This workbook was more of an information/resource guide than workbook, yet it had all the helpful definitions and phonelines queer autistic people may find helpful. With helpful journal ideas and fun quizzes, this guide was not too overwhelming whilst being informative and interactive.

I really wish I'd had access to something like this when I was a teen/young adult. It's so incredibly valuable to have these concepts explained in an accessible and clear way. I think this should be in every education institute around the UK.

I really liked several things about this Workbook. Firstly, I loved that the information was presented without bias, especially when talking about sex, consent, and relationships. There was no shaming or judgement, it just presented the information in a clear and bias-free way. That might sound minor but it's so important to be able to discuss these things or think about them without feeling like someone is judging you for it. Sex eduation for teenagers is pretty terrible, without considering queerness, neurodivergency, and other factors that can limit the access someone has to information and a judgement-free environment to talk and ask questions. It was so refreshing to see. Next, I really liked how the information was presented. It was so accessible, with clearly laid out infographics, and written in a way that wasn't patronising or demeaning, which resources aimed at teenagers can be. Concepts were explained in simple, plain language. This is especially important from a neurodivergent perspective. I know myself I can get easily overwhelmed when presented with a lot of information, especially if it's around a topic that feels scary to approach or think about. Therefore, it was great that it broke larger concepts down and explained everything really clearly. I especially liked the parts where you could get creative; thinking about what outfit you'd wear to pride or what your pride flag would look like was a really genius way to get teenagers to start thinking about their identity, without it feeling daunting.

This book also has some fantastic resources such as helplines. I sincerely hope they'll never be needed but they include homelessness charities and charities to help SA/rape victims.

Every year the amount of resources for queer/neurodivergent people increases, especially for young people and it warms my heart to see.

I really wish I had access to this workbook when I was a teen. It's FULL of incredible resources, and the information is shared in a relatable and shame-free way. Complex concepts are explained in a down-to-earth way that is highly accessible. It's a breath of fresh air that I hope many readers get to experience.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book/workbook. I might rate it a little higher if I’d read the accompanying book. It does have good information in it, but it didn’t go in depth on each topic enough. My main reason for reducing the star rating is the illustrations, especially the cartoon giraffe, were very off-putting. They seemed child-like whereas the text content was very much NOT child-like (specifically the details about sexual arousal).
Also, devoting pages and pages to resources to reach out to seemed like page filler to me.

Really helpful guide for any teen seeking to understand more about their gender and sexuality, full of easy to understand information and comprehensive resources. I liked that it was thorough without being overwhelming, that there were helpful reflective questions alongside space to write down your thoughts. A few tweaks maybe needed if this is also to be an online resource, as the formatting was a bit off in places. Could also be gone through in a group situation or with parents/caregivers.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book for autistic teens - or adults, honestly - who are exploring their identity with relationships and/or gender.
The workbook has a solid mixture of information with sections to fill out for further thought. It covers the basics in easy-to-understand language and then dives in further. Topics include everything from types of orientations, differentiating between forms of attraction/relationships, boundaries, healthy relationships, gender identity and presentation, forms of transitioning, finding community, coming out, etc. I especially appreciated the included sections on consent and abuse, since it's both an important topic in general and because it's sadly not uncommon for autistic people to experience such abuse (as someone who has also experienced it myself).
The book had a few sections where the wording made me a little uncomfortable at first, but the author did a good job at clarifying that people have varied experiences and ways of defining things.
Overall, great book. I wish I had something like this when I was younger.

This was a great read! Although the ARC was digital, I imagined what I would write down on each of the interactive sections, and I can see this being really useful to other queer autistic people, especially younger people still figuring things out, or people fairly new to their diagnosis. I felt really seen and understood reading this, as it’s an Own Voices title so you can be reassured the author knows their material! Definitely worth picking up if you or someone you know is queer and/or autistic, and wants a bit of advice figuring things out, especially the ‘unwritten rules’.

A short and to the point booklet explaining basic terms around gender, sexual orientation, types of relationships, and covering subjects like coming out, consent, recognizing red flags / abuse in relationships, safety and privacy while online, etc., incl. various hotlines and organizations to turn to in case of situations like gender dysphoria or risk of homelessness, and also happier subjects like queer media and communities.

Because it's so short, I find covering this many different subjects created a feeling of lack of focus. Subjects like protecting your privacy online or recognizing abusive relationships or what is consent aren't really specific to being queer or neurodivergent, they're general subjects for everyone to get educated about.

The downside is that very little space is dedicated to neurodivergence / autism and it's mostly mentioned in passing how "a lot of ND people are LGBTQ+" or "a lot of ND people are trans/have non-cis gender identity", a few times sensory issues are mentioned, for example around touch or aversion to specific clothes, or communication issues, but very little space is dedicated to debating how autistic queer experience differs from general queer experience, and what extra steps and precautions should be taken except packing your fidget spinner with you (I swear I'm a bad ND person because fidget spinners drive me crazy with the sounds they make).

The "quizzes" promised in the blurb were more general knowledge tests like "who designed the pride flag" or "what is queerplatonic relationship" or "which of the following scenarios portrays proper consent", but not really what I expected, i.e. quizzes helping the user understand their identity if they're confused (at teen age, I was confused a lot) or anything to do with autism.

It provides a lot of useful entry-level information, but I feel too little space was devoted to neurodivergence, its overlap with queerness, and how to understand yourself in this intersectional identity, and too much of the overall space was devoted to a bucket list of subjects that apply to all teens not specifically queer or autistic ones.

Unfortunately, I suspect some of the illustrations were missing in this ARC, I hope that will be rectified for the final version (for example, the various pride flags).

Thank you Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Erin Ekin’s Queerly Autistic Workbook is beautiful, affirming, and so so full of acceptance and love. If I could go back in time to meet my past teenage self, I’d bring this workbook with me.

I also really appreciated the focus on safety and the care the author has put in to make sure reader’s feel safe and know what to do to stay safe.

I wish this resource existed decades sooner to help elder queer autistic people understand themselves earlier in life but I am so grateful this is in the world for THIS generation and isn't shying away from hard topics while still prioritizing the safety and authenticity of anyone picking it up.