There is something special reading about peoples experiences coming out, sometimes it makes your heart smile, sometimes it digs into those painful memories of so many years ago and you cheer them on thinking hang in there it Will get better, some make you cheer them on getting the coming out story you always dreamed of.
This is a feelgood book that i so much wish i had back then leading to my moment :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is really funny, sad and important but a triumph and well worth a read for anyone coming out and their famalies.

I loved this. Books like this are so important and this one gave really good, unique perspectives. Great job!

I can only apologise that it has taken me THIS LONG to read this book, because it is FANTASTIC. Such a diverse range of voices talking about coming out, mostly joyful I was glad to see while still acknowledging the privelige in being able to come out safely.

I'll admit: I'm a little over the focus on coming out as the defining LGBTQ2S+ experience. This book seems geared more towards individuals who are questioning, who are just about to come out or have just come out, and queer and trans allies—not that there is anything wrong with this audience (and in fact a book like has the potential to do wonders for those who fall into those categories), but I am no longer a part of that audience and so have less interest in stories centered on coming out. That being said, there is a wonderful variety of experiences and perspectives in these pages. The authors give of themselves so freely, speak so openly, that you can't help but be moved by some of these stories. My one critique is that I wish there had been more (or any) stories from asexual or intersex people.

It's always difficult to rate a book that contains so many personal stories, as the quality of the content, the quality of the writing, and the quality of the anthology as a whole are not necessarily equal. My 4/5 star rating stems from the professional finish of the anthology, the work put in by the editors, and the desire I have to see this book in bookstores, libraries, and schools all over the world.

I am still reading the book after finally being able to read it, but absolutely love it! It is deeply personal, one of the main reasons I resonate so much with it. I am gay myself, and if I had a book like this growing up I feel I would have come to many of the conclusions about who I was so much sooner than I did. I applaud the openness of the authors, and the people who gave their stories are, as it must be immensely brave to share such a personal story to the world in this way.

It is certainly a keeper in my book shelf!

As a gay person with a not so fun coming out story, it felt good to read these from the perspective of other people in the LGBTQ+ community. I could relate to some on a personal level. With others, it was just enjoyable or interesting to read.
I liked the broad spectrum of people they picked to tell us about their journey.
I’d recommend it if your part if the community and maybe feel alone or just want to hear about other people’s experiences. Or just if you’re an ally that want to know more about the ‘struggles’ of coming out.

I enjoyed these stories, some may think each of them is similar but they are so different with multiple contexts and life stories.

This was a really lovely collection of a diverse group of stories, and it ended up being very uplifting to read. I enjoyed that it sheds a positive light onto a subject that is often talked about with a sense of dread, and hope that other people reading feel a little more hope after finishing some of these stories.

** First Things First, I would Like to Thank Netgalley for Access to The eARC in Trade for My Honest Opinion**

I will Be Giving This Book 5/5

One of the first things That I really Enjoyed About the Book Was that It was a Collection of Coming Out Stories, You definitely don’t have to read it from start to finish you could pick it up and read from where you want.

The Book Has Something For About Everything in The Spectrum LGBTQIA2S+. There were Many Stories that I related too. This is a book that I would highly recommend to any LGBTQIA2S+, Supporters or any parents of who have children in the Community. It gives So many Perspectives into coming out and different ways we all do. It also touches points about how we technically never stop coming out, which I relate to Since Mostly Every Time I get into a new friend group, it's something that i always have to touch base on.

Some stories in this book are heartbreaking. There were also so many happy ones as well. Each story has a distinctive voice, and each one is unique. So Many Messages from the book there is self acceptance, and the importance of finding supportive friends and chosen family, especially if your family has let you down. There is a definite ‘it gets better’ vibe, showing stories of people surviving tough experiences and finding love, happiness and acceptance on the other side.

Coming Out Stories is a journey through history, social impact, and sometimes prejudice. Emma Goswell and Sam Walker tread a fine balance of famous quotes and real stories and difficult coming out memories and funny ones.

“You come across so many different people with so many different loves of Kink. It’s not just my choices; I’ll defend almost anybody’s choices, because if it’s not hurting anybody (without permission), then just run with it if it floats your boat!” (Charli, poly pansexual)

I think every reader will look at this book in a different way the first time they read it and then give it five years or a decade and they will look at it in another way. There is a story, I think, for almost everybody. This includes the haters, the ignorant, and the plain ole’ heterosexual who lives under a rock.

Coming Out Stories can be used as a tool as to what not to do to rainbows and some helpful guidance for struggling rainbows. Almost everyone says the same thing: come out when you are ready, the first person you tell should be someone you trust, and make your own community. The overall message is: You are not alone.

“It’s going to be alright’. You are who you are and nothing’s going to ever change that. Find your people….” (Louise, lesbian)

There is actually a story that fits me. I didn’t have a “coming out” story regarding liking humans (though as Mom will tell you I have a tendency to lean towards the ladies). I apparently was always coming home with some new girl I was going to marry starting at the age of five-years-old. I never put a label on anything and I hate doing so now. But I did have my “realization” that liking girls could be a serious thing while I was in the military. I came home on leave and told my Mom and it was like asking to pass the butter. She then went on to tell me about all of the girls I started asking to marry me when I was little. (I would insert my favorite emoji of hand to head if I could here (laugh).)

“Where’s my moment? I want my moment!” and no one gave a shit! (Kerry, lesbian)

Olivia makes a great point in that what someone might say the first time you come out may not be what they really mean to say - especially parents (Loc 394). I find this to be true in relation to other areas of my life such as being kink or poly.

Coming Out Stories is a journey through time and the present. There is a mix of stories from gay, transgender, poly, and they are quite the collection. I think the biggest favor that Goswell and Walker have done for rainbows is to let them know, over and over again, is that “You are not alone”. I am going to leave this review with my favorite quote from Coming Out Stories because this book is a salute to all rainbows.

“Why can’t we just accept that people are people and there are lots of shades of people and lots of shades of gender and it doesn’t matter?!” (Charli, poly pansexual)

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Coming Out Stories is a collection of different coming out experiences from people of varying genders and sexualities. The book features a wide range of different life experiences, including but not limited to a diverse selection of different races and cultures. It's based on a podcast, which is not one I'd ever listened to. Now that I know about it, and after reading this book, it's definitely going on my list to listen to in the future.

Some of the stories in this collection are heartbreaking. Others have a more happy or hopeful feel to them. Each story has a distinctive voice, and each one is unique. Across the whole book, the message is one of self acceptance, and the importance of finding supportive friends and chosen family, especially if your family has let you down. There is a definite 'it gets better' vibe, showing stories of people surviving tough experiences and finding love, happiness and acceptance on the other side. And also, many of the stories show that sometimes, people can surprise us in the best of ways.

This book is important for LGBTQ+ people to read, especially young and/or closeted people. It gives advice, inspiration, comfort, and the knowledge that you're not alone. There is a community of people out there waiting for you. For cishet family members and friends, the book is also an important read, because it can give you insight into how your loved one might feel, and why coming out can be so hard for some people.

I also want to note that the glossary at the back of the book is one of the better ones I've seen, and very thorough.

Read this book, and don't be surprised if it makes you cry both tears of sadness and tears of joy.

This is a wonderful little book comprised of a number of different experiences across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. It was great to read about so many different people, from different backgrounds, including racially, financially and complicatedly diverse families.

I would love to read this book in its physical form. I think it really lay the basis for experience and lifting up voices that don't get much of a platform in our societies.

Fantastic idea, and nothing but praise for the contributors.

3.5/5 stars rounded up.

This was a nice, varied collection of coming out anecdotes. I appreciated the representation of various faiths, races and genders (including a lot of non-binary representation, which is an identity that is vastly under-represented and many people still require education about).

I would say this collection is aimed at three main groups of people: people questioning their sexuality/gender identity; people preparing to come out; and those who want to improve their allyship and wish to gain a better insight into the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals. Having said that, as someone who has been out and proud as somewhere on the spectrum for almost a decade (I've come out as three different identities and counting... haha), I got a lot out of this collection as well. The main message is that of hope - a reminder that living an authentic, normal life as an LGBTQ+ person in 2021 is totally possible. This message of hope really shines through in the stories from older members of the LGBTQ+ community - as a 25 year old raised in a very liberal household, I have had very little resistance to my identity. However, us younger generations often forget just how far things have come since the 60s, 70s and even 80s/90s. The hardships LGBTQ+ people faced then, and the brave activism of those individuals, is the ONLY reason that we have the freedoms we have today, and I am forever grateful. This anthology really provides this insight, and for this reason, I think it is worth a read by all queer/LGBTQ+ individuals, as a reminder to never forget that our pride has always and will always be a political act!

Despite all of the positive points of this collection, I have dropped the rating down quite drastically to 3.5 stars, as there was not a single anecdote of coming out from the perspective of asexual, aromatic or intersex individuals - in 2021, this really should not be happening. These identities make up an important and diverse part of our community and are continually ignored and discriminated against. I would have liked to see this challenged here, but alas, it was not. I don't think it was an intentional oversight, but an oversight nonetheless.

Overall, worth a read as it holds a lot of value. However, I think a second volume with a larger variety of contributors would be a welcome addition.

A little disclaimer - I haven’t had the opportunity to finish all of the stories in this book, but it’s actually one of the beauties of the book - it doesn’t need to be read from start to finish, you can read as much or as little as you want to in one sitting and it doesn’t diminish the effect.

I have to say I wish this book had existed at all the points of my life when I was thinking about coming out. The stories aren’t all positive to start with, but the ones I’ve read so far do demonstrate that no matter what happens in the initial moment, things do get better. They might not look how we hoped but it will be okay.

I liked the acknowledgement by one of the editors that as LGBTQ+ people, we never actually stop coming out, it isn’t just that one big moment and it’s all over and done with, it happens on a semi-regular basis, in the little things and situations we often encounter. There’s also an acknowledgement that life changes, just because we come out as one thing doesn’t mean we won’t change as people in the future.

I particularly think this book would be of benefit to parents and other allies of LGBTQ+ people, who may benefit from the insights in these stories.

Somehow I’ve never come across the phrase ‘logical family’ (an Armistead Maupin phrase) before, I’ve always used ‘chosen family’, but I find I quite like it, so that’s another small takeaway for me too.

I’ll definitely finish this over the next few weeks.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and learned a few things in the process!
I appreciated that there were several LGBTQ+ organizations mentioned that readers could look to for further support. Also, appreciated the Glossary in the back of the book, I think a lot of people, of any age, could definitely benefit from reading this book!

I loved reading this collection of stories and memories from such a wide variety of LGBTQA people. A great title that I will be revisiting often.

This text had a range of stories - range in terms of identities and sexualities but also range of quality.

There are 4 short stories that I will definitely use in reading circles, and this is one I will put in the hands of students frequently.

Oh, my heart! Talk about a feel good read! Coming Out Stories: Personal Experiences of Coming Out From Across the LGBTQ+ Spectrum edited by Emma Goswell and Sam Walker was such a powerful, moving and inspiring read!

I was absolutely moved by all of the coming out stories and unique experiences portrayed in this book. These beautiful stories were full of emotion - while most made me smile and laugh, others made me sad and cry. My favorite aspect of this book was its ability to inspire the reader to live their best life and stay true to their most authentic self. To put it simply, this book feels like being enveloped in a warm hug 🤗 no matter what you identify as, you will find value and appreciation in this book.

I truly can’t recommend this book enough and think that everyone should read it. Thank you so much and NetGalley for gifting me this wonderful eARC in exchange for my honest review. Coming Out Stories will be released on 1/21 💛