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Synchro Boy
Sixteen-year-old Bart Lively desperately wants to feel comfortable in his own skin. Sure, he's a competitive swimmer, but being a jock doesn't mean he isn't the target of gay jokes, and the macho culture of his swim club is wearing him down. At the same time, he becomes drawn to the art and athleticism of synchronized swimming, the idea of the human form moving to music under water. So he jumps at the opportunity to become the first boy on the synchro swimming team, even if it means others start questioning his masculinity even more. He starts finding himself attracted to his teammate Erika, and when she asks Bart to swim with her in a brand new event, the mixed duet, he commits to taking them all the way to the Olympics. But Bart's difficulty at achieving the skills he needs, and Erika's sudden decision to quit the duet, threaten to derail his dream and kill what made the sport so liberating and alluring in the first place. And it doesn't help that as he falls in love with Erika, he's falling in lust with her enemy and synchro rival Chelsea ... not to mention a cute boy in the diving club. Ultimately, Bart will have to give in to his intuition that leads him to realize there are many ways to be a boy. If he doesn't, he'll not only lose his friendship with Erika, but his new Olympic dream--and the joy he feels as he dances in the deep.
274 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 16, 2018
Bart, the main character, bumps up against the masculine culture when he decides to leave his competitive swimming team and join an all-female synchro club. But this novel is much more than a sports story. Bart's journey takes him on an exploration of gender identity, love, and what it means to follow your dreams. Ultimately he discovers the most important lesson of all - accepting himself. McFerran's writing style is full of energy, humour and heart, which made this novel such a pleasure to read!
November 14, 2018
Initially I grabbed this title because of the ostensible setting: at the pool working on figures and routines in synchronized swimming. With a daughter who started in the sport at 6 and was competing for the next 8 or 10 years before scaling back, it’s a time consuming, hard graft of a sport – and usually (although not always) female centered. There are boys who swim, just not many, and Bart wants to be one of those boys.
And were it not from Bart’s true love for the feeling he gets from nailing the precision, making his body work and move in ways unexpected, this former ballet dancer and race swimmer has found a niche, it’s only up to the world to accept it. Bart’s always been his own person, and never particularly mired in labels or defining himself. Rightly so, he doesn’t understand why people won’t just let him be when he’s working hard at something he enjoys, and not worry about how to define it. From the subtle questions or even assumptions from his mother, his ‘bargains” with his father to pay tuition and training fees at the sports institute where schooling and training are intertwined, and his own refusal to actually define himself, but knowing that racing, no matter how good he is, isn’t what he wants, this is a discovery of self fulfillment and experimentation along the way to growing up.
Finding an instant connection with Erika, one of the synchro girls, and taking a ‘try it’ session with the team, Bart’s ballet training takes over and he realizes that just because it is swimming, it is a far different world he’s entered. Precision, core strength, musicality and even personality all play in to the sport, and while mixed duet teams are just starting to be a thing, there is opportunity to compete at high levels in a relatively uncluttered field. If he can work hard enough and improve enough to qualify. Pairing with Erika is unlike anything he’s ever known. The girls accept him, they laugh with him, and he and Erika can communicate without words, their duet is that good. And he loves her, even as he’s intrigued by dive boy and his perfect form.
Far less a story about the ins and outs and political maneuvering of a synchro team, with all of the petty jealousies and snark, Bart finds himself attracted to Erika, and even to dive boy, Dave, and frustrated with those who feel the need to express their views on what they ‘think’ he is: when his pairing with Erika is undermined by another swimmer on the team, one who will go to any end to make her own dreams come true, there’s a true question for Bart – does he swim an admittedly less intriguing duet with Chelsea and forget his work with Erika, one that may get him set on the track that he’s hoping for to the Olympics, or does he accept Erika’s decision to leave the sport and see if he can’t find someone else or somewhere else to pursue what he has come to love?
Lovely passages, characters you can’t help but be intrigued by and the frequent explanations of duet moments, particularly a lift in the final performance for officials at a meet / conference in California, this is a story of a boy working against multiple obstacles all borne of expectations and tradition, and finding his own unique way through them all. With heart and a true sense of someone finding his way, McFerran has made her characters compelling and uniquely honest, teens with goals and dreams that define their cores: hard work, diligence, determination all while allowing them room to grow and define their own places in the world.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
And were it not from Bart’s true love for the feeling he gets from nailing the precision, making his body work and move in ways unexpected, this former ballet dancer and race swimmer has found a niche, it’s only up to the world to accept it. Bart’s always been his own person, and never particularly mired in labels or defining himself. Rightly so, he doesn’t understand why people won’t just let him be when he’s working hard at something he enjoys, and not worry about how to define it. From the subtle questions or even assumptions from his mother, his ‘bargains” with his father to pay tuition and training fees at the sports institute where schooling and training are intertwined, and his own refusal to actually define himself, but knowing that racing, no matter how good he is, isn’t what he wants, this is a discovery of self fulfillment and experimentation along the way to growing up.
Finding an instant connection with Erika, one of the synchro girls, and taking a ‘try it’ session with the team, Bart’s ballet training takes over and he realizes that just because it is swimming, it is a far different world he’s entered. Precision, core strength, musicality and even personality all play in to the sport, and while mixed duet teams are just starting to be a thing, there is opportunity to compete at high levels in a relatively uncluttered field. If he can work hard enough and improve enough to qualify. Pairing with Erika is unlike anything he’s ever known. The girls accept him, they laugh with him, and he and Erika can communicate without words, their duet is that good. And he loves her, even as he’s intrigued by dive boy and his perfect form.
Far less a story about the ins and outs and political maneuvering of a synchro team, with all of the petty jealousies and snark, Bart finds himself attracted to Erika, and even to dive boy, Dave, and frustrated with those who feel the need to express their views on what they ‘think’ he is: when his pairing with Erika is undermined by another swimmer on the team, one who will go to any end to make her own dreams come true, there’s a true question for Bart – does he swim an admittedly less intriguing duet with Chelsea and forget his work with Erika, one that may get him set on the track that he’s hoping for to the Olympics, or does he accept Erika’s decision to leave the sport and see if he can’t find someone else or somewhere else to pursue what he has come to love?
Lovely passages, characters you can’t help but be intrigued by and the frequent explanations of duet moments, particularly a lift in the final performance for officials at a meet / conference in California, this is a story of a boy working against multiple obstacles all borne of expectations and tradition, and finding his own unique way through them all. With heart and a true sense of someone finding his way, McFerran has made her characters compelling and uniquely honest, teens with goals and dreams that define their cores: hard work, diligence, determination all while allowing them room to grow and define their own places in the world.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
December 30, 2019
Such a delightful novel. Heartwarming. It feels very much like Chance to Dance With You… still a favourite of mine and still tracking well with the students at my school. So positive. So affirming.
Thing to like about this book:
The opening - High stakes. Petty jealousies. Insecurities. Family drama. Name calling. Hooks you into the story straight away.
The characters - Authentic. Relatable. Flawed. Questioning. How can you not love - and feel for - Bart? And also Bart’s Mom - I so like her.
The relationships - Bart and Erika; Bart and Riley; Bart and his Mom; the depth of the friendships, the knowledge of each other, the repartee, the genuine caring…
The Dreaming;
The Questioning;
The Coming to Terms - with oneself and others
The Sexual Tension - Real. Palpable
Diversity - representative of the ‘cultural composition’ of the BC community
Humour;
Unabashedly Canadian: Set in Victoria BC. WooHoo! Wears it’s Canadian chops on it’s sleeve… right down to stopping at Timmie’s on a road trip (96); and saying chamois instead of shammy… reference to Joni Mitchell’s River (p38), and Sarah McLachlan’s version of it (p173)… and so much more...
Things that distract:
Homophobic language/characters - But it’s forgivable - in this context - because I believe that it is an accurate reflection of what happens with boys of this age;
Coach Cragg - Such a jerk!
Telling instead of showing - She has a tendency at times…
A little bit preachy at times - but again, forgiveable
Overly detailed: There are places where it gets bogged down in the minutiae of detail about how the rules work for the various levels (p164) and it bugs me as it’s a distraction… but I also know that it would bug me if she didn’t do it and I wasn’t understanding why things happened the way they do… a real Catch-22 here
The real world bits: Are the tweets and messages and such from Bill May really from Bill May? Be so cool if they were… wish it said something about that in the acknowledgements
But I’m prepared to overlook most of the sins of the book in favour of the incredible positive messaging and delightful characters and storyline… the positive ending. Not all wrapped up neat and tidy, but the possibility of more good things to come in the future.
