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REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott


Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+ 

Release Date: 19th October 2023

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley

Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love.

The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family members. There was a little rambling at times but generally it’s laid out in clear sections and very easy to read, and full of such warmth and love that it really did feel like talking to a friend, especially when she discussed her own experiences coming out and trying to navigate a world where you only know stereotypes and insults. It's also important to remember this is about personal experience, and Helen is not speaking for all sapphic women - she will say things that might not represent you or that you can't relate to and that's fine.

She breaks down myths and stereotypes, common terms and misunderstandings about sapphic women without being condescending or too technical, discusses how gender and outdated gender roles affect us as women and acknowledges the other sapphic sexualities and how they might relate to these shared experiences and truths.

Whether you’re just looking for a book to share an experience or to try and figure something out, this was delightful.

Note: Now I’ve seen some criticism of this book saying the author isn’t a lesbian as they say maybe pansexual fits too. But the author still primarily identifies as a lesbian— and regardless of that fact it’s not our place to pass judgment on how an author identifies. Yes Helen briefly discusses dating men as a teenager and being attracted to non-binary people but that’s part of discovering your sexuality.  The entire rest of the book does in fact discuss lesbian culture and sapphic culture throughout — and let’s remember that sexuality is a fluid and personal thing, we may have many names or qualities throughout our lives and that’s a beautiful thing.


⭐⭐⭐


I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.



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