The Times I knew I Was Gay was a delightful graphic memoir that will be deeply relatable for anyone who took time to figure out their own sexuality. I was also an adult before I really started figuring out my sexuality (or my gender) so this was a breath of fresh air and at times like looking into a mirror. Not everything in it was relatable of course, and it doesn't need to be, but it was still great to see so many parts of myself reflected in the story of someone whose overall background is fairly different from my own. I do wish parts of it had gone more in depth, but overall this is a great read. It manages to be enlightening and relatable while also being quite fun and genuinely funny. Anyone still figuring themselves out might find this helps them along.

This graphic memoir is about coming out and growing up. Ellie had a close group of friends as a kid, but she always felt different. She dated boys but didn’t feel the same way about them as her friends did. Ellie came out multiple times before having the courage to live as her true self.

This was an original coming of age memoir. In most stories, when a character comes out, it’s a single moment that changes the course of their life. This book gave another perspective, where a person has to come out many times before finally deciding to live that way. Even though Ellie knew she was gay, she continued dating boys because that’s what her friends did. When she finally accepted herself, she was able to live her true life.

I loved this original graphic memoir!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a lot of memoirs, and a lot of graphic novels, but this was the first memoir/graphic novel I've ever read, and I loved it! In THE TIMES I KNEW I WAS GAY, author Elanor Crewes tells the story of her life, and how she was able to come out as a lesbian.

I related to this story so much and saw a lot of myself in it. From the pink and black elastics on her braces, to not really knowing how to talk about boys, and discussing queerness in Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. While my life is not exactly the same as the author's, I was able to see a lot of similarities, which helped me think through my own sexual orientation, and it was extremely comforting and helpful.

Knowing that you're not alone is important, and I hope this book finds its way into the hands of others, especially young readers who may be struggling with their own unique identities. This story is honest and funny, and an important one to read.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley.

It always amazes me how much information and power a graphic novel can hold. Ellie Crewes' The Times I Knew I Was Gay is no different. A memoir of her experiences of coming-out (many times) will serve as an excellent conversation starter for many young people as they question their own sexual identity, and/or help their friends on this journey. Crewes looks back on her journey of self-identity, and self-acceptance, with a candid eye, and shares her experiences in a very accessible manner. Her artwork supports the story well, and does not detract from her message.

As a cishet woman, I appreciated Crewes' open and honest writing style, and her disclosures about her process of coming out, first to herself, and then to others in her life. Her emphasis on the fact that this was a journey, and that she actually came out several times over the years was informative, and a reminder of how important it is to listen to others' stories and experiences, rather than jumping to conclusions. Her idea of coming out of a closet was particularly striking for me, and will resonate in the future.

CW: bullying, homophobia, internalized homophobia, anxiety, eating disorder

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster Canada for the advanced reading copy, in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

I’m a simple girl. I see an autobiography about being gay and I love.

And although I’m a sucker for any and all books on this topic, The Times I Knew I Was Gay is definitely one of the most memorable. Of course, the art is absolutely adorable and should honestly transcend any issues anyone has with this book. It’s seriously adorable, and so easy on the eyes.

However, if I’m being honest, the reason I haven’t rated this five stars is because it’s a graphic novel. Not to diminish the charm and wonderful aspects of this novel that simply wouldn’t be achievable if it weren’t one, I think that the issues it covers could have been dealt with in more detail. What was said was beautifully and with incredible grace and clarity, but I think it could have benefited from spending a little more time on the issues- especially the in between space where she was going to the therapist but hadn’t yet come to terms with being gay. This is not a fault of only this graphic novel, but rather pretty much every one I’ve ever encountered. There simply isn’t enough space to delve too deeply into topics that could maybe benefit from it.

Beyond this, oh boy, did I love this novel.

Crewes’s voice and her emotion are so strong throughout the reading experience. It’s clear this- not just coming out and realizing she was gay, but writing this novel as well- was and is a very emotional experience for her, and it’s visible on every page. This is truly her story, something unique and personal to herself, and yet at the same time so very important and personal for what I’m sure will be a huge crowd of readers to come.

Although there are a million small things I’d love to pinpoint that I loved about this, I’ll stick to the basics.

The most important things, maybe, to note within Crewes’s story that you perhaps don’t hear too often are thus: that she didn’t even realize there was a closet to be stuck in, and that she didn’t come out once, but five times. Within popular LGBTQ+ media, I’ve noticed that the characters always seem to know that they’re gay and when they reveal this to others, they only do it once. And then it’s done. It’s over. They’re out, officially. But that wasn’t the case for myself, certainly, and it wasn’t for Crewes. It won’t be for many LGBTQ+ youth, and it is so important to acknowledge that heteronormativity can, in fact, run that deep. So deep that you might even say you’re gay, but then take it back the next morning. So deep that you might not know what “gay” means anyway, or not ever consider it a possibility for yourself. And it’s as important to acknowledge that as it is to remember that no matter how deep it runs, you’ll dig your way out of the hole eventually.

Crewes’s story is unique, bold, emotional, and important. I can’t begin to express my pleasure at a novel like this soon being out in the world for anyone to stumble upon and see themselves reflected on the pages.

Recommended to any LGBTQ+ folks!

Spoiler alert: she got her happy ending, by the way. You can, too.

“But what’s funny for me is that I didn’t even know that there was a closet- or that I was very much stuck inside it.”

This is my first graphic novel read and I really enjoyed it. I found myself immersed in her story and turning the pages to find out more. It reminds you that not everyone’s journey is the same. And it’s not always this ‘coming out of the closet’ moment that happens once. And while she seemed to have some genuine supportive people in her life... sometimes it’s more about the work you need to do within. For me, it had some eye opening moments, that made me want to be that much more of a supportive ally. The artwork was light and fun, with some varieties in texture that I enjoyed. I felt it ended a bit abruptly but had a great epilogue. This book would be fantastic especially for LGTBQ+ youth just discovering their identity.

I was graciously provided a free ARC for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It’s a relatable coming of age story about finding who you are. A think a lot of people will be able to connect with the story. The illustrations were adorable.

4.5

The story follows Ellie from a child in elementary school all the way up to when she is in her early twenties. It explores Ellie's struggles with fitting in, having an eating disorder and dealing with her sexuality.

Ellie as a character is precious. She is very relatable and experiences a lot of thing many of the readers can relate with. I also liked how the author specifically says how coming out doesn't need to be on big event. She shows us a different type of story through this book, where she comes out many time, even finally feeling accepted and with one owns skin doesn't all happen at once.

I also really enjoyed reading her story one she did came out and started to find love. Her whole demeanour changes and all for the better. Her happiness is immediately felt by the reader. Crewes did a wonderful job in conveying her emotions through the novel and threw such simple illustrations.

I would recommend this book if you love reading OwnVoices, LGBTQ+ voices or coming to age stories.

I very enjoyable read!

I received this free copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

<i> arc kindly provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

I didn’t know who Eleanor was until I read this book but I am so glad that I got a chance to read this and learn her story on her figuring out that she is queer.

As a queer person myself, I related to so much of her story. This had me tearing up, angry, sad and happy among a myriad of other emotions. I truly think that this is a story that needed and deserved to be out there in the world so that other queer kids will be able to discover this and hopefully relate and find themselves among the pages.

This is something I wish I had when I was younger and figuring myself out.

This was just absolutely phenomenal in every aspect and I am so so glad I was offered the chance to read this early. Please, please check this one out! The doodles are adorable and Eleanor’s story was so impactful and so important for queer folk everywhere.

I don’t normally rate non-fiction but in this instance, I need to.

5/5 🌟

TW: homophobia, internalized homophobia, bullying, eating disorder.

Just the title of The Times I Knew I Was Gay let me know I needed to read it ASAP, as a queer lady myself, I have these moments often and I knew I would relate.

This book was a treat, a coming of age story of figuring yourself out when you don't really even realize you're "in the closet" is really one of the most relatable things I've read in a long time. I didn't have this big lightbulb moment or this life-long understanding of being queer and it was just so lovely to read the story of someone else who understands this. The illustrations in this were also just adorable and I loved every minute of it. Such a nice change to traditional coming out stories.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this copy to review!

This story is geared towards YA due to the number of issues that it deals with. It opens up a chance to have many conversations with teens, while supporting those who need it.

I had just finished "Annie on my mind" when I started this graphic novel, and the first thing that came to my mind reading this is "why do gay people have to suffer so much all the time?!". It was more of a "I'm fed up with this" thought than a discovery, though.
So this is the story of Ellie coming-outs (yes with a "s") and how she struggled to accept herself as a lesbian when she was young, and how that complicated path eventually led her to find her first great love. That was a pleasant read.

Thanks a lot to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

I became interested in reading "The Times I Knew I Was Gay" by Eleanor Crewes, after seeing the cover, reading the synopsis, and realizing it was a graphic novel. I had always wanted to start reading graphic novels but had never gotten around to it, so receiving a copy of this graphic novel from Simon and Schuster Canada via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, was incredibly exciting!

"The Times I Knew I Was Gay" is a short, seemingly autobiographical graphic novel about a young woman grappling with her sexuality throughout various times in her life, and it's a story that I think anyone on the LGBTQ+ spectrum can relate to in some way, as it drives home the point that everyone's experience with self-discovery and coming out can be vastly different. Our main character Ellie was messy and raw and real, and her story was so perfectly imperfect. I truly do believe this story has an important and necessary message.

That said, I wasn't completely sold on the art style. Eleanor Crewes is unquestionably a talented artist, but I felt as though the art style was TOO simplistic, at times. The e-ARC copy that I received also had really weird formatting that made it somewhat difficult to keep track of what exactly was happening and that also impacted my enjoyment of the story so hopefully, that will be fixed in the final copy.

Overall, this was a good read, I did definitely enjoy it, but I didn't LOVE it. It's a solid 3.5 out of 5 from me. "The Times I Knew I Was Gay" is scheduled for release on October 6, 2020. Special thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for allowing me to read it early!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an eARC of The Times I Knew I was Gay in exchange for an honest review.

I've talked a lot about the lack of unique questioning queer-lit so I was so, so overjoyed to read The Times I Knew I Was Gay! Eleanor Crewes takes us through all the moment in her life she probably should have figured out that she was gay and the cycle of denial she got trapped in.

Obviously I can't speak for every queer experience, but Eleanor's felt the most realistic of anything I've read recently. I really liked the emphasis on not even knowing you're in the closet and the display of 'coming out' as a collection of small little moments instead of one large, dramatic one.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay is a short and sweet graphic novel about dating and identity and a little bit of Buffy.