Thank you, NetGalley!

I liked some stories more than others but overall I really think this is an important short story collection for the younger generation. I think I'm too old to relate to some of the stories but it was nice to read about diverse and inclusive stories. I really liked how the collection had everything for everyone with the horror genre.

A horror anthology full of stories by queer authors of color? Right up my alley! This was such a great collection, I only wish I'd read it in the fall for the ultimate spooky vibes. I'll just have to revisit it later this year! I loved the variety between the stories, and it's a very fun look at what different authors can do when presented with a similar concept. Since this is YA, the themes are not too intense, which is perfect for a reader like me who isn't much for gore or heavy themes. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

This anthology of short stories was entertaining! The Some stories I enjoyed more than others, but overall a very solid and terrifyingly creepy collection.

This anthology contained some stellar stories but it also had some duds. Unfortunately for me there were more misses than hits. The stories with depth and intrigue ( my absolute favorite was the story by Kosoko Jackson) didn't quite make up for the simple "it's a ghost!" stories that didn't have much payoff. Either way, I got a good scare from most if not all, I'll be happy to recommend this book to students looking for diverse horror or quick and easy reads.

Night of the Living Queers is a fun anthology featuring a wide variety of queer authors and fun stories.

This is a wonderful book of horror short stories, all taking place on Halloween night during a blue moon. The first story instantly drew me in and the greatness of that followed throughout the entire book. I will say however that it is a lot more supernatural than horror, and as someone who loves horror and gore I was a little disappointed by that but I will also say that that was my only complaint so if you love supernatural anthologies of queers with lots of emotions this book is for you!

I really liked this anthology, even if there wasn't a ton of "queer" representation for a book with that in the title

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

A curious title and an exciting book cover? This Halloween anthology doesn’t stop there. Night of the Living Queers includes 13 teen and young adult-focused short stories, all set during a rare blue moon and on Halloween night.

As for the stories themselves, there’s a little bit of everything: a haunted drive-in movie theater, ghost hunters, demons, urban legends, an eerie hotel, Ouija boards, costume parties, evil wizards, supernatural powers, creepy clowns, and unexplained ghosts.

Some of the short stories are bigger page-turners than others. “A Brief Intermission” by Sara Farizan takes place at an old drive-in movie theater where a ghost car shows up every Halloween night for a ghost couple to enjoy their annual holiday tradition of catching a film. It has a nice creepy vibe and a light touch of humor. “Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle” by Kosoko Jackson is another gem. It deals with bullying and harassment and what might happen if the victim were to get a chance at revenge.

One very minor problem concerns the title. There isn’t much “queer” here regarding sexual or gender identity. While it’s a breath
of fresh air to have fictional stories that don’t necessarily focus on those attributes, readers may find it hard to relate to the characters from that perspective. There are some minor love interests and brief mentions of “boyfriends” or “girlfriends,” but being “queer” isn’t the focus here.

The introduction also mentions a need for more QPOC representation in the genre. The editors are queer women of color and feel the “intersection of queerness and ethnic diversity is functionally invisible in most things, horror included.” They explain that this anthology hopes to reclaim some of that narrative. The stories are intentionally set during Halloween because it’s a time they are most visible. There are also some culturally-based names and other traditions that will be unique to some readers and appreciated by others who consider themselves minorities in the genre.

Does the anthology pull off what it set out to do? Not entirely, but it’s undoubtedly a devote and honest effort! If you enjoy a good frightening story once October is here, then this short story collection will certainly satisfy that thrill for readers of all backgrounds, orientations, and ages.

Night of the Living Queers will be released August 29th from Wednesday Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers.

I really liked most of the stories here, all horror shorts centered around young, queer characters. Some end well for the protagonist, others, well, at least it's not always the same "dead lesbian" trope. There's ethnic diversity galore, and the characters sound and act like real teenagers,, which doesn't always happen in YA. I'd love to put a copy of this in the trick-or-treat bag of every kid over 9 who comes to my house for Halloween. Go read--read about the scary house that's really a palace of wonder, about Terrifying Bob the mall ghost, about bad step-siblings, about very, very cute demons.

This was.. extremely fine. The stories are all too short to have any substance to them. A lot of them were kind of forgettable too! I recognized a few authors so that was fun. I think my fave short story was Hey There Demons by Tara Sim which is funny because I haven’t read anything from her. Maybe this is my sign to do so!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I loved the concept of the anthology overall, but I only enjoyed about two-thirds of the stories. They started off very strong, emotional, and creative - some of my favorites were Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane by Maya Gittelman & In You to Burn by Em X. Liu - but by the end, the stories started to feel bogged down by unrealistic teen dialogue. Overall, I thought this was a worthwhile read.

I usually don't love anthologies, but I'm always holding out hope for one that will be consistently brilliant, and finally, after many misses, I've found a hit. This collection is *phenomenal,* in almost every entry, and I was shocked at how intense and not 'happily ever after' the majority were. I can't wait to re-read this closer to Halloween.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I love the short stories.

First of all, I was crying over the short little message in the beginning of the book: "To anyone who's had to pretend to be someone you're not- may you become the fabulous person you were always meant to be."

There is this one part of the short stories where it really hit home to me as someone who is still in the closet.

I was internally sobbing as the wizard said a lot to the main character who was struggling with their dual identity.

"Nothing feels like home when you're not at home with yourself."
"Not everyone deserved your full story. sometimes you have to give up the idea that you can ever become someone they design to respect. sometimes you have to become the monster they think you are."

Based on the last quote, I realized that I can't control what other think of me and it's time to be the real me.

Definitely enjoyable! Some were stronger than others (shoutout to Trang Thanh Tran's piece for sure), but that tends to be how these anthologies go. I also loved the way some of the stories wove cultural traditions/stories into their pieces.

I loved this book. Every story had me hooked, and while I didn't love every story I liked all of them, which is basically unheard of for me.
"A Brief Intermission" creeped me out, "The Visitor" had a wonderful quote about grief, and "Hey There, Demons" was perfect. Each one made me feel something for the characters, and I was so glad to find trans/non-binary rep.
I fully intend to look up the authors I particularly enjoyed to read more by them, and I would 100% recommend this book.

My one note would be that "Nine Stops" should have a content/trigger warning for graphic animal death/cruelty. I very much would have benefitted from such a warning, and know others would as well.
Still a good story, but I would've liked the story more if I hadn't been dealing with that.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books!

Night of the Living Queers was an excellent horror anthology. There were authors newer to me that I will be keeping an eye out for, and authors I know who I enjoyed rereading! I also realized I am not quite as cut-out for horror as I thought.

Night of the Living Queers, an anthology of young adult short stories dedicated to “anyone who’s had to pretend to be someone {they’re} not”, is an impressive collection of tales that seeks to represent the intersection of queerness and identity. The book features thirteen different stories told through the lenses of BIPOC teens, and each story takes place on a Halloween night beneath a Blue Moon.

This book provides everything readers could want from a Halloween collection. There are costume parties in abandoned hotels, nights spent handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, pirate ghosts who haunt the mall food court, phantom animals who prowl the local drive in theater, and haunted mansions where mysterious homicides take place. The stories feature ghosts, vampires, serial-killing clowns, Rougarou, poltergeists, and Ouija boards. References to Freddy Krueger and Camp Crystal Lake sit beside references to TikTok and cursed video links, giving the text both a contemporary and nostalgic feel. The stories provide a spooky atmosphere without frightening readers or subjecting them to gratuitous gore, and beneath the plot of each tale runs a commentary on the important pleasures of Halloween, with one character poignantly stating, “if only I could so easily slip out of my skin the other 364 days.”

I enjoyed this collection and think it is a much needed addition to the Young Adult genre. Although the stories feature queer and non-white characters, the narrative focus is on battling supernatural entities, and this allows the teen characters to represent their identities without being narrowly defined by them. Adolescent readers will find diverse stories that scare, delight, tease, and inspire. Adults will find a window into contemporary teen life and a nostalgic look at the Halloweens of their youth.

Night of the Living Queers presents thirteen different tales brought together beneath a Blue Moon, itself a sign of change and transformation. This is a fun Halloween read that has the potential to transform the landscape of teen fiction and identity.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I’ve read a lot of YA Mystery/Thrillers but haven’t dabbled much in horror besides R.L. Stine’s teenager stuff! I totally read this because of the cover. Night of the Living Queers is such a good title!! I love anthologies because I can sample all of the different writing styles, and I’ve definitely got a lot of authors I need to check out now.

I’d say about half the stories were horror or they horrified me at least (I’m weak though so I’m probably a bad judge). There were a few that just made me so emotional and they were the ones that will stay with me the longest. Then there were some lighter, fluffier ones that kept up the pace. The story placement was extremely well done: Each one was completely different than the last, and I never had solid footing. It’s that kind of disarming instability that gets! me! GOOD! in horror. I read a few twice because I was so mindfucked and I’m still confused in the best way.


My favorites in order of appearance:

🎥 A Brief Intermission by Sara Farizan

⚖️ Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle by Kosoko Jackson

👻 The Three Phases of Ghost-Hunting by Alex Brown

🏚️ Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane by Maya Gittelman

😈 Hey There, Demons by Tara Sim

🤡 Knickknack by Ryan Douglass


My most favorite goes to The Three Phases of Ghost-Hunting because TERRIFYING BOB CAT I LOVE YOU, followed closely by Hey There, Demons because I ABSOLUTELY need a full book of that cute nerd and his hot demon 😭

My most surprising was Knicknack because christ do I hate clowns but I sure did love Leo and Noah for blessing me with this quote: “God, I picked the worst night to turn into a slut.” Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane had me so in my feels, especially with this quote: “Do you think they deserve to know the truth of me? The magic I am?” A Brief Intermission did so much in so little space and it was the perfect level of horror for me.

Note: While I did find some of the stories to be great fun, there are some pretty heavy ones in the bunch. Grief, trauma, and rage haunted some of the main characters, and those emotions were explored both beautifully and intensely. In particular, Rocky Road with Caramel Drizzle by Kosoko Jackson was so poetically gut-wrenching, while Nine Stops by Trang Thanh Tran was so incredibly visceral.

Overall, this should be a definite must for your Halloween TBR! You’ll get spooky scary skeletoned 13 times over and while doing it, you’ll be supporting queer authors of color! There’s definitely a story for everyone, as they all vary in horror/romance/comedy/emotions levels. I’d love a spooky szn audiobook reread, but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to read it on Halloween itself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

3.5 stars, but rounding up to four for my LGBTQ+ family. This book is YA, and I am very much not Y anymore, but I can still have fun and appreciate spooky stories, regardless of to whom they're catered. I absolutely loved seeing all these queer kids at the center of the stories, and I only wish I could have read these as a closeted gay teen who now embraces all things scary and Halloween while celebrating my community. What a fun idea for an anthology. Some stuck with me more than others, and a few were a little too cheeky versus going for actual dread, but I really appreciate the representation at the core of this book.

I’m usually not a big fan of anthologies, but I loved the vibes here! NIGHT OF THE LIVING QUEERS is the perfect mix of spookiness and fun, and I highly recommend checking it out. I guarantee you you’ll find new authors to watch!