Rainbow Rainbow

Praise For This Book

Named a Most Anticipated Book by Time, Nerd Daily, Lit Hub, LGBTQ Reads, Electric Literature, The Millions, and Seahawk

A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Read

"Highlights queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters. Most are seeking some sense of connection . . . Conklin portrays them all with warmth and compassion."—Time, A Most Anticipated
Book of the Year

"Gleefully queer . . . Rainbow Rainbow weaves between hope and despair, love and fear as its characters—a lesbian comics artist, a sex addict, a trans vlogger, various teenagers coming-of-age (and into their sexuality)—wrestle with the fraught dynamics of gender identity and queer romance in the 21st century." —Lauren Puckett-Pope, Elle

"Effervescent . . . Conklin’s compassionate stories are so accomplished and sure-footed that you’ll be shocked to learn this is their debut." —Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire

"If you dig queer stories, these are the queerest of the queer! Full of joy, nerve and verve, this debut collection is a stunner." —Karla Strand, Ms.

"Lydia Conklin’s Rainbow Rainbow offers readers a masterful collage of perspectives from people living—or trying to live—their best possible lives. It’s real, raw, and occasionally brutal, but queer and trans readers will find many of their feelings and experiences reflected here." —K.W. Colyard, Bustle

"Funny, poignant, incisive, melancholic, and smart. "—Sarah Neilson, Shondaland

"From the the very first story about a lesbian couple in perpetual conflict over procreation, Conklin cements their mastery at creating fascinating, flawed, nuanced, and truly human characters whose feelings, desires, and insecurities bleed from every page . . . At times funny, at times sexy, and at times downright uncomfortable, it's a sharply drawn collection in which many will no doubt find not just an entertaining and compelling read, but kinship and clarity." —Dahlia Adler, BuzzFeed

"Remarkable . . . Like the best fiction, the stories in Rainbow Rainbow mimic life in all its complexities and calamities. Nothing is without problems, prejudice, and predicaments. And yet these characters don’t let the presence of these things rob them of being true to themselves . . . A much-needed celebration of queer joy, unapologetic and bursting just below the surface. Rising." —Rachel León, Split Lip Magazine

"Effervescent and incisive." —Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of the Month

"Devastating, tender, and hilarious." —Emily Nagin, Fiction Writers Review

"Conklin’s funny, dark, and poignant debut collection of short stories centers queer joy, conception, and uncertainty." —Autostraddle

"Queer, bold, and beautiful. Each story is so full of laughter, love, awkwardness, and heartbreak that readers will feel so at home in each and every one. Throughout the collection, it’s clear Conklin has a masterful grasp on characterization and tone. They give the reader exactly what they’re looking for even if they don’t know it." —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

"Embracing eagerness and insecurity, doubt and fortitude, Conklin’s ten tales resonate through the characters’ dynamic moments of realization." —Booklist

"Conklin introduces themself as a writer to watch with these open-eyed, tenderhearted, well-crafted stories." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Conklin brings nuance and compassion to the subject matter and displays a captivating interest in human contradiction. Conklin’s command of structure ensures that each story has a satisfying arc, but most impressive is the author’s precise and evocative prose . . . This talented writer is brimming with skills and heart." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Throughout, Conklin is gracefully multi-note as they reveal the complexities of queer relationships, always allowing their characters to be themselves." —Library Journal

“Lydia Conklin writes with humor and tenderness about the way we love now. Rainbow Rainbow is an impressive and beautiful collection.” —Lorrie Moore, author of Bark
 
“What a gorgeous ode to queer life in all its awkward, tragic, hilarious, erotic, and joyful forms! I savored each one of these stories, laughed and gasped aloud, and marveled at their pitch-perfect dialogue and masterful sentences. Lydia Conklin's debut collection offers one of the strongest new voices in recent memory and one that is certain to belong in the canon of contemporary queer literature.” —Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood
 
"Rainbow Rainbow is a debut that many of us have long been waiting for. The sentences in this collection leap off the page with delightfully vivid animation, and the queer and trans characters in each story take journeys that cover a breathtaking range of emotional distance. Lydia Conklin, above all, understands the power of humor, to surprise and tickle us, to regale and disarm us, and, in the end, to devastate us with truths that are full of mystery and melancholy." —Jamel Brinkley, author of the National Book Award nominated A Lucky Man