What I love about this book is the reality. It reflects the queer experience in all the good hopeful stories, but it also doesn't shy away from the sadder stories. The not so hopeful.

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone wondering about how to come out, or dealing with the knowledge that someone they love is LGBT+ and has just come out.

I absolutely adore this book! I've read a number of great books this year, but this one has to be my favourite. Diverse and inclusive, Coming Out Stories provides a platform for an array of successful individuals across the rainbow to share their unique personal experiences of coming out and being a LGBTQIA+ identifying person.

There were stories told by individuals at all stages of their lives. Some reflected on their coming out journeys as teenagers in the 1960s and 70s, while some had only come out much more recently. Some of the stories told explored their writers' experiences of coming out in casual, informal ways, while other stories detailed coming out in meticulously planned, more dramatic ways. Some individuals faced immense prejudice and discrimination, even from loved ones. Some were accepted much more readily. In the end, I think what really stuck with me was that none of the individuals' coming out stories were completely seamless, neat or bump-free. They all faced challenges, whether those were external, or from within themselves. Further, I think the collection did an amazing job in promoting the idea that all stories are valid, that everyone's coming out journeys are worthy of being told, and that the lived experiences of all LGBT+ people deserve to be heard, respected and celebrated. It was, altogether, an incredibly wholesome read that made me feel warm and goey inside. It was truly such a celebration of love - self love, familial love, platonic love, romantic love... love in all its forms.

All of the stories were equally engaging and enjoyable. All had candid, insightful moments that made me sit up and think deeply. I took something valuable away from all of them. The quotes in between stories were also a great addition - they were noteworthy and at times even humorous. I also love the cover!!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is LGBT+ or questioning their sexual or gender identity. As someone who has recently come to accept my own sexuality, I found this book such a comfort to read. It made me feel validated, at ease within myself and much more connected to the community.

I would also highly recommend this book to anyone who is straight and cisgender. I believe it would be valuable resource for people wanting to glean a deeper understanding of the experiences of people in the LGBT+ community and an appreciation of what it means to come out. Read this book if you want to learn how to better support your LGBT+ friends and family members, and perhaps even how to respond to someone coming out to you.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of their sexual or gender identity! There's something for everyone to learn from this book. I only hope it becomes as popular as it deserves to become.

A definite 5/5 stars :) .

This was a good anthology filled with various stories of people from different backgrounds sharing how they came out as LGBT+. Some of them were wholesome, and others were tragic. I wish that there was more diversity, (such as including asexual representation because coming out as asexual can be just as scary!), but overall there was a whole spectrum of individuals.

I did not finish this book. I am a queer person and really wanted to love this, but I think the editors could have done better to work with the participants to rewrite their stories. Also, as a person in the US, there were moments when I struggled to understand the British slang & dialogue.

This book is wonderful and well written. The layout makes it easy to read a follow along with.

It was amazing that not all the stories had the same emotions. Coming out is different to every person and this book really reflected that. Coming out can be scary, happy or even bittersweet but all of those feelings are valid.

I truly loved this book with all my heart. Because I am gay myself, this book made me feel normal and loved. The layout made it easy to read and the book was well written. You can easily read one story a day and even more if you're like me because the stories may be short, but they're great to read and still tells everything you need to know. I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. I'll be sure to buy me copy when it comes out though!

I am sure this book will help others because it doesn't gloss over negative facts about coming out but also talks about the positives facts about coming out such as being yourself, loving yourself and finally being able to express yourself.

Thank you for this book, I hope it'll do well!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an advanced read*

First of all, let me say thank you to everyone who was a part of this book. We are always coming out it feels like... our entire lives and I think this book is invaluable. The editor has done a great job of putting together a collection that begins to reflect the diversity of queer people... and reactions to "coming out". I would love to see this series continue!

I thought it was great that not all the stories hit the same note. Sometimes, coming out is frightening, sad, but sometimes it can be okay... just another footstep we take during the course of a day.

This is a wonderful book for people... I can see myself in some of these stories. It would also be a fantastic book for someone who has never had to come out! See the other side of life!

A beautiful book showcasing the many different ways people came out to their family. This book contains the good, the bad and the ugly in regards to how family members reacted but it is so important to read about so as a society and individuals we can strive to do better.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the digital ARC!

3.5/5 stars. Read all the way to the end for a content warning.

I'm glad this book exists. Many of the resources currently available to LGBTQIA2S+ folks are aimed at younger people; which makes sense, as starting the learning at a young age is very important, but it is just as important to have that learning as adults. This book explores the stories of different people across the spectrum, from many different backgrounds, which allows for a great diversity in stories. It even has a helpful glossary at the end! It's really cool how the book overall helps to instill the crucial idea that gender and sexuality are both fluid, and not at all fixed the way that heteronormativity would have you believe. This book can be a good resource for folks looking to learn more about the experiences of those in the LGBTQIA2S+ community, about language, and about how to support people you may know who fit these identities. It can also be extremely validating for folks who are learning about their identity and struggling with what to do and where to go. Even with the stories in which folks are not accepted by the people closest to them, there is beauty in how these people found homes and families of their own, that DID accept them. I feel that this is a wonderful thing to expose everyone to - those who are LGBTQIA2S+ as well as allies.

