I usually find anthologies can be hit & miss, I love some stories, like others and hate the rest. However, this collection is a masterpiece of poems, stories & illustrations about the LGBT+ community. Out of the twelve stories, Penguins & I Hate Darcy Pemberly were my two favourites. It was the perfect book to celebrate LGBT+ History Month and I cannot recommend it enough.

I knew, going into this anthology, that I was going to walk away from it having been put through my paces. As someone who identifies on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, I knew this book was going to reach into my chest, tug on my heart and leave it, still beating, in the palm of my hand. Reading this book was going to scare me, was going to frustrate me, was going to leave me feeling hopeful and breathless and annoyed at the state of our world.

I was both right and wrong. As a YA targeted collection of short stories, all of them had a relatively happy ending, which is more than I was expecting or am used to (the bury your gays trope is real). A refreshing change, and one I would be glad to see reflected more in LGBTQ+ work - although, not particularly a surprise when written by LGBTQ+ authors instead of straight-allying ones. I wasn’t wrong about being put through the emotional ringer however, as this book managed to do that and then some. I think I cried at every single piece of work, whether I was sad or happy or frustrated.

This anthology is a very real, heartfelt collection of stories and poems by authors who have experienced the highs and lows of identifying as LGBTQ+ in our society. Some of these stories were a little hard to swallow; not because they were negative or bad, but because they perfectly summed up how I spent most of my young adult years feeling. That anxiety, that lump in your throat- that never really goes away, no matter how comfortable you get within yourself. The anthology tackles issues like anxiety, abuse, homophobia and transphobia in a way that places them in a modern context - you don’t end every one of these stories feeling sorry for the characters within, for they are surrounded by love, be it of birth families or found families or friends - but they do frustrate the reader by accepting that this is just the way the world is. People are always going to be rude, and mean, and want to make you change to fit their idea of normal, and the most heartbreaking thing about these stories is the way that is accepted in most of them. Like a shrug and a comment on how this is the way the world works. We have to do better, for future generations of LGBTQ+ youth. Juno Dawson says it in the foreward: “Welcome to being LGBTQ+. Your life is inherently political.”

Whilst most of the works in the anthology are funny, there are some that make you feel that stone in the pit of your stomach (The Other Team, Almost Certain). These stories had elements of humour - The Other Team, for example, had your stereotypical flamboyant character - but subtly tackled the very real and distressing anxieties that LGBTQ+ youth face on a daily basis. The misgendering of a young trans teen in The Other Team had me clenching my fists. It is not hard to respect another human being, yet children and adults all over the world are still fighting for the most basic of human decencies to be extended to them.

I labelled many of these stories my favourites as I went through, but I think the one that struck me the most was the last poem of the book, How to Come Out as Gay by Dean Atta. At only 4 pages long, it was the shortest in the anthology but packed the most emotional punch. As Atta says, “Accept you will be coming out for your whole life." Coming out is a process - it is something you will be doing to every single person you interact with, consciously or unconsciously. It is exhausting. It is hard, to know when is the right moment and who the right people are. But you should not be afraid to be proud of who you are and how you identify, and you should not let society dictate how you act and feel and think in regards to how you feel inside, where it is most important. Atta’s poem finishes, “Remember you have the right to be proud. Remember you have the right to be you.” I think that is so crucial for someone who is struggling to hear, and such a fitting end to the light of this book.

We have such a talented community of LGBTQ+ authors who all deserve to get their voices heard, and this is absolutely a start to making that happen. Juno Dawson has curated a touching, feel-good anthology of LGBTQ+ stories that hit the right tone without being too fantastical, and you will walk away from this book feeling inspired and exactly how it was meant to make you feel: proud.

I love a collection of themed short stories. I find it completely captivating when several authors can hook a reader with their take on a contentious topic and completely engage the reader. Proud did this for me.

I came across writers that I have previously read works by and also some brand new authors; now I have the desire to read more of their work. Each unique story showed the struggles and the triumphs of the LGBTQIA+ community. Proud really is a collection that should be shared and spread far and wide.

Proud by Juno Dawson is available now.

For more information regarding Juno Dawson (@junodawson) please visit www.junodawson.com.

For more information regarding Stripes Publishing (@StripesBooks) please visit www.littletiger.co.uk.

Since I read Clean, last year, I want to read everything Juno Dawson. So add this to the fact that I love anthologies, Proud was definitely a book I wanted to read.

And boy am I happy I did. First of all, I'm very pleased to say that almost all the stories in Proud are awesome. There's a level of quality here that I don't see in a lot of anthologies and I'm so here for it. Even Juno Dawson's foreword brought tears to my eyes because I haven't lived through this dark period for LGBTQ+ people and I know very little about it. Proud opens and closes with poems about coming out (I'm not quite sure for the first one, my brain is terrible at processing poetry no matter how hard I try) and features mainly contemporary stories, with one exception being fantasy. Granted I would have liked a little more diversity (pardon the bad pun) when it comes to the genres featured but that's a really small pet peeve and when you have stories that good, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that Proud features a lot of different identities, sexual orientations and experiences, reminding everyone of all the nuances that fall under the LBGTQ+ umbrella.

I do have a favourite and that's On The Run. I was shocked to learn that the author had never published anything before because it's perfect. I loved the story, I loved the characters, seriously this story is gonna stick with me for a long, long time. From Nicky figuring themselves out to Dean who's more than what people think of him, their sweet relationship... I held my breath, hoping for a happy ending, I got punched in the guts because of how beautiful it is and I'm looking forward to reading more of Kay's work.

Among my other favourites:
- The Other Team ranks high because I'm a sucker for a sports team friendship. The MC is adorable, I love me some bros supporting their bros and Alistair is just fabulous. Go MOSAIC!
- Penguins, adorable and funny in a Love, Simon kind of way. The poor dude just wants to come out with no fuss about it but nothing ever goes as planned and there are cute penguins!
- Almost Certain, dealing mostly with mental health in a very sensitive way. I loved the way Orla described her anxiety and her realtionship with Reeba felt sweet.
- Love Poems to the city for the amazing writing,
- ... I should stop right there because I'm gonna go on and on about basically every story in this book.
On, though, fell a bit short for me, The Instructor. I felt it lacked conflict and the characters weren't that memorable.

I'm sadly quite ignorant when it comes to art, but I loved most of it and fell in love with Leo Greenfield's piece. Absolutely gorgeous. I also think Karen Lawler and Kameron White would make a kick-ass graphic novel out of I Hate Darcy Pemberley (and yes, it's a Pride and Prejudice retelling).

So basically, I loved it. It's a book with great stories, great art, not to mention it's important because it gives a voice to LGBTQ+ people and a space to tell their own stories. 5 well-earned stars.

Disclaimer that obviously I do not belong to every single group represented in this anthology so, therefore, cannot speak to the representation from any kind of authoritative position. I urge you to seek out as many reviews as possible from a diverse number of reviewers if you're looking to find out more information (and then follow those bloggers because they're all amazing I guarantee). But I will also say that these authors are writing from their own perspective so the representation is coming from ownvoices, and everyone has their own story. 

I loved this anthology. I read it while on the way to Scotland for a wedding (and a little on the way back too) when, after our flight was delayed for a third time, I realised I needed something a little lighter to read than the intense fantasy novel I had started. I thought a short story collection would be just what I needed and I was certainly right. For everyone out there needing something to bolster them in these current trying times, I think this book is just perfect. Each chapter, each story, each poem, each illustration is like a tiny reminder that there is good in the world (Mr Frodo - and it's worth fighting for). But no, seriously, this book made me shed many a happy tear and just a couple of sad ones, but mostly it did what it set out to do - it left me feeling proud. 

If you're around on bookish internet you'll doubtless have seen that Stripes are putting a lot of force behind this book, I don't think I go a day without seeing it on my timeline somewhere. That concerned me at first because I didn't want this to feel like one of those situations...you know the ones I mean...

LGBTQIA+ books are getting rather 'trendy' aren't they? Gladys - go out and commission me one of those books so we can capitalise on this without really caring too much. We'll paste it with rainbows and make ourselves a fortune. 

Yeah, rainbow capitalism is balls. But this book was not like that, at least from my perspective. This book has heart, it has depth, it was a labour of love and that shines through from the first page right the way through to the last. It feels like something that is genuinely supported and believed in and I look forward to reading more books from Stripes that have these authors, these messages, this kind of inclusivity and wonder at their core. 

I think my favourite story was one where the main character was learning to drive (I don't have my copy with me so I can't check which one it was please don't judge me). That really hit home for me in part because I recently had a bit of a breakdown triggered by starting to learn to drive again so I felt a connection there. But there are so many wonderful works within this anthology honestly you should just read it. 

Are you sufficiently persuaded? This book is wondrous. You should order a copy, and while you're at it order one for everyone you know. 

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for this collection, but somehow Proud still managed to surprise me with how good it was.
The collection was so varied - and I loved how many of the pieces actually took on a focus outside of the character's LGBT identity, but still tied in to the theme. (I obviously loved the stories that focused more on the LGBT elements too, I just thought this gave the collection an extra dimension). It was also even more diverse than I'd imagined, as not only did we obviously have stories about people across the LGBT spectrum, but we also got pieces set in a variety of places, and about characters of different cultures and races and classes.

I could honestly write a paragraph on each of the pieces, but instead I'll just give some highlights: 'Penguins' was an adorable and touching story, and (I think) pretty realistic in it's portrayal of how people would react to gay penguins. 'On the Run' was very moving, and discussed the greatly underrepresented issue of being poor and also LGBT. 'Almost Certain' was another moving story, this time for it's handling of grief and human connection and the way art can bring us together. The last one I shall mention, 'Love Poems to the City', was gorgeously political, and the way it turned the city in to a character of sorts was inspired.

But as I said, I honestly loved every piece in this collection, or else I wouldn't have given it 5 stars. And I know I say this a lot, but I wish I'd had something like this as a teenager. I really hope this is going to go on to help a lot of queer, questioning or even ally teens out there; in coming to accept themselves, in coming to accept others, and in knowing that they are never alone.

I loved this book, a fantastic collection of stories written by knowledgeable inspiring authors and illustrated by brilliant artists. I can't put into words how empowering this book is for members of the LGBTQ+ community, we desperately need more literature written by LGBTQ+ authors. Two of my favourite stories were Penguins and The instructor, they were told so beautifully. The only disappointing aspect is that there wasn't a story representing aceseuxality, not even a side character as far as I could tell, other than that this book was brilliant.

This collection of YA stories written by well established and two debut authors is an absolute delight! There is something for everyone here, There is a joyful celebration of the whole LGBTQ+ range, across genres, showing embedded diversity and some poignant reflections on individual experience. These are is the stories so many have been waiting to see themselves in.
The quality of writing is consistently high and the range of emotions embraced giddying! Do, whatever your orientation, give this collection a go. You wont be disappointed - this is superb fiction by anyone's standards and has the additional bonus of being a true mirror of the world we inhabit.

Whether you are part of the LGBTQ community or an ally, everyone has something to gain by reading Proud, the new YA anthology from Stripes. Compiled by Juno Dawson, the stories, poetry and artwork in this much-needed collection reflect on the theme of pride and the variety should be celebrated – from contemporary stories to retellings and fairytales. There really is something in here for everyone.

Naturally, different stories speak to different people so it’s brilliant to have such a range of voices in one book. I love that the collection features well-known authors, such as David Levithan, Simon James Green and Jessica Vallance, alongside four new debut voices in the YA community: Karen Lawler, Michael Lee Richardson, Cynthia So and Kay Staples.

Stripes should also be applauded for supporting new talent in the publishing industry more widely, as they took on an editorial mentee (the lovely Lucinda) to help review and select the new voices to include. Go Stripes!

It’s hard to pick favourites, but here are the five pieces that really stood out to me from the collection:

- On the Run by Kay Staples blew me away. Full of mystery, it tells the story of two teens living life in limbo. They have run away, which should be exciting, but in reality it means a lot of hanging out in a slightly dingy Travelodge… It is about uncertainties and certainties and learning to live with both.

- Tanya Byrne’s Almost Certain is about music and loss. It was an emotional read and the artwork by Frank Duffy matches up perfectly.

- I absolutely loved the realistic ending of The Other Team by Michael Lee Richardson. It follows an LGBTQ+ football team and shows the reality of misgendering, making clear the difference between an honest mistake and something done in spite.

- I Hate Darcy Pemberley by Karen Lawler is a modern lesbian retelling of Pride and Prejudice set around prom. As soon as I heard this premise I knew I would love it and it did not disappoint!

- Moïra Fowley-Doyle’s Love Poems to the City is about how it feels to live in a place and feel it is against you. To know your own identity but to not be able to vote in the referendum that will decide your future because you are deemed too young. To feel like your home, your city, your country is putting a barrier up to you. But it is also about how it feels to fight back, to join forces with a community and to be empowered to use your voice. In short, it is a beautiful and important story of regaining your city because you are that city’s beating heart.

Absolutely adored this. I love anthologies, and this was really one of my favourites. Hard to pick a favourite story, but I really enjoyed the Penguins (the first story) and The Other Team.

Loved the mix of UK and US centric stories.

TWs: Bullying, transphobia, anxiety, depression, homophobia, violence, off-page death.

This collection is wonderful and I loved reading it so much. Each story focuses on different characters of different orientations, as they figure out what it means to be a queer teen in today's society. There are gay, bi, lesbian, trans, queer, and questioning characters, and it was so easy to invest in every single one of them. Some stories are about coming out, some are about finding acceptance, and some are about finding friendship and romance. The whole collection is so uplifting and so, so important. Several stories made made me tear up and a couple made me laugh aloud, but they all touched me in different ways. My heart is so full after reading this anthology and I can't recommend it enough.

This anthology of LGBTQIA+ stories is wholesome and filled with so much warmth. Story after story, it confirms what we have been telling the world for years; that gay stories are stories. They dont have to be about coming out of even have 'being gay' as the central plotline. Gay people have friends, fall in love, dont fall in love, have jobs and lives and like sports or not like sports. It has been such a long wait for so many different alternatives of a happy gay and I am here for it.

Thanks to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful YA book compiled with different, unique and familiar stories based around lgbt+ teens.

Whether it's coming to terms with who they are or fighting for their freedom and equality, these stories resonated with me and albeit so many others who can relate.

Some familiar authors and names you might recognise in this book are jump Dawson, David leviathan and Alex Bertie (or those are the ones that I had originally known) but this book holds so many other amazing stories from authors that I will be looking up.

If you have the chance, please read this book and the stories they tell. They left me feeling warm inside and smiling all over and are all of different genres so if you don't like one, another might peak your interest!

I loved this so, so much.

I can't help it when it comes to YA stories dealing with LGBT+ characters, to wish that said stories had been around when I was younger. To have been able to pick up this collection of stories and poems and feel a little less alone and a little more hopeful would have been incredible. I so hope that young people who do pick this up are given that same feeling.

I have to say, even my own view of the LGBT+ community is tinted from my own experiences and I can't honestly say that I've read a lot from authors and from stories outside of what feels relevant to me and so this would be the best starting point for anyone wanting to get a broader sense of the community as a whole.

I also loved reading UK authors/UK settings for these stories, purely from the selfish standpoint that I have never read any kind of LGBT+ YA set in the UK or indeed written by a British author. It's nice to see my own experiences reflected in amongst the stories.

I think the biggest compliment I can pay Juno and the authors/poets she has compiled into this beautiful anthology is that after reading an eARC, I am so desparate to get my hands on a physical copy to have pride of place on my shelf.

Thanks so much to Little Tiger Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review.

Proud compiled by Juno Dawson was incredible. The stories, the poems and the Art. What a beautiful collection. I will treasure this book. The penguin story in particular was brilliant and left me filled with love, very heartwarming. Love is love, this book is just brilliant and I would give it a 5 out of 5 star review. Thank you so much for letting me read this masterpiece!

This was a great anthology. It took a bit to warm up for me and I enjoyed the second half much more.

