I had such a fun time reading this story! While I think I’m a bit older than the intended audience, this is a great book for older teens who are interested in learning more about the drag community.

In this new novel by Skye Quinlan, eighteen-year-old Briar Vincent spends the summer with her drag queen brother, Beau, in New York City. Provoked by the arrogant drag king Spencer Read, she enters a drag king competition despite having no experience. With Beau’s and her new friends’ help, she transforms into Edgar Allan Foe, aiming to conquer her anxiety and win the competition, while discovering there’s more to Spencer than she thought.

While I wish the book had dug down a bit deeper into the push and pull between Briar and Selene, this is still an entertaining summer read! If you love found family, enemies to lovers, and a competitive book, this is the YA Novel for you!

Thank you to Page St YA for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

t’s Briar’s first time away from home and she’s terrified. She is worried about flying, about her brother not being there to pick her up, and about getting mugged or in a car crash; she’s afraid of getting kidnapped, of crowds, of public speaking, of having to talk and of being unable to talk all at the same time. The thing that keeps Briar from spiraling is her brother, Beau, who is waiting at the airport in the full drag persona of Bow Regard, with a giant smile on her mouth and a sign with so, so much glitter.

Briar, who thought she’d be afraid of everything, instead finds herself falling in love with everything, even as it’s overwhelming. The Gallery, the bar where her brother works, is a wonderful place filled with wonderful people. There’s Enzo, the bartender, who happens to be in love with her brother; Jacklynn Hyde, her brother’s larger than life drag mother; Achilles, who goes by they/them pronouns and is learning to be a bartender; and Selene, the beautiful young woman with red hair and a knowing smirk who Briar could easily have developed a crush on … if only Selene wasn’t such a horrible monster.

Selene also happens to be Spencer Read, drag king douche who, with a few cruel comments, cuts Achilles to shreds. Spencer will be competing for Drag King of the Year in a few short months and sees Achilles as zero threat. Briar has no idea what she’s doing, but she hotly promises Selene that she, Briar, will be the one to take that crown from her.

Who knew that Briar would spend her summer in New York Briar becoming a drag king?

This is one of those books that had me smiling as I read it, and when it ended all too soon, I was left wanting a sequel, if not an entire series about these characters and their lives together. However, a quick warning before I get into the review. This book deals with some heavy topics. Briar has both anxiety and depression, and there is a moment in the book where she enters into a dark spiral and has thoughts of killing herself. Selene’s last girlfriend committed suicide, and Selene is holding onto a lot of guilt about not answering her last text. These matters are handled with sensitivity and delicacy, but if this is sensitive subject matter for you, it’s perfectly fine to walk away from this book and find another one.

Briar comes to New York from a small town in Texas where she has no friends save her family. Her brother, the person she was and is still closest to, moved away, leaving Briar alone. After a struggle with depression, Briar thought to end her life. Fortunately, her parents were able to get her brother on the phone and he was able to get enough money together to bring her to visit him for a summer in the hopes that she would feel better, and maybe find some joy in her life again.

Beau spends much of the book fretting, protecting, and worrying about Briar. He’s eager for her to find friends, but afraid that she might have a panic attack or another depressive episode, and it leads to him overreacting at times; he’s also a friend and drag mother to Selene, and — knowing her past pain — is also quick to leap to her defense, causing a rift between him and Briar. Beau doesn’t come off all that well in this book, afraid of his own pain, trying too hard and leaping to conclusions without stopping to ask … but he’s trying so hard to be the brother his sister needs, afraid any failure on his part might cause her to hurt herself.

Selene is Briar’s rival — a position given to her by Briar — and … also has her moments. She’s defensive, lashing out at others before they can hurt her first. She’s attracted to Briar, charmed by her and, because of her previous love, sensitive to Briar’s pain. Afraid that she might be the cause of someone else taking their life because she did something wrong, because she wasn’t enough. And I was happy to see that, at the end, their relationship reached a friendship first.

Briar knows she needs help. She’s on the path to finding a therapist, to maybe going on medication, and knows she’s not ready for a girlfriend, yet. She also knows (and Selene agrees) that Selene isn’t ready to jump into a relationship at the moment. However, the two of them love one another and have a decided chemistry; they decide to be friends, to let themselves rest in that moment between friends and lovers until they’re both able to fully and wholly enter into a romance.

Achilles, Jacklynn, and Enzo — along with Selene — quickly become members of Briar and Beau’s extended family. They’re there to support and to cheer one another on, to give advice and a shoulder to cry on without ever passing judgement. Family relationships, both blood related and not, are a strong focus in this book. Briar’s parents are a large presence in her life, as is her younger sister; Jacklynn stands in as a drag mother to both of them, and while Achilles has their own drag mother, they’re just as much a part of this close knit circle.

The constant struggle with depression and anxiety are all throughout this book. Briar can be happy, celebrating or arguing, or even just watching her brother perform and yet … the intrusive thoughts, the paranoia in which she thinks people are judging her, talking about her, looking at her in contempt can be hard to read. Especially when, in the middle of the book, Briar does have a moment where she considers taking her own life. Fortunately, she manages to reach out for help — and I’m pleased to see that there is no instant cure for her depression, no magic glitter that makes it all go away. Depression is something Briar will be fighting for the rest of her life; it’s just that she now has weapons and armor to help her. Therapy, medication, friends, and a community to help her when she stumbles.

This book has amazing messaging, amazing characters, and… well, an amazing set of relationship. Everything and every character fits together so well and so seamlessly. The writing is skillful, light easy to read and yet not holding back or skimming past the heavier moments. For me, this book hit every note and will most definitely be on my year end list. I hope it is for you, too.

During the moments of Briar and Selene I’d find myself smiling as I read at how natural and how adorable they were together — be it as friends or a couple — even when they were thoughtlessly cruel to one another. There was just such a natural rapport and easy, comfortable chemistry that worked for me on every level.

Listen I clearly feel myself outgrowing YA and I guess I was bored. This is a drag king competition where the MC Briar is introduced to the scene by her drag queen brother after arriving fresh off Texas. She wants to knock down a peg the current champion Spencer.

The vibes of the New York drag scene is nice, there kings, queens, discussions of creatures, trans and nonbinary people. And yet I wasn't interested, nothing in the narration made me want to engage with all those characters. I know some people loved Achilles but they annoyed me more than anything (despite the transmasc name solidarity). I don't know I came into this book expecting to love it and instead I just wanted it to be over. At the same time I don't think it's an inherent flaw of the book rather than my own disinterest for the characters and the way the plot was structured.

3.5*

I really enjoyed this book. It came out swinging with loveable characters, the strength of found family, and a story that's perfect for everyone who has been on a journey of understanding their queer identity.

Though I'd wished for some deeper moments of understanding and resolve with Briar and her experiences, I think that for those looking for some acceptance, understanding and perspective, this story offers it all with wrapped in a bright feather boa.

Bonus: we get some of the greatest drag king and queen names ever conceived.

Firstly, a book about drag kings?! Yes please!! I love that we’re getting more and more books – especially YA books that depict the less mainstream aspects of the LGBTQ+ community, and in this case the queer performing arts scene.

Skye Quinlan does a great job of depicting the joy that drag can bring, and what it can mean to both performers and audience members alike. We got to see a really wide range of drag performers – kings, queens, artists, drag mothers, newbies, and everything in between. The book really felt like a love letter to drag culture.

Just as much as the story depicts the highs of the performing life, it also looks at the mental health struggles that are a reality for so many queer people. It’s a difficult topic to cover but I thought it was sensitively done, and balanced well with the other themes and storylines.

The friendships in this book were so lovely to read, and a reminder of the importance of found family – even though, in this case, Briar’s family were really supportive of her. Having multiple generations of queer people as well is something that we so rarely see in fiction, but is so important to real-life queer communities.

Overall, this was a moving and uplifting story that has a strong emotional truth behind it.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Don’t Be a Drag is a coming-of-age story about an 18-year-old girl named Briar who, following a mental health scare, is sent to live with her brother, Beau, for the summer. As someone with anxiety who grew up in a conservative part of Texas, Briar hasn’t had the opportunity to explore queer spaces. So when she meets Beau’s abrasive (and frankly, rude) drag son, Spencer, Briar surprises herself by signing up for a drag king competition with the goal of outshining Spencer to teach him a much needed lesson.

The blurb sells this book as a rivals/enemies-to-lovers story, which is normally something that I would absolutely eat up. However, if I’m being quite honest, I had a really rough time with this. I even considered DNFing it at around the 60% point because this book actually pushes the normal boundaries of what it means to be a rival/enemy love interest. Not only is Selene (Spencer’s irl counterpart) a competitor in the drag competition that Briar enters, she’s also a pretty terrible person for a majority of the novel.

