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Private
Sixteen-year-old Shane has finally settled into life in the country, with university ambitions, a steady relationship, and a grudging tolerance for dance that is entirely the fault of his boyfriend, Luke.
Then Shane’s father gets his marching orders, and Shane’s time in this new life is put on a countdown. At sixteen, Shane could legally leave but has nowhere to go. And leaving the first real home he’s had in nearly twelve years doesn’t feel any better whether it’s for the wilds of Cornwall or the local housing association.
But in order to stay, Shane is going to have to tell his very conservative, very military family his biggest secrets ... all three of them.
Then Shane’s father gets his marching orders, and Shane’s time in this new life is put on a countdown. At sixteen, Shane could legally leave but has nowhere to go. And leaving the first real home he’s had in nearly twelve years doesn’t feel any better whether it’s for the wilds of Cornwall or the local housing association.
But in order to stay, Shane is going to have to tell his very conservative, very military family his biggest secrets ... all three of them.
188 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2015
About the author
Matthew J. Metzger
33 books352 followersMatthew is an asexual, transgender author from the wet and windy British Isles.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 7, 2016
This is a coming out story that gives the readers a sympathetic, believable, young MC and also a sideways view into the mind of the antagonist. As the book opens, 16-year-old Shane has never told his career-military dad that he's gay, or that he's dating a boy, or anything personal about his life that doesn't fit with his father's plans for sons to follow in his footsteps. Shane and his older brother have been raised by his dad as a single parent, and Shane doesn't ever want to lose family approval or risk their love. But when his hard-won secret life with school friends and boyfriend is about to be gone a hundred miles away with his dad's new posting, he has to make some hard choices. Shane is caught between losing the relationship he has with his father, or abandoning the ones that keep him sane as an out gay boy with his group of friends. There are no easy answers.
The author gives us some nicely-judged hints at what is going on with Shane's dad - his thoughts not as simple as Shane imagines, as the father looks forward to a move to a new location and a closer relationship with his own girlfriend. Almost everyone in this book is in for a surprise at some point, and events may not work out as expected. I really enjoyed the characters, the emotions, and the play of expectations and stereotypes that turned into real people. Well done.
The author gives us some nicely-judged hints at what is going on with Shane's dad - his thoughts not as simple as Shane imagines, as the father looks forward to a move to a new location and a closer relationship with his own girlfriend. Almost everyone in this book is in for a surprise at some point, and events may not work out as expected. I really enjoyed the characters, the emotions, and the play of expectations and stereotypes that turned into real people. Well done.
September 21, 2020
As a romance reader: 3 stars
As the father-son story this is actually about: 5 stars
So I'm going to average that out since I could never feel right rating this excellent book 3 stars. This is the second YA book in this genre that I want to go around randomly handing out to anyone who's a parent.
It's hard to say much about it, since it's all about the difference between perception and reality, and how the only way to close that gap is COMMUNICATION. Words are a powerful thing, and Metzger lives up to that message with this story.
The MC is in an established romance that's very sweet and sexy. His boyfriend is a major part of his support system, along with the two girls who round out their friend group, and provides the light than counterbalances the angst at home, but it all feels very true to their ages (16/17).
It's fade to black, so I'm pretty sure it would count as non-explicit...but the conversations they have are interesting :) But I think it's one of those things where you either already know what they're talking about or some of it's going to go over your head.
As the father-son story this is actually about: 5 stars
So I'm going to average that out since I could never feel right rating this excellent book 3 stars. This is the second YA book in this genre that I want to go around randomly handing out to anyone who's a parent.
It's hard to say much about it, since it's all about the difference between perception and reality, and how the only way to close that gap is COMMUNICATION. Words are a powerful thing, and Metzger lives up to that message with this story.
The MC is in an established romance that's very sweet and sexy. His boyfriend is a major part of his support system, along with the two girls who round out their friend group, and provides the light than counterbalances the angst at home, but it all feels very true to their ages (16/17).
It's fade to black, so I'm pretty sure it would count as non-explicit...but the conversations they have are interesting :) But I think it's one of those things where you either already know what they're talking about or some of it's going to go over your head.
May 24, 2016
4.25 stars
Another enjoyable YA/coming of age story from Mr Metzger!
Shane is in an impossible situation. After his mother abandoned them when he was a child, he's bounced around from place to place with his military father and brother for years until finally finding a real home a couple of years earlier. He's got new friends who get him and who know the real Shane. And he's got his lovely (but secret) boyfriend Luke. Moving away from his new friends and boyfriend would mean he has to go back into his "box" and he can't do that anymore. He just can't go back to a place where he has to hide himself.
On the other hand, he can't lose the only family he has left and he's pretty sure his dad and brother won't accept him once they learn the truth about him. I thought the author did a fantastic job of really making me feel how impossible this situation was for him and I agonized along with Shane the entire way. Yet, at the same time nothing about this story ever feels too "heavy".
I enjoyed this as a "coming out" story, one that's about knowing and being true to yourself. It was also very much a story of good friends and family. As a bonus there is a very sweet love story, although we don't get to see the full romance as Shane and Luke are already together and intimate by the time the story starts.
I would recommend for anyone who enjoys YA coming out/coming of age stories.
Another enjoyable YA/coming of age story from Mr Metzger!
Shane is in an impossible situation. After his mother abandoned them when he was a child, he's bounced around from place to place with his military father and brother for years until finally finding a real home a couple of years earlier. He's got new friends who get him and who know the real Shane. And he's got his lovely (but secret) boyfriend Luke. Moving away from his new friends and boyfriend would mean he has to go back into his "box" and he can't do that anymore. He just can't go back to a place where he has to hide himself.
On the other hand, he can't lose the only family he has left and he's pretty sure his dad and brother won't accept him once they learn the truth about him. I thought the author did a fantastic job of really making me feel how impossible this situation was for him and I agonized along with Shane the entire way. Yet, at the same time nothing about this story ever feels too "heavy".
I enjoyed this as a "coming out" story, one that's about knowing and being true to yourself. It was also very much a story of good friends and family. As a bonus there is a very sweet love story, although we don't get to see the full romance as Shane and Luke are already together and intimate by the time the story starts.
I would recommend for anyone who enjoys YA coming out/coming of age stories.
November 2, 2019
Every once in a while a novel falls into your lap that you are so grateful to have found that you just start pulling for it at the outset.
Matthew Metzger's Private is just such a novel.
This coming-out story felt natural and real from the first page. The relationships between the four best friends and Shane's family bond, fragile as it might seem, never struck a false note. So I'll give you that Luke, Shane's bf of two years, says all the right things in all the right places, but when they're playing or talking in bed together in their stolen moments of afterglow, you know this is a couple as familiar in their affection as they are in their ribbing. A couple who knows as much about love at 16 as they will at 50. They've found it in each other. But, as in any true love, the discovering never stops.
Yet the story is as much about family love as it is about romantic love. And here too the narrative authenticates the tension between a gay son and his cluelessly straight dad and older brother. Here Metzger uses an epistolary mode quite effectively, as the military dad resorts to emailing his sister for advice on how to deal with a son he loves but doesn't know how to support.
What sets this novel apart from other coming-out stories is that the characters, even the seemingly simple ones, like Shane's tosser older brother, prove anything but. This a novel about a boy who feels he must choose between his home and his family. Between first love and family bonds. The choice is not simple, nor is the solution. But in the hands of this story-teller, the execution is deft, and oh so rewarding.
If this is one of your genres, do not overlook Private.
Matthew Metzger's Private is just such a novel.
This coming-out story felt natural and real from the first page. The relationships between the four best friends and Shane's family bond, fragile as it might seem, never struck a false note. So I'll give you that Luke, Shane's bf of two years, says all the right things in all the right places, but when they're playing or talking in bed together in their stolen moments of afterglow, you know this is a couple as familiar in their affection as they are in their ribbing. A couple who knows as much about love at 16 as they will at 50. They've found it in each other. But, as in any true love, the discovering never stops.
Yet the story is as much about family love as it is about romantic love. And here too the narrative authenticates the tension between a gay son and his cluelessly straight dad and older brother. Here Metzger uses an epistolary mode quite effectively, as the military dad resorts to emailing his sister for advice on how to deal with a son he loves but doesn't know how to support.
What sets this novel apart from other coming-out stories is that the characters, even the seemingly simple ones, like Shane's tosser older brother, prove anything but. This a novel about a boy who feels he must choose between his home and his family. Between first love and family bonds. The choice is not simple, nor is the solution. But in the hands of this story-teller, the execution is deft, and oh so rewarding.
If this is one of your genres, do not overlook Private.
September 24, 2016
2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Private by Matthew J. Metzger
1) A strong well-developed story. As someone with teenage children I could recognise their emotions and frustrations, and understand the family dynamics.
2) Having been a military brat way back in the day it was easy for me to understand some of the things Shane was going through. There are a lot of emotional ups and downs in this book due to misunderstandings. I loved the way the author played everything out however and will be keeping this book to read again.
1) A strong well-developed story. As someone with teenage children I could recognise their emotions and frustrations, and understand the family dynamics.
2) Having been a military brat way back in the day it was easy for me to understand some of the things Shane was going through. There are a lot of emotional ups and downs in this book due to misunderstandings. I loved the way the author played everything out however and will be keeping this book to read again.
December 28, 2015
Fantastic YA read - highly recommended!
April 29, 2020
Well.... I'm a sad boy! Shane is the youngest son of a gruff, Army sergeant who means well, but in pretty classic older cishet male fashion, has a habit of overdoing it with casual slurs and homophobic language. Understandably, Shane is a little hesitant to come out of the closet. Unfortunately, a planned move due to his father's job means it might no longer be an option.
Definitely be warned that there's a lot of casual slur usage and stereotypes, even after Shane's come out of the closet. However, anyone who grew up with that same type of overly masculine, well meaning but offensive father will find it painfully familiar, which is one of the main reasons this novel hit so hard for me.
Shane is an absolute sweetheart in this and I spent half of it just wanting to wrap him up and keep him safe. His boyfriend? Also an angel. Reading this cut me right through the core because of how relatable it was and I'm so glad to see them get their happy ending. What a great midweek read!
Definitely be warned that there's a lot of casual slur usage and stereotypes, even after Shane's come out of the closet. However, anyone who grew up with that same type of overly masculine, well meaning but offensive father will find it painfully familiar, which is one of the main reasons this novel hit so hard for me.
Shane is an absolute sweetheart in this and I spent half of it just wanting to wrap him up and keep him safe. His boyfriend? Also an angel. Reading this cut me right through the core because of how relatable it was and I'm so glad to see them get their happy ending. What a great midweek read!
April 4, 2018
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this YA novel.
Want to Read
January 29, 2016can not WAIT to read this !
May 18, 2016
4.5 stars
May 3, 2017
Like every book by Matthew I finished this super fast. This one in a day. Love his characters and style of writing so much. I don't read a lot of YA books but I'm happily making my way through Matthews books. I've also been my hubby (of 24 years) since we were 14 so I definitely believe that young love can last and thrive.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews