I'm so happy TRAMPS LIKE US is getting reissued. This feels like a major queer text, and I'm glad others will finally discover it. Joe Westmoreland's small epic tracks Joe's escapades as he hops from city to city, trying to find the one that'll scratch that particular itch, settling eventually in San Francisco. Drugs, intimacy/love, the beginnings of the AIDS crisis. The novel is a kaleidoscope of 80s queer life.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

When I started reading this I didn’t realize it had been out of print for two decades! Tramps Like Us is coming back to print in June 2025!

This is a true coming of age story. As you follow the main character, Joe, there’s lots of love, loss, and self discovery. I will say I was hoping for a happier ending but I suppose life doesn’t always give you happy endings. While this is a fictional story it often reads like a non-fiction.

This book is written almost as a stream of consciousness. It flits from scene to scene with no transition and sometimes no real destination. That took me a while to get into, but I think it really benefits the story. The characters are all written very bluntly and honestly in a way I enjoyed. They feel like real people in the real world.

#bookrecommendations #arcreview #trampslikeus #netgalley

this was a strong concept and worked well overall in this universe. I cared about what happened with Joe and the rest of the characters in this. The plot worked well overall and was glad everything worked with the genre. It had that feel that I was looking for and was glad I got to read this. Joe Westmoreland has a strong writing style and can't wait for more.