Three Wrong Turns

by Tarian P.S., Talon P.S.

Pika never wanted to leave his Hawai'ian home, but his father ripped that from him. Now, every day, he lives under the threat of his ol’man’s fist and the toxic malediction from a new stepmother. He’s learned to cope within this hellish existence, while keeping all eyes out towards the horizon where his escape into freedom and a better life awaits him. He just needs to keep his head down low, long enough to finish school, then he’ll be free to get away forever. Adding to his responsibility, he does all he can to shield his new stepsister, Ripley, from the same abuse.

Upsetting the status quo, wouldn’t you know it? A cool, tall drink of Japanese alluring adventure walked into his life, tempting his heart with an invitation of love, and pointing the way towards a happy life, while putting him all that much more at risk.

The prospect of this new relationship is starting to strangle him, cornering him into a no-win situation, as he juggles between personal fulfillment and hope against masking under isolation for the sake of self-preservation.


Coming-of-Age Gay Fiction / A Masterpiece / Drama / Teen Trauma / Mixed Race / Wallflower Teen / Surviving Abuse / Hawai’ian Culture & Language & Pidgin Dialect / Endure for a Better Life / Life Against all Odds / Psychological / Protects a Step-Sibling / First Dates / Toxic Home / Abuse / Trauma / Refuse to be Broken / Best of Best-friends / Love is a Simple Life / Overcoming Hate / Meet-Cute-First love / Everyone Can See It / Grief & Coping / Finding a New Beginning / Bittersweet Survival / Gut-wrenching / Ugly cries / Trigger Warnings / Bittersweet HEA / Hard Earned HEA*PLEASE, be advised there are a number of Trigger Warnings within this story’s content. Please click the ‘Look inside’ or the ‘Read a Sample’ option to see the list of warnings placed on the Content Warning Page which includes but not limited Teen Trauma, Abusive Home, Grief & Loss, and a Bittersweet/Hard Earned HEA.
However, the challenge was to take teens at the edge of their young adult life, living in hellish conditions and find them a happier and safer place. To those who find the courage to permit me to take you on this gut-wrenching journey to the other side of the darkest of tunnels, I can only say this— Their story is worth it.”

684 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2024

About the author

★ Author of the Teddy Bear Collection ★ and Three-time MM Goodreads Best Cover Artist Nominee 2013 & 2014 ★

*´¨) ABOUT
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` THE TWINS ¤ *.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`*

Both Proud Indy Authors: Tarian like his twin, Talon, love to torment their editor with a nefarious world of foreign-language, slang, local dialect, stretched/outside-of-the-box definitions, and have even been known to throw in some new word creations of their own at times. This, of course, is all thrown in there with the dyslexia soup stock they both suffer from that makes editing for them a joy {joy: n. see mental illness}.
However, the final product comes out as richly detailed as we believe all stories should be created: holographic worlds of love, pain, frustration, and challenges beyond the every day. We believe a good story should take you on an emotional ride, pluck your heart strings, and zing you about until you’re dizzy and screaming at the antagonist, while cheering for the protagonist before returning you to your cozy reading spot. And we’ve created these adventures within a mix of genres, so you can find the one right for you: Gay & Het Romances, Suspense, Paranormal and Sci-fi Erotic Romances, War-time Romance Fictions, along with Talon’s favorite Space Sci-Fi Frontiers, and Tarian’s favorite works of Post-Apocalyptic Dark Fantasies and Historical Fantasies. All for readers to submerse themselves into and escape from their day when they need or desire, and to whet your appetite for more.

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this last night, and I have not stopped thinking about it since then. My heart is still a bit battered and bruised, but the ending really did help it recover. This is not an easy read, but it is so good.

Some of the things I loved most about this book might put others off (because it is unique in many ways). The MC, Pika, is Hawaiian and Black (Toshiro is Japanese and white). Although he lives in CA now, he still speaks a lot in Hawaiian and pidgen. There is an extensive glossary as well as hyperlinked footnotes in the Kindle version too help with translation. I loved the how deeply this book was immersed in Hawaiian culture. I'm not going to claim I know how accurate it is (everything matched my very limited knowledge, but that's as far as I can say). But it gave a very real feel to the book.

This book is also multi POV. Not just one or both MCs. The author's website includes a note stating, "While there is a developing relationship within the story, this is a Contemporary Fiction and Coming-of-Age Teen/YA LGBT Drama, NOT a Romance Genre Book; nor is it listed in any of the Romance or subgenre Romance categories by the author’s doing." FWIW, I loved the romance here, from the absolutely adorable meet cute to the joyful and hopeful HEA. But it is true that a lot of the book focuses on more than just the romance, and many of the side characters also have their own stories going on, particularly Pika's stepsister. Pika is 17/18. His stepsister is 15/16. Toshiro is also in high school.

This is a low spice book. There is some on-page spice, but it is not very detailed and not often, and tends to be used more to move the plot than to depict spiciness. The author self-recced this book when I asked for some lower-spice books, and I am so glad that he did. Thank you!

There are some genuinely funny moments in this book. But it is mostly angst. My heart was utterly destroyed so many times. There were so many heartbreaking moments, as well as some seriously rage-inducing ones. There are a LOT of triggers with this one, so beware.

TWs listed by author: Emotional despair which at times becomes extreme / Derogatory racial slurs / Derogatory Homosexual slurs / Physical abuse / Psychological Abuse / References to drug use in environment / Derogatory sexual behavior / Assault / References to NON-graphic underaged teen-to-teen sex / Homeless-out on the streets / Drugged-involuntarily doped / School bullying / Off-page (none penis involved) sexual assault / Dialogue conversation referencing the story’s assault content in post-reference / Suicide / Depression / Isolation / Physical trauma / Teen PTSD trauma / Loss / Violence / Language

I would also add that there is one scene that I would consider dubcon, although no sex occurs; it is however, an important part of the book and has multiple effects over the course of the book.

There are 2 suicides that happen in this book. One is a side character who is not a large part of the book and is discussed after the fact with few details. The other is Ripley, Pika's stepsister, and the suicide is described on page from her POV. IMO, it is not gratuitous, but it is extremely hard to read.