if you've been following me for a while, you know i've had a bad streak with short story collections, to the point where i just don't think they work for me. lydia conklin's 2022 collection 'rainbow rainbow' might be the exception.

it's hard to pin down exactly what worked for me about these stories. they were all very queer & messy & complicated, and i often found myself not liking the characters in them. but it made them relatable in a lot of ways, because people are messy & complicated. the collection was short, containing only ten stories, and while some were hard to read due to their content (definitely check the content warnings prior to reading), i ultimately left this collection satisfied, which is not often the case with collections for me. definitely worth checking out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

As soon as you start reading one of Lydia Conklin's stories you are right in the middle of what feels like a very real world immediately, the scene is set so quickly. There is an emotional intimacy and intensity to each story, it often felt like I was holding my breath while reading, there is an emotional charge to each one. Many of the stories have incredible vulnerability, sometimes leaving the characters unlikeable with their confessions. I tend to have a hard time reading about characters that aren't likeable or that make me mad, but the rawness and realness of the stories made up for it. I do have to say there is one story has a fairly descriptive animal death that I had a very hard time reading and almost didn't finish, it was very upsetting. There is darkness and struggle and there is humor and joy in the wide ranging stories that take place in very different settings, time periods, and involve characters of a wide range of ages. Take care to read the content warnings, this was a heavy book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to read.

Content warnings for animal death (both passing reference and more detailed description), fatphobia, sexual assault, pedophilia, Holocaust descriptions.

This was a great collection of stories. I am not always a big fan of short story collections cause I like to get to know characters in a longer format but this one really sucked me in.

Ah I really enjoyed this one and wish that I was hearing more about it — don't worry, I'll take it upon myself!

Each story was so gorgeous, eye-opening, and unique. I especially loved the ones that followed young people working through their identities and attractions. So many of these will stick with me. I already found myself telling someone about a story as if it was really something that happened to me before I realized it was just an insanely compelling and unforgettable book. It's a great one.

It didn't completely knock me off my feet at every turn, but it did make me emotional and keep me captivated. That's all I could really ask of a book.

Thanks NetGalley+publisher for my free review copy!

I liked the exploration of transness and lesbian identities within this, but some of the stories were really off-putting in a way that made me feel weird even as a queer trans person. I think it can be a really powerful tool to vulnerably write about taboo and even nonconsensual and morally questionable experiences, but I don't know that I got the "why" that comes after that exploration.

Delighted to include this title in ‘The Rainbow Connection,’ my latest round-up for Zoomer magazine’s Books section highlighting new and notable books for Pride (see mini-review at link)

This was such a great read to get me in the mood for pride month. I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community but I am such a big ally and supporter of that community. I loved all of the stories in this book and how it shows you what it is like being a part of that community. I really think that everyone should read this one. Because it will help you not only to become a better ally. But It will also help you get more insight to people and teach you how to love. This was a very powerful read. And I loved the theme and message of this book.

This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2022. I've been loving short story collections lately and I especially was excited for a collection of queer stories by a non-binary author. Unfortunately, I did not end up really enjoying this one, partially because the title and cover had me thinking this would be full of queer joy, or at least not have every single story be quite so bleak.

This book had some strengths. The stories tended to feature primarily lesbians or trans people--and given the majority of "queer lit" is by/about gay men, this was a refreshing take to see trans lives centered. I think "Sunny Talks," was a fantastic story--it follows a person struggling to come out to their nephew as non-binary as they accompany him to a trans youtuber convention. Another story, "Cheerful Until Next Time," I found to be well-crafted and featured messy queers--people struggling to disentangle gender and sexuality and relationships in an honest way. However, even with those stories, I struggled to understand what exactly the message was. Overall, I found the writing to be lackluster--the stories tended to just end abruptly, or have the last couple paragraphs glimpse into the future, which I personally hate in short stories. If you have their whole lives planned out, write a novel.

Although I found the writing to be lackluster, I could look past that if it wasn't for some larger issues. Multiple stories involved sexual encounters between minors or a minor and an adult in a way that made me extremely uncomfortable. I do think there is a way to tastefully discuss minors exploring sexuality, but this was not it. In particular, "Ooh, the Suburbs" featured a queer adult abusing a minor, with the story told from the minor's perspective. Queer art does not have to be full of joy, not at all--but in this political climate, where we are being called groomers and pedophiles, I don't think an on-page depiction of a sexual encounter between someone in their twenties and someone fourteen (at most) was necessary at all.

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed in this collection, but I am interested in what Conklin writes next. I think (hope) that perhaps they may be better suited to a novel format.

Truly brilliant, honest, queer stories told without judgment of the idiosyncrasies and paradoxes of the human experience. Rainbow, Rainbow by Lydia Conklin takes us inside queer and trans characters' minds with raw awareness. It took a few chapters for me to adjust to the white-hot honesty, but I settled into a tempo of gratitude for these truths. They were like a map to some of my own memories of adolescence, past relationships, perceived mistakes or contradictions, and the shadowed aspects of all humanity.

It can feel disturbing to read about life’s most undiscussed internal battles and societal issues, and that’s exactly why this book left me contemplating the vital importance of bearing the discomfort of painful truths so we can see with clear and open eyes what’s essential for our growth. Maybe if we dared to be this honest and open with one another in day-to-day life, we could heal wounds and lessen the transmission of unhealed pain from person to person through every aspect of our societies.

Each essay helps us see through another’s eyes what it means to navigate bodies, identities, relationships, needs, and desires all while constantly evolving and changing within and without. Most stories want to promise us some kind of certainty. I know who I am, this story will show you my struggle and my resolution - that’s what we commonly see, but it’s not how we actually function. Rainbow, Rainbow flows more like real life. There aren’t neat resolutions or comforting moral lessons. It is raw, true, often ugly, not precious but sacred because we are so used to seeking inspiration in ideals and washing our hands clean by denying the messiness that is the human experience.

I would recommend this book to lovers of creative nonfiction and memoir, LGBTQIA+ readers, and fans of authors like Melissa Febos and Carmen Maria Machado.

This is a book of queer short stories; some of them I really enjoyed, some of them I felt kind of weird about. Conklin uses proses like a knife, but the sharpness of the knife depends on the short story. These aren’t like a lot of the queer lit on the marketplace now (which is a good thing!), and some of them are uncomfortable to read. I recommend them, and also I am giving this book 3.25 stars, possibly to be revisited later.

I enjoyed this short story collection by Lydia Conklin. As with most short story collections, of course, I had my favorites, but there wasn’t one story that I didn’t enjoy. Conklin’s writing is very relatable, and majestically shares the gender queer spectrum of experiences with her readers as they experience themselves at different times of life/transition. For someone who identifies as queer, and an ally to the entire community, this book even taught me different perspectives and affirming language that has bettered my understanding of the individual experiences of Transgender folks. It is true that no matter your gender, age, or sexuality, we all want to love ourselves, be loved by others, receive joy and give joy. Thank you for the beautiful cover as well!

The main area in which this collection excels is the way Conklin puts queer lives front and center. Each story features a queer protagonist and secondary queer characters. Regardless of the situations Conklin places their characters in, they give characters the opportunity to live their lives without necessarily centering them only on their queerness. They have more depth, and it was a good decision on Conklin’s part to also span across age ranges and POVs.

Another highlight is that characters do have the chance to question and explore their identities. One story, “Pioneers,” highlights a young person who opts to be an ox over a matriarch figure for a large class project. Due to this decision, they begin to understand a little bit more about themselves, even if that understanding isn’t fully formed. Similarly, “Sunny Talks” features a non-binary person who accompanies their trans nephew to a convention, wondering how to tell said nephew about their identity. It was interesting how Conklin incorporated both questioning and surety of identity through an older character.

Despite the collection’s strengths, I struggled with it. My primary issue is that I went in expecting mainly queer joy and never really felt that. I did like seeing characters comfortable in their gender and sexuality or figuring it out, but it always seemed like there was some sort of caveat attached. Not every queer person is granted a breezy, happy life, and this collection reflects that. However, I think it would’ve benefitted from including at least one story that was no strings attached, pure, unabashed queer joy — something more light-hearted to break up the general intensity of the book.

Let me preface this next part by saying that I will and have read darker/heavier books prior to this one; I’m okay with being uncomfortable if it feels warranted. That said, there were some stories and situations in Rainbow Rainbow that made me deeply uncomfortable in a way I did not like and felt unnecessary (see content/trigger warnings below). That feeling primarily nestled in a couple of the stories involving younger teens/tweens (“The Black Winter of New England” and “Ooh, the Suburbs” specifically). Kids can and do question and explore their gender and sexual identities. The problem with Conklin’s approach to it is that they wrote those stories in a way that was more explicit than they needed to be and put minors in situations they really didn’t need to be in. It felt very weird to read those moments, especially considering this is not a book meant for a YA or younger audience.

Overall, Rainbow Rainbow is a well-written collection where queer readers (especially trans ones) can find themselves on the page. Conklin is adept at creating a variety of different characters and exploring their thoughts and emotions. However, the characters were largely unlikeable, and readers who prefer likable characters may struggle. Still, Conklin boldly embraces the uncomfortable nature of their stories. Readers already familiar with and a fan of Conklin’s writing will enjoy this collection.

Thank. you to NetGalley and Catapult for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: transphobia, pet death & near pet death, sexual activity between minors, sexual abuse, pedophilia, fatphobia, racism, toxic relationships

Rainbow Rainbow </em>is a series of short stories written by Lydia Conklin. Each of the stories are unrelated from each other, with the common thread holding them together being the fact that they're all about queer people at various stages of their lives. I was skeptical about reading a book of short stories at first; although I enjoy the occasional short story, my fiction interests typically stay more firmly in the arena of novels. This book completely changed my mind. Conklin managed to create a universe that was so complete and real and unique in each story that I couldn't stop reading even after one of the stories ended. I loved their writing style, and that similarity was enough to draw me through each story.

Although the protagonists of these stories vary greatly in age, their demographics tended to fall into one of two camps-- cis woman or nonbinary person who was assigned female at birth. As someone who fits into these categories, the characters were relatable to me in that way, but I did see a couple of reviews saying that they expected the stories to showcase a wider array of the queer community, so I wanted to acknowledge that.

The characters also all tended to be either in denial or closeted about one thing or another. There was the teenager who didn't want to admit that she was in love with her (kind of mean) best friend. There was the woman who refused to see that her relationship was dying, and there was the nonbinary person who didn't tell her partner that the way she was touching them made them uncomfortable.

These stories are <em>not</em> about queer joy. They're stories of how queer people are living their lives despite all of the struggles (some related to their sexuality/gender, some not) that they face. There are people who accept themselves fully, and people who aren't there on their journey yet. There is suffering and people who are deeply unhappy and yet, in spite of all that, there was something oddly comforting about the words that Conklin wrote. They have a way of writing about people that makes you feel less alone as you read about them. The people in their stories became my friends

I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy short stories or if you've read something by Conklin before and enjoyed it. There was only one story in the entire series that I felt ambivalent about, and the rest I loved. This is going to be a book that I think about for years to come.

A gorgeous, tender collection that centers a variety of LGBTQIA stories, some more compelling than others. Conklin displays incredible promise as a writer -- these are well-crafted stories with often striking prose, and emotions that are sharply rendered. I look forward to what Conklin does next.

Thanks so much for the e-galley!

Great short story collectin of LGBTQIA stories. A collection of short stories is the perfect vehicle to hightlight the wide range of queer identities as well as to intimately illuminate the odd and uncomfortable moments of life learly and vividly with the particular lack of finality that short stories allow.

I've read some really amazing short story collections this year, and I can add "Rainbow Rainbow" to that list as well. Lydia Conklin has a strong voice. These 10 stories are full of angst, personality, and humility. I can honestly say I enjoyed every story. If I had to pick, I think my favorite was "Pioneer". But "A Fearless Moral Inventory" and "Counselor of My Heart" were close behind. I love reading about characters who are so diverse and different from my life. Conklin does a wonderful job writing openly her experiences as a member of LGBTQ+ community. It's so refreshing to read something that isn't superficial or cookie-cutter. I love unique books that make me think and feel. If you like short story collections, then I think you will enjoy this.

Thank you, Netgalley and Catapult for the digital ARC.

I found this debut collection very interesting and promising. I love short stories that embrace the uncomfortable and gross and abject, which Conklin definitely does here. They particular excel in building unlikeable characters who are intriguing to follow and in their explorations of queer childhoods. The collection lost steam for me a bit at the end; I generally preferred the first half and almost wish the collection had been a bit shorter. More is not always more when it comes to short stories: a lot of collections seem to suffer from underdeveloped or filler stories somewhere around the third quarter. Even eight stories instead of ten would have resulted in a tighter, more even collection for me. Some of the situations were somewhat repetitive - what I liked about the first half was that each scenario felt completely distinct.

I think this is a really bold debut. I'd recommend it heartily and would love to read more by this author

Formal review forthcoming.

In short, this radiant collection is full of compelling stories with a range of queer experiences that look at identity and sexuality in a refreshingly unapologetic and emotionally deft way. I loved this book.

Short story collections by authors who identify as LGBTQIAP+ are such a gift for readers right now. I love the range of identities represented within individual books and across the releases in 2021-22. It makes it so easy and gratifying to recommend books to my writing students as well as help them discover specific short stories that may speak to their experiences, thus helping them "see" themselves on the page.

Lydia Conklin's RAINBOW RAINBOW is a strong entry into these short story collections. Conklin does not spare any character from a hard situation or difficult realization, though some to better (story) effect than others. This collection showcases the awkward, hilarious, and dark sides of being queer/trans/nonbinary/human in today's world, which makes RAINBOW RAINBOW stand out.

I look forward to reading much more from this author.