This book was just eh. Maybe if I haven’t been an out and proud lesbian for the better part of 20 years I would find it more helpful and fun.
It read a lot like a memoir and I felt it should be classified this way.
Some of the language seemed outdated…or maybe I’m just old.
I would recommend this book to a newly out queer person but not likely to a seasons lesbian.

I think this book is important. As a lesbian, I really struggled to find advice for older women in the community. However, this book fails on nearly every front. My two main issues are below.

The authorial voice - Every page I turned was a nightmare, each with worse outdated specific millennial language than the last. I never want to hear my friend referred to as "bezza". The author's style was too conversational and often felt like I was overhearing a conversation I wasn't supposed to rather than having the stories told to me.

Storytelling -The stories felt condensed and never given the amount of time for them as humorous or impactful as I think they were intended. Combined with the authorial voice, the reading experience was just unpleasant.

I was clearly not the intended audience for this book. The information presented isn't really new to lesbians who have been in the scene for a while. Maybe it would be better in the hands of a younger lesbian. But with a frank discussion of sex it's hard to see this for teenagers, but the writing style lends itself to a younger audience.

Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a hilarious and truthful lesson learning tool for all things regarding lesbianism.

From tips on coming out, being a part of and having a queer family, to dating advice and the ridiculousness of phrases such as 'you don't look like a lesbian', Helen Scott has perfected a how-to guide for lesbians, old and new, out or in the closet.

It was a joy to read!

Thank you to Helen Scott, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in return for an honest review.

3/5 stars! 🌟

I think if I’d have read this when I first came out 10 years ago I definitely could have found parts of it helpful and incredibly reassuring - it just didn’t hit how I wanted it to at the time of my life that I’m in now! This book definitely does have an audience that will benefit from it and find it extremely relatable, but for me it just wasn’t what I wanted from the expectations I had from the title/blurb.

Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love.

The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family members. It’s laid out in clear sections and very easy to read, and full of such warmth and love that it really did feel like talking to a friend, especially when she discussed her own experiences coming out and trying to navigate a world where you only know stereotypes and insults.

She breaks down myths and stereotypes, common terms and misunderstandings about sapphic women without being condescending or too technical, discusses how gender and outdated gender roles affect us as women and acknowledges the other sapphic sexualities and how they might relate to these shared experiences and truths.

Whether you’re just looking for a book to share an experience or to try and figure something out, this was delightful.

Note; *now I’ve seen some criticism of this book saying the author isn’t a lesbian as they say maybe pansexual fits too. But the author still primarily identifies as a lesbian— and regardless of that fact it’s not my place to pass judgment on how an author identifies. Yes Helen briefly discusses dating men as a teenager and being attracted to non-binary people but that’s part of discovering your sexuality - The entire rest of the book does in fact discuss lesbian culture and sapphic culture throughout — and let’s remember that sexuality is a fluid and personal thing, we may have many names or qualities throughout our lives and that’s a beautiful thing.

I simply could not finish or read past a third of this book. Maybe the self-help was further in but it felt more like I was reading about the author and her feelings etc… Some parts often felt a bit patronising I guess? I really don’t know how to feel about this book other than I will not continue reading it… Some parts were trying too hard to be funny and maybe were focused more towards younger people? The writing of “irl” instead of in real life really drove me crazy and I’m not sure why. Some books aren’t for everyone and this wasn’t for me, and that’s okay! I hope the next person who reads this book loves it and if it helps someone then great. I liked the cover though :) Also props to the author for writing about lesbians, we need more queer books!

I expected more about this book.
It's called Live, Laugh, Lesbian but there is not enough Lesbianism.
I would have loved it if the author would have spent more time in actually describing the life as a lesbian.
It was good, just good.

I love the title of this book! The cover is so colorful (and representative of the L-flag) and drew me in instantly. I really enjoyed some of the takes in some of the interviews, too. However, I wish this book was labeled more as “a memoir filled with anecdotal secondary interviews” or something, to me, that feels more honest. I didn’t feel like this was only half-memoir, I couldn’t escape reading about the author’s life on almost all the pages (I have to be honest, I DNFed at the halfway point). I kept searching for the tips and tricks I was promised, but felt instead I was being patronized and spoken down to (I love my sweatpants and I didn’t know I needed a pantsuit to be a good lesbian?). I was uncomfortable with the writing of this book, leaning into so much British slang that I felt like I didn’t know what was happening sometimes. In some passages, the author spoke about disliking labels, but goes on to list pages and pages of labels. I felt an inconsistency. I would love to see this re-branded as a “British guide to the baby gay: a series of stories and interviews”.

I DNF-ed this book as it is advertised as a lesbian self-help guide, however a significant sextion of the book discusses how the author technically identifies as pansexual, and the majority of the book is not actually about lesbianism at all.