★★★★★ + favourites

"People might think that everyone starts out in a closet until they're ready to 'come out'. The closet could be dark and scary or quite roomy and resemble more of a clothes rail. But what's more funny for me is that I didn't even know that there was a closet - or that I was very much stuck inside it."

Crewes takes us on a gorgeously illustrated and perfectly told journey of finding herself and the struggles of growing up trying to figure out what it is that you've been doing wrong all this time. That horrible transition to high school when everyone suddenly went boy crazy and you didn't quite get it? That first high school "boyfriend" who you finally got who you never really bonded with after getting past the "we like each other" stage? The expectations that uni would finally let you be the hot sex-having girl with the boyfriend you always wanted, leading to disappointment and shame? And so so much more that is so familiar to so many gays in early adulthood...

This has got to be one of my all-time favourite queer pieces of media I have ever consumed. I saw so much of myself in this book as someone who also came out right at the end of her teen years and will forever hold this book so dear to my heart (or my girlfriend's copy at least, thank you so much my love for letting me read it!!).

I've never really had it all laid out like this in front of me before, and I was so emotional after reading this that I just sobbed. This is so special and so important. Queer kids and queer people NEED this, and I wish I had read this sooner, too.

I adore this. And I know that the younger version of me who sobbed in her first year uni dorm because the girls were talking boys again and she couldn't relate... I know that she would adore this too. And I bet she's so proud of me now.

Fantastic, hilarious, and relatable, Crewes bears their quirky little soul to all of us for our understanding and enjoyment.

Coming out is like stepping out into the unknown, and no ones journey to finding themselves is the same. Crewes gives us a story about comfort and coming out at your own pace. They let us know that it is ok if you need to come out, and then go back in for a while. Your journey to your truth is unique to you, and you should not change it for anyone but yourself. With wit, vulnerability, and truth, Crewes lets us walk alongside them on their journey to their queer identity.

If you like comedic but honest memoirs with a heavy helping of self-awareness: read this book!

I really liked this examination of how the author realized she was gay, and how she communicated this to others--not as a one-time event, but kind of evolving as she grew to know herself better.

I've seen this book popping up online and since I love a good memoir told in graphic novel form, I eagerly picked this one up. It's refreshing for me to read stories about those different from me so I can more easily understand the experiences others go through in their daily lives. I have never seriously questioned my sexual identity, but I have imagined the extreme stress and uncertainty those who are questioning have gone through. I feel like Eleanor did a really nice job showing various stages of her life where she did question who she was. I enjoyed seeing Eleanor as a child, teenager, and then young adult where she was grappling with who she was and why she felt so different from her peers.

Although this book is tagged as an adult book, I think it would be helpful for high school students to have as a resource, especially as many young people work through similar emotions on their own. There is nothing overly graphic or inappropriate in this book and I think it would be a fantastic resource for those young people who are trying to figure out who they are. Eleanor grew up lucky in the sense that she wasn't mercilessly teased for who she is or her interests. She has a supportive family. What I think will be most powerful for questioning young people is to see that there is another side to the questioning. Despite the inner turmoil and uncertainty, there can be strength and acceptance and love found on the other side of figuring out who you are.

This book just made me sad. Nobody (nobody) should spend their whole young life so consumed with sex. I can generally appreciate books that help me see the perspective of others, especially if they're different than I am. But I did not enjoy this book. And it's not because of her sexuality. The world she lived in is just...sad. In spite of having a loving family and good friends her perspectives and ideas were just skewed. Which I guess is kind of the point.

I would've cried if I wasn't so dehydrated- I did laugh out loud though!