Stand By Me

by Jacky Gray

Ray had it looks, brains and athletic prowess. Arrogance, much? Two car crashes later he's minus his mum, his uncle and his legs. Trapping a young, active body in a wheelchair is no fun for any teen, let alone a potential Olympian. A fresh start at a new school does a grand job of teaching him humility and the value of friendship. He works hard to win the respect and affection of the lovely Liv despite fierce competition. After a happy accident, he regains his independence with an unfortunate side effect - the arrogance is back. And one of Liv's suitors is sniffing around, stirring old insecurities. In his quest to reach his previous level of fitness and defeat his rival, he's in danger of losing it all again.
With the pedal pressed firmly to the metal, it will take something catastrophic to stop Ray's spiral into self-destruction. Described as a pitch-perfect blend of drama and romance for fans of 10 Things I Hate About You and Glee , this young adult story is snappy, eclectic and edgy. An enjoyable read which will appeal to anyone with a sense of humour and an ear for the ironic. Dealing with issues of self-image and peer abuse, this well-written, intriguing series shares many elements with 13 Reasons Why as the complex characters grapple with issues such as sexuality, bullying and misread signals. It gives a convincing depiction of mercurial teenage relationships and that dreadful sense of hope and fear combined around transforming friendships into relationships when you don’t quite dare take the plunge in case your feelings aren’t reciprocated.

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2018

About the author

As so often happens with these things, Archer was born while I was in the middle of writing another book. Events were conspiring to ensure I wrote this story, beginning with a trip to Warwick Castle where I stood enthralled with my friend and our kids while the Warwick Bowman talked us through the history of the long bow. He treated us to the ultimate demonstration, firing 100 arrows in rapid succession through a loop of rope, approximately the size of a human head. The warrior within me awoke - I was hooked.

I had recently read the first two books in Bernard Cornwell’s excellent Grail Quest series – these obviously made a big impact. I started writing it in march 2009; 18 days and 56,000 words later, Archer’s tale was told. After a year spent mostly in Wessex, the next four books were drafted and I was ready to go back and start editing the first two books.

I am currently writing the 6th book in the series and wondering if this will be the last.

Reviews

[Joanne Ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this last book in the series, most of the loose ends are tied up: Will Ray ever remember what happened the night he had his accident? Was Jimmy Responsible or did Ray just fall? Will Liv finally decide between Ray and Jimmy? And what is ahead for all of them when the year draws to an end and they are faced with a summer apart?
The most delightful thing I have found about these books is that they are so very like the Junior year in any high school or 11th year in any English school and, I imagine the same year in any school anywhere! These kids are so true to life and filled with the drama and angst of any mid teen in any school. Their ups and downs are spot on and the loyalty they show is the same as any group of close friends at that age.
These teens, however, are very smart and have their heads on straight so they usually make the right decision in the end. That is one reason I would want any teen of mine to read these books. The characters are very good role models, for the most part. Where they make a mistake it is done intentionally to teach a lesson to the reader and show them how things can go wrong very quickly. But these kids stick up for each other and usually arrive in time to help the character out of a jam. These are the kind of kids I had as friends when I was young and, no surprise, they are still my friends now.
Jacky Gray has done a marvelous job of creating these characters and bringing them to life for us. Now, go, read the final book! Don't wait another second to see how everything works out for Ray, Liv, Jimmy, Jude, Luke Kat, Liam and their other friends. Enjoy!

[Margo James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad this is the end. Or is it?
This is the end of the series, but Ms Gray hints there are more stories running through her mind, so we may see more of our young friends. The loyalty and maturity of these characters are so impressive you forget they are only 16-19 years old. Was I ever that smart as a teenager? Nope, not even as a thirty something.
Ray is finally up and about, but not well. As with Jude and her skating, Ray single mindedly persues his physical training in order to join the rugby team. His friends are very worried as they watch him distance himself from them and his grades start slipping too. Liv stays by his side, encouraging him and trying to keep him grounded in all aspects of his life, not just rugby. Once again tragedy strikes and Ray is in the hospital. Will he lose the headway he has made, or will this be the jolt he needs to straighten himself out?
I will miss this cast of characters so much. I really hope Jacky does write more about them. There are still answers to be found.

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bryant Rockwell gang is back! This well written series perfectly captures the teen angst, relationships, slang, jealousies and bullying that are so normal for teens. The characters are a bit older, but only slightly wiser. You can read the blurb and I am not going to do any spoilers. I will just say that these adventures kept me well entertained.