ALL OUT

Oh, now this was a delight. 

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

I'm not going to do any spoilers, but I will list the time periods/topics for the stories. 

-Roja: Mexico 1870, based on a historical figure and Little Red Riding Hood

-The Sweet Trade: Virginia Colony 1717, runaway teen brides

-And They Don't Kiss At the End: Maryland 1976, disco rollerskating scene. I think this is the only one with an asexual character. Also, there's a character named Lori! That's rare! And I don't think she's white! That's...y'know, I don't think I've seen a Lori that wasn't white, so this is extra epic. 

-Burnt Umber: Amsterdam 1638, boys being taught art including life drawing with both female and male models

-The Dresser and the Chambermaid: England 1726

-New Year: San Francisco, 1955. Chinese characters with some historical inspiration.

-Molly's Lips: Seattle 1994. Kurt Cobain's death leads to extra bonding between best friends.

-The Coven: Paris 1924. Gertrude Stein is a character in this. 

-Every Shade of Red: England, late 14th Century. Robin Hood but make it interesting. I was very disappointed in the cliffhanger here! I would read a whole book of this!

-Willows: Massachusetts 1732. Sort of witch hunt-inspired.

-The Girl with the Blue Lantern: California 1849. Gold rush and...a fairy? I'm not sure what she is. 

-The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy: Virginia 1969. Closeted boy tempted by a theater student on the way to NYC when he has car trouble. 

-Walking After Midnight: New York 1952. Former child star stuck in a small town in the wee hours. 

-The End of the World As We Know It: Massachusetts 1999. Y2K with a Turkish lesbian lead. 

-Three Witches: Castile 1519. Forbidden love in a convent.

-The Inferno and the Butterfly: London 1839. Magician's assistants. 

-Healing Rosa: New Mexico 1933. A curandera is struggling to save her best friend's life.

I enjoyed every one of these stories, though always some more than others. But there wasn't a single bad one here. My faves were Roja, Every Shade of Red, and The End of the World As We Know It.

There is a sequel/follow-up to this that is in my reading pile. It's called Out Now, which should have given me a hint. All the stories are set in the modern day. I'm not really excited about reading it because I loved the historical fiction/fairy tale aspect of this one, but I just skimmed the Amazon blurb again and the topics sound interesting. I'll give it a go soon.