Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Freak Show” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Freak Show

James St. James

3.83 · Rating details · 3,910 ratings · 348 reviews

Billy Bloom is gay, but it's mostly theoretical, as he hasn't had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can't believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of bible belles, amberzombies, and football heroes -- none of which are exactly his type.

Billy's efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heart warming. In this novel from a ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published May 17th 2007 by Dutton Juvenile

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Freak Show, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Freak Show

Lists with This Book

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

Best YA Fiction with GLBTQQI themes / characters

1,610 books — 5,426 voters

Best Gay Romance Featuring Characters Attending High School/College

891 books — 1,670 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.83 ·

Rating details

· 3,910 ratings · 348 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Freak Show

Feb 20, 2008 Karin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011-reads, favorites, youngadult, 2008-reads, edgy, reread

Billy Bloom has been forced to move to Florida for his Senior year of High School. His mom, a little on the bi-polar side, couldn't take his flamboyant attitude toward life anymore. Billy is a self-proclaimed "Gender Obscurist". A fabulously creative drag queen and a character that is resilient, lovable, and stronger than anyone ever would have imagined, including himself.

After enduring unspeakable torture and bullying from his shell-shocked classmates, Billy ends up in the hospital and has a mo ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2007 Elece rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: young people searching for their place

Shelves: read-it-loved-it

what can i say? it's a beautiful, funny, tragic, wonderful, engaging, enchanting, delicious story.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL READING THIS??? GO! GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE!!!

READ FREAKSHOW. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER. ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2018 Melissa **Just Really Loves Musicals** rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, audio-books-read, read-2018

EVERYBODY PICK THIS BOOK UP RIGHT NOW. I'm not kidding. People need to read this. This book is so underated and unknown and it needs to become more famous. I listened to this on audible and it was the best decision I've ever made. This audiobook was incredible. The narrator did a BRILLIANT job of bringing Billy's voice to life. I don't think I would've loved this book nearly as much if I had read it rather than listened to it.

I admit in the very beginning it was a bit weird and slow, and I wasn ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 19, 2008 hhhhhhhhh rated it it was ok

Recommended to hhhhhhhhh by: ALA 2007 list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Shelves: ya

"Mary Sue, sometimes shortened simply to Sue, is a pejorative term used to describe a fictional character who plays a major role in the plot and is particularly characterized by overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfillment fantasies for their authors. Perhaps the single underlying feature of all characters described as "Mary Sues" is that they are too ostentatious for the audience's taste, or that the author seems to favor the ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Isaiah rated it did not like it

See more of my reviews at http://mibookreviews.wordpress.com/

I was very excited about this book and I tried hard to like it. The main problem was the main character, Billy Bloom, was so damn unlikeable that I was hoping he didn't survive. He was over dramatic, self absorbed, annoying, a drama queen (haha bad pun, yes), and probably knew nothing about actually doing drag as he was hated by everyone. There was no way that he would have been able to have the skill that the author gave him and there See more of my reviews at http://mibookreviews.wordpress.com/

I was very excited about this book and I tried hard to like it. The main problem was the main character, Billy Bloom, was so damn unlikeable that I was hoping he didn't survive. He was over dramatic, self absorbed, annoying, a drama queen (haha bad pun, yes), and probably knew nothing about actually doing drag as he was hated by everyone. There was no way that he would have been able to have the skill that the author gave him and there was no way that many of the things in the plot that barely mattered would have happened.

I could probably rant all night about why this book was terrible, but I will break it down into a list to save time:
1. Billy Bloom needs to shut up. He is not cute like he thinks, it is a miracle that I didn't beat him up. I was an out "tranny" as he would say all through high school and had no friends and even I wouldn't be friends with him.
2. The use of transphobic and homophobic language as ok and perfectly normal by the main character.
3. The author not understanding that transsexuals (people who change their birth sex to another) and drag queens (usually gay men who dress in women's clothing as a performance) are not the same thing. Transsexual people have a higher suicide rate and people wonder why. Drag queens can stop being queens when they feel like it (Billy did not have to wear dresses or anything else, he chose to do this). A transsexual has not choice.
4. The author not understanding basic transsexual anything. A person under the age of 18 can't start hormones without parental consent and transwomen do not take injections. The author has one transwoman under the age of 18 asking Billy for help in a fan letter saying that she takes hormone injections. This is not how the process works and many transwomen (like Kate Bornstein) will tell you that transwomen and drag queens generally do not get along or they do not respect each other.
5. The inability to hold a love plot for more than a few pages is astounding. Billy is lusted after by all of the gay men in the school, I call BS. There is no way that all of the cute boys around Billy are gay and want him. He is annoying and he sexually harasses many of the boys as a way of bonding.
6. The level of sexual harassment that is seen as normal and even cute by the main character. Calling another boy "lover" loudly in the hallway and touching him without permission is not acceptable, but the character thinks it is cute.
7. Billy Bloom would likely have PTSD or refuse to go back to school. Instead he goes back repeatedly and even makes himself more of a target. That is not how being a teenager or a gay teenager works. Billy would be too traumatize to function after nearly being killed that he wouldn't have gone in a dress again. The mental stability and character of the characters is not believable. I get more realism about humans from Dr. Suess

