i really enjoyed the two parallel stories - but don't think the writing style was my favorite.

thanks to netgalley and dutton for the arc!

i think this was a great time period choice to follow two budding lesbians. (SPOILER) I don't think lesbians are often in the discussion during the AIDS crisis, and additionally, I haven't found many stories outside of the U.S in terms of AIDS stories (but also I live in the U.S, so could be a me thing).

I really was moved by both stories and enjoyed watching the two characters pass each other subtly throughout the narrative. I thought that was a very great choice. I saw a few critiques that the characters were almost a little too similar and that it was hard to differentiate (or even, that people didn't realize that it was two different characters) and I think that's a fair critique. I liked that they were similar to show how different circumstances can really impact your life journey but it was a bit confusing at the beginning.

My biggest issue with the book was the writing style. I found it a bit, almost smarmy, at times. I think it's very very hard to include descriptions of art in a fiction book without it being cheesy. I didn't really connect with the poetry or art described throughout and found limb one's chapters to be a bit overwrought.

i can see this book really connecting with some audiences though!

I am wrecked. Books have made me cry before but this one hit me at my core and the emotions just came pouring out.

Initially I thought that limb one and limb two were the same person, with just different lives based on their decisions. It was only towards the end and then after finishing the book that I realized these were in fact two people. I’d like to reread now knowing this. However, I still found this book to be magnificent. I loved the dual POV. I found the first 25% a little slow but then once I dedicated time to read this the pacing also sped up. There was so much sadness interwoven with each character’s own lives and the people they surrounded themselves with. Also happiness and love but grief and hurt too. I loved the writing in this, I wanted to underline so many passages and reflect on Hardcastle’s words.

Reading this made me so sad for what is going on now for our queer and trans siblings. If only more people could understand just how marvelous and magical it is to be different, to be able to change yourself to match how you feel, and to love a human. Heteronormativity is so hurtful for so many folks. We all love and we all want to live and be happy.

This book was very impactful to me. I loved seeing the beauty in how life can change based on your choices (which could be good and/or bad). But also how connected our lives are, and that we all live interconnected lives. We probably just don’t realize how much our paths intersect and ebb and flow around the people we’re suppose to meet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This a poetic novel following two parallel lives through the AIDs pandemic, one of a closeted woman and one of an openly queer person, both suffering unimaginable loss in similar ways. I haven’t read a book like this. When you settle in with the unconventional structure of this novel, the emotional catharsis is overwhelming and real and moving. It really felt like discovery through reading. The ending was satisfying without being saccharine.

Thank you for providing me this book! My review will be included in my May Reading Wrap-Up on my TikTok account.

A coming-of-age story of young queer teens in Australia in the 70s, written in beautifully lyrical, endearing and heartbreaking prose.

The book is littered with poetry, fanciful experimental prose, and tragic plots. It follows two young female protagonists, and the decisions they make as they live through an environment of homophobia and violence, particularly how the gay community was affected by the AIDs crisis. While that sounds like a dark read, and it is, this novel is also so life-affirming and poignant, finding the joys in a world filled with sorrow, especially for the most vulnerable communities, that you can't help but love it. This book reads quick, many of the chapters being structured as poems or feelings more than a devoted deep dive into characterization. Less is more in this novel, and it really works.

This is a book for people who love literature packed with gut punches, flawed and complicated female protagonists, and poetic, self-indulgent narratives. This is a debut book, and reads like it, so I'll rate this a strong 4.5.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*A Language of Limbs* by Dylin Hardcastle is a beautifully crafted novel that intertwines the lives of two women over three decades, exploring themes of love, identity, and the choices that define us. Hardcastle's poetic prose and vivid character development create an immersive experience, capturing the complexities of queer life with tenderness and authenticity. The narrative's structure, alternating between the two protagonists' perspectives, allows readers to deeply connect with their journeys and the poignant moments that shape their paths. This novel is a heartfelt celebration of resilience, community, and the enduring power of love.

This story is exceptional—definitely one of my top reads of 2025. The characters are richly developed, and their struggles are profoundly impactful, often leaving a lasting impression.

This will likely be a queer classic! I've never read anything like this. The way the author wove small moments from both lives into one another was breathtaking and heartbreaking in equal measure. It really shows how close we always are to a life full of different choices. How a life could have been something else, entirely, if we only made one decision differently.

I requested and received and eARC of A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle via NetGalley. Two teenage girls undergo a sexual awakening in 1970s Australia. Their lives nearly intersect through many pivotal moments. The novel follows their lives against the backdrop of the Australia's first Mardi Gras, the AIDS epidemic, and the loves and losses that color their lives.

Describing this novel is a bit difficult, something I realized as I tried to encapsulate the plot in a quick blurb. The prose in this novel is filled with such an urgency that tearing myself away from it felt like an impossibility. I could easily describe it as poetic or lyrical or any of those tired phrases we use to express narrative beauty, but I’m not sure they would quite touch upon what I felt while reading this novel. It really grabbed my attention from the beginning and guided me through the experiences of these women so vividly and tenderly.

Hardcastle throws all the good, bad, and ugly into the fold with a truly edifying result. Queerness isn’t presented as a monolith, but rather as an individualized, nuanced experience as it should be. There were moments when I laughed, moments when I cried. I ached for these characters and all they endured; I cheered for them during moments of triumph and joy. This is a short, but impactful work that has proven to be a personal reading highlight for the year.

At its core, this is a story about love. This book is set during the AIDS crisis in Australia during the 1970s/1980s and the general queer experience during that time. It follows two women as they navigate life, love, and struggles. As a bisexual woman, this book was a really inspiring and impactful read. I recommend mend it to anyone who is interested to learn about and just appreciate the pain queer people have gone though in the past few decades. I finished this book with pride and can't wait to read more from this author.

This book was ASTOUNDING. When I say that I sobbed while reading... my god. The writing is so poetic. The story is heartbreaking. And beautiful. This story broke me down and then built me back up. Dylin Hardcastle is an auto-read author for me now.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy. This was an absolutely gorgeous book. I adored the way it was written and the ability to tell such a great story in not too many words. I took my time with this one and its going to stick with me for a while.

Once I got past the writing style, I realized enjoyed this book. The lack of quotation marks just took a little bit to get used to. That’s a me problem though.

".. 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘩, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸.."

You can’t blame a young thing for how moves, let alone how it feels.
To be at the mouth of adulthood is to feel everything before feelings become a reserve for how we stay in the world.
It suffers from not being able to kill all your darlings. Everything is here. The run on sentences. Details that would work better on the surface but tell too much. It’s all too much. The love. The bedroom poetry. The lust. The longing.

But it’s grief as maturity that allows our narrator to become something more for themselves. The bad poetry remains, but when we know love dies in parts, do we learn to grow out of the things that keep us young.

This is writing from direct pain. This is writing straight from the heart. This is writing that could use an editor. But in its unfiltered existence, it reminds me too much of being young and dumb with all my feelings, and whenever I’m in harmony with these old feelings, I can’t help but be back, think back, to heartaches and pains and even all the great glories that made me who I am today.

As a teen who read Genet and Palahniuk, it’s a fine young adult novel that reinforces and validates all those big feelings. All with heart and truth.

"..𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰. 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦."

this was such a gorgeously written book! from the beginning to the end, i was so invested in these two stories and how different but alike they were. i unfortunately kept getting a bit mixed up on who's POV we were reading at times but overall i couldn't recommend this one enough!

A historical LBGTQIA novel that tells the alternating stories of two queer protagonists. They are referred to (a bit on the nose) as Limb One and Limb Two. Giving two perspectives allows the acceptance of more than one "right" way to be queer through their story.

This is a beautifully written, poetic story about teenagers in Australia and how their lives intersect. I felt the story was moving, but the writing was a bit overdone at certain times. Overall I enjoyed it.

A poetic look at the lives of two women who take two different paths in life, but are forever linked by their first brush with love. This is a queer coming of age story set against the backdrop of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Australia and the start of the AIDS crisis.

This is a very well written book with a great story to tell. The main characters are both equally fleshed out and whose stories are given equal attention. The historical backdrop of the story was intriguing and informative. I know very little of the gay rights movement, so it was interesting learning about the movement in other parts of the world.

This is a compelling queer read that reflects the ties that bind us all.

There was a point while reading this novel where I almost gave up on it because I felt I was not getting it. But, I kept reading and it turned into one of the most beautiful examples of how the use of language can just turn your emotions into a rollercoaster.

Read this!

An absolutely gorgeous book following two different representations of queer life in Australia starting in the early 1970s. In one limb of the story a teenage girl is caught by her parents while she’s hooking up with her best friend. After being cast out of her home she makes her way to Sydney where she meets a community of other queer people. In the other limb of the story a teen girl squashes down her feelings for her best friend and never acts on them. She ends up in Sydney to attend university, but always stays on the outside protests and progress that’s going on.

This book is full of so much queer joy as well as pain. It’s so great getting to see the vibrant community and how they work to protect one another and fight for change. But then it’s also devastating to read as the book goes through the 80s and AIDS starts wiping out the community. I loved hearing about the art that the different characters were making and how they were translating their experiences into paintings, poetry, and more.

Dylin Hardcastle’s writing really brought this story to life. I felt like it was rich and descriptive without ever feeling overwritten. The symmetry that was used between the two limbs of the story added a lot to the reading experience.

I definitely recommend checking this book out if you enjoy stories about queer history, coming of age, and beautiful writing.

Set in 1970s Australia, the book follows August through two diverging lives: one where she embraces her queerness and finds solace in a queer commune in Sydney, and another where she pushes her desires aside and heads to university, pretending everything's fine. It's like watching two versions of yourself play out in parallel, and the pain comes from knowing that each choice means leaving something behind.

Hardcastle's prose is hauntingly beautiful, a thick, golden web that draws you in and leaves you tangled in the spaces between the lines. The characters are so vivid, their love so tender, their regrets so palpable - it's like reading the softest, most heartbreaking love letter, except it's written not with ink, but with memories and the raw vulnerability of a body that cannot lie.

This novel moves through pivotal moments - protests, hospital rooms, and the crushing weight of the AIDS crisis - where the physical and emotional distance between the two Augusts grows and shrinks in heartbreaking synchrony. By the end, you're left not just with a love story, but with a stark reminder: how often do we miss the people, the choices, the love we were meant to have because we didn't have the courage to make a different choice?

Again, a huge thank you to Dutton for the advanced digital copy - this novel is an elegy, a reminder of the joy and the grief that can coexist in every decision we make. It's tender, visceral, and quietly devastating.

Definitely 5/5 limbs...errr...stars (and a lot of tears, and I mean a lot)