Star fruit is a joyous story about fighting for what you want but also what it means to be an "ally". This story is told from the point of views of Ari, Atlas, and Ya.

I thornily enjoyed this book! the plot lines, the main characters, the messages seen throughout the novel. I will definitely be requesting this book through my library, and getting a copy of my own. This book was so important to read. And each of the characters individually dealing with their own things, seeing them work with that, I loved it!

okay so this was really cute! i really liked the nuance that this book contained and i think it's totally realistic for teenagers to speak and act like atlas, ari and ya do. i really enjoyed the exploration of masculinity and the patriarchy through atlas, ya's struggle to be a "good ally", and ari's experience of autism. the representation within this book is all really authentic and accessible. the romance subplots were all really sweet too.

my only two gripes are that the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism was referenced in a neutral/positive light (despite it not being accepted as appropriate by most of the asd community) and that some of the flashback dialogue sections didn't seem realistic to the ages that the characters were meant to be (e.g. 5 or in second grade).

While I did find some of the transitions between scenes a little abrupt, and wish we'd spent a little more time on the resolution, this was overall quite enjoyable. I found the characters believable and (mostly) relatable even when they were messy and making mistakes. Atlas in particular had a few scenes where I wanted to shake him, but I still felt that his behavior, while out of line, was in keeping with the chaos that is being a teenager.

The book hits a lot of the typical teen/YA stuff, but the parent hate group---a thinly veiled spin on Moms for Liberty---had my hackles up. For me, that storyline had the least resolution, though it's also something that's unresolved in the real-world present, so I'm not sure how thoroughly that could have been resolved without some handwaving and wish fulfillment.

In general, I found this to be a solid YA read about three longtime friends who are navigating some revelations and life changes. The story features a) a transmasc character who is out the whole time and who is never deadnamed, though he does experience bigotry from other students and parents; b) a sapphic & autistic character who is still coming into her own; and c) a go-getter who loves her friends and wants to support them, and worries about being the odd one out. Where are a number of memorable side characters as well, who felt fully developed even when they had minor roles to play in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

Thank you Kamryn Kingsberry and netgally for letting me read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

Holy shit I loved this book. It’s so unapologetically queer, these are the kinds of books I needed when I was younger. I love the dynamic the friendgroup has, it’s kinda messy but that’s life. They talk about how they feel and how they can support each other. Sure not everything goes right, ya does her best to help them in the way she knows how but ends up learning that’s not the best way and changes at the end of the book.

I loved Ari and Taylor’s relationship. I really felt that Ari was so into Taylor that she forgot how atlas must have felt about it. That sort of thing just happens to you, especially in your first queer relationship.

Atlas getting over Ari also gave me all the feelings. It was very hard situation and I understood his bittersweet feeling about it. Because it’s great Ari doesn’t like him like that because he’s a guy and she’s a lesbian. She really sees him for who he is. But that also must really hurt to know the girl you like will never like you back because she sees who you really are.

And my god I love the title and how that came back in the book, that was beautiful!

The only thing I liked less in the book was the use of the word “bruh” but I might just be getting to old for that lol.

Kamryn Kingsberry’s Star Fruit is a vibrant, heartfelt, and urgently necessary novel that celebrates Black LGBTQIA+ joy, resilience, and the power of community. Set in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles—often referred to as the “Black Beverly Hills”—this story follows three high school seniors as they navigate self-acceptance, unrequited love, and the challenges of queerphobia within their school and the broader African Diaspora.

At the centre of the story are Ari, a gay autistic teen with a passion for writing; Atlas, a young trans man grappling with self-acceptance; and Ya, their fiercely loyal cishet ally and best friend. When Ari’s queer PGM (people of the global majority) scripts are repeatedly rejected by the student theatre committee, Ya takes matters into her own hands, convincing their principal to greenlight the production on the condition that they fund it themselves. What follows is a race against time to bring Ari’s vision to life, all while navigating the complexities of friendship, identity, and the backlash from a queerphobic parent organization.

Kingsberry’s writing is authentic and deeply empathetic, capturing the nuances of queer identity and the intersections of race, gender, and neurodivergence. The alternating perspectives of Ari, Atlas, and Ya provide a rich, multifaceted view of their experiences, allowing readers to connect with each character on a profound level. Ari’s journey of standing up for herself while navigating her autism, Atlas’s struggle to fully embrace his identity, and Ya’s exploration of what it means to be a true ally are all portrayed with sensitivity and depth.

The novel doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of queerphobia, including online hate, protests, and violence, but it also shines a light on the resilience and joy of the LGBTQIA+ community. The friendships at the heart of the story are beautifully rendered, showcasing the strength and vulnerability of these characters as they support one another through adversity. The themes of self-acceptance, allyship, and the importance of representation are woven seamlessly into the narrative, making Star Fruit both a compelling story and a powerful call to action.

Perfect for fans of The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta or Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.

I am going to reserve my final star rating for when the book is published as at this point there is a bunch of formatting as well and developmental editing that needs to be done to make the story fluid and understandable. (Since I don’t have the option to keep it blank on Netgally I put it right in the middle for now and will update)

That being said, I went into this book blind. I snatched it up when I read the, queer, BIPOC and autistic in the same space.
The story itself was endearing and important to have available for young folks to be able to consume.

It is a bit heavy on the “tell” over “show” and uses a lot of buzz words and current hot button topics sprinkled throughout the book. It can sound a bit too much, especially to a young reader. The content is YA but it does read a bit more like a middle grade or very young YA.

2 majors plot issues I had was describing actions that were not age appropriate at all from a developmental stance. Without spoiling things. There is a point where the chapter is recounting when Arielle, a queer autistic cis female, was 5 years old. The issue is the story attached is not at all believable for 5 year olds. She continues on to chapters with Sonya and how she came to be in her living situation, again at 5 years old but the conversations with her parents are not at all what a child of that age could have.

The other plot point surrounds Atlas, the transgender male character. This can be hard to write when you are writing flashbacks type scenes to before the decision to transition was made. However, while a character made an earlier comment that she some how reframed all her pre transition memories of her friend Atlas to remember them as if they were a male, several chapters later it makes for confusing prose for their meeting at 5 years old.


Now for the positive. I love that the author is putting out a story that gives the opportunity for learning as well as for young people to see themselves in the pages. The story of friendships and beyond as they tackle their last year in high school and racking part of the coming of age process.
Also kudos for making them theater kids and not the typical focus on actors. While this high school would be very different from most kids in the US’s experience, they do exist where the theatre arts are taken more seriously and allow for original plays.

I’m going to recommend this book as I’m sure by the final published version it’ll be something that young adults and teachers would lucky to pick up.


I am thankful to have gotten the ARC for free from the author through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in June. The world needs more Black queer ya and I'm so happy this exists because this was very good! I ended up reading over half in one day. The book really gets into the current climate but because it centers queer joy, it feels like a protest in its own right.

Star Fruit was a sweet, diverse read centering around the joyful exploits of three teenagers and their theatre department.

As a reader and a secondary school English teacher, I'm always looking for queer YA books that show more than tragedy and unhappiness to recommend to my LGBTQIA+ club. Star Fruit delivered this in spades. The friendship between the three MCs and their approach to tackling both racism and queerphobia was refreshing, and I found myself smiling frequently from the unabashed queer joy sparkling from every page.

I did find some lines jarring, mostly around Ya's allyship - early on in the novel, she thinks about how she might be 'overstepping her LGBTQIA+ allyship status', for instance - and I have to be honest, I've never once encountered a teenager with that kind of eloquence or self awareness when they're passionate about something. These moments are fleeting however, and by the end of the book this feels much more natural. Otherwise, the characters are well developed and interesting, and the relationship between Ari and Atlus was a particular high point. The friendships are lovely.

Overall, I will be recommending this book to my students on release and getting a copy for my classroom. I loved this book!

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this book! The main characters were everything that you can ask for! A gang of high school friends standing in their purpose and fighting for their rights. I think that this is a great novel for not just young adults, but also adults to read about LGBTQIA+ and how it affects their everyday lives. This definitely did give me a bit of a peek into what occurs and the ignorance that they have to battle. It inspired me to be more cognizant of what is currently going on in today’s political climate.

Loved the representation in the book. From autism to queer to trans you get multiple areas represented. Having a queer autistic character was so unique and loved that. Some parts were slow but overall a good read.

I went into this book blindly -- only knowing that it is black queer YA fiction, and I was so so delighted when I discovered that the plot revolves around a drama club??? I am a performing arts enthusiast and THIS SLAPPED. Also love how you can apply I genuinely can't get enough of the world, I NEED a series I can binge watch, I need to see the rooms of all these characters, I need to know what they are upto like a few years from now, I would binge all amounts of spin offs.

I love reading realistic and authentic teenagers and high school experiences and Kamryn DELIVERED. I love the flaws of these characters, I love how dramatically realistic everything felt, trust, I am in uni and I come across so many people with similar experiences every other week like this was SO WELL DONE that I was screaming. Screaming at the characters to get their shet together, and at the bigots to GROW A FEW BRAIN CELLS.

Yes some teensy bits were predictable and messy, no I don't care cause LIFE is like that, okay? give me the TV series :/

(This isn't a complaint, I understand why publishers might do this but gosh I wish this wasn't a PDF ARC lol my poor eyesight 😭 , it makes more sense for illustrated books)

I wanted to love this one so bad but unfortunately it just fell really flat for me. Most of this book is centred around a play Ari, Ya, and Atlas are putting on but yet we spend pretty much the entire book not knowing anything about the play except for the fact it is Queer and that's the reason there are protests happening to try and cancel the play. We do know that it has drag queens but honestly that's about it. Even at the end when the play is being put on we don't see really any scenes from it nor see how the protestors react to the play getting to run as scheduled.

Ari as a character felt very dull and her queerness and autism was what made up a big part of her personality. Which I have no issue with but I just wish her character was explored more as a writer, as a student, and just as a teen.

Ya just annoyed me. I know that was the point of part of her character as the "cishet saviour", and I am glad that her falling into this stereotype was addressed, but it still didn't help me feeling frustrated with her through 90% of this book. It was like she was incapable of taking anything seriously and just could not see the fear, danger, and discomfort Ari and Atlas felt about just trudging through to finish the play regardless of of the protests, hate comments, and threat to the teacher's life.

Atlas on the other hand was my favourite. I really enjoyed his character and felt like he was the most reasonable and he also felt the most realistic of the 3 friends.

I just felt like there was so much conversation and filler that didn't need to happen and didn't add anything to the story. Plus, the points I felt like it should focus on more in the story were just skimmed past. I honestly think this story would've benefited putting the play at the end of the second act and using the last bit of the book to address the response the protesters, social media, and students had to the play. Letting the play happen with no sort of resolving conflict in regards to the protesters just didn't really make much sense to me as that was a big conflict throughout the book.

Overall I think this story had such potential but fell flat by dumbing down the stakes and severity of topics it was trying to handle and instead filled the space with forgettable character interactions. I'm just very sad this story fell short as I truly wanted to love it and it had such good potential.