I went outside my genre for Pulp, but I am glad I did.

This book is about two queer women in the 50's. Abby is a member of a family in turmoil in the present day. She finds solace in pulp fiction comics. She centers around one book particularly and becomes obsessed with the book and the author. Since the author had only written one book, Abby takes on the task of finding out why and what happened to her.

This dual POV takes us to Janet, a queer teen who also finds comfort in pulp fiction. With the books to keep her leveled, she finds solace in the fact that she is not alone, and that there are others just like her. Inspired, she sets out to write a book of her own. That brings us to the two periods and discover how they intertwine.

I loved the world building. You can feel how different the two periods are, and the character development was top notch. The themes of love and loss are present and done beautifully.

I have never read a book like this before, and I hope there are more like it to come.

"Pulp" is an excellent exploration of what it was like to be lgbtq+ during the McCarthy era, as well as what it is like in the present day. Not only is it entertaining, it is also educational. My knowledge was minimal about the "Lavender Scare" and I didn't even know about the popularity of lesbian pulp fiction during the 1950s. It's led me to do further research into the subjects. Recommended!

I rated this closer to 3.5 stars than 4, but don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise of the plot, and the way the stories of Janet and Abby were interwoven. My main issue was how hard it was to keep track of everything going on, what with the pen names and the excerpts from Janet's and Abby's OWN books included in Pulp as well. It got overwhelming after a certain point to keep track of everyone and everything going on. The other issue I had with Pulp was that I just didn't really care too much about Abby, one of the main characters. I enjoyed her as a character, but she just kind of fell flat for me in a way I'm not quite sure how to describe.

Other than those two issues, I really liked Pulp. The writing style was great, and as someone who spent their formative years in the Washington DC/northern Virginia area, it was great to read a book that takes place there, and to actually know where things are and what people are talking about in the book! I was especially thrilled to see mention of Danica Roem and I really, really enjoyed the sense of realism that the setting in Pulp gave me.

Overall I really liked Pulp, and would recommend it to friends and interested readers.

This was...an okay book. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. It was just an eh book. That mainly had to do with the fact that I liked certain POV's better than others. Even the fact that it was a queer historical fiction book kept me wanting to read on.

This was my first book by Robin Talley that I've read and if I'm being honest like I am in every review, this one just didn't do it for me. I did like the writing style but the story just was meh. I'm not sure if I should give this author another shot or not, we shall see.

A beautiful story of love and the troubles they went through trying to just love another. Janet is strong and tough and takes on bravery in a new way.

I felt like the story jumped too much between the present and the past. While the present story was somewhat interesting, the flashbacks were actually the most interesting of the story.

I'm doing it. I'm DNFing this book. It's been too long on my "currently reading" shelf and after reading 61%, I still don't really enjoy it. It was way too easy for me to put this book down and not wanting to pick it back up. Pulp was just not very engaging to me. The premise was great and I had high hopes for it. I wanted to love it but it's not the case. I didn't really like the characters all that much and the fact that the MC was looking for the real identity of an author who used a pen name for a reason didn't sit well with me. (even though the MC had good intentions) If the author wants or needs to be anonymous, let them be anonymous! You don't get to dig into their lives like it's nothing.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an arc of this book via Netgalley)

there is something relentless and powerful about the heart it takes to be queer – to live in the shadows of the past and to work so hard in the present. to love someone in the shadows, to risk your social status and your job and your family simply to be yourself, to be alone no longer, is an inherently brave act; to be in love is brave but to hide it and fight for it is braver. and yet at some point queerness is no longer about some grand romance, but about the freedom to be, the community created by a shared experience that is as horrifying as it is beautiful.

and to all of those who fought so hard in the 1950s for the lives they wanted, and all of those who fought their battles and waged their wars in the name of community – thank you.

review to come. (god can you tell I’m crying writing this)

Entertaining and informative, however there were two large issues for me. The first is the portrayal of the life of Abby in current times. I found her overly accepting family and LGBT friends to be a bit too ideal. There are still a lot of issues faced today that I would have liked to see highlighted, such as those who still grow up without any LGBT role models around them, or supportive parents/friends. The second was the characters themselves. While the story was fine, I wish the characters had a little more to them.

This book is about a young teen by name Abby who sets out to Do a huge school assignment for her writing class but she is not sure what she should do the assignment on. So with a little help from her teacher she ends up exploring the Careers of original Lesbian Literature authors from the 50s. Along the way we also have the story Janet Jones who lives in the 1950s. Janet is a Lesbian but cannot be out and the open for the fear of Death. But Janet stumbles on Lesbian Romance and learns to better Understand who she is and what she wants. Eventually through the love of Literature, Politics and discrimination these two young women stories cross and end up exploring so much about life.

I rated this book a five stars because it was the first real new adult LBGTQPlus novel that deeply explore so many amazing topics. I love how Robin put in the real research behind a book and literature in general. So much of this book explores the deep ends of writing and researching an actual story that will become a book. I love how much Robin explore the 1950s and the history of Lesbian Authors. I can't begin to explain how amazing the writing was develop in this book. So worth the read and I will recommend it to everyone

Robin Talley is usually a hit or a miss for me and unfortunately, this was a miss. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of Pulp.

I’ve been waiting to read more Robin Talley, having read her in Toil & Trouble and Feral Youth. I also want to read more f/f romance, making Pulp the perfect choice.

The basic premise of Pulp is told in two alternating timelines, modern day, where Abby is studying 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, and 1955, where Janet can not be open about her love for Marie.

Oh, how I loved this story.

First, I love books told in alternate voices. Alternate timelines. Intersected in so many ways. It worked BIG TIME in this book and spoke to how far we’ve come (and reality in where we still need to go). I was interested in Janet’s story in her own right and also through Abby’s eyes. To say I marathoned this book is an underestimate.

It was heartbreaking to read Janet’s story and know that so many people lived that experience. I can only imagine what Robin’s research process for this story was like. Also, can we get a room at The Ripped Bodice full of lesbian pulp fiction? #automaticTBR

Abby is also trying to find her way and to see her explore who she is through fiction (and reality) is such a treat. To see herself and her community in books. Her overall development through the story. Ugh, it’s just SO.GOOD.

This story was educational on so many levels. I hope it makes its way into many classrooms, bookclubs, and libraries (it landed in mine!). The audio is fantastic and I love that Robin read the author’s note!

Pulp was a fantastic look at LGBTQ history seen through the eyes of two teenage girls. One as she discovers the history of lesbian pulp fiction, and the other as she lives it. Talley does a superb job with both viewpoints. Equally heart-wrenching and encouraging, I recommend Pulp to anyone interested in queer history and seeing while some things have changed, we still have so far to go.

Separated by decades and a tumultuous political history, two young girls learn their true identities through lesbian pulp fiction. As one girl risks her personal safety to write a pulp novel in Washington, DC at the height of the Lavender Scare, her contemporary has to navigate a tense family life while also trying to get over her ex-girlfriend. Abby, the modern girl, throws herself into the world of 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, and comes out of it desperate to unravel the mystery of her most treasured author in the field. This book was absolutely wonderful, tearing at your heartstrings while also educating readers on the lesser-known danger of being gay at the height of the Cold War.

Thank you for the early copy.

The historical fiction element was interesting and I liked how it went back and forth between the past and present. I will be checking more of Robin Talley's novels in the future.

A very interesting exploration of a pivotal piece of queer history. I absolutely loved reading on as Abby learned more and more about the "taboo" literature that made so many queer women feel seen. This book so wonderfully illustrated the importance of representation in media. It shows us how far we've come, and inspires us to continue striving toward a future where everybody can see themselves positively and accurately represented in the books they read.

One Sentence Synopsis: First heartbreaks, resilience, and change told from two young women, generations apart.

Why You Should Be Reading: Talley’s “Pulp” is a fun, yet serious take on being a queer youth during varying and unforgiving times. Through two perspectives you gain an understanding of how things have changed for us (the LGBTQ+ community) for the better, and how things still remain the same, no matter how much time has passed. At the heart of this story is also a tale of love, danger, and desire.

You want Janet Jones and Abby Zimet to end up happy and to get past the woes in their lives because they love women in a world/time/place where that is still frowned upon in various levels. But you understand that the two young women connected through words and time might fail, experience loss, and come to seperate conclusions about what love is and what it’s worth.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, LGBT

Other Books by Robin Talley: A Tyranny of Petticoats, As I Descended, Our Own Private Universe

Learn more about the author HERE.

Buy Pulp HERE.

Add Pulp to your Goodreads HERE.

This was just ok? I loved the premise of this story, what it promised to be. I still think it was very creative, the story picks up right away. But the wiring was just mediocre, and this really brought it down for me. It was hard to get into. This was a story that was so exciting concept, but fell flat in execution. However, if you're not as picky, and story trumps writing for you, you may still enjoy this.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't Bad. But it was nothing special either.

really enjoyed this book and read it actually in a few hours even though it is pretty lengthy.

The first thing I enjoyed about this book is the discussion of the past & present. I enjoyed how this book looks at being gay in the 1950s and comparing it to now. I don’t feel that there are enough historical fiction books about the LGBT+ community. So having a book that is both contemporary and historical fiction about young lesbian women is really cool. I also enjoyed that the book discusses lesbian pulp fiction novels. These novels were both good and bad in the fact that they were books featuring women who loved other women, but to be published the books required the women to either die (usually by suicide) or “realize” they were actually straight. These pulp fiction novels are not ones that I usually see discussed or are really well known to many people. So being able to learn more about them through this book and to be able to help others learn more about them is phenomenal.

Something else I enjoyed about the book is the relationships we get to see the characters have, especially Janet. I really liked the friendships we see Janet make with the people she meets in her area who are gay and also in New York. I really like the relationship she has with Marie (without giving away too much the ending of this book for me in bittersweet regarding the rest of Janet’s life…the bitter part being specifically about her and Marie). I enjoyed Abby’s story too with the research she does and all the people she meets. I love seeing Abby’s complicated relationship with her family and her mentorship regarding her advisor. The relationships in this book are not only fantastic regarding the exclusivity of the past and present, but in the fact that they all seem to come together in the end.

If I had to say something I didn’t like in the book I guess it was that I felt there was a little too much filler at times and that certain parts took longer to get to than need be. I wished the book had been quicker to get to certain parts of the story and that SPOILER ALERT



the relationship between Marie and Janey had worked out & they ended up together. Those are honestly though my only real complaints.



Overall this was a pretty good book. I think it discusses topics not talked much about and has a really interesting way of combining the past and present. I enjoyed the characters, especially the relationships and friendships we get to see them make over the years. I only wished it had been a little shorter and that a certain relationship had worked out. While I know not everyone has access to the ARC if you have access to an eARC or physical ARC of this book then I would read it especially during PRIDE month. For everyone else make sure to pick this up at your local library or book store in November.