Invisible Boys

by Holden Sheppard, Nic English (narrator), Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd (publisher)

A Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

Winner of the Western Australian Premier’s Book Award.

Winner of the Kathleen Mitchell Award.

Winner of the City of Fremantle T.A.G. Hungerford Award.

Winner of the Ray Koppe Residency Award.

Shortlisted for both the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and Readings Young Adult Book Prize and longlisted for the Indie Book of the Year Award.

In a small town, everyone thinks they know Charlie is a hardcore rocker who’s not as tough as he looks. Hammer is a footy jock with big AFL dreams and an even bigger ego. Zeke is a shy over-achiever, never macho enough for his family. But all three boys hide who they really are. When the truth is revealed, will it set them free or blow them apart?

Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer, Gay, Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Holden Sheppard is an award-winning Australian novelist once described as "the lovechild of Rambo and Rimbaud". A country boy, a weightlifter and a self-proclaimed “bromosexual”, Holden has won acclaim for the raw, blokey honesty of his emotional novels about the modern experiences of Aussie men.

Holden's bestselling debut Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press, 2019) - a confessional novel about young gay men growing up in rural Australia - picked up major accolades including the WA Premier's Prize, the Kathleen Mitchell Award and the Hungerford Award. In 2025, Invisible Boys was adapted as a critically acclaimed ten-episode television series for Stan Australia, which was the #1 most watched series on that platform nationally upon release.

Holden's second book The Brink (Text Publishing, 2022) – a suspenseful thriller about young adults grappling with life after high school against the backdrop of a shocking murder – won the 2024 Ena Noel Award and the 2023 Indie Book Award. The Brink was also shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs), the Queensland Writers Centre's Adaptable Program, and both the NSW and SA Premiers' Awards.

Holden's groundbreaking new novel King of Dirt (Pantera Press, 2025) is a powerful and unfiltered exploration of the rough and rugged world of gay tradies and construction workers. Gritty and heartfelt, King of Dirt has won early praise for its unflinching authenticity and has been compared to a modern-day Brokeback Mountain.

Holden has worked as a screenwriter, writing two episodes of the Invisible Boys series, has had numerous short stories published in books, and has had multiple articles published in the media. He has worked a wide range of day jobs - from storeman, labourer and excavator operator through to call-centre operator, banker and salesman. Holden is an outspoken advocate for artists' rights, gay rights and mental health initiatives, especially for men. He served as Deputy Chair of Writing WA for four years from 2019-2023.

Known for a trademark larrikin humour that counterbalances the heavier content of his books, Holden appeared in the 2022 "Bogans" episode of hit ABC TV series You Can't Ask That, was once featured in a bourbon advertisement, and barracks for the Collingwood Football Club.

Born and bred in Geraldton, Western Australia, Holden now lives in Perth's far north with his husband and his V8 ute.

Reviews

[Holden Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book which is how I know 100% that it is ALL KILLER NO FILLER. Buy ten for you and ten for your mates!

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am AWARE that not all books are happy/happy endings.
I am AWARE that some stories are meant to test your feelings.
I am AWARE that not everyone gets a HEA or a happy story along the way especially during highschool.
I am AWARE that not every coming out story gets to be a "heartstopper"-esque, falling in love or self-discovery moment.
I AM AWARE..
But this book was FUCKING MISERABLE from page 1 to the end, in a pretty unenjoyable way for me.

EVERY SLIGHTLY POSITIVE OR HOPEFUL INTERACTION... IN THE ENTIRE BOOK... (i'm not kidding, when I say EVERY INTERACTION. Every fucking one.) STILL ENDS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.
When you finally think something nice is going to happen.... GET SHIT ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER, there is no happiness here.

Yes, there is probably some really good accurate representations of life in this book but even the tear-provoking incident felt off, because of how cruel the characters had been to eachother, whilst struggling with the same issues.
Yes, they were teenagers.
Yes, they had a lot of emotions to try and work through, but I grew up queer in a small Australian town and was bullied horrifically and I still couldn't empathise with these characters because most of them were fucking awful? Zeke was the only character who was never intentionally cruel.

This book has something for the whole family - A list by yours truly, 2024.

- Sexual acts between old/much older men and 16 year olds.
- Fatphobia
- Homophobia
- Bullying
- Clichés of queer people
- Clichés of Australian people
- Parental abuse/neglect
- Self - 💀💀💀
- MC's treating each other like shit
- No ending for any of our MC's or side characters. The whole tale feels unfinished or left to the readers imaginations.
- Not one good female character, every female was seen as "slut/whore" or was an awful of a character.
- THIS BOOK WAS A MISERABLE OLD CUNT.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible story which absolutely blew me away. It’s certainly not hard to understand why this book has been winning awards.

Aussie author Holden Sheppard has written an outstanding novel that touches on many issues, one of them is homosexuality. A powerful, raw and emotional story that will stay with me for a long time. Having seen this author promoting his book on social media I was curious as to what all the hype was about and was this book as good as everyone was saying it was. Now that I’ve read the book I can honestly say it is far better than I imagined it would be in fact it’s BRILLIANT. If you haven’t read this book yet then I suggest you grab a copy and start reading you won’t regret it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE.

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

✰ 5 stars ✰

“You can see every star in the night sky, even the ones that don’t have names. They’d be invisible in the city, but here you can see them, struggling, twinkling against the black.”



There are no words to properly explain how I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for the onslaught of feels Holden Sheppard would hit me with his gut-wrenching and heart-breaking book Invisible Boys. This Australian YA coming-of-age book deals with so many important issues - the fear of coming out, embracing yourself as you are, identifying yourself with a label despite how much it scares you - with such a powerful and touching feel to it that every POV shared was with such a sad feel to it. 😢😢 Told through the eyes of three very different characters - Charlie, Zeke and Hammer - their story and experiences reached into my soul in so many ways - the writing just drew me into their lives - their pains, their fears, their heartbreak. I could not unsee their lives and everything they had to endure.

“Everyone needs a way to release the pressure, and I’m no different. The brighter you shine on the outside, the darker you burn within.”

Each of the characters came from different backgrounds - different upbringings with varying personalities but they all painfully shared this deep-seeded yet secret bond that drew them together - that connected them even if they didn't want to admit or accept it. That bitter and painful look at homophobia, intensely severe bullying, familial rejection - it just drowns your soul and makes you feel their aches - the harsh words - the brutal comments. 🥺🥺And then seeing all the people who you thought were your friends didn't support you and then finding acceptance from those you least expected - how can one go on from there? I just wanted to give a hug to each of them - to make them believe that I saw them - that I heard them - that they were not alone - it was just too much - too sad - too raw - too real.

“‘We could be secret boyfriends,’ he says. ‘I could never survive coming out.’

‘Secret boyfriends it is,’ I agree.

I am so starved for love, I miss that second part altogether.”

Interspersed throughout the novel, there were these love-bombs - love letters whose identity was not revealed - and when it was shown who it belonged to - it was the most unexpected surprise - that the secret was kept till the end - it broke my heart once again - that echo of loneliness - that deep-rooted fear of not being able to be honest and come out. 💔💔 It's not fair - the world is cruel and unfair and unjust and I wish, more than anything, that we could all be a little kinder - more accepting - more forgiving and understanding to others.

And as we reached the much awaited Summer Dance - the emotions were building up on each side - the story heightening the tension of what would happen once they were finally in attendance. And when all was said and done happened - when the four characters were on the rooftop - when their lives were inexplicably drawn together without them ever meaning to - my emotions and stress level had been steadily rising - as if pushing up against a dam - there was such an overwhelming surge that when it finally pushed through - I put my reader down, buried my face in my hands - and cried. 😭😭



Cried for these boys who couldn't 'be who they were' and had to resort to hiding in the darkness because of fear of shame and rejection from their family and friends. I was a blubbering mess - an uncontrollable mess - just thinking that one ill-timed mistake with a bad decision of a forbidden meeting on a lonely night toppled everything into a catastrophe from all ends. I was not a welcome sight after reaching that bit in the book - believe me. 💘💘

“To keep my only friend here with me. It’s so weird how much can change in a week. The night of the Summer Dance, there were four of us on the primary school’s roof: four gay boys, invisible to the rest of the world, but we saw each other. And seven days later, one of us was dead. One of us had locked himself in the closet. And one of us was leaving forever. I’m the last man standing, and I have to stand alone.”

Charlie and Zeke's friendship was struck up in the strangest of ways, yet these two forged such a close relationship - even if they couldn't call themselves friends. Zeke may have been the most level-headed of them all, because he could see how much pain Charlie was in and did everything to help him - to defy everything - his family's expectations and limitations, his own personal choices and fears - he wanted to be there for him through the worst of upsetting times and till the very end.

“‘He didn’t say goodbye,’ I say. ‘He didn’t even leave a note.’ My voice is croaky. ‘I want to die.’

‘Well, you can’t,’ Zeke says matter-of-factly. ‘I need you too much.’”

I didn't expect the ending to hurt me as much as it did, for how can an ending be both hopeful and so sad - uplifting but still upsetting - that Charlie and Zeke had to escape the narrow-mindedness of their town- Zeke's steady realization that it was not going to work for him - how it was described like a punch to the gut as he recalled all he had lost to be here and all he would lose if he stayed. How he called after Charlie - that he wasn't invisible to Charlie - the waterworks started again for me - I'm sorry. Like the music swells in the emotional climax of a movie, their final meeting resonated with me so much - just ---

“He tips his visor up. His eyes are lit up. ‘You’re kidding me.’

I laugh with sheer relief that he heard me. That he saw me.

I can taste tears. ‘I want to end up like you, man. I want to come with you.’”

You can't help but wonder what future awaits them - what happiness they could finally achieve - where would their lives lead - would their friendship last - so many questions and yet, it just made my heart feel so content that they were able to find a way to escape - to let go of it all and not look back - that they would not be beaten down and crushed by people's values and expectations, but find a way to be free. 🫂🫂

When a book shatters my heart, I fear that my review will be a garbled mess, but if anything, I hope that it will make you see what a deeply moving and important message Holden Sheppard brought forth in his debut novel. I read this book in one sitting - it took me awhile to get up and start my life again. To say that I loved this book would feel wrong that I enjoyed reading about someone else's pains - but... It is written with such heart - such care - so very well-written with such an authentically honest and real look at the pangs of growing up in a small Australian town - how it's 'not about losing yourself but becoming yourself'. And I don't think I will ever be able to forget it. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[Alright Hey (Matt) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*add this to your TBR immediately*

I’m shocked this book only has 2000 reviews. I need everyone to read it. It is my Roman Empire. It deserves MORE than 5 stars.

The only other book to make me feel this way has been Honeybee by Craig Silvey. (IYKYK) I went into this pretty blind, wasn’t sure what to expect but was totally blown away by this incredible story.

Heartwrenching, raw, realistic. Although classified as YA this is really mature content and could be enjoyed by any adult. It didn’t feel YA at all.

You know a book is good when I’m rendered (almost) speechless and for now that’s all I can manage to say. I need to digest this and sit with this book and think about it for the rest of my life.

It’s your next read. Thank me later.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5~4★
“There are two ways out of this poxy sh*thole of a town: you leave in a blaze of glory and never look back, or you die. I don’t want to die. I’ve wanted the blaze of glory option since I was a little kid.”

A lot of teens feel this way at Charlie Roth’s age, sixteen, but he does have more reason than most. He lives in Geraldton. Western Australia, about 400km north of Perth, the state capital. It may be called a city (the local government area is about 38,000 people), but it is all by itself on the coast of a huge, sparsely populated state.

Charlie is one of the three high school boys who are featured, the others being Kade ‘Hammer’ Hammersmith and Zeke Calogero. Charlie’s into grunge rock, Hammer’s into footy, and Zeke’s into academic studies.

Charlie drives his teachers nuts, while Hammer is a swaggering, popular sports star (and a bully), and Zeke is fairly shy and quiet (and a target for the likes of Hammer).

Charlie escapes after school to the rooftop of the old primary school, now closed down. At school, he wears the persona of a rocker, but inside, he’s a nervous, closeted gay guy.

