Don't be a drag

Briar's anxiety often has her imagining catastrophe from the moment she wakes up, and when it gets really bad, her older brother, Beau, flies her to N.Y.C. from Texas for a change of scenery for the summer. Briar gamely tries to put aside her dark thoughts and enjoy the glamour and exuberance of Beau's world: performing drag as Bow Regard at The Gallery. Briar finds her place within the Gallery family, but not without growing pains. She makes fast friends with Achilles, an autistic barback and sometimes performer; meanwhile, Beau's drag son, Spencer Read, is both an infuriating jerk and undeniably alluring. Briar, Achilles, and Spencer are pitted against one another when Briar reluctantly agrees to enter a drag king competition with a $5,000 grand prize. While she dives headlong into a world she'd only previously seen on TV, Briar struggles to keep anxiety and depression at bay. Quinlan's portrayal of Briar's mental health struggles may strike a chord with some readers, and their description of drag competitions will enthrall Drag Race fans.

An anxious teen comes into her own through the art of drag. Briar is leaving Texas to spend the summer in New York City with her brother, Beau, aka drag queen Bow Regard. At a show, she meets--and clashes with--Selene, Beau's infuriatingly attractive but arrogant friend, who performs as drag king Spencer Read. Briar decides to try to beat Spencer in an upcoming competition, and so begins her own drag journey. Along the way, she'll flirt with Spencer, befriend fellow drag king Achilles, bicker with her brother, and ultimately gain much-needed confidence both on and off the stage. Briar's mental health journey is at the core of the story, which accurately and unflinchingly depicts her experiences with anxiety and depression. Neither drag nor her flirtation with Spencer is able to magically cure her, but the community she finds in New York leads her to agree to pursue therapy and medication, offering hope for her future. The endearing Briar is realistically drawn, and the supporting characters are all lovable in their own ways, from cosplaying Achilles and sassy but sincere Beau to Briar's compassionate and down-to-earth mentor, Jacklynn Hyde. A host of queer identities are depicted; Briar is bisexual, and her found family includes a nonbinary person and a trans woman. Main characters present white. A joyful celebration of identity and community. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.