Overall, this book was a waste of time and has made me incredibly angry. It sounded like a book that I would have liked and would have praised. Sadly, the author fell short, which I should have expected considering the travesty that was Party Monster (though I was hoping that it was the movie that was terrible instead of the original book, but now I see that this author has a thing for annoying and unlikable over dramatic and stereotypically gay characters). If you know anything about transsexuals or drag queens, I do not recommend this book. If you like reading books that have a main character that has some redeeming quality, look elsewhere. I wish I could say even one nice thing about this book, but the only thing I can say is thank goodness I did not spend money on this.
...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Toby rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I could tell you why I read this but then again I couldn't really explain it. Apparently James St. James is slightly famous in reality programming but I know him from that movie Party Monster where he was played by Seth Green opposite Macauley Culkin (Mac was good in this role, I thought he could actually act.) I enjoyed the movie and apparently it was based on the true crime anecdote/biography of James St. James - Disco Bloodbath. Knowing what kind of experiences the guy has had in real life ga I could tell you why I read this but then again I couldn't really explain it. Apparently James St. James is slightly famous in reality programming but I know him from that movie Party Monster where he was played by Seth Green opposite Macauley Culkin (Mac was good in this role, I thought he could actually act.) I enjoyed the movie and apparently it was based on the true crime anecdote/biography of James St. James - Disco Bloodbath. Knowing what kind of experiences the guy has had in real life gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect from this novel.

So I'm not rating this because of its GLBT content and I'm not rating this because it wasn't violent or crazy like his movie. It gets the low rating because it was DULLSVILLE. Tres tres SHINY but nothing more than that. It was all surface and no feeling, the cliched teen movie story of the outsider being accepted, the geek getting the girl, GLAMMED UP, covered in SPARKLES and given a SUPERFREAK protagonist, with an ending borrowed from SIXTEEN CANDLES.

It got me hooked by being fantastically funny, laugh out loud giggly type of funny, to start with; then I kept waiting for it to get interesting or funny again and it didn't, it just sort of went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and then thankfully it was over. Still, it was a quick read with massive print and lots of large paragraph breaks meaning 298 pages flew past in the time it might usually take me to read 120.

Maybe it would have worked better as movie, movies work well without any feeling under the shiny shiny surface of thirty year olds pretending that they're 17 but a novel, even in the diary entry format presented here should really offer a little more. It seems that perhaps the extremely funny Emma Stone movie Easy A may have been slightly influenced by the tone and structure of this book (not that its original) but made a lot more straight. Hollywood can take sparkly non-threatening vampires but not Hedwig: The High School Years. And shame on them as James St. James preaches acceptance and inclusion for all, including religious zealots, a message that is frequently proffered but rarely heard it seems. Witness the truly archaic, hate fueled behaviour in North Carolina recently. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 Christian rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. At the beginning of his senior year, Billy Bloom's mother sends him to live with his father in Florida where he is enrolled in an elitist, private school. Moving into a new school before your senior year can just suck. But not for Billy. Because Billy is fabulous. And by fabulous, I mean he is a teen drag queen.

Now. I had issues getting into this book. The writing style isn't so bad. Billy's voice is strong. Very strong. (I guess that's to be expected of a drag queen, truth be told.) But I just ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2015 Book Concierge rated it it was ok

Shelves: coming-of-age, library, concierge, young-adult

Billy Bloom is a gay teenager who has recently moved to Florida. It’s bad enough being the new kid at school when you are a senior, but being an emerging drag queen at an ultra-rich, ultra-conservative school is even more challenging. Billy tries to make friends but the teasing, taunting and bullying he has to endure get out of hand quickly. Deciding that he has to be himself and speak up (and out loud) for all those other “shadow kids” trying to get along by not being noticed, Billy makes a mom ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2020 Undomiel Books (Rosie) rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. It was a simple yet heartwarming tale about a gay teen who has already come to terms with his identity, but is strugglng to be accepted by others.

