A very interesting book that uses our current politics to make its points. The prejudice that Brooke and Taylor endured in the early 70s is in so many ways still with us, especially now that the LGBTQ+ community is the subject of attack in many states. I found the story tragic, uplifting, and full of hope. As Shannon says, "No ladies here. Just kick-ass women assigned at birth." Amen.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for making a copy of this book available for review.

Many reviews mention the fast-paced, riveting nature of the plot and the unique characters. But there is so much more to this story. The idea of pairs is used extensively: past/present, B&T, Taylor/Shannon, Grace/Maddi, Laura/Paige. But also in settings. Taylor starts the story in a snow-covered house at the end of a long drive, isolated, away from everyone. She ends up in a house on a hill, visible to everyone.

Most importantly, she was entrapped and then became free. She is Taylor Baird and Brooke Skipstone.

Brooke was described as an intoxicating wolf early in the book. Shannon reveals her last name as Wolfe at the end.

It was fun to find the connections.

I’ll start by mentioning that I have read and enjoyed The Moonstone Girls by the same author, and I was intrigued by the idea of a meta story-within-a-story. Unfortunately, this one did not really work for me for a few reasons. First, the framing of the story jumped frequently between a few points of view in the present as well as the past (told through the manuscript). This made it hard to settle into the story and I didn’t feel like the writing was very engaging. I also got distracted by the frequent references to Brooke Skipstone’s other published work and felt like it pulled away from this book.
Second, this book has SO many content warnings. It has a lot of homophobic and transphobic violence, other cases of homophobia, child abuse, and more. Definitely not an uplifting read!
I would consider reading another novel by the author with a more typical structure, but this one wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The author describes herself as a "pantser" in terms of plotting and this book has the strengths and weaknesses of that style.

It feels personal and heartfelt, with real joy in her queer identity, real anger against those denying it, and real sadness for those injured by hate.

But it can't really settle on a tone or a literary identity. I really liked the first portion, with the interleaving of her original awakening alternating with a second, tentative exit from the closet decades later. Then it shifts to a thriller, violent and heavily political. Then we end with a sunshine and daisies Pride celebration. There's also some unsorted metafictional thing going on, with the author's pen name being a pen name in the book and also a character. That is thrown into the mix, but doesn't seem to serve any purpose.

So, a solid 3.5 stars, which I would normally round up, but I just can't. Maybe it is the vague title, so ill-matched to a book with such a specific sense of place. It is set in spring in Alaska, with snow piled everywhere. Couldn't it have been "Late Thaw" for her final coming out? Or "The Death of Brooke Skipstone" by Brooke Skipstone? Every chapter title is better than the book title. Not sure what happened here.

Review of an ARC from Netgalley.

Thank you to Brooke Skipstone, Netgalley and Skipstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in advance, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good. The whole storyline was captivating and kept you wanting more. I was so intrigued to see how things progressed and what actually happened to Brooke. There are so many twists and so many great characters to go along with them. All the women in this book are so brave and they share themselves to the world in such an amazing way. I think this could be a really important book to young adults apart of the LGBTQIA+, especially ones that are struggling to find their identity.

I also love the addition of some older adult romance. I feel like this is not seen in a lot of romance novels, unless they were together from a young age. Finding love at an older age is not spoken of enough and it was beautiful to read of them finding love again through friendship and protecting the people they love.

The writing style sometimes gave a feel of a YA book, which normally aren’t my favourite. But the storyline was too interesting to stop reading due to a writing style. I would absolutely read this book again, and I hope it gains the traction that it deserves.

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for my completely honest opinion.

The message of this book it's what made me actually finish it. Showing us the story of LGBTQ+ people in the 70s and in the present time in a way that makes us think about the differences a couple of years can make. The way the author builds planotinc and romantic relationships between the characters it's very interesting and good to see.
However, the rest of the story felt flat to me, living me with a sense that something was missing. I truly believe that I only didn't connect with the writing, but I would still recommend it for anyone who would like to read a story like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this before its release later this month.

TW: Covid, homophobia, racism, death, guns

A book within a book.

A beautiful and tragic story.

"If you read this, you may understand that two women can truly love each other. And those who hate queers are a threat to everyone."

I was immediately hooked by the first page of this book. It drew me in and never let go. It's interesting and a bit of a breath of fresh air to be reading from the perspective of an older queer (closeted) woman, who found love in the 1970s and has since been bullied into being straight. I immediately loved the connection that Taylor has with Grace, as well as reading Grace's perspective.