“When I’m down there, in it with the rest of the town, it drives me stir-crazy, how small everything is. But up here on the roof, alone, it makes me feel like I’m not a part of it. Like I’m watching from far away, the way I’ll see it when I come back and visit when I’m famous one day.”

Hammer, on the other hand, is convinced, as is everyone around him, that he is bound for fame and glory when he is eventually drafted to play professional football (AFL – Aussie Rules).

“Even the f*ckers who don’t like me much are pretty damn impressed with how good I am at footy. Everyone at the school already knows I’m going to get drafted one day.“

He’s athletic, handsome, extremely macho and has a girlfriend (who won’t sleep with him).

Zeke’s mum’s impressed with Hammer’s athletic good looks. Zeke – not so much. With his unfortunate man-boobs, Zeke is an easy target for Hammer and others in the change room.

“I’ve learned that’s the most impressive thing you can do in Geraldton. If you break out and become a footy star, there will be a parade in your honour each time you come home: the peasants will wave their palm fronds in adulation and girls will swoon at your presence. I could go on to cure cancer and I’d still be in the shadow of Hammer and his three seasons as a full-forward with East Fremantle.”

Charlie is the only one who is sexually active and already cruising the known shady areas at night looking for sex. Zeke has discovered gay porn, while Hammer doesn’t think he’s ‘really’ attracted to males, because he’s been making out with girls. When Charlie is outed (early in the book), Hammer tells him:

“‘It’s probably just a phase.’
. . .
‘No. It really isn’t.’

‘When you’re a teenager it is,’ I counter. I know this. ‘I read it in a book. It’s just a hormone thing because of puberty and whatever. You just go straight later on.’ Cop that, dude. Science.

‘Was the book from 1975?’ Charlie laughs. ‘Maybe published by a church group or something? I know what I’m talking about.’”

The families of the boys are very different, and when nineteen-year-old Matt enters the story, he brings another dynamic to the group. He’s a hale and hearty farm boy, another strong, sporty guy who comes into town cruising the dark corners at night. His family is close, loving, and super traditional.

Charlie’s dreadful mother and even worse partner make him the butt of their jokes, calling him names. Zeke’s Italian Catholic family is convinced he’s a good, straight boy who just needs a talking-to by their priest to fix him so he won't look at pictures of boys. Hammer remains stunned at his physical reactions to the 'wrong' movie stars and how he might fail his footy-famous father.

I’ve read some good books about young Aussie boys growing up in country towns, feeling alone and on the brink of suicide because they’re gay or trans, and I’m not sure why they appeal to me. We are who we are, and the heart knows what it wants.

Girls can better hide how they feel, but boys with raging hormones can't control how their body responds to someone they're attracted to, which puts them at risk of being caught.

My only difficulty with the book, is that I had some trouble distinguishing the voices of the boys. Chapters were headed with the name of each narrator, but the boys are often talking to each other, and I sometimes had to check who was speaking to whom. Might just be me.

Other books along this line that I can recommend are, two autobiographies by Australian journalists who grew up in country Queensland.

One Hundred Years of Dirt by Rick Morton
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Fourteen by Shannon Molloy
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

An autobiography by an American trans guy who's a successful executive and public speaker:
Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some by Chris Edwards
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A graphic book (great!) for boys:
Yay! You're Gay! Now What?: A Gay Boy's Guide to Life
My review with several of the illustrations (excellent)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

An Aussie novel about a boy transitioning:
Honeybee by Craig Silvey
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I haven't actually checked my books for others, because I haven't kept track of them separately. I'm going to make an LGBTQI shelf right now, since there are more good books in the field and people want to find them.

This is already long, (when did that ever stop me?), but I'm going to add this from the Author's Acknowledgements at the end. He grew up in Geraldton.

“Lastly, I want to acknowledge two younger versions of myself. My seven-year-old self, who sat down one day and started writing a book with pen and paper: you finally made it, buddy. And my teenage self, who, for a long time, didn’t want to be on this planet anymore because he was a gay bloke. Good on you for staying alive, you resilient bastard. Turns out you were good just the way you were.
Holden Sheppard May 2019”

[Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often I describe a book or a story as unfair, but that's the first word that comes to mind. It's not fair to make readers get so invested in your characters, watch them go through so much they hope (and pray) for the best for them, only to deliver such a heart-wrenching conclusion. It really hurt me, reading the last chapters of this book; it was intense and overwhelming and it stayed with me long after the last page.

This is YA done brilliantly but also incredibly cruel in a real way. This is teen angst with more anger than teenage heartbreak. This is about three boys who really want to find themselves, only for others to say, yeah ok, I love you because it's you. Coming from mostly M/M books, where they take that for granted, it was a punch in the gut to read and think about people living in places where something as simple as being yourself, is simply out of the question.

This is not an easy read. It's highly enjoyable and you get sucked right in but when it comes to the characters' emotional world, it is all guns blazing. It's only because of the very fitting writing that all that anger and rage manages to fit in just a sentence that carries all that teenage turmoil and war against church, school, teachers, parents, brothers. The different POVs/chapters work great and carry the plot with no disruption, showing the interaction between the main and secondary characters.

I don't know what the author must have been through to draw inspiration for these three boys, but I want to give him a hug. He shows no mercy or kindness to them, he turns everyone against them and he really hurts them. And I think that's where my hurt came from, because they've done nothing wrong and it's not fair. But that's what makes this an unbelievably emotional story, raw and unforgiving that will leave no dry eye in the house. It deserves all the awards it's got and then some.

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus]

Putting this on hold might come back later. The writing is amazing, the audiobook is great but my brain can't take in all this at the moment.

[NicoleR.M.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Update*

Re-read on audio. I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure I could get used to Nic English’s narrating, the Australian accent was quite different to listen to. But then the magic happened and I LOVED it. The way he portrayed these troubled teenagers was brilliant! Made me laugh, made me cry. Still a very powerful book. Still raw. Still honest. Still heartbreaking. Loved it all over again.

This was such a raw, honest and heartbreaking story, it’s one of those books that will stay with me for days.
Holden Sheppard is a new to me author, but already I believe he’s one of those important voices in young adult/coming of age novels. He has story’s to tell that a lot of readers are in need of hearing. Even with the overall sad and emotional rawness of this book, it does end on a hopeful note.
It encourages to take your life and future into your own hands, because you’re worth it. Because you’re worth more than the people in a narrow minded, rural town and you’re worth more than the homophobic people who call themselves your family but never think of you as a person who doesn’t maybe appear to be what they wanted.
So yes, I highly encourage readers to pick up this book and just read it. See for yourself.
Please be aware of the triggers though. There’s a lot of them.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would have hurt me less if someone had just hit me in the face with it. It put the tragic and often quiet repercussions of homophobia, misogyny and toxic masculinity on horrifying display. As a woman, a mom, a friend and an ally, I was absolutely appalled by the behavior of nearly every adult in this story. They were monsters and they were nurturing a whole new generation of monsters. My brain tried so hard to rally against it, thinking, no, this has to be hyperbole. There’s no way it’s still this bad. But I spent a year volunteering as a LGBTQ+ crisis counselor. I know first hand that it is this bad for a lot of young people, yet this book still rocked me to my core. I’m a crier. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that. But this book made me sob. It was gut wrenching. I was so angry and so heartbroken that I just wanted to scream. These boys had no one to turn to. No one in their corner. At times they had each other and that was something, but no where near everything they needed or deserved in terms of support or advocacy or love or protection. This book brought the origins of shame into sharp focus. It also showed how differently that shame can manifest in people depending on their circumstances, goals, beliefs, etc. and it was painful to watch these boys carry and internalize it alone.

This wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. The acts of rebellion and bravery gave me hope. The moments of tenderness, both rare and precious, filled me with much needed warmth. The night on the rooftop after the summer dance made me smile and laugh out loud. I loved punk rock Charlie and his refusal to take shit lying down. I loved Matt’s crooked teeth and loud laugh and little green army man. I loved the way Zeke’s anger slowly morphed into confidence. And Hammer…well, he made me feel conflicted, which was probably the point. He tested the limits of my empathy and I knew that if he continued to let Hammer take the wheel instead of Kade, the road ahead was going to be long and painful for him.

This book was written with the raw, unfiltered grittiness of books that tend to make it to my favorites list, which is where this one now lives. I love a sweet romance (which, let me be clear, this was not), but more than anything I love a story that makes me feel and think. This book made me feel a lot of things and have a lot of thoughts. It’s not for everyone. It’s incredibly heavy. It’s also very, very sad. I can’t even call the ending happy, but it was definitely hopeful. If anything, it was more of a beginning to a new chapter in their lives and I would love to know what happened next.

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard. (2019).

In a small town, everyone thinks they know you:
Charlie is a hardcore rocker who's not as tough as he looks. Hammer is a footy jock with big AFL dreams and an even bigger ego. Zeke is a shy over-achiever who is never macho enough for his family.
But all 3 boys hide who they really are and when the truth is revealed, will it set them free or blow them apart?

It's hard to write this review without giving any spoilers but what I can say is that this is an important book that should be read by young adults as well as adults, and should be available in every high school. It delves into the lives of three young men struggling with their homosexuality, particularly in a small town full of judgement. This story made me feel so many things (I laughed, I cried...) and when I finished it I felt like I was in a very heightened emotional state. There are graphic sex scenes, and domestic violence and suicidal intentions mentioned so be aware of that if those things are triggers for you.
The story is told with alternating chapters from each of the three boys as well as 'letterbombs'; the letterbombs detail a male's suicidal intentions and I found them to be so powerful, particularly when you are thinking it could be any of the main characters and it is only revealed near the end who it was. I would encourage readers to make sure they read the author's acknowledgments as it really just adds to the book.
This novel truly is an amazing, powerful, extremely well-written debut with such an important message. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three teenage boys, all students at a Catholic school; one a football star, one academically gifted and one a misfit punk rocker. They couldn't be more different from each other but they all share the same secret no one must ever know. That is until one of them is outed, and they must all face who they really are under the facade they present to the world.

This is a powerful and gritty tale of how the three boys deal with the realisation that they are gay. The boys live in the small West Australian coastal town of Geraldton, some 400km north of Perth. A town, the author Holden Shepherd grew up in and shared many of the experiences and feelings that his characters describe. A narrow-minded town where there is little acceptance of anyone who is different and teenage boys are expected to be machoistic football loving, woman chasers. Anyone showing a softer side is instantly derided and bullied, so it is little wonder that any gay men in town are still in the closet and only meet each other covertly under the cover of darkness.

This is very much a coming of age story for the boys involved. It’s about falling in love, finding friendship in unexpected places, working out what is important to you and discovering sex for the first time. The novel contains some quite graphic sex scenes and also deals with suicide and mental health issues so is more appropriate for older teens and young adults. Despite parts of the novel being quite dark, there is also humour and hope for a positive future for the boys despite their rocky start to adult life.

[Levi Huxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cathartic and emotional read, dredging up all of the loneliness, yearning and pain I felt in the lead up to coming out (and beyond, if I’m honest). I even cried reading the acknowledgements at the end! I was a bit of a mess reading this, but a happy, grateful mess.

Three teenagers come to terms with same-sex attraction in the remote working class town of Geraldton, Western Australia (on a quiet night, you can hear the waves break standing in the city centre). There’s a nerd, a punk and a jock, but the characters are more than archetypes, with new layers revealed as they are forced to make difficult choices.

While keeping young readers in mind, Sheppard isn’t afraid to tell it like is, unpacking the many ways that homophobia – explicit or internalized – can crush the soul of even the bravest youth. It’s all in there: sex, anger, violence, neglect, despair, and self-harm. The author deftly captures the way parents, teachers, priests, an entire town, a society even, can turn a fear of difference into a fetishized hetero-normativity, and eventually, insidious and oppressive violence.

As his characters transition from childhood into grown-ups, it’s their friendship - seeing themselves through the gaze of another - that reveals to them who they really are, how they fit in the world, socially, economically, sexually, and how they might define their own masculinity.

That’s all captured with compassion and humour by Sheppard, who’s got a sharp ear for dialogue and a good memory for adolescent spontaneity and restless energy. His story is funny and compelling and accessible, even without the edges sanded off.

I grew up a lifetime ago, when honest, sexy, angry queer novels weren’t around, certainly not written for teens, nor easily available in mainstream bookshops, school libraries or online. I honestly think this is the kind of book that has the potential to save a life.

[Laxmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book, highly recommend . Thank you Kazza for bringing this to my attention. The story is told from three different POV- each MC is very different so seeing each the world through each other’s views worked well. Set in a very small Australian town, clearly everyone knows everything in a flash, people are closed minded, ignorant and thoughtless. Yet this felt very real, each MC struggles with their own family issues, personal insecurities, growing up and feeling out their way. I couldn’t put this one down.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the small rural town of Geraldton in Western Australia, boys are raised on toxic masculinity with a stoic and emotional detachment. Whether you're the alluring and mysterious musician, the overachiever or attractive athlete, your worth is valued by your achievements and success. There is no room for tolerance within the draconian Catholic School community, boys are manipulated and forged by their faith, threatened by authority for daring to push societal boundaries.

Musician Charlie Roth has been ostracised by his friends and community after being caught in a compromising position with a married man, unbeknown to Charlie. Geralton is a small town thriving on intolerance and for Charlie Roth, home offers no respite with his neglectful mother and her layabout boyfriend resorting to insults and verbal abuse of the vulnerable adolescent. Beneath Charlie's lackadaisical facade, is a young man who is still mourning the death of his father and a community determined to label Charlie as less than human.

Zeke Calogero is an overachiever, from a traditional Sicilian family and devout Catholics. Zeke hides his sexuality, identifying as gay and covertly watching gay pornography to relieve tension and suppress feelings he could never discuss with his parents. When he is caught masturbating, his parents insist he is merely curious and that Charlie Roth is responsible for these impure thoughts. Although Zeke doesn't want to disappoint his parents, he also can't rely upon his waning faith which promotes abstinence and that homosexuality is immoral.

Kade Hammersmith is an athlete and the epitome of toxic masculinity, following the path his father blazed and determined to be drafted into the Australian Football League. Young men revere him, young women adore him and with the encouragement of his father, his sexual prowess is only secondary to his sporting career. Kade's life is a facade. Although he appears to be the straight, masculine young man who's sexuality active and applauded for being promiscuous, he finds men attractive and struggles with his sexuality. Kade knows that being gay in his community is seen as being less than male, he's seen what happened to Charlie Roth and surely this is only a phase. Surely.

The brighter you shine on the outside, the darker you burn within.

Three young men, bound by their bigoted and homophobic community and finding solace within one another. Invisible Boys is monumental. Young men who endure in silence, who suffer at the hands of religious zealots and toxic masculinity, pressured to hide their sexuality for fear of being ostracised or labelled as less than. These boys represent our brothers, friends, neighbours and young men without a voice. Young men who are raised to appear void of emotion and anything less is a weakness. Small town prejudice confines young men to silence, often low socioeconomic communities offer no means to escape which can lead to mental illness and thoughts of suicide. Suicide remaining the leading cause of death for young Australians with many more who attempt to end their lives. Invisible Boys will ignite discussion of how toxic masculinity effects young men and how Australia as a community need to stop accepting the boys will be boys mentality.

The narrative is confrontational and incredibly important for young queer men to recognise themselves within the pages, their lives and experiences. It's written with authenticity and sincerity, unflinching and unabashed Australian young adult literature at its finest. Simply brilliant.

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, this book doesn’t need lots of words. The dedication says it all: ‘for you, if you ever have been invisible or still are’. Who hasn’t been invisible or felt invisible once? Not only LGBTQ+ kids but all of us. We all pretend (or pretended) to be someone else at times, don’t we? Truly believing we can be the one society wants us to be. Until pretending suffocates us.

This story reads like a punch in the gut, it’s raw, harsh, heartbreaking, powerful and dark at times. Don’t expect cuteness because there isn’t any. Once in a while it’s hopeful like the night after the summer dance.

There was one thing though, because of the raw writing, the story kept me a bit at distance. Or was it the other way round? Not wanting to feel what the boys went through, no wanting to believe people are still so narrow minded? Until those last chapters, they destroyed me. A lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and I felt anger, so much anger.

Holden Sheppard says he wants to write a sequel and I really hope he does. I’ll root for Charlie, Zeke and Hammer (prefer Kade) to finally be visible, to be who they really are.

[D.P. Clarence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spectacular read. It’s extreeeeemely Australian (the language, the places, the characters) and, as an Australian, I found it as relatable as I found it brutally honest. This book deals with homophobia, internalised homophobia, depression, ideas of masculinity, cultural and religious views of homosexuality and masculinity, toxic masculinity and much much more (no spoilers).
But that’s not to say this isn’t fun, funny, moving and satisfying. You will laugh. You may well cry. I also spent a lot of time angry and frustrated at the views being expressed and the decisions being made by characters. And this story was all too real for that.
I grew up gay in the bush in Western Australia, where this story is set. This felt all too real to me. The writing is deceptively simple. Don’t let that deceive you. The language might be raw, but it’s exquisite, and that story is exceptionally well told. This won many awards, and so it should. I encourage all readers who enjoy LGBT and YA stories to read this book. It is a cut above the usual stuff we all fawn over.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book, I couldn’t put it down and now I’ve finished I want to sob my eyes out. A powerful novel about friendship and identity, and an important novel about the experience of gay teens in a small town full of small minded people. I hope lots of people read this and hear its message.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story shows the multiple levels of teen denial of being queer. The four Australian main characters all cross paths and have empathy for each other, but nobody wants to come out or be found out. They just want to be 'regular blokes'.

This is NOT Ari/Dante - the parents here are strongly homophobic. Even friends at school that might have a rainbow pin on their school bag can't put their money where their mouth is.

I liked how the author 'understood'! All four of these boys' viewpoints are valid in their own minds. You can really see the peer pressure of high school. Drinking age in Australia is 18, so at 16 there is alcohol at these parties. Chapters keep alternating between Charlie, Zeke, Hammer and Matt.

The climax had a twist I shall not reveal. This story makes me want to climb inside their local school and start a GSA club. Give them copies of Ari/Dante or Heartstopper - this includes the PARENTS! It is heartbreaking to hear their internal honesty and struggles!

4.5*




Some of the highlights I underlined on my kindle...

It is a universal truth acknowledged by no - one that if you leave your teenage son at home alone, he’ll be wanking by the time your car leaves the driveway.

My bones seem to know intrinsically that I’m gay: it’s locked up in my marrow. But my blood seems to rile and boil at the thought; it begs to flood my skin and wash all the badness out of me.

Point is: I don’t hate being gay because of God or religion. I really don’t believe in that … but I still don’t wanna be gay and I don’t like the idea of being gay because: I want to get married and have a normal family and kids of my own I don’t want to leave everything and move to another country or a big city I don’t want to be a weirdo I don’t want to be a guy who can’t hang out with normal straight guys

My heart is a clam shell that just captured a grain of ocean sand. I’m going to turn it into a pearl.

safe option: I say this was a mistake/phase and forget it ever happened then get married
to a woman have kids live as a straight man and have my normal family and I will be a normal bloke then when I am sixty or something all my kids will be grown up and living overseas then my wife will die leaving me alone and most people who know me will be dead by then so there won’t be anyone to see what I’m up to and then I can hook up with guys without anyone knowing

ridiculous option: be with him and stay in this town build a life together and people wouldn’t hate us and if they did we’d protect each other and if we got into a fight the other one would step in like in the Sacred Band of Thebes we’d be brothers in arms and flesh and cum we’d be bound together forever through the fire of everyone else’s rejection and hatred but we’d be together and be happy, truly happy, and love, he would love me and I would love him ridiculous of course and I only thought this that one night after the dance and by the next night everything had changed anyway but for that one night it felt like I could live forever

When the moon rose, I’d wonder if there was a boy somewhere looking at the same moon, maybe in Europe or America or Africa. Would we meet one day and talk about how we were both looking at the moon at the same time?

‘Yeah, they can. People can actually do whatever they want and you can’t do shit to stop them, Zeke.’’That’s depressing.’’That’s real life.’

Homosexuality only brings darkness with it. I’m glad I’ve chosen the light of being straight instead.

I wonder if one day I’ll be standing where Robbie’s standing. Will a girl like Natalie latch on to me, too? I don’t think I would need to do very much to end up married to Sabrina Sefton, other than not actively resist her advances. It would probably just take one night of too much to drink. We wouldn’t even need to screw. Just one sloppy, intoxicated kiss would be enough for her to capture me, wrap her sticky web around my body and cocoon me for life. If I just took the path of least resistance, we’d be hitched within a couple of years.

How bad would it actually be, to end up with a woman? I’m sure I could learn to live with it. And if you close your eyes, well, you could imagine it’s a guy.

Does Robbie actually love Natalie, or did he just take the path of least resistance? Holy shit, what if every male in this church has done that? Is that the history of relationships? Is there some secret variation on the’wankers and liars’ code Dad hasn’t told me yet?

‘Every man prefers dick to pussy, son, but we have to pretend we like birds so we can pop out some kids,’ he will tell me one day soon.’It’s normal. There are two types of men in this world – homos, and liars.’’So, I should be a liar ?’ I’ll ask.

[Bram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, hasn't YA lit changed since my day? And for the far, far better. It's hard to add to the raves that keep getting heaped upon Invisible Boys so I'll have to settle with reiterating them. Yes, it's blisteringly good. Yes, it's fucking real. Yes, it repeatedly punches you in the guts. Yes, it's ALL THE FEELS AT ONCE. Oh, and most definitely yes, it's genuinely IMPORTANT. But most of all I adored it for the beautiful things it says about love, friendship, family, finding yourself and the embarrassing clumsiness (whether we like to admit it or not) of being a teenager.

[Laurie Steed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zeke, Charlie and Hammer are three high school boys growing up in a small country town. All hide who they really are by choice or by necessity.

Invisible Boys is one hell of a YA ride. It's also a deeply humanistic book, and unconditional in the best possible sense. In opening up his characters to the whole gamut of feelings from grief to joy to guilt and to pride, Holden encourages us as readers to feel what it's like to be them. In a space that's designed to produce conformity, that makes for a raw, real, at times confronting, but always deeply felt exploration about self and identity on one's own terms.

Highly recommended.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, important book. Heart breaking in the necessary way that stories this important must be.

(As an aside kudos for the correct and perfect use of Italian and for the Sicilian sauce making session that reminded me of being a very young child running around fields in Sicily while my.mother's extended family did this.)

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press 2019), the debut novel by Holden Sheppard, had already won three awards before it was even published. And from the opening pages, I understood why. This intensely personal work of fiction features four boys, or young men, who could not be more different from each other, and yet I cared so deeply about each of them, about their feelings, their behaviour and their fates. The characterisation in this novel is so well-crafted that I was immediately immersed in their lives, and strongly invested in what happens to them. They all felt like my children and by the end of the book, I wanted to wrap each of them in a warm hug. The controversial attitudes evoked in this story, the thousand small cuts inflicted to these vulnerable young people, and the callous behaviour of others, are balanced by the burning flame of instinctual survival that flares as they each search for meaning and identity in their lives.
This is a book about difference, acceptance, values, friendship and desire; about the many shades of homosexuality and the consequences of intolerance and homophobia. It will make you think about the person you are, or the person you know or once knew, and reconsider them in a new light.
I’ve thought carefully about how to express this next part of the review. Like any story that is overt about sexual experiences, this may be at times uncomfortable to read, not because of the content (which is at times confronting) but because of the associated pain and suffering and distress that young people face as they struggle to recognise their own sexual identity. For those feeling invisible because of their sexual orientation, this story will be a release, a soothing balm, and an acknowledgment of their fears, their desires and their confusion. This may well be the book that changes lives by showing the breadth of gay experience, both good and bad, so that young gay people feel less alone. Invisible Boys is marketed as a YA book and it has all the hallmarks of that genre, as these characters wrestle with their families, their friends and their own psyches to find their own truths. But because the book is so unflinchingly honest and raw in its sexual descriptions, and because it deals with issues that could be triggering for young people, including suicide, the individual maturity of each reader should be considered and some reader discretion is advised. Having said that, if you know – or if you are – a young person aged about 16 to 25, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this (if you are a parent of someone in the younger age bracket: read it first and then make your own decision). Some readers younger than 15 will not be surprised by any of this content, and some older readers may still be coming to terms with the practicalities. I wonder if this was a non-fiction book about sex, whether this would even be an issue. Probably not. It is something about it being a fictional account full of accompanying feelings, about it being so personal to these particular boys, that makes it more real. And perhaps it is all the more necessary reading for that.
But I will say that the themes in this novel, and the visceral and honest examination of sexual desire, intimacy, romantic passion and love, are exactly the sort of frank literature that we need as a society; themes that we shouldn’t shy away from; themes that deserve the kind of emotional and analytical exploration that this book provides. But while the fumbling physical and emotional pain of sexual experimentation might be confronting for some, I suspect that it will be refreshing for younger readers to finally have a text that acknowledges that tension and confusion and explores their feelings as well as the consequences of acting on those feelings. For progressive YA readers, this will be honest writing and recognition of their feelings that has perhaps been absent from other, more ‘vanilla’ books. And importantly, for those who are ignorant, uncertain or even – on the other end of the spectrum – rampant homophobic bullies, this may hopefully be the prism through which they can more objectively see and relate to the experiences of others.
Set in the relatively small town of Geraldton, where everyone knows everyone else’s business (or at least thinks they do), the main characters are: Charlie, a rocker with black painted nails who makes a misstep early in the story which changes his life; Zeke, a shy overachiever from a conservative Italian family; Hammer, a wannabe footy star with an ego to match; and Matt, a gentle country farm boy with a loving family. In his acknowledgements, Sheppard says: ‘Though fictional, Zeke, Charlie and Hammer [and I would include Matt here] are all fragments of my own self, and I hope that in sharing this story, I might be able to help others like them – those who have felt invisible before, or who still do. If this is you, please be kind to yourself; if this is someone you know, please be kind to them; if this isn’t anyone you know, be kinder still, because the person who needs that kindness has made themselves completely invisible to you because that’s the safest thing they can do right now.’ This almost made me weep! Such compassion. Such empathy. Such wise words.
This is a story about boys coming of age and coming out. It’s a no-holds barred book that shares what it’s really like to be young, gay, confused, ashamed and guilty, while also being passionate and full of yearning and desire. I think it is the truest and most realistic novel I’ve read about the range of feelings young people harbour about their emerging sexuality, the social mores and familial expectations surrounding them, the conflict between socially accepted attitudes to homosexuality and the sometimes very different privately held views, and the absolute gritty and realistic reality of the difficulties of navigating sexual desire as a young person.
And also this book is so funny! The characters are likeable but flawed, loyal one moment and fickle the next. But throughout the story runs a seam of humour and self-deprecating honesty that is disarming and heart-warming and at times, laugh out loud funny. Sheppard has completely nailed adolescent angst, teenage drollness and attitude, and the language and tone of young men.
This is also a thoughtful book. These are issues that have been considered deeply. You can tell that this story, although fictional, draws from significant lived experience. These are characters that could be your children, your friends, your siblings, your neighbours.
The scenes of collision between each of the boys and their church, their family and their school ideology are particularly powerful; the complicated knot of the physical and emotional pain of first-time sexual experiences all tied up with the associated anticipation, joy and desire.
The writing is sharply observed, with rich and authentic dialogue. The plot reads like a fast-paced thriller. The anonymous letters that are interspersed throughout are a clever literary device – you don’t know which boy has written them, and when the answer is revealed at the end of the book, you will want to go back and read them all again with the advantage of this new knowledge. The conclusion is in some ways sad, in some ways frustrating, and in some ways like a Hollywood ending. Like the characters and the story itself, it is not one thing but everything at once; it is all possibilities and all resolutions.
My feelings upon finishing were that I immediately wanted to press this book into the hands of anyone struggling with their sexuality or struggling to accept or understand a friend or family member who is. (My own experience of sex education in the late seventies was a book that depicted ‘your changing body’ with a chapter dedicated to ‘Playing with Fire – masturbation!’ – so thank goodness we have moved on from that and now have these alternative narratives to which young people can truly relate.)
Invisible Boys shows that the quality of a man is not bravado or how much you drink or how many football tries you score or the marks you achieve, but rather what is in your heart: kindness, love and recognition. To see others. Being seen by others. Your true self being visible. Perhaps this book is the ignition you need to start up a conversation with your parent, your friend, your child or your crush. Permission to speak about difficult things. Courage to speak about sensitive things. Encouragement to acknowledge your true feelings. In this era of politicians spouting nonsense about gender whisperers and conversion therapy, this book represents the refreshing and progressive attitude that we need to embrace, and that our young people deserve.
Sheppard dedicates the book thus: ‘For you, if you have ever been invisible, or still are.’ I would expand that dedication to include practically everyone, because even if you have not experienced these circumstances or conflicts yourself, this book will open your eyes to those around you who may have once been invisible, or who still are, maybe – as he says – without you even knowing it. This book has the capacity to challenge opinions, to offer alternative perspectives and perhaps to change lives.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book destroyed me in so many ways, sending me down a wormhole of my own teenage memories and escapades. It is raw and honest, and a prime example of why ‘own voices’ novels are so important and necessary.

[Miki_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"four gay boys, invisible to the rest of the world, but we saw each other."

I'm fucking hysterical and I have no one to discuss this with 😭😭😭 I'll write this review in the morning if I haven't fallen due to dehydration (yes I knew exactly what was going to happen and i am still fucked up).

Initial thoughts: an honest look at masculinity in Australian teenagers that truly does not shy away from the grosser parts of our culture. I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS

[Ryan Buckby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book by a glance at a bookshelf at a bookshop and read the little heading and was interested straight away and the book didn't disappoint.

Plot: This story centers around three normal but very different teenagers living in a very conservative perth town, Charlie who is the rocker and annoys his teachers, Kade 'Hammer' the AFL prodigy and bully and lastly Zeke the academic shy and quiet kid. I loved how aussie this book was and I loved getting all the little references from how the story is written or how the characters act and sound in my head.