My favourites are:
The Other Team by Michael Lee Richardson (art by David Roberts)

The Courage of Dragons by Fox Benwall (art by Kristen Van Dam)

The Instructor by Jess Vallance (art by Kate Alizadeh)

When Madonna celebrated the start of 2019 with a performance at the Stonewall bar in New York she was commemorating fifty years since what became known as the Stonewall Riots. It was simply a group of gay men who decided one night that they had had enough of police harassment and decided to say enough is enough. That event is widely recognised as the start of the Gay Liberation Movement.

Fifty years on despite legislation now giving equal rights to the LGBT community in many countries, and the media going into overdrive every time any celebrity acknowledges their sexuality, the decision to come out can still have a massively negative impact on a person's life.

In may ways the Pride movement is a response to that negativity. What to many people may seem like an excuse for a party is in reality a recognition of a history of overcoming repression in all of its forms.

In a world which we are told celebrates difference being proud of yourself and what makes you different, whether that is your sexuality, sexual identity, race, religion, or body remains an extremely personal experience. And something that is a lot easier to say that actually do, when that difference can be the weapon that others use to isolate you.

Proud is an intelligent, insightful and funny collection of stories, poetry and art that reflects the experience of its LGBT contributors of being Proud of who they are.

Throughout all of the contributors have been extremely honest, about events, and emotions without patronising their reader.

There is a sense that this is their experience, but just because your experience is different does make it any less worthy, It just makes it different, which I suppose is the essence of being Proud.

I am sure that the purpose of this book is to appeal to the LGBT community, but there is a huge part of me that thinks anyone would gain a greater understanding of what it feels like to be an sort of different and build a greater acceptance of what makes themselves different from reading this book.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Stripes Publishing for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
A fantastic book which both thought provoking and inspiring in equal measure-it with certainly encourage dialogue, conversations and debates.
A selection of relatable stories that is not mutually beneficial/exclusive to young adults it can be read by anyone

It's really difficult to try and summarise Proud because there's just so much packed into a relatively short collection and I have so much to say about all of it.

First of all, the forward by Juno Dawson is incredibly powerful and moving to the point of tears. It completely sets the tone for what's to follow.

The artwork that accompanies each story is beautiful and I'm certain it'll look even more stunning on paper than it does on my Kindle.

This collection covers so many issues and gives voices to so many people within the LGBT community that it's almost overwhelming. I'm not sure that I've ever read anything that's quite so inclusive and that represents so many aspects of the lives of those of us who identify as LGBT+.

It was the perfect book to start LGBT History Month and I guarantee that readers will be moved to both joy and sadness by these stories.

My personal favourites include:

Penguins by Simon James Green (Art by Alice Oseman) - This was such a sweet, cute and moving story that hasn't left me since I finished the book. Simon is a fantastic writer, I love his humour and Alice is an incredible artist. It's the perfect pairing.

The Phoenix's Fault by Cynthia So (Art by Priyanka Meenakshi) - was fantastic. I loved the fantasy of this and the friends-to-lovers theme.

The Other Team by Michael Lee Richardson (Art by David Roberts) - This story I felt represented so many different voices in the LGBT community and it was done in such a fantastic way showing that the true value of friendship and self-acceptance.

The Instructor by Jess Vallance (Art by Kate Alizadeh) - Gah! This was so sweet and beautiful. I love both of these girls!

How to Come Out as Gay by Dean Atta (Art by Leo Greenfield) - An absolutely perfect way to end the collection, this poem was phenomenal, moving and beautiful.

"Remember you have the right to be proud.
Remember you have the right to be you."

Whether you're part of the LGBT community or not, I urge you to read this collection to truly know that:

a. You are not alone.
b. You have the right to be proud of who you are.

The fact that this book exists is both humbling and powerful, and I hope that every young adult has the opportunity to discover this inspiring collection of written and visual art.

"Be the glitter that shows up in unexpected places."

This anthology contains twelve short stories and each of this story has an illustration created especially for it. The authors and the illustrators are all part of the LGBTQ+ community. Plus there is also a foreword written by Juno Dawson, the author who compiled this entire anthology that is so impassioned. This is a beautiful, touching anthology featuring some of my favourite authors and illustrators and some up and coming talent :]