Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens
Ratings9
Average rating4.1
“Poignant and important.” —Refinery29 “A bright and sparkly celebration of love and self-acceptance.” —Kirkus Reviews Judy Blume meets RuPaul’s Drag Race in this funny, feel-good debut novel about a queer teen who navigates questions of identity and self-acceptance while discovering the magical world of drag. Perpetually awkward Nima Kumara-Clark is bored with her insular community of Bridgeton, in love with her straight girlfriend, and trying to move past her mother’s unexpected departure. After a bewildering encounter at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene on the other side of town. Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies propel Nima both painfully and hilariously closer to a self she never knew she could be—one that can confidently express and accept love. But she’ll have to learn to accept lost love to get there. From debut author Tanya Boteju comes a poignant, laugh-out-loud tale of acceptance, self-expression, and the colorful worlds that await when we’re brave enough to look.
Tags
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
this book made my heart so warm. the sense of community and support made me cry! as a young queer person, this hit me hard. reading about someone finding themselves and their identity and breaking out their shell is so beautiful. i loved that the characters had flaws that they worked on throughout the book. none of the drama felt unrealistic or forced, nor did the growth. i related to nima a lot, especially when she would get in her own head and convince herself that she was boring or didn't fit in. everyone needs a community like she has in this. i would highly recommend this book to other young queer people!
4.5
I certainly did not expect to like it so much! I loved the characters, the pacing, the story itself. I appreciated that the romance didn't dominate the whole plot (even though I shipped these two like crazy), there was an excellent harmony between every topic discussed.
The only thing I didn't like was a kind of rushed ending. I would have liked some elements of the story to be discussed in depth at the end.
