Queer Up explores many topics such as coming out, love, sex, consent, social media and many more. Although focused on the LGBTQIA+ community, (the book is called Queer Up afterall), much of the content can be applied to anyone.

Mental health is explored in an empathetic, caring but honest way. the tips and resources in particular, stood out to me. I especially liked the Joy Diamond and will take this into my own practice as a Mental Health Nurse (hope that's ok Alexis)

I learnt some things, laughed and cried (was not prepared for that afterword!). Overall, this guide was a joy to read.

Throughout June, GeekMom celebrates Pride Month with lots of LGBTQ content. Follow the Pride Month tag to find everything all in one space (including LGBTQ content from previous years) and keep checking back for more throughout the month. Today’s book review is Queer Up by Alexis Caught.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. Author/illustrator images are credited to themselves.

It shouldn’t be the case, but it’s a fact that people who identify as LGBTQ have a higher prevalence of mental health issues than those who identify as straight. The reasons for this are many and varied, but the results are the same—increased rates of depression, anxiety, and even suicide. For someone newly identifying as queer, and for their friends and families too, this can come as alarming news. Queer Up by Alexis Caught, subtitled “An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life, and Mental Health,” is a guidebook for queer people and their allies, a guide to what queer life is like—both the great parts and the not-so-great. It’s not definitive—it couldn’t possibly be—but it’s a great place to start.

Queer Up is divided into sections on topics including “Questioning,” “Families and Friends,” “Let’s Talk About ‘It,'” and “Coming Out.” Given this book is targeted at allies as well as LGBTQ folk, there’s also a dedicated chapter on Allyship with advice on what to do and what not to do. The overall tone of the book is aimed at younger readers, but the advice here will be valuable to people of any age. One thing I especially loved is how many different voices are found within these pages. Although the main author is a white gay man, he has invited dozens of people from across the LGBTQ community to contribute to every chapter, ensuring a wide variety of perspectives from people of different ethnicities and gender identities. In fact, the chapter on “The T in LGB…” is handed over almost entirely to two trans women barring the introduction because, as the author says, this chapter “isn’t my own story to tell” and sometimes you need to “step back and hand the microphone to others.”

My favorite part of Queer Up ended up being a short section written by Russell T Davis—the screenwriter behind Doctor Who, Torchwood, and It’s a Sin. Russell’s story is a sad one as it follows him during a period when his boyfriend was diagnosed with a Stage 4 brain tumor, but it illustrates how the challenges of navigating life with a queer identity and how the choices over whether or not to come out never stop. Every trip to the hospital resulted in a well-meaning taxi driver asking who he was visiting, prompting Russell to constantly make choices about what to say—friend or boyfriend—based on how he thought that information might go over. It’s a heartbreaking story, but one that illustrates perfectly, if tragically, how seemingly normal day-to-day interactions can often be made so much more challenging for queer people, something that continuously adds to their mental load in a way not experienced by straight people.

Queer Up is a fantastic book that I hope many people new to the LGBTQ family (and their allies) will find useful. It’s occasionally heartbreaking but also full of laughter and joy, showcasing how varied queer lives really are, and it’s full of genuinely useful information and diverse points of view too. This is a must-read this Pride Month.

GeekMom received a copy of this title for review purposes.

Great resource for young LGBTQ+ people, as well as their parents and those who want to be good allies. "Queer Up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health" explores important topics of navigating life as a queer person in an accessible way, without the tone being condescending or overly-simplistic.

Very important and very current read.

I received Queer Up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life & Mental Health by Alexis Caught for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

This was the perfect non-fiction book choice for February as it was LGBTQIA+ history month in the UK! I instantly felt welcomed from the introduction and I love the layout! The bubbles and illustrations were so fun and visual and I want to go out and get a physical copy as soon as I can so I can see it all in glorious colour.

I loved that there was a terminology list for each section so it gives you an amazing starting point to carry on educating yourself and I also really enjoyed the passages from other people in the community who have contributed to the book! It was really nice getting to read about their experiences and I loved learning more about our community. Plus the mental health tips were so important and I really liked how the author checks in with the reader throughout the book. I’m excited to go away and learn even more about our amazing LGBTQIA+ family!

Queer Up is an impactful and powerful book that everyone needs to read!

This book was astoundingly empathetic. In the very first few pages the author sets clear their intention: to act as an older sibling, giving some tips and holding space for those that feel like they don't have everything figured out—spoiler alert: neither does anyone else. And it succeeds, it truly does.

Throughout Queer Up there's tidbits on how to be a better ally, unapologetically political, this book is a great guide for anyone who wants to learn more about the LGBTQ community and its history—whether they feel personally connected to it or not. This book is a warm embrace and its ultimate message is simple but powerful: everything will be okay.

Essential reading for young queer teens, allies, and even parents of queer children. I WISH there had been a book like this around when I was a teenager and questioning my sexuality. I'm so glad this type of book is now available.

This was, as mentioned, an incredibly uplifting read - and is just the book that I needed when growing up and grappling with my sexual orientation.

It's a frank and honest dialogue on the nature of growing up queer - including some of the challenges to mental health, stigmas and societal backlash. However, on the whole, it's a message of hope.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in LGBTQIA+ life and issues.

A brilliant and necessary look at queer life through the ages in relation to mental health. Queer Up covers everything from exploring emotions and sexuality to sex and marriage. Quotes and essays from a truly diverse pool of LGBTQ+ people and allies (including the likes of Russell T Davies and Scarlett Curtis) are unflinchingly honest and will give even the most ardent ally food for thought. How I wish a book like this had been around when I was a teen!

‘Well, this is about 27 years too late isn’t it.’ That’s all I could help but think when reading this book.

This is a complete guide to the social, emotional and political complexities of learning to navigate life as an LGBTQ+ person (or in very helpful sections, as an ally.) This contains everything I needed to know as a young teen that Thatcher and Section 28 denied me. This would have made me less alone, and so much more ready for the world.

The writer is Alexis Caught, who is I feel, compared to me, to good to be true. He’s a mental health professional, LGBTQ+ activist and public speaker. Extra to this book and specifically to aggravate me, he’s also a rugby player, skincare expert, extraordinarily good looking, and worst of all, from his social media - kind and empathetic.

Normally it would be unfair for someone to be this perfect, but this book is so relatable and personal in its approach, that it’s not just educational and helpful, but it’s also a pleasure to read and get to know Caught through his writing.

Covering gay and trans alike it discusses coming out, queer history, mental health, sex, consent, pronouns - as well as harder hitting topics such as bullying and family rejection. The book is respectful, inclusive, helpful and useful. Where Caught doesn’t have first hand knowledge of an issue or identity, other members of the community are invited to write to their own experiences - all are equally as pitch perfect as the main text.

I now want to be in a best friend group with Charlie Craggs and Kuchenga - and you CANNOT tell me otherwise.

Finally, I cried at the Afterword. A bloody afterword…

Russell T Davies has written a beautiful piece about coming out and grief that is one of the best short form pieces I’ve read in a long time, full of warmth, humour and emotion. A perfect cap to a book essential for all secondary school and sixth form libraries.

Librarians, please please please consider stocking this book. It will literally save lives.

Ebook review copy was #gifted by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I would love to be able to read and review this but my phone is too old to download new apps because apple have decided to no longer support older iphones and my kindle is too basic for apps. If you do get a send to kindle option I will gladly read it.