Stage Dreams

Chelsea (chelseadolling reads)

Rating: really liked it
This was super quick and charming and I liked it a heckin' ton. My heart!

chan ☆

Rating: really liked it
my name is chandler ainsley and it has been 0 days since my last cry

i really didn't expect an auto- download graphic novel from netgalley to get me in my feelings but here we are.

it's a hundred pages of wild western goodness with a trans woman main character and a POC woman main character and it was just so fucking cute. no transphobia or homophobia AT ALL in here and the relationship that developed was just so damn cute.

i went in to this with no expectations which i think enhanced my enjoyment of this. it is VERY short so if you're looking for tons of character development or a slow burn romance you're going to be disappointed but if you're just looking for a f/f good time this is fantastic. HIGHLY recommend.

destiny ♡ howling libraries

Rating: really liked it
If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "Man, there really aren't enough queer AF westerns in the world, are there?" (I have!), let me tell you, Stage Dreams is everything you've been looking for. It follows the heist of a Latinx woman and her new captive-turned-friend, a lovely trans southern belle escaping her father's wishes that she join the Confederate army. While the story takes place during the Civil War, not much of it actually focuses on that element; primarily, we're here to watch two ladies break into a party, steal a map, and fall in love in the process. It's cute, it's heartwarming, the art is lovely, and I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Melanie Gillman

Rating: really liked it
I had to draw a bunch of horses for this book, and despite that I STILL like it.

mina reads™️

Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
this was really charming i wish it was longer tho :(

Skye Kilaen

Rating: really liked it
A fun, sweet graphic novel about a queer Latina outlaw and a white transgender Army deserter gal, on a mission to steal secrets from the Confederacy. After the outlaw kidnaps the deserter. Oops? Love to see a historical story with some diversity, for sure, and both characters had some fun little personality quirks that really made them come alive.

Sahitya

Rating: really liked it
I read a few reviews for this graphic novel across the blogosphere and was interested in it, especially because I’m always on the lookout for new discoveries. And I don’t think I’ve ever read a western, so I decided to give it a try.

As it’s just 100 pages long, I didn’t expect a lot of plot or character development, just something fun - and it totally delivered on that aspect. Grace is a trans southern belle running from her family because she doesn’t wanna fight in the war and has dreams of her own, while Flor is the stylish queer Latinx outlaw who robs stagecoaches and wants to save money for a secure future. Though Flor kidnaps Grace, they eventually settle on a plan to work together and what follows is a cute adventure of their own where they discover some truths about themselves and develop feelings in the process. This story is hella cute and sweet, and so full of acceptance that it made me very happy. The art style is also very unique, and while I didn’t know anything about how colored pencil art would work for a graphic novel, it’s perfect here. The color palette and style feel very appropriate for the dry New Mexico setting, while also giving out a cutesy vibe. And I especially loved the cotillion gowns.

Finally, I just wanna say that if you love westerns or queer graphic novels, you should definitely check this one out because it’ll leave you with a big smile on your face. Just go into it without any expectations and ready to have a rollicking time.

nitya

Rating: really liked it
So sweet and wholesome!!

I just wish it was longer 😭😭 the ending was too abrupt for me, I would have loved to see more of Flor and Grace's adventures!

And the history nerd in me really appreciated the author's historical notes. ❤️

Content warning: racism, sexism, violence (mild), transphobia (implied)

*Book #3 for the Graphics A Thon

Emily

Rating: really liked it
more like 3.5 ⭐️!!

this was such a cute, quick read and i loved the explanations of historical references/accuracy at the back but i just wish it had been longer! more queer westerns/gfs doing heists please!!!

Chad

Rating: really liked it
A cutesy story about a trans person named Grace who's kidnapped by a Latin stage coach robber named Flor. They eventually decide to rob some rich robber barons at a cotillion who are preparing to take the Civil War even more Westward. This is only the first volume and the main plot just starts as this ends. Most of the book is prologue establishing the characters and their personalities. As a cutesy, queer, historical romance, this works. However, as a historical novel itself, people are way too accepting of both gay women and trans people for this to feel realistic. That aspect of the book feels glossed over to keep the story positive. The colored pencil art works very well for a Western.

Received a review copy from Lerner and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

Emma

Rating: really liked it
The ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stage Dreams is a little western graphic novel set in New Mexico. It’s basically the story of Flor, a Latinx outlaw that everyone knows as Ghost Hawk, and Grace, a trans runaway. The two girls crash a Confederate gala and steal an important map but the real plot of this book is the love story that blossoms between the main characters.
The illustrations are in colored pencil and even though it’s not my favorite I found them nice anyway.
I really wish there was more to read, I found the book a bit too short.

Farah

Rating: really liked it
Fact - It is easier to purchase lesbian/gay erotica than LGBTQ graphic novels. It is different from my school days where more of my comics confiscated than totally not mine skin magazines.
This GN made it to www.advocate.com the best of LGBTQ Graphic Novels of 2O19 and thankfully the ebook is available on Google Play.

What impresses me the most is, Gillman is the author and illustrator for this. Picturing myself doing the same thing, the paper in the vintage typewriter will have Chapter One, typed repeatedly and the drawings will make people think that I'm a gifted newborn.

Gillman is a colored pencils artist and her illustration has the calmness vibe to it. The plot, a wild-wild west adventure between a transwoman, Grace and a villain turned sweetheart, Flo. These characters have interesting attributes but due to the length of the story, they aren't explored much, everything is on the surface only.

Not a disappointing GN and will get the author's other books, especially the Steven Universe ones.

Lea (drumsofautumn)

Rating: really liked it


What an absolute delight of a graphic novel!

I found this on a list of queer releases for the second half of the year and when I went to Netgalley and saw that it was Read Now, I picked it up immediately and I don't regret it one bit.

This is about a trans woman who gets kidnapped by a queer Latinx woman and the two end up working together. It's really, really cute, both the art and story and while this style might not be my favourite, I thought it fit the story incredibly well.

It was really lovely to read a story with two queer main characters in a Western adventure with there being absolutely no trans- or homophobia. On the contrary, even with the trans character being out to some people in the story, they didn't treat her any differently. And guess what, it didn't read unrealistic in any way, it was just feelgood.

I'd highly recommend this wonderful graphic novel, it made me smile so much and I hope we get more of these two!

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I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

La Coccinelle

Rating: really liked it
That's it? Um... okay. (Maybe there's going to be a sequel or something. I sure hope so. Because this is not a complete story at all.)

While I appreciate the intent of this graphic novel, I'm not sure it worked for me. I had a similar issue with it that I did with Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker: believability. The issue isn't so much people believing Grace is a girl; there are plenty of examples throughout history that show that it isn't impossible. However, in this book, I felt like I had to suspend disbelief about the attitudes. Lip service is paid to the difficulties trans people might have faced (within their own families, mostly), but the ease with which everyone around Grace accepts her (despite the fact that she's drawn with fairly male-looking features in some parts of the book) just doesn't seem right. Like in The Prince and the Dressmaker, the reader seems to be expected to believe that historical attitudes toward trans and queer people were better--more accepting--than they are today. While I'm sure there were some people who would accept folks just the way they were, I kind of doubt it was the norm... and books like these seem to be glossing over what must've been some difficult (and potentially dangerous) times for those with differing gender identities.

The story (what there was of it, anyway; it seemed to end just as it was getting going) is fine. The illustrations are kind of neat, too. They're done with coloured pencil, which gives everything a dreamy sort of look.

I wouldn't mind reading another book about Flor and Grace (if there's going to be one), because Stage Dreams didn't really satisfy my hankering for a good story. I guess we'll see if the plot continues at some point...

Thank you to NetGalley and Graphic Universe for providing a digital ARC.

anna (½ of readsrainbow)

Rating: really liked it
rep: trans sapphic mc, Latina sapphic mc, Black side character

cannot believe u only need like two panels to show someone's support for a trans character!!