Billy was slightly judgemental towards others at time but I took this to have stemmed from his lifetime of being judged by others, including his own parents who move him between homes when its "their turn to deal with him". Also, he's a teen. We're all a bit judgey at that confusing time in our lives, and so its completely understan ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2018 chan ☆ added it

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME IS BEING MADE INTO A MOVIE!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTfrm... ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2008 Allyson rated it it was amazing

Freak Show is the story of Billy Bloom: Self-Proclaimed Superfreak and his journey through his senior year of high school. Told from the first person point of view, Billy invites the reader to question normalcy and encourage acceptance.

In the beginning of the story, the reader learns that Billy has been banished from his mother’s home for unknown reasons, and he has come to live with his rich father in Florida. However, Billy is not the everyday high school senior boy. He is gay, admittedly un-a Freak Show is the story of Billy Bloom: Self-Proclaimed Superfreak and his journey through his senior year of high school. Told from the first person point of view, Billy invites the reader to question normalcy and encourage acceptance.

In the beginning of the story, the reader learns that Billy has been banished from his mother’s home for unknown reasons, and he has come to live with his rich father in Florida. However, Billy is not the everyday high school senior boy. He is gay, admittedly un-athletic, and has a tendency to dress in drag. When he arrives at his first day of school at Eisenhower Academy dressed like a pirate (complete with gold tooth and mascara), it is needless to say that Billy is not met with open arms. In fact, after a few days, he is beat into a coma and has to spend the next month recuperating at home. Enter Flip Kelly, star football player who saved Billy from near death and agrees to tutor him while he is out of school. What follows is the uproariously funny and creative account of their developing friendship and Billy’s eventual acceptance of what he has always most feared – himself.

This book is great for anyone looking to read “outside-the-box.” There is certainly some questionable material, but it is not distasteful. (Check with your parents first!) Billy’s character offers the reader a heartfelt connection to anyone who has ever wanted to feel accepted for who they are. I loved Billy’s voice because he is comedic and sarcastic, but also true and intelligent. There were continuous references to pop culture, like when Billy is introducing himself and says, “Seventeen years old. Fabulous beyond fabulous. Total future icon. Gifted, yes, but just short of genius. Mad verbal skills, though. I watch a lot of Gilmore Girls” (9). The fact that St. James included things in the story that are popular right now made Billy’s character and his story even more real.

While I sometimes believed Billy’s actions and choices to be a little over the top, I never doubted the sincerity of what St. James is trying to accomplish with this book. Billy puts it best himself when he says, “We are all freaks. Yes! Alone in our rooms at night, we are all weirdoes and outcasts and losers. That is what being a teenager is all about! Whether you admit it or not, you are all worried that the others won’t accept you, that if they knew the real you, they would recoil in horror. Each of us carries with us a secret shame that we think is somehow unique…And if we are, each of us, freaks – then can’t we accept what’s different in each other and move on?” (247-248). This book is about acceptance and understanding, and what high school student isn’t looking for that?
...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2015 Nicky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: love

Billy Bloom is a self-proclaimed “Gender Obscurist” living a happy life in Connecticut. When his mother sends him to live with his father in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, things take a turn for the worst. Billy is a fabulously flamboyant drag queen who doesn’t believe in toning things down, even in his new wealthy and conservative community. After his first day at the Dwight D. Eisenhower High School however, Billy comes to the realization that he is at the bottom of the food chain. He has become a Billy Bloom is a self-proclaimed “Gender Obscurist” living a happy life in Connecticut. When his mother sends him to live with his father in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, things take a turn for the worst. Billy is a fabulously flamboyant drag queen who doesn’t believe in toning things down, even in his new wealthy and conservative community. After his first day at the Dwight D. Eisenhower High School however, Billy comes to the realization that he is at the bottom of the food chain. He has become a target for everyone ― even the people who don’t fit in themselves. From the first day, he is physically and mentally attacked for his style, speech, and personality while the teachers look the other way. In a final attempt to put an end to the homophobia, Billy decides to go to school in the most outrageous drag. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work out as planned and he ends up in the hospital with broken bones after being brutally beaten. Though the altercation takes him out of school for a few weeks, Billy gains the admiration and friendship of attractive football player Flip Kelly, and Blah Blah Blah, a girl who doesn’t stick to the status-quo. With renewed hope and his personal Latin mottos for― “I myself forgive myself” and “They condemn what they do not understand”― Billy goes at it again. He decides to run for Homecoming Queen with the strong declaration that “Gender is a choice, not a life sentence.”

