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Just Me
Love is in the air...
JUST ME is a hand-picked collection of stories about self-discovery and being true to yourself. This LGBTQ+ young adult anthology is not afraid to take on real issues facing today's teens.
"Witty, fast-paced, and well written."
Wilde Girls by Deidre Huesmann
Broken Rules by Roxas James
Bullet Me by Medeia Sharif
We'll Always Have This by Kate Larkindale
JUST ME is a hand-picked collection of stories about self-discovery and being true to yourself. This LGBTQ+ young adult anthology is not afraid to take on real issues facing today's teens.
"Witty, fast-paced, and well written."
Wilde Girls by Deidre Huesmann
Broken Rules by Roxas James
Bullet Me by Medeia Sharif
We'll Always Have This by Kate Larkindale
- GenresLGBT
253 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2020
About the author
Deidre Huesmann
20 books75 followersWhen she isn't writing, Deidre works full-time in the local shipyard, decked out in safety gear and getting her hands dirty. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying the changes in seasons year-round. When she isn't working either job, she's catching up on the stack of books on her dresser, kicking it with her children, or playing RPG video games.
She also writes adult LGBTQ erotic romance under Laelia West.
She also writes adult LGBTQ erotic romance under Laelia West.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 26, 2025
Four short stories about discovery and coming out. Two about young women involving bullying, two about young men, one coming to terms with going beyond friendship and coming out, one at hospital with a sibling who attempted to commit suicide while another dealing with his father being in a coma. A heady mix, all well written with strong themes well handled. 4+ stars for me.
May 29, 2020
*** Note: I received e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. Many thank to publisher. ***
Just Me was collection four lovely and refreshing YA, LGBTQ stories. It was about feelings and life of queer young adults that included problems they face in the world, self-identity as queer for first time, their feelings on coming out to world and family, accepting and expressing true feelings, love, friendship and family.
1. Wilde Girls by Deidre Huesmann- enemy-to-lover trope with a bit clinched arc but I still enjoyed the story
2. Broken Rules by Roxas James - lovely romance with heartbreak, and discovering gender for first time, first time reaction and doubts.
3. Bullet Me by Medeia Sharif - This was my most favorite story. amazing story with message of supporting fellow students, standing up against manhandling, harassment and perverts mistreating girls; about positivity of journaling, how it’s therapeutic, helps in organizing thoughts and feeling.
4. We’ll Always Have This by Kate Larkindale - This last story was so emotional. It was Leo and Jack’s love story that started at heavy and sad time and place, at hospital. End was great with finding hope and love amidst dark time of life.
Overall, each story in Just Me was compelling, fast paced, engaging anthology with lovely romance, interesting characters, and amazing message. I highly recommend this book.
Read full review on my book blog by following this link - https://booksteacupnreviews.com/2020/...
Just Me was collection four lovely and refreshing YA, LGBTQ stories. It was about feelings and life of queer young adults that included problems they face in the world, self-identity as queer for first time, their feelings on coming out to world and family, accepting and expressing true feelings, love, friendship and family.
1. Wilde Girls by Deidre Huesmann- enemy-to-lover trope with a bit clinched arc but I still enjoyed the story
2. Broken Rules by Roxas James - lovely romance with heartbreak, and discovering gender for first time, first time reaction and doubts.
3. Bullet Me by Medeia Sharif - This was my most favorite story. amazing story with message of supporting fellow students, standing up against manhandling, harassment and perverts mistreating girls; about positivity of journaling, how it’s therapeutic, helps in organizing thoughts and feeling.
4. We’ll Always Have This by Kate Larkindale - This last story was so emotional. It was Leo and Jack’s love story that started at heavy and sad time and place, at hospital. End was great with finding hope and love amidst dark time of life.
Overall, each story in Just Me was compelling, fast paced, engaging anthology with lovely romance, interesting characters, and amazing message. I highly recommend this book.
Read full review on my book blog by following this link - https://booksteacupnreviews.com/2020/...
June 11, 2020
Coming out isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding.
Aislynn got a summer job working at the same shop as her bully in “Wilde Girls.” There were so many plot twists from this point forward that I continued to be delighted by what happened when each of them were revealed. One of the other things I enjoyed about it had to do with the backstories of the two main characters. They were both far from perfect people, but the reasons for behaving the way they did made their previous choices understandable if nothing else.
Slogging through a busy shift at work while nursing a hangover isn’t fun, but it’s exactly what Bastian had to do in “Broken.” In between bussing tables, the question of what really happened at the party the night before loomed in his mind. It was so much fun to see him wrestle with this issue and search for clues. While Bastian could be a little impulsive at times, deep down he was a good kid who wanted to make the right decisions in life. Getting to know him was a treat.
Lonetta was hiding a crush on her best friend in “Bullet Me.” When another student discovered her secret, she had to decide whether she’d give in to his blackmail attempts or allow the whole school to find out what she’d been hiding. This tale was filled with moral dilemmas that were as complicated as they were fascinating. I was especially interested in the ways the adults in Lonetta’s life behaved. Some of them were kind while others were dangerously dismissive. Knowing that she had to be careful about who she trusted only made her limited choices even more important.
After his brother tried to commit suicide, Leo spent the night in his brother’s hospital room looking out for him and talking to the other visitors at that facility in “We’ll Always Have This.” As much as I loved seeing this character’s dedication to his sibling and entire family during this crisis, it did feel a little odd to me to have such a sombre setting for the beginning of a romance. This became even more true once I realized the sad truth behind why Leo’s love interest was spending so much time at the hospital. I wish these subplots could have been separated into individual, related stories. They were all well done, I simply thought they weren’t good matches to be all mixed into the same tale.
Just Me was the perfect thing to read as summer begins. Anyone who is in the mood for something breezy should definitely check it out.
Aislynn got a summer job working at the same shop as her bully in “Wilde Girls.” There were so many plot twists from this point forward that I continued to be delighted by what happened when each of them were revealed. One of the other things I enjoyed about it had to do with the backstories of the two main characters. They were both far from perfect people, but the reasons for behaving the way they did made their previous choices understandable if nothing else.
Slogging through a busy shift at work while nursing a hangover isn’t fun, but it’s exactly what Bastian had to do in “Broken.” In between bussing tables, the question of what really happened at the party the night before loomed in his mind. It was so much fun to see him wrestle with this issue and search for clues. While Bastian could be a little impulsive at times, deep down he was a good kid who wanted to make the right decisions in life. Getting to know him was a treat.
Lonetta was hiding a crush on her best friend in “Bullet Me.” When another student discovered her secret, she had to decide whether she’d give in to his blackmail attempts or allow the whole school to find out what she’d been hiding. This tale was filled with moral dilemmas that were as complicated as they were fascinating. I was especially interested in the ways the adults in Lonetta’s life behaved. Some of them were kind while others were dangerously dismissive. Knowing that she had to be careful about who she trusted only made her limited choices even more important.
After his brother tried to commit suicide, Leo spent the night in his brother’s hospital room looking out for him and talking to the other visitors at that facility in “We’ll Always Have This.” As much as I loved seeing this character’s dedication to his sibling and entire family during this crisis, it did feel a little odd to me to have such a sombre setting for the beginning of a romance. This became even more true once I realized the sad truth behind why Leo’s love interest was spending so much time at the hospital. I wish these subplots could have been separated into individual, related stories. They were all well done, I simply thought they weren’t good matches to be all mixed into the same tale.
Just Me was the perfect thing to read as summer begins. Anyone who is in the mood for something breezy should definitely check it out.
October 1, 2020
I've really been getting into young adult lately. This was a great example. The stories are all really well done!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews