What do you think?
Rate this book
The Stone Rainbow
Seventeen-year-old Jack Pedersen is finding life complicated ever since he came out to his mom. Even though she's been doing her best to be understanding, it's obvious to Jack that his mom still wants to cry every time she says the word gay. Complications go into hyperdrive when a new student arrives at school, and Jack starts experiencing feelings he's never allowed himself to feel before. When a near tragedy turns life upside down, Jack realizes it's time to stop hiding from himself and everyone around him, and he decides to organize his small town's first Pride Parade.
Read more of Jack's story in Liane Shaw's previous novel, Caterpillars Can't Swim.
Read more of Jack's story in Liane Shaw's previous novel, Caterpillars Can't Swim.
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2019
2 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 11, 2019
3.5/5 Stars
"Nothing ever changes unless people are willing to try."
Jack Pedersen is finding life complicated since he came out to his mum who is trying the best to be understanding and supportive but still wants to cry every time she says the word gay. Things become even more complicated when a new student arrives at school and Jack starts to experience feelings he's never allowed himself to feel before. But when tragedy hits, Jack realises it's time to stop hiding and organise his small town's first Pride Parade.
⤷ This was an enjoyable book with many powerful themes!
⤷ I didn't feel any connection towards the characters and didn't think any of them were developed except for the protagonist!
⤷ I appreciated that this book wasn't really a love story but more of a coming out story. It made the book more meaningful as it wasn't entirely focusing on the romance but really on the development of the main character, Jack!
⤷ I wasn't a fan of the dialogue, it was hard to figure out who was saying what which caused me to read it a couple of times. It would be easier to read if there were details with the quotes of speech!
⤷ This book is a sequel to Shaw's book 'Caterpillars Can't Swim' but can be read as a standalone. If I read the first book beforehand, maybe I would have been more interested with the side characters!
"Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?"
"Who I want to love?"
This book was very heartbreaking at times, yet heartwarming. I did enjoy this book but not enough to read it again but would recommend this anyone wanting to read an LGBT+ coming out story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Second Story Press, for sending me an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review! :)
"Nothing ever changes unless people are willing to try."
Jack Pedersen is finding life complicated since he came out to his mum who is trying the best to be understanding and supportive but still wants to cry every time she says the word gay. Things become even more complicated when a new student arrives at school and Jack starts to experience feelings he's never allowed himself to feel before. But when tragedy hits, Jack realises it's time to stop hiding and organise his small town's first Pride Parade.
⤷ This was an enjoyable book with many powerful themes!
⤷ I didn't feel any connection towards the characters and didn't think any of them were developed except for the protagonist!
⤷ I appreciated that this book wasn't really a love story but more of a coming out story. It made the book more meaningful as it wasn't entirely focusing on the romance but really on the development of the main character, Jack!
⤷ I wasn't a fan of the dialogue, it was hard to figure out who was saying what which caused me to read it a couple of times. It would be easier to read if there were details with the quotes of speech!
⤷ This book is a sequel to Shaw's book 'Caterpillars Can't Swim' but can be read as a standalone. If I read the first book beforehand, maybe I would have been more interested with the side characters!
"Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?"
"Who I want to love?"
This book was very heartbreaking at times, yet heartwarming. I did enjoy this book but not enough to read it again but would recommend this anyone wanting to read an LGBT+ coming out story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Second Story Press, for sending me an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review! :)
July 7, 2019
I enjoyed the message of this book, it was uplifting and hopeful. The story is about being proud of who you are and accepting yourself and others. Jackson was cute, I felt bad that he felt alone and that he couldn't be and out gay man. I was really happy he found Ryan, Benjamin, and Lucas to help him feel confident. I felt like most of the characters weren't developed fully and I would have liked more time on Jackson's relationships with them all.
The story is pretty short and gets to the point. It's a good read for the younger crowd and very positive.
The story is pretty short and gets to the point. It's a good read for the younger crowd and very positive.
August 18, 2019
I have received this ARC from NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The Stone Rainbow was a book that I wished I liked more than I did. In the beginning, I really liked getting to know Jack. His life is very complicated and I felt for him every time he wanted to cry or whenever he was struggling. I was intrigued when his feelings were appearing more and more with the new kid at school. Yet, I was so bored with this book. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into it. This book was cute, adorable, and yet my black soul wanted nothing to do with it.
That being said, this is really hard to say but I need to: I had zero connection/interest in any character within this book. I liked Jack but it wasn't enough to just like him. I also feel like these characters were lacking something about them. It was nice for Jack to finally get the support that he needed/was looking for.. but other than that - nothing really happened for me.
Overall, I might give this book another chance but I don't know when or where that will take place.
The Stone Rainbow was a book that I wished I liked more than I did. In the beginning, I really liked getting to know Jack. His life is very complicated and I felt for him every time he wanted to cry or whenever he was struggling. I was intrigued when his feelings were appearing more and more with the new kid at school. Yet, I was so bored with this book. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into it. This book was cute, adorable, and yet my black soul wanted nothing to do with it.
That being said, this is really hard to say but I need to: I had zero connection/interest in any character within this book. I liked Jack but it wasn't enough to just like him. I also feel like these characters were lacking something about them. It was nice for Jack to finally get the support that he needed/was looking for.. but other than that - nothing really happened for me.
Overall, I might give this book another chance but I don't know when or where that will take place.
June 12, 2020
I was sent an eARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.
I mainly requested this book because of the pretty cover, and I should probably stop doing that, because this was so incredibly disappointing.
The book started with two clear instances of ableism in the very first 20 pages. Jack's friend Ryan has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Jack admits that he knows that it makes Ryan very uncomfortable when people act all impressed about the things he's good at, like swimming. And rightfully so, because yikes. But right after admitting that he's aware of this, Jack just HAS to state that he's super impressed that Ryan can swim, since he can't walk. Why? Not 10 pages later, Jack suddenly starts pushing Ryan's wheelchair without permission, and when Ryan gets pissed about that, he thinks:"If I was Cody, he'd let me push him from here to the next county." Jack (and the author, by extension), you do know disabled people don't exist so you can feel good about yourself for "helping" them, right?
It's also an interesting choice that the straight author (she has "LGBTQ+ ally and parent" in her Twitter bio) wrote a gay main character who lives in a really homophobic small town, and who has almost drowned before the book starts, in what people think was a suicide attempt (this never became clear in the book). His mother is super homophobic, and people at his school use homophobic slurs. And of course the gay love interest has to almost die to add some drama to the story.
I will say, it's clear that the author is making an effort here. But the way she describes Jack's experience being gay is just a complete miss. There were so many strange issues that made the book very uncomfortable to read, aside from the main issues I listed above. For instance, Jack's friend Ryan has a very homophobic best friend who's a complete bully, but Jack puts up with him anyway? And when Jack talks to the new guy at school, who becomes the love interest, he keeps pressuring him into not coming out at school, which is so not his call to make. An example of the smaller issues is this sentence: "Straight. As if everyone else is somehow crooked." Does... does this woman know the history of the word? It certainly doesn't seem that way. (It started as a gay term for heterosexuals.)
This could have been a pretty cute romance, but there were just too many issues for me to enjoy it.
Rep: half Latinx gay MC, side character with cerebral palsy, half Chinese gay love interest.
CWs: possible attempted suicide, homophobia, homophobic slurs, ableism (unchallenged)
I mainly requested this book because of the pretty cover, and I should probably stop doing that, because this was so incredibly disappointing.
The book started with two clear instances of ableism in the very first 20 pages. Jack's friend Ryan has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Jack admits that he knows that it makes Ryan very uncomfortable when people act all impressed about the things he's good at, like swimming. And rightfully so, because yikes. But right after admitting that he's aware of this, Jack just HAS to state that he's super impressed that Ryan can swim, since he can't walk. Why? Not 10 pages later, Jack suddenly starts pushing Ryan's wheelchair without permission, and when Ryan gets pissed about that, he thinks:"If I was Cody, he'd let me push him from here to the next county." Jack (and the author, by extension), you do know disabled people don't exist so you can feel good about yourself for "helping" them, right?
It's also an interesting choice that the straight author (she has "LGBTQ+ ally and parent" in her Twitter bio) wrote a gay main character who lives in a really homophobic small town, and who has almost drowned before the book starts, in what people think was a suicide attempt (this never became clear in the book). His mother is super homophobic, and people at his school use homophobic slurs. And of course the gay love interest has to almost die to add some drama to the story.
I will say, it's clear that the author is making an effort here. But the way she describes Jack's experience being gay is just a complete miss. There were so many strange issues that made the book very uncomfortable to read, aside from the main issues I listed above. For instance, Jack's friend Ryan has a very homophobic best friend who's a complete bully, but Jack puts up with him anyway? And when Jack talks to the new guy at school, who becomes the love interest, he keeps pressuring him into not coming out at school, which is so not his call to make. An example of the smaller issues is this sentence: "Straight. As if everyone else is somehow crooked." Does... does this woman know the history of the word? It certainly doesn't seem that way. (It started as a gay term for heterosexuals.)
This could have been a pretty cute romance, but there were just too many issues for me to enjoy it.
Rep: half Latinx gay MC, side character with cerebral palsy, half Chinese gay love interest.
CWs: possible attempted suicide, homophobia, homophobic slurs, ableism (unchallenged)
April 17, 2019
I Recived this ARC in exhange for a honest review by Second Story Press and Liane Shaw at NetGalley
This Review can also be found at Moony's book blog
What first dragged me to this book was the cover, it was colorful mysterious. I had no idea what it beheld and reading the description I wanted to read it more. So, I dipped in, starting to adore Jack the way he wants to be less afraid, wants to embrace himself and just be himself. Not sure that makes any sense. But being yourself, in this society is hard, because it’s always someone who wants to rain on your parade, so to speak- to be evil, cruel and stomp on you. But back to the book at hand, Jack I think is adorable – especially around the new kid, Benjamin. He’s trying not to be awkward, but somewhat fails and Benjamin is saying things straight out even though it might surprise anyone. Even though that Benjamin is completely out as a gay person and Jack is, well he’s somewhat out, but still somewhat “in the closet” if you can say it like that… he’s scared of what people thinks about it and what reaction and gossips will come of it. Then, further reading I came to love Jack more, care for him, want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright, even though I have no idea if that’s the truth or not. When going in to the book I thought his mother was honestly going to be a bitch, but to be fair having a gay son is hard for her, but she’s trying, I know lots of people who’d kick them out and not care. But she tries, even though the gay- thing is hard. But again, I’m rambling…. This book isn’t just all fluff, it has so much… struggling with being out, accidents, scared, loneliness, freaking out over things…. And more. I’m literally at the edge of my seat pushing pages and pages for what’s happening next…. rooting for the main character, Jack to be who he wants to be, and to be proud of it. Damn this book make me feel so much.
I Especially if you didn’t already know it love Benjamin and Jack, those characters kind of placed themselves in my heart, I can’t even explain it. More than I just giggle and grin and make weird noises because that’s what I do. This book needs to be read, simply because “Love is Love” and “kindness rules.”
This Review can also be found at Moony's book blog
What first dragged me to this book was the cover, it was colorful mysterious. I had no idea what it beheld and reading the description I wanted to read it more. So, I dipped in, starting to adore Jack the way he wants to be less afraid, wants to embrace himself and just be himself. Not sure that makes any sense. But being yourself, in this society is hard, because it’s always someone who wants to rain on your parade, so to speak- to be evil, cruel and stomp on you. But back to the book at hand, Jack I think is adorable – especially around the new kid, Benjamin. He’s trying not to be awkward, but somewhat fails and Benjamin is saying things straight out even though it might surprise anyone. Even though that Benjamin is completely out as a gay person and Jack is, well he’s somewhat out, but still somewhat “in the closet” if you can say it like that… he’s scared of what people thinks about it and what reaction and gossips will come of it. Then, further reading I came to love Jack more, care for him, want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright, even though I have no idea if that’s the truth or not. When going in to the book I thought his mother was honestly going to be a bitch, but to be fair having a gay son is hard for her, but she’s trying, I know lots of people who’d kick them out and not care. But she tries, even though the gay- thing is hard. But again, I’m rambling…. This book isn’t just all fluff, it has so much… struggling with being out, accidents, scared, loneliness, freaking out over things…. And more. I’m literally at the edge of my seat pushing pages and pages for what’s happening next…. rooting for the main character, Jack to be who he wants to be, and to be proud of it. Damn this book make me feel so much.
I Especially if you didn’t already know it love Benjamin and Jack, those characters kind of placed themselves in my heart, I can’t even explain it. More than I just giggle and grin and make weird noises because that’s what I do. This book needs to be read, simply because “Love is Love” and “kindness rules.”
August 6, 2019
História bacana, com foco na discriminação LGBT além de ser mais um "coming out" do personagem sair do armário e tal. Permeado de conflitos no início, um passado turbulento até que um menino novo na escola chega e tudo começa a mudar.
Bem interessante a abordagem da autora apesar das críticas que li por aqui gostei de quase tudo tirando os clichês que são normais nesse tipo de obra. Vale a pena ser lido.
Bem interessante a abordagem da autora apesar das críticas que li por aqui gostei de quase tudo tirando os clichês que são normais nesse tipo de obra. Vale a pena ser lido.
April 27, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read early for an honest review.
I really loved this story. It has a quiet fierceness to it.
This novel was very character driven and they all felt very well-rounded with their own motives and personalities. I wanted to follow them past the end of the story to their graduation and school dance and beyond.
I especially liked the friendship between Jackson and Ryan. It felt real, and even though they were each dealing with different issues, they supported each other, and learned from each other. Their conversation in the hospital felt needed and real.
Cody was the character that surprised me the most. The author could have let him be a stereotype, but he had a good story arc and so much depth.
I really loved this story. It has a quiet fierceness to it.
This novel was very character driven and they all felt very well-rounded with their own motives and personalities. I wanted to follow them past the end of the story to their graduation and school dance and beyond.
I especially liked the friendship between Jackson and Ryan. It felt real, and even though they were each dealing with different issues, they supported each other, and learned from each other. Their conversation in the hospital felt needed and real.
Cody was the character that surprised me the most. The author could have let him be a stereotype, but he had a good story arc and so much depth.
June 8, 2019
This is a love story, sort of.
It is a coming out story, more so, and it is about a pride parade.
Mostly it is the story of Jack, who is so far in the closet he has his back against the wall. He fears letting anyone know, and so keeps it to himself, and is miserable.
And then, there is Benjamin. The most beautiful man he has ever seen, and he is in love, and now he doesn't know what to do. Should he say something. Or should he suffer in silence.
What is interesting is, this could have been a "straight" forward love story, but the author chose to take it in a slightly different direction that would bring Jack kicking and screaming out of the closet, so to speak. But it all works, and I like how it was done.
This is actually the continuation of the story that started in the first book in the series Caterpillars can't swim . That is where we meet Ryan, who is disabled, and Jack's best friend. This first book focuses on what happened to Jack before the events in the current book, but it isn't necessary to read the first book first.
This is a good take on what life in a small town is like for a lot of LGBTQ people, and hopefully if others can read about the courage that Jack has, they too can find hope and courage.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
It is a coming out story, more so, and it is about a pride parade.
Mostly it is the story of Jack, who is so far in the closet he has his back against the wall. He fears letting anyone know, and so keeps it to himself, and is miserable.
And then, there is Benjamin. The most beautiful man he has ever seen, and he is in love, and now he doesn't know what to do. Should he say something. Or should he suffer in silence.
What is interesting is, this could have been a "straight" forward love story, but the author chose to take it in a slightly different direction that would bring Jack kicking and screaming out of the closet, so to speak. But it all works, and I like how it was done.
This is actually the continuation of the story that started in the first book in the series Caterpillars can't swim . That is where we meet Ryan, who is disabled, and Jack's best friend. This first book focuses on what happened to Jack before the events in the current book, but it isn't necessary to read the first book first.
This is a good take on what life in a small town is like for a lot of LGBTQ people, and hopefully if others can read about the courage that Jack has, they too can find hope and courage.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
June 25, 2020
Title: The Stone Rainbow
Author: Liane Shaw
Source: I was sent an e-copy of this book via netgalley, with thanks to the netgalley, the author and the publisher.
Jack Pederson came out as gay a year ago, and his mother has struggled to accept it, while he's struggled to accept the fact his accident was more deliberate than he wishes it to seem. Everything however changes when he meets Benjamin, the son of the vice principal, confident and openly gay. When their classmates however find out that Benjamin is also gay, the rumours are rife. Rumours plus their negatively homophobic town equals life threatening actions being pinned against them; it reaches a head when Benjamin is driven off road and nearly dies.
This story was good! It was a story of pride and dealing with the mental health repercussions that come alongside coming out and living in a homophobic town. The character development in this story was great, Jack started as an average boring main character but after meeting Benjamin became a lot more confident and it really does highlight the importance of good friends. Even Cody, who attempts to put on a macho and homophobic exterior, really warmed my heart when he defended Jack and Benjamin and eventually acted as a bouncer to the pride parade. Overall, this is a nice read, it wouldn't go on my favourites list but it was a nice YA contemporary book.
Author: Liane Shaw
Source: I was sent an e-copy of this book via netgalley, with thanks to the netgalley, the author and the publisher.
Jack Pederson came out as gay a year ago, and his mother has struggled to accept it, while he's struggled to accept the fact his accident was more deliberate than he wishes it to seem. Everything however changes when he meets Benjamin, the son of the vice principal, confident and openly gay. When their classmates however find out that Benjamin is also gay, the rumours are rife. Rumours plus their negatively homophobic town equals life threatening actions being pinned against them; it reaches a head when Benjamin is driven off road and nearly dies.
This story was good! It was a story of pride and dealing with the mental health repercussions that come alongside coming out and living in a homophobic town. The character development in this story was great, Jack started as an average boring main character but after meeting Benjamin became a lot more confident and it really does highlight the importance of good friends. Even Cody, who attempts to put on a macho and homophobic exterior, really warmed my heart when he defended Jack and Benjamin and eventually acted as a bouncer to the pride parade. Overall, this is a nice read, it wouldn't go on my favourites list but it was a nice YA contemporary book.
August 9, 2019
*i received an e-arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
DNF @ 30%. this book was so obviously written by a straight person
the representation and diversity of the characters was nice, but nothing else was interesting enough to make me keep reading. the only remotely interesting character to read was benjamin. also, the writing style was just not working for me. there were huge blocks of dialogue between characters without any indication of who was speaking.
trigger warnings for talk about suicide/ suicide attempt. sorry, but im tired of reading about lgbt+ characters with tragic stories. give me a gay kid who gets a happy story just like all the straight contemporary romances out there. can we stop throwing in suicide attempts or killing off the gay character just for some extra drama in the plot
its clear that the author is making some effort here, but the way that Jack's gay experience was written was uncomfortable to me as a queer reviewer. just the sentence, "straight, as if everyone else is somehow crooked" was just ???? it might be an attempt at trying to say that straight shouldn't be the normal but it just made me cringe so hard
DNF @ 30%. this book was so obviously written by a straight person
the representation and diversity of the characters was nice, but nothing else was interesting enough to make me keep reading. the only remotely interesting character to read was benjamin. also, the writing style was just not working for me. there were huge blocks of dialogue between characters without any indication of who was speaking.
trigger warnings for talk about suicide/ suicide attempt. sorry, but im tired of reading about lgbt+ characters with tragic stories. give me a gay kid who gets a happy story just like all the straight contemporary romances out there. can we stop throwing in suicide attempts or killing off the gay character just for some extra drama in the plot
its clear that the author is making some effort here, but the way that Jack's gay experience was written was uncomfortable to me as a queer reviewer. just the sentence, "straight, as if everyone else is somehow crooked" was just ???? it might be an attempt at trying to say that straight shouldn't be the normal but it just made me cringe so hard
June 4, 2019
A beautiful coming out story that will have you in tears, for the pain and the genuine heartfelt moments. The small town claustrophobia and bigotry is well done, the characters so relatable and real. A well written story and I really encourage everyone to read this.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
September 29, 2019
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I tried so hard but alas, I didn't like it. I really didn't like it. At all. Even typing out the synopsis annoyed me to be honest and it reminds me how much I didn't like this book?
Let's talk about the characters first. They had absolutely no depth. They had situations happen to them, but no depth. They were bland, boring, predictable. The main character Jack, was so annoying. I've never read such a whiny character. Which is very upsetting as we share the same first name. They also weren't described very much, I have no idea what anyone looked like. How can you expect a story to be good without great characters?
Now, let's talk about the romance. Well, the attempt at romance. Once I got over the awful trope of instalove, I thought I might buy into the romance but it didn't happen. Jack fell in love with Benjamin after one conversation, and it was so pathetic. It also didn't help me to find Jack less annoying. They had absolutely no chemistry, Benjamin (the love interest) had no personality. The author clearly tried to make him come across as charming, but he jus came across as dull. Just ugh.
Plot? Does this book even know what that is? You just knew how this book was going to end the moment it began. They'd end up together, the pride parade would go well, he'd recover from the accident. Blah, blah, blah. This book wanted to show the struggles and the harshness to being gay, but only showed them on the surface. Then gave it all a happy (but rubbish) ending.
This book had so many cliches. In fact I think it was one whole big cliche. The romance, the bullies, the parent situation, the ending. Obviously this book gets points for diversity, with its queer characters, but even they were walking cliches. It did have a character with cerebral palsy, who was in a wheelchair, and I thought that was written well. Probably the best character and best thing about this book.
So like I said it's predictable, cliched, bland, boring. I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend this one at all. Don't waste your time, there's better LGBT+ books out there that will challenge you, make you think, believe in love. Read those, not this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Second Story Press for a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It's out September 19th.
August 3, 2019
The best new book I've read in 2019. As a girl from a pretty homogeneous small town, where conservative religious beliefs reign, this book struck a major chord. So many people I know are coming out now that they are away from home, and it really shows how scary it is to live in a place that doesn't tolerate you. This book makes me want to start a pride parade back home. We need to show the kids there are people who do respect and love them.
June 9, 2019
**I received this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review** I requested this in honor for pride month.
I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. I couldn't connect to the characters. I am a huge huge sucker for world building, I don't want pages and pages of detail, but it is very much needed. This author loves dialouge, which is great, but entire pages of dialouge with nothing else, no mention of who is speaking, what they are doing while they are speaking, what is going on what they are thinking.. here is an example this is an entire kindle page on my phone:
“But liking him and dreaming about him is the fun part. Watching him in the halls. Looking forward to talking to him.”
“I’m already doing that, but I’m not so sure it’s fun. It’s pretty terrifying.”
“That’s okay. I was scared Ryan wasn’t going to like me.”
“Seriously? The guy is crazy about you. I’m pretty sure he was more scared that you wouldn’t like him. The way I’m scared Benjamin could never like me.”
“How can he not? You’re smart, talented, and gorgeous ! Those big brown eyes and that curly hair. Any guy would be lucky to have you!” I can see why Ryan’s obsessed with her. She’s beautiful and observant. Ha, ha. “Yeah, well, if I liked girls, I’d be giving Ryan a run for his money.”
“Listen to you all flirty. Try some of that with Benjamin and he’ll be all over you.”
“Yeah, right. I have no idea if he’s interested in me at all.”
“He told you he wants to be friends.”
“I guess. Listen, I’ll let you go. But I really appreciate that you’re talking to me about this stuff.”
“No problem. I’m sure Lucas would weigh in on things if you’re interested in his…unique perspective.”
“You mean the gay perspective ? Do you think that would help?”
the main character and a girl friend were facetiming on computer, this entire conversation got all muddled in my head, I was tired, i had to read it 3-4 times to figure out who was saying what, it's just SO easy to add little details, things like "Yeah, right. I have no idea if he's interested in me at all." he fiddled with his pencil nervously tapping it against the table, looking off to the side embarassed. or some crap like that. little details to break up the quotes of speech. That's all I'm saying.
and pages and pages of that made it hard to read, so I really had a very hard time getting into it, and unfortunately, I DNF it, I just couldn't get into it.
I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. I couldn't connect to the characters. I am a huge huge sucker for world building, I don't want pages and pages of detail, but it is very much needed. This author loves dialouge, which is great, but entire pages of dialouge with nothing else, no mention of who is speaking, what they are doing while they are speaking, what is going on what they are thinking.. here is an example this is an entire kindle page on my phone:
“But liking him and dreaming about him is the fun part. Watching him in the halls. Looking forward to talking to him.”
“I’m already doing that, but I’m not so sure it’s fun. It’s pretty terrifying.”
“That’s okay. I was scared Ryan wasn’t going to like me.”
“Seriously? The guy is crazy about you. I’m pretty sure he was more scared that you wouldn’t like him. The way I’m scared Benjamin could never like me.”
“How can he not? You’re smart, talented, and gorgeous ! Those big brown eyes and that curly hair. Any guy would be lucky to have you!” I can see why Ryan’s obsessed with her. She’s beautiful and observant. Ha, ha. “Yeah, well, if I liked girls, I’d be giving Ryan a run for his money.”
“Listen to you all flirty. Try some of that with Benjamin and he’ll be all over you.”
“Yeah, right. I have no idea if he’s interested in me at all.”
“He told you he wants to be friends.”
“I guess. Listen, I’ll let you go. But I really appreciate that you’re talking to me about this stuff.”
“No problem. I’m sure Lucas would weigh in on things if you’re interested in his…unique perspective.”
“You mean the gay perspective ? Do you think that would help?”
the main character and a girl friend were facetiming on computer, this entire conversation got all muddled in my head, I was tired, i had to read it 3-4 times to figure out who was saying what, it's just SO easy to add little details, things like "Yeah, right. I have no idea if he's interested in me at all." he fiddled with his pencil nervously tapping it against the table, looking off to the side embarassed. or some crap like that. little details to break up the quotes of speech. That's all I'm saying.
and pages and pages of that made it hard to read, so I really had a very hard time getting into it, and unfortunately, I DNF it, I just couldn't get into it.
September 20, 2019
"Intolerance, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying, [...] all wiped out by one single command. Be kind."
The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw is a book that handles several difficult topics at once: suicide, identity, bullying, homophobia, coming of age. Those are topics that can be difficult to talk about but may resonate with many young adults that have personal experience with these.
I felt that at times, the story was too simplified. I didn't feel like this came from an author that had personal experience with being homosexual and coming out, and I find this to be the sort of story that needs to be told by someone that truly understands the ups and downs of this experience.
But still, I feel that this book fills a need. There need to be more stories about the issues teenagers are facing. Staying quiet and acting like these things don't happen don't do any good for anybody so I applaud Shaw for pulling them into the spotlight so more people know we are ready and wanting to hear more, to learn more.
Jack definitely showed character growth in this story cute story of accepting himself for who he is and who he loves. I also felt that both Ryan and Cody showed maturing and acceptance that was needed to accept the fact that Jack would want to keep them in his life, that they are friends/acquaintances that he should want to keep around because they like him for who he is, not in spite of who he is.
The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw is a book that handles several difficult topics at once: suicide, identity, bullying, homophobia, coming of age. Those are topics that can be difficult to talk about but may resonate with many young adults that have personal experience with these.
I felt that at times, the story was too simplified. I didn't feel like this came from an author that had personal experience with being homosexual and coming out, and I find this to be the sort of story that needs to be told by someone that truly understands the ups and downs of this experience.
But still, I feel that this book fills a need. There need to be more stories about the issues teenagers are facing. Staying quiet and acting like these things don't happen don't do any good for anybody so I applaud Shaw for pulling them into the spotlight so more people know we are ready and wanting to hear more, to learn more.
Jack definitely showed character growth in this story cute story of accepting himself for who he is and who he loves. I also felt that both Ryan and Cody showed maturing and acceptance that was needed to accept the fact that Jack would want to keep them in his life, that they are friends/acquaintances that he should want to keep around because they like him for who he is, not in spite of who he is.
April 16, 2019
I read an advance review copy of this book. Full disclosure, I work for the publisher.
The characters are well written, and the story is just a breath of fresh air. The connection between the main character and his love interest is wonderful to watch and overall I just really loved this book.
The characters are well written, and the story is just a breath of fresh air. The connection between the main character and his love interest is wonderful to watch and overall I just really loved this book.
April 23, 2019
The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw (out 17th of September 2019)
The Stone Rainbow is about Jack, a gay teenager in a small town dealing with everything that comes along with that stigma and having the courage to make things happen, namely the towns first pride parade.
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Honestly, if I had read this maybe, two years ago, it would have been a five-star read based on the fact that it’s a positive queer YA book. Two years ago, that’s all I needed to love something like this. However, over the past two years there has been a change in queer books published. Namely, there has been an amazing swell of own voice novels, written well, and subverting or completely doing away with the usual tropes that befall queer books. Suddenly, because there is so much more choice in the YA world for queer books, I’m no longer so easily impressed.
Overall, I liked the plot and direction of the novel and I thought Shaw did a really good job of addressing issues of masculinity, mental health and how not everywhere is as progressive as it should be. I enjoyed the diversity, particularly the disability rep and even though I thought the side characters could have been fleshed out more, I also really like the characters of Ryan and Cody, if only because I thought they were the most interesting and multifaceted characters that I would have liked more time to explore.
My main issues came down to our protagonist, Jack and the writing.
In terms of the writing, it was a little too in Jacks head the entire time, and that resulted in a whole lot of tell and almost no show. We were just presented information as fact from Jacks mind, but we were never given any actual evidence to back any of it up, to give is a sense of reality. For instance, in the beginning Jack is swimming, he hits his head. something that is very simple, but we didn’t see Jack hit his head, we just had jack relay the info to us after the fact. Or, possibly my biggest gripe: Jack is constantly calling his small town backwards and hick, talking about all the inherent and rampant homophobia, but we never get any actual scenes of these things until the middle to end of the book. There was no present, evidence of homophobia or even bullies really to give these claims any foundation to build off of.
The character of Jack himself was just a tad…annoying to me. He came off as one of those characters that nick picks everyone around them in a negative light without ever having any factual evidence to back up his statements. It seemed as though he had this cartoonish perception of what a small town should be like and then forced those stereotypes on those around him. Another for instance is the rumors. Supposedly the school is flush with rumors about Jack, yes, that he’s gay, but also that he’s a drug dealer. It was never addressed why this was a rumor, and once again we never saw any evidence of these rumors.
The romance was cute, with an added meet-cute, if not a little insta-lovey, but in a small enough way that I could get over it and still enjoy the budding romance. I also loved the desire for social change and the active steps they took to create their own small piece of progress.
Overall, while not my favourite queer contemporary, I think it has potential, and perhaps a younger reader, not so well versed in queer literature, would really get something more out of this than I did.
I received an ARC from netgalley.
The Stone Rainbow is about Jack, a gay teenager in a small town dealing with everything that comes along with that stigma and having the courage to make things happen, namely the towns first pride parade.
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Honestly, if I had read this maybe, two years ago, it would have been a five-star read based on the fact that it’s a positive queer YA book. Two years ago, that’s all I needed to love something like this. However, over the past two years there has been a change in queer books published. Namely, there has been an amazing swell of own voice novels, written well, and subverting or completely doing away with the usual tropes that befall queer books. Suddenly, because there is so much more choice in the YA world for queer books, I’m no longer so easily impressed.
Overall, I liked the plot and direction of the novel and I thought Shaw did a really good job of addressing issues of masculinity, mental health and how not everywhere is as progressive as it should be. I enjoyed the diversity, particularly the disability rep and even though I thought the side characters could have been fleshed out more, I also really like the characters of Ryan and Cody, if only because I thought they were the most interesting and multifaceted characters that I would have liked more time to explore.
My main issues came down to our protagonist, Jack and the writing.
In terms of the writing, it was a little too in Jacks head the entire time, and that resulted in a whole lot of tell and almost no show. We were just presented information as fact from Jacks mind, but we were never given any actual evidence to back any of it up, to give is a sense of reality. For instance, in the beginning Jack is swimming, he hits his head. something that is very simple, but we didn’t see Jack hit his head, we just had jack relay the info to us after the fact. Or, possibly my biggest gripe: Jack is constantly calling his small town backwards and hick, talking about all the inherent and rampant homophobia, but we never get any actual scenes of these things until the middle to end of the book. There was no present, evidence of homophobia or even bullies really to give these claims any foundation to build off of.
The character of Jack himself was just a tad…annoying to me. He came off as one of those characters that nick picks everyone around them in a negative light without ever having any factual evidence to back up his statements. It seemed as though he had this cartoonish perception of what a small town should be like and then forced those stereotypes on those around him. Another for instance is the rumors. Supposedly the school is flush with rumors about Jack, yes, that he’s gay, but also that he’s a drug dealer. It was never addressed why this was a rumor, and once again we never saw any evidence of these rumors.
The romance was cute, with an added meet-cute, if not a little insta-lovey, but in a small enough way that I could get over it and still enjoy the budding romance. I also loved the desire for social change and the active steps they took to create their own small piece of progress.
Overall, while not my favourite queer contemporary, I think it has potential, and perhaps a younger reader, not so well versed in queer literature, would really get something more out of this than I did.
I received an ARC from netgalley.
September 25, 2019
An increasingly popular theory applied to all novels, but YA in particular, is that of “own voices”. An individual reader’s mileage may vary, particularly if the voice that is being mimicked is their own. The Stone Rainbow is a novel about a depressed, anxious, and closeted teenage boy, written by Canadian Liane Shaw, a “crazy proud grandma”. It is safe to say that The Stone Rainbow is not an Own Voices work. The sequel to Caterpillars Don’t Swim, which this reviewer has not read, The Stone Rainbow is a curious work uncertain of its true audience.
Jack Pedersen is the only gay in the small town of Thompson Mills, or so he suspects. When his school gets a new Vice Principal, she brings her son Benjamin with her, and suddenly Thompson Mills’ theoretical homosexual population is doubled. Benjamin’s open way of living inspires Jack to revolutionise the way he relates to the world around him.
It seems that you do not have to have read Caterpillars Don’t Swim to follow The Stone Rainbow, as Shaw recounts multiple of its events multiple times. They sound like readers of The Stone Rainbow are missing a party, because there’s not much happening in this anaemic book. Characters can get away with casual homophobia while also being accused of homophobia for something that really isn’t the same thing; Jack isn’t a person so much as a ball of misguided angst, and we only know that his friends are his friends because Shaw says that they are: there’s no real evidence either way.
The Stone Rainbow touches on sensitive topics like ableism and suicide, but pays them little more than lip service. The clumsy treatment of Ryan’s cerebral palsy partly comes down to the narrator’s own ignorance, which he tries to combat, so it doesn’t seem like bad faith on Shaw’s part. Shaw’s inexperience shows with her basic binary treatment of sexuality and gender; she has written characters who are more fluid than her language allows and, for a book about pleading for understanding, none of the characters really understand themselves or their backwards town.
It is not fair to single Liane Shaw out for not being an Own Voices writer, as many of the big names in modern gay YA are women. You can tell that Shaw is not of the same generation as them because none of her characters are interested in Harry Potter - but they’re not really interested in anything else, either. If the book is so general that it stands for nothing beyond a vague desire to “stop bullying”, at least it’s not offensive. If there’s one thing that young queer people have now that they didn’t in the past, it’s reading options; The Stone Rainbowwill not slake their thirst.
The most charitable reading of The Stone Rainbow is that it is an anodyne piece not for teens, gay or otherwise, but rather for the well-meaning but somewhat sheltered older people in their lives. Undernourished, with a narrative voice thick with contempt for itself and its environment, The Stone Rainbow is a tough book to crack, and it’s only really possible to get there because it is so short.
An ARC was provided by Second Story Press and NetGalley for review.
Jack Pedersen is the only gay in the small town of Thompson Mills, or so he suspects. When his school gets a new Vice Principal, she brings her son Benjamin with her, and suddenly Thompson Mills’ theoretical homosexual population is doubled. Benjamin’s open way of living inspires Jack to revolutionise the way he relates to the world around him.
It seems that you do not have to have read Caterpillars Don’t Swim to follow The Stone Rainbow, as Shaw recounts multiple of its events multiple times. They sound like readers of The Stone Rainbow are missing a party, because there’s not much happening in this anaemic book. Characters can get away with casual homophobia while also being accused of homophobia for something that really isn’t the same thing; Jack isn’t a person so much as a ball of misguided angst, and we only know that his friends are his friends because Shaw says that they are: there’s no real evidence either way.
The Stone Rainbow touches on sensitive topics like ableism and suicide, but pays them little more than lip service. The clumsy treatment of Ryan’s cerebral palsy partly comes down to the narrator’s own ignorance, which he tries to combat, so it doesn’t seem like bad faith on Shaw’s part. Shaw’s inexperience shows with her basic binary treatment of sexuality and gender; she has written characters who are more fluid than her language allows and, for a book about pleading for understanding, none of the characters really understand themselves or their backwards town.
It is not fair to single Liane Shaw out for not being an Own Voices writer, as many of the big names in modern gay YA are women. You can tell that Shaw is not of the same generation as them because none of her characters are interested in Harry Potter - but they’re not really interested in anything else, either. If the book is so general that it stands for nothing beyond a vague desire to “stop bullying”, at least it’s not offensive. If there’s one thing that young queer people have now that they didn’t in the past, it’s reading options; The Stone Rainbowwill not slake their thirst.
The most charitable reading of The Stone Rainbow is that it is an anodyne piece not for teens, gay or otherwise, but rather for the well-meaning but somewhat sheltered older people in their lives. Undernourished, with a narrative voice thick with contempt for itself and its environment, The Stone Rainbow is a tough book to crack, and it’s only really possible to get there because it is so short.
An ARC was provided by Second Story Press and NetGalley for review.
June 21, 2019
As always I am very very grateful to say that I received this book, from “Edelweiss” a platform where you can ask for ARCs of the latest bookish releases, in exchange for your honest opinion.
And as my honest opinion, I can’t help but be in love with this book, which is perfect for this month, since it is absolutely LGBTQ+ approved, hence perfect for “pride month”.
I will, as always, start with saying the flaws of this book, so that we can then move on with the amazingness of this book: first of all I think that this book tends to be a bit confusing, because I literally had to go back and re-read some scenes, because at first I didn’t understand the meaning of them, but as always this might have been a problem due to the fact that English is not my first language.
Also, I found some of the parts of this book a bit too fairytale-like, and as much as there is nothing wrong with wanting the “happy ending”, I still felt like it was a bit too much bookish-like, and not enough reality-like, although I absolutely loved the positive message it passed.
I believe that we honestly need more books like this, not only because of the positive message that it can get better, that although you are in a dark place right now, everything will solve and that you always have people to reach out too, but also about how much we can accomplish, through the involvement of a single person, with an idea.
It’s amazing what happens through the book, the beautiful growth of the main character, Jackson, and its fight against the unspoken rules of a society which is all too small and backwards and is also all too known and seen in our world, no matter the fact that we are 2019, and progress and acceptance should be a common thing.
I couldn’t help but shed a few tears, through the entire book, being a member of the LGBTQ+ community as an ally, seeing all the terrible things that both Benjamin and Jackson went through, just because of being different, and it was truly heartbreaking to realize that this happens in the reality much more than you might think.
Also, I loved not only the main characters, but also the side characters: each one has its reasons to be there.
Ryan is the different different, and alongside the representation of what an ally looks like, alongside having a very emotional role also in Jackson’s life, through a very painful event and let me tell you I couldn’t help but be a little in love (like Claire) with him, for being so strong, sarcastic and thoughtful.
Cody is also very interesting, he is the representation of internalized homophobia at its finest, but it is also the representation that people can learn and change and do the right thing, through education and meeting of the LGBTQ+ community.
I believe truly that this book is amazing masterpiece talking about any and every member of the rainbow community, in a way that makes us all question what we can do to make others feel better and more accepted, no matter the circumstances, because we can and we will do something better!
Please read it, when it shall come out on 17th of September, it won’t disappoint you!
And as my honest opinion, I can’t help but be in love with this book, which is perfect for this month, since it is absolutely LGBTQ+ approved, hence perfect for “pride month”.
I will, as always, start with saying the flaws of this book, so that we can then move on with the amazingness of this book: first of all I think that this book tends to be a bit confusing, because I literally had to go back and re-read some scenes, because at first I didn’t understand the meaning of them, but as always this might have been a problem due to the fact that English is not my first language.
Also, I found some of the parts of this book a bit too fairytale-like, and as much as there is nothing wrong with wanting the “happy ending”, I still felt like it was a bit too much bookish-like, and not enough reality-like, although I absolutely loved the positive message it passed.
I believe that we honestly need more books like this, not only because of the positive message that it can get better, that although you are in a dark place right now, everything will solve and that you always have people to reach out too, but also about how much we can accomplish, through the involvement of a single person, with an idea.
It’s amazing what happens through the book, the beautiful growth of the main character, Jackson, and its fight against the unspoken rules of a society which is all too small and backwards and is also all too known and seen in our world, no matter the fact that we are 2019, and progress and acceptance should be a common thing.
I couldn’t help but shed a few tears, through the entire book, being a member of the LGBTQ+ community as an ally, seeing all the terrible things that both Benjamin and Jackson went through, just because of being different, and it was truly heartbreaking to realize that this happens in the reality much more than you might think.
Also, I loved not only the main characters, but also the side characters: each one has its reasons to be there.
Ryan is the different different, and alongside the representation of what an ally looks like, alongside having a very emotional role also in Jackson’s life, through a very painful event and let me tell you I couldn’t help but be a little in love (like Claire) with him, for being so strong, sarcastic and thoughtful.
Cody is also very interesting, he is the representation of internalized homophobia at its finest, but it is also the representation that people can learn and change and do the right thing, through education and meeting of the LGBTQ+ community.
I believe truly that this book is amazing masterpiece talking about any and every member of the rainbow community, in a way that makes us all question what we can do to make others feel better and more accepted, no matter the circumstances, because we can and we will do something better!
Please read it, when it shall come out on 17th of September, it won’t disappoint you!
April 13, 2019
This review will be posted on my blog in August!
The descriptive bit: Jack is seventeen and gay. He’s come out to his Mom … and it didn’t go perfectly. In fact, he’s sure that his Mom is still pretty sad about the fact that he’s gay. He isn’t out to everyone in his life because they live in a very small town with its fair share of jerks. Then Jack meets Benjamin – a new student at school who is out and proud. Just when things are beginning to look hopeful for Jack… the homophobia in town steps up a notch and suddenly Benjamin is the victim of a terrible crime. This book is a sequel to Shaw’s book Caterpillars Can’t Swim but I haven’t read that and had no trouble with this plot.
My thoughts bit: This is a great book. The characters are well developed and the plot is intriguing while maintaining focus on what it is like to be queer and young in a very small town.
Jack has a couple of pretty unique friends. Ryan lives with Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. He’s also the guy who pulled Jack out of the river when he fell in. (There’s more to that story but I’m not going to spoil it for you.) Cody is another interesting character. He is a brusque, loud, jock who is on the swim team and has agreed to teach Jack to swim. Cody’s character struck me as quite realistic… I loved the way he grew and changed in the book.
At the root of this story is the fact that Benjamin is out and proud and Jack is out to as few people as possible. Sure, there are some people who know but he just lets the rumors fly and prefers not to draw attention to himself. When Benjamin creates a piece of artwork at school that is a vehicle for him to declare his sexual orientation he becomes the victim of an attack.
The attack rattles Jack. He’s always known that keeping his head down was the best way to protect himself but having something happen to Benjamin is jarring. In response to the attack, Jack decides that he wants to put on the town’s first PRIDE parade. I liked the way the author wrote about how difficult it can be to swim against the tide in a small community. While there are some supportive adults in the novel, there are also some who demonstrate a clear dislike for people who are queer. I think that’s a pretty typical breakdown of what might happen.
This is a novel that will make you feel good about people, it’s hopeful and has a genuine feel to it. I would happily recommend The Stone Rainbow to anyone who enjoys YA with queer characters. In particular, I think this would be a great novel for kids in their early teens who might be coming to terms with their own sexuality or gender identity.
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: attempted suicide, homophobia, hate crime (violent attack)
I received an ARC of The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw from Second Story Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The descriptive bit: Jack is seventeen and gay. He’s come out to his Mom … and it didn’t go perfectly. In fact, he’s sure that his Mom is still pretty sad about the fact that he’s gay. He isn’t out to everyone in his life because they live in a very small town with its fair share of jerks. Then Jack meets Benjamin – a new student at school who is out and proud. Just when things are beginning to look hopeful for Jack… the homophobia in town steps up a notch and suddenly Benjamin is the victim of a terrible crime. This book is a sequel to Shaw’s book Caterpillars Can’t Swim but I haven’t read that and had no trouble with this plot.
My thoughts bit: This is a great book. The characters are well developed and the plot is intriguing while maintaining focus on what it is like to be queer and young in a very small town.
Jack has a couple of pretty unique friends. Ryan lives with Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. He’s also the guy who pulled Jack out of the river when he fell in. (There’s more to that story but I’m not going to spoil it for you.) Cody is another interesting character. He is a brusque, loud, jock who is on the swim team and has agreed to teach Jack to swim. Cody’s character struck me as quite realistic… I loved the way he grew and changed in the book.
At the root of this story is the fact that Benjamin is out and proud and Jack is out to as few people as possible. Sure, there are some people who know but he just lets the rumors fly and prefers not to draw attention to himself. When Benjamin creates a piece of artwork at school that is a vehicle for him to declare his sexual orientation he becomes the victim of an attack.
The attack rattles Jack. He’s always known that keeping his head down was the best way to protect himself but having something happen to Benjamin is jarring. In response to the attack, Jack decides that he wants to put on the town’s first PRIDE parade. I liked the way the author wrote about how difficult it can be to swim against the tide in a small community. While there are some supportive adults in the novel, there are also some who demonstrate a clear dislike for people who are queer. I think that’s a pretty typical breakdown of what might happen.
This is a novel that will make you feel good about people, it’s hopeful and has a genuine feel to it. I would happily recommend The Stone Rainbow to anyone who enjoys YA with queer characters. In particular, I think this would be a great novel for kids in their early teens who might be coming to terms with their own sexuality or gender identity.
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: attempted suicide, homophobia, hate crime (violent attack)
I received an ARC of The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw from Second Story Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Read
June 14, 2019I realised - at about 45% - that I probably should have read Caterpillars Can't Swim first before launching into this one. You can read this without any background knowledge to the first book (as I did) but I think I would appreciate the relationships more if I had the background knowledge that explains why Ryan and Jack relate to each other the way they do.
Because this book did feel more about their relationship than Jack's budding relationship with Benjamin. And I actually really liked that aspect of the book, that it was about coming out and finding your first crush and learning to stand up for yourself and people like you, but it's also about a fragile but also very sturdy friendship.
Reading the first book would have also given me a look inside Ryan's head (as it's his book). He's really hard to read in this book - which I think is just how his character is - but I'll have to go back and read his story.
But regardless, it doesn't impact on the reading of this story - Shaw recaps enough of the first book (in relation to Jack) enough that you get what happened and you understand where Jack's mental state was at before coming into his own book.
What I liked about this book was it wasn't a straightforward romance. I'll be honest I wasn't even all that interested in the romance. Benjamin is a lovely character, very strong and brave and good for helping Jack find his footing, but it felt like he was more of a launchpad for Jack's personal growth than anything else.
Like I said, Ryan felt like he played a far more important role in the book - but I suppose that's because he was always there. Benjamin was lovely, but I didn't really get the chemistry.
What I really liked was Jack's growth though. How he finds his backbone and his comfort-zones and how he goes from a bit of a quaking mess who says 'no' to kind of everything, to deciding he's going to go through with something HUGE and that's the end of it.
His character growth felt natural and smooth and I just liked him as a character.
What I didn't particularly like was the ending.
As in I feel like it could have benefitted from an epilogue. Could we not have seen the school dance - which was such a big deal for Jack for obvious reasons. How is his and Benjamin's relationship going to progress? How did his mother feel about the way he was dressed in that final scene?
There were just lots of little questions that could have nicely wrapped things up if they'd been talked about in one extra chapter. The way it ended just felt a little too abrupt. Jack saw through his mission and that's the end of it - which it's totally not.
That's really the only problem I had with the book though. Other than that, it was a good, nice read that felt very real, and it was about Jack growing as an individual - not about Jack growing as one half of a couple and only within the confines of a couple... if that makes sense.
Published 17 Sep 2019
ARC received via NetGalley from Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
Because this book did feel more about their relationship than Jack's budding relationship with Benjamin. And I actually really liked that aspect of the book, that it was about coming out and finding your first crush and learning to stand up for yourself and people like you, but it's also about a fragile but also very sturdy friendship.
Reading the first book would have also given me a look inside Ryan's head (as it's his book). He's really hard to read in this book - which I think is just how his character is - but I'll have to go back and read his story.
But regardless, it doesn't impact on the reading of this story - Shaw recaps enough of the first book (in relation to Jack) enough that you get what happened and you understand where Jack's mental state was at before coming into his own book.
What I liked about this book was it wasn't a straightforward romance. I'll be honest I wasn't even all that interested in the romance. Benjamin is a lovely character, very strong and brave and good for helping Jack find his footing, but it felt like he was more of a launchpad for Jack's personal growth than anything else.
Like I said, Ryan felt like he played a far more important role in the book - but I suppose that's because he was always there. Benjamin was lovely, but I didn't really get the chemistry.
What I really liked was Jack's growth though. How he finds his backbone and his comfort-zones and how he goes from a bit of a quaking mess who says 'no' to kind of everything, to deciding he's going to go through with something HUGE and that's the end of it.
His character growth felt natural and smooth and I just liked him as a character.
What I didn't particularly like was the ending.
As in I feel like it could have benefitted from an epilogue. Could we not have seen the school dance - which was such a big deal for Jack for obvious reasons. How is his and Benjamin's relationship going to progress? How did his mother feel about the way he was dressed in that final scene?
There were just lots of little questions that could have nicely wrapped things up if they'd been talked about in one extra chapter. The way it ended just felt a little too abrupt. Jack saw through his mission and that's the end of it - which it's totally not.
That's really the only problem I had with the book though. Other than that, it was a good, nice read that felt very real, and it was about Jack growing as an individual - not about Jack growing as one half of a couple and only within the confines of a couple... if that makes sense.
Published 17 Sep 2019
ARC received via NetGalley from Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2020
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars! :)
Favorite Quote:
There is just so much to love about his story! Jackson Pedersen seems like your average American teenager dealing with high school life in a small town, until we start to learn more about his past. When a new student named Benjamin joins their senior class, Jackson finds an idol in the first openly gay student he has met at his school since coming to terms with his sexuality years earlier. Jackson’s friends, Ryan and Cody, add comic relief and insight into Jackson’s history and his struggle with loving himself and contemplating suicide because of his sexuality. Benjamin comes into Jackson’s life and changes it irrevocably, helping him to learn to live proudly and fully despite some of the events that take place. The resulting Pride Parade is everything you expect it to be as you follow Jackson through his journey of self-discovery.
I found this story often charming, sometimes sad, and entirely enjoyable. My only issue is that the characters came across as a bit younger than high school seniors in some of their dialogs and actions, but that is a small quip to an otherwise adorable tale. Jackson is so relatable to many small-town gays (or in my case, a small-town lesbian) because we’ve all felt alone in our experiences, like no one would understand or respect our feelings, or like nothing would ever change or get better. And sometimes that’s true. But more often, we learn to focus our energy on putting as much goodness and kindness back into the world that we hope to see from those around us. That’s why the quote I shared was by far my favorite part of this book. I think it’s a sentiment we can all get behind.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review. Sorry it took me a year to do so.
Favorite Quote:
“It is all about kindness when you get right down to it, whether you’re in some version of the afterlife or still living this one. It’s the only thing that matters. If everyone just decides to treat everyone else with kindness, it all goes away. Intolerance, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying, and all the other horrible words we’ve had to invent just to find a way to label the endless crap people seem to feel the need to throw at each other… all wiped out by one simple command. Be kind. It’s just so simple that I can’t understand why everything is always so complicated.”
There is just so much to love about his story! Jackson Pedersen seems like your average American teenager dealing with high school life in a small town, until we start to learn more about his past. When a new student named Benjamin joins their senior class, Jackson finds an idol in the first openly gay student he has met at his school since coming to terms with his sexuality years earlier. Jackson’s friends, Ryan and Cody, add comic relief and insight into Jackson’s history and his struggle with loving himself and contemplating suicide because of his sexuality. Benjamin comes into Jackson’s life and changes it irrevocably, helping him to learn to live proudly and fully despite some of the events that take place. The resulting Pride Parade is everything you expect it to be as you follow Jackson through his journey of self-discovery.
I found this story often charming, sometimes sad, and entirely enjoyable. My only issue is that the characters came across as a bit younger than high school seniors in some of their dialogs and actions, but that is a small quip to an otherwise adorable tale. Jackson is so relatable to many small-town gays (or in my case, a small-town lesbian) because we’ve all felt alone in our experiences, like no one would understand or respect our feelings, or like nothing would ever change or get better. And sometimes that’s true. But more often, we learn to focus our energy on putting as much goodness and kindness back into the world that we hope to see from those around us. That’s why the quote I shared was by far my favorite part of this book. I think it’s a sentiment we can all get behind.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review. Sorry it took me a year to do so.
January 11, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
This seemed like it would be a sweet and easy to read romance. I could totally get behind some fluff and wonderful boy love. I was ready.
The book was just poorly written and edited. There was little to no distinction for who was saying what. There were drastic scene jumps and at one point a huge time jump that was not really made obvious by even a blank line between paragraphs. The book just was difficult to follow. It read like a teenager’s NaNoWriMo book. It could have been amazing, but it was clearly written in a rush and needed to be edited and have a lot of work done.
The bad writing really got in the way of so much of the story. The dialogue was totally stilted and not how teens sound at all. Have you ever heard a grandparent try and use slang? That is about the level of in tune with actually humans that this dialogue was. The MC was the stream of consciousness narrator. So every word is his version of the story and his thoughts, which was completely unbelievable. Name one teenage boy who thinks in weird cliches and spends a whole paragraph talking about the light in someone’s eyes during a conversation.
The characters were really flat. There were a ton of characters that appeared off page, but didn’t really have any face time. Yet they were the most fleshed out characters. I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a first draft of a second book in a series and told to read without having read the first book. There are long distance romances and brothers and stuff that just aren’t introduced in a way that makes sense.
Don’t even get me started on the just parody of homophobia that is supposed to pass as real teenagers or the abelism of the main character towards his best friend. I don’t understand why they were even friends. They don’t seem to like each other. They have no reason to stick together. They are barely even pleasant to each other.
The idea of the plot was one I would love. This was an ok first draft of a book. I wish there had been more effort put into making it readable. I wanted this story.
I got an ARC of this book.
This seemed like it would be a sweet and easy to read romance. I could totally get behind some fluff and wonderful boy love. I was ready.
The book was just poorly written and edited. There was little to no distinction for who was saying what. There were drastic scene jumps and at one point a huge time jump that was not really made obvious by even a blank line between paragraphs. The book just was difficult to follow. It read like a teenager’s NaNoWriMo book. It could have been amazing, but it was clearly written in a rush and needed to be edited and have a lot of work done.
The bad writing really got in the way of so much of the story. The dialogue was totally stilted and not how teens sound at all. Have you ever heard a grandparent try and use slang? That is about the level of in tune with actually humans that this dialogue was. The MC was the stream of consciousness narrator. So every word is his version of the story and his thoughts, which was completely unbelievable. Name one teenage boy who thinks in weird cliches and spends a whole paragraph talking about the light in someone’s eyes during a conversation.
The characters were really flat. There were a ton of characters that appeared off page, but didn’t really have any face time. Yet they were the most fleshed out characters. I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a first draft of a second book in a series and told to read without having read the first book. There are long distance romances and brothers and stuff that just aren’t introduced in a way that makes sense.
Don’t even get me started on the just parody of homophobia that is supposed to pass as real teenagers or the abelism of the main character towards his best friend. I don’t understand why they were even friends. They don’t seem to like each other. They have no reason to stick together. They are barely even pleasant to each other.
The idea of the plot was one I would love. This was an ok first draft of a book. I wish there had been more effort put into making it readable. I wanted this story.
June 6, 2019
17 year old Jack is having a hard time in life at the moment. He recently came out to his mum and even though she's been trying to understand, she's having trouble with this unexpected news. His life becomes even more complicated when a new student arrives at school and sets off a spark in jack's emotions and feelings he had denied himself before.
I really enjoyed this story. I was first intrigued by the cover and the title. I didn't even read the description before I requested it; I just thought it looked beautiful and entertaining. The main focus of this novel is its characters; it is very character driven and we see a lot of development from them as well, which I think it important for this kind of story.
I think the author did a great job of addressing certain issues in this book, such as masculinity and mental health. I am enjoying reading a lot more books which upend the stigma of mental health issues and this was one of them. I also liked that the character of Cody could have been very stereotypical but instead was multilayered and multidimensional. I wanted to follow the characters even further, but I also wanted the side characters to be fleshed out even more so i could have understood them further.
The only negative I have to say about this book is that there have been a lot more LGBTQ novels written in recent years - I would have loved to read this kind of thing as a teenager, but unfortunately it wasn't available to me at the time. But with the growing trend of understanding and acceptance and tolerance towards LGBTQ, this book lacked slightly in being groundbreaking. When faced with books by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, it can be hard to compete. I wish books like this had been available when I was younger; I feel I would have got a lot more out of it as a teenager. I think that younger readers who are just starting out with LGBTQ books would also find it more helpful and positive than I did.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced.
I really enjoyed this story. I was first intrigued by the cover and the title. I didn't even read the description before I requested it; I just thought it looked beautiful and entertaining. The main focus of this novel is its characters; it is very character driven and we see a lot of development from them as well, which I think it important for this kind of story.
I think the author did a great job of addressing certain issues in this book, such as masculinity and mental health. I am enjoying reading a lot more books which upend the stigma of mental health issues and this was one of them. I also liked that the character of Cody could have been very stereotypical but instead was multilayered and multidimensional. I wanted to follow the characters even further, but I also wanted the side characters to be fleshed out even more so i could have understood them further.
The only negative I have to say about this book is that there have been a lot more LGBTQ novels written in recent years - I would have loved to read this kind of thing as a teenager, but unfortunately it wasn't available to me at the time. But with the growing trend of understanding and acceptance and tolerance towards LGBTQ, this book lacked slightly in being groundbreaking. When faced with books by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, it can be hard to compete. I wish books like this had been available when I was younger; I feel I would have got a lot more out of it as a teenager. I think that younger readers who are just starting out with LGBTQ books would also find it more helpful and positive than I did.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced.
June 13, 2019
Thank you @netgalley and @_secondstory for providing me with this advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date - 9/17/19
Review!
The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw is a captivating read. The reading style was great! But honestly i struggled with this one and my emotions were a bit all over the place.
I had trouble connecting with Jack and some of the other characters, yet there were times i felt their demeanor and i was in tears.
Though i struggled with it something new happened (and i hope this is not confusing) For the first time ever i didn't connect with a story yet it left me mesmerized and pushed down walls/broke down barriers i didn't even know were up! It was definitely a character driven book and everyone had their own personalities and traits. It was a powerful read.
The authors message was very clear thought-out this entire book (read below) and i really appreciated that!
"I don't live in a fantasy land where being gay is easy. It should be. I don't know why it isn't. Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?" and "I'll always have a different heaven from hers. In her heaven, everyone starts fresh, reborn into something better than before. Blind men can see, and the lame can walk...and I would guess the gays become "straight" if they make it that far." [Powerful in the declaration that some see "straight" people as better than "gay" people, that "straight" is something to aspire to.] And the more obvious parade rally cry, "Kindness rules": "If everyone just decides to treat everyone else with kindness, it all goes away. Intolerance,, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying...all wiped out with one simple command. Be kind."
I could see this being a big hit and for others to connect way better than i did. I would have rated this 3 stars BUT for how emotional it got me when no other book has when not connecting with characters i rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Pub Date - 9/17/19
Review!
The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw is a captivating read. The reading style was great! But honestly i struggled with this one and my emotions were a bit all over the place.
I had trouble connecting with Jack and some of the other characters, yet there were times i felt their demeanor and i was in tears.
Though i struggled with it something new happened (and i hope this is not confusing) For the first time ever i didn't connect with a story yet it left me mesmerized and pushed down walls/broke down barriers i didn't even know were up! It was definitely a character driven book and everyone had their own personalities and traits. It was a powerful read.
The authors message was very clear thought-out this entire book (read below) and i really appreciated that!
"I don't live in a fantasy land where being gay is easy. It should be. I don't know why it isn't. Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?" and "I'll always have a different heaven from hers. In her heaven, everyone starts fresh, reborn into something better than before. Blind men can see, and the lame can walk...and I would guess the gays become "straight" if they make it that far." [Powerful in the declaration that some see "straight" people as better than "gay" people, that "straight" is something to aspire to.] And the more obvious parade rally cry, "Kindness rules": "If everyone just decides to treat everyone else with kindness, it all goes away. Intolerance,, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying...all wiped out with one simple command. Be kind."
I could see this being a big hit and for others to connect way better than i did. I would have rated this 3 stars BUT for how emotional it got me when no other book has when not connecting with characters i rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
June 21, 2019
I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book, received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The cover got my attention at first sight. It is the perfect mix of mysterious and colourful to make me want to know what was the book about. After reading the synopsis, it just wanted me to read it more. What I found is a beautiful coming out story set in a small town that feels claustrophobic.
I really liked the book's plot. The author addressed many relevant issues: coming out, mental health, masculinity, bigotry, homophobia... It also made me very happy to see so many different characters and to have an awesome representation of diversity. Although I feel some of the characters could have been a bit more developed, I understand this was because of the book's point of view. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote about how difficult it can be to go against the conventions of a small community and how the main character, Jack, decides to step up and advocate for change, deciding to celebrate the first PRIDE parade in his small village.
I loved Jack's relationship with Benjamin. It might seem very high school, but the way they interacted and grew closer also felt natural and real. Also, Jack's character growth is great, but the growth of his relationship with his family and friends was awesome to read.
The story is told from Jack's perspective. It is he who narrates everything, presenting the facts as he sees or perceives them. While this allows the reader to get to know Jack very well, I felt it also slowed down the pace of the story, because it did not present manny actions, just a retelling of them through Jack.
I think this is a good story for those who might be coming to terms with their own sexuality or gender identity specially.
The cover got my attention at first sight. It is the perfect mix of mysterious and colourful to make me want to know what was the book about. After reading the synopsis, it just wanted me to read it more. What I found is a beautiful coming out story set in a small town that feels claustrophobic.
I really liked the book's plot. The author addressed many relevant issues: coming out, mental health, masculinity, bigotry, homophobia... It also made me very happy to see so many different characters and to have an awesome representation of diversity. Although I feel some of the characters could have been a bit more developed, I understand this was because of the book's point of view. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote about how difficult it can be to go against the conventions of a small community and how the main character, Jack, decides to step up and advocate for change, deciding to celebrate the first PRIDE parade in his small village.
I loved Jack's relationship with Benjamin. It might seem very high school, but the way they interacted and grew closer also felt natural and real. Also, Jack's character growth is great, but the growth of his relationship with his family and friends was awesome to read.
The story is told from Jack's perspective. It is he who narrates everything, presenting the facts as he sees or perceives them. While this allows the reader to get to know Jack very well, I felt it also slowed down the pace of the story, because it did not present manny actions, just a retelling of them through Jack.
I think this is a good story for those who might be coming to terms with their own sexuality or gender identity specially.
July 11, 2019
My reasons for reading this book were two fold. One, I read and enjoyed Caterpillars Can't Swim some time ago and was intrigued to discover that a second novel was being released from Jack's perspective. While Jack's story figured prominently in Caterpillars, the novel was narrated by Ryan and so everything was seen through his view as a young man confined to a wheelchair with limited experience or understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. The very tentative friendship formed between Jack and Ryan was in its early stages, with Ryan struggling with the fear of befriending someone who had allegedly tried to take his own life.
The Stone Rainbow revisits some scenes and it is interesting to see the same events from Jack's direct point of view. It is also interesting to watch his struggle to be understanding of Ryan's "disability" ...his conflict between wanting to be helpful and realizing that Ryan doesn't want to be treating like someone who needs help.
Jack's individual growth and the further development of his relationship with Ryan make The Stone Rainbow a satisfying conclusion to the events in the first book. While obviously written to be a stand alone as well, I really felt the two books together make a very complete story.
My second reason for reading the book was that, like the author, I am the proud parent of someone within the LGBTQ+ community. Although acceptance at home was not an issue in our family, there were plenty of often harsh challenges within our small community and it is always important to see a book that represents those challenges in a fashion that leaves the reader feeling hopeful about the future. The book is easy to read, perhaps deliberately so seeing as Shaw was apparently also a special education teacher. It is straightforward in its message and would be accessible to a wide range of readers in most classroom environments.
The Stone Rainbow revisits some scenes and it is interesting to see the same events from Jack's direct point of view. It is also interesting to watch his struggle to be understanding of Ryan's "disability" ...his conflict between wanting to be helpful and realizing that Ryan doesn't want to be treating like someone who needs help.
Jack's individual growth and the further development of his relationship with Ryan make The Stone Rainbow a satisfying conclusion to the events in the first book. While obviously written to be a stand alone as well, I really felt the two books together make a very complete story.
My second reason for reading the book was that, like the author, I am the proud parent of someone within the LGBTQ+ community. Although acceptance at home was not an issue in our family, there were plenty of often harsh challenges within our small community and it is always important to see a book that represents those challenges in a fashion that leaves the reader feeling hopeful about the future. The book is easy to read, perhaps deliberately so seeing as Shaw was apparently also a special education teacher. It is straightforward in its message and would be accessible to a wide range of readers in most classroom environments.
April 18, 2019
I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC.
Jack is a gay boy living in a small town. Although there are rumors circulating about his sexuality, he is in the closet to everyone but a few friends and his mother. Even though his friends and mom try to understand and accept him, things are awkward and uncomfortable and Jack feels alienated. Then, a boy named Benjamin moves to town and Jack finds himself intensely attracted. After a brush with near tragedy, Jack decides he can’t hide who he is anymore and decides to make a statement to himself, his friends, and his own.
I really liked this book a lot. Jack and his struggles felt very real to me. I totally understand what it feels like to come out and not be understood, or to declare who you are and not be accepted. I also loved his relationship with Benjamin. They were very high school, but it felt natural and real the way they interacted. The whole book was very authentic and full of real feelings.
I liked, too, that Jack was gay in a way I haven't seen very much in YA recently. He wants to be fabulous and wear pretty clothes. Part of his coming out is gaining the courage to dress the way he wants and sparkle and shine.
I also really liked that the characters were very complex. There were characters who were kind homophobic when they talked but then took a stand for what was right and actually followed through and made choices that for them was tough. They were nuanced and, while not very likable, very real and ultimately admirable in their way.
This was an charming, realistic, and uplifting book about a boy coming of age and growing. It's about a family who comes to not only love him but accept him and about a community coming together in pride.
Jack is a gay boy living in a small town. Although there are rumors circulating about his sexuality, he is in the closet to everyone but a few friends and his mother. Even though his friends and mom try to understand and accept him, things are awkward and uncomfortable and Jack feels alienated. Then, a boy named Benjamin moves to town and Jack finds himself intensely attracted. After a brush with near tragedy, Jack decides he can’t hide who he is anymore and decides to make a statement to himself, his friends, and his own.
I really liked this book a lot. Jack and his struggles felt very real to me. I totally understand what it feels like to come out and not be understood, or to declare who you are and not be accepted. I also loved his relationship with Benjamin. They were very high school, but it felt natural and real the way they interacted. The whole book was very authentic and full of real feelings.
I liked, too, that Jack was gay in a way I haven't seen very much in YA recently. He wants to be fabulous and wear pretty clothes. Part of his coming out is gaining the courage to dress the way he wants and sparkle and shine.
I also really liked that the characters were very complex. There were characters who were kind homophobic when they talked but then took a stand for what was right and actually followed through and made choices that for them was tough. They were nuanced and, while not very likable, very real and ultimately admirable in their way.
This was an charming, realistic, and uplifting book about a boy coming of age and growing. It's about a family who comes to not only love him but accept him and about a community coming together in pride.
September 1, 2019
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Jack Pedersen feels alone in his small town of Thompson Mills. He doesn't know anyone else in town who is gay; his mom tries to be OK with it, but he knows she is still struggling because of her religion. Jack has only one friend, Ryan, who saved Jack's life last year, and Jack never knows if they are really friends, or if Ryan feels the need to babysit the kid he saved so that Jack doesn't try to kill himself again. Then, Benjamin moves to town, and Jack is instantly smitten. With Benjamin's help, Jack begins to believe that maybe it is worth coming fully out of the closet, even in his small town, to be true to himself. Jack takes it a step farther than he ever expected he would and even organizes his town's first Pride event.
This was a quick, sweet story that is more character growth-oriented than romance. I didn't realize until finishing the book that this is a sequel to Caterpillars Can't Swim; however, it read easily as a standalone. I believe this is the first book I have read where the protagonist enjoys cross-dressing. That is something I haven't seen make its way into a lot of fiction yet. I enjoyed seeing the way people from all of the state (I'm assuming; cities a few hours away, at any rate) came together to support Thompson Mills' Pride parade. It reminded me of when my hometown put on their inaugural Pride event in 2018. While Columbus isn't the tiny town Thompson Mills is, we did receive a lot of national attention and support due to the fact that it is also the hometown of Vice President Pence, who doesn't support LGBTQ+ rights. I would love a third book in the series to see how things go for Jack in college.
Jack Pedersen feels alone in his small town of Thompson Mills. He doesn't know anyone else in town who is gay; his mom tries to be OK with it, but he knows she is still struggling because of her religion. Jack has only one friend, Ryan, who saved Jack's life last year, and Jack never knows if they are really friends, or if Ryan feels the need to babysit the kid he saved so that Jack doesn't try to kill himself again. Then, Benjamin moves to town, and Jack is instantly smitten. With Benjamin's help, Jack begins to believe that maybe it is worth coming fully out of the closet, even in his small town, to be true to himself. Jack takes it a step farther than he ever expected he would and even organizes his town's first Pride event.
This was a quick, sweet story that is more character growth-oriented than romance. I didn't realize until finishing the book that this is a sequel to Caterpillars Can't Swim; however, it read easily as a standalone. I believe this is the first book I have read where the protagonist enjoys cross-dressing. That is something I haven't seen make its way into a lot of fiction yet. I enjoyed seeing the way people from all of the state (I'm assuming; cities a few hours away, at any rate) came together to support Thompson Mills' Pride parade. It