This book was amazingly well written and allowed me to completely understand Billy’s unique personality. He’s real, he’s honest, and he’s very vulnerable which makes him such a likable character. He is also quite funny which adds comic relief amidst many controversial issues like homophobia and transgenderism. Initially, Billy’s personality was a bit exaggerated and the story even seemed a bit “typical.” But author James St. James throws curve-balls and creates a character so utterly exceptional, you’d wish he was real. The novel also has a very sweet, unexpected ending which if nothing else, makes it worth the read. James St. James constructs the perfect high class, waspy high school and throws Billy in to fend for himself. This novel deals with real issues and if I wasn’t laughing, I was sobbing. The detail and descriptions don’t leave much to be imagined and readers will cheer for Billy and cry with him as he struggles to find a place for himself.
...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2016 Ulysses Dietz rated it it was amazing

Billy Bloom may just be the most frustrating character in the history of LGBT/YA novels.

And yet, how could I not love him?

Billy is rich and oblivious. And extremely nelly. And a drag queen. At seventeen. Having been suddenly shipped to southern Florida by his crazy mother to stay with his grouchy, disapproving father in the family’s ancestral mansion, Billy suddenly finds himself in a snooty private school full of blond conformists and jocks.

Not the least of whom is Flip Kelly. Football star. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2009 Sam rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya

Billy Bloom is a fabulous drag queen of a teenager who finds himself out of luck when his mother sends him off to live with his rich father in the rural Florida swamps for his last year of high school. Surrounded by a family who doesn't accept him, students who are horrified by him or praying on his behalf, and constant physical threats, Billy decides to take it upon himself to shake up his private institution and make progress for the GLBTQ community.

I read this book very soon after it came in ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2008 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-books-for-young-adults-2008, quick-picks-for-young-adults-2008, quick

While I see why everyone enjoys this book -- Billy's voice is strong, entertaining, and often laugh-out-loud funny, and there's no doubt that it's high time we get to see a teen drag queen as the main character -- I also found that I could easily put this book down without being compelled to pick it up again. This means a book is less than successful for me, especially when it means I'm immediately drawn into another book and therefore obviously wasn't all that involved in the first title I was ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2014 Barb rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novel, humor, young-adult, glbt

Let's just state it flat out: I LOVED this book. I was laughing like a loon and crying piteously on the same page, and that was just during the introduction. God bless all the Billies in this world who refuse to be reshaped and processed until they fit the proper brand. A character of enormous energy and caprice, Billy had me running to keep up with him as he careened through that mausoleum of mediocrity they called a school until I was out of breath, but I kept going because I just could not pu ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2007 Autumn rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Perez Hilton and Hedwig fans

Shelves: teenagers, lgbtq

Super fun story of teen drag queen Billy Bloom, who is stuck in red-state Florida ALAS! Billy is a spunky hero/ine who is estranged from his parents, beaten up at school and also a bit bipolar. But his story is never downbeat -- the saddest events are frankly discussed and summarily dismissed with a La La La and another glob of glitter.

Tucked inside the first person narrative, you will find beauty tips (use surgical glue to attach metal to your skin), outlandish quips and a few canape reciepts. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2008 Debra rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: teens who want a quirky fun read

A very funny novel about a drag queen in a conservative high school. The protagonist is charming, his voice is unique, and the pace is fast. A refreshing read.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2018 Elise rated it really liked it

This book is over-the-top, drenched in glitter and if you're following all the pop culture references, a great primer in drag and camp. Billy Bloom is the heroine I needed to add, I would say sunshine, but a disco ball is more his style, to a gloomy winter day. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 10, 2018 James rated it it was ok

Shelves: rainbow-read

The pop cultural references date the book making an otherwise interesting tale feel old and unrelevant

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2010 Kassa rated it really liked it

I originally picked up this book because I saw a twitter from @booksmugglers that said “this book is fabulous.” That was enough recommendation so I went to pick it up from my local library. Little did I know I was picking a story filled with FABULOUS GLAMOUR, complete with wigs, sequins, glitter, and enough makeup to paint a mansion. Billy is not only outrageous, over the top, ridiculous, and fabulous in every possible meaning of the word, he’s also a young teenager figuring out what he is and h I originally picked up this book because I saw a twitter from @booksmugglers that said “this book is fabulous.” That was enough recommendation so I went to pick it up from my local library. Little did I know I was picking a story filled with FABULOUS GLAMOUR, complete with wigs, sequins, glitter, and enough makeup to paint a mansion. Billy is not only outrageous, over the top, ridiculous, and fabulous in every possible meaning of the word, he’s also a young teenager figuring out what he is and how he fits in the world as someone totally different but sensitive, intelligent, funny, and articulate.

The story is Billy’s narrative to the world as he introduces himself as the queen of everything and then tells the heart breaking, laugh out loud funny, witty, and entertaining tale of a few months of his life at a new school. In his senior year of high school, Billy is transferred to his father’s care because his bipolar mother has had “ENOUGH!” Hoping to fit in at the new school, Billy goes all out. He dresses like a pirate (what could be more heterosexual?) and does a full on, in your face, welcome routine that immediately puts him in the danger zone of abuse, taunts, and ridicule. Confused, hurt, but stubborn and above all, true to himself, Billy’s refusal to give in only escalates tensions to a tragic turning point. Yet Billy soon discovers a friend in the super popular, Flip, a young man that likes Billy for all his weirdness and outrageous behavior.

The story is told in first person, present tense as Billy explains his utter fabulousness with an over the top humor. You almost expect glitter to fall from the pages as Billy explains with CAPS, !!!, and a stubborn intelligence that he refuses to be defined by others. Billy’s differences don’t make him less, they make him more and he constantly battles to get this message across that he won’t let anyone change him or make him different. It’s a story that blends the perfect amount of ridiculous – Billy goes to school dressed as the swamp monster, complete with glued on cheerios and tentacles – but also with a touching vulnerability that makes you want to cry – Billy hiding under the sink, depressed and upset.

The narration is simply pitch perfect as Billy describes his frustrations, confusions, and ideals. He’s not stupid at all and understands the anger but at the same time, he doesn’t. He’s just different and why is that bad. Billy is different though and he’s hilarious, entertaining, and outrageous as he details his emergency drag kit (every queen has one) to his utterly wonderful homecoming float (really who could top that). Billy’s insightful intelligence is offset by his youthful immaturity. He sees things so clearly and with an astute cleverness beyond his maturity – such as understanding that the hate and fear directed towards him has nothing to do with him – yet is ignorant and willfully blind to the sacrifices Flip makes to support and befriend him. This mixture of immature and mature creates that perfect in between space of youth and adult, where being brave is sometimes incredibly hard.

There is also narrator instability to the story as you realize that Billy is capable of lying to you, the reader. He’s not always honest you learn, yet he has his own reasons for that and comes clean – as much as he can. We’re reminded in those moments, he’s still a young man learning and growing as he comes to terms with his life, hopes, and the struggles he’ll go through and has gone through. Above it all, he’s simply himself, a fabulous, wonderful drag queen that transcends gender and labels. For Billy the essential statement sums up his feelings “gender is a choice” and Billy uses that choice frequently to the most fabulous results.

From young love to hate crimes, this coming of age story not only rocks but it will make you laugh, cry, and devour your way through Billy’s unique and delightful story. I don’t think it could have been told any better by the author. The blend of vulnerable with strength makes the tale not only inspirational but I doubt there’s anyone that can’t relate to some part of Billy’s struggle. The best gift the story could offer is the truth that there is not that much difference between the “freak” and the “golden boy” if you look closely. I easily recommend this to everyone. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2011 Kelly Herta rated it did not like it

Summary: This story is told by a young man, Billy Bloom, who is sent to live with his father in Florida. We get to read about his most personal thoughts and sarcastic comments. Billy starts to attend a conservative private high school for his senior year. Billy makes heads turn when he shows up dressed as a pirate, which he thought was very masculine and would win his new friends. He ends up getting laughed and and becomes a spitball target. He continues to dress outlandish and the other student ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 14, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: teens 14 and up

Shelves: youngadult, glbt, humor

Billy Bloom enjoys dressing in a flamboyant style that seems perfectly normal to him, but to his new fellow students in Florida is shocking.
Billy just gets more and more outrageous in an attempt to win people over, and things come to a head the day he wears a swamp queen get up with tentacles. That's the day the football team attacks him in class, and only the intervention by the star player, Flip, saves him from the beating becoming fatal.
With Flip and a secret friendship with a girl whose name ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2018 Alma Zacarias rated it it was amazing

