Try a Chapter Tag: Pride Edition!

Hello, friends!! I saw Destiny over at Howling Libraries do this post this past Tuesday and I thought it sounded super fun and also would help me try and figure out what my first read of the month will be because right now I am kind of just freaking out and staring at all of my options instead of reading anything.

The try a chapter tag is where you try out the first chapter of five books and choose one to read based on the outcomes. It is common on booktube and some book blogs (such as Destiny’s), I tried to find an original creator to link but there are so many things popping up I have no idea who started it lol.

I also made the decision to share the first line of every book as well as my opinions on the first chapter because I have recently become fascinated with first lines for some reason and want to share some.

So, without further ado, let’s figure out what my first pride read will be. Here are the options:

• Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
• Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ornashee
• Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
• Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley
• Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

(You may notice that two of these five weren’t on my monthly TBR, but, to be fair, I somewhat predicted that).

Book One: Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

• LBGT+ Rep: Bisexual, gay (mlm) [I think]
• First line: The end of our final winter break seems almost like the beginning of a victory lap.
• My thoughts on the first chapter: Um, it was so good? I had to stop myself from going onto the next chapter. I thought I would like this book but based on the first chapter, I may love it. I really enjoyed Tanner’s easy confidence throughout and the beginning of what I hope is some good discussion on religion and sexuality. Also, Autumn seems like a great side character and I appreciate the dinosaur stickers she just casually hands Tanner.

Book Two: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ornashee

• LGBT+ Rep: Asexual
• First line: Here is the first thing you should know about me: I, Tash Zelenka, am in love with Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy.
• My thoughts on the first chapter: I liked it! I liked the page before the first chapter a lot, it made me laugh and it made me think which is a good combination for a first page. I think that this book is set up to be very interesting and the ace rep seems promising. I am wondering if the fact that I have never read anything by Tolstoy and most definitely not Anna Karenina will be a problem though lol, but I guess we shall see.

Book Three: Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

• LGBT+ Rep: gay (wlw)
• First line: My copy of The Color Purple lies in front of me on my desk, the spine bent and wrinkled from the many times I’ve poured over the book.
• My thoughts on the first chapter: I am not sure entirely how I feel about the writing given those first ten pages, but the main character seems very likable and I have high hopes for liking the rest of the book.

Book Four: Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

• LGBT+ Rep: bisexual
• First line: The stars above me danced in the cool, black Mexico sky.
• My thoughts on the first chapter: Not related to the first chapter, but can we talk about that cover?! It’s so pretty! And I love it! I love that this book in no way hides the fact that it’s f/f!! Anyways, about the first chapter: the writing is beautiful. I spent the entire first couple of pages awestruck because of it. It was also a really solid chapter! The main character and the love interest were introduced and they both seem really interesting and I can’t wait to get to know them better. There also seems to be some promising discussion about religion and sexuality in here too which excites me.

Book Five: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

• LGBT+ Rep: gay (wlw), maybe more?
• First line: “Come on Eileen” is a terrible song at any wedding.
• My thoughts on the first chapter: I don’t know what it is, but I was not really connecting with the first chapter of this book at all. I get the feeling that if I keep going, it’ll get better, but I’m not sure right now. It could also be that I read a bunch of negative reviews on goodreads right before I read the chapter (one of these days I will learn to not read reviews before I read the book but that day is not today apparently) so those somewhat swayed my opinion, but I don’t know. As of right now, I am not a big fan of the main character and I am definitely not a fan of the way she is talking about her new step-mother, but we will see how those opinions change if I keep on reading.

And the winner is: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ornashee (as chosen by eenie meenue miney mo, because I am a mature adult who makes mature decisions)

Okay, this was more fun than I thought it would be? But also kind of hard because I am not used to stopping after one chapter, like ever, so I had to make myself stop. However, it also made me stop and think about what I thought about the introduction of the novels and I also never do that either so that was nice. What about you guys, have you ever done this tag or something like it to chose your next read? Have you read any of these books? Have you decided what your first June read is yet? If so, let me know what it is! Let’s chat in the comments!