News
J.Q. Gagliastro Sits with Journalist Sean Lewis of Chicago’s WGN
Sean Lewis: What was the inspiration for [The Diary of a Sugarbaby]?
Accolades
~ Not a week after its release, The Diary of a Sugarbaby became a #1 bestseller in LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Fiction and stayed at the top for 10 consecutive days! What this means is Gagliastro had a highly supportive audience before they became a published author!
⇩ The Progression ⇩
The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a #2 Bestseller in Dystopian Fiction on Ingram’s Bestsellers Lists!
From July to September of 2024, “The Diary of a Sugarbaby” by J.Q. Gagliastro became a #2 Bestseller in Dystopian Fiction on Ingram’s Bestsellers List! What this means is people who go into bookstores have picked up my book, read the back, and are intrigued enough to buy it. Thank you so much to bookstores and bookstore-goers for taking a chance on TDS! Read Full Article!
The Diary of a Sugarbaby is NYC Queer Book Club’s October 2024 book pick (10/18)!
QBC started in October of 2023 as a book club for LGBTQIA+ readers in New York City. According to Andrew Karo, “what started as a group of 8 has now reached over 120 members!” They turned one in 2024. The event was held on October 18th. If you would like to join the QBC, please message Andrew on Instagram or send them an email.
A Return to the Top
July 1st, 2024, the Monday after Gagliastro’s book signings in Annapolis and NYC, The Diary of a Sugarbaby returned to the Top 100 bestsellers list. Gagliastro is also humbled to have their book in the fabulous company of Augustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh and Jacqueline Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men. Both were huge inspirations for TDS.
Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards
The Diary of a Sugarbaby becomes a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Adult Fiction for books published in 2023. Thank you so much to the judges and reading groups in Stockholm and London for selecting TDS as a finalist! Read more on their website.
Bestseller in Epistolary Fiction
On January 18th, 2025, The Diary of a Sugarbaby reached #45 on Amazon’s Bestsellers List in Epistolary Fiction. The bestseller stayed in the top 250 for over a month and even returned to the top 25 in LGBTQ+ Bildungsroman Fiction!
Top 250 in Political Fiction on the Kindle Bestseller List
The Diary of a Sugarbaby reaches the Top 250 in Political Fiction on the Kindle Bestseller List! TDS also receives a lovely 5-star review from Jose Carrasquillo — “A great first novel destined to become a classic.”
Testimonials
Los Angeles Book Review
“Gagliastro’s Mercury to the Moon is an imaginative triumph. It's a sprawling space-fantasy that fuses coming-of-age themes with alien mysticism, social critique, and radiant, otherworldly worldbuilding. It’s equal parts whimsical and sobering, serving readers a journey across planets, identities, and emotional landscapes.
Thematically, Mercury to the Moon is rich and multilayered. One of its core themes is belonging… There’s also a strong environmental undercurrent; the book opens with a plea to save Earth, not terraform other planets, a message reinforced by the beautifully described alien worlds that often reflect back our own flaws and hopes… The concept of “wills”—alien abilities tied to one’s emotions or traumatic experiences—adds a layer of allegory, suggesting that our most painful moments often unlock our greatest potential.
Gagliastro’s prose is poetic and vibrant… the imagery is lush and cinematic. The author’s background in illustration shows—every setting pops off the page with surreal beauty… Gagliastro’s work will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and Heartstopper—but with its own signature voice and aesthetic. In short, Mercury to the Moon is an ambitious, inclusive, and emotionally intelligent start to a saga that champions empathy, imagination, and the unshakable belief that misfits can save the universe.”
Likely Story
“Mercury to the Moon is the magical first installment in J.Q. Gagliastro’s Truman’s Space Odyssey series. The story follows Truman Howard, an eccentric, kind-hearted teen raised in a prestigious boarding school in the Canadian Rockies. His life is abruptly turned upside down when a supernatural event triggers the discovery that he is not just a regular boy—he is an alien with the ability to manipulate water and emotions. Swept away from Earth and into the fantastical solar system of Aether, Truman joins other “will-gifted” teens on a dragon-backed space journey led by an eclectic team of interplanetary mentors. Blending contemporary boarding school drama with richly imaginative sci-fi fantasy, this novel is as whimsical as it is poignant.
Mercury to the Moon is an exhilarating cosmic coming-of-age story that thrives on rich world-building and emotional honesty. Truman is instantly likable—an outsider who’s endured both classism and cruelty, yet continues to treat others with patience and grace. Gagliastro brings a fresh voice to YA fantasy by pairing magical realism with real-world issues such as bullying, grief, identity, and socioeconomic disparity. The characters feel fully formed, from the acid-tongued but loyal Esmeralda to the charmingly flirtatious Vedrò, each carrying their own trauma, secrets, and strength.
The novel’s greatest achievement lies in its balance: poetic prose pairs seamlessly with interstellar action; laugh-out-loud moments are layered with deeply vulnerable revelations… Gagliastro also smartly structures the plot around a literal and metaphorical journey: Truman and his new cohort will travel planet to planet, learning both academic lessons and emotional truths… The heart of the story remains in the relationships formed between characters, particularly the reunion between Truman and his long-lost sister. The emotional payoff is tender, surprising, and earned.
If you’re looking for a genre-bending YA adventure that fuses high-concept space fantasy with grounded emotional arcs, Mercury to the Moon is a brilliant debut. It’s perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, The School for Good and Evil, or Heartstopper—and for anyone who has ever felt different and dreamed of a world where they finally belong… Gagliastro has created a richly layered world full of wonder, wit, and warmth—and this first installment leaves readers eager for Book Two.”
IndieReader
“J. Q. Gagliastro’s The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a poignant epistolary novel that immerses readers in the harrowing experiences of a young, gay [nonbinary person] navigating a dystopian America. It offers a stark narrative of a society divided by race, class, and gender, providing a deeply touching and thought-provoking reading experience for people from any minority and walk of life.”
Readers’ Favorite
“Tragic and heartbreaking, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a coming-of-age story unlike any other. Written in the style of an autobiographical memoir, J.Q. Gagliastro's dystopian tale pulls no punches. The narrative is unflinchingly raw and relentlessly bleak, showcasing the extreme lengths a bigoted authoritarian regime will go to oppress those they consider beneath them. This is a theme-driven tale that sheds light on some very real-world issues we, as a society, face today. Dime's story is emotionally devastating. However, despite the darker elements of the plot, the book ends on an optimistic note that offers hope. Overall, this isn't everyone's cup of tea. But if you like dystopian fiction that is thematically rich and focuses on societal issues, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is just the book for you.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Gagliastro’s chilling novel about a nightmarish future pushes right-wing politics to terrifying extremes and tells a raw but perceptive story about the resulting victims. The viciousness of the regime is over the top, and some of the descriptions of violence and degradation are excessive. But the bulk of the novel provides first-person insights into being queer, before and after the revolution, that are razor sharp, timely, and written with a great deal of thought behind them. Dime is in an impossible situation, but he’s a dynamic, enterprising character whose perceptiveness about the world elevates the story to an impressive, convincing level. A frightening novel about an unthinkable future elevated by a very sophisticated protagonist.”
The BookLife Prize
“A dark satirical work of sci-fi… Gagliastro writes in clear-headed, hard-hitting prose… there is an element of dry and sarcastic wit that carries this story forward and breaks up the horror… Right from the start, this story sets itself apart from other dystopian novels with the way that it approaches gender inequality and the dangers of clinging to an outdated, violent sociopolitical system. Gagliastro managed to take many modern fears and roll them together with more positive ideals, creating a complex web of realistic frankness, pessimistic anticipation, and optimistic determination.”
The Manhattan Book Review
“The Diary of a Sugarbaby is an eye-opening dystopian novel told from the point of view of a young adult named Dime who lives as a gay, non-binary sugarbaby turned sex slave. When a Bill gets passed and young people become slaves to the Elders, they must endure such violent acts as public and private rape sessions, branding, torture, and death. With themes of LGBTQ+ hate, racism, government control, and the banning of all creative materials, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is The Handmaid's Tale on steroids. Captivating and graphic, this book is not for the faint of heart.”
BlueInk Review
“The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a harrowing dystopian novel about a young queer man enduring sexual slavery… The explicit sex and occasional violence, while appropriate, may shock some readers; one execution by guillotine is especially gruesome… Employing short chapters and much suspense, the book powerfully critiques homophobia, misogyny, and sex-shaming, as well as societies that force young, struggling people into sex work.”
Publishers Weekly
“Chilling… The story takes place in an alternate reality Philadelphia, where Dime Gagliastra, the 26-year-old gender-fluid narrator, has survived the recent Ameriqueerocide, in which all queer people were targeted for killing, by passing as masculine. Declared a Minor along with everyone under the age of 35, he’s held captive by an Elder, a member of the ruling class who forces Dime to have sex with him. The Elder’s hypocrisy is but one example of Gagliastro’s incisive satire of homophobia. When Dime, who grew up poor and financed his education by spending time with older men in return for their financial support, considers how the role of sugar daddy has morphed into something much more sinister under the gerontocracy, it’s clear Gagliastro is satirizing “sugaring” as well. When Dime’s Elder dies, he’s auctioned to another Elder, a retired NBA player who seems gentle at first but turns out to be cruel. The plot ramps up after Dime meets a fellow Minor, and she lets him in on a rebellion plot. Gagliastro’s depictions of sexual violence can feel gratuitous, but Dime’s thoughtful narration of his experiences with sugaring are revelatory. This provocative novel is not for the faint of heart.”
