"If you come out, people hate you. If you don't, you hate yourself" (Brooke Skipstone, Crystal's House of Queers).

I just finished listening to Crystal's House of Queers by Brooke Skipstone. The story is located in small-town Alaska and centers on Crystal Rose, her love interest Haley Carson, their friend Payton Reed, and Payton's sister Sidney. After calling out Haley's boyfriend for pushing Haley into sexual acts without her consent, Crystal begins to truly understand her romantic feelings towards Haley.

After Crystal's grandparents have to rush to the hospital due to COVID, Crystal and her friends decide to stay in Crystal's house and make it a safe haven for themselves and other members of the LGBTQIA community.

Some things I really liked about this book;
The way that Skipstone wrote small-town living: I lived in a small town for most of high school and college. With that being said, I can vividly remember dealing with the same fears that Crystal, Holly, and Payton all express feeling. Skipstone does an excellent job of expressing those emotions that many young people coming to terms with their sexuality have to cope with.
The found family aspect: I loved the way that these characters came together when they needed each other most. It shows how impactful a community can be when they come together really form a bond.
The disability representation: Crystal notes at several different points that Crystal, her brother (JD), and Payton's sister Sidney are all "special needs." Skipstone makes a point to highlight the accommodations Crystal receives but through a lens of non-judgment which I really appreciated, as it opens the door and makes discussion around learning disabilities and struggles much easier.
The honest conversations: At one point, Skipstone has Sidney Reed's character make a point about the need for complete honesty with oneself. I think that the honesty Sidney is referencing is such an important part of identity formation and self-accountability.

Some things I didn't like so much about this book;
COVID: As I first began to listen to this book, my only thought was that I am confused and a little bit uncomfortable. Part of this combination definitely stems from the fact that this book takes place in today's world, where COVID-19 is still running rampant. While I understand that COVID will most likely become a feature in many contemporary works, I still wasn't prepared to read a book with it as a central plot point.
The overt sexuality of the book: Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene, but when I remember that these characters are only 18 years old, I have more than a little discomfort to deal with. Even though this book is marked as "New Adult," I don't really qualify high school-aged main characters as fitting into that genre. That being said, I wasn't expecting to have such detailed, or frequent, sex scenes. Outside of the sex scenes themselves, Skipstone has Crystal showing off her nude artwork on Instagram (which is technically against the guidelines of the platform) and then later on Crystal attempting to show off the nudes in class just because she could. I think that if these characters had been having these revelations and experiences in college or post-grad, I would have been much more comfortable. With all that said, I do think that seeing/reading lesbians being intimate with one another is a very important thing for young queer people.
Trope usage: While I can appreciate Skipstone's want to include a realistic view of teenage life, I think there were too many cooks in the kitchen as far as tropes go. Between found family, the U-Haul lesbian, the family tension, I think there was a bit of a jumble and as someone who already struggles to follow audiobooks, I was having a little bit more trouble than I wanted. However, Skipstone's writing style really made the characters come to life.

I think that this book had a lot going on and it would probably be better served if it had been split into different parts. The speed of the plot itself also felt fairly rushed, by the end of the book, I felt like I had run a marathon. There are several "hell yeah" moments (specifically in terms of sexual freedom and autonomy, LGBTQIA rights, and standing up for oneself). Despite these moments, there was still no clean way to end this novel that wouldn't fall into cliches.
I definitely recommend taking a gander at this book, as the characters are richly developed and the plot is complex enough that readers will stay engaged. However, I definitely want to warn any interested parties of the potential triggers in the book. They are; domestic violence/abuse, sexual acts/abuse, teen pregnancy, and COVID-19. I found that despite these topics, I was able to finish the book.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )