Social Queue by Kay Kerr

Social Queue by Kay Kerr

Published September 2021 Text Publishing

Blurb:

Zoe Kelly is starting a new phase of her life. High school was a mess of bullying and autistic masking that left her burnt out and shut down. Now, with an internship at an online media company—the first step on the road to her dream writing career—she is ready to reinvent herself. But she didn’t count on returning to her awkward and all-too-recent high-school experiences for her first writing assignment.

When her piece, about her non-existent dating life, goes viral, eighteen-year-old Zoe is overwhelmed and more than a little surprised by the response. But, with a deadline and a list of romantic contenders from the past to reconnect with for her piece on dating, she is hoping one of her old sparks will turn into a new flame.

Social Queue is a funny and heart-warming autistic story about deciphering the confusing signals of attraction and navigating a path to love.

I think that navigating the world of love is hard for anyone.  For Zoe Kelly, a young woman with autism, it's absolutely exhausting.  

Just out of high school, Zoe starts to think about dating and romance, realising that all through high school, maybe she missed the signals, so as part of a writing assignment she decides to write about her experiences, only to have a number of people respond...people who had been interested in her.  Bravely, she decided to reconnect with them, and see what happens.

This book has all of the elements of a great rom com...only so much better.  Zoe lets us into her world, showing us what it is to live with autism, the things that are really hard, and how she deals with them.  We even learn how to talk about autism, as Zoe teaches her colleagues the same.  This book is both entertaining and education, without feeling like we're being beaten over the head with the message..

Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to review this title

Sweet Damage by Rebecca James

Rebecca James had an amazing debut novel, Beautiful Malice in 2010 and she’s back with another book full of psychological suspense with Sweet Damage. From memory, Beautiful Malice pushed the boundary as to whether is was a book for teenagers or adults, and this one, I think, goes over the edge. Because of the ages of the characters (in their 20s) and the content (sex, drinking, swearing), this would probably be considered to fit into the new genre of ‘new adult’ fiction. It’s probably even marketed as an adult title, but we have ended up with it on our shelves, so I will include it in this blog.

The main character is Tim, trying to sort his life out. He has returned to Australia after travelling, and has been sharing a flat with his ex-girlfriend. When he sees a add for a cheap room, in a huge house, with great views and is walking distance to work, Tim jumps at the chance. The only condition is that he has to look out for his new housemate Anna, who suffers from agoraphobia. Anna is odd and the house is spooky, and when Anna’s tragic story comes to light all of the pieces fall into place.

The story is told through two characters, Tim and Anna. Through Anna’s chapters we learn of the events that have lead her to where she is today. It has elements of a thriller with a bit of mystery thrown in and the suspense slowly builds until we finally see the big picture at the end of the book and go….aaahhh, of course. To me the book reads a lot like a movie, and for that reason I think it will appeal to older teenagers who are not real readers.

For Adelaide readers, Rebecca James will be appearing at The Body in the Garden, South Australian Garden and Crime Writers' Festival being held in October.