What do you think?
Rate this book
Jay Bird #1
Jay Bird
Introverted, socially awkward Jay Kirkman, known to his Grams as “Jay Bird,” is riding the ups-and-downs of youth while living with overbearing parents and dealing with the pressures of being a senior in high school.
A month away from graduation, Jay hopes to flee the small upstate New York town of Milton for a life anywhere but in his dead-end hometown. He wishes for more than he has scholarly, eccentric parents, and watching Grams, the closest person to him, slowly dying before his eyes.
His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex. When the law comes knocking, asking questions about a crime Rocco may or may not have committed, he finds himself in big trouble and turns to Jay for help.
Is Jay and Rocco’s friendship strong enough to sustain life’s tough obstacles as they navigate the highs and lows of growing up together?
A month away from graduation, Jay hopes to flee the small upstate New York town of Milton for a life anywhere but in his dead-end hometown. He wishes for more than he has scholarly, eccentric parents, and watching Grams, the closest person to him, slowly dying before his eyes.
His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex. When the law comes knocking, asking questions about a crime Rocco may or may not have committed, he finds himself in big trouble and turns to Jay for help.
Is Jay and Rocco’s friendship strong enough to sustain life’s tough obstacles as they navigate the highs and lows of growing up together?
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2018
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Grant Bruso
29 books241 followersThomas Grant Bruso knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since childhood.
His literary inspirations are Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jim Grimsley, Karin Fossum, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Bruso loves animals, reading books, and writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles.
In another life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers. In college, he won the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes and publishes fiction and reviews books for his hometown newspaper, The Press-Republican.
He lives in upstate New York.
His literary inspirations are Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jim Grimsley, Karin Fossum, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Bruso loves animals, reading books, and writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles.
In another life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers. In college, he won the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes and publishes fiction and reviews books for his hometown newspaper, The Press-Republican.
He lives in upstate New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 17, 2019
I don’t know why I’ve been waiting to read some of Thomas Grant Bruso’s work. If I was waiting for a perfect moment, I can’t say it arrived because there are still over a hundred books on my to read list. Either way, it doesn’t feel fair; it doesn’t feel right. The moment I read the few first pages of Jay Bird, I knew I’d like the story and I knew I’d like Thomas’ style.
Jay Bird is a beautiful and tender story of two adolescent boys, Jay and Rocco, who are best friends in becoming something more, whose friendship is tested with personal dramas and trials and teenage doubts, desires and needs.
With a strong dose of realism and credibility, Thomas Grant Bruso portrays a relationship between Jay and Rocco, but also between Jay and his parents and in particular with his Grams. As someone who has experienced a similar relationship with his grandma, I could identify with Jay’s relationship with his Grams and reminiscent about my childhood and juvenile days with nostalgia.
Jay Bird has the charm of a young adult and coming out story which wins your heart in a flash. Despite the publisher’s warning that this book is for adult audience only, because it may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language offensive to some readers, I suggest to even more sensitive readers to give it a try. Because nothing in this book is more sexually explicit or has a more graphic language than what we see or hear in everyday media, on social networks or in the circle of our friends and even with family members.
In the end I want to point out Thomas Grant Bruso’s strongest weapon. And that is his dialogues. Dialogues between his protagonists pull us with their fluency through the story, making it a fast and easy read. With their richness, humor and intelligence they give us the feeling they are the only thing needed to make us experience and love this book. Even if stripped of all other descriptions, Jay Bird would be an entertaining and worthy read because of their strength and power to make us devour them with a sweet aftertaste in our mouth.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan
Jay Bird is a beautiful and tender story of two adolescent boys, Jay and Rocco, who are best friends in becoming something more, whose friendship is tested with personal dramas and trials and teenage doubts, desires and needs.
With a strong dose of realism and credibility, Thomas Grant Bruso portrays a relationship between Jay and Rocco, but also between Jay and his parents and in particular with his Grams. As someone who has experienced a similar relationship with his grandma, I could identify with Jay’s relationship with his Grams and reminiscent about my childhood and juvenile days with nostalgia.
Jay Bird has the charm of a young adult and coming out story which wins your heart in a flash. Despite the publisher’s warning that this book is for adult audience only, because it may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language offensive to some readers, I suggest to even more sensitive readers to give it a try. Because nothing in this book is more sexually explicit or has a more graphic language than what we see or hear in everyday media, on social networks or in the circle of our friends and even with family members.
In the end I want to point out Thomas Grant Bruso’s strongest weapon. And that is his dialogues. Dialogues between his protagonists pull us with their fluency through the story, making it a fast and easy read. With their richness, humor and intelligence they give us the feeling they are the only thing needed to make us experience and love this book. Even if stripped of all other descriptions, Jay Bird would be an entertaining and worthy read because of their strength and power to make us devour them with a sweet aftertaste in our mouth.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan
March 23, 2019
Thomas Grant Bruso is a new-to-me author, and his book Jay Bird, introduced some new-to-me concepts in YA romantic fiction, which I enjoyed.
I like to focus on a single aspect of a story in a review, and a positive attitude toward the elderly, from the perspective of a teenage boy, struck me as poignant. Protagonist Jay Kirkman not only loves his “Grams,” but he deeply admires her. Although she is at the end of her life, Grams is portrayed as quirky and spirited and gutsy. Physical ailments are present, but they do not diminish her in Jay’s eyes.
How often in literature do we see a teenage boy who struggles with all of the many issues teens must cope with—sexuality, friendship, self-acceptance, parental distance, future choices—yet puts major effort into a relationship with an elderly relative? Grams truly matters to Jay, just as he matters to her. They are not only family members, but friends. Maybe even soulmates.
“There was something comforting about grandparents, I thought. Maybe it was their wisdom, the stories they told from their long life that inspired me to be more adventurous and open-minded and steadfast in my own journey.”
Jay Bird is a quick read, and the developing romance and mystery makes it quite a page-turner.
I like to focus on a single aspect of a story in a review, and a positive attitude toward the elderly, from the perspective of a teenage boy, struck me as poignant. Protagonist Jay Kirkman not only loves his “Grams,” but he deeply admires her. Although she is at the end of her life, Grams is portrayed as quirky and spirited and gutsy. Physical ailments are present, but they do not diminish her in Jay’s eyes.
How often in literature do we see a teenage boy who struggles with all of the many issues teens must cope with—sexuality, friendship, self-acceptance, parental distance, future choices—yet puts major effort into a relationship with an elderly relative? Grams truly matters to Jay, just as he matters to her. They are not only family members, but friends. Maybe even soulmates.
“There was something comforting about grandparents, I thought. Maybe it was their wisdom, the stories they told from their long life that inspired me to be more adventurous and open-minded and steadfast in my own journey.”
Jay Bird is a quick read, and the developing romance and mystery makes it quite a page-turner.
June 16, 2020
A delightful novella about two teenaged boys, long time friends, one straight, one gay. A lot is packed into this short story, the love of a dying grandmother, a murder, school bullying, and most of all teenagers struggling with their emotions, a coming of age and coming out. A very touching but enjoyable read. By the way, the grandmother is a riot.
February 25, 2019
This story caught me on several levels. The title came from the name Jay's beloved grandma had for him. I like the way the author skilfully uses dialogue to develop his character's personalities. The use of humour (sorry, but I'm Canadian) adds a realism.
When his best friend, Rocco, is in trouble Jay is there for him. Dealing with his loss, trying to figure out his parents, as all teenagers do, and resigning himself to the fact that his feelings for Rocco and Rocco's for him are likely polar opposites causes some sleepless nights.
I found the characters three dimensionable, the dialogue compelling, and the overall story a pleasure to read.
When his best friend, Rocco, is in trouble Jay is there for him. Dealing with his loss, trying to figure out his parents, as all teenagers do, and resigning himself to the fact that his feelings for Rocco and Rocco's for him are likely polar opposites causes some sleepless nights.
I found the characters three dimensionable, the dialogue compelling, and the overall story a pleasure to read.
February 14, 2022
I had a lot of issues with this one. Plot inconsistencies. Timeline inconsistencies. Lack of character development. And, as this is the second book I've read by this author, a lot of things just felt like they just happened in this book as well. Some sentences and idea's don't get dealt with. The supposed friends spend one and a half scenes together and then we don't see them on page together again until Jay demands something of Rocco and the friendship that is already questionable in its existence is ended.
The characters definitely don't spend enough time on page to solidify the friendship or the romance that is supposed to be coming but there are no real obvious hints to it so far in the 66 percent I read through.
The plotline had me rereading so much to figure out the timeline and how the incidents worked around that to explain why the characters were reacting the way they were reacting but there wasn't enough on-page clues or events to clear things up. It was a confusing read for me.
All in all, I don't think I can ever get into this author. I've left twice with the feeling of events just happening without real connective tissue. Characters also just doing or saying things without the on-page stuff around these things to validate their words and reactions is problematic for me. Ultimately I just need more character development and cleaner streamlined plot development in my books so this author's style will probably never fit for me.
For the full review go here Jay Bird
The characters definitely don't spend enough time on page to solidify the friendship or the romance that is supposed to be coming but there are no real obvious hints to it so far in the 66 percent I read through.
The plotline had me rereading so much to figure out the timeline and how the incidents worked around that to explain why the characters were reacting the way they were reacting but there wasn't enough on-page clues or events to clear things up. It was a confusing read for me.
All in all, I don't think I can ever get into this author. I've left twice with the feeling of events just happening without real connective tissue. Characters also just doing or saying things without the on-page stuff around these things to validate their words and reactions is problematic for me. Ultimately I just need more character development and cleaner streamlined plot development in my books so this author's style will probably never fit for me.
For the full review go here Jay Bird
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews