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Anything Could Happen
When you’re in love with the wrong person for the right reasons, anything could happen.
Tretch lives in a very small town where everybody's in everybody else's business. Which makes it hard for him to be in love with his straight best friend. For his part, Matt is completely oblivious to the way Tretch feels – and Tretch can’t tell whether that makes it better or worse.
The problem with living a lie is that the lie can slowly become your life. For Tretch, the problem isn’t just with Matt. His family has no idea who he really is and what he’s really thinking. The girl at the local bookstore has no clue how off-base her crush on him is. And the guy at school who’s a thorn in Tretch’s side doesn’t realize how close to the truth he’s hitting.
Tretch has spent a lot of time dancing alone in his room, but now he’s got to step outside his comfort zone and into the wider world. Because like love, a true self can rarely be contained.
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN is a poignant, hard-hitting exploration of love and friendship, a provocative debut that shows that sometimes we have to let things fall apart before we can make them whole again.
Tretch lives in a very small town where everybody's in everybody else's business. Which makes it hard for him to be in love with his straight best friend. For his part, Matt is completely oblivious to the way Tretch feels – and Tretch can’t tell whether that makes it better or worse.
The problem with living a lie is that the lie can slowly become your life. For Tretch, the problem isn’t just with Matt. His family has no idea who he really is and what he’s really thinking. The girl at the local bookstore has no clue how off-base her crush on him is. And the guy at school who’s a thorn in Tretch’s side doesn’t realize how close to the truth he’s hitting.
Tretch has spent a lot of time dancing alone in his room, but now he’s got to step outside his comfort zone and into the wider world. Because like love, a true self can rarely be contained.
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN is a poignant, hard-hitting exploration of love and friendship, a provocative debut that shows that sometimes we have to let things fall apart before we can make them whole again.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 683 reviews
February 28, 2024
It’s not every book that can convincingly cast a character with such seemingly unrelated skills. A closet dance fiend who can also (albeit a bit dubiously) aid in delivering a calf. Tretch keeps these truths hidden, right along with another fact he hasn’t figured out how to share.
He appreciates the perks of life in a tiny town while acknowledging the total lack of privacy. Also absent, is the population to properly support a funky, refurbished theatre. So, no matter how cool the 1976 King Kong movie is, Matt and his dads will probably be moving to a city soon. The time to come clean is now. Or never.
And it’s here that I could tell you Anything Could Happen is about absolutely true friendship, the strength and support of family and crushing on the wrong kid. Accurate, yet incomplete. To me, it simply shows how sensitivity is a strength, not a weakness.
Tretch is wise beyond his years, in a unique—not unrealistic—way. His uncanny ability to set his own feelings aside to focus on a friend isn’t instinctive, making it all the more admirable. He is incredibly aware of others’ feelings and hasn’t shared particular pieces of himself solely for the purpose of protecting his friends and family.
“…the insults that somehow fly right past me, but I fear would peg each of them smack in the gut.”
Secrets don’t stay hidden forever and often, they are spilled at once. How they come out matters as much as addressing the information, once it’s laid bare. A lot of pressure for an adolescent and while Tretch may not initially handle it smoothly, once he allows himself to be honest, his sincerity is unquestionable.
This was fun, without being frivolous and is appropriate for the Middle-Grade reader, but (I think) appealing to all.
Oh, and now I know who Ellie Goulding is.
This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.
He appreciates the perks of life in a tiny town while acknowledging the total lack of privacy. Also absent, is the population to properly support a funky, refurbished theatre. So, no matter how cool the 1976 King Kong movie is, Matt and his dads will probably be moving to a city soon. The time to come clean is now. Or never.
And it’s here that I could tell you Anything Could Happen is about absolutely true friendship, the strength and support of family and crushing on the wrong kid. Accurate, yet incomplete. To me, it simply shows how sensitivity is a strength, not a weakness.
Tretch is wise beyond his years, in a unique—not unrealistic—way. His uncanny ability to set his own feelings aside to focus on a friend isn’t instinctive, making it all the more admirable. He is incredibly aware of others’ feelings and hasn’t shared particular pieces of himself solely for the purpose of protecting his friends and family.
“…the insults that somehow fly right past me, but I fear would peg each of them smack in the gut.”
Secrets don’t stay hidden forever and often, they are spilled at once. How they come out matters as much as addressing the information, once it’s laid bare. A lot of pressure for an adolescent and while Tretch may not initially handle it smoothly, once he allows himself to be honest, his sincerity is unquestionable.
This was fun, without being frivolous and is appropriate for the Middle-Grade reader, but (I think) appealing to all.
Oh, and now I know who Ellie Goulding is.
This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.
March 8, 2017
4.5
What a shame that I don't have Anything Could Happen anymore in my playlist. This book is somehow inspired by that beautiful song by Ellie Goulding. If I still have that song (I have no idea the song had been vanished in my music library), I'd played it while I'm reading this book.
I felt happiness and the warm in my heart reading Anything Could Happen (like what these kinds of books did to me. Oh, the drama lol). Though, I can't deny the fact that I experienced sadness too because this is not just a happy book. This is more.
This book has a dash of humor and witty dialogues. There is a talk of cancer, of death, suicide, bullying which has been a great incorporation to the story. I am relieved about it since the romance didn't go overboard. Trecth got his time to explore more of his life, and what is life, in general. It is also one of the contemporary novels out there where the family isn't disgruntled so it's quite a change.
So, Tretch fell in love with Matt Gooby, his guy best friend. And reading from Tretch's point of view with all his thoughts and struggles in life made me connect with him; made me admire him. Tretch is an optimistic teenage boy. He really don't mind if someone bullied him at school. I mean, he mind but he didn't make it a big deal. He read classic books. He can sing and dance and he is a fan of Taylor Swift. He thinks a lot. And worries a lot, too. He's a good friend, a good son and a good brother. Yes, he gets jealous when Matt is with Amy but he didn't show it. And sometimes, he's acting childish (but I didn't mind it.)
The list goes on.
There are so many good things to say about Tretch but the best one is what he became in the end: he accepted, realized and learned things in life. And the fact that he's brave to tell his deepest secret.
Anything Could Happen is a poignant novel and one of my favorites coming-of-age book. From the plausible voice of our main character to the family dynamics, I thought this book captured the teenage gay character's life realistically and captured my heart forever.
"There's sickness, and there's sadness. But the thing is, there's love, too. I try never to forget that."
What a shame that I don't have Anything Could Happen anymore in my playlist. This book is somehow inspired by that beautiful song by Ellie Goulding. If I still have that song (I have no idea the song had been vanished in my music library), I'd played it while I'm reading this book.
I felt happiness and the warm in my heart reading Anything Could Happen (like what these kinds of books did to me. Oh, the drama lol). Though, I can't deny the fact that I experienced sadness too because this is not just a happy book. This is more.
This book has a dash of humor and witty dialogues. There is a talk of cancer, of death, suicide, bullying which has been a great incorporation to the story. I am relieved about it since the romance didn't go overboard. Trecth got his time to explore more of his life, and what is life, in general. It is also one of the contemporary novels out there where the family isn't disgruntled so it's quite a change.
So, Tretch fell in love with Matt Gooby, his guy best friend. And reading from Tretch's point of view with all his thoughts and struggles in life made me connect with him; made me admire him. Tretch is an optimistic teenage boy. He really don't mind if someone bullied him at school. I mean, he mind but he didn't make it a big deal. He read classic books. He can sing and dance and he is a fan of Taylor Swift. He thinks a lot. And worries a lot, too. He's a good friend, a good son and a good brother. Yes, he gets jealous when Matt is with Amy but he didn't show it. And sometimes, he's acting childish (but I didn't mind it.)
The list goes on.
There are so many good things to say about Tretch but the best one is what he became in the end: he accepted, realized and learned things in life. And the fact that he's brave to tell his deepest secret.
Anything Could Happen is a poignant novel and one of my favorites coming-of-age book. From the plausible voice of our main character to the family dynamics, I thought this book captured the teenage gay character's life realistically and captured my heart forever.
May 9, 2016
I had high hopes for this Anything Could Happen. I love reading LGBTQ+ fiction, and was immediately drawn in when I saw there was a gay MC. Pair that with his being in love with his straight best friend, and I was hopeful for a lot of the themes that could be explored. I ended up feeling disappointed and found the story a little jumbled.
Firstly, there was a lot going on in this story and I found the plot lacking in focus. There are so many elements thrown into this story that aren't developed enough for my liking, possibly because of how short the book was. Tretch's love of dancing is pointed to on numerous occasions, but it's something we only really get to see as readers during one scene. Family dynamics are explored, but the story really only scratched the surface on those issues and I found myself having a hard time caring.
Which brings me to my second point, in that I could not attach to the characters. Tretch felt like a blank slate. I couldn't get a sense of his personality, or the personalities of those around him including friends and family. Everyone felt very flat. Because we didn't see any depth, a lot of the problems they are facing throughout the book didn't pull at my heartstrings, because I didn't have any connection to the characters or their back stories.
Lastly, I felt that most of the issues were resolved too quickly and easily. For example, Tretch 'comes out' a few times in the story (I won't say to who or the circumstances surrounding it) and all of the reactions were the exact same. I enjoyed that the characters didn't make a big deal out of his orientation, but at the same time, I expected some differences in the reactions. Instead, his coming out was very much glossed over and everyone moved on in less than a paragraph. While I know that does happen in real life, I also felt it was unrealistic for a story in which it was never hinted that the people around him knew about his orientation before he told them. Also, there are some friendships made far too quickly in this book. Tretch goes from feeling ambivalent or even negatively about various side characters to suddenly being friends over the course of a scene. I just found a lot of the situations in this story to be too easily resolved.
Additionally, and this may not be a problem for every reader, but this story also included one of my pet peeves in contemporary fiction: too many references to modern pop culture. Artists like Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding are referenced numerous times (the title of the book actually comes from an Ellie Goulding song). While I'm okay with that a little bit, as that is the nature of contemporary fiction, that device has to be used sparingly and I felt it was overdone in this book.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read. The characters, while simple and bland, were overall good people and some of my favorite themes like family dynamics and self-discovery were explored. Ultimately though, I felt this book did fail in it's execution and I was expecting more from it.
I picked up an ARC of this book at BEA 2015. All opinions are my own.
This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
Firstly, there was a lot going on in this story and I found the plot lacking in focus. There are so many elements thrown into this story that aren't developed enough for my liking, possibly because of how short the book was. Tretch's love of dancing is pointed to on numerous occasions, but it's something we only really get to see as readers during one scene. Family dynamics are explored, but the story really only scratched the surface on those issues and I found myself having a hard time caring.
Which brings me to my second point, in that I could not attach to the characters. Tretch felt like a blank slate. I couldn't get a sense of his personality, or the personalities of those around him including friends and family. Everyone felt very flat. Because we didn't see any depth, a lot of the problems they are facing throughout the book didn't pull at my heartstrings, because I didn't have any connection to the characters or their back stories.
Lastly, I felt that most of the issues were resolved too quickly and easily. For example, Tretch 'comes out' a few times in the story (I won't say to who or the circumstances surrounding it) and all of the reactions were the exact same. I enjoyed that the characters didn't make a big deal out of his orientation, but at the same time, I expected some differences in the reactions. Instead, his coming out was very much glossed over and everyone moved on in less than a paragraph. While I know that does happen in real life, I also felt it was unrealistic for a story in which it was never hinted that the people around him knew about his orientation before he told them. Also, there are some friendships made far too quickly in this book. Tretch goes from feeling ambivalent or even negatively about various side characters to suddenly being friends over the course of a scene. I just found a lot of the situations in this story to be too easily resolved.
Additionally, and this may not be a problem for every reader, but this story also included one of my pet peeves in contemporary fiction: too many references to modern pop culture. Artists like Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding are referenced numerous times (the title of the book actually comes from an Ellie Goulding song). While I'm okay with that a little bit, as that is the nature of contemporary fiction, that device has to be used sparingly and I felt it was overdone in this book.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read. The characters, while simple and bland, were overall good people and some of my favorite themes like family dynamics and self-discovery were explored. Ultimately though, I felt this book did fail in it's execution and I was expecting more from it.
I picked up an ARC of this book at BEA 2015. All opinions are my own.
This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
June 7, 2017
2 stars
I am disappointed
I was expecting so much from this book but it let me down so bad. I've been wanting to read it since the day it came out (2015) and I read it now at the end of 2016. Okay, I have a lot of things to complain about Anything could happen.
But first of all, let's start with the plot. It seemed really interesting at first mainly because it's something that happens to almost everyone, we all are vulnerable to fall in love with a really close friend, right? The thing is harder when you are gay and your friend you are in love with is straight. As a dude-liker (yeah, a More Happy than Not reference), this has happened a lot to me, so I thought "YO BOY THIS BOOK IS FOR MEEEE."
The book had potential, but it was not well used by the author. Instead of a great story of how a straight guy is being liked by his gay best friend, we get a boring, monotone and typical story of a gay boy who is kind of obsessed with his straight best friend. And yes, there is a big difference.
Second, characters. I had a problem with every character of this book, but I'm going to focus on the two main ones: Tretch and Matt.
*Tretch: This is one of the weirdest characters I have ever read. He narrated the story and you are supposed to entirely know the one character who narrates the book, but no. Here we didn't know Tretch at all. He was so mysterious that even after the book I realized that I had no idea who was Tretch. I thought I knew his move but at the middle of the book he changed so drastically. That was definitely an unnecessary part of the book.
*Matt: Now with Matt it was almost the same thing. Matt didn't had personality at all. His character was like a straight line that didn't have any emotion.
*The relationship between Tretch and Matt: I read it in another review and found important to point at this. I feel like the friendship that Tretch and Matt had was a bit forced and didn't feel real. Also it was flat and they were always depending on each other. Yes, if the author hadn't pointed out that they were friends, I would have thought they were a couple.
The author's writing was so simple and emotionless. The only emotion this book gave me was frustration because I wanted to kill everyone.
And the worst thing, the ending. That ending was THE WORST ENDING I READ LAST YEAR. It was so freaking open. I hated it. HATED IT.
I mean the book's name is Anything could happen, right? Anything could have happened, but nothing happened. In fact, nothing else than what it says in the Goodreads synopsis happens in the book.
WORST BOOK OF 2016
I am disappointed
I was expecting so much from this book but it let me down so bad. I've been wanting to read it since the day it came out (2015) and I read it now at the end of 2016. Okay, I have a lot of things to complain about Anything could happen.
But first of all, let's start with the plot. It seemed really interesting at first mainly because it's something that happens to almost everyone, we all are vulnerable to fall in love with a really close friend, right? The thing is harder when you are gay and your friend you are in love with is straight. As a dude-liker (yeah, a More Happy than Not reference), this has happened a lot to me, so I thought "YO BOY THIS BOOK IS FOR MEEEE."
The book had potential, but it was not well used by the author. Instead of a great story of how a straight guy is being liked by his gay best friend, we get a boring, monotone and typical story of a gay boy who is kind of obsessed with his straight best friend. And yes, there is a big difference.
Second, characters. I had a problem with every character of this book, but I'm going to focus on the two main ones: Tretch and Matt.
*Tretch: This is one of the weirdest characters I have ever read. He narrated the story and you are supposed to entirely know the one character who narrates the book, but no. Here we didn't know Tretch at all. He was so mysterious that even after the book I realized that I had no idea who was Tretch. I thought I knew his move but at the middle of the book he changed so drastically. That was definitely an unnecessary part of the book.
*Matt: Now with Matt it was almost the same thing. Matt didn't had personality at all. His character was like a straight line that didn't have any emotion.
*The relationship between Tretch and Matt: I read it in another review and found important to point at this. I feel like the friendship that Tretch and Matt had was a bit forced and didn't feel real. Also it was flat and they were always depending on each other. Yes, if the author hadn't pointed out that they were friends, I would have thought they were a couple.
The author's writing was so simple and emotionless. The only emotion this book gave me was frustration because I wanted to kill everyone.
And the worst thing, the ending. That ending was THE WORST ENDING I READ LAST YEAR. It was so freaking open. I hated it. HATED IT.
I mean the book's name is Anything could happen, right? Anything could have happened, but nothing happened. In fact, nothing else than what it says in the Goodreads synopsis happens in the book.
WORST BOOK OF 2016
January 3, 2015
I'm in love with Will Walton's writing. This book feels like an ethereal song come to life--thriving with solid beats and strong emotion. I can't wait to share this book with everyone I know.
December 30, 2015
What did I think of this one? You mean apart from the feeling that Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding are prolly going to end up richer because of this book?
Ha ha ha! Kidding aside, I thought the book was simple. Wait! When I say simple, I don't say it in the negative sense. What I mean is that, really the beauty of Anything Could Happen is in its simplicity. How it did not try so hard to add BIG MOMENTS which would have diverted the story out of its main purpose and/or focus. How it did not try to put unnecessary tension through overbearing drama and the trivial teenage problems that I've read time and time again in books with high school setting such as this. It is a coming out story, but like music, this one's the unplugged version where you get to appreciate the talent behind the song more than the song itself. It is a coming out story, but this one has been stripped bare. It did not make a circus out of the coming out process. That coming out is just normal -- part of growing up and the never ending journey of the self. That alone makes this book stand out from the rest.
And what's more is Will Walton's ability to sprinkle magic to his characters, like what he did with Tretch's simple life. The way Will Walton writes is just magical. The way he weaves words into sentences and paragraphs and chapters has this poetic and lyrical ring to it, something you only get to see from experienced writers in the YA world. I like Tretch a lot. If I'd have to describe him in one word, I'd say he is a survivor. The way he handled himself after everything that happened and the way he matured in the aftermath of unrequited love is just brave. Brave in a non-feisty, quiet kind of brave.
Will Walton is definitely a dark horse. I'd be happy to read more of his work in the future. Congratulations on your debut Will!
June 2, 2015
When did I stop dancing around my room? I mean really dancing. I twirl or sway now and again, but where did my reach for the stars need to dance go?
Memories. The memories a book can spark and pull out of me is just one of the many reasons why I read. Some books make me reminisce about where I’ve been or who I was. Others help me see and dream of where I want to go or who I want to be. Every so often a book comes along that does both though—inspires memories of the past and hopes for the future. A book that when you see it on the shelf at home or out & about you have to pick it up, run your fingers over the title and smile. This book is one of those reads for me.
Anything Could Happen by Will Walton creates this warm, wonderful world on the page and off filled with hope and goodness. SO much goodness.
Christmas time in a small, small town is where we meet Tretch Farm and his family. Everyone seems to know everyone else’s business in town, but Tretch is holding on to a secret. Tretch Farm is in love with his best friend Matt Gooby (Such a great name!). But he is not ready to tell his family and friends that he’s gay. He’s not ready to share that part of himself yet. But life is changing so fast. Someone Tretch loves very much may be sick. His brother is off to college soon. So why waste time hiding? Show your true self before regrets settle in. Will Tretch share his whole heart and self with the ones he loves this holiday season?
I want to hug Tretch Farm and all of his adorableness. Hold on to him forever! :) The whole town drew me in actually with sweet, honest to goodness “It’s a Wonderful Life” joy! Coffee shops, homemade candy canes, well-read traveling Santas, angel winged trees, music, books, “y’all”s and moves. So many dance moves! Get up and dance to the music because anything can happen in life. Adventure, love, and loss. Mr. Walton brings it all to life beautifully in this story with warmth and emotion. I could feel how much he cared for these characters. And I loved every single one. Tretch’s Dad and brother hit my very short list of amazing YA Dads and brothers. They made me “aww” more than once. The whole family will make your heart smile and break and remember though. Remember a time when you had to be dropped off and picked up from the dance. Remember a time when you could just walk across the hall and find someone to talk to. Remember or perhaps cherish the time you have now with your family all around you, under one roof, sharing the kitchen table and supporting each other every day. It all can change so fast.
Anywho…I’m going to go before my jaded, broken heart begins to show. :D Just know this story is full of life and care and love. It touched my heart. This line really walloped me actually….(It may sound like a spoiler, but it really isn’t one.)
“You know, all the love my wife gave me during this lifetime stayed right where she put it. Even after she was gone. It stayed right here with me, and I feel it alive as all get-out, every single day."
I will be on the lookout for more from Will Walton for sure.
Off to shake, sway, wiggle and dance….
June 26, 2017
Gracioso y realista. Gracias, Will Walton.
May 27, 2015
Read The Full Review At fANGIRLconfessions!
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
I'm soooo disappointed in this book.
* Deep Sigh *
I am a HUGE fan of LGBT. I love how the characters and stories are always so lively, creative, over-the-top, diverse, etc. So I truly was excited when I received Anything Could Happen for review. What I thought was going to be an amazing coming of age story about a young guy in love with his bestfriend, turned out to be a lackluster experience full of eye-rolls and heavy yawns.
If anything could happen, why didn't it?
Characters -- Eh, Meh, Blah.
50 pages in my first reaction was, " okay this is weird. " and it was. The main character Tretch was just so . . . strange? I can't really find the right word to describe our MC, and it's not that I didn't like him, I just didn't care for him too much. What I can describe is that he was wayyyyy too needy for my tastes. I know he had a crush on his bestfriend Matt, but my gosh they were so freaking DEPENDENT on each other to the point it was WEIRD. While it's not cool to bully people or make assumptions, if the author never specified that Matt was the, " straight bestfriend " I would have completely thought that he and Tretch had a crush on each other. Whoops . . .
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
I'm soooo disappointed in this book.
* Deep Sigh *
I am a HUGE fan of LGBT. I love how the characters and stories are always so lively, creative, over-the-top, diverse, etc. So I truly was excited when I received Anything Could Happen for review. What I thought was going to be an amazing coming of age story about a young guy in love with his bestfriend, turned out to be a lackluster experience full of eye-rolls and heavy yawns.
If anything could happen, why didn't it?
Characters -- Eh, Meh, Blah.
50 pages in my first reaction was, " okay this is weird. " and it was. The main character Tretch was just so . . . strange? I can't really find the right word to describe our MC, and it's not that I didn't like him, I just didn't care for him too much. What I can describe is that he was wayyyyy too needy for my tastes. I know he had a crush on his bestfriend Matt, but my gosh they were so freaking DEPENDENT on each other to the point it was WEIRD. While it's not cool to bully people or make assumptions, if the author never specified that Matt was the, " straight bestfriend " I would have completely thought that he and Tretch had a crush on each other. Whoops . . .
January 8, 2016
I started off really loving this book!!! BUT unfortunately, somewhere towards the middle Anything Could Happen just dragged itself into yawn territory. It went from being curious and entertaining to a pretty dull shade of gray, with not much excitement or drama or anything interesting happening with the MC.
I think the writing in this novel is pretty solid. I loved the flow of it, which made this an easy quick read for me. I also really liked all of the characters, from the MC Tretch-O, to his family members, and all of his friends (Matt, Lana, Amy). I thought it to be refreshing that there weren't a lot of cliches presented in this novel. That said, it still was highly predictable.
Tretch had his annoying moments--the crying every couple pages just was too much for me--but there is something about his character that makes you quickly warm to him and cheer wildly for him and his happiness as he discovers himself in this enjoyable coming to age novel. This was a light, pleasant read, though for me, it just wasn't a very memorable one.
I think the writing in this novel is pretty solid. I loved the flow of it, which made this an easy quick read for me. I also really liked all of the characters, from the MC Tretch-O, to his family members, and all of his friends (Matt, Lana, Amy). I thought it to be refreshing that there weren't a lot of cliches presented in this novel. That said, it still was highly predictable.
Tretch had his annoying moments--the crying every couple pages just was too much for me--but there is something about his character that makes you quickly warm to him and cheer wildly for him and his happiness as he discovers himself in this enjoyable coming to age novel. This was a light, pleasant read, though for me, it just wasn't a very memorable one.
June 7, 2015
This is a gentle, positive story about a gay boy in a small town who has a crush on his straight best friend. Tretch has secretly been in love with Matt for years, and he's stuck in a bit of a limbo. His own family loves him and he's sure they'd be okay with him being gay... or almost sure. Not quite enough to have come out to them yet. His best friend Matt has two dads, so he'd surely be good with someone being gay, and he's protective of Tretch. But no matter how often Tretch pictures coming out to him and joyfully hearing him say "Yeah, me too..." he can't quite believe it. Matt has always seemed pretty oblivious to anything more than friendship between them. Then Matt develops a crush on a girl, and life starts to change for Tretch.
I enjoyed this story - the writing is good, the characters warm and just quirky enough not to be cardboard cut-outs. I liked that it doesn't plunge into deep dark angst like many YA coming out stories do. I did wish the author had taken it a bit further at the end, or made one of the events a little deeper. This all felt a bit too easy, and a couple of scenes I'd been anticipating hadn't happened by the end of the book. But it was a smooth, easy read with a warm tone.
I enjoyed this story - the writing is good, the characters warm and just quirky enough not to be cardboard cut-outs. I liked that it doesn't plunge into deep dark angst like many YA coming out stories do. I did wish the author had taken it a bit further at the end, or made one of the events a little deeper. This all felt a bit too easy, and a couple of scenes I'd been anticipating hadn't happened by the end of the book. But it was a smooth, easy read with a warm tone.
November 6, 2015
Me gustó, es una historia sencilla y tranquila, con un manojo de positivismo. Me gustaría tener el optimismo de Tretch, un personaje muy querible, ¡y eso que me recordó mucho a alguien que me cae mal!
Lindo libro.
Lindo libro.
April 10, 2016
Nota emotiva: 3/5
Nota técnica: 1/5
Como parte de mis propósitos de año nuevo me propuse a mí mismo el ser más honesto tanto para conmigo como para con los demás, por lo que de ahora en adelante daré dos calificaciones a la mayoría de mis libros, la nota emotiva que está dada en base a lo que me hizo sentir la historia ya sea que haya sido enojo o alegría y la cual será explicada en mis entradas del Blog, y la nota técnica la cual calificara la prosa, el estilo, el ritmo, los personajes, el mundo, la trama y el arco o arcos argumentales que convergen en el libro, la cual es la que explicaré aquí, en Goodreads
Terminado esa explicación, veamos...
Todo puede suceder se presento a mí como una nueva novela de temática LGBTTI, con una portada llamativa y una sinopsis un poco intrigante, la verdad es que le tenía ganas.
Lamentablemente me tope con una historia que como el 99% de las novelas juveniles de hoy en día, no aporta nada nuevo ni al tema ni al desarrollo del género.
Hablamos de la vida de un chico llamado Trech-o, diminutivo de Richi, diminutivo de Richard, sí... ya desde ahí el autor agarró vuelo.
No me malinterpreten, la historia me gustó al punto que le dí 3 estrellas en calificación emotiva, pero como les dije... aquí en Goodreads calificaré otras cosas.
PERSONAJES: Planos, sin mucho más, se la pasan dando guiños y puñetazos al aire, literalmente si contará el número de veces que el autor dice que alguien hizo un guiño, les juro que podría llegar a las 150... en un libro de 282 páginas, lo que hace que cada dos páginas alguien haga un guiño... sigo sin saber como es que los correctores de estilo no se dieron cuenta de eso, además de que siempre que habla de la expresión de alguien dice que dio un "puñetazo en el aire" como si eso pasará en la vida real cada 5 minutos.
El personaje de Trech-o que obviamente es el Gay, es más estereotipado que Bella en Crepúsculo, frágil, indefenso, acomplejado, SU VIDA ES SUMAMENTE PERFECTA y el con sus maduros 15 años se la pasa viendole lo malo a todoooooooo, sus padres lo aman y lo cuidan excesivamente y él se la pasa diciendo que tal vez su vida podría mejorar, y en la siguiente página dice que bueno, que su vida es perfecta y que es muy feliz... una vez más, en serio que me confunde. Obviamente como es Gay, no sabe hacer otra cosa que no sea cantar canciones de cantantes pop (mujeres) y bailar y hacer coreografías, y obviamente como es Gay se enamora de su mejor amigo heterosexual, el cual obviamente es perfecto... entienden lo que les digo de los estereotipos.
Con respecto al sentido de la historia la verdad no tiene ninguno, un momento habla de su familia, en otro momento habla de la familia de su amigo del cual se enamora, en otro momento de la vida en una granja, luego de algo que tiene que ver con la navidad, luego de un parto de una vaca que LITERALMENTE son como 20 páginas... o sea una décima parte del libro casi casi, luego habla de la muerte de un pariente y al final no tiene ninguna relevancia, luego habla de la perdida de alguien que es muy especial para él y al final, pues bueno es como si en 2 semanas hubiera superado todo y ya nada le importa.
SIN PIES NI CABEZA.
Sinceramente a pesar de que el libro me lo leí prácticamente en una sentada, y llegué a divertirme leyéndolo, como les dije... viéndolo de una manera fría, pues sí... el libro se queda con 1/5.
Nota técnica: 1/5
Como parte de mis propósitos de año nuevo me propuse a mí mismo el ser más honesto tanto para conmigo como para con los demás, por lo que de ahora en adelante daré dos calificaciones a la mayoría de mis libros, la nota emotiva que está dada en base a lo que me hizo sentir la historia ya sea que haya sido enojo o alegría y la cual será explicada en mis entradas del Blog, y la nota técnica la cual calificara la prosa, el estilo, el ritmo, los personajes, el mundo, la trama y el arco o arcos argumentales que convergen en el libro, la cual es la que explicaré aquí, en Goodreads
Terminado esa explicación, veamos...
Todo puede suceder se presento a mí como una nueva novela de temática LGBTTI, con una portada llamativa y una sinopsis un poco intrigante, la verdad es que le tenía ganas.
Lamentablemente me tope con una historia que como el 99% de las novelas juveniles de hoy en día, no aporta nada nuevo ni al tema ni al desarrollo del género.
Hablamos de la vida de un chico llamado Trech-o, diminutivo de Richi, diminutivo de Richard, sí... ya desde ahí el autor agarró vuelo.
No me malinterpreten, la historia me gustó al punto que le dí 3 estrellas en calificación emotiva, pero como les dije... aquí en Goodreads calificaré otras cosas.
PERSONAJES: Planos, sin mucho más, se la pasan dando guiños y puñetazos al aire, literalmente si contará el número de veces que el autor dice que alguien hizo un guiño, les juro que podría llegar a las 150... en un libro de 282 páginas, lo que hace que cada dos páginas alguien haga un guiño... sigo sin saber como es que los correctores de estilo no se dieron cuenta de eso, además de que siempre que habla de la expresión de alguien dice que dio un "puñetazo en el aire" como si eso pasará en la vida real cada 5 minutos.
El personaje de Trech-o que obviamente es el Gay, es más estereotipado que Bella en Crepúsculo, frágil, indefenso, acomplejado, SU VIDA ES SUMAMENTE PERFECTA y el con sus maduros 15 años se la pasa viendole lo malo a todoooooooo, sus padres lo aman y lo cuidan excesivamente y él se la pasa diciendo que tal vez su vida podría mejorar, y en la siguiente página dice que bueno, que su vida es perfecta y que es muy feliz... una vez más, en serio que me confunde. Obviamente como es Gay, no sabe hacer otra cosa que no sea cantar canciones de cantantes pop (mujeres) y bailar y hacer coreografías, y obviamente como es Gay se enamora de su mejor amigo heterosexual, el cual obviamente es perfecto... entienden lo que les digo de los estereotipos.
Con respecto al sentido de la historia la verdad no tiene ninguno, un momento habla de su familia, en otro momento habla de la familia de su amigo del cual se enamora, en otro momento de la vida en una granja, luego de algo que tiene que ver con la navidad, luego de un parto de una vaca que LITERALMENTE son como 20 páginas... o sea una décima parte del libro casi casi, luego habla de la muerte de un pariente y al final no tiene ninguna relevancia, luego habla de la perdida de alguien que es muy especial para él y al final, pues bueno es como si en 2 semanas hubiera superado todo y ya nada le importa.
SIN PIES NI CABEZA.
Sinceramente a pesar de que el libro me lo leí prácticamente en una sentada, y llegué a divertirme leyéndolo, como les dije... viéndolo de una manera fría, pues sí... el libro se queda con 1/5.
July 25, 2017
3,5
Fue una lectura entretenida, me engancho y los personajes conectaron conmigo. No es una lectura espectacular, pero fue divertida.
Fue una lectura entretenida, me engancho y los personajes conectaron conmigo. No es una lectura espectacular, pero fue divertida.
November 7, 2017
I don't know why it took me so long to finally read this one. Now that I have, I honestly don't know what to say. This book resonated with me on a level I didn't expect. The last time I felt this way about a contemporary was when I read (and watched) THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky. Really, this book is a gem. Maybe when I've stepped away from this one long enough, I'll come back here to give a proper review, but for now just know that I loved this one. I look forward to reading more of Will's books in the future.
April 27, 2015
This book is perfect. I vibrated, hummed, laughed, cried, danced, forgot to breathe. I felt like Tretch was part of me every minute I was reading, partly because the writing is so good you can't help but feel everything he feels, but also partly because I recognize him--in myself and in my life. This book tells a complex story, different from ones you've read before, and every moment feels true.
July 2, 2018
. : ☾⋆ — 4 ★
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2KzXzjJ
buddy read with L.C.!!!!
you know how sometimes you start a book and you’re like “oh this book is going to be x, y & z.” and it turns out the book is everything BUT x, y & z in a really good way? well this book was that but to the tenth power. to begin with, i thought this book was going to be a simple & silly gay contemporary with a butt load of cheesy romance that is unrealistic for characters who are 15 but still a feel-good nevertheless. was i wrong? not entirely. but i’m very happy to say that it was much more than just that.
in this book there’s life, death, suicide, family, cancer, bullying, mental illness, a tiny bit of religion, and over it all, self-love. the ending is bittersweet and there’s little to no romance. for such a seemingly innocent looking book, this was so much more than i bargained for, in a good way.
i like that this isn’t a book that’s necessarily about coming out or being gay. it’s a part of tretch’s character, yes, but it’s not his whole personality. i also like that, upon his coming out, tretch’s main worry isn’t his family or their religion or what people might think about him, it’s all him just being a little shy. i like that it included the possibility of not just friendships developing into crushes, but also crushes developing into friendships and staying friendships. i like that it gave characters redeemable qualities and second chances. on a different note completely, i also like that the characters are generally not ashamed to be around their parents, or to call their parents their friends. i like that this book wasn’t a romance novel. i like that this book had a bit of an open ending. i’m gonna be honest, i just really liked this book.
this isn’t a life changing novel for sure, but it’s definitely a very cute book with a story that goes much deeper than i first realized when i picked it up. definitely glad that i finally came around to reading it!!
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2KzXzjJ
buddy read with L.C.!!!!
you know how sometimes you start a book and you’re like “oh this book is going to be x, y & z.” and it turns out the book is everything BUT x, y & z in a really good way? well this book was that but to the tenth power. to begin with, i thought this book was going to be a simple & silly gay contemporary with a butt load of cheesy romance that is unrealistic for characters who are 15 but still a feel-good nevertheless. was i wrong? not entirely. but i’m very happy to say that it was much more than just that.
in this book there’s life, death, suicide, family, cancer, bullying, mental illness, a tiny bit of religion, and over it all, self-love. the ending is bittersweet and there’s little to no romance. for such a seemingly innocent looking book, this was so much more than i bargained for, in a good way.
i like that this isn’t a book that’s necessarily about coming out or being gay. it’s a part of tretch’s character, yes, but it’s not his whole personality. i also like that, upon his coming out, tretch’s main worry isn’t his family or their religion or what people might think about him, it’s all him just being a little shy. i like that it included the possibility of not just friendships developing into crushes, but also crushes developing into friendships and staying friendships. i like that it gave characters redeemable qualities and second chances. on a different note completely, i also like that the characters are generally not ashamed to be around their parents, or to call their parents their friends. i like that this book wasn’t a romance novel. i like that this book had a bit of an open ending. i’m gonna be honest, i just really liked this book.
this isn’t a life changing novel for sure, but it’s definitely a very cute book with a story that goes much deeper than i first realized when i picked it up. definitely glad that i finally came around to reading it!!
June 15, 2020
*3.5*
Este libro automáticamente se convirtió en uno de confort para mi.
Me he dado cuenta que disfruto mucho las historias "slice of life", y más cuando con contemporáneas, y eso es justamente lo que que este libro. Un "pedazo" pequeño de la vida de los protas, 2 semanas nada más, pero que en esas 2 semanas podemos tener un entendimiento muy claro de quienes son y como es su situación.
Todo Puede Suceder es una historia super sencilla, con una trama sencilla y con un desarrollo, en efecto, sencillo. Tenemos a Tretch, un chico que esta enamorado de su mejor amigo Matt (que por cierto es hetero) y está lidiando con sus sentimientos y sexualidad. Es una historia realista, creo que puedo decir que muchas personas han estado en la misma situación, y además es importante. Cualquier libro lgbt+ para mí tiene ese valor agregado, que tiene representación necesaria para la sociedad actual.
Los personajes no me terminaron de encantar, especialmente Tretch. Su personalidad nunca me quedó totalmente clara y siento que a veces era muy caótico en el sentido que era demasiado y no había orden. Matt es muy plano y no conocemos mucho de él, al igual que los familiares de Tretch y los amigos de los protas. Si me hubiera gustado mucho que hubiera más desarrollo en todos ellos porque creo que pudieron haber sido muy buenos.
La trama me gusto, solo que a mi parecer hubieron demasiadas cosas y muchos elementos que al final no terminaron siendo bien utilizados. El autor le metió demasiados elementos a la historia y luego no las mencionaba de nuevo o nada más estaban ahí de decoración. ¿La historia pudo haber sido sin tener tantas cosas? Sí, pero no puedo negar que disfrute mucho lo que estaba leyendo.
A diferencia de muchos, yo si disfrute el final. Es algo abierto y se puede decir que termina cuando aún queda mucha historia por contar pero, como mencioné, es solo un pedazo de la vida de los protas. El autor nos da esta ventana para poder echar un vistazo a la situación de los protas, y me gustó mucho. Se sintió también como una película de netflix, y fácilmente veo esta historia en la pantalla grande.
Este libro se convirtió en uno de esos que son lecturas de confort porque me hizo sentir bien y a gusto mientras lo leía. Me veo releyéndolo en épocas navideñas y es de esas historias a las que recurriré cuando me seinta mal o necesita un pick me up.
Este libro automáticamente se convirtió en uno de confort para mi.
Me he dado cuenta que disfruto mucho las historias "slice of life", y más cuando con contemporáneas, y eso es justamente lo que que este libro. Un "pedazo" pequeño de la vida de los protas, 2 semanas nada más, pero que en esas 2 semanas podemos tener un entendimiento muy claro de quienes son y como es su situación.
Todo Puede Suceder es una historia super sencilla, con una trama sencilla y con un desarrollo, en efecto, sencillo. Tenemos a Tretch, un chico que esta enamorado de su mejor amigo Matt (que por cierto es hetero) y está lidiando con sus sentimientos y sexualidad. Es una historia realista, creo que puedo decir que muchas personas han estado en la misma situación, y además es importante. Cualquier libro lgbt+ para mí tiene ese valor agregado, que tiene representación necesaria para la sociedad actual.
Los personajes no me terminaron de encantar, especialmente Tretch. Su personalidad nunca me quedó totalmente clara y siento que a veces era muy caótico en el sentido que era demasiado y no había orden. Matt es muy plano y no conocemos mucho de él, al igual que los familiares de Tretch y los amigos de los protas. Si me hubiera gustado mucho que hubiera más desarrollo en todos ellos porque creo que pudieron haber sido muy buenos.
La trama me gusto, solo que a mi parecer hubieron demasiadas cosas y muchos elementos que al final no terminaron siendo bien utilizados. El autor le metió demasiados elementos a la historia y luego no las mencionaba de nuevo o nada más estaban ahí de decoración. ¿La historia pudo haber sido sin tener tantas cosas? Sí, pero no puedo negar que disfrute mucho lo que estaba leyendo.
A diferencia de muchos, yo si disfrute el final. Es algo abierto y se puede decir que termina cuando aún queda mucha historia por contar pero, como mencioné, es solo un pedazo de la vida de los protas. El autor nos da esta ventana para poder echar un vistazo a la situación de los protas, y me gustó mucho. Se sintió también como una película de netflix, y fácilmente veo esta historia en la pantalla grande.
Este libro se convirtió en uno de esos que son lecturas de confort porque me hizo sentir bien y a gusto mientras lo leía. Me veo releyéndolo en épocas navideñas y es de esas historias a las que recurriré cuando me seinta mal o necesita un pick me up.
January 17, 2016
In a young voice, perhaps too young for a high schooler, this book tells the story of Trench. It follows the same old trope of gay boy falls for straight best friend. Unfortunately, anyone well versed in this genre has been there, done that. There is of course a secondary female character, and Trent finds himself in a situation of forced intimacy. This is followed by the usual female love interest of his male crush, a device used to create tension and jealousy. It is all so trite and derivative. Then, rounding things off is the bully. The bully piece followed the tradition of a neat and tight ending where the victim casually accepts the bullying and carries the blame for the bully’s behavior. This is, like usual, a particularly callous thing when the gay population has been plagued with an uptick in bullying and harassment.
It is written in a casual, young voice, which, while a decent approach, feels a bit dead, a bit emotionless. A first person novel tend to have a large emphasis on introspection, but unlike the majority of its fellow brethren, this one offers a brief exploration of Trend’s mind, and it misses the opportunity to explore his motivations. The issue is, that without a necessary amount of introspection and a high reliance on character development, the novel felt more like a book that would have been more successful if it was written in third person. I forget who said it, but a first person novel should be avoided unless your character is truly original and offers something and contributes to the layers of the genre, rather then just slapping on redundancies.
This is most likely why I felt detached from his character. I didn’t fully understand him, and as the novel progressed I really didn’t want to know more. He is also a whiny little bitch like Charlie (perks...). I wanted to strangle him and yell, "STOP with the fucking crying!!!".
Moreover, there were only shades of well-developed characters. Matt, Trent’s obsession, with his lack of a defined character, felt like secondary to the plot, which was ultimately troubling seeing how he was suppose to be such a pivotal actor in the novel.
The tension of the interplay between Trent and Lana never reached full throttle, and since this was a way of engaging Trent’s sexuality, and therefore a push to out himself, I never felt that he was emotionally ready, nor was it necessary for him to come out. I’ve read a lot of this genre. A lot. A lot. The well-conceived protagonist always is in a place where he can really no longer deny himself the expression of his sexuality and sexual identity. I didn’t feel this way with Trent.
Lastly, just because of Will’s parental situation he is all accepting of Trent? Really? Really? The kid is literally cock out twice, exposing himself in a way that a lot of straight guys do with one another, but he is all happy and accepting of Trent’s sexual identity?
All and all this was an OK read, and would be great starter piece for those interested in gay YA novels. It is bland, mundane, and offers just enough for those with a budding curiosity for this genre. Equally, this book surely offers a kind and gentle start for those trying to comprehend their own sexuality/identity. For me this novel just didn’t have much spark, and because I surround myself w/ gay lit, it didn’t offer anything new.
here's the thing, though. I will absol-fuckin-lutely search out more of Will Walton's work. I think he is one to watch. But next time, Will, lets avoid the fucking stereotypes. thanks
It is written in a casual, young voice, which, while a decent approach, feels a bit dead, a bit emotionless. A first person novel tend to have a large emphasis on introspection, but unlike the majority of its fellow brethren, this one offers a brief exploration of Trend’s mind, and it misses the opportunity to explore his motivations. The issue is, that without a necessary amount of introspection and a high reliance on character development, the novel felt more like a book that would have been more successful if it was written in third person. I forget who said it, but a first person novel should be avoided unless your character is truly original and offers something and contributes to the layers of the genre, rather then just slapping on redundancies.
This is most likely why I felt detached from his character. I didn’t fully understand him, and as the novel progressed I really didn’t want to know more. He is also a whiny little bitch like Charlie (perks...). I wanted to strangle him and yell, "STOP with the fucking crying!!!".
Moreover, there were only shades of well-developed characters. Matt, Trent’s obsession, with his lack of a defined character, felt like secondary to the plot, which was ultimately troubling seeing how he was suppose to be such a pivotal actor in the novel.
The tension of the interplay between Trent and Lana never reached full throttle, and since this was a way of engaging Trent’s sexuality, and therefore a push to out himself, I never felt that he was emotionally ready, nor was it necessary for him to come out. I’ve read a lot of this genre. A lot. A lot. The well-conceived protagonist always is in a place where he can really no longer deny himself the expression of his sexuality and sexual identity. I didn’t feel this way with Trent.
Lastly, just because of Will’s parental situation he is all accepting of Trent? Really? Really? The kid is literally cock out twice, exposing himself in a way that a lot of straight guys do with one another, but he is all happy and accepting of Trent’s sexual identity?
All and all this was an OK read, and would be great starter piece for those interested in gay YA novels. It is bland, mundane, and offers just enough for those with a budding curiosity for this genre. Equally, this book surely offers a kind and gentle start for those trying to comprehend their own sexuality/identity. For me this novel just didn’t have much spark, and because I surround myself w/ gay lit, it didn’t offer anything new.
here's the thing, though. I will absol-fuckin-lutely search out more of Will Walton's work. I think he is one to watch. But next time, Will, lets avoid the fucking stereotypes. thanks
March 4, 2016
Es un libro qe cuanto termine me sorprendí sonriendo! =) Es una historia qe te deja lleno de alegría, de esperanza y te demuestra qe en verdad todo puede suceder. Es una lectura muy ligera una historia preciosa sobre un chico qe enfrenta sus mayores temores... el más grande: vivir y ser el mismo. Es genial!!
April 13, 2017
3.5 / 5
Lindo. Eso es todo. Ojalá le hicieran una secuela, quedan muchos cabos sueltos.
Reseña: http://www.eternamenteentiniebla.com/...
Lindo. Eso es todo. Ojalá le hicieran una secuela, quedan muchos cabos sueltos.
Reseña: http://www.eternamenteentiniebla.com/...
July 2, 2018
"Reading’s just another form of travel, after all.”
And what an adventure this book was!
Man oh man this story wasn’t what I expected. When I came into this, I was expecting the majority of this story to be about Tretch and his straight best friend, Matt. I thought I was preparing for romantic drama, the family drama with coming out, the drama with Tretch coming to terms with who he is.
But this story was so much more than that.
My initial thoughts about the story had me intrigued, but when I found out what it was really about, I still wasn’t disappointed. Tretch is such a precious and well thought out character. He had quirks and hobbies and insecurities and so much love for others. The story isn’t just about him coming out and it certainly isn’t about him being in a romantic relationship. It’s about the bonds he has with others, it’s about finding himself, and it’s about moving on with your life even when things don’t work out.
I’m glad this story exists. The simple writing style and execution may not be for everyone, but the messages behind this story are beautiful and wholesome and so powerful. I absolutely loved all of these characters, I felt like I really knew them. And honestly, my most favorite scenes in this book had nothing to do with romance, but it had everything to do with friendship.
The only reasons I’m giving this four stars are because some scenes felt rushed to me and because I felt like I was missing something from the writing style. Other than that, read this book. If you’re looking for a story with heartwarming, healthy relationships and a lovable MC trying to find his way, this is the story for you.
Buddy read with dany! <3
And what an adventure this book was!
Man oh man this story wasn’t what I expected. When I came into this, I was expecting the majority of this story to be about Tretch and his straight best friend, Matt. I thought I was preparing for romantic drama, the family drama with coming out, the drama with Tretch coming to terms with who he is.
But this story was so much more than that.
My initial thoughts about the story had me intrigued, but when I found out what it was really about, I still wasn’t disappointed. Tretch is such a precious and well thought out character. He had quirks and hobbies and insecurities and so much love for others. The story isn’t just about him coming out and it certainly isn’t about him being in a romantic relationship. It’s about the bonds he has with others, it’s about finding himself, and it’s about moving on with your life even when things don’t work out.
I’m glad this story exists. The simple writing style and execution may not be for everyone, but the messages behind this story are beautiful and wholesome and so powerful. I absolutely loved all of these characters, I felt like I really knew them. And honestly, my most favorite scenes in this book had nothing to do with romance, but it had everything to do with friendship.
The only reasons I’m giving this four stars are because some scenes felt rushed to me and because I felt like I was missing something from the writing style. Other than that, read this book. If you’re looking for a story with heartwarming, healthy relationships and a lovable MC trying to find his way, this is the story for you.
Buddy read with dany! <3
August 14, 2018
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS AND WAS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE WHO WAS HALF ASLEEP
I'm a sucker for any YA LGBT book. I'll read just about anything in that category. So when I came across this book at The Strand, I didn't even think about it. I just bought it.
To get things out of the way, Tretch is in love with his straight best friend Matt. Matt doesn't know Tretch is gay. No one knows actually. And from the very beginning we're thrown into Tretch's feelings growing for Matt. So I went into this thinking it was going to be the story about that, but it kind of went somewhere else.
To start off, the characters were weird. And I say this in the nicest way possible. I kept thinking Tretch was younger than he was, because of his actions and dialogue. The way he and other characters spoke made me think they were a lot younger than they really were. It was almost as if the author tried to make him as innocent as he could. Which was super weird when Tretch started thinking about sex. Threw me off completely, I even forgot what I was reading.
But there's times when random dialogue is thrown in. Like early in the book when three characters are shouting random things into the night and I kept thinking to myself, why? It felt like these characters almost had no connection to each other. Had their bond been a little stronger and had they shouted things that pertained to them and the story, it would've made more sense.
And it seemed like there was a lot of word vomit. At times, things that people think were said out loud and it felt off and out of place. But what really got to me was how random the plot was.
Yes, Tretch is in love with Matt and it mostly focuses on that but then out of nowhere things start happening. And how little things were made to be such a big thing when it wasn't. It felt like random things were added just to keep the story going.
Tretch owns a CD Player, which I find weird considering it's set in 2015. And he's really into music and dancing. But what's even more weird is that everyone seems to own a phone but him. So he's constantly borrowing someone's phone to look stuff up and then describing the phones in detail. And then his parents get him an iPod. Which was the most random thing ever, although it was for Christmas.
At the beginning we see and hear mention of a bully who then disappears for the majority of the book until the very end. After some light fighting, suddenly they're friends which is convenient seeing as he's going to need a friend after Tretch leaves. It was little things like that, that felt randomly placed that threw me off. The major one was how his family had a random post it note with a type of cancer written on it, which seemed like a device for Tretch to find out about someone's cancer. Now bear with me, there's a reason this bothered me.
We find out Character B has a certain type of cancer. Tretch finds the note and then basically finds out. And then suddenly he remembers that Character A also had the same type of cancer. Even though there was no build up to anything at all. My question is, why is there a random post it note with the type of cancer written on it. What purpose did it serve any of the other characters? It just seemed like a way to get the story going forward and for Tretch to get some conflict. But it fell flat.
I was going to finish it at that, but I was just reminded of another thing! All this mystery surrounding the uncle who committed suicide and whatnot and we never find out what really happened and why. This was done a lot with many characters Tretch comes across. We see a little bit of them and they seem interesting and like there's a story there and then they're gone forever. We don't see them anymore and they're just added to the list of random stuff.
I can't even think straight with my review, granted it's after midnight and I'm exhausted and just finished this book. But the whole thing fell flat. The ending was just as meh as the entire book. Although, I'm not going to lie, I did enjoy reading it. I was just expecting a lot more than we got. And for actual teenage characters. And for things to not be as random and to flow better.
I'm a sucker for any YA LGBT book. I'll read just about anything in that category. So when I came across this book at The Strand, I didn't even think about it. I just bought it.
To get things out of the way, Tretch is in love with his straight best friend Matt. Matt doesn't know Tretch is gay. No one knows actually. And from the very beginning we're thrown into Tretch's feelings growing for Matt. So I went into this thinking it was going to be the story about that, but it kind of went somewhere else.
To start off, the characters were weird. And I say this in the nicest way possible. I kept thinking Tretch was younger than he was, because of his actions and dialogue. The way he and other characters spoke made me think they were a lot younger than they really were. It was almost as if the author tried to make him as innocent as he could. Which was super weird when Tretch started thinking about sex. Threw me off completely, I even forgot what I was reading.
But there's times when random dialogue is thrown in. Like early in the book when three characters are shouting random things into the night and I kept thinking to myself, why? It felt like these characters almost had no connection to each other. Had their bond been a little stronger and had they shouted things that pertained to them and the story, it would've made more sense.
And it seemed like there was a lot of word vomit. At times, things that people think were said out loud and it felt off and out of place. But what really got to me was how random the plot was.
Yes, Tretch is in love with Matt and it mostly focuses on that but then out of nowhere things start happening. And how little things were made to be such a big thing when it wasn't. It felt like random things were added just to keep the story going.
Tretch owns a CD Player, which I find weird considering it's set in 2015. And he's really into music and dancing. But what's even more weird is that everyone seems to own a phone but him. So he's constantly borrowing someone's phone to look stuff up and then describing the phones in detail. And then his parents get him an iPod. Which was the most random thing ever, although it was for Christmas.
At the beginning we see and hear mention of a bully who then disappears for the majority of the book until the very end. After some light fighting, suddenly they're friends which is convenient seeing as he's going to need a friend after Tretch leaves. It was little things like that, that felt randomly placed that threw me off. The major one was how his family had a random post it note with a type of cancer written on it, which seemed like a device for Tretch to find out about someone's cancer. Now bear with me, there's a reason this bothered me.
We find out Character B has a certain type of cancer. Tretch finds the note and then basically finds out. And then suddenly he remembers that Character A also had the same type of cancer. Even though there was no build up to anything at all. My question is, why is there a random post it note with the type of cancer written on it. What purpose did it serve any of the other characters? It just seemed like a way to get the story going forward and for Tretch to get some conflict. But it fell flat.
I was going to finish it at that, but I was just reminded of another thing! All this mystery surrounding the uncle who committed suicide and whatnot and we never find out what really happened and why. This was done a lot with many characters Tretch comes across. We see a little bit of them and they seem interesting and like there's a story there and then they're gone forever. We don't see them anymore and they're just added to the list of random stuff.
I can't even think straight with my review, granted it's after midnight and I'm exhausted and just finished this book. But the whole thing fell flat. The ending was just as meh as the entire book. Although, I'm not going to lie, I did enjoy reading it. I was just expecting a lot more than we got. And for actual teenage characters. And for things to not be as random and to flow better.
January 8, 2016
This book has everything - joy, heartfelt tears, and the blissful celebration of a dance party. I rooted out loud for Tretch (publicly) and then immediately book talked this smart novel to the three random strangers who wondered what book could bring such responses. (And, we are now friends because they will pass this book's magic along as well.). The best, most authentic, most necessary book I have read in quite awhile.
January 25, 2016
Un libro que sin lugar a dudas lo disfrute mucho, a pesar de que a mitad de la lectura se me hizo algo lento y esto puede resultar hasta un poco tedioso, pero después vuelve a retomar eso interesare y entretenido como había comenzado, y que me enamoro de los personajes que por cierto esto es otra caso que quiero recalcar que la trama tiene aproximadamente 5 o 7 personales a lo mucho y esto hace que les tomes algo de cariño especial a cada uno de ellos. Un libro que no habla de La familia, la amistad, el primer amor, como tomar decisiones importantes de la vida y sobre todo y lo mas importante disfrutar día a día y ser uno mismo. No se si esto pueda suceder o no, pero me encantaría que sacaran una segunda parte del libro ya que algo malo de este libro es el final, y esto ya que es algo muy rápido en como se soluciona la situación o como el autor cerro el ciclo de esto que era la trama principal y que siento que se perdió mucho a lo largo del libro. Pero aun así me gusto mucho y desde hace tiempo tenia muchas ganas de leer este libro,
Read
November 22, 2015Really sweet m/m YA I think perfectly fills a gap in the younger YA side. Not that there aren't great gay YAs appropriate for the younger set, but the ones that come to mind for me immediately are all romances. So often at that age, it's about coming into your own and the trickiness of unrequited love that comes with having such a strong connection to someone, but with the fundamental and (usually) impassable barrier of conflicting sexual orientations in the way, and I think ACH nails that while still being a feel-good, hopeful story full of promise. Bonus points for major teen realism regarding parental involvement in your social life at that age, especially driving to dates; there's definitely no absent parent (or grandparent) syndrome in this book, and though Matt's dads are definitely the shining parentals here, all the family members are nicely done.
August 21, 2015
Such a beautiful story about friendship, family, first love and finding yourself. Tretch was such an inspiring character, with an original story. I loved that this book showed how much music, and also books, can mean to teenagers, how they give people hope, inspiration and, somehow, a friend. It's a fast, light read, well written, and at the same time meaningful. Loved it!
September 5, 2020
I wanted to love this book, I really did. I was very excited when I discovered it because I have some experience in the matter, but I was ultimately disappointed, and more than a little irritated by how this particular subject is treated here.
I mean look at that description! It’s incredible how beautifully Walton captured the feeling of realisation. Now, fast forward to three months after this moment, when the story really starts and the book just takes a turn for the worse—without ever stopping.
(Real talk: does this sound like a straight 15 year old living in a small town in, what I’m assuming is, the South of the US?? No, no it doesn’t).
When I read this, I was absolutely hooked on the idea of it, even though I’ve only ever read maybe 2 other contemporary books in my life. With expectations that high, I was quickly disappointed after the first few chapters because Anything Could Happen was neither ‘poignant’ (it starts off that way but the feeling is lost fairly quickly), nor ‘hard-hitting’, nor even an ‘exploration of love and friendship’ to the degree that’s implied (Tretch only really angst over it for a short amount of time and then listens to a single song and just decides he’s over the whole thing. This is why no one takes 15 year olds seriously), while the fact that his life changes quite significantly doesn’t seem to have a heavy impact him since he really just takes it all in stride.
Anything Could Happen follows Tretch as he comes to terms with being gay and in love with his straight best friend Matt (I think? The facts that I forgot his name should tell you how much I didn’t like this book ). At least that’s what it wants you to think. The book started out spectacularly, we are introduced to Tretch and Matt through the moment Tretch realised he was in love with his best friend, and I melted right there because the description is so vivid:
‘That’s when he [Matt] slid his right hand along the edge of his seat, found mine, and squeezed. It sent this gentle buzzing feeling right up the back of my neck, and with it not a complete thought yet, but the essence of a thought, the kind that gets lots between bigger, louder thoughts. The kind of thought that’s barely louder than the feeling itself’
I mean look at that description! It’s incredible how beautifully Walton captured the feeling of realisation. Now, fast forward to three months after this moment, when the story really starts and the book just takes a turn for the worse—without ever stopping.
First off, I want to talk bout the plot, or rather, the lack of one. I am, by no means, an expert in how to construct a novel, but even I know that certain elements are a must, such as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Anything Could Happen only checked 2 out of 5, with a general lack of rising action, climax, and falling action, which severely weakened the plot (I guess you could argue that certain aspects could qualify as the rising and falling action but the lack of a significant climax was very obvious). What should’ve been a fairly straightforward plot, clearly outlined within the first few pages (and the blurb, which I will get to later on), was quickly overshadowed by a number of different subplots. While the main focus was always the way Tretch was supposed to handle his feelings towards Matt, it would take a backseat for the most random reasons, which served to further weaken the story and left me with a number of questions:
- What was the point of the cancer theme? It’s brought up on several occasions without having a real impact on the plot itself—or even on Tretch himself since no one close to him actively suffers from it. This is a fairly significant thing to include in a book and I feel like it’s not given nearly enough gravity with the way it’s treated here.
- Mental illness and PTSD are brought up through one specific character but they’re never given any serious recognition, nor do they contribute in any way to the story. Were they just meant to make Tretch realise that keeping a journal is a good idea? Again, there’s a lack of importance accorded.
- Why was Tretch sick all of a sudden in the middle of the book? And why did his dad just shrug it off and not tell his mom how serious the situation had been? I mean, if this were a fantasy novel, I’d say Tretch were coming into his inheritance on his dad’s side, but this wasn’t the case…
- There was a pregnant, distressed cow that had nothing to do with the story???? Was it some kind of metaphor???? Was it meant to scar Tretch and Matt (and me) emotionally??? The entire thing was incredibly weird, so who even knows???
My second big problem with Anything Could Happen was its characters and how incredibly unrealistic/forgettable they were, as well as their relationships with each other. Matt, Tretch, and Amy all talk as if they were housewives from the 1950s (you know, the ones in tv series/films that are so polite you feel like they just want to drown you in honey), which comes off as incredibly fake, if a bit generic. Their interactions either feel as if someone were forcing them to play nice (that situation where your parents tell you to hang out with a kid you barely know and you both just kind of awkwardly make painful small talk because you both would rather be literally anywhere else), or what an idealised version of a group of 15 year olds should sound like (Tretch is so far removed from reality that he would be more convincing as an elf).
I also want to talk about the relationship between Tretch and Matt. They’re incredibly dependent on each other, which is frequently pointed out by other characters actually, to the point that it’s even a bit unhealthy if you ask me. Matt seems to need Tretch to the point where it creates an imbalance in their relationship: Tretch is always there for Matt while the latter never provides the same support. Even more than that, if it wasn’t repeatedly specified that Matt was very, very straight, I would think he were in love with Tretch and used the most ridiculous excuses to be near him (like inviting Tretch along on his date with Amy):
‘I—I need you to be there […] I need you like no other’
‘I’m so glad Tretch [that you came along on my date with Amy]. Really’
(Real talk: does this sound like a straight 15 year old living in a small town in, what I’m assuming is, the South of the US?? No, no it doesn’t).
The worst part of this book, however, was its blurb, and more specifically, this part:
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN is a poignant, hard-hitting exploration of love and friendship, a provocative debut that shows that sometimes we have to let things fall apart before we can make them whole again.
When I read this, I was absolutely hooked on the idea of it, even though I’ve only ever read maybe 2 other contemporary books in my life. With expectations that high, I was quickly disappointed after the first few chapters because Anything Could Happen was neither ‘poignant’ (it starts off that way but the feeling is lost fairly quickly), nor ‘hard-hitting’, nor even an ‘exploration of love and friendship’ to the degree that’s implied (Tretch only really angst over it for a short amount of time and then listens to a single song and just decides he’s over the whole thing. This is why no one takes 15 year olds seriously), while the fact that his life changes quite significantly doesn’t seem to have a heavy impact him since he really just takes it all in stride.
I went into this book fully expecting a strong emotional response, in fact, if I’m being honest, the heartbreak I expected from this book was one of the reasons I picked it up, so the execution of the story and the treatment of this particular subject have left me very disappointed. I do not recommend this book to anyone, for any reason, especially if you want a story that corresponds to your expectations.
September 16, 2018
I loved the unrequited romance that was present in this book and how realistic it was. As I indulged in this sweet book, I realised it was tough to put it down. I felt happiness fluttering in my heart. I smiled, laughed, and was teary-eyed. Will Walton's writing takes the reader on an awe-inspiring adventure—right from the first chapter. When I reached the ending, I just couldn't get enough. In spite of this book being a beautiful one, at the end, I felt a tad empty—it did seem abrupt especially after being emotionally invested in the story, the characters and the possibilities that could exist in 'Anything Could Happen'. I wish there were a few more chapters that included Matt and Tretch's chemistry. However, Will Walton set an authentic tone which then compelled me to ponder over the fact that sometimes certain questions are best left unanswered and life itself can be quite unfair thus leaving us with a bittersweet ending.
March 8, 2016
Leer reseña en mi blog
Tretch es un chico que le encanta bailar, leer, su único amigo es Matt, y se acaba de dar cuenta que es homosexual; enamorarte de tu mejor amigo es difícil y que seas homosexual mientras que tu mejor amigo es heterosexual no lo hace más fácil. Esto le está pasando a Tretch, se dio cuenta que era homosexual al empezar a tener sentimientos que van más allá de la amistad hacia por Matt.
Es el primer libro de temática gay que leo por lo que empecé el libro sin saber que me podría encontrar, pero acabó encantándome.
Tretch es lo que más me gustó de la historia, para empezar cuando se da cuenta que es homosexual no se deprime, ni nada parecido, por supuesto que es difícil para él, pero no se deja derrumbar, siempre trata de mirar el lado positivo de las cosas, es amable y gracioso, su personalidad es realmente admirable, además ¡lee!
"Querer a alguien significa desear que esa persona sea feliz, aun cuando, a la larga, eso le vaya a entristecer a uno"
La manera en que interactua con su familia me gustó mucho, se nota los cercanos que son todos, pero aun así Tretch tiene cierto miedo de contar que es gay, así que siente algo de culpa porque aunque sabe que su familia lo quiere no ha dejado que lo vean tal y como es.
Matt no tengo que decir mucho sobre él, es un buen amigo, se preocupa mucho por Tretch y lo protege de todas esas personas que lo fastidian, sus padres son homosexuales y son ¡geniales!.
Tenemos a otros personajes que con los que Tretch y Matt se llevan, como Lana que le gusta Tretch y obviamente ella no sabe que él es homosexual, todos y cada uno de los personajes aportan cosas durante la historia que hacen que Tretch se de cuenta del valor que tiene la familia, los amigos y la vida en general.
"Pero quiero que sepa que todo está bien, que yo entiendo la muerte y no le temo, porque la muerte es parte de la vida. No le tengo miedo a la vida, de ninguna manera, aun cuando pueda ser dura y tener partes tristes. Aun así, siempre hay cosas buenas. Las coas buenas siempre estarán."
El libro por supuesto que el tema central es la homosexualidad de Tretch, pero la combinación de otros temas se acoplan muy bien al libro y lo hacen más especial, la forma en que nuestro protagonista reflexiona sobre la vida y el amor es realmente bonito.
Para ser el primer libro de Will Walton tiene un buen ritmo, es una historia sencilla pero que no deja ser especial, es fresca aunque puede resultar algo lenta en un principio, no hay ningún giro del que digas !WOW¡, ¿qué pasó aquí?, el libro sigue un ritmo constante y nos cuenta la vida de Tretch como si fuera un chico normal que podría ser cualquier otro del mundo, así que si esperan giros en la trama no los van a a encontrar, pero no por esto deja de ser una buena historia.
El final me pereció un poco abierto, pero también lo sentí como un buen final, claro que me hubiera gustado saber más, pero el sentimiento que te deja al concluir el libro es de esperanza, de apreciar el valor de familia, de la vida, del amor y de uno mismo.
"Esto es lo mejor que hay, pienso para mí mismo ante todo lo que estoy percibiendo: papá felicitando a mamá por su guiso de calabacines y la sonrisa que ella le devuelve; Joe sonriéndole al teléfono que tiene en el regazo, la abuela limpiándole la cara al abuelo. Es un festín de amor, un festín de chispas."
Tretch es un chico que le encanta bailar, leer, su único amigo es Matt, y se acaba de dar cuenta que es homosexual; enamorarte de tu mejor amigo es difícil y que seas homosexual mientras que tu mejor amigo es heterosexual no lo hace más fácil. Esto le está pasando a Tretch, se dio cuenta que era homosexual al empezar a tener sentimientos que van más allá de la amistad hacia por Matt.
Es el primer libro de temática gay que leo por lo que empecé el libro sin saber que me podría encontrar, pero acabó encantándome.
Tretch es lo que más me gustó de la historia, para empezar cuando se da cuenta que es homosexual no se deprime, ni nada parecido, por supuesto que es difícil para él, pero no se deja derrumbar, siempre trata de mirar el lado positivo de las cosas, es amable y gracioso, su personalidad es realmente admirable, además ¡lee!
"Querer a alguien significa desear que esa persona sea feliz, aun cuando, a la larga, eso le vaya a entristecer a uno"
La manera en que interactua con su familia me gustó mucho, se nota los cercanos que son todos, pero aun así Tretch tiene cierto miedo de contar que es gay, así que siente algo de culpa porque aunque sabe que su familia lo quiere no ha dejado que lo vean tal y como es.
Matt no tengo que decir mucho sobre él, es un buen amigo, se preocupa mucho por Tretch y lo protege de todas esas personas que lo fastidian, sus padres son homosexuales y son ¡geniales!.
Tenemos a otros personajes que con los que Tretch y Matt se llevan, como Lana que le gusta Tretch y obviamente ella no sabe que él es homosexual, todos y cada uno de los personajes aportan cosas durante la historia que hacen que Tretch se de cuenta del valor que tiene la familia, los amigos y la vida en general.
"Pero quiero que sepa que todo está bien, que yo entiendo la muerte y no le temo, porque la muerte es parte de la vida. No le tengo miedo a la vida, de ninguna manera, aun cuando pueda ser dura y tener partes tristes. Aun así, siempre hay cosas buenas. Las coas buenas siempre estarán."
El libro por supuesto que el tema central es la homosexualidad de Tretch, pero la combinación de otros temas se acoplan muy bien al libro y lo hacen más especial, la forma en que nuestro protagonista reflexiona sobre la vida y el amor es realmente bonito.
Para ser el primer libro de Will Walton tiene un buen ritmo, es una historia sencilla pero que no deja ser especial, es fresca aunque puede resultar algo lenta en un principio, no hay ningún giro del que digas !WOW¡, ¿qué pasó aquí?, el libro sigue un ritmo constante y nos cuenta la vida de Tretch como si fuera un chico normal que podría ser cualquier otro del mundo, así que si esperan giros en la trama no los van a a encontrar, pero no por esto deja de ser una buena historia.
El final me pereció un poco abierto, pero también lo sentí como un buen final, claro que me hubiera gustado saber más, pero el sentimiento que te deja al concluir el libro es de esperanza, de apreciar el valor de familia, de la vida, del amor y de uno mismo.
"Esto es lo mejor que hay, pienso para mí mismo ante todo lo que estoy percibiendo: papá felicitando a mamá por su guiso de calabacines y la sonrisa que ella le devuelve; Joe sonriéndole al teléfono que tiene en el regazo, la abuela limpiándole la cara al abuelo. Es un festín de amor, un festín de chispas."
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