Karaoke Queen

Last year I loved Dominic Lim‘s debut novel, All the Right Notes, so I was excited to get an early copy of his new book, Karaoke Queen. As before, the romance here is between Filipino men and involves a ton of music. This time, though, instead of Broadway musicals and high school choirs, these characters are singing karaoke in drag. Yass queen!

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

Love triangle (kind of)
Secret identity
First-person POV

What I Liked:

Music! As a title including the word “karaoke” suggests, this book is full of music references, especially 1990s-2010s pop (basically, my era!). From Céline Dion’s “All By Myself” to Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever” to “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, songs that are karaoke staples abound here, and I loved every single reference. I also enjoyed how Rex found his voice (with an impressively high range) and was able to express a deeper part of himself through music and drag.
Learning about drag! In all honesty, I know almost nothing about it, but I loved learning about drag here. I like how Rex enjoys exploring his femininity and self-expression through dresses, heels, makeup, and sequins.
Discussions of who it’s safe to come out to or be your full self around. This is a major theme and why Rex wants to keep his true identity a secret. Years earlier, he became internet famous as his drag queen self, Regina Moon Dee. There are certain people that Rex doesn’t want to know about him being the person behind Regina Moon Dee. This instinct to protect himself leads to a lot of Rex’s hijinks around tricking others about the drag queen he “recruited” to save the local gay bar.
Rediscovering a vital part of himself. Rex hasn’t performed as Regina Moon Dee in a decade, but he loves tapping into that side of himself again. I loved seeing him feel like a fuller version of himself (or herself, when Regina Moon Dee!) and regain this vital sense of self.
Figuring out who isn’t right for you… and who is. Rex’s initial romantic goals may not be what is right for him. But there’s another guy who might be deserving of the full package!
Family relationships. Rex has such a full and loving family. His mom, sister, and uncle are completely understanding and supportive of Rex’s drag and karaoke. But his Dad… well, that will take more work. In addition to Rex’s complicated father-son relationship, both of his love interests have similar arcs with their dads, too.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The actual romance (with the right guy) doesn’t really kick off for a long time. In some ways this is less romance and more contemporary fiction? I would have loved to see further development of Rex’s romance with Paolo.

Final Thoughts

Karaoke Queen is a fabulous book about drag, music, femininity, queer identity, feeling safe being your true self, and family relationships. There is so much I loved about it, and I loved the chance to learn about drag like I never have before. This is a book I would recommend far and wide.

Special thanks to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Karaoke Queen here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim
Audiobook Narrator	Manila Luzon
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Bay Area, California
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC); Audiobook
Original Publication Date	September 17, 2024
Publisher	Forever

Official Summary

An Amazon Best Romance Book of September 2024
Booklist: Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romances of 2024

A legal assistant by day becomes a karaoke queen by night to grab a second chance at love in this joyfully queer rom-com, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

For Rex Araneta, his college sweetheart Aaron Berry was always the one who got away. So when he finds out that Aaron is now living in the same town and needs help saving his karaoke bar, it’s Rex to the rescue. Or more like Regina Moon Dee, Rex’s internet-famous drag queen alter ego. Even if no one can know the identity of the man behind the makeup.

As Regina’s popularity grows, Rex’s ruse becomes more difficult to keep under wraps. It even becomes a family affair with his mom and sister helping to keep his secret. It’s dawning on Rex that he’s hidden this side of himself away for far too long . . . and perhaps his real shot at love is to reveal his true self. And be loved for all that he is.

About the Author

Dominic Lim has enjoyed a lifelong love affair with music. Dominic holds a master’s from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, is an alum of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and has sung with numerous professional choral ensembles. As a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association, he has performed Off-Broadway and in regional productions throughout the US. Although he probably shouldn’t admit to having favorites, the thrill of singing “This is the Hour” in the chorus of Miss Saigon still pops up in his dreams.

Dom supports his local writing community as a member of the Writers Grotto and as a co-host of San Francisco’s Babylon Salon. He lives in Oakland with his loving and supportive partner, Peter, and their whiny cat, Phoebe.