Ocean Avenue

by K.C. Winn

Ocean Avenue

Set in Washington during the early 2000s, two high school boys from different worlds find themselves on a journey that will change their lives forever.

'Rawr' means I love you in dinosaur, or does it?
Kill is the popular bad boy—an effortlessly cool skater who’s always the center of attention. Vander, on the other hand, is a quiet artist, content to fade into the background. When their parents decide to take a spring break RV trip along the West Coast, the two boys are forced to spend two weeks together in close quarters.

As they travel the scenic coast, what starts as an uncomfortable, reluctant companionship begins to change. While coming from two different worlds, the two soon begin to realize they have more in common than they think. Kill starts to see Vander in a different light, and he’s forced to confront feelings he never expected. With the backdrop of sun, surf, and the open road, the two boys form an unexpected bond that soon turns into something deeper.

Told from Kill’s perspective, this coming-of-age story explores the complexities of discovering one's sexuality and confronting fear in the face of change. As Kill navigates his feelings for Vander, he must also prepare to face the challenges awaiting him back at school—where his newfound truth may not be so easy to accept.

Genres: Queer Romance

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2025

About the author

I've been writing since I was 13, which means I've got years of practice—and plenty of cringe-worthy early drafts to prove it. Born in the '90s, I grew up on books, video games, and questionable fashion choices. These days, I split my time between writing, traveling, reading, and being bossed around by my cat and dog (they run the house... I just pay rent). I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community and love creating stories with heart, humor, and a touch of chaos. I just published my first book, called Ocean Avenue. It is a story close to my heart, as I wrote the early drafts when I was about 13-14 years old while discovering myself, my sexuality, and learning more about gender identity. Thanks for stoppin' by.

Reviews

[Kathleen Louise Madden Hemingway · Rating 1 out of 5]

Summary: Cillian (Kill) is one of the coolest high school seniors. He’s friends with the popular kids, he’s got a beautiful girlfriend, he makes music in his spare time, and since he doesn’t plan on going to college he’s not worried about his grades. His dad invites him on a road trip down the pacific coast and choosing to go changes his whole world.

Personal Thoughts: This story had issues from 3 different angles; formatting, plot, and character development. It didn’t follow standard structure for paragraphs and would have multiple different people speaking in the same paragraph so you sometimes have to guess who was saying what. It had a ridiculous number of story arcs; falling in love, chickening out at school, amnesia, the long distance issue for college, and then the epilogue is like, “yeah we broke up 4 years ago but it’s ok,” followed by randomly running into the love interest unexpectedly. I would say that any one of these could have been the novel, but NOT all 4 of them. It doesn’t do a good enough job showing how Cillian is captivated by Vander. Also, Cillian is set up as this guy who is alternative and he likes what he likes and he doesn’t care what other people think but then he *does* really care what other people think to the point where he destroys his relationship, and that dichotomy is not dwelt on enough for it to be intentional imo.

[Brooke Greathouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like this had potential. But it was hard to follow. There were multiple people speaking in the same paragraphs. There were broken off sentences that never finished. I hate that in books. Where the person gets interrupted and doesn’t finish their sentence or the sentence just trails off with the ….

I think I would have liked it a little better if it was dual pov.

There was also way too much inner dialogue that added zero to the plot. Just words on a page. Too many step by step stuff too. Like, I put on my shoes, then I grab my keys, then I go to the car, I open the door and get in…etc.

And the whole amnesia thing was just ridiculous. It was like, how many tropes can we shove into one book?

[john Gyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me in the best way. It’s heartfelt, raw, and super nostalgic if you grew up in the 2000s. The writing feels real—like you’re right there on the road trip with them. It’s about figuring yourself out, awkward moments, and unexpected connections. Definitely one of those stories that sticks with you after the last page. Loved it.

[Lyn Solomon-Linville · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all starts with an RV trip for Cillian and Vander and their father and mother respectively who have been friends since college. Cillian, straight with a girlfriend and Vander, gay and bullied at the school they both attend. And while Cillian isn't overtly part of it, he does nothing to stop it. They slowly get to know each other, they get drunk on stolen Whiskey, they skateboard. As Cillian gets to know Vander his eyes are opened to many things beyond why someone would love hermit crabs. This is a beautiful story about growing up, learning what is important, learning about each others pain, about who to love and stand up for in your life. I haven't cried so much over a book in a very long time. I adore it. This is also a debut book for an author whom I hope writes a lot more.

[Buddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was very silly and cute. got it recommended on reddit :)

Q for the author, since i hate unhappy endings, when vander and cillian meet again do you think they’d get back together?? idk i might cry.

side note i caught a lot of grammar errors but that’s fine i do it too lmao