Shelves: most-amazing-books-in-history

*By the way I listened to the audiobook and it was the best decision ever, it really made Billy seem unique and real. Totally recommend the audiobook.
OMG! I loved it so much, I had never read book about a character that identified as a drag queen, and this was an amazingly fun story to start with. I’ve trying to expand my reading on the lgbt community besides gay characters. This is a story about courage, confusion and confidence to be yourself even when you can’t change the world around you. I ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2016 Danielle Routh rated it liked it

Disagreement of lifestyle aside (why else do we read, really?), this book is amusing, well-written, and chock-full of pop culture references that, if we're being honest, may puzzle the average reader but still provide a nice flavor. Overall, however, it lacks substance, much like its protagonist Billy Bloom. The plot is rambling, cliched, and (even with suspension of disbelief) utterly unbelievable. I have no doubt that it's an important book for the LGBT community, but it's not exactly great li ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2008 Devin Tait rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but very fun and at times hilarious, other times saddening but overall it had a great message and the language and dialogue were very vivid and interesting. This book was written way before the whole "it gets better" movement and therefore may have been ahead of its time, as it's very appropriate now that bullying has been in the spotlight. Freakshow handles the themes of bullying and gay teens in such a responsible, thoughtful and insightful way. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2015 Virginia Osborne rated it liked it

This book was fabulous. But I had a hard time identifying with the main character and getting into his head. Perhaps this is an intentional effect of the smoke screen of fabulosity that he projects. Very little makes it past the curated exterior. I felt held at arms length as merely an observer through the whole Freak Show. But it was a good read that ended well, despite the earlier episodes that made me worry it would be too stereotypical. It definitely is not.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2007 Rory rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: um, fans of teenage drama queen drama?

Shelves: kids

i really liked this book. i really liked the pacing, the language, the tension, the melodrama, and the grit. and the OTT topic, of course: 17-year-old drag queen invades his new Souther Florida prep school with forcible fabulousness. and then gets the shit beat out of him.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2015 Amy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: home-library

2.5

I'm all for a good lgbt book, but this one just missed the mark. It author tried too hard to be funny and cool, with all the pop culture references, but it just didn't work for me. Plus, I found the main character slightly annoying. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2010 kb rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-reads, 2010-reads

Touching book. He is his own hero!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Backlot Gay B...: Freak Show, by James St. James	2	17	Apr 14, 2016 05:35PM
About Freak Show...warning: spoilers!	1	61	Jun 17, 2008 05:26PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

124 users

LGBT

80 users

Fiction

79 users

GLBT > Queer

35 users

Humor

28 users

Young Adult > Teen

24 users

Romance

21 users

Contemporary

18 users

Realistic Fiction

17 users

LGBT > Gay

16 users

See top shelves…

About James St. James

James St. James

190 followers

James St. James (born James Clark), is a former Club Kid of the Manhattan club scene in the late 1980s/early 1990s and the author of Disco Bloodbath (now published under the title Party Monster). He was notorious for a lifestyle of excess that included heavy drug use, partying, and bizarre costumes.

Books by James St. James

Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland

More…

10 Romances to Try If You Love the Fake Dating Trope

Rachel Lynn Solomon is best known to her fans for writing heartfelt contemporary YA novels like 2020's Today Tonight Tomorrow and her 2018...

Trivia About Freak Show

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Freak Show

“Love is easy; it's when you actually like someone that it gets difficult. Putting up with their odd idiosyncrasies. They way they suck their teeth after dinner, say, or the way they change perfectly good lightbulbs. It's when you like somebody despite the fact that they have every season of Reba on DVD - that you know it's something special. It's about liking someone in spite of the gaping flaws in their personality...” — 4 likes

“And LO and BEHOLD, I was on BOTH the six AND eleven o’clock newscasts!
AND all the commercials, as well! (‘Day of the drag queen at one area high school, controversy at six!’)
And it must have been a slow night because I was the SECOND PIECE of the night! The granny suicide bomber got the lead. BITCH! But I managed to beat out the president’s pulled groin and day six of the Jessica Simpson chapped-lip crisis!” — 4 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Freak Show by James St. James

Freak Show

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About James St. James

Books by James St. James

Related Articles

Trivia About Freak Show

Quotes from Freak Show

See a Problem?

Preview — Freak Show by James St. James

Freak Show

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About James St. James

Books by James St. James

Related Articles

Trivia About Freak Show

Quotes from Freak Show

new topic
Discuss This Book