Very excited for this one! Will have my full review up with my scheduled out date with tbr and beyond!

4.5 stars

Such a fun and beautiful story about mental health and the drag scene!

Briar visits her brother Beau in New York for the summer after a near miss with suicide. Beau introduces Briar to his drag family at the bar where he performs. There, Briar runs into a cocky drag king named Spencer Read aka Selene, and an altercation between them has Briar signing up for a drag king competition to put Spencer in his place.

I absolutely loved the realistic representation of anxiety and depression, and I love how supportive Briar's found family is throughout. The pacing was a bit of a struggle with time jumps and glossing over things that I would have wanted more of, but overall the reading experience was really enjoyable.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

If you're the type of person who can easily forgive and forget, Don't Be A Drag is the book for you. But if that does not describe you, keep scrolling to see my issues with this book.

Selene is a mean girl. There's no other way to say it. Throughout the book, Selene says terrible things to her fellow drag performers. She opens her mouth almost exclusively to insult and degrade the people around her. The rest of the time Spencer is on-stage lip-syncing. (I am, however, a huge fan of all the drag moments.)

Even thought Selene eventually opens up and shares her reasons for this behavior, by then I was done with her. I was still reeling from Selene's awful outbursts when she completely changes course. I couldn't believe how quickly everyone forgave, forgot, and became friends with her.

Other than my (massive) dislike of Selene, I still sincerely recommend Don't Be A Drag. My happy place is books with a cast of LGBT+ characters. This is an ensemble cast, but I was never confused by the number of people or the drag names. I found it all easy to understand. There is so much queer joy in this book. If you're a fan of the found family trope, you should get your hands on a copy.

There are also on-page depictions of depression and anxiety. If you want to read about in-depth on-page depictions of mental health representation, this is the book for you. In case you're curious about the exact content warnings, you're in luck! The author has provided a list at the beginning of the book.

Bottom line: Mean girls ruin everything.

I rarely cry reading a book. I can count on my hands & list the books that have done it.

This book is now one of them. The portrayal of depression is so heartbreaking that I would be very very careful if this could be triggering to you. My heart bled for a good chunk of this book. It also has a devastatingly accurate (in my experience) depiction of anxiety. Whenever the characters struggled with this I just wanted to give them a big hug & tell them what they needed to hear.
I loved all the characters & their drag personas.

The ending was everything I needed it to be!

Would highly recommend to anyone who needs/needed a little help to find themselves.

Don’t Be a Drag was everything I wanted and more. The idea of two competing drag kings is a surprising fit for YA but it was uniquely brilliant. I loved the sparky chemistry between our two characters and felt that Quinlan handled the intricacies of suicidal ideation with grace and depth.

Thank you to Page Street Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC. This is my honest review.

Wow! This was great! Seriously so good! This book is raw and alternately wonderful and heartbreaking and I am so happy it exists.

Starting off, this has in-depth trigger warnings at the start, and it's highly recommended you read the. They include, but are not limited, to depression, anxiety, mention of an off-page suicide in the past, present suicidal ideation and talk of self harm and more. I really appreciate Skye including these such precise trigger warnings, and even still, when part if it came up, I had to put the book down and hug my spouse. So, just be prewarned going in.

Briar, our protagonist, is written in such a manner that you can tell the author knows what it's like to be in the depth of some of the things she goes through, and feels. Many of her thoughts struck quite close to home a number of times. I had a harder time with some of the the ways she would hold a grudge, but whatcha gonna do. As anxious and scared as Briar could be, I do appreciate her willingness to stand up for others, in spite of herself. I'm curious how her examination of her gender will be a year or two down the line.

Selene/Spencer, our chief rival/LI, was for the most part fantastic. I had some trouble with how quickly her temper could switch on a dime, but I do somewhat understand it when she got around to explaining herself, and being willing to (eventually) call herself out on her bullshit. Her protective side was wonderful to see, and I really wanted Briar to clue in to it a little more, not just focus on the bad. I do really love that this is a book where both Briar and Selene, at the end, admit they like each other but have to work on shit in themselves before they can attempt a relationship. I really liked that.

The rest of the cast was phenomenal. Briar's brother, Beau/Bow Regard was absolutely fabulous, and it was so heart wrenching when he was in pain. Enzo I would die for, best boy ever. And Achilles...our sweet autistic enby best friend...I felt lucky to be a secondhand bestie with them by way of Briar. And last but certainly not least Jacquelynn, drag mother extraordinaire. She was so loving and wonderful, but would not put up with any shit, either. Perfect. And even what little we saw of Selene's parents was very cute.

The depression episode in the second half of the book hit me hard. At first I tried reading back, to see if there was a chapter missing or something, but then it hit me: That is so much like my own depression, and that section was a little <i>too</i> familiar, if I'm being honest, but the truth behind it was stunningly effective, even as I was crying my eyes out. So good.

Any more I have to say is just going to be more gushing. 4.5 stars if only for some of the seemingly out of the blue mood changes characters, but it's so minor I'm rounding up this time.

The author of DON'T BE A DRAG does not shy away from very difficult topics, including, but not limited to, depression and suicide, The journey to establishing a secure and loving found family is beautiful for both main character Briar and her older brother Beau. The depiction of how Beau is a legitimate alternative to their parents is also compelling, especially because it's not common and because the story makes a strong case for the type of care Briar really needs.

The new friends Briar makes, including her new (and most likely first) best friend and her Drag King of the Year sponsor, are well written and compelling. However, the backstory of Spencer's past girlfriend dying by suicide feel too much like the suicide is used as a plot point and an explanation for Spencer's foul attitude. That pulled me out of the story completely.

The other unfortunate aspect of this novel is the constant sobbing and tears to indicate emotion. It's used so frequently, it loses its power. Here it evoked "oh here we go again."

I do appreciate the opportunity to read DON'T BE A DRAG and I look forward to seeing what Skye Quinlan writes next.

This was such a beautiful, heartbreaking book. At its heart, it really addresses the themes of community and trauma within the queer community in a thought provoking, tear jerking, and heartwarming way. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the depictions of mental health and grief in the book, as well as the fact that the book is really about growth as much as anything else. The research that went into writing the drag community was also really really well done and it made me want to drag for the first time. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting - everything about this book. I would give a couple warnings to readers. First, the characters - except for one - are all really young and certainly act in age appropriate manners that might bring back memories of when the readers were their age and equally as bad at coping with things. And second, the trigger warnings need to be. taken seriously. The book addresses so many hard, heavy topics in an amazing way but it's certainly not an easy book to read. If readers are ready to really feel emotions, then I would totally recommend the journey that this book takes them on. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was an entertaining, cute, coming-of-age story of a bisexual teen who's still figuring out gender and learns to express herself through drag. I loved the side characters and how a found family is formed with drag families and the commentary on the current climate of drag. My only major issue that made reading the book very hard was Selene's outburst at Briar which subsequently made Briar's brother mad at her in a moment of misunderstanding and how right after that a major romance development happened. I feel like I had a hard time forgiving Selene even though Briar had no issue with the outburst aside from being generally bummed. It made it hard for me to be invested in the romantic side plot but I do appreciate by the end of the story they decide not to start a romantic relationship but work on themselves first to properly start a relationship with a good start. I feel like if they did get together by the end I would be very upset but this book prioritizes healthy connections not only to others but to themselves. Reading this book during the scenes where the characters were performing really felt like the reader was part of the festivities of a drag show and I love how drag kings are getting a spotlight for once.

'Don't be a Drag' is a story to love on premise alone. I mean two rival drag kings in a competition? What's not to love!

This story packs heart, charm and gives you a found family to adore. Also: a non-binary autistic side character!!! Not only does this story have an engaging, fun and unique plot but it also has fantastic representation of all varieties.

Although, by synopsis and cover alone I had no idea it'd get so dark during the third act. The novel isn't particularly advertised that way but the depression representation and certain scenes hit a little too close to home. Bawling into my covers after only laughing and smiling a while before felt like a whiplash I was fiercely unprepared for.

But this story at its core packs heart, love, and hope: whilst offering you a queer romance to adore, a found family to adore and a competition you will root for and that you'll love to see play out.

In Skye Quinlan's "Don't Be A Drag," Briar Vincent's journey of self-discovery and resilience unfolds against the vibrant backdrop of New York City's drag scene. Amidst the transformative power of drag, Briar confronts mental health struggles, navigates familial relationships, and grapples with the complexities of identity and belonging. Quinlan deftly explores themes of acceptance, empowerment, and the pursuit of one's authentic self. Through Briar's vulnerability and determination, readers witness the transformative potential of embracing one's uniqueness and finding support in unexpected places.

Great coming of age queer story about finding love and discovering yourself through the art of drag. I would LOVE if this story was written as new adult/adult, following the characters as they continue to find themselves in the big city!

•enemies to lovers
•can be read as Upper YA
•super queer and inclusive (trans, NB, drag queens and kings, bissexual, gay and lesbian, autism)
•escape from a small town to the big city
•found family (drag families are legit!)
•HEA

•su!cidal ideation (mentions of self-h@rn and overdo$e)
•mention of su!cide (train)(loss of a friend/partner)
•mental health rep (anxiety and severe depression)
•language

i liked this! it was such a great plot and i loved the characters and writing! it was such a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This books means so much to me. I’m a drag king from Texas and I constantly feel trapped inside the tiny bit of space we’ve carved out for ourselves. I feel like I can’t help anyone who needs help, especially the way Briar needs help because of the weights put on me. No going to New York isnt going to stop e her problems but the atmosphere is different there and it is more conducive to her longevity. The reality of Briars depression and anxiety come across so well in the text, you can tell the author knows what their talking about, has been in that space before and bravely allows us into it with her through Briar. The shorter chapters and sentences while in the worst of being stuck on the couch is a great literary device to show those feelings.

The music choices are perfect, they set the tone of each scene with subtext that makes whole bar feel lively a comfortable and uncomfortable in all the right ways.
The Pun Names, vs the non Pun Names, never thought I’d see that on the page.

Generally I was already hyped for this book but now having read it, so so much more hype. 5 stars.

Briar arrives in NYC to spend the summer with her brother Beau after she has a breakdown. Her brother is a well-known drag queen and takes her along to one of his shows. There, she meets Selene, who is a drag king, and though Selene is attractive both in and out of drag, she immediately gets on Briar's nerves, and Briar decides to enter a drag competition to try to beat her. Amid the pressure and rivalry, Briar finds her mental health slipping again.

Any fan of Rupaul's Drag Race will enjoy this story that takes place almost entirely in the world of drag. The pronouns got a little wild, as each performer's pronouns (and names!) change when they are in drag - it was helpful for some of the drag names to be similar (like Beau / Bow, Selene / Spencer). But it wasn't too hard to follow, and there was plenty of drama and sequins to go around. I enjoyed the descriptions of the costumes and how they were put together, and I'm always a fan of enemies to lovers. When Briar falls into a deep depression, it hits hard due to how colorful and fun the story is around the episode. Overall this is a fun story that deals with mental health and getting the help needed.

Content advisory: Suicidal ideations, major depressive episode, discussions of sex, AIDS, and homophobia, strong language.

I loved this book! As a more masculine-presenting person, it was amazing to get to see drag kings get the spotlight in this story. I also really liked Briar's character arc, and I maybe related to her a little too much at times. I thought her relationship with her brother was really sweet, and her friendship with Achilles. Do I wish there was an explicitly butch character somewhere in the book? Yes, but I'll take what I get, which was a really good read about friendship, mental health, and drag kings being awesome.
4.5/5

THIS BOOK!!! This book is a warm hug. This book is a bowl of soup when you’re sick. It’s a steaming cup of tea when it’s raining. It’s a blanket pulled fresh from the dryer on a chilly day. This book is the feeling of joy from the inside out. I would sit in my car reading this book on my lunch breaks almost in tears at parts. It makes you FEEL something, everything— all the good and bad we experience in life. And it gives you hope.

Definitely read the trigger warnings. As someone who has struggled with mental health and many of the thoughts presented here, I thought this was an accurate and tactful representation of anxiety and depression. I loved that Briar’s friends and family never try to “fix” her, but are with her every step of the way as a solid support system. I did want to hit Beau with a wet pool noodle until he was concussed for the first half of the novel, but he gets better.

Selene/Spencer is a walking red flag but thankfully red my new favorite color! Achilles is the best friend we all need and deserve, and I love them.

I wish this was targeted towards an older audience, but I think the representation in that age group is so important and is something I wish I had at the time. It addresses the stigma around therapy, mental health medications, and drag in a way that is encouraging healthy.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this book. Go read it!