This story however puts things into perspective to how LGBTIQ+ are treated still in Australia and it's sad to say that the stuff that happened in this book still does happen in Australia today. I think this is most standout in Hammer who comes across at the typical footy player guy who is very popular has his pick of anyone and you can see the stark contrast between him and the other two main leads. This story however starts with Charlie who is going on a secret hookup with an unknown person he met off an app and he soon realises that he is meeting a married man who tells him that he is getting divorced however things aren't as they seem and the married mans wife comes home and finds out what was going on. She later writes a Facebook status outing Charlie and her husband and it has horrible consequences for Charlie moving forward.

I would disgusted in how Charlie was outed and not on his own terms which was so bad to even think about because Charlie never got to come out on his own terms however this situation is the thing that does it. Zeke has discovered gay porn which starts his journey of self discovery and Hammer has an attraction to men but spends the entire time trying to deny his feelings or attraction. One thing part of the book that really stuck out and was when Hammer tells Charlie that it's 'just a phase and he will grow out of it after becoming an adult' to where Charlie responds with 'No it really isn't. I think this conversation between the two sets the tone for the entire book and is a running theme throughout.

Zeke comes from a very catholic italian family and is trying to find acceptance with his parents but also trying to be true and find himself throughout all of this. I felt for Zeke trying to be everything his parents wanted and I'm glad that Zeke in a way stood his ground in the end even though he was moving away from his parents i feel like there was no other option for him.

There is also a difference with how girls and boys handle their emotions differently and i think guys have more of a trouble in doing so and I think we show it a lot more than what females do and girls are better at hiding it and dealing with emotions more.

I absolutely tore through this book and it was such an important and relevant book still today and hopefully more people find this book like i did and read it. The only issue I really had with this book was trying to hear the different voices of the boys because they were written sounding the same however that honestly doesn't change how good this book was or how important it is i highly recommend you picking this book up!

[Josh Radwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Invisible Boys" by Holden Sheppard. [Publishing October, 2019 from @fremantlepress]
•••
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you again Fremantle Press for this advanced copy! I am so grateful. 🤩 And what a wonderful, heartbreaking read it was.
•••
Sheppard explores ideas of masculinity, sexuality, identity, belonging, feeling like an outcast, feeling that you'll lose the things you dreamt of, mental health, and suicide, with a genuine voice and a compelling cast of characters. This was a raw, powerful story; it was crude and hilarious, deeply upsetting yet entirely hopeful...It was confronting and unflinching, refusing to hold back. I loved that the book did not tip-toe around the serious issues, as YA often does: Sheppard treats his readers as adults, and tells a story that is all too real and relatable.
•••
These characters were so complex. They spoke and acted like real teenagers, which was wonderful; Sheppard has created 3 characters, each with their own distinct voice, and he manages to balance them well and maintain their individuality. He explores various social spheres, home lives / pressures, the school hierarchy, and how coming to terms with ones sexuality is a different experience for each person. It was incredible to read about such different people, and of how they interact, deal with their feelings, and come together based on a shared struggle. There was real character development here.
•••
⚠️ Possible Spoilers ⚠️ I loved the ending. It was open ended and unclear, much like real life - we don't always get answers, and it's not always a happy ending for everyone, and the ending does not flinch in that regard; it was a real, human ending. But overall, it was such a hopeful story. .
•••
I wish I had a book like this when I was a teen in high school, struggling with my own sexuality. I was crying at times, when Holden talked about the very things I myself was dealing with on the inside. Seeing a gay story, with gay boys, set in my home state of Western Australia was, to me, so incredible. It was like seeing myself on those pages, and I'm so grateful to Holden for this story.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an era-defining, barrier-breaking, eye-opening, and very necessary book, coming at just the right time in our political climate. The characters are authentic, the dialogue real and snappy, the pace keeps you on your toes, the writing packs a punch with its rawness and honesty, and the ending is hopeful. I've never read a book like it before and Australia needs more like it. Recommended for everyone, straight or gay.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that this book is explicitly set in the present with social media and mobile phones.  It could have easily been set in the '90s and the town's general reaction to gay students would fit in nicely, but having it in the present helps illustrate that homophobia and ignorance continues to this day even in countries like Australia. Not that it should surprise anyone with the government's attempt at introducing the aptly "Religious Discrimination Bill", which would allow homophobia under the guise of religion.

So, the novel follows three gay students at a small Western Australian town as they attempt to figure out how they're going to deal with being gay in the 21st Century. It seems like LGBT kids have it easier overall, but it's still a struggle for a lot of them, coming to terms with who you are is hard enough as a teenager but throw in a sexuality you didn't count on and it can be a nightmare. Especially for Charlie, a punk kid that was forced out of the closet, Zeke, a "good Catholic Sicilian boy" and Hammer, an wannabe footy hero.

Each of the boys alternate as narrators and in between each chapter is a sucicide note of sorts, although it's unclear who is writing it until the end.

I loved the dialogue in this, it feels very real, very Australian. The teenagers speak like teenagers, they swear freely, they're not grammatically correct... it reminds me of high school.

All three narrators also felt genuine, especially Hammer, the footy jock. He was a dick, but I also felt sorry for him because he was always going to have the hardest time navigating being gay. I could be wrong but to this day I don't think there's ever been an openly gay Australian Rules Football player, at least not until long after they retire. So for all the rainbow flags and claims of being a friend of the LGBT community, I wonder how true that can be when in 2019 you still have gay players in the closet.

Well, this review turned into a political rant of sorts, I guess it just hit me close to home. The final couple of chapters kind of destroyed me emotionally, I think that has more to do with bad timing than anything else, but on the plus side it really helped make an impact.

I originally gave this a four star review, but I've upped it to five because this is another book that has really stayed with me. A lot of it has to do with how I was feeling when I read this. I suppose I was just at the right emotional point in my life for this to really make such an impact.

[Michael Trant · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gut punch of a book. Coming from a small town myself, and knowing Gero intimately, Invisible Boys hit me in a way I didn't expect. Holden's writing is crisp, raw and does not hold back, but it is not all doom and gloom. His local references, the banter between characters and dry observations on small town life had me chuckling in recognition.

This is a powerful piece of work, well deserved of the awards it has already won and those I've no doubt it will in the future.