ARC Review: Would You Rather: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out by Katie Heaney

From the blurb:

A collection of poignant, relatable essays from the author of Never Have I Ever about coming out in her late twenties, entering into her first relationship, and figuring out what it means to be an adult. 

When Katie Heaney published her first book of essays chronicling her singledom up to age 25, she was still waiting to meet the right guy. Three years later, a lot changed. For one thing, she met the right girl. 

Here, for the first time, Katie opens up about realizing that she is gay. She tackles everything from the trials of dating in New York City to the growing pains of her first relationship, from obsessing over Harry Styles (because, actually, he does look a bit like a lesbian) to learning to accept herself all over again. Exploring love and sexuality with her neurotic wit and endearing intimacy, Katie shares the message that it's never too late to find love--or yourself.

Heather's rating:






I'd never heard of Katie Heaney before I decided to pick up Would You Rather : A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out, but the blurb was too interesting for me to pass up.

Sexuality in general intrigues me, especially the personal exploration of sexuality. I'm always interested in someone's sexuality discovery story (in romance as well as non-fiction), and stories where people realize they are bisexual/pansexual or gay later in life always catch my attention.

Katie Heaney was in her late 20s when she realized that her inability to find the right chemistry with a man and her sneaking suspicion that her "awareness" of women might meant that she may not be, in fact, perfectly straight.

I liked that everything wasn't cut and dry with her story. She had attractions to men (I mean, how did I NOT realize that lesbians being attracted to Harry Styles is a thing?!) and lots of crushes, so the dawning realization that she was, in fact, gay, wasn't something that she woke up knowing one day. There were years where she debated with herself, something I found to be relatable and realistic.



I personally consider myself to be straight, but perhaps my little (okay, strong) attraction to Shane from The L Word and more than a passing attraction to a certain type of butch lesbian might put me closer to a Kinsey 1 than anything else. I always think of sexuality as more muddled and complex than most people think, and I liked how we really got to explore Katie's journey in discovering herself with her.

Katie Heaney is a great writer, and I often felt like I was having a conversation with a friend. The ending dragged a tiny bit, but Katie's personal musing and obsessions came across as quirky and charming. I wanted to know her and everything about her story.

A great read for those who are questioning their sexuality or someone who simply wants an interesting, easy-to-read memoir centered around dating and self-discovery.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Buy this book:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Enjoy, my friends!