What do you think?
Rate this book
Heavy Metal
Andrew Bourelle s novel, Heavy Metal, gives us a glimpse into the life of Danny, a teenager who seeks peace and stability after the suicide of his mother."
- GenresFictionYoung Adult
192 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2017
6 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Bourelle
29 books106 followersAndrew Bourelle is the author of the novels SHOT CLOCK, 48 HOURS TO KILL, and HEAVY METAL. He is coauthor with James Patterson of TEXAS RANGER, TEXAS OUTLAW, and THE TEXAS MURDERS. His short stories have been published widely in literary magazines and fiction anthologies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 10, 2018
Thank you to the author, Andrew Bourelle, for the free copy in exchange for an honest review *and* thank you for being so patient. I got this book at the start of my horror binge and I literally told him it could be *MONTHS* until I get to it and he was perfectly fine with that.
I wish I had read this sooner.
But better late than never, I always say.
This book didn't really have a description or teaser on the back cover so I went into it blind--I really loved the cover, actually, but honestly, I had no clue what this was going to be about.
Turns out, this book is not horror but it is a book you should be afraid of if you're scared of your heart being wrecked. If you don't want your feelings to come pouring out of your eyes.
I'm not going to go into the plot much, because I think it's exciting to just make all the discoveries as a reader on your own, like I did. I really enjoy that.
**I'll tell you there are some trigger warnings for people who have sensitivities about the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts and also bullying/gun violence.
For me, being a mother of boys, this story was especially gut wrenching. I found myself letting my heart get *really* involved. I fell in love with the brothers, the narrator Danny especially but also his older brother Craig. I knew that with this love and attachment would come pain because there is a tension in this story that starts to build almost immediately.
As I read, I invested. The author very carefully and strategically peels back the emotional layers and allows the reader to climb right down into the mind of a very troubled young man. It hurts so bad to hear his innermost thoughts, his struggles, his feelings--the way he views the world--himself--I just wanted to hold him and care for him and tell him all the things he needed to hear. I grew angry and frustrated at many of the adults in the story for their inefficiency to do right by a family in crisis. There were a few scenes where I was talking out loud to the pages, "no, no, no...." squeezing my eyes shut and hoping that what I suspected would happen would PRETTY PLEASE not happen.
But Bourelle doesn't shy away from the tale he wants to tell. He doesn't pull any punches-he nails you in the heart, he jabs you in the kidneys, he puts a choke hold on you so you can't breathe--stops your heart, breaks it. He casts dark shadows over your thoughts and puts you in the head space of people who just need love, you know? Just unconditional, never giving up kind of love that holds your hand and never lets go, even when they go places you don't want to go and even when they push you away and even when they are unlovable.
And...I'm crying again.
This was hard.
But I'm really glad I read it and I want to read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING else Bourelle wants to offer us readers. He has serious game. I recommend this to fans of intense family dramas with amazing, well developed characters. People who like emotional reads. People who like reading about teens and struggles teens go through--realistic teen drama (which is really hard to come by) realistic teen dialog. (oh yeah, there weren't any quote tags here, which took a minute to get used to but once you're fully immersed, you don't notice it). Anyways, buy it. Read it. Love it.
I wish I had read this sooner.
But better late than never, I always say.
This book didn't really have a description or teaser on the back cover so I went into it blind--I really loved the cover, actually, but honestly, I had no clue what this was going to be about.
Turns out, this book is not horror but it is a book you should be afraid of if you're scared of your heart being wrecked. If you don't want your feelings to come pouring out of your eyes.
I'm not going to go into the plot much, because I think it's exciting to just make all the discoveries as a reader on your own, like I did. I really enjoy that.
**I'll tell you there are some trigger warnings for people who have sensitivities about the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts and also bullying/gun violence.
For me, being a mother of boys, this story was especially gut wrenching. I found myself letting my heart get *really* involved. I fell in love with the brothers, the narrator Danny especially but also his older brother Craig. I knew that with this love and attachment would come pain because there is a tension in this story that starts to build almost immediately.
As I read, I invested. The author very carefully and strategically peels back the emotional layers and allows the reader to climb right down into the mind of a very troubled young man. It hurts so bad to hear his innermost thoughts, his struggles, his feelings--the way he views the world--himself--I just wanted to hold him and care for him and tell him all the things he needed to hear. I grew angry and frustrated at many of the adults in the story for their inefficiency to do right by a family in crisis. There were a few scenes where I was talking out loud to the pages, "no, no, no...." squeezing my eyes shut and hoping that what I suspected would happen would PRETTY PLEASE not happen.
But Bourelle doesn't shy away from the tale he wants to tell. He doesn't pull any punches-he nails you in the heart, he jabs you in the kidneys, he puts a choke hold on you so you can't breathe--stops your heart, breaks it. He casts dark shadows over your thoughts and puts you in the head space of people who just need love, you know? Just unconditional, never giving up kind of love that holds your hand and never lets go, even when they go places you don't want to go and even when they push you away and even when they are unlovable.
And...I'm crying again.
This was hard.
But I'm really glad I read it and I want to read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING else Bourelle wants to offer us readers. He has serious game. I recommend this to fans of intense family dramas with amazing, well developed characters. People who like emotional reads. People who like reading about teens and struggles teens go through--realistic teen drama (which is really hard to come by) realistic teen dialog. (oh yeah, there weren't any quote tags here, which took a minute to get used to but once you're fully immersed, you don't notice it). Anyways, buy it. Read it. Love it.