There are moments, such as when she is initially introduced, where the readers get to see the kinder, softer part of her character, but at any hint of distress, Selene immediately lashes out and unfairly attacks the people around her. Because of this, I couldn’t get myself sold on the fact that Selene was supposed to be Briar’s love interest. She seemed like such an irredeemable character that I had no interest in watching their relationship unfold. When it got to the 60% point and I hadn’t seen any real good coming from Selene, I put the book down and decided to look at reviews on Goodreads, which is what ultimately convinced me to keep going. Sure enough, the plot started to turn around a few pages after the point that I had stopped at, and the story actually ended on a really solid note, in my opinion.

Because of this boundary-pushing, Don’t Be a Drag is a book that is very unique in execution. Not only do we get an actual rival/enemy love interest (with all the upsides and downsides that that entails), we also get a coming-of-age story that follows not just one person’s character growth, but everyone else’s as well. We watch Briar come to terms with her gender expression, anxiety and depression, but we also see so much more. Selene has to learn to acknowledge her trauma and emotional baggage, Beau has to discover how to love again after having his heart broken by his first love, and many other side characters learn more about themselves within these pages.

I will say that, as a reader, I was immediately taken with both Enzo and Achilles as side characters. Should Skye Quinlan decide to write a book with Achilles as the main character, I would definitely be interested in reading it.

Happy first day of Pride Month! Are you reading any LGBTQIA+ books this month to celebrate? If so, drop your recommendations in the comments!

I read almost exclusively queer books year-round, but I like to reserve June for queer books I am especially excited about as a fun treat for myself!

The first book I’m highlighting this month is a recent release, and it was a five-star read for me! Don’t Be a Drag by @skye_quinlan is a YA novel about two rival drag kings competing for a crown, and discovering their inner strength along the way!

Don’t Be a Drag is an exceptional piece of queer young adult fiction, which deals with mental health disorders, suicide, and self-discovery sensitively. If you are someone who struggles with books that deal directly with depression or suicide-related content, please check the content warnings before starting this book.

Briar is an anxious, relatable, and loveable protagonist, who made this book a five-star read for me! Her first explorations into the world of drag were so compelling to read about, especially as she came into her own by creating a drag persona. Her crew of friends and drag family were so special, giving readers their own little slice of drag community. I loved how the characters were there to support Briar and each other through the story, and how they grew throughout the narrative. I will definitely be re-reading Don’t Be a Drag in the future as a Pride Month tradition.

My Recommendation:
If you love content about drag culture and want to see more Drag Kings being highlighted in media, you need to grab this book! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a Pride Month read with a thoughtful discussion of mental health.

This was really good. It had really in depth and well written talks about depression. But it was also about queer joy and queer spaces. It was truly a great dive into underground drag, not what we see on big shows but the smaller spaces. I really liked that part. In the end, it didn't really read like a romance like I thought it was. Maybe it was more a coming of age book?
The only thing I didn't love was the pacing. It felt a little choppy. I can't really explain but it was off to me.
Still, that was a book like none I've read before and I can't wait for more by Skye Quinlan.

I literally screamed when I got this ARC, I was so excited for this book and I am happy to report that it did not disappoint.
I loved all the discussion around mental health, Briar's journey, and how it was shown that sometimes a depressive episode just appears out of nowhere without a trigger. The way everyone supported and understood Briar during her darker days is not the reality for everyone, but I loved to see her being loved and accepted as she was without the pressure of being “normal”.
On the other side, this book opened my eyes to the drag kings, and it was amazing, I loved reading about their performance and how every character used drag to heal and discover parts of themselves. There is so much queer love, found family, and healthy communication in this book and I am here for it!!!

This was quite enjoyable. I loved all the drag scenes, and while I sometimes wished that people would communicate better and be more consistent, everyone got there in the end. Pretty much what it says on the tin: drag king competition rivals-to-(G-rated)-lovers.

One thing that really stood out to me was the description of chronic depression. I did feel like we were launched into Briar's depressive episode in a very jarring way and then given flashbacks, which I had mixed feelings on. But dang, when we were in it, WE WERE IN IT. As someone with chronic depression, I really loved this depiction of the experience.

The end was quite satisfying. I'll be on the lookout for more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4.5 stars!

Listen, I am a sucker for rivals to lovers AND drag so this mix was a match from heaven! If you enjoy sapphic romance with a kick, queer joy, found family, performances, and fun dialogue I recommend Don't Be a Drag!

Don't Be A Drag was so fun and dynamic, I enjoyed meeting all the characters and learning more about them through the story. The main girl is named Briar who comes from conservative Texas, who for the summer, goes to visit her Queer brother who is a drag queen in New York City. During her stay, she meets members of the drag community, and through a kerfuffle with the drag king Selene, she is inspired to start drag herself.

Briar becomes a part of a group of people who work at the bar The Gallery where the drag performances are located. Slowly Briar through the help of those around her, learns to do drag and become more in tune with themself. Briar has anxiety and low self-esteem, which made her feel realistic and made me root for her. I enjoyed reading about the transformation of not just her but all the characters when it came to performing, friendship, love, healing, and growth. Selene was a great enemy/love interest because of her issues, past, and complexity. Making the novel not just a romance but a story of joy, growth, and identity.

I adored all the drag culture in the novel, I found the attention to detail what made this novel shine. The characters would create clothing, dance, lip sync, and do makeup. It was a blast to read the entire process that they had to go through to create a result that showed their vision. Drag Kings do not get enough attention in the LGBTQIA+ community so I find this book to be a breath of fresh air.

I enjoyed the side characters such as Achilles, Enzo, Beau and so many more! Especially the part each of them had in Briar's growth in drag and with herself. Drag is the ultimate expression of freedom, a time to shine, and do what you want, and be who you want to be. I loved the connection between drag and becoming who you were meant to be. Especially how it helps with confidence and self-love.

Negatives:
As someone who adores rivals to lovers based on performances such as dance, music, sports, etc., I was slightly disappointed at the inconsistency of the two main love interests. Warning for possible spoiler but I felt like Selene was a bit messy when it came to Briar. At times this confusion between seeing her as their rival vs lover was well done but at times the tension disappeared because...well...there wasn't one? But apart from those moments that took me out of the book I still loved their romance.

Read trigger warning:

The anxiety representation was a bit triggering at times as someone with generalized anxiety myself, and honestly, Briar's behavior did bother me quite a lot. I feel like the author went too hard on the anxiety in the first couple of pages for a novel that caters to neurodivergent queers, which made it uncomfortable. But as the novel passed it got easier for me to read. And apart from this the representation was in my opinion well done and realistic, but it is different for everyone.

Skye Quintan’s debut YA NOVEL is a SMASH! “Don’t Be a Drag” i a delightfully face paced YA queer romance filled with enemies to lovers, coming of age, mental health and ALOT of drag.

Quinlan navigates the complexities of gender and sexual identity in a seamless and relatable way. I loved the characters, the culture and the story!! I can’t wait to see what other stories they put out there!

I highly recommend and enjoyed reading this book so much!

I have been looking forward to this book since it was first announced! Let me tell you, it was worth the wait! I foam at the mouth for any books with drag queens, but drag kings I rarely see!

This is a YA story that follows Briar as she navigates her mental health while making some friends, some enemies, and discovers more about herself and what she can do. Maybe along the way, some enemies may become... More...

I adored any and all references to drag and gay culture. I would have LOVED to actually be in attendance to some of the performances that are described in the book. I love the depression representation and the support systems that were showcased in this book. I adored the ending of the book and how is was positive and believable. I wish I would have had more books just like this one when I was a baby queer. Highly recommend!

✨ Review ✨ Don't Be a Drag by Skye Quinlan

Thanks to TBR and Beyond, Page Street YA and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Top Five Reasons to Read Don't Be a Drag:
1. Found family themes bringing together a variety of lovable and imperfect characters
2. Brother and Sister Drag Queen and King - Bow Regard (Beau) and Edgar Allen Foe (Briar) ❤️
3. NYC drag scene but written for YA audiences
4. Rivals to Lovers Romance
5. Open discussion of mental health, queer identity, and other important topics!

Playlist for this book:
1. "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
2. "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie
3. "Dance With Me Tonight" by Olly Murs
4. "Faith" by George Michael
5. "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
6. "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars

Genre: YA, queer romance
Setting: NYC
Pub Date: May 28, 2024

Thank you so much for the ARC. This book really hit me very hard. It was difficult feeling so seen in the way Briar's depression is showcased in this. I was kind of mad the entire time throughout though with how Selene/Spencer was treating everyone and I feel like that romance should have held off until a bit later in the book because if it were me, I wouldn't be attracted to anyone regardless of how pretty they are if they treated people the way Selene was. That being said, the character arcs were great and I love Achilles and they deserve their own book. I was kind of hoping they would be the love interest from the start but oh well, still want them in the spotlight. I think pretty much everyone in this book needs some form of therapy not just Briar. And I mean that in a good way because this family of drag kings and queens are lovely and I want them all to be the best versions of their fictional selves and live happy ever after.

“Don’t Be a Drag” by Skye Quinlan is a heartwarming story about creating a family by choice, the impact of art, and the bittersweet challenges of living on the fringes of society. It’s a celebration of community built on love. As someone who loves drag, I was drawn to how the book shows the power of performance to bring people together and stand up against wrongs. The story is filled with personal growth, a variety of voices, and a thoughtful look at mental health, tackling issues like depression and anxiety in a way that feels real and engaging. The sibling relationship and the support from a circle of friends add depth and relatibility to the narrative. The bustling city setting is perfect for the drama of the drag scene, where the characters’ emotions and connections come alive. I was moved by the mix of sparkle and sadness, the sheer fabulousness, and the tenderness in every interaction, all of which capture the magic of the queer experience for many. This book is a must-read for everyone, even with its deep themes, because it offers a range of perspectives that challenge us to think about how we embrace our unique qualities. Skye Quinlan has a gift for writing stories that pull you in and make you feel a part of the character’s journey, making you root for them in their search for family and self-expression through drag. I'll be checking out more of them in the future!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book cover and read the synopsis I knew I needed it in my life. I love a good drag queen story and I haven’t read any drag king books before so I was sold! This book is sold as YA but I feel like it felt adult but acting like YA, it just read a bit older which I’m not complaining about. It was a quick read I finished it in a day.
Our characters did seem YA , they were a bit immature and had some small fights that turned big. But there was huge amounts of growth for both our main characters throughout the story. I did like reading about the mental health rep. My favourite character was Beau, I want to know more of their story.
I would recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street YA for the copy.

Thoughts and Themes: This is one that I had to keep putting down because of the heavy themes and how relatable it was. This is one that I also did not want to put down because of the very same thing. This is a book that I love so much right from the start and the author handles sensitive topics quite well. I found that this book handles anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, relationships, queerness, geographic location and queerness all quite well.

Something that I enjoyed about this book was the way that it depicts depression. This stood out to me so much especially as you get to see a depressive episode for Briar. This moment was hard for me to read through because of the familiarity with that moment. The minute that Briar explains what depression feels like a light bulb went off for me and said there, that's it, those are the words I have been looking for my whole life.

I liked that we got to also see what it is like for those on the outside and how they feel helpless. I thought that was great to see and to see that it didn't center their feelings. like this book validated that they have mixed feelings and are helpless, but it still kept the focus on Briar.

Characters: In this book you are introduced to several characters, you meet our main character, Briar, her rival, Selene. You also meet briar's brother, Beau, and his love interest, Enzo, along with others in the drag scene such as Achilles, and Jacklynn.

I really love the relationship that Briar and Beau have with each other. I found that this was great to see and loved how this develops throughout the book. I love that they both open to each other about their honest feelings to begin healing from some of those moments in their lives. I also love how supportive Beau is of Briar in all of her interests and stands by to support but also gives her some freedom to grow.

Selene and Briar are sometimes hard to stomach, there were moments in which I was frustrated with the two of them. It was rough to watch them feuding with each other one minute and then suddenly have that shift. I did grow to love the two of them though separately and then eventually got to the point where I loved them for each other.

Writing Style: This book is written in first person through the perspective of Briar. I really enjoyed having this story told through her perspective because it gave us insight into her feelings at all times. I liked that we only knew things that Briar was familiar with and nothing she didn't want us to know. I like that this also kept some of the other's secrets out of the story until they were willing to share.

I wasn't aware this was a sequel when I read it, so there was a lot of background with the characters that was confusing, but this was a cute story overall!!

I really loved Blair, the main character of Don't Be a Drag, and found the drag queen/drag king storylines to be fun and interesting. The contest was a fun element to add to the book and enjoyed the discussions of costuming, makeup, a little history, and the performance aspect. I appreciate that the book did not shy away from difficult topics, but they also weren't particularly sensationalized. Finally, while there is some romantic attraction and some romantic subplots, this is not a genre romance. I also liked the ending; I appreciated that it was more realistic and less centered around giving the main character everything she could want.

The things I struggled with: I thought that the depiction of anxiety and depression was well done; however, I was SO frustrated that ever single character seemed to take Blair's anxiety as if it were just something she should expose herself to and "get over," including Blair herself. This wasn't particularly challenged by the book. I really disliked how often they put her in situations that were extremely stressful for her and just shrugged off the fact that she was stressed until she had a full panic attack--though even then, reactions were mixed. Why was it never addressed that Beau just told everyone he's ever met about Blair's medical conditions, complete with updates?? Felt violating and it was never addressed by him. I found it uncomfortable and it made me like the characters less. On the other hand, I do think that Blair's depression and suicidal ideation was handled well in-book, with characters accepting when their reactions were not that helpful and offering various different types of support. I like that they tried to understand what she was going through and did not punish her for needing space. Achilles was probably my favorite character in that regard; they were sensitive and understanding.