Together On Parade by Sarah Wallace & S.O. Callahan

A delightfully queer historical romantic fantasy set in 1930s Hollywood, by the people who've become my favorite authors in the micro-genre.

Review

Old Hollywood's always been a setting that promises both glamour and heartbreak. This book delivers on the former but softens it beautifully, and sidesteps the latter (which is precisely the point.)

Like their previous co-written series, this is set in a world where queerness just...exists. No one fights, they just live. I'll admit I struggle with queernormative fiction, not because it's 'unrealistic' but rather because it feels so radical. It's life-and-hope giving in the most extraordinary way possible.

Working that into a story is a gift for the reader, and the authors do it well.

I have no preferences in relationship arcs, but here, the shift from friendship to romance is handled beautifully: a slow, inevitable turning toward each other.

The chemistry is warm rather than electric, which suits perfectly, because it isn't about discovery so much as recognition.

This is a book you devour in a day or two and one that sits for weeks afterwards.

•--♡--•