This was a quick read and had a good main storyline, but the main character was a little rough. He just seemed to be an overall grump. This might be a little too much for my middle school students, but maybe for a little older reader. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

The way everything unfolded both online and in person was really interesting the added level of some of the characters drag personas shaping their online presence. The small town setting was utilized well and also added depth to the story. I liked the characters and their development was well done through the events of the book. It was a fun and lighter read but it was also fairly predictable and a little preachy at times. That said the book was still a great read.

Peter Thompkins and his best friend, Alan, are queer in a little town that doesn't seem to have space for them. But while Alan is out, proud, and unapologetically himself, Peter is a teenage anger powder keg ready to blow up. When one of his blowups necessitates an image overhaul, Alan convinces him to help him set up a Drag Extravaganza. It will be a journey of discovery, growth, and acceptance that will open Peter's eyes to the great things in the community he belongs to.

There is so much happening in this story that just describing it as kids putting on a drag show in a small town that doesn't seem to welcome them is doing it a disservice even though it is the basic plot. There is so much to unpack and enjoy in Peter's journey of self-discovery and acceptance, not just in the relationships he forms and the community he discovers, but in the surprises you can uncover in other people if you'd only give them a chance.

The biggest downside for me is that Peter is the biggest Debbie Downer ever and he's particularly hard on himself. It makes for a great growth story, but the time before he gets there makes for pretty depressing reading. It's one personal put-down after another even as those around him try to push him up and forward. It's somehow both my favorite and least enjoyable part of the story as poor Peter has enough to face with all the animosity that surrounds him without also adding the awful ways in which he thinks about himself. One heck of a journey of self-acceptance.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the read!

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

A book about teen drag queens?! Hell yeah! The description and the cover had me hyped but unfortunately, my expectations were not met. Mainly because I could not stand the main character. He was horrible. And yeah, I guess that’s the whole point of the story— he goes on this journey of self discovery— but he was insufferable for 90% of the book.

I loooved the drag show scenes and Aggie Culture. The secondary characters were all pretty awesome but there were a lot of them and it was hard for me to keep them separated in my head.

This is a queer story (obviously) and as for that, I can’t relate to some of the character’s experiences/thoughts. So is this an accurate description of a queer high school experience? Yeah, maybe. It probably is relatable to some people and I hope that group can find comfort in reading this.

I really enjoyed the plot, it was varied but done correctly.

BUT,

Due to the amount of shaming and other negative things, this book would have been better rated for adults or new adults. It is not to say that teens don't experience this, but the book didn't handle these parts enough for this book to work for teens.

Protagonist Peter needs to improve his image so he agrees to let his drag queen best friend put him in drag. However, he faces more struggles than he anticipated.

I was really looking forward to this one. Drag queens, coming of age, queer acceptance - all this sounded great. However, Peter was so unlikeable as a protagonist. It was hard to root for him. Yes, there is growth but it is just hard still to like him.

This book was a fun time!! But also has a LOT going on.

Peter is like, the master of clap backs and it’s always getting him trouble. So he ends up helping to produce a drag show to get out of the hole he dug himself in, and it causes a lot of controversy in their small town.

The personalities of these characters are BIG, which is so fun. The DRAMAAA!

If I had one criticism, it’s that sometimes it was hard to listen to the main character throughout the whole novel really hating on himself. He talks about himself like he’s such a disgusting human, with his weight and his skin, everything is so negative. It was supposed to be in a funny self-deprecating way, but it was pretty intense sometimes. However, at the end, he finally sees himself in a different light, and I hope that he keeps a little of that positivity in this fictional world after the novel ends. I’d love that for him.

Overall, this was a fun, sassy listen, very timely with everything going on in the real world right now, this ending with a happy, positive note we all need.

Thank you @annick_press and @netgalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Annick Press and NetGalley for the eARC. DRAGGING MASON COUNTY was a funny, but also heartfelt, YA debut about drag and queer community in a small town. The narration was snarky and felt true to a YA voice. A fun YA read.

A wild YA contemporary novel centered around a teen drag show in small town Texas. Peter never holds back, especially when defending his best friend Alan. This time his words have gotten him in some pretty hot water. When Alan, aka Aggie Culture, decides to throw the first ever Mason County Drag Show, Peter decides to produce it, hoping to restore his good name. Drama is the word of the day. The show must go on, but will their friendship survive the experience?

This novel was both funny and touching at times. Peter has some serious anger issues. You can't fully give forgive some of the things he says, but he's still just a kid. He definitely grows a lot throughout the course of the story. The queens are so fun. It's easy to picture them strutting around. It's an emotional story, lots of strife, but at its heart, it's focused on friendship and learning to be who you are. I did enjoy the read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This White Pine finalist is one of my favourite books of 2023.

Curtis Campbell’s “Dragging Mason County” follows Peter Thompkins, a small-town gay with a sharp tongue and a quick temper, a less than ideal combination for someone who wants nothing more than to fit in.

When Peter goes viral after his verbal assault on another queer teen is caught on camera, he can’t help but stand out in all the wrong ways.

And what better way than to clean up his image than by producing Mason County’s first ever drag extravaganza.

This book tackled so many topical teen issues with such humour and poise, from drag bans to queer friendship to queer baiting to internalized homophobia.

You need to read this book.

This book was laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming. I loved every second! It would make a great addition to any YA collection!

Peter is just like every other high school kid, except he's gay, his best friend is a high school drag queen with a pretty good following online, and he might have said something terrible that was recorded and now his image is lower than it was before, if that's even possible. So, he decides to throw a drag show in his southern small town featuring local high school queens to improve his image. He also thinks he might be in love with the same guy as his best friend, he might be feeling sorry for what he said...or maybe not...and he might be facing down some internalized homophobia. Will he produce a drag show or will he just get dragged?

Peter is the best kind of unreliable narrator. The kind who you see right through, and kind of want to scream at, but are hoping he'll find his way to something better. It felt honest and fresh in a way that I haven't experienced recently in my reading. Peter is self-conscious and at the same time a little narcissistic. I couldn't decide at points if he was a good friend or a terrible person, and that made me want to follow his story even more.

If you're looking for a great LGBTQIA+ read that is hilarious while facing down some serious topics, this is the book for you. You won't regret being dragged along with Peter and his friends.

I wanted to love this book as someone who enjoys drag and YA books. However, I couldn’t finish this one. The banter was constant and trying a bit too hard for my taste. It felt like a Disney channel original movie.

First and foremost thanks to Netgalley, Anick press, and the author for allowing me to get an advanced copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

At first, I found it extremely hard to get into because Peter was just a bleh kind of narrator. Not because he was brutally honest, but because he just seemed to be the backseat rider of his own life. That made it hard to want to root for him, but I suppose that is a part of the point of his story. He felt like a side character in his own story and that is always hard to overcome and find your place among things.

Alan at first was infuriating to me because he was almost ignoring who Peter is as a person and wanting Peter to be someone he's not. But I started to see that he was a friend of Peter even if he was a bit off the mark with showing it.

Overall, it was nice that this novel wasn't all rainbows and unicorns to an extent. It also felt like there was a lot more homophobia than I was prepared for. I also felt that it was infuriating that Peter wasn't "gay enough" as if someone can decide that for everyone and that gay should look the same. However, I know that in some cases that is how people see the world, black and white.

This was an interesting read and a great debut by Campbell.

I got an ARC.

Another toxic bitchy gay MC. I am not for this being this season's thing, but it is happening a lot with the books I have been getting. I stopped when the MC yelled that someone should kill themself, especially since the rumor was that character's dad had killed themself. It just...wow..and I am supposed to root for this guy?

Peter is an angsty gay teen growing up in a very rural area. His best friend Alan does drag videos online and has a good following. Peter says a lot of things he shouldn't to another gay student and a video gets posted of that enhance online and now he needs to overhaul his image. Peter and his friends decide to put on a drag show at the town hall, with Peter producing the show and the other queens performing. The story follows Peter and his internal thoughts and life up to and after the show.

This book showed the troubles of being queer in an area where it's not socially accepted. Where they did find acceptance, it was so refreshing and not always from the people in town you'd expect. It was chock full of pop culture references that had me cracking up. This book was a fun ride from first page to last. Check it out if you want a laugh.

4/5 Stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to read and review!

Overall, this book turned out to be less than I was expecting/hoping for. I had a hard time liking the main character Peter. He definitely has a lot of growing up to do. I was glad that he was on his way to a stronger self knowledge by the end of the book, but the negative drama that it took to get there was wearing. I loved the House of Rural Realness and the characters involved. I can see purchasing this for my high school library.

Thanks to Publisher’s Weekly Grab-a-Galley and NetGalley for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the plot here...
Small town, teen queers of all types, drag queens putting on a show, dicks protesting said show, finding love, finding yourself, social media, friendships and bullying.
So many amazing things wrapped up in one story!
So why did I give it 3 stars?

There was a lot of shaming, queer shaming and body shaming.
Internally and externally, it was not cool.
Talking about insecurities from time to time is normal. Forcing someone to do things they aren't comfortable with and constantly fat shaming? Even less cool.
Talking about these things in such a degrading way, and so often that I was physically uncomfortable.
Not my thing.

I wish it didn't have so much negative space about figures and how to be more queer, because everything else in here is amazing!
I would still recommend this for adults, but probably not teens.
I don't feel comfortable putting this in the hands of impressionable kids who already feel weird in their own skin.
Referring to anyone's body as "disgusting", because it has (very common) imperfections, is harsh.
Not turning it into a conversation about body positivity?
Missed opportunity.
Trying to force someone to be more feminine because they "aren't gay enough" is bananas.
Not turning that into a conversation about how being queer is different for everyone and there's no wrong way to be queer as long as your kind (to yourself and others)?
Another missed opportunity.
I would not want to put this in the hands of kids who already have insecurities running wild knowing it could damage them more.
Thank you NetGalley & Annick Press Ltd. for my ARC.

I was really excited by the premise of this book but it fell short for me.
Some of the issues were simple formatting and proofing issues - even for an ARC there was so many mistakes it was distracting and made reading a challenge because it disrupted the flow too much. The characters didn't feel authentic to me.

I have to admit that this one had to grow on me. I loved the end, but it took me a while to get there.

There are some things that make this title unique. It is a gay-centred story, set in a small town, that is not about having to hide who you are. The main characters are young men in that context, which makes it even more unique. Finally, the protagonist is not the most likeable character around, and I had to work through that.

This is very much a teen novel for now. Social media plays a really important role in the story and it is all about the drama and the followers. Main character Peter finds himself at the centre of a tsunami of social media attention when his tendency to speak first and think later gets recorded and posted. His best friend Alan (and his drag persona Aggie Couture - and yes, I do love that!) decides that Peter producing the first ever drag extravaganza in Mason County is just the thing to restore his reputation, and convince people that Peter's not a "self-hating gay". Peter's not sure about it, his parents aren't sure, and the local Moms for Liberty types are absolutely not sure.

One thing the book does really well, and that helped me stick with it, was navigate the dynamic of being a young gay man who isn't the "perfect" gay boy that the popular girls want to hang around with. What happens when you're a teenage boy dealing with acne and body image issues and everything else, who just also happens to be gay. It's not something I've seen dealt with a lot in YA fiction, and Curtis Campbell bravely takes a shot at it here.

There's a lot of angst in this one, but there are some hilarious moments, and it all builds to a terrific finish.
Thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the e-arc.