HOWEVER. As a book that purports to be said resource, and as being one of the first of its kind (meaning a book that is written in an accessible way), it can also be extremely invalidating that asexual, aromantic, intersex, two spirit, and other stories are not included in this anthology. There is a lot of erasure within the LGBTQIA2S+ community with certain identities, and while I am not in any way claiming that the editors of this book intentionally overlooked these stories I do think it is an unfortunate oversight, and it frankly leaves a bad taste in my mouth (especially as a queer person, who knows people who identify in those ways). As such, I hope that there will be a future installment of this book that includes stories from those folks. I kept waiting and hoping that the next chapter would include one such story, or the one after that. And when I finished the book and found that that would not be the case, I was extremely disappointed.

Regardless of this fact, I am still glad that this book is being published. There is much to be said about the lack easy-to-access and easily-understood materials about the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and this book helps diminish the scarcity of such resources. I think it will help lots of people learn more about the community, and help validate other people.

Content Warning: homophobic/heteronormative comments, pressure by others to come out, guilt and shame, "passing" , substance use, substance abuse/addiction (+from a young age), homelessness, difficulty with mental health, being outed, lobotomy suggested as "treatment" for being gay, mention of Magdalene Homes/Laundries, being shamed or not accepted as a result of being LGBT+, suggested institutionalization resulting in being LGBT+, idea being "cured", running away as a child, discussion of youth and adult suicide, substance abuse, youth going missing, mention of misgendering, stigma around being fat, mention of TERFs, stigma around bisexuality, unaccepting family, divorce, conversion therapy, being kicked out of school, being disowned, meeting people who believe being gay is a mental illness, sexual abuse, bullying

“The thing about coming out is that every story is as individual as the person telling it”.
That's what this book excels at. It’s little vignettes into the experiences of coming out from a diverse group of readers. I love that this has stories both big and small and doesn’t just highlight the potential negatives that can accompany coming out. This is a solid anthology. The stories are vulnerable and informative and full of pride. I can really see myself utilizing this in lesson plans going forward, as well as picking up a copy for our Pride Center.

I think this book was an interesting read. There were so many different stories that if you are looking for ‘guidance’ to feel not alone you could find something. Equally it was great to read the different experiences of people of all ages.

Will recommend we keep a copy of this book in school

Great book. Lots of different stories. Would be a great handbook for teachers , counsellors etc. Highly recommended. We need more books like this.

This is just what it says on the tin. The cool thing about this anthology is the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of the writers. It's a nice collection with a little something for a good chunk of those on the lgbtq spectrum. I'd recommend it, if you're looking for inspiration to come out, want to feel heard, or want to get a pretty good snapshot of the experience(s) of coming out.

This is such a lovely and honest book. I am a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, so a few of the stories reminded me of other things I have read/heard/seen.
Several people share their experience coming out as lesbian, gay, bi, non-binary etc. I think it is a really good book to recommend for parents and families with children that are in the LGBTQ+ community. And for anyone who want to learn from an honest and vulnerable perspective. I am glad Emma put this together. Would def read a second book if it came out.

Everyone must read this!! Full of advice and support resources to help those who are fearful of coming out.

Over 20 people share their personal experiences of coming out. Some were healthy, some not so good. It broke my heart to learn that conversion therapy, camps, and lobotomies were threatened or used to "correct" some of them. Parents even kicked out their own child, causing them to live on the streets or in group homes.

I hope more people will have an open mind and accept all as they are!!

Like any stories about coming out, these are not always easy to read. The difference in coming out for one person vs someone of a different race, or gender is fascinating. There is so so much diversity shown in this book. I cried more than a few times, both from happiness and sadness. Stories on the human experience will always resonate with me, I love raw, open authenticity. This was beautiful done and captures so much humanity. Thank you for allowing me to read this.

Coming Out Stories is an incredibly important book and should be in every school library in the country; it would have given me immeasurable comfort as a young LGBTQ teen and will do so for many young people now. The stories told are varied, moving and largely, ultimately positive. This book shouldn't just be read by LGBTQ folk but by everyone, as the range of sexual and gender identities covered by the stories cannot fail to educate people.

I really enjoyed this book of personal coming out stories. It wasn't that long ago that my own daughter came out to me as transgender and since then I've made a concentrated effort to listen to the voices of the LGBTQ+ community and gain some new perspectives. In my own experience, I've met people who came out at a very young age and some who didn't come out until they were senior citizens. Everyone's story is different and this book illustrates how no two paths are the same. Wonderful resource for those struggling with coming out or just hoping to learn more.

This anthology is very eye opening for me, a straight woman. It contains very diverse stories on the LGBTQ+ spectrum (mostly set in the UK) and people of colour and different religions. I would recommend this if you are looking for something to help you understand different experiences, some hard, some easier, but all so important.

Note: I don't think the book was on Goodreads, I had to manually add it? I'm sorry if it was already on there, I'll transfer my review if that is the case.