If this books helps us move forward to the day when nobody has to ‘come out’... when sexuality is accepted for the fluid thing that it is and nobody gives a shit what you are, then, to quote Martha Stewart, that’s a good thing.
Thing to like about this book:
The opening - High stakes. Petty jealousies. Insecurities. Family drama. Name calling. Hooks you into the story straight away.
The characters - Authentic. Relatable. Flawed. Questioning. How can you not love - and feel for - Bart? And also Bart’s Mom - I so like her.
The relationships - Bart and Erika; Bart and Riley; Bart and his Mom; the depth of the friendships, the knowledge of each other, the repartee, the genuine caring…
The Dreaming;
The Questioning;
The Coming to Terms - with oneself and others
The Sexual Tension - Real. Palpable
Diversity - representative of the ‘cultural composition’ of the BC community
Humour;
Unabashedly Canadian: Set in Victoria BC. WooHoo! Wears it’s Canadian chops on it’s sleeve… right down to stopping at Timmie’s on a road trip (96); and saying chamois instead of shammy… reference to Joni Mitchell’s River (p38), and Sarah McLachlan’s version of it (p173)… and so much more...
Things that distract:
Homophobic language/characters - But it’s forgivable - in this context - because I believe that it is an accurate reflection of what happens with boys of this age;
Coach Cragg - Such a jerk!
Telling instead of showing - She has a tendency at times…
A little bit preachy at times - but again, forgiveable
Overly detailed: There are places where it gets bogged down in the minutiae of detail about how the rules work for the various levels (p164) and it bugs me as it’s a distraction… but I also know that it would bug me if she didn’t do it and I wasn’t understanding why things happened the way they do… a real Catch-22 here
The real world bits: Are the tweets and messages and such from Bill May really from Bill May? Be so cool if they were… wish it said something about that in the acknowledgements
But I’m prepared to overlook most of the sins of the book in favour of the incredible positive messaging and delightful characters and storyline… the positive ending. Not all wrapped up neat and tidy, but the possibility of more good things to come in the future.
If this books helps us move forward to the day when nobody has to ‘come out’... when sexuality is accepted for the fluid thing that it is and nobody gives a shit what you are, then, to quote Martha Stewart, that’s a good thing.
January 16, 2019
“Synchro Boy” is a adult fictional novel. This book is about Bart Lively, he just wanted to be himself without getting judged for his profession. When Bart joined the synchronised swimming team he got a lot of crap for it but he did not let that that stop him, Bart did so good he ended up taking his team to the Olympics. On this journey he started to fall for a girl his duet partner, Erika.
One thing that I really found interesting about this novel was that the main character Bart, he never gave up even though people were making fun of him, he just kept his head up and moved on. The author keeps the novel with thrills of unexpected things, there were many ups and downs but that is what made it good book. I like how the story keeps going and there are always new events that keep you interested.
I did not like how the story went from a man concerning critics to a man falling in love. I thought it would have been more of an extravagant event and instead I felt as if it was to soft and got lost.
I would recommend this book to younger readers who are looking for a young adult fiction novel and for people who would want to read about pride and perseverance. Overall this book was pretty good and I would give this a book a four and a half rating.
One thing that I really found interesting about this novel was that the main character Bart, he never gave up even though people were making fun of him, he just kept his head up and moved on. The author keeps the novel with thrills of unexpected things, there were many ups and downs but that is what made it good book. I like how the story keeps going and there are always new events that keep you interested.
I did not like how the story went from a man concerning critics to a man falling in love. I thought it would have been more of an extravagant event and instead I felt as if it was to soft and got lost.
I would recommend this book to younger readers who are looking for a young adult fiction novel and for people who would want to read about pride and perseverance. Overall this book was pretty good and I would give this a book a four and a half rating.
July 21, 2020
A subtle exploration of the anxiety that comes with being a teenager. The resilience of the main character makes for a compelling read. His uncertainty around questions of sexuality are dealt with sensitively and beautifully.
January 23, 2019
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
It's time the pool and the wider world admitted that there are many ways to be a boy.
This story was absolutely adorable! I think the story and the characters were so important. I really loved Bart's character. He is totally a person I would want to be friends with and reminded me of myself at times. He is such a strong boy, challenging the world's view of masculinity and gender, trying not to let other's opinions hurt him... His commitment to what he loves is remarkable, and he's also just totally nice and accepting. He's emotional and cries so many times during the story (one of my favourite things is when boys cry in literature and movies/shows without getting backlack, because this needs to be normalized). He is such a pure boy with a good heart and it was so nice reading from his point of view. The other two characters I loved were Dave and Erika. Dave had a smaller but essential role in the story. I wish we had another story from Dave's point of view because I want to know more about him! I do hope he and Bart continue to be friends.
Erika, on the other hand, is such a good friend and girlfriend. I think it is so important to show people in relationships who are okay with their partner being bi. I think there are far too many storylines of people not being okay with their partner being bi and I loved this change. Erika is understanding, accepting, strong, and passionate, which are all amazing qualities. I do think Erika and Bart are perfect for each other. I love how they're the power couple at their GSA! Haha!
Besides the characters, I sometimes thought the dialogue was a little forced and didn't flow quite right. As a Canadian, I was absolutely thrilled when I realized this story was set in Canada, which almost never happens! But I think there was some Canadian slang included in the dialogue that would sound absolutely crazy to non-Canadian readers, and even the slang was sort of old-fashioned (for example, calling the remote control a "clicker'). The dialogue sort of battled between weird, old-fashioned Canadian slang and actual realistic slang that people use nowadays. An example of this is one time one of the Rosa Wave racers called Bart a "keener" (a Canadian term for someone who's overenthusiastic that I've only ever heard old people use) and later on in the story Bart used the word "lit" (an actual slang word that a lot of people my age use). Sometimes the dialogue made the characters seem a lot younger than they were. I absolutely could not get past the fact that these characters were 16 and drove cars because some of the things they said we so childish and the child-like nature of their speech seemed to be masked by the frequent swear words the characters used. I think the characters could have been even 12 or 13 and the story and dialogue could have been the exact same.
I thought the bi rep in this story was absolutely incredible! I'm not sure if this was an #ownvoices story, but as a bi girl myself, I thought it was amazing. Bi people can have multiple schoolgirl crushes on attractive people and that doesn't necessarily mean they're feeding into the bi stereotype that they're promiscuous. I love the slow realization of Bart's sexuality and how he connects it to his gender and the gender roles of sports. These are all such important topics that were greatly discussed in this story! I loved how Bart ended up dating a girl, while not comprising his bi identity and his connection to the LGBTQ+ community through the GSA and his friendship with Dave. Everything about the bi rep was perfect to me.
I thought the story flowed relatively well save for two things. First, I wish we had some more content of Riley and Bart's friendship and Bart's connected with the racers before he joined synchro (which happened fairly early in the book). It was less stressful as a reader when Bart was debating whether to quit racing or not because I wasn't connected to his racing, even though he'd been doing it for years. It also made Bart and Riley's reunion less heart-warming because they didn't really come off as that close beforehand. Second, I strongly think the storyline of Chelsea and Bart's romance could have been left out. Actually, I think it would have been a better decision to replace that whole storyline and go deeper into Bart and Dave's storyline. The Chelsea/Bart storyline vs the Dave/Bart storyline were both not the strongest, and I think the story could have benefited from removing the Chelsea/Bart storyline altogether.
Overall, I think this book was well-worth the read. I can't even swim to save my life, yet this story of a boy joining a synchro team, coming to terms with his sexuality, and becoming comfortable with the person he is was so fun and heart-warming to read!
It's time the pool and the wider world admitted that there are many ways to be a boy.
This story was absolutely adorable! I think the story and the characters were so important. I really loved Bart's character. He is totally a person I would want to be friends with and reminded me of myself at times. He is such a strong boy, challenging the world's view of masculinity and gender, trying not to let other's opinions hurt him... His commitment to what he loves is remarkable, and he's also just totally nice and accepting. He's emotional and cries so many times during the story (one of my favourite things is when boys cry in literature and movies/shows without getting backlack, because this needs to be normalized). He is such a pure boy with a good heart and it was so nice reading from his point of view. The other two characters I loved were Dave and Erika. Dave had a smaller but essential role in the story. I wish we had another story from Dave's point of view because I want to know more about him! I do hope he and Bart continue to be friends.
Erika, on the other hand, is such a good friend and girlfriend. I think it is so important to show people in relationships who are okay with their partner being bi. I think there are far too many storylines of people not being okay with their partner being bi and I loved this change. Erika is understanding, accepting, strong, and passionate, which are all amazing qualities. I do think Erika and Bart are perfect for each other. I love how they're the power couple at their GSA! Haha!