February 24, 2022
Required 1980s-fiction reading.
I was already a reader and fan of Bourelle’s short fiction and his book with James Patterson, Texas Ranger, so I knew I would probably love this book going in. Heavy Metal met my expectations and more. This should be required 1980s-fiction reading. It hits all the right notes of the decade, creating a backdrop and setting that can only be articulated by one who lived those times. Doing so brought a reality to the story, without coming across as an author who merely googled “1980s Americana” (i.e., Bourelle writes about Dokken and Kathy Ireland, not Rubik’s Cube and “Save Ferris”). The unique, first-person, quoteless dialogue is catchy, and puts the reader closer into the narrator’s mind. The subject matter is rough, but not off-putting. Overall, a fantastic debut novel by one of the more talented authors of today.
I was already a reader and fan of Bourelle’s short fiction and his book with James Patterson, Texas Ranger, so I knew I would probably love this book going in. Heavy Metal met my expectations and more. This should be required 1980s-fiction reading. It hits all the right notes of the decade, creating a backdrop and setting that can only be articulated by one who lived those times. Doing so brought a reality to the story, without coming across as an author who merely googled “1980s Americana” (i.e., Bourelle writes about Dokken and Kathy Ireland, not Rubik’s Cube and “Save Ferris”). The unique, first-person, quoteless dialogue is catchy, and puts the reader closer into the narrator’s mind. The subject matter is rough, but not off-putting. Overall, a fantastic debut novel by one of the more talented authors of today.
October 17, 2025
I started reading this, then switched to another book and wasn’t sure if I’d come back to it — but I’m so glad I did. This turned out to be a great read. I’ve been into metal since high school, and honestly, I’m kind of over every metal book being about some murder, cult, or someone dying. Sure, it’s your classic angsty, angry teenager story — and honestly, I rolled my eyes a bit at first. But man, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. There was something raw and real about it that just hit. Yeah, it’s messy and emotional, but in a way that actually works. It kind of reminded me of what it felt like to be that age — loud, lost, and just trying to figure stuff out.
January 27, 2022
You know, I almost gave up on this novel. I love a good coming-of-age tale where not much happens, kind of like Lady Bird or 20th Century Women, but this was dragging for me at first. But wow, how quickly it turned into something that drew me in and left me breathless. This story deals with very heavy topics (i.e. suicide, death), all from the perspective of a teenage boy who ponders whether life is worth living. This book is gripping, devastating, but most of all, beautiful in the way it handles it's weighty topics. This one will stick with me for a long time.
September 10, 2018
Structured by the days of one week, this coming of age novel is filled with tough subjects: suicide, depression, alcoholism, and violence. Music helps Danny, the main character, survive what will be the longest week of his life.
July 27, 2020
This book is about a journey of grief for Danny and his older brother. Dealt an unlucky hand in life, we follow the path Danny takes as he struggles with his own depression and anxieties about his surroundings.
August 13, 2019
Very intense and well written.
July 24, 2020
Review forthcoming.
December 9, 2021
This book was a gut punch of a read. It reminded me so much of me and my younger brother and all the shit we went through as kids. I only wish this came with a soundtrack!
February 10, 2025
Heavy Metal was a quality read. The protagonist was well-fleshed out, the storyline moved at the correct pace, and the rising action led to a well-executed climax. I had no problem getting through this book with a continued interest.
It was not a complicated book, highlighting the parallels of two brothers as they deal with the loss of their mother and the fact that they grow up on the wrong side of the tracks. It was a book of revenge, of anger, and of hate. But it was also a book about learning to deal with these emotions.
Positives: insightful, thoughtful narrator/protagonist worth getting invested in; well-developed supporting cast; quality plot twist; sharp dialogue; set in my neck-of-the-woods (OH - or at least the midwest).
Negatives: the antagonist was perhaps a little cliched, but even his character played the appropriate role.
All in all, a very good debut novel from Bourelle.
7.5/10
It was not a complicated book, highlighting the parallels of two brothers as they deal with the loss of their mother and the fact that they grow up on the wrong side of the tracks. It was a book of revenge, of anger, and of hate. But it was also a book about learning to deal with these emotions.
Positives: insightful, thoughtful narrator/protagonist worth getting invested in; well-developed supporting cast; quality plot twist; sharp dialogue; set in my neck-of-the-woods (OH - or at least the midwest).
Negatives: the antagonist was perhaps a little cliched, but even his character played the appropriate role.
All in all, a very good debut novel from Bourelle.
7.5/10
April 2, 2017
4.5 stars due to the gut wrenching plot but then rounding up to 5 because he grew up near where I reside. I read this novel because a friend gave it to me. I wasn't expecting it to be so good. Once I started, I didn't want to put it down. As the mother of 2 20-something boys, I could understand the boys in the novel. I just knew one of the boys in the story would do something stupid but I didn't know which one it would it be or what he would do. Had to keep reading to see what happened.
Also, after I finished the book I read an interview with the author. Kudos to him for writing a novel and getting it published. Good for him for writing the book he wanted to write without worrying about the target audience or marketing!
Also, after I finished the book I read an interview with the author. Kudos to him for writing a novel and getting it published. Good for him for writing the book he wanted to write without worrying about the target audience or marketing!
May 2, 2017
In many ways, Heavy Metal reminded me of The Outsiders; it's a coming-of-age story full of angst and uncertainty but set in the 80's instead of the 60's. The story resonates with complex feelings, making you feel the depth of Danny's hate--and love.
January 2, 2018
A male coming of age story set in the 1980's.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews