Thank you to the publishers, author and Net Galley for this Advance Reader Copy of Fake Night.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I read through it super fast and couldn't put it down.

I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good book to get into. It was incredible.

I love A.J and I love his books so much and I was intrigued to see how he fared with non-fiction.

As a white, heterosexual, cisgendered woman, I cannot pretend to understand what it meant to be a homosexual, particularly a homosexual man, back in the day, and even, to a certain degree, in today's time, and why queer bookshops can be a place of sanctuary. And so these views come from my somewhat limited perspective.

There are footnotes in this book which I generally don't like on a kindle version because the formatting goes a bit haywire. But I sought them out and I found them really interesting, and some quite moving and entertaining, and I highly recommend you read them in your finished copy.

I am a self-confessed nerd when it comes to books, writing, literature, bookshops, literary history etc. and so I was fascinated by what A.J has discovered in this book - and I've got a whole new list of bookshops to visit (like I needed an excuse).

I didn't expect to feel so angry at a book about bookshops, but in terms of the historical context around how gay, lesbian, and trans people were treated, it's just horrendous. I'm not going to put this era's views on the beliefs of people in the 1700s for example because that doesn't work. And whilst it's still not acceptable, you can accept that those views were the views of that time. But to read similar views being thrown around in the last 100 years or so, or even in my lifetime, I just can't comprehend it. Who cares if you're a man who loves a man, or a woman who loves a woman? If you're a man who doesn't think a man should sleep with another men, then don't sleep with another man. Done. Sorted. It's as simple as that. I think what A.J has done here is about more than just bookshops, it's such an important conversation to be had.

Historical non-fiction can be quite dry and overwhelming with facts. But A.J has found a good balance here. He's given us all the information we want, but he's kept the storytelling ability, wit, and his talent in talking directly to the reader that he has with his novels, which means it's informative and a joy to read.

What I really liked is that, not only has he given us the history of queer books and bookshops, he's given us the history of the world around them, and as someone who really regrets (but won't admit to because then my Mum will say "I told you so") giving up history before GCSE level, I found it fascinating.

Reading this reminded me of a moment a while back when I was ordering some books, when a stranger asked me why I was buying "gay books" if I wasn't gay? And I thought to myself...I buy books about serial killers but I'm not a serial killer - yet. What an absurd thing to think, that you can only read books written by authors and featuring characters who believe in or feel the same way as you. I have read thousands of books in my life and yes, a proportion of them will be by gay authors or feature gay characters, but I don't necessarily make it a conscious choice, I just read books. But I completely understand how important it is to have that choice, especially for younger readers who might be a bit confused by their sexuality or worried about being accepted. And to have dedicated spaces for those people to feel safe and catered for is something I have never given much thought to, I'll be honest, because it's never directly affected me. But A.J's book explains just why they are such a vital lifeline for any reader, no matter your sexuality, to find somewhere you feel you belong.

And because I don't already own 2,000+ books, I have now had to make a list of all the books he's mentioned in this book.

I read the first half one evening and the second the next morning. It was so fantastic to read, and even though there are some difficult moments in it, he's managed to infuse it with such a sense of warmth and hope.