YA LGBT

Review of Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

August 10, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb:

His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.”

But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are— and taking this place down.

Review:

This story follows Connor Major, a gay teen who, at the incessant urging of his boyfriend Ario, has just come out to his mother. She did not take it well at all, especially since she’s become quite a religious zealot after getting involved with a fundamentalist Christian church lead by a super-creepy pastor. Connor hopes his mom comes around and ends up accepting him, but instead, she has him kidnapped in the middle of the night and sent to a religious conversion camp on a secluded island off of Costa Rica.

And thus Connor’s nightmare begins.

This ended up being quite a disturbing thriller — a dark, raw, intense, and heartbreaking story that explored themes of suicide, homophobia, parental abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, murder, conversion therapy, and religious zealotry. The author did an excellent job of capturing the camp’s horror and the terror of the campers into the written word. We witness firsthand the brutality of the “camp counselors” and the monstrous things they did to their young prisoners. So, in addition to being poignant, the story is atmospheric and evocative.

The author also gives us some fantastic side characters. I thought the queer kids in this story were utterly brave and commendable, considering the unimaginably terrifying situation in which they found themselves. No matter what monstrous events they faced, the theme of hope ran throughout the narrative. So though it was quite dark and creepy in places, there was always a light of hope in that darkness.

I loved the camaraderie and solidarity that developed between them as they faced imaginable odds and ended up turning the tables on their captors. In this way, this dark and disturbing survivalist story ends up being a hopeful tale of bravery and resilience.

Though it was an uncomfortable, intense, and violent book that delved into some pretty gritty places, it was also fast-paced, thrilling, twisty, and adventuresome. In fact, the entire story took place over a period of two days, which really lent a sense of urgency to it. The book also ended up being a compelling mystery as Connor, and a few other campers begin investigating the mysterious death of a former camper, leading them to uncover the camp’s deepest and darkest secrets. I found the story compelling, gripping, and unputdownable as the secrets were revealed to us one by one.

Surrender Your Sons had a satisfying conclusion with everything neatly tied up at the end and is well worth the read. I ended up loving this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

This title will be released on September 15, 2020 but is now available for preorder.

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Review of The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

July 14, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The story follows our main character Nick Bell, a high school junior with ADHD who lives alone with his father, a police officer.

They reside in Nova City, a city of superheroes (who are called “Extraordinaries”) and Nick is a die-hard fan of one particular local superhero: Shadow Star (and Nick harbors a not-so-secret crush on the superhero). Nick spends his days writing fan fiction about Shadow Star and his arch-nemesis Pyro Storm. Nick’s best friend Seth, how also happens to be super cute (and may or may not be a potential love interest), beta-reads all of Nick’s writings.

Nick is crushing pretty seriously on Shadow Storm, and that crush becomes even more exacerbated after Nick has a real live encounter with the superhero. After that encounter, Nick decides he’s going to do whatever it takes to become an “Extraordinary” himself — that is to say, to somehow morph into a superhero.

But when the battle between Shadow Star and Pyro Storm escalates to epic proportions, Nick is thrust right in the center of it.

I loved this book on so many different levels. First off, the humor and banter was superb and caused me to cackle out loud several times. The author’s witty and clever use of language also succeeded in bringing a smile to my face all throughout the story. It was so much fun following along with Nick and his friends as Nick learned not only about himself but also about the superheroes that he worships. I fell in love with the fumbly, clueless, bumbling Nick with all of his flaws and shortcomings, rendering him utterly endearing and adorable. I enjoyed how everything he did seemed to land him in hot water.

Nick’s voice grabbed me instantly, with sharp humor and tender growing up moments, and didn’t let go until the very last page. This is openhearted storytelling at its best. Humor is often tough for me, but I felt the author really nailed it here. The fluffy romantic aspect of the story — notably the angsty (and sometimes infuriating) mutual pining between two of the characters — really warmed my heart and found myself rooting for them to get together right from the get-go.

I loved the positive LGBTQ+ and ADHD representation in this queer coming-of-age tale about a lovable boy with ADHD. The secondary characters, many of whom are also queer, were also equally amazing. There’s Seth who is bisexual; we have Gibby (the badass) and Jazz (former popular girl), the two lesbian best friends of both Nick and Seth who are also romantically involved with each other; and then there’s Nick’s ex-boyfriend Owen who continues to thrust himself into Nick’s circle of friends and who, as we learn later on in the story, has some pretty serious issues of his own to contend with.

Speaking of serious issues, at first glance, The Extraordinaries seems like a fun, lighthearted romp but as is typical for a TJ Klune novel, it delves into some pretty serious topics such as grief, ADHD, death of a parent, loss, self-discovery, complicated relationships, self-esteem and perhaps most importantly, self-acceptance all of which were handled expertly by the author.

The author, whom I believe is neurodiverse himself, masterfully portrays Nick’s struggles with ADHD, such as his difficulty concentrating, his chaotic thoughts, his challenges at school, and how his verbal “filter” doesn’t always come to his rescue. Additionally, the author nicely illustrates the strain that ADHD can cause in one’s relationships. But that being said, the author does give Nick a fantastic circle of support in both his father and his friends.

All in all, I found The Extraordinaries to be a delightful, poignant novel that’s heartbreaking in places, angsty in others but with exciting twists and surprises along the way. As is typical of this author’s work, I was immediately captivated by the superlative writing and remained riveted throughout the entire novel. The characters were not only compelling but also relatable, and no doubt, many people will be able to see themselves in the characters on these pages. I felt it was the perfect blend between lightheartedness and seriousness. I absolutely loved this little gem of a novel and found it wildly entertaining with its secret identities, its mysteries, and its tender coming-of-age.

The book did leave the possibility for a sequel, and I hope the author continues on with this delightful world and these delightful characters.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

March 3, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Only Mostly Devastated is a super-fun boy-meets-boy spin on Grease, which follows our two main characters, Ollie and Will. The story takes place in North Carolina, and the two boys have had an amazing perfect summer romance by the lake, which comes to an end when Ollie’s family is supposedly heading back to California. But Ollie is confused and a bit heartbroken when Will subsequently ghosts him, not returning any of his texts or emails.

Then Ollie’s family has a last-minute change of plans and ends up staying in North Carolina to help with his dying aunt, meaning he has to attend a new school. So imagine Ollie’s surprise when he discovers that Will goes to the exact same school as him. But their reunion is by no means sunshine and roses. Ollie is immediately heartbroken when he sees Will at a high school party, and Will snubs him, acting as if nothing has ever gone on between them.

As we learn, Will is a star basketball player at school and still deeply in the closet. He’s also quite freaked out by Ollie’s presence as his school, but yet, he can’t deny his feelings for Ollie. So now Will has to decide whether he should follow his heart and in the process risk his popularity and friendships with the other basketball players, or stay the course and stay in the closet.

Both boys attempt to move on from each other, but as they learn, moving on is a lot more complicated than they’d thought.

I thought this was an adorable young adult rom-com with a lot of heart. I appreciated that the author wrote sensitively about a person’s decision to stay in the closet and their right not to be outed by others. On the surface, this may seem like a fluffy romance, but actually, there’s real depth to this story, which delves into themes of death, grief, coming out, identity, sexuality, family, heartbreak, and first love. What I liked was how the author balanced the heavier themes with light, sweet humor resulting in an all-around balanced narrative.

I love Sophie Gonzales’s writing: clear and evocative, with just the right amount of description. I also felt that her characters were a joy to read, especially Ollie, who was super sweet, likable, caring, a bit bumbling, and perhaps a tad melodramatic, which rendered him all the more endearing. The author does a great job getting into the heads and hearts of her main characters, and her secondary characters are also vivid, well-drawn, and add to the impact of this book. They all felt genuine to me.

I also enjoyed the amount of personal growth that the characters, including several of the secondary characters, experienced throughout the story. So in this way, I thought the character development was stellar.

As for the romance, Ollie and Will together are great. They have this fabulous chemistry, in spite of Will’s hot and cold moods and Ollie’s attempts to distance himself from Will. What I liked was how the author gave our two characters space and time to find their place in the world and to find each other, and in this way, people struggling with their own sexuality might find this to be a thought-provoking read.

Readers who like a little messy YA romance will definitely get that in abundance here – Ollie and Will’s interactions are humorous, awkward, a bit frustrating, and sometimes exactly as confrontational as they need to be. Only Mostly Devastated is the type of story that you’ll want to fall head over heels in love with again and again, and it was a solid 5-star read for me. Loved it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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Review of Lab Partners by M. Montgomery

February 29, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Lab Partners follows a lonely high school senior named Elliot Goldman. He’s sort of an outcast with no friends at school (except for Holly, who is mainly his sister’s friend) and who has been battling incessant bullying since middle school by three boys who seem to especially “have it out” for Elliot.

But Elliot’s life suddenly changes when a new student named Jordan joins their school and ends up being Elliot’s new chemistry lab partner. The two boys take to each other right away and become immediate friends. Jordan begins to be the bright spot in Elliot’s life. They even start spending time with each other outside of school, which is unheard of for Elliot.

But then things change one night when Jordan kisses Elliot, causing Elliot to question everything he knows about himself, including his sexuality and his relationship with Elliot. He now must decide what he really wants and whether he’s willing to take that next step with the boy that sends his stomach into flutters.

Now at first glance, I thought this was going to be a sweet coming-of-age story, and there certainly was that aspect to it. I loved the relationship between Jordan and Elliot and thought they had terrific chemistry together (both literally and figuratively). But this was also quite a serious treatment of bullying in high school, rendering some parts of the story difficult to read because of the brutal scenes where the three boys attack Elliot. The story illustrates just how far bullying can escalate when teachers and school administrators turn a blind eye and how it can affect a young person’s outlook on life and about themself. The despair and depression that Elliot went through were heartbreaking, though I will say, without any spoilers, that it all worked out in Elliot’s favor at the end.

The characterization in this book is really powerful, and I loved our two main characters. Elliot’s bravery is admirable as he risks his own safety in order to protect other kids in his school from bullying, resulting in him becoming their primary target. Jordan is also an amazing character, a boy completely comfortable in his own skin and who steadfastly supports Elliott every step along the way, both during Elliot’s coming out process and regarding the bullying.

The book not only addresses the dangers of bullying but also encapsulates depression, sexual orientation, self-discovery, and young love. The story also does an excellent job of illustrating the fluidity of sexuality and that for many people, one’s sexuality is not always so black and white. That being said, there’s also excellent aromantic/asexual representation in the story.

Now I will say that the book starts out a tad slow and I nearly gave up on it. The descriptions of mundane tasks were agonizingly detailed, most of which didn’t seem to have anything to do with the story. So in this way, it could have used some additional editing. But I’m definitely glad I stuck with it as it ended up being a captivating and sensitive coming-of-age story that, in addition to bullying and homophobia, adeptly tackles the confounding nature of sexuality.

The book is available now worldwide on The Book Depository and will be available in the US on March 10.

Purchase Lab Partners on Amazon

Purchase Lab Partners on The Book Depository

Review of Howling on Hold by E.J. Russell

January 13, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Howling on Hold is a fun gay shifter story that takes place at a group residence for werewolves called the Howling (aka “The Doghouse). Young werewolves need to spend three years at the residence to help them to control their instincts so they can seamlessly blend into the ordinary world. The story follows two main characters, Chase, who is the RA at the Howling residence, and Tanner, a young alpha-in-training who is nearly the end of this three-year stint, after which he must return to his pack and take the role of alpha.

Given that Chase is the RA and in a position of responsibility, he has ignored his feelings for Tanner. Likewise, Tanner has pushed aside his feelings for Chase. But now that Tanner is turning 21, he’s hoping that perhaps things will be different now that he is an adult and no longer under Chase’s charge. But Tanner’s world comes crashing down on the eve of his 21st birthday, resulting in Tanner being missing and running for his life after Chase rebuffs him, and Chase being stripped of his RA duties. So now the question is: Will Chase ever manage to find Tanner again?

First off, I loved the quirky secondary characters, especially Jordan who’s having an especially difficult time managing his “wolfy” instincts and has a knack for getting himself into trouble. There was a lot of fun banter between the characters, which added an enjoyable lightness to the story.

And as for our two main characters, I found them both extremely likable and ended up rooting for them to finally get together – and I thought the journey that took them to their happily ever after was well done and a lot of fun to boot.

This was a story with engaging characters and a well-crafted plot, along with several surprises peppered throughout the story. It wasn’t only cleverly written but also was laugh-out-loud funny in places and found it to be a breath of fresh air in the paranormal genre. If you like witty banter, shenanigans, and a heartfelt romance, then Howling on Hold is the book for you.

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Review of Keep This To Yourself by Tom Ryan

May 27, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Keep This To Yourself follows 18-year-old Mac Bell who is still reeling from his best friend Conor’s murder the year prior. Conor was the fourth victim of a serial killer named The Catalog Killer that terrorized Camera Cove for a few months and then vanished, with everyone being confident that the killer was a random drifter who had moved on after the killings.

Now a year later, everyone is trying to move on with their lives, including Mac. But when he finds a cryptic note from Conor that was written on the day of his murder, Mac is once again thrust into the case, determined to find out what happened to his friend. Mac also now believes that because of the note, Mac might have been able to prevent his friend’s murder, this belief making Mac all the more determined to solve his friend’s death when the police could not. I think there was some survivor’s guilt going on here.

So this book hooked me right from the get-go, and once Mac decides to reopen the serial killer case himself, the tension and the pace never slow down as Mac becomes more and more obsessed with uncovering the truth. The tension really ramped up once Mac began to suspect that the killer never left Camera Cove at all and has been here the entire time.

I loved how chock full of twists and turns this story was and how everyone ends up being a suspect at some point during the story. I loved journeying along with Mac and he slowly uncovered clues and reopened old wounds by interviewing the survivors’ families, and along the way, we’re introduced to a multitude of rich characters which added to the realism of the setting. So through these characters, it becomes quickly evident that many in the town are keeping secrets which might have hampered the original murder investigation. I always love the trope where nobody can be believed, and that was certainly the case here.

My only niggle with the book was the romance. I just didn’t feel it, and I don’t think it was developed enough to be realistic. It felt kind of unnecessary in this story actually, and it seems like it was thrust in as an afterthought with not all that much chemistry between the two of them.

As for Mac, he’s a delightfully flawed and realistic character with many layers. Here we have a young gay man who is not only struggling with guilt from his best friend’s murder but is also trying to come to terms with his feelings for Conor — that is, feelings for his friend which may have been much more than mere friendship. Mac is quite a relatable character I thought, and I enjoyed seeing his character growth throughout the story.

All in all, I thought that this story was an absolute gem. It was a terrific thriller that kept me guessing right until the utterly shocking — and chilling — ending. It was a clever and solid whodunit, with plenty of red herrings and misinterpreted clues to throw the reader off track from guessing who the real killer is. This story had kind of a “Murder She Wrote” vibe to it except we have a busybody teen boy taking the place of Jessica Fletcher and I thought this aspect of it was a lot of fun. Mac turned out to be a delightful young gay detective. But most of all, I love the fact that I didn’t figure it out and was totally taken by surprise by the huge reveal.

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