale bravery and pride in the face of prejudice and hatred. It’s scary how we still face persecution, judgement and danger in the 21st century and we are still not free to love and express our true selves. This novel serves as an inspiration to us all wanting to live and speak our truth. Told with honesty, this book is heart aching, awe inspiring and both parts tragic and thought provoking.

This wasn’t really what I was expecting, but I do not mean that in a bad way. I think it was a really good book, especially with the cover and the story like but I really liked the cover. I think it was written well with a lot of skill.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing a free copy of The Queering.

I read this book in two sittings. It is exciting and tense and funny and deadly serious. Though it is a page-turner, The Queering also presents profound ideas. Sexual identity is not a "light switch" but rather a dial with myriad possibilities. People who hate queers are dangerous to everyone. Suppressing your real feelings to conform with a majority opinion is unhealthy. And perhaps the most important: grandmas can still be interested in sex!

The characters are unique with their own voices. And they are obviously Alaskan.

Please read this book.

What makes The Queering different from all other books is that it is explicitly, unapologetically liberal, and feminist. With twists of erotica, a book-within-a-book, and a thrilling mystery, people who love the idea of conservatives getting punched in the gut by a seventy-year-old lesbian will absolutely adore this book.

It is written by Brooke Skipstone, who, through this story, traces her real identity to an Elder living in the shadows of Alaska by the name of Taylor MacKenzie. While teaching at a high school, Taylor befriends an eighteen-year-old Senior named Grace. Grace’s father, Levi, is a right-wing podcaster, who plans on outing Taylor to the town. Unbeknownst to Levi, Grace has a girlfriend and seeks Taylor’s advice after discovering that she has authored one of her favorite queer books. What ensues is a turbulent story about loss, grief, and love in many forms. It is a coming-of-age for young and old.

This was an easy read. Once lost in the book, the reader will find it engrossing. Some content was difficult to suspend my belief in reality (70-year-old grandmas who are okay with carnal PDA are hard to come by). When coming back to the book after taking a break from it, I often found that it was hard to put off judgment toward the characters’ actions and wondered if everything was too much. That is until I was enraptured with the whodunit aspect once again. The mixture of sex and crime was clunky and not an easy transition with each other and I found myself pulling through simply to find out how the story would resolve itself. It does so with hopefulness and merriment.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy!

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I loved some parts of it, but it was bogged down by inconsistent writing. Some moments were written beautifully, but most of the novel's flow was choppy and full of cliche dialogue. I also feel like too much happened. Twists and turns kept on piling up with little-to-no explanation, feeling forced and rushed.

What I did like about this book was its message. The author worked hard to deconstruct the gender and sexuality binary and showed LGBTQ+ (specifically lesbian) platonic and romantic relationships in a positive way. It was also a good to see an older adult exploring sexuality, which is not something that much media does.

Overall, I wish the writing was better because it takes away from the amazing parts of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC.

I DNF'ed this book at 36%. I really tried to continue but it just felt like such a chore. The writing style wasn't for me, the pacing was off and there was too much drama. I do want to say that the topics that are discussed (LGBTQIA+) are very important and that's partly why I'm bummed this book just isn't for me. I hope others will enjoy it more!

A quick, important read, especially for those in the LGBTQ+ community. A testament to how seemingly small decisions can lead to catastrophe, how failure to be true to yourself can lead to a life of heartache, and how bigotry and hate must be fought at every turn. Loved the bad-ass Alaskan teens and grandmothers!

This was an action filled story of love and acceptance in the face of hatred and cruelty. The book was an enjoyable read with a very important lesson.

The Queering is a critical commentary on the evolving LGBTQ scene and a celebration of queer love in the face of patriarchy. It's a tale of love and loss and loneliness and isolation.

Taylor Baird MacKenzie is a seventy-year-old, unhappily married woman who lives in a very conservative community where revealing her true sexual identity and desires would result in ridicule, being ostracized, physically endangered, and perhaps even death.

Woven into the tale is another thread about Taylor's brother, Austin, who was recently released from prison, and is attempting to locate her. Unfortunately, there is bad blood between them, and his release, along with the fear of a local podcaster divulging her secret sexual proclivities in an attempt to destroy her, has uprooted her existence.

This is a visceral tale of a complicated existence and acceptance of love, lust, and danger. It's bleak at times, occasionally funny, and unapologetically raw.

This novel pulls at your senses and demands your attention, even as it behaves in an alluringly crass and gross way. The Queering is not an easy book to read, but it is an extremely rewarding one. It is full of twists and turns and a lesbian novel with endless backstabbing, revenge, and an agenda to educate cishet readers of the eggshells that LGBTQ+ people walk on every day.

Skipstone's novel will leave you thinking about family, independence and interdependence, gender, and sexuality. It's an addictive read with its trainwreck relationships—the kind you can't quite resist, about flawed main characters, and about the mistakes we all make when we are dumb and young.

Can Taylor finally find the freedom, love, and acceptance denied to her for such a long time? This is a novel that will leave you thinking about the frailties and complexities of our existence.