From the very beginning, I absolutely loved side characters Shannon/Gram, Grace and Maddie. And the story progressed, I wished that they were all my badass friends, including Taylor.

This book is so much more than I imagined it would be. It's happy, sad, exhausting, fear inducing, and nerve wracking. But it's also breathtaking.

Throughout the entirety of the book, I just want to hug Taylor and to bring Brooke back to her. Neither of them deserved what they endured. But no one could bring Brooke back, and I'm glad that eventually, Taylor was able to let her go; to find peace.

The Queering is truly a masterpiece. As a reader, you get a glimpse of what it was like to be queer in the 70s, as well as present time, in a small, rural town in Alaska. Things have changed, but they also haven't. It's a true insight on what it's like to live in queer America.

This book had me laughing, sobbing and gasping in shock. Everyone needs to read it and I'll possibly never shut up about it.

As a queer woman growing up in rural America, I felt seen by this book, and I hope so many queer individuals do as well.

"Living in a family like ours fosters hope and determination to call out wrong and do whatever we can to correct it."

Anyone who reads this will be in for a treat.

I was so excited to read the Queering by Brooks Skipstone and I must say I was hugely disappointed. The one I was disappointed at how much they could care less about how straight people thought into how we’re just supposed to disregard the fact that this teacher made friends with a student gave her sexually explicit material but because the teachers a lesbian we’re supposed to be OK with that. Not only that when the teacher Allison who was such a bitch came into the classroom and saw Taylor holding Grace in her arms after the day before hearing them discuss sex the fact that she was upset were supposed to be on the side of the inappropriate teacher because once again Allison who I agree what a bitch, is straight and white and her feelings must be totally disregarded. Not only that she had absolutely no care in the world for her all of this affected her husband. Yes I get it they had a loveless marriage… I get it she was miserable but she didn’t even stop and even consider that this man whether he was happy or not spent the last 40 years of his life with her for good or bad and he doesn’t deserve anything more than oh by the way I’m a lesbian and here is all my new friends I’m bringing over. Also, when he alluded to the fact that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her it wasn’t because he was a caring man… Oh no it was because he was white and he was the man who was going to protect his woman so say straight people don’t have feelings only I’m sorry straight white people don’t have feelings only others do. There were many other things I didn’t like about this book why car right after they got introduced to Marshall Grayson Maddie start a talking about girls having oral sex and then gave each other big old kisses right in the Mentos no respect for him whatsoever and I know I keep talking about Marshall but it’s just the Kalisway she just spent do with him when she was done he could care less how he felt about it and whatever feelings he did have it was because he was white and straighten everything‘s about him being white and straight and not because he had any valid feelings on the subject at all. Not only that she said she was no longer going to contact her children because it hurt too bad… Really I didn’t know that was an option. Not only that Shannon gave her the great advice to bypass her kids and write to her grandkids directly because after all they have social media don’t they? From the book we learn all the grandchildren were born after 2004 which tells me they’re all underage and as a parent I would be livid if my mother took it upon herself to tell my children what she thinks they should know and not what I want them to know. No about Leroy and Austin they’re both a couple of big-time racist homophobic jackasses and a part of the problem in America today but this disregarding everyone’s feelings except those who agree with you is what put us in this position to begin with. I felt so bad for Taylor and it broke my heart what happened to her girlfriend Brooke but that’s no reason to disregard the feelings of others. Not everyone is going to act the way we want them to whether you’re straight black transgender or whatever we don’t live in utopia we live in reality and just because someone doesn’t use the same pronouns you do does it mean they don’t mean well maybe they just don’t know better like Maya Angelou says when we know better we do better but not everyone knows better that doesn’t mean we should just disregard them and act like that feelings mean nothing. In making white straight people out to be non-feeling stereotypes is also what got is into the position to disregard those who work “normal“ in the first place. Why can’t we just be kind to each other and care about how what we do affects others not how what they do affects you have no control over other people think about what you do and how it affects them you can only start with you because that’s the only person you control. This book was such a disappointment to me I was not prepared for all that stereotyping I don’t like stereotyping for anyone people or original but my main complaint with this book is Taylor’s disregard of a husband and children stealing just because they didn’t agree with her she didn’t say she was going to give them time to come to grips with the fact that mom is a lesbian… Oh no it hurt too much so her kids are now on her naughty list I know people not to be spoken to because I don’t agree with her. This is a very slippery slope such a disappointment. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book. The premises sounded so interesting, and the issues within the LGBTQ+ community so important. But I ended up DNFing at 24%.

For me, the writing was too choppy, too brash, and too flat for my liking. The jump cuts between past, present, "reality" and "fiction" were dizzying at times.

The concept could have been good, but I was unable to get into the writing style. There were also too many things that didn't set right with me, including Grace's justification for still living with her father when she was 18 and had the open invitation to stay full-time with her grandmother.

I'm bisexual and not technically out, I consider myself a progressive feminist, and I lived in small-town conservative USA for a good chunk of my life. But the way the dark topics were approached felt too heavy-handed. It was like the "good guys" were stereotypical liberals while the "bad guys" were all stereotypical conservatives. I'm not sure how to explain it, because I have known many people like that so I do know they exist. But I feel as though in fiction, things should be more nuanced and complex, otherwise it gets boring.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Brooke Skipstone for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This ones such a hard one for me to review, largely because I respect and admire Brooke Skipstone as an author and…I didn’t LOVE this book.

I loved the story within the story, about Brooke and Taylor as teens. These were some of my absolute favourite parts of the book and I looked forward to them every time Grace picked the book up again. Their love was so tender and so painful and the story with Austin had me so on edge, I was riveted.

However the main setting for the book, with Taylor in her 70s, fell mostly flat for me. There were definitely some moments I loved, like Taylor and Shannon finding a home in each other and the happy ending that all these girls deserved, but overall, everyone felt rather one-dimensional and I struggled to actually care about any of them.

I think I would have preferred Taylor’s life story, and for it to be linear, but perhaps that’s just me.

Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a queer read featuring older lesbians, that’s unlike any I’ve read before, and you don’t mind hard-hitting topics (please look up the trigger warnings for this book) then I definitely recommend giving it a go!

I requested for this book because the title really drew me in. The heart breaking tale of love and friendship spanning decades really kept me hooked. It's not easy to find books about queer characters in their 70's so this was unique in that expect.

The Queering is an addictive read, telling the story of a queer woman who only exists as her true self through her writing, trapped in a loveless marriage and devastated by the death of the love of her life many years before. As the plot unfolds in the present, the main character’s love story and tragedy is revealed along with it. The format of this is truly captivating. Each time the narrative switched between past and present I felt like I was on a cliffhanger that made me just devour every chapter.
This story, like all of Skipstone’s work, captures your attention from the beginning, and in this one, I loved the added mystery of “Brooke Skipstone” as a character. With Brooke being the author of The Queering and Crystal’s House of Queers (in real life?) AND a character in The Queering, I was, and still am, mystified. Incorporating Skipstone’s Crystal’s House of Queers into this story as a book that the main character wrote made me feel very connected to the world of wlw triumph that Skipstone is creating with her novels.
The feeling of mystery and curiosity continues throughout. I found myself with lots of motivating questions that kept me reading. As always, Skipstone’s protagonists are strong and distinct; they have tragic stories, yet you feel strength with them rather than pity for them. The antagonists are deeply evil in ways that reflect the worst of society’s issues around the themes driving the narrative. This story very effectively tackles the problem of hatefulness. Ignorant men with their terrible podcasts spread hate through homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, and the list goes on.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind, as the themes of intergenerational friendships, lifelong evolution, and triumph over hate are universal. The fast paced nature of the story makes it easy to read, but the heavy topics force you to slow down, learn, and reflect. If you are a wlw, this book will mean even more. Seeing complex relationships like the ones Taylor experiences with Brooke and Shannon, and the young love between Grace and Maddi not only reflects my experience as a lesbian young adult but extrapolates it to places I have yet to experience. I feel extremely lucky to have been part of this story during its working stages, and I absolutely love being part of the world of queer liberation that Brooke Skipstone has been building through her work.

The Queering is a very intense and emotionally tough book to read. It has trigger warnings for p*edophilia(committed by the villains), neo n*zis, extreme homophobia, murder, mentions of racism, and family trauma. It centers the story of senior Taylor Baird, who writes lesbian and queer books under the pen name of Brooke Skipstone, (Crystal’s House of Queers, The Moonstone Girls and others, which are books the irl author has written. The irl author’s name is Brooke Skipstone, but in the book Brooke is Taylor’s girlfriend who was murdered.) Taylor lives in a small town in Alaska, which is extremely conservative. She’s lived her whole life hiding her queerness after the horrific and homophobia motivated murder of her girlfriend, Brooke Skipstone. She has a husband who she hates, and children who never call. Her only outlet is her books. Unfortunately, the town’s most notorious homophobe has figured out that she is the author of the books, and is going to reveal this on his far right podcast. At the same time, her brother, Austin, who went to jail for the murder of five people, including the murder of Brooke, has been released and is coming to try and get revenge on Taylor for testifying against him at the murder trial 48 years ago. As the news gets out about her books, Taylor stumbles upon other queer people, who rally around her.
I’m going to be honest, there were a lot of times I had to put this book down. It was very emotionally triggering to read about such violent homophobia. But Taylor’s bravery and survival, and that of the other queer characters was very inspiring. I definitely had tears by the end. Towards the end however, I couldn’t put it down and was racing to the end to make sure it all ended happily. I really enjoyed seeing the representation of older sapphics, it’s something I rarely see, especially 70+ sapphics. It just goes to show that you are never too old enough to live your truth. Overall, I would give this book a 4/5 stars.

The story is intense in all good ways. The framing is interesting, especially with it being about a pen name that is used as the author's name.
The thing that dragged it down for me was how stilted the dialogue sounded. But I loved the ending. Love is love!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow. Brooke Skipstone has managed to “wow” me again. The Queering is fantastic.

Picture two seventy-year-olds having great sex. One has just come out of the closet to not only her husband, but the whole town. Then in the next room over you have the grandchildren having sex (only one of them is actually blood-related (chuckle - didn’t want to freak you out)). Oh by the way they are lesbians too. Then Skipstone throws in familial deaths by drug use, neo-nazism, pedophilia, and let’s not forget a murderer who has just gotten released from prison looking to make his next kill. Yup, The Queering is jam-packed.

Now I just listed a bunch of heavy topics so you might think that this is a really dark sapphic fiction story, but it is not. Somehow Skipstone manages to balance everything out even when reflecting it against today’s political backdrop. Not only does the author finagle a current love story out of these topics, but throws in a historical romance too! Yeah, Skipstone’s a badass.

It all flows logically and smoothly. The sex is hot for everyone. The love stories are poignant. The characters are unforgettable. The drama is fast, intense, and knife-wielding. I laughed. I even shed a tear or two. I think I actually got more emotional reading the author’s final words as I too wondered where the author will go from here.

If it is up to me, or probably anyone who reads a Skipstone book, then the author needs to keep writing no matter the moniker they use.

The Queering is a trip into the past and through the muck of today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it in one sitting just as Grace probably wanted to read through Taylor and Brooke’s story. I was glued and you will be too. What a way to start off my new year. Thank you!

Absolutely loved this book! How can you not love a story about two grandmas finding love and having sex when they're seventy? And then defending themselves and their friends from a-hole, homophobic men? This is a thriller and a double romance all at once.

Thanks to Skipstone Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

In 1974 Taylor MacKenzie's best friend and recently lover, Brooke Skipstone was killed. Today, nearly 50 years later, she lives in rural Alaska and is married to a man she doesn't love and secretly writes queer fiction under the pen name, Brooke Skipstone. She lets her student, Grace in on her secret. Things get serious though when Taylor's brother, Austin is let of of prison, and his mission is to kill Taylor.

This book has a great cast of characters, including older queer people which is not seen much in literature. I love the relationship between Grace and her grandmother.

Skipstone's previous book, Crystal's House for Queers is a big part of this, so those who have previously read it might get more out of this book.

This was a throughly enjoyable book although at times it was a bit too in your face with current issues in the US, which might be appreciated more by those that have to live with them.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.
It is certainly a feminist story and it is wonderful to read about queer women in their 70s.
The author’s writing style isn’t my favourite but I can still appreciate it. However as soon as I started reading it I was confused about why a teacher was giving a book with sex scenes to a high school student? I don’t know, there is just something in the story that rubbed me the wrong way. And I ended up DNFing about half way through it.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Initially, I was unsure about this book; however, it quickly became one of my favorites for the year! I could NOT put it down from about 25%-70% of the book on my Kindle. Things slowed to a dull and boring (and unrelated) nature which made the actual climax seem rushed. I also was completely unprepared for the emotional toll this book would take. I laughed, I cried, and overall it made me reflect on my own notions and ideas of how our society reacts to the "abnormal."

This book was interesting and kind of fun, but I really struggled with the antagonists. They felt like caricatures of a villain. Is there truly people that awful? Absolutely. But it just felt like a caricature of an ”evil white supremacist”. I think villains are more interesting and less flat if there is at least one redeeming quality about them.

The women and protagonists in this book were funny, clever, and interesting. We love some good wlw solidarity, and how much a lot of the community embraced the wlw books set in their town.

Honestly this book was interesting and has a good plot. It is no holds barred against homophobes, conservative talkshow hosts, sexists, racists, and controlling parents in no uncertain terms.