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Without Chance
Ryan had lost everything. His mother recently died of cancer, and his father had completely shut down after her death. His father even dragged him away from the city he'd grown up in, forcing him to leave all of his friends to move to a tiny, backwater town called Turnbridge, hundreds of miles from anything remotely interesting. Even the school's social scene seemed to revolve around activities and sermons at the local church. Then he met Chance. Chance was quiet and friendly, and was an extreme social outcast due to his sexual orientation. He was also obsessed with an unsolved murder that had taken place two years previously. Everyone was convinced it was a suicide. Everyone except Chance, who believed the victim had been targeted due to his homosexuality. Ryan didn't believe him until the accidents started, all seeming to focus around Chance. With the local culture so hostile toward the gay population, there were too many suspects and not nearly enough time as they tried to stop a killer who hunted in the name of God.
- GenresContemporary
350 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2014
1 person is currently reading
350 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 11, 2015
This book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I've been struggling with my reading lately, but this book truly caught me, it's really hard to find m/m romance books that are not the same story told with different characters and this book certainly does not fall in that hole, I loved the kind of "paranormal" twist that was added. I truly enjoyed this book and I see myself re reading it some other tmes in the future and of course, I see myself recommending it to other people.
I've been struggling with my reading lately, but this book truly caught me, it's really hard to find m/m romance books that are not the same story told with different characters and this book certainly does not fall in that hole, I loved the kind of "paranormal" twist that was added. I truly enjoyed this book and I see myself re reading it some other tmes in the future and of course, I see myself recommending it to other people.
May 16, 2015
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
OMG! I totally loved this book!
The story is on Ryan POV and it starts with Ryan and his father Mark moving to another town called Turnbridge, after his mother’s death.
He’s sad and a bit angry at the whole situation: his mother is gone, his father treats him like a kid, the moving and especially, the nightmares about him burning alive with someone with a mask of the Devil.
One day, though he meets a guy at school called Chance and they become soon friends. Ryan talks to him and Chance seems to be very shy and sad. Plus, it seems that nobody wants to talk to him and Ryan starts to notice things that really upset him
Days passed and the friendship between Chance and Ryan is stronger than ever. But something that Chance tells to Ryan, it will change his life forever.
Chance tells Ryan that two years before, a teenager called Dominic Hale burned alive inside the school cafeteria oven. Everybody says that it was a suicide but Chance says that it was killed because he was gay. They start to investigate and several times, someone tries to hurt them and one of them is Noah, the preacher’s son. He’s a bully and tries to beat up a girl called Katie at school, just because she’s gay and for them, she’s a sinner. Luckily, Ryan protects her and after a couple of similar problems at school, his father takes him to see a shrink.
The dreams keep changing and thanks to one of them, he saves Katie from a certain death.
I really want to write more about this amazing story but I don’t want to spoiler it too much.
The story will keep you on your toes and a huge secret will be revealed.
5 to 5 stars.
OMG! I totally loved this book!
The story is on Ryan POV and it starts with Ryan and his father Mark moving to another town called Turnbridge, after his mother’s death.
He’s sad and a bit angry at the whole situation: his mother is gone, his father treats him like a kid, the moving and especially, the nightmares about him burning alive with someone with a mask of the Devil.
One day, though he meets a guy at school called Chance and they become soon friends. Ryan talks to him and Chance seems to be very shy and sad. Plus, it seems that nobody wants to talk to him and Ryan starts to notice things that really upset him
Days passed and the friendship between Chance and Ryan is stronger than ever. But something that Chance tells to Ryan, it will change his life forever.
Chance tells Ryan that two years before, a teenager called Dominic Hale burned alive inside the school cafeteria oven. Everybody says that it was a suicide but Chance says that it was killed because he was gay. They start to investigate and several times, someone tries to hurt them and one of them is Noah, the preacher’s son. He’s a bully and tries to beat up a girl called Katie at school, just because she’s gay and for them, she’s a sinner. Luckily, Ryan protects her and after a couple of similar problems at school, his father takes him to see a shrink.
The dreams keep changing and thanks to one of them, he saves Katie from a certain death.
I really want to write more about this amazing story but I don’t want to spoiler it too much.
The story will keep you on your toes and a huge secret will be revealed.
5 to 5 stars.
March 3, 2015
That was one of the most accurate middle school book I've read in a long time.
Usually, with MCs during middle school, it sounds too innocent (in a elementary school tone) or not innocent enough (too high school). In this story the MC had the right tone of self discovery and anger, being too smart and too stupid at the same time, very aligned with how I was when I was 14. Very well written characters and a very real feeling about it (as far as it can be with the Chance plot and all).
There'll be plot spoilers from down here.
I got generally satisfied with the story and how it was developed, and had a hard time leaving the book - it took me just one day to finish it 'cause I couldn't put it down. It is very nice to have a straight male author writing a nice story with an honest gay (or so?) character.
Usually, with MCs during middle school, it sounds too innocent (in a elementary school tone) or not innocent enough (too high school). In this story the MC had the right tone of self discovery and anger, being too smart and too stupid at the same time, very aligned with how I was when I was 14. Very well written characters and a very real feeling about it (as far as it can be with the Chance plot and all).
There'll be plot spoilers from down here.
I got generally satisfied with the story and how it was developed, and had a hard time leaving the book - it took me just one day to finish it 'cause I couldn't put it down. It is very nice to have a straight male author writing a nice story with an honest gay (or so?) character.
October 17, 2014
This book is a wonderful story of the joys and heartaches of a young teen’s first love, and journey of self-discovery. It is also a fascinating, never-saw-that-coming murder mystery that will keep you guessing. The main character is an amazing blend of angry, resentful teenager, still hurting from his mother’s death, and a genuinely good kid trying to find his way through the pain and heartache.
I was particularly facinated by the way that even though the boy’s mother has passed away before the book even begins, that you can still feel her influence in the thoughts and actions of her son. It really drives home the impact that a parent can have on their child, even when they don’t think they are making a difference. The other characters are just as charming and engaging. The boy’s best friend is witty, quirky, and caring, the antagonist is cruel in the way that only someone who thinks they are in the right can be cruel, and all of the supporting characters are more than they first appear to be.
One of the things l like most about this book is the way the author shows the impact and influence a single person can have. Without even realizing it, the main character touches the lives of those around him and helps many of them become more of the person that they want to be. So if you’re looking for a story of adventure and heartbreak, of mystery and self-discovery, of love, loss and the journey to adulthood, then this is the book for you!
I was particularly facinated by the way that even though the boy’s mother has passed away before the book even begins, that you can still feel her influence in the thoughts and actions of her son. It really drives home the impact that a parent can have on their child, even when they don’t think they are making a difference. The other characters are just as charming and engaging. The boy’s best friend is witty, quirky, and caring, the antagonist is cruel in the way that only someone who thinks they are in the right can be cruel, and all of the supporting characters are more than they first appear to be.
One of the things l like most about this book is the way the author shows the impact and influence a single person can have. Without even realizing it, the main character touches the lives of those around him and helps many of them become more of the person that they want to be. So if you’re looking for a story of adventure and heartbreak, of mystery and self-discovery, of love, loss and the journey to adulthood, then this is the book for you!
June 4, 2015
Without Chance is a story about fourteen-year-old Ryan who just moved with his dad in a small town where he doesn't quite feel he fits after living in a big city. I don't usually read about characters this young but I have to say that I was positively surprised since Bailey managed to capture the voice of fourteen-year-old boy without him being whiny or uninteresting. In fact, despite his age Ryan was intelligent and he questioned the things most adult didn't even think about.
Bailey certainly broke the unsaid rule of young adult books - or at least that is almost in every other YA stories - since Ryan had a good relationship with his father and they actually spoke about things. Ryan told what happened in his life and what he though about things and his father listened to him and didn't dismiss him as being a teenager. I liked that aspect on the story, especially since Ryan's father was truly present in Ryan's life and involved a lot. It felt realistic and refreshing. Besides that relationship, Bailey succeeded with his characters. Ryan was easy to identify as he experienced a lot of new things after moving in a new town, and he was generally really nice person who stood up for the things he believed in. Chance was also a big part of the story and I totally fell in love with him; Chance was adorable, lovable and I just wanted to hug him and tell everything's going to be okay. Besides Ryan, Chance and Ryan's father there was lots of intriguing supporting characters and especially Katie is worth to mention. She was witty and funny and I loved the dynamic between her and Ryan. I do hope there would have been more moments between them.
Without Chance was full of mysteries and it had a plot twist I couldn't even imagine and it was truly heart breaking, in fact, I could almost hear my heart shattering into tiny pieces when I reached the end. It was truly painful but at the same time it made so much sense and I can't help but love this book even though it broke my heart and made me sob. Without Chance is truly exceptional story with heartfelt characters, interesting plot and life lessons that everyone should learn. I highly recommend this one to everyone. It's an experience you just have to have!
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
Bailey certainly broke the unsaid rule of young adult books - or at least that is almost in every other YA stories - since Ryan had a good relationship with his father and they actually spoke about things. Ryan told what happened in his life and what he though about things and his father listened to him and didn't dismiss him as being a teenager. I liked that aspect on the story, especially since Ryan's father was truly present in Ryan's life and involved a lot. It felt realistic and refreshing. Besides that relationship, Bailey succeeded with his characters. Ryan was easy to identify as he experienced a lot of new things after moving in a new town, and he was generally really nice person who stood up for the things he believed in. Chance was also a big part of the story and I totally fell in love with him; Chance was adorable, lovable and I just wanted to hug him and tell everything's going to be okay. Besides Ryan, Chance and Ryan's father there was lots of intriguing supporting characters and especially Katie is worth to mention. She was witty and funny and I loved the dynamic between her and Ryan. I do hope there would have been more moments between them.
Without Chance was full of mysteries and it had a plot twist I couldn't even imagine and it was truly heart breaking, in fact, I could almost hear my heart shattering into tiny pieces when I reached the end. It was truly painful but at the same time it made so much sense and I can't help but love this book even though it broke my heart and made me sob. Without Chance is truly exceptional story with heartfelt characters, interesting plot and life lessons that everyone should learn. I highly recommend this one to everyone. It's an experience you just have to have!
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
May 20, 2015
3.5*
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ryan is 14 and has recently lost his Mom to cancer. He feels a strong disconnect with his Dad who has decided on a fresh start and has moved them to a much smaller town. Ryan feels very alone and meets Chance on his first day at his new school. Chance is sweet and funny, though he seems to be poor and totally ignored by everyone. Ryan becomes a social outcast because of his friendship with Chance but they are best friends so he is doing ok.
When we first meet Ryan he's pretty angry with his father and his life in general but he really grows throughout the story. He was a little hot-headed but his heart was in the right place.
I don't want to give too much away but the boys decide to investigate the death of a young boy which was labeled a suicide but they both come to believe was actually murder committed because the boy was gay.
There is a large focus on a Christian Church in town that is pretty Old Testament and hellfire and damnation, but I was glad to see that all Christians were not painted with the same brush. Some of the characters I was not happy with-Jennifer to be exact--she didn't seem real to me and I did have a few questions at the end but overall I would recommend this book to young adults with the understanding that their is much discussion of suicide and the way the one child died was pretty stomach turning!
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ryan is 14 and has recently lost his Mom to cancer. He feels a strong disconnect with his Dad who has decided on a fresh start and has moved them to a much smaller town. Ryan feels very alone and meets Chance on his first day at his new school. Chance is sweet and funny, though he seems to be poor and totally ignored by everyone. Ryan becomes a social outcast because of his friendship with Chance but they are best friends so he is doing ok.
When we first meet Ryan he's pretty angry with his father and his life in general but he really grows throughout the story. He was a little hot-headed but his heart was in the right place.
I don't want to give too much away but the boys decide to investigate the death of a young boy which was labeled a suicide but they both come to believe was actually murder committed because the boy was gay.
There is a large focus on a Christian Church in town that is pretty Old Testament and hellfire and damnation, but I was glad to see that all Christians were not painted with the same brush. Some of the characters I was not happy with-Jennifer to be exact--she didn't seem real to me and I did have a few questions at the end but overall I would recommend this book to young adults with the understanding that their is much discussion of suicide and the way the one child died was pretty stomach turning!
May 25, 2015
Without Chance is a well-plotted coming-of-age novel with paranormal and whodunit twists.The protagonist, Ryan, moves with his father to a conservative town after the death of his mother. He’s on the defense, angry at the world, and targeted by bullies on his first day of school. Enter Chance, a gentle outcast who offers him a seat at his lunch table. Ryan and Chance strike up an instant friendship. Chance tells Ryan about a horrific death that took place on the school grounds a few years earlier. While the death was ruled a suicide, Chance believes it was murder, and wants to find the killer. While the boys collect clues and ward off bullies, Ryan discovers some deep secrets about himself.
This is a thought-provoking book, one that should be on a middle school summer reading list. Without Chance deals with tougher ‘adult’ issues written with a sensitivity to younger readers. Strong themes of compassion, self-acceptance, and embracing diversity make this a winner.
This is a thought-provoking book, one that should be on a middle school summer reading list. Without Chance deals with tougher ‘adult’ issues written with a sensitivity to younger readers. Strong themes of compassion, self-acceptance, and embracing diversity make this a winner.
May 15, 2023
Wow. This book was an interesting story. The dialogue is great and really created depth to the characters. I finished the novel in one day because I really wanted to keep reading. Everything really comes together in the end, which will make sense after you read the book. One thing, I felt the characters acted a little older than they are said to be in the story. Of course, it was nice to see why Ryan's father was upset when he found about his friendship with Chance. Overall, a good story with a little mystery to add to the plot.
September 6, 2014
I was very into this book. im not a big reader. I have a hard time keeping my attention on what I am reading. but this book was very well written. staying focused was not a problem. I couldnt put it down. enjoyed the carrecters, and the words used, and the seen I felt I was there. I know the auther personally and I felt him reading it to me. if u haven't had a chance to read this. Do it is worth it. has a wonderful ending to.
April 16, 2015
Excellent book, excellent read, highly recommended!
February 13, 2019
I could just kick myself...I spoiled the book by reading too many reviews. I love reviews, I was so excited to read this book because of its reviews. I even bought this book when it became unavailable at my local library, that's how excited I was to read this book. I really, really wanted to love this book. But I came across two reviews that mentioned, without prefacing it as a spoiler, that this book should have been listed as paranormal and that the narrator, Ryan, was unreliable. Seeing these two things and putting them together, I began to read this book and you automatically know that Chance is a ghost. And you are frustrated with Ryan for having such a chip on his shoulder, it makes him an unlikeable narrator. And I knew, honestly knew, who the killer was as soon as the character was introduced. Knowing these things from the very beginning ruined the book for me, it took away something essential to the story telling. And by the end I wanted to give the story one star because of the author being so heavy handed, pretty much using this book as a soap box to get his personal opinion across, which is fine, I understand why the author wrote this book, it was just very heavy handed in the way it was done, instead of allowing the story to develop naturally between the two main characters and just tell their story. And that cracked church was disturbing. Oh! And the setting...in the beginning it said it was a town of 50K people but had "nothing to do" on the weekends and nothing around in Ryan's opinion, it seemed more like a town of 500. What gave it its two star rating is likeable characters like Katie, Ryan's dad, Katie's mom, Chance, even the uptight teacher was more likeable than Ryan, and of course Mrs. Bradley in the kitchen was awesome. Don't get me wrong, Ryan does have redeeming qualities, like standing up for what is right in the face of adversity, even if it puts himself in danger. But knowing Chance is a ghost and Ryan can't realize that till the very end, ruins it. Between Chance not touching people, or eating, or no one talking to him, him never leaving the school grounds, or changing his clothes, even down to the flickering lights, why doesn't Ryan ever catch-on and figure it out? If he can have the dreams he has and they eventually come true, why can't he realize he speaks to ghosts too? And with Ryan being ticked at everyone else because he is so dense and doesn't realize it, is just frustratingly irritating having him as your narrator.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2019
Bailey handled some touchy subjects with a kind of gentle calm in this coming-of-teen drama. Ryan is fourteen. He is in a new place in the middle of Southern Christians a year after his mother's death from cancer. Middle school in difficult in any city, but not being christian, and also meeting the gay outcast of the school and becoming friends -- makes Ryan's difficult.
Well executed and Bailey's understanding of youths in situations that shouldn't occur because of religion, sexual orientation, or gender, poverty, etc makes this a powerful tale of belief and love.
Recommended for middle readers to adults.
Well executed and Bailey's understanding of youths in situations that shouldn't occur because of religion, sexual orientation, or gender, poverty, etc makes this a powerful tale of belief and love.
Recommended for middle readers to adults.
September 9, 2025
There’s an air of complete mysticism surrounding the characters that keep you guessing, I love the plot twist and value the characters sense of indifference towards the way things go in town where the story takes place. It rouses several questions that paint a scenery with several possible outcomes.
This is definitely a must read.
This is definitely a must read.
February 5, 2016
This book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
3.5 stars.
Without Chance is about Ryan, a fourteen-year-old boy who lost his mom to cancer a year before the story starts. When his dad gets a new job, the two of them move from Phoenix to a rural town in a different state. They’re both still grieving, something we see in the broken relationship between them. Ryan is strong and independent (and fairly angry about life), and he doesn’t much care when the other kids at his new school give him a hard time—their dirty looks and whispers don’t stop him from becoming friends with Chance, a kid he sees early on his first day and the only one to be friendly to him in the cafeteria (after he’s already been lucky enough to have a run-in with the school bully).
Ultimately, the book is about growing and healing and figuring out who you are, and I think the author did a great job sharing his “love is love” message.
I had a few small issues with the writing, and I’ll get those out of the way. The book really could have used stronger copyediting. There were punctuation and paragraphing issues throughout. I never got the hang of the dialect/drawl some of the characters had—I couldn’t figure out in my head how things like trag’dy and listen t’ th’ sermon were supposed to sound, so every time that dialect popped up, I was pulled out of the scene. Phonetic dialect can work really well, but it’s so hard to pull off. Ryan’s first-person narrative was also a bit repetitious and heavy-handed in some places—I think the book could have been maybe 15k shorter without losing any of the meat of the story—and Ryan narrated with a lot of “I thought” tags, which kept yanking me out of the flow of the story. The dialogue and actions were strong enough to carry a lot of what the narrative also tried to do.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had a lot of positive messages all wrapped up in a story that was both sweet (the friendship between Ryan and Chance) and scary (the murder mystery Chance coaxes Ryan into helping him solve). I was worried at first that the strong anti-religion sentiments we see early on were going to lead to a similar end message (not what you want from a YA book, regardless of what religion the reader might be), but Ryan’s dad was very centered and open-minded, and the viewpoints he shares with Ryan about both religion and sexual orientation are positive and warm, and Ryan takes them to heart. Ryan also does some religious “research” while stuck at church one Sunday, and when he stops to think for himself, he understands that religion isn’t all about hateful zealots.
I really liked reading about a middle-school aged kid who’s just figuring out his sexuality. There’s another positive theme there—it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to feel something you weren’t expecting and don’t quite understand—and Ryan is a great example of listening to what you feel and not what other people say. He knew Chance was gay and that other people gave him a hard time about it, but he didn’t care—and he owned his evolving feelings without freaking out.
A lot of books about teenagers conveniently send the parents off screen so the kids can do whatever they want. That works perfectly fine in a lot of cases, but I really liked the pro-parent message of this book: parents aren’t bad; they might not always understand you (or you, them), but open communication can go a long way toward helping you understand one another. Once Ryan started to see his dad as his dad, and not just the sad, annoying guy who shared the house, they both took a lot of steps toward getting their lives back on track. They really just needed a nudge to get over the hump of their grief. All the weirdness that goes on gives them a reason to band together.
Ryan is a classic unreliable narrator, but it’s something the reader can pick up on very early on. It somewhat paints question marks over all of Ryan’s actions and thoughts, but if you don’t let yourself forget you’re dealing with a fourteen-year-old, it’s easier to understand where some of what he sees and thinks (and does) is coming from, and from there, it’s easier to see what’s really going on (for example, is his dad really a whipped puppy or is he just still sad about Ryan’s mom’s death and hurting because he doesn’t know how to get through Ryan’s grief?). The story is also told from some point in Ryan’s adulthood (as best I could tell); for me, that helped ease the way for Ryan’s consistently high-level vocabulary.
I don’t know if this is a spoiler or not, but .
Solid, positive (and a bit happy/sad at the end :\) story about a boy growing up and figuring out who he really is.
3.5 stars.
Without Chance is about Ryan, a fourteen-year-old boy who lost his mom to cancer a year before the story starts. When his dad gets a new job, the two of them move from Phoenix to a rural town in a different state. They’re both still grieving, something we see in the broken relationship between them. Ryan is strong and independent (and fairly angry about life), and he doesn’t much care when the other kids at his new school give him a hard time—their dirty looks and whispers don’t stop him from becoming friends with Chance, a kid he sees early on his first day and the only one to be friendly to him in the cafeteria (after he’s already been lucky enough to have a run-in with the school bully).
Ultimately, the book is about growing and healing and figuring out who you are, and I think the author did a great job sharing his “love is love” message.
I had a few small issues with the writing, and I’ll get those out of the way. The book really could have used stronger copyediting. There were punctuation and paragraphing issues throughout. I never got the hang of the dialect/drawl some of the characters had—I couldn’t figure out in my head how things like trag’dy and listen t’ th’ sermon were supposed to sound, so every time that dialect popped up, I was pulled out of the scene. Phonetic dialect can work really well, but it’s so hard to pull off. Ryan’s first-person narrative was also a bit repetitious and heavy-handed in some places—I think the book could have been maybe 15k shorter without losing any of the meat of the story—and Ryan narrated with a lot of “I thought” tags, which kept yanking me out of the flow of the story. The dialogue and actions were strong enough to carry a lot of what the narrative also tried to do.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had a lot of positive messages all wrapped up in a story that was both sweet (the friendship between Ryan and Chance) and scary (the murder mystery Chance coaxes Ryan into helping him solve). I was worried at first that the strong anti-religion sentiments we see early on were going to lead to a similar end message (not what you want from a YA book, regardless of what religion the reader might be), but Ryan’s dad was very centered and open-minded, and the viewpoints he shares with Ryan about both religion and sexual orientation are positive and warm, and Ryan takes them to heart. Ryan also does some religious “research” while stuck at church one Sunday, and when he stops to think for himself, he understands that religion isn’t all about hateful zealots.
I really liked reading about a middle-school aged kid who’s just figuring out his sexuality. There’s another positive theme there—it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to feel something you weren’t expecting and don’t quite understand—and Ryan is a great example of listening to what you feel and not what other people say. He knew Chance was gay and that other people gave him a hard time about it, but he didn’t care—and he owned his evolving feelings without freaking out.
A lot of books about teenagers conveniently send the parents off screen so the kids can do whatever they want. That works perfectly fine in a lot of cases, but I really liked the pro-parent message of this book: parents aren’t bad; they might not always understand you (or you, them), but open communication can go a long way toward helping you understand one another. Once Ryan started to see his dad as his dad, and not just the sad, annoying guy who shared the house, they both took a lot of steps toward getting their lives back on track. They really just needed a nudge to get over the hump of their grief. All the weirdness that goes on gives them a reason to band together.
Ryan is a classic unreliable narrator, but it’s something the reader can pick up on very early on. It somewhat paints question marks over all of Ryan’s actions and thoughts, but if you don’t let yourself forget you’re dealing with a fourteen-year-old, it’s easier to understand where some of what he sees and thinks (and does) is coming from, and from there, it’s easier to see what’s really going on (for example, is his dad really a whipped puppy or is he just still sad about Ryan’s mom’s death and hurting because he doesn’t know how to get through Ryan’s grief?). The story is also told from some point in Ryan’s adulthood (as best I could tell); for me, that helped ease the way for Ryan’s consistently high-level vocabulary.
I don’t know if this is a spoiler or not, but .
Solid, positive (and a bit happy/sad at the end :\) story about a boy growing up and figuring out who he really is.
April 25, 2019
Couldn't put it down. The ending is a shocker, but not unexpected. There is plenty of foreshadowing for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2016
Title: Without Chance
Author: Christopher Bailey
Publisher: Phase Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 9780989973434
Buy Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witho...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Ryan had lost everything. His mother recently died of cancer, and his father had completely shut down after her death. His father even dragged him away from the city he'd grown up in, forcing him to leave all of his friends to move to a tiny, backwater town called Turnbridge, hundreds of miles from anything remotely interesting. Even the school's social scene seemed to revolve around activities and sermons at the local church.
Then he met Chance. Chance was quiet and friendly, and was an extreme social outcast due to his sexual orientation. He was also obsessed with an unsolved murder that had taken place two years previously. Everyone was convinced it was a suicide. Everyone except Chance, who believed the victim had been targeted due to his homosexuality.
Ryan didn't believe him until the accidents started, all seeming to focus around Chance. With the local culture so hostile toward the gay population, there were too many suspects and not nearly enough time as they tried to stop a killer who hunted in the name of God.
Summary:
It is hard to put into words my reaction to this story. From the very beginning I wondered about what Chance's role in the story really was. Ryan and Chance became friends in spite of what everyone said about Chance and they built a relationship that withstood all the hate that surrounded them. It was interesting how Ryan stood by Chance even when his own father refused to acknowledge their friendship. the way many many individuals in the community accepted the hatred that one one the local preachers taught from his pulpit was very scary. When Ryan saw Noah, a student in his school, felt it was he god given duty to threaten and assault anyone he felt went against god's order, the story took on a very alarming turn! Ryan intervened to stop Noah from hurting Katie, a girl at school, showing others that goodness can prevail if one person is willing to stand up for others. To say that this was a wonderful story is an understatement. The relationships between the different characters brought them to life as they dwelt with issues that individuals struggle with daily. This is one story that I will never forget.
Author: Christopher Bailey
Publisher: Phase Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 9780989973434
Buy Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witho...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Ryan had lost everything. His mother recently died of cancer, and his father had completely shut down after her death. His father even dragged him away from the city he'd grown up in, forcing him to leave all of his friends to move to a tiny, backwater town called Turnbridge, hundreds of miles from anything remotely interesting. Even the school's social scene seemed to revolve around activities and sermons at the local church.
Then he met Chance. Chance was quiet and friendly, and was an extreme social outcast due to his sexual orientation. He was also obsessed with an unsolved murder that had taken place two years previously. Everyone was convinced it was a suicide. Everyone except Chance, who believed the victim had been targeted due to his homosexuality.
Ryan didn't believe him until the accidents started, all seeming to focus around Chance. With the local culture so hostile toward the gay population, there were too many suspects and not nearly enough time as they tried to stop a killer who hunted in the name of God.
Summary:
It is hard to put into words my reaction to this story. From the very beginning I wondered about what Chance's role in the story really was. Ryan and Chance became friends in spite of what everyone said about Chance and they built a relationship that withstood all the hate that surrounded them. It was interesting how Ryan stood by Chance even when his own father refused to acknowledge their friendship. the way many many individuals in the community accepted the hatred that one one the local preachers taught from his pulpit was very scary. When Ryan saw Noah, a student in his school, felt it was he god given duty to threaten and assault anyone he felt went against god's order, the story took on a very alarming turn! Ryan intervened to stop Noah from hurting Katie, a girl at school, showing others that goodness can prevail if one person is willing to stand up for others. To say that this was a wonderful story is an understatement. The relationships between the different characters brought them to life as they dwelt with issues that individuals struggle with daily. This is one story that I will never forget.
July 18, 2023
Without Chance is about a fourteen year old boy named Ryan who moves to a new state in the middle of the school year after his dad takes a job at a hospital. He's pretty angry about it until he meets his new friend, Chance. Chance is the first person in the new town that's nice to him and he's just really happy to have a friend. He also has a run in with the school bully, Noah Porter.
I think all of the characters were well done. I like that the author writes the dialogue the way it would be pronounced since the characters have southern accent. (ie "I hav' ta go.") Ryan isn't the most observant person ever. I had figured out what people wanted him to know about Chance way before it was revealed, but that didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the story. It took me a little while to figure out who the bad guy was. I liked trying to figure out Ryan's dream as it changed (he has prophetic dreams). I figured out what he was dreaming about, but I didn't know what certain parts meant.
I was really happy for Ryan that he survived everything and gained some new friends. I really liked his relationship with his dad. At first, they barely communicated, but their relationship got better over the course of the book. I love how accepting he is. I hope more parents are starting to be this way.
Religion, particularly Christianity, is a big part of the book. The book isn't anti-religion, even though the church in the book is crazy, so I'm not sure if that will offend people. It didn't bother me.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes young adult, lgbt and mystery books.
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I think all of the characters were well done. I like that the author writes the dialogue the way it would be pronounced since the characters have southern accent. (ie "I hav' ta go.") Ryan isn't the most observant person ever. I had figured out what people wanted him to know about Chance way before it was revealed, but that didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the story. It took me a little while to figure out who the bad guy was. I liked trying to figure out Ryan's dream as it changed (he has prophetic dreams). I figured out what he was dreaming about, but I didn't know what certain parts meant.
I was really happy for Ryan that he survived everything and gained some new friends. I really liked his relationship with his dad. At first, they barely communicated, but their relationship got better over the course of the book. I love how accepting he is. I hope more parents are starting to be this way.
Religion, particularly Christianity, is a big part of the book. The book isn't anti-religion, even though the church in the book is crazy, so I'm not sure if that will offend people. It didn't bother me.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes young adult, lgbt and mystery books.
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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