Karaoke Queen is Dominic Lim's second novel and I really enjoyed his first one, so I was looking forward to reading this one!

Rex gave up performing drag several years ago, however he encounters his ex from college, Aaron who now runs a karaoke bar. The problem is the bar is not doing well and Rex knows that if he brings back Regina, his drag persona, that is going to be the best shot to save it.

Rex knows that he is going to have to be under the radar in order to try to help for many reasons, one of them being that Aaron doesn't understand it. He makes sure he's not seen so no one knows it is really him. Rex has a very supportive mother and sister, but he knows his father would not approve. Rex gets help from his friends and his Mom and in resurrecting Regina. Will he be able to keep Regina hidden from Aaron? Will there be a second chance at romance for this duo? Will Rex be able to find his true self and be able to trust it?

Dominic Lim has a way of telling a story where you get pulled in from the beginning. I loved how the focus of this was Rex finding out who he really was and finding someone that loves every part of you. I wish there had been a few less secrets, but overall, I really enjoyed this!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Yes it's a rom com but it's a rom com like I've not read before and it's more- it's a love letter to learning to love yourself. And Filipino culture. Rex has been hiding his draq queen persona from so many people but now he's using it for good. But is it for the right man? You might root for Aaron but what about Paolo? I liked this for the characters - Rex's family is the bomb- as well as the representation and the good spirit. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Made me smile.

Dominic Lim has done it again! With his sophomore novel, Karaoke Queen, Lim introduces us to Rex and Paolo. I absolutely loved my time with these characters specifically in the book and watching them learn, grow, and develop together. I also just loved this entire universe. I loved Rex's family, you can really just feel the love radiate off the pages with this one. I loved learning more about drag as that is a topic where I am somewhat knowledgeable, but I have never personally thought about doing drag myself (much love and respect to those that do). It was incredible to see that strong sense of community and see a story that very much centers queer joy and queer happiness as our struggles are far too often what are centered in representations in the media. I just all around enjoyed the characters and the world we were in. Well done, I can't wait to read more from you. Keep them coming!! Thank you to Dominic Lim, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the E-Arc!

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever, and Dominic Lim for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a white, cisgender, heterosexual woman, this book was simply a look into an experience I've never lived and I truly enjoyed it. I cannot speak to the validity of the experience- but as an outsider- I learned, I empathized, I appreciated the passion and art and, I believe, I grew from it.

The story and POV were incredibly well written and explained. I LOVED Rex's family and their support- and how that support evolved. The intermixed romance was as tasty as the food descriptions!

Favorite passage:
DRAG AND KARAOKE.

Most people see drag as playing dress-up. Being something that you're not. Similarly, people think that karaoke is just singing someone else's song. A sad attempt at recreating the original.

But they're wrong.

Karaoke is taking something familiar and making it your own. You don't have to sound like anyone else. You can sing to the music however you want. It doesn't matter how you sound, or even how good you sound. All that matters is how good you feel when you do it.

And drag is more than just wigs and makeup. It's an escape from the restrictions that other people put on you. It's a way of telling the world what you feel inside, of sharing your truth.

This book was so cute! I loved Rex and really sympathized with his fear of people finding out he was a drag queen, especially considering everything that had happened to him. Finding the courage to live authentically and be yourself out loud is hard, and watching him do just that was so inspiring. I loved his family interactions, It's so refreshing to read a story about queer characters where the family is so supportive right off the bat. (Go Mom and Sis!) 🥹 If you like drag culture, Fillipino representation, and inspiring but lighthearted stories, I highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 - Karaoke Queen was a quick read full of interesting characters, growth and revelations.

Rex Araneta is a former drag queen who left it all behind years ago, locked away in a chest in his closet. When he meets an ex-boyfriend, Aaron, unexpectedly and hears about his bar suffering, he concocts a plan to bring back Regina Moon Dee to host karaoke nights at the Pink Unicorn. Things get messy and complicated due to Rex’s secrets that he’s keeping from Aaron, his father and the rest of his family.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would at the beginning. Once we started meeting all of the side characters - Paolo, Melboy, Eva, Rex’s mother, Kat - things really started to pick up. This story relied heavily on not telling the whole truth and that started to bother me after a while. I really enjoyed Rex and Paolo’s unexpected relationship and wished all of the relationships in the book were like that one - so open and honest.

I really disliked Aaron’s character. I feel like everything about him got under my skin and I disliked the way that Rex changed when he was around him. It was likely intentional to make Rex’s choice easier, but something about Aaron made me uncomfortable.

Looking forward to reading more books by Dominic Lim in the future!

This would make for an absolutely wonderful romcom movie. I can just picture it: the glitter and glamour of the drag performances, the hilarious hijinks to keep Rex' drag persona a secret, and the heartfelt message of embracing everything about yourself. Not to mention an absolutely lovely romance, with possibly the sweetest love interest of all time. It all worked incredibly well on paper too (or, well, on my Kindle screen), and I finished most of it in one sitting because I was too immersed to put it down.

Thanks so much to Forever and NetGalley for an E-arc of this book!

This was a super fun and sweet that looked at drag culture, karaoke culture, and Filipino culture and food! Our main character, Rex, was a great narrator and being in his head made the plot of the book make a lot of sense. Paolo was the perfect love interest for the story, and I really liked seeing his entry into drag alongside the more experienced drag queens in the story!

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I like the “love triangle” between his college ex-boyfriend and the KJ, but it becomes very obvious where the story is going very quickly and doesn’t fall into any of the usual love triangle tropes that I don’t like!

This book is super short, which made for a quick read during a hurricane no less! I highly recommend this one and I hope everybody checks it out when it comes out next week!

“Karaoke Queen” by Dominic Lim is a poignant and fun portrait of drag, a gay bar that is an important part of the community and different types of family. The main character Rex Araneta, along with his drag alter ego, Regina Moon Dee, is a loveable character who is struggling a bit with integrating his drag identity with the rest of his life. I quickly became emotionally engaged with the characters and was moved by the queer joy and some of the supportive relationships. I also learned a lot about drag which was fun. Lim has a fun writing style which draws in readers while creating believable characters. I also loved how the Bay Area was like a character in the book as well as learning more about Filipino culture. Looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the eARC.

I really love Dominic's writing and I loved so much about this book. I thought the character's journey was so interesting and relatable. I only wish the love story had a bit more page time as I felt like I didn't get to see the two of them together for enough time. But overall, such a lovely read!

I was excited for this one, but it ended up not being a great match for me as a reader. There were some things I really liked. I loved the side characters and liked both of the MCs. I also really loved all the details about drag and the descriptions of the performances and the performance spaces.

I personally get annoyed when the MC of a book is pining after someone who is clearly not right for them. Really, anytime things are super obvious to the reader that take a looong time for the MC to figure out, it isn't my jam. So that element here I wasn't a fan of. The way that the whole hidden identity aspect played out seemed kind of silly to me. There's also a writing contrivance used multiple times with a lead in paragraph meant to grab the reader's attention followed by "TWO HOURS EARLIER" and then a jump backwards in time. Again, just a personal preference, but very much not my thing. And even though I liked the MCs and was rooting for them, there were so many little side plots and threads going on that the romance didn't ever shine like I hoped it would.

Definitely not a bad book, but not the right book for me. If you're looking for a sweet read with a large cast of characters and can suspend your disbelief more than I managed to, this might be to your liking.

Karaoke Queen is such a joyful book. I love the celebration of love, acceptance, and found family. Plus the bonus of this being set in the Bay Area!

This story is told in Rex’s POV, and we go along this journey with him—from the birth of Regina Moon Dee, to learning how everything he has been through has shaped the person he is today.

In addition, we also get to experience so much of the Filipino culture, and it makes me so proud. It means so much to see us represented in books, especially traditionally published ones.

Karaoke Queen is a hopeful story, filled with queer joy and endearing characters. Bravo, Dom!

Thank you for the ARC, Forever!

3.75 stars

I really loved Dominic Lim's debut so I was excited to read this one. While Karaoke Queen had a lot of good, I didn't love it as much as his previous. There was a lot happening in this book that at times the plot felt very rushed. Conclusions/reconciliations were near instant in ways that didn't always make sense. Had we dropped a plotline (possibly the whole Aaron plot?) and filled out more of the romance, I think this could have been fantastic. Some things I really enjoyed was the drag and getting to learn about the community and details of that lifestyle (like...THAT'S tucking?!). I also really enjoyed the information about Filipino culture and food. I really empathized with the secret identity aspect from a parent and would have preferred that to have been a bigger part and the only one not in on the drag persona.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Karaoke Queen has me SINGING all the praises for this fantastic story!

Karaoke Queen is about to steal the hearts of readers everywhere. I found myself smiling like a moron at my kindle as I devoured this story. It’s both adorable and digestible all while dealing with some heavy themes/topics. Topics that are real and that still happen today. Drag as an art form continues to be something that is attacked in the media and occasionally even physically in areas across the world. I think Lim tackled the idea of this abuse happening, but in how he told the story, it gave power to victims while moving forward and healing in healthy ways.

Dominic Lim KNOWS how to write some of the most adorable stories. Not only does he write stories that are full of culture but they are written so well you can feel all the heart of the story. There is real lived-in truth that I find Lim is able to pass along to readers. Speaking to not only prolific writing ability, but also just excellent story telling. I mentioned that I devoured this story and I did. I even also never even realized how this story was going to end until over half way through. There is a clear shift from where this story starts, so I felt myself growing with the characters as they continued to develop within the pages.

Absolutely check out this next great story from Dominic Lim!

This book made me cry, like I'm still processing this story cause hiding a part of yourself for so long is sad. Rex was such a fun character and so strong. I loved how this story played out. The pacing was great. The story is captivating. I loved this so much. It had so many funny moments.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this charming rom-com, Rex Araneta hopes his drag queen alter ego, Regina Moon Dee, can help save his ex's karaoke bar and win back his heart. Set in the Bay Area, this delightful story blends humor and heart as Rex juggles secrets and family, discovering that true love might mean showing his authentic self.

Cute read.

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the arc

I absolutely loved this book. Love, love, love it. It was about self love, acceptance, drag queens, family, and a very cute queer love story. Rex wanted to help his ex boyfriend karaoke bar by performing in his alter ego Regina Moon Dee. Rex hidden that important part of himself. Yet, no one outside of his family and best friend was aware of this after a horrific event in high school. I loved reading about Rex. He was a great guy that had an unlucky time finding a great guy. Through his family and new friends he finally found his true calling. I found his ex boyfriend Aaron clueless and uninteresting. Paolo, though was an amazing man and possible new love interest. I definitely enjoyed reading about the two of them together. Rex’s sister and mom were adorable in their full support and as his cheerleaders. Lastly,  I love how the story evolved as Rex learned that being a drag queen was being himself and that was perfectly okay. The ending was a chefs kiss perfection. Overall, I absolutely adored this book and reading about a great guy that needed a gentle push to be himself. It was definitely a love message to love oneself no matter what. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Rex Araneta's drag queen alter ego, Regina Moon Dee, has been out of the limelight for a while. But when his college ex-boyfriend, Aaron, comes back into the picture, Rex decides that Regina Moon Dee might be just the thing that helps Aaron's failing karaoke bar and also helps his own way back into Aaron's heart. This book was so much fun, from the quick changes to the decoy dress-ups, it kept me thoroughly entertained. There also is an aspect of identity and self-acceptance that plays a huge role in Rex's growth as the novel progresses.

Karaoke Queen provides a full package of fun banter, silly plans, and heart-warming moments. With multiple love interests and self-exploration, this novel has something everyone will enjoy!

Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim follows Rex Araneta, who rekindles a connection with his college sweetheart, Aaron Berry, by helping to save his karaoke bar through the persona of Regina Moon Dee, Rex's secret drag queen alter ego. As Regina's fame grows, Rex must confront his fears of revealing his true identity, realizing that embracing his authentic self might be the key to finding lasting love.

What a fantastic sophomore novel! Karaoke Queen not only opened my eyes to the vibrant world of drag (which I knew very little about beforehand), but also deepened my appreciation for Filipino culture—I was craving Filipino food by the time I finished reading! The story, set in the Bay Area, made me nostalgic for my time living there. The entire book is narrated from Rex’s perspective, offering intriguing insights into his childhood, his introduction to drag, and the birth of his drag persona, Regina Moon Dee. The flashbacks were crucial in shaping the present-day narrative, making the story even more compelling. I was particularly moved by the significance behind Regina’s name, which added a powerful layer of meaning to the story. The characters were wonderfully drawn—Rex’s mom, Eva, and Kat were standouts, and Paolo was an absolute sweetheart. By the end, I just wanted to hug both Paolo and Rex! Overall, Karaoke Queen is an entertaining read with a serious undertone, and I’ll definitely be picking up anything Dominic Lim writes in the future!

This book was a love letter to karaoke and drag, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Dominic Lim’s writing is so good, you just slip into the story right away. This story touches on a lot of topics, and does have some content warnings listed at the beginning of the book.

If you love found families, love of music (especially karaoke), Filipino food, love and acceptance, you will enjoy this book. There is a lot of joy in this book, but it also touches on complicated relationships with family members.