The story of Joey and Henry that we experience throughout this book is beautifully written. From ensuring there is a safe place out there for the others in their community and helping build up other businesses around as well, you see that they are exemplary people and they love others very deeply. Clubbed is a safe haven, and so much goes into keeping it going. This was a beautifully written story of how the community comes together and works for the greater good.

Highly, highly recommend this read! Robert Karl did an amazing job with this! I'm ready for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc in return for an honest review!

This was a great blast from the past despite the time being difficult for gay men due to the hatred towards queers and AIDS flaring up
.
The main character Joey perfectly describes the loneliness in the beginning of the book when you're at that age where you are starting to wonder who you truly are and how other people factor into your life especially when it turns out you're not like your straight peers.

I enjoyed reading this piece of fictional and historical art and it makes me miss the feeling of sneaking into a secret gay club even though it's not really secret. It did feel like stepping into a closed off private world only shared by queer peers.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Joey, a white gay man, as he goes throughout his life, from a gay youth struggling with his identity to an adult who has come into himself. Joey's story is interwoven with the stories of countless others in the LGBTQ+ community, making it compelling to read. We watch as Joey's social circle expands after opening the club called Sanctuary. From there, we get quick insights into a number of different characters, and follow Joey as he falls deeper in love with his lover, Henry.

The story at its core is interesting and important, but the execution was not my favorite, unfortunately. I didn't like the writing style as much as I wanted to, and I found it hard to connect with the characters since there were so many of them and we saw most of them featured only a few times and relegated to the background in other instances. However, if you want to read a portrayal of what it was like to be gay back in the late 1900s, this book does a good job of painting that picture. Sadly, it just wasn't for me, I guess.

Clubbed is a tale of gay life in Philadelphia around 1980. The main character has opened a club at the young age of 19. It becomes successful. Clubbed is the story of that club and its owners and patrons. It makes for a good read, although it is uneven in the tales it tells.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The gay scene in Philadelphia in the ’70s. Being a child of the ’70s and a native Philadelphian, I was keen to read this to learn all the things I missed because 1- I was too young, and 2- I was in massive denial.

Reading this was not what I expected. I expected a bit of a history lesson, I guess. A this happened at this spot on this date and all was fun, drugs, and sex until Aids hit like a freight train and so many men, young and old, were struck down way too early. I may not have known about the “Gayborhood” but I did know what Aids was doing to this city.

What I found here was akin to sitting down with that favorite gay uncle, who likes to tell you about the good days, the days before it all went to hell and the dancing stopped. That uncle, who tries so hard to make you understand what they lost by first explaining what they had.

The book is well written and full of stories I wish I had been old enough to remember. I would have loved Aphrodite’s, the Lesbian bar in Sanctuary. I would have loved to be part of the gayborhood and I’m not only sad I missed the good times, I saw the dark and it still haunts me, and probably every LGBT person who was around when Aids was a death sentence.

Reading about the early days of Gay liberation in Philadelphia makes me proud of how much these men and women did and gave to make life bearable for those who were disenfranchised. And to hear how inclusive and diverse Sanctuary was made by Mr. Karl and his partner Henry. Something that is sadly, still an issue today in the Gayborhood.

So many stories, some sad, some uplifting. But yes, each story deserves to be told. And the young generation of LGBTQ today, who has no idea what it was like in the ’70s & ’80s needs to read these stories. They are important and relevant.

Thanks to @Netgalley, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Robert A Karl, for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Clubbed: A Story of Gay Love: Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs by Robert Karl is a powerful work of historical fiction set in Philadelphia of the 70’s and 80’s and celebrates and illustrates the diversity of the queer community. It is an unflinching look at a community’s struggles and victories as witnesses through the eyes of the story’s narrator and central character, Joey, who owns and operates a gay club call Sanctuary. ⠀
⠀
Clubbed is the perfect blend of historical fact and captivating fiction. There is a strong romantic element but this is not what you would typically categorize as a gay romance. We see not only a representation of romantic love but more importantly the love for community and a way of life that is worth fighting and dying for. Robert Karl gives us an accurate and revealing glimpse into queer life of the era. And like any life, there is a mixture of humor, wit, love and tragedy. This moving and enlightening piece of queer literature should be a must read for every gay millennial who was born into a more inclusive and accepting world. Clubbed concludes at the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, but is only the first in a trilogy. I eagerly await the next installment which most assuredly will be an emotional and heartbreaking continuation. Do yourselves a favor and read this book, whether for the historical knowledge or as a reminiscence of a period of your youth, this story has something important to offer. ⠀

I enjoyed reading this book, I enjoyed that it was set in the club scene of the 70s/80s USA as this is a scene i have heard a lot about but never read a story that is set during it. It was emotive, moving, funny and fabulous. I loved getting to know all the characters and hearing their stories. I couldnt put ti down and was sorry when it ended.