LGBT YA

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Lenni Reviews: “Brooms” by Jasmine Walls & Teo Duvall

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In 1930’s Mississippi, magic is common but either banned or severely restricted for people of color. Despite this, Billie Mae and Cheng Kwan introduce young Mattie and Emma broom racing in order to participate in underground broom racing to earn money to learn magic from a real school.

Despite the abundance of characters, it’s easy to empathize with their struggles and hopes. The racing is a lot of fun and while the representation is wide – there are participants of all races, ages, and ability – it doesn’t feel forced; more like all of these “outcasts” can come together to buck the system and cut loose. I would LOVE to see this as an animated movie. The flying scenes scream for it. Absolutely check this one out! 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Cuckoos Three” by Cassandra Jean & Mosskat

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Murry is a football star, hardworking, and obedient son, with a ton of friends. However the new kid, Jacob, is a small outcast and stands out as the quiet kid with piercings and a goth look. Despite being so different, they are drawn to each other. But, Jacob is hiding the reason why he moved with his family out to the small country town.

This is the sweetest story. Murry is so delightfully earnest and kind, Jacob is a darling, and they are precious together. It also contains some educational info on DID and how to help someone who switches. I wouldn’t mind a long running webcomic or something with these two since it’s so aggressively calm and heart warming. And the art is so colorful and soft, and it’s all young around friendly. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl” Vol. 3, by Azusa Banjo

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While Mido already realizes how cute Hiura is, Hiura is only now realizing his feelings for Mido and is hiding them.

This series is keeping its cute tone and teasing us with Mido and Hiura getting together; which this is clearly heading towards. I’m enjoying a lot of this but watching Hiura just be happy exploring how he wants to express himself is the best part. Real life sucks so, I like this world where everyone is accepting so Hiura has this chance to enjoy his euphoria. Fingers crossed the real world can be this way, too. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat: Vol. 2, by Sakaomi Yuzaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As they make plans to spend Christmas and New Year’s together, Nomato starts to realize her feelings for Kasuga are blossoming into more than just friendship.

Much like volume one, most of this is Kasuga enjoying what Nomato cooks. It’s soothing and it’s adorable to see them interacting. But seeing Nomato really think about her feelings and research what it all could mean was great representation. I also got one of me my wishes; more back story for Kasuga. But still no recipes for all the delicious food featured in the book. But, I like both characters and look forward to the next one. 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 7, by Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As high school nears its end, Aoki puts more effort into being involved and supportive of Ida, who wants to go away to college.

I like this volume but I am wondering if we will get more progression as these stories play out. The young relationships are moving forward but it’s a little slow to read. At least Aoki and Ida are fun to read. We get the classic ‘only one bed in the hotel room’ plotline. Akkun and Hashimoto are a nice counterpoint to the others. It’s all sweet and worth reading if you’re looking for some YA romance. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 6, by Wataru Hinekure &Aruko

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Aoki is working hard at his part time job in order to buy his boyfriend, Ida, a present. They are spending more time together but Aoki is curious about being more intimate as for as long as they’ve been dating, they’ve only held hands.

Even though the super-deformed drawings can still get creepy, the story and the characters are so charming and adorable that this is still a warm, comfortable read. Aoki and Ida are slowly growing in a natural way that is nice to experience as we go through this journey with them. 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “As the Crow Flies” by Melanie Gillman

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Collected from a webcomic. Charlie Lamonte is 13, queer, and the only Black girl at an all-girls Christian camp. Feeling like a complete outcast, she struggles to find a place among her group but finds a kindred spirit in her fellow camper, Sydney.

This is pretty good. I have to say all the build-up for this super important ceremony the campers have to do is really disappointing because (spoilers I guess??) the volume ends before we even get there. The webcomic continues but the physical book feels incomplete. If it makes any sense, it feels cut off, not like a cliffhanger.

Other than that, I love the art. I’m a sucker for the colored pencil look since I’ve always wanted to learn to do this. There are some thoughtful considerations on religion and feminism, with some coming-of-age self-reflection. Overall, it makes me want to read the webcomic now. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 4, by Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

 Prepared for rejection, Aoki confesses to Ida but Ida accepts his feelings and they start dating. Aoki wants to keep it a secret but Ida doesn’t think they should and has no issues being honest with their friends and classmates. However, Ida isn’t very good at expressing how he feels to Aoki.

This is relentlessly cute. I’m enjoying watching the story just play out and it’s written well enough that I’m rooting for them. This is a fun little romance that’s clean, fun, and has low angst (so far). 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl” Vol. 1, by Azusa Banjo

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Midou is one of the most popular boys in his school and his close childhood friend Hiura is considered quiet and glum in comparison. Hiura is also the only one who knows Midou’s secret passion for makeup and allows Midou to practice his skills on him. Midou completely changes Hiura from a plain quiet boy into a beautiful young girl. So beautiful in fact, Midou’s feelings towards Hiura change when Hiura feels more comfortable in the female clothing.

This is absolutely adorable. I like how progressive and understanding everyone is around Midou and Hiura. Not very realistic but in this case, it gives space in the story for the main two to workout their relationship and figure things out.

Since this is about make up mostly (and a bit of fashion) I wish more of this was in color so we get the full effect as readers. But I understand that’s expensive to print and a lot of work. I’ll take the color pages we get. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Girl from the Sea” by Molly Ostertag

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Like most teenagers, Morgan dreams of leaving her small seaside town so she can be herself. After her parents divorce, her and her little brother are having trouble dealing with all the emotions, leading Morgan to take a walk near a cliff; only to be saved by an old and exceptional friend.

This was a sweet book with some great representation and a nice simple story. It’s perfect for it’s age group and had beautiful art. I would have liked to see more of it but the ending is satisfactory as it is and makes this all a light hearted read with great characters. 4.5 out of 5.

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