Besides the characters, I sometimes thought the dialogue was a little forced and didn't flow quite right. As a Canadian, I was absolutely thrilled when I realized this story was set in Canada, which almost never happens! But I think there was some Canadian slang included in the dialogue that would sound absolutely crazy to non-Canadian readers, and even the slang was sort of old-fashioned (for example, calling the remote control a "clicker'). The dialogue sort of battled between weird, old-fashioned Canadian slang and actual realistic slang that people use nowadays. An example of this is one time one of the Rosa Wave racers called Bart a "keener" (a Canadian term for someone who's overenthusiastic that I've only ever heard old people use) and later on in the story Bart used the word "lit" (an actual slang word that a lot of people my age use). Sometimes the dialogue made the characters seem a lot younger than they were. I absolutely could not get past the fact that these characters were 16 and drove cars because some of the things they said we so childish and the child-like nature of their speech seemed to be masked by the frequent swear words the characters used. I think the characters could have been even 12 or 13 and the story and dialogue could have been the exact same.
I thought the bi rep in this story was absolutely incredible! I'm not sure if this was an #ownvoices story, but as a bi girl myself, I thought it was amazing. Bi people can have multiple schoolgirl crushes on attractive people and that doesn't necessarily mean they're feeding into the bi stereotype that they're promiscuous. I love the slow realization of Bart's sexuality and how he connects it to his gender and the gender roles of sports. These are all such important topics that were greatly discussed in this story! I loved how Bart ended up dating a girl, while not comprising his bi identity and his connection to the LGBTQ+ community through the GSA and his friendship with Dave. Everything about the bi rep was perfect to me.
I thought the story flowed relatively well save for two things. First, I wish we had some more content of Riley and Bart's friendship and Bart's connected with the racers before he joined synchro (which happened fairly early in the book). It was less stressful as a reader when Bart was debating whether to quit racing or not because I wasn't connected to his racing, even though he'd been doing it for years. It also made Bart and Riley's reunion less heart-warming because they didn't really come off as that close beforehand. Second, I strongly think the storyline of Chelsea and Bart's romance could have been left out. Actually, I think it would have been a better decision to replace that whole storyline and go deeper into Bart and Dave's storyline. The Chelsea/Bart storyline vs the Dave/Bart storyline were both not the strongest, and I think the story could have benefited from removing the Chelsea/Bart storyline altogether.
Overall, I think this book was well-worth the read. I can't even swim to save my life, yet this story of a boy joining a synchro team, coming to terms with his sexuality, and becoming comfortable with the person he is was so fun and heart-warming to read!
November 6, 2022
This book is not solely about synchronized swimming, however, the book mostly portrays it. Prior to reading 'Synchro Boy', I had no knowledge of synchro swimming at all but throughout and after reading it, I had a deeper understanding and gained more knowledge on this water sport. However, I think it'd make more sense to have some sort of prior knowledge of synchro swimming before reading the book.
'Synchro Boy' presented a lot of different stereotyped aspects in the 'real world' of synchro swimming, such as stigmatizing guys for being in synchro swimming and assuming that they're 'not straight' if they do the sport. Additionally, it shows the struggles of guy synchro swimmers who didn't get a chance to compete at Olympic level for the mixed duet just solely for the reason that it is not available as an event, and in this book, Bart fights/advocates to make it an event at Olympic level.
I enjoyed the romantic relationships that Bart had near the middle-ending and how it incorporated the LGBTQ+ aspect into it. I had fun reading the little details and descriptions of feelings Bart and his partner(s) had for each other (like feelings that are "in the moment" and the "sparks of connection").
Throughout the book, Bart isn't afraid to take big risks to do what he truly enjoys and he stands up for his true identity, even if that means being patient with himself and ignoring other people's assumptions about him.
'Synchro Boy' presented a lot of different stereotyped aspects in the 'real world' of synchro swimming, such as stigmatizing guys for being in synchro swimming and assuming that they're 'not straight' if they do the sport. Additionally, it shows the struggles of guy synchro swimmers who didn't get a chance to compete at Olympic level for the mixed duet just solely for the reason that it is not available as an event, and in this book, Bart fights/advocates to make it an event at Olympic level.
I enjoyed the romantic relationships that Bart had near the middle-ending and how it incorporated the LGBTQ+ aspect into it. I had fun reading the little details and descriptions of feelings Bart and his partner(s) had for each other (like feelings that are "in the moment" and the "sparks of connection").
Throughout the book, Bart isn't afraid to take big risks to do what he truly enjoys and he stands up for his true identity, even if that means being patient with himself and ignoring other people's assumptions about him.
June 30, 2021
I can't say that I liked this book, I can't say that I hated it either. It was somewhere in between floating and drowning. It had its up moments and then again it's down. I kind of hoped for more character development with someone of the swim team. And let's face it, Bart and Dave made a better couple and made more sense than Bart and Erika ending up together. Though it did get to a point in the book where I wondered if it was going to go and address Bart's Bisexuality or if it was just going to brush it off like dust.
Going into it I expected a lot more being as it was a book I was excited to pick up, but in the end, I was kind of left with a chlorine taste in my mouth.
Going into it I expected a lot more being as it was a book I was excited to pick up, but in the end, I was kind of left with a chlorine taste in my mouth.
February 21, 2020
This book is kind of addictive. I really loved it! I couldn’t put it down. There was always something happening, & I never got bored. I finished it in 3 days, but easily could’ve finished it in one if I’d had the time. The characters were all unique & interesting, & I was surprised that the book was able to actually make me interested in a sport that I used to know nothing about. It has a GREAT message in it as well! I think more people should read it.
June 15, 2019
I loved this book. I adored how Bart kept breaking boundaries and not being confined to what others thought of him. Another thing I really liked was his indecision and lack f clarity regarding who he was. This was so realistic and made me enjoy reading every single page.
January 5, 2022
Loved this hero’s journey of facing all the odds and adversaries as the protagonist connected with his true self and values. It has all the things; humour, a sports story, a love story, a quest for excellence and integrity.
December 13, 2019
yeah i only read this for white pine and its topics and themes are important and all but i just didn't enjoy it.
Read
August 24, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Homomisia
Bullying
Homomisia
Bullying
June 18, 2023
ehhh it was heartwarming and all, and had important topics that were relevant in today’s world but it wasn’t for me in terms of how the storyline went and how the characters were portrayed.
January 17, 2021
I was really excited to see this book on the White Pine reading list, being a competitive synchronized swimmer myself! It’s a sport that is really under-recognized and under appreciated, and Synchro Boy did a really good job of highlighting just how difficult impressive synchro is.
One thing I really connected to was how the author described the feeling Bart got swimming his free duet routine. The feeling of passion, the rush you get when you really connect to the music and sport and you’re living in that moment.
It was interesting reading from the perspective of a boy in a very female dominated sport, and brought up issues I wouldn’t have considered. It would definitely be nice to see more development for boys in synchro in the future!
One thing I really connected to was how the author described the feeling Bart got swimming his free duet routine. The feeling of passion, the rush you get when you really connect to the music and sport and you’re living in that moment.
It was interesting reading from the perspective of a boy in a very female dominated sport, and brought up issues I wouldn’t have considered. It would definitely be nice to see more development for boys in synchro in the future!
February 3, 2023
I vaguely remember this book. I still own it too. I got it years ago from my high school library, they were giving out free books. I have to say it was one of the first books I read that had a queer character (bisexual in Bart’s case). It was kind of the time where I was trying to figure myself out.
Is it the best book with lgbtq rep? No, not by a long shot. But it was a good book and a good start at that time for me. I probably won’t ever read it again, but it holds an interesting spot in my heart and bookshelf.
Is it the best book with lgbtq rep? No, not by a long shot. But it was a good book and a good start at that time for me. I probably won’t ever read it again, but it holds an interesting spot in my heart and bookshelf.
May 23, 2020
I went into this book thinking it would be a real page turner, but ended up being a no for me. I felt the characters were very 2 dimensional and bland. Half way into the book I had to push myself to finish it and was very to close to putting it down. I felt as though I didn't really connect with the characters which made me not care about them when something bad happened. Overall I had to give this one a 1 star rating.
August 26, 2019
This is a lovely novel. One of the things that struck me most about it, is the way McFerran captures what it’s like to be young and feeling everything so powerfully. I adored the main character, Bart.
March 15, 2020
I did not enjoy this book. I could not get past the halfway point of the book. It is very cringey and cliche.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews