Taylor Parker has a secret. Well, two secrets. She’s a finalist for a diverse writers internship at Saturday Night Live – yes, THE Saturday Night Live in New York City – and she’s a lesbian. Now she has fewer than two months – until Christmas – to come out to her friends and family. She channels her angst into not-so-subtly pining for the hottest girl in Salem, Charlotte Grey, and into her once-weekly improv classes at the community centre. But as Taylor’s secrets pile up, she finds herself struggling more and more to connect with the people in her life.

The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride is about loving yourself unflinchingly and unconditionally. It’s about celebrating all the weird, quirky, ridiculous things that make us who we are, even when it feels like the world is forcing the closet door closed. I connected with Taylor’s snarky, offbeat humour and I loved the way she didn’t do anything halfway.

I also loved the way author Hayli Thomson gave Taylor the room to make mistakes and grow. Taylor has her misconceptions about sexuality and life challenged multiple times and, like every teenager, she is convinced she knows everything – until she discovers all the things she had yet to learn. And in giving Taylor the space to make those discoveries, Thomson gives everyone reading this book the same space to make their discoveries with grace and, of course, humour. For ages 15+.

Jennifer Fraioli, is from Readings Emporium