Out Now: Queer We Go Again! is a follow-up anthology to All Out featuring 17 new stories by queer YA authors about queer characters. There was a good mix of fantasy and contemporary stories in there.

Like most anthologies, it was a mix of stories that I really liked, ones I thought were okay, and ones I didn't like. Overall, more than half of the stories were 3 stars or more from me, and the average rating for all the stories was a little over 3 stars.

My particular favorites were:

Lumber Me Mine by CB Lee - It was a cute romance between the girls who met in their woodshop class. The love interest was ace, which was nice. I wouldn't have minded more of this.

Victory Lap by Julian Winters - This was more focused on the father/son relationship, although there was a minor cute romance for the son. But it was the father/son relationship that was wonderful. The son found out that his dad figured out he was queer and had been researching how to be properly accepting and had joined groups and everything. It was so sweet.

A Road of One's Own by Kate Hart - A group of girls go on a road trip and one of the them calls the group the GROSS Club after Calvin and Hobbes, but has it stand for Get Rid Of Sexist guyS. That made me smile, as did the rest of the story. There was a cute romance between two of the girls.

Starcrossed in DC by Jessica Verdi - The daughter of the president finds herself in a difficult position when she suddenly finds out her dad is supporting an anti-LGBTQ+ bill when she herself is bisexual, although only her best friend and the girl she likes know it. The story focuses on her struggle on what to do. With a little focus on her relationship with her crush.

One Spell Too Many by Tara Sim - The main character works in a bakery where you can order baked goods with spells in them. She gets in a bit of trouble when she agrees to help a friend by baking her a cupcake with a love spell, but gets it mixed up with another classmate's order. It's a cute story.

Seventeen young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens. 



From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.

I've never been a big fan of short stories, so a collection has to be really special in order to entice me to pick it up. I'm also not usually terribly fond of historical fiction. What I *am* a big fan of is excellent queer representation in my books, especially those written for teens. When I saw Anna-Marie McLemore was in this collection that tipped the scales for me, and I dove in. I'm so very glad I did. Not only did I discover some new authors I'm interested in reading, but this book made my heart very happy.

While most of the stories are straight up historical fiction, some range into magical realism and pure fantasy. Each of them takes on a different time period and flavor, and explores a different teen experience. I was happy to see many different facets of the queer community represented - while most of the stories have gay and lesbian characters there are also trans characters, bisexuals, and an asexual. Including a wider spectrum of inclusion made this collection extra special to me.

All of the stories are fairly short, and the writing was good throughout (and occasionally exceptional). Anthologies are always going to be a little lopsided (you're going to like some pieces more than others), but this one had far more gems than not. There was really only one story I didn't care for, and the rest I either loved or liked, which is pretty impressive given there are seventeen. My favorites were:
Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake
Three Witches by Tessa Gratton
The Inferno and the Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia

There was a lot in here to love, and I can't wait to recommend this book far and wide. I wish this collection had existed when I was younger - I am ever so thankful it exists now.

Gratitude to Harper Collins for providing me with a review copy.

the slow pacing is just not working for me at the moment *puts back on TBR pile*

L'estate dei fantasmi è un racconto per ragazzi ambientato a Ondine in Luisiana. Iris e Colette sono due teenager che si divertono ad immaginare di essere streghe o cavalieri. Un giorno, giocando ad evocare gli spiriti in un cimitero, Iris vede il fantasma di un ragazzo che le chiede "cosa fai iris?". Inizialmente Colette non sembra credere alla bizzarra visione dell'amica, dopotutto il loro era solo un gioco...ma successivamente si dovrà ricredere. Da allora Iris e Colette con l'aiuto di Ben, il ragazzo di Colette cercheranno di svelare il mistero che circonda Ondine, dove anni prima vi fù la misteriosa scomparsa di Eliah, il cui fantasma incontrato da Iris, inizierà a tormentarla, buttandole all'aria la stanza e diventando progressivamente sempre più aggressivo.