Crystal's House of Queers is the celebration of LGBTQ+ families, friends, and romances that we need in the world. I absolutely loved the diversity of the characters, depicting each as real, failable, discovering themselves, and realizing their power to take friendships and love into their own hands. This was a very quick book and left me hoping for just a bit more, but overall I thought it was wonderful and a must-read! This was my second Brooke Skipstone novel and I am sure it will not be my last.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Skipstone Publishing for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in small town Alaska, this LGBTQIA romance/mystery drew me in so much! While it was a bit too fast paced to be completely realistic, if you are able to see past that it is such a beautiful story of friendship and romantic love. The fast paced nature of the story (it took place over the course of just a few days and a LOT happened) kept me turning the pages, but it was the characters that truly made me fall in love with the story. The young ladies were mature, but not perfect. They were each so lovable and I couldn't help but root for them. The representation of queer and disabled teens would be so invaluable to so very many, especially those who may not have support in their own family or environment. I imagine this book would feel like a warm, deep hug.

Crystal's House of Queers by Brooke Skipstone is a young adult LGBTQ+ novel about found family creating a safe space for one another. It follows Crystal Rose as she navigates her sexuality in a small rural town in Alaska, only further complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has neurodiverse characters and celebrates their talents, proving that everyone is special.

I went into this knowing very little about the book or the author, having only read the summary. It was the first story I have read set during the pandemic so it was interesting to see how it had been intertwined in the plot. Generally, I found the pandemic didn't actually add much to the plot, it just gave an excuse for Crystal's grandparents to be out of the house and for the characters to be off school. Other than that you would never have realised there was a pandemic. At times it felt like this was being ignored to avoid complications at some points but then emphasised excessively at other points to aid the storyline. I found this frustrating as it created inconsistencies in the character's behaviours.

Crystal's House of Queers tells a really important story of forgiveness, friendship, and self-acceptance. It shows characters with both mental and physical disabilities thriving, not letting their setbacks stop them from getting happiness. Representation like this is so important, particularly in YA novels to give the readers a sense of acceptance and the confidence that many young people need.

I think the messages conveyed are so so important but the frustrations I had with the writing and pacing made it difficult to fully appreciate these. The entire story takes place over only 48 hours, with so much happening to so many different characters it was unrealistic and difficult to follow. Had the novel taken place over a few weeks or few months it would have made a lot more sense to me, coming out and understanding sexuality are complicated things that most people don't just come to terms with within a couple of hours. I also found the sexual nature of the book made it uncomfortable to read, particularly as it is a YA novel focusing on teenagers. Sex-positive books are extremely important but the sexualisation of characters as young as 12 is inappropriate.

Another disappointment I had was the erasure of the rest of the LGBTG+ spectrum in a book that was supposed to celebrate all queer people. Only lesbian and gay characters were involved, and although I am so appreciative of the representation of lesbian characters it was disappointing that no other sexualities or gender identities were mentioned. Many of the lesbian women had previously been in relationships with men so it would have been so easy to make them bisexual or pansexual. Instead, those past relationships were brushed away as lies. There was also no mention of transgender or non-binary members of the community, despite the insistence that the book was representing all queer people.

Overall I think Crystal's House of Queers had a lot of potential with so many important stories to tell and a great plot. Unfortunately, a few details let it down a little for me when I have read other queer books that didn't have these downfalls. Still, it was a compelling story and it is a good read for anyone looking for books containing queer characters with disabilities. The characters were easily likable and I found myself rooting for them until the end.

I loved this book so much! Such a celebration of staying true to yourself and being proud of who you are. Crystal is such an amazing girl and if there were more like her the world would be a better place. Living in rural Alaska is hard for a girl like Crystal. She struggles with school work and has a crush on her once best friend. However her solace comes in her beautiful drawings. When her mother and father end up back in town she’s torn between them both and helping her new friends who are both having struggles of their own. With her Grandparents struck down by Covid 19, Crystal opens her home to all those who feel they don’t belong. This was written so passionately and beautifully. I lost myself in this story and would love to be able to run away and join Crystal in her House of Queers. An LGBTQ+ favourite!

"I'm gay and I'm raising my dyke flag"
What a beautiful, heartwarming, and empowering read.

I deeply appreciated how organically the relationship between Haley and Crystal was depicted. It did not feel like it was trying to copy any heterosexual tropes, as it often ends up feeling like while reading YA/NA LGBT+ fics, in my experience.

We also do not see many examples of older gay characters finding or rediscovering their loves at a later stage in life. We got great representation for that in this book - Maya and Holly finding their way back to each other and getting a happy ending was so exciting and emotional to read about. I loved that they did not get filtered into maternal modesty tropes. Their story made me very happy.

I also enjoyed the depiction of sisterhood in the story, and Payton's character sliding in as sort of a role model/the ideal for the other girls, especially her younger sister, teaching them to be more empowered over the course of the book.

This is also the first story I'm reading that is set in covid times. At first, I thought that the covid setting had no relevance apart from the publishing date. But the suddenness of the grandparents' sickness accompanied with the level of normalization of the sickness in the story, the denial, and unusual calm with which the surrounding characters were treating the situation is very characteristic of this pandemic. The moment their grandmother calls crystal to tell her they've arranged for their wills to be drawn was disturbing and depressing to read, especially because we are currently still going through this crisis.

The artwork aspect was terrifically executed and smoothly integrated into the scenes. Check out the colored versions of the character art on the author's website - https://www.brookeskipstone.com/

The intoning and the use of different voices for each character were fun to listen to. The narrator of the audiobook, Hayley Peterson, did the job super well!

TW: Parental abuse, homophobia, bullying, sexual assault, substance abuse, addiction, close encounter gun violence, estranged family

Not a book for the faint of heart.

The book has many uncomfortable moments dealing with homophobia, bullying, abuse, COVID, unrequited love and coming of age as a special needs gay teenager.

Very realistic, sometimes heavy handed in driving a point home but well written.

This book made me extremely uncomfortable.

I was not aware that this book was set during covid, and at times it felt very overplayed and a little too realistic. The teachers were always reminding students to pull up their masks, the older people were in constant fear, etc. and it all just hit really hard after a full year of this pandemic. I just felt antsy reading about it.

The other thing I didn't like was the graphic sex scenes, all of the characters in this book are minors and I just don't enjoy explicit scenes that involve people under 18. The opening of the first chapter is literally such a vivid description of a sex scene that I had to put my phone down.

Overall this was not the book for me, and I think I might have been less turned off by it if I had more warnings of the content.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book, in the beginning I felt it was a touch 50shades of grey where the author was projecting their desires onto a character.
The further into the book I got the more I realised I was wrong, after the first few pages the only thing I wanted to do was to keep reading.
I hated putting down this book I wanted to see what happened to Crystal I wanted her to be happy and free, it's been a while that I have picked up a book and didn't want to let go, it is definitely a book I will re-read every few months.
I fell in love with the characters and the story. If people only read one book this year I hope it's this one

Brooke Skipstone has raised some very important issues, besides LGBTQ, in Crystal's House of Queers. The negative impact of an abusive relationship of parents on their kids, an addiction to drugs and alcohol on one's rational thinking, having too many secrets in the family, and hiding one's true identity is embedded beautifully in the book. The author has provided a welcome escape from all the social issues by adding several drawings in the plot. The author has spent just enough time narrating the fear that suffocates non-straight people every breathing minute. The suspense around Crystal's parents is another gripping factor in the story.

The publisher kindly provided me with an arc through netgalley.

tw / sexual assault, homophobia, abuse,

This could have been so amazing but sadly it just wasn't. I think if this was more fleshed out it would have been but not the way this was done. It's the fact that so much happens and this all happens in such little time which makes it totally unbelievable to me. Also people have done horrible things and one "sorry" and all us forgiven, that doesn't sit right with me. Pretty disappointed because I thjnk if not all these heavy subjects were thrown into one story and it took place over a longer period of time it would have been a lot more believable and reslistic.

I don't typically read LGBTQ books, but this one caught my attention because it is set in a tiny town in the middle of Alaska and Payton is a gun-toting artist. Sounded unique! And yes, the book is very unique, very action-packed, and very emotional. All the characters are amazingly layered and distinct. Crystal and her friends face down threats from various men and provide a home for themselves and other queers in the area. They've all had to cope with past traumas but find the strength to overcome them through the strength of their love for each other. As Payton says, they all have special needs. It's their life mission to discover what they are for themselves and for others. I loved the story.

Crystal's House of Queers is a book that promises a gut punch of emotions, messy characters, and a house that becomes a home for queer kids, and it delivers on that!

Crystal, Haley and Payton are very distinct characters that have all been touched by drugs, alcohol or abuse in their family lives, and find safety and home within each other. They brought to light how important queer love, whether it's platonic or romantic, is to queer well-being.

I enjoyed the exploration of so many kinds of relationships between women! Mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, old friends, new friends, sisters, new lovers, old lovers. There were some wonderful messages about unity and standing up for each other in times of crisis.

However:

- God, so many things happened, and they happened so fast. This is two or three books' worth of drama and trauma in one. Between sick grandparents, multiple instances of sexual assault, the reappearance of long-lost people in more than one main character's lives, breakups, threats, family moving away, and so many secrets, it was overwhelming. And it happens in such a short time span that it makes it even harder to wrap my head around. Too many characters brought in towards the end with little resolution of their arcs. I'll include the brutality of the sexual assault scenes in this section too. It was just too much.

- The treatment of the Native characters. There's only three of them and the two that are the most relevant are trying to keep their white partners around at all costs, and it really didn't sit right with me.

- The dialogue, while having its bright moments, could also lean into unnatural and repetitive.

- Some absolutely heinous, abusive behavior was forgiven because people were nice once.

Overall, this was entertaining read with touching, emotional moments, but too loaded for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A very interesting, heart-warming book which depicts the difficulties of being queer in rural Alaska. The main character, Crystal Rose, and her friends Haley and Payton create a safe house for themselves and others. The problem of rejecting your queerness to avoid conflict and pain is shown to lead to much more pain and a life of regret. The girls are strong, defiant, united, and brave.

Crystal's House of Queers by Brooke Skipstone is a novel about, Crystal Rose, the main character, and her group of teenagers living in the small town of Clear, Alaska. It's a queer coming of age story, a portrait of struggling amid the Covid Pandemic crisis, and a tender and heartbreaking love story, complete with a collection of memories of abuse, trauma, joy, and survival. Crystal lives with her loving but rigid grandparents and younger brother. Deserted by her abusive parents, believed to have died in a car accident, she finds an unexpected home in the tight-knight conservative community which lies virtually in the center of the great state of Alaska. Skipstone adds a beautiful queer romance at the center of the novel that is breathtaking in its honesty and complexity.

The pages are adorned with numerous illustrations that represent sketches by the protagonist, Crystal Rose. They add immensely to the narrative by helping the reader to visualize characters and events better. This warmhearted and sex-positive book focuses on a confused teenager struggling to claim her true sexual identity, and it's got an adorable F/F romance and a wonderful cast of interesting characters.

So many good lines in this book:

"If you come out, people hate you. If you don't, you hate yourself.”
“We all need to be held and loved. Why do people take issue with who does the holding?”
"We are not all the same. We all have special needs. Society cannot deny me an education because I don’t learn like most others. They have to accommodate me.” She can’t stop the tears from rolling out of her eyes. “Society cannot deny queers a normal life because they don’t act like everyone else. Everyone needs to hear that message."

Humor, sex, threats of violence, family reconciliation, powerful girls, and lots of queer love—what more could you want in a story? (less) [edit]

I have never read another book which dealt with special needs teens with such honesty and positivity. Crystal and her brother JD were both affected by their mother’s drinking and drug use during pregnancy. Both have struggled in school as a result, but both have become excellent human beings with their own gifts and talents. Through Crystal’s bravery and determination and ability to forgive, she creates a safe environment for others who are punished for their sexual preference, for who they are.

The story is filled with twists and turns, tense and engaging moments, and sheer fun. This is a quick and fulfilling read.

