It’s time for another post in my “Try a Chapter” Challenge—where I’ll choose ONE book for next month’s TBR!

If you’re not familiar with the Try a Chapter tag, it’s a tag common on booktube (and sometimes blogs) where the participant reads the first chapter of five books and chooses one of those books to read, based on the results!

For this series, I do something a little different:

The five books I choose will be inspired by the following month’s “theme”.

I usually base my 5 picks on the Devour Your TBR group theme, but since June is Pride Month here in the US, I decided to switch it up this month and focus on LGBTQ+ stories!

1. Gideon the Ninth (f/f rep)
2. The Monster of Elendhaven (m/m rep)
3. Magic for Liars (casual queer rep, trans author)
4. Tell Me How You Really Feel (f/f rep)
5. The Princess and the Fangirl (f/f rep)

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My thoughts on the first chapter of…

GIDEON THE NINTH:

This has been one of my most anticipated releases of 2019 since almost two years ago, and after reading that first chapter, I can see why I was so hyped for it!
The first thing that stands out to me, besides how badass and lovable and snarky Gideon is, is how hilarious this writing voice is. If you enjoy Jay Kristoff’s narrative style, especially in Nevernight, I immediately think you’ll love this.

THE MONSTER OF ELENDHAVEN:

Holy shit, that first chapter was pure violence and blood and AWESOME. I mean, when this book boasts that it’s protagonists is a “monster”, it’s not kidding; Johann is terrifying and vicious and I’m already more than a little bit obsessed with him.
I definitely can’t wait to continue this one!

MAGIC FOR LIARS:

I read the prologue and first chapter, and I gotta say, the prologue was vastly more interesting than the chapter (and about three times as long!).
I’ve only ever read short stories from Sarah before, and I really liked them, but I’m not sure how a full novel from them will pan out. I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews on this book, and I have to say that this sampling hasn’t moved me to continue it very quickly.

TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL:

Oh, man…I disliked this SO MUCH based on the first chapter and it absolutely broke my heart. A queer-girl enemies-to-lovers romance, AND it featured two girls of color as the protagonists, AND it’s written by a woman of color? I legitimately thought, while picking this book for the challenge, “If there’s any book I’ll just continue reading after typing up the post, it’ll be that one!” And… no. The protagonists are both SO HORRIBLE and stuck-up and Rachel is downright CRUEL. I’m going to try to continue it some time soon to see if they become any more bearable, but as of right now, I’m not feeling it. ?

THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL:

Okay, to be fair, I still haven’t read Geekerella, so I don’t know if I’m supposed to be a little lost about this first chapter or if it’s referencing back to the other book. ? Either way, I don’t really have feelings about the first chapter? I mean… ?‍♀️ I’m intrigued enough to continue it at some point, but I’m not sure if it’s really catching my attention enough to make me want to pick it up in June, you know?

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And the winner is…

Gideon the Ninth!

Anyone who’s heard me talk about how excited I have been for this book is decidedly NOT surprised by this outcome. ? I’m also planning to read The Monster of Elendhaven ASAP, probably in June, too!

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Is this something you might want to try out for your own TBR? If it is, please let me know so I can read or watch your post, too! ♥

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