Book Review: A Delightfully Queer and Diverse Novel That Hits It Out of the Park

Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball by Jason June

The next LGBTQ+ young adult rom-com from  New York Times  bestselling author Jason June (author of  Jay’s Gay Agenda  and  Out of the Blue )!

Femme, gay teen podcaster Riley Weaver has made it to junior year, which means he can finally apply for membership into the Gaybutante Society, the LGBTQ+ organization that has launched dozens of queer teens’ careers in pop culture, arts, and activism. The process to get into the Society is a marathon of charity events, parties, and general gay chaos, culminating in the annual Gaybutante Ball. The one requirement for the Ball? A date.

Then Riley overhears superstar athlete, Skylar, say that gay guys just aren’t interested in femme guys or else they wouldn’t be gay. Riley confronts Skylar and makes a bet to prove him Riley must find a masc date by the time of the Ball, or he’ll drop out of the Society entirely. Riley decides to document the trials and tribulations of dating when you’re gay and femme in a brand new podcast. Can Riley find a fella to fall for in time? Or will this be one massive—and publicly broadcast—femme failure? 

This new novel from Jason June explores how labels can limit and liberate us, and shows just what can happen when you bet on yourself.

Goodreads Synopsis

Overall Rating 4/5Quick Take

Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball by Jason June is at once a delightful rom-com and a charming exploration of identity and self-love. It features characters of all different backgrounds and identities and spreads an outstanding message of love. It is a must read, and already one of my favorite reads of 2024.

Tell Me More

Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball is a really adorable, excellent addition to the LGBTQIA+ book scene. I completely ate it up! There were so many representations for identities in the queer community (including asexual and aromantic identities – which I loved because of my own asexuality), and all of the characters were really endearing and flawed. The book left me wanting to join the gaybutante society, and I really wish that there was such a thing!

Jason June brought much needed light to the issue of attraction and validating another’s experience. He brought up the issue that another person is valid WHETHER OR NOT you are attracted to them because your attraction does not determine their worth, jeopardize their existence, or decrease their ability and right to find joy and love. He also made a point to mention that invalidating someone simply because you aren’t attracted to them breeds such things as fatphobia, transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism, etc. which really needed to be said.

The issue of femmephobia was central to the story, and I loved being able to take a look into the life of a femme teen and their wholeness as a person. I feel like femmes are often not taken seriously and are even laughed at, in literature, media, and life, and this book did well to validate the femme community. I also liked how June, when describing characters, also made note of their race. There is such a problem with only bringing up race when a character isn’t white, and this is so problematic because it makes readers assume that all characters are white unless otherwise noted. So, thank you, June, for paving the way in rectifying this situation!

My only issue with this book was that it wasn’t entirely trans positive. I know that may not have been intentional, but it seemed like Riley had a hard time accepting and addressing individuals who aren’t cis. For example, he sees an individual from behind with long hair who he assumes is female, until they turn around, and he immediately assumes they are male, without realizing the possibility of other gender representations (nonbinary, gender queer, etc.) As a nonbinary person I found this problematic – as this is something I constantly face in my day to day life – but it did bring up the issue that so many of us immediately assume gender. It also served as a reminder to always ask pronouns without first assuming.

I so wish I had had this book as a teen. I think it would have made me feel so accepted and allowed me to see myself reflected in a story. But I am so grateful for June to be contributing such beautiful queer literature to the book community. He is such a beautiful soul, and I adore him.

If you love over the top, incredibly queer stories filled with love, joy, and finding oneself, please do yourself a favor and read this book. It is truly special.

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