I picked up this book because I thought it would be like about queer empowerment, and it definitely did have that and that aspect was great, but I didn't love this book.
What I did like:
- the queer representation
- disability representation, because books rarely, very rarely, feature characters like Crystal, JD, etc., and I love that the author attempts to destigmatize and debunk stereotypes and like truly portray the characters positively as well as writing about their challenges
- awareness on important problems like bullying, harassment, abuse, addiction
- the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. like very very very beautiful.
What I didn't like:
- so many cliches about love and lust and high school that it made a lot of the story and even writing feel immature
- I almost felt like the story relied on like social and political issues to the point that it felt almost excessive. like instead of trying to protest and advocate twenty ideas, it would've been less complicated and also just like more powerful to read if the focus was on a few
- Covid...I really didn't like the addition of the corona virus in the story. the pandemic is our inescapable reality and I would've really liked to escape into a world where I didn't have to think about it
- the blurb made me think this was going to be like a new adult novel where the characters would be adults (because what high school student is a homeowner?), but they were actually only in high school and that made some events in this book seem a little unrealistic.
- with so much queer and disability representation...did they have to be all white characters? i mean like it's great that there's a lot of diversity, but honestly that almost makes it worse that there's no racial diversity, because it's very clear the author is progressive on so many important issues but apparently it would have been too much to make the characters not all White and blond :|

Crystal Rose woke up at 3:00 am after dreaming of sex with her senior classmate, Haley. Later that morning, she encountered a cow moose and her calf behind her house in Clear, Alaska, and was reminded of her mother abandoning Crystal and her brother JD fourteen years ago. She hurries to answer a phone call from a man who seems to know Crystal but refuses to engage in conversation. Her grandfather, Mac, struggles down the stairs, coughing and feverish. Her grandmother, Summer, will take him to the hospital, thinking he has Covid. These incidents combine to change Crystal’s life forever. Will she be abandoned again? Or will she find the strength to come out to herself and the community and find others who need a safe house to live?

This story is remarkable in every way. Every chapter presents twists and turns and revelations. The characters are varied and deeply drawn. There is humor and sex and violence and, above all, love and redemption. I laughed and cried and gasped in surprise. Read this book!

I have had the privilege of reading the manuscript of Brooke Skipstone’s Crystal’s House of Queers, and I can wholeheartedly say that this story touched me in a way that no other book has. Despite growing up in a very different environment than Crystal (a liberal New England town as opposed to a conservative town in Alaska), as a queer teenage girl, I felt very proximate to the experiences of the characters in this novel. It was a powerful feeling to relate so deeply to characters who have grown up so differently, and I gained a lot of perspective and care for issues of sexual assault and types of homophobia that I have been privileged enough to not experience first hand.
From the moment I started reading I felt captivated by the characters in this novel. Crystal’s life is riddled with hardship. She struggles with special needs, COVID-19 threatens her and her family including her grandparents, and on top of it all she struggles with her sexuality and the suffocating presence of toxic masculinity and abuse in her small town. Yet through it all, Crystal remains levelheaded, kind, and artistic. Her art, and the art included throughout this novel, enhanced my connection to the characters. Not only do the visuals provide me with an image of what the characters look like, but they connected me even more deeply to Crystal since they are drawn “by her.”
Each of the main characters, Crystal, Haley, and Payton, brought an important dimension to their shared experience. From all walks of high school life, these girls unite under their shared experience as queer women. They represent a spectrum of experiences that I think anyone can find themselves somewhere in. The generation and familial layers revealed throughout the story only serve to deepen the importance of the themes tackled in Crystal’s House of Queers.
As for the writing, this book is a fast-paced page turner. All of the story takes place in less than a week, and it feels that way by how quickly things move and how packed each second is with action, emotion, and development.
I highly recommend Crystal’s House of Queers to anyone, but especially to young, queer, female, readers, as I have never felt so seen and represented by a novel before.

Crystal’s House of Queers is a story of love, coming out, and fighting to protect a way of life. In-person school has just started in mid-September in the small town of Clear, Alaska, after Covid shut the school from mid-March through May and from mid-August until early September. Crystal Rose, a senior, sees her long-time friend Haley for the first time in months. Though Haley has had many boyfriends for the past several years, she and Crystal kissed frequently in fifth grade. Now they both are very interested in each other. Crystal stops Haley’s boyfriend from his daily assault on Haley in the lockerroom, starting a chain of threatening events and a renewed physical relationship between the two girls. Enter the charismatic and fearless Payton, openly gay, who helps them both to come out, be proud, and defend themselves against toxic male masculinity.

Complicating the girls’ love is the hospitalization of Crystal’s grandparents due to Covid and the potential return of her parents who abandoned her and her disabled brother fourteen years ago.

This book is empowering and very entertaining. All the young women stay strong, even as they evince an air of vulnerability. The characters are unique and deeply layered. The pacing is perfect, full of suspense and danger, as well as love, humor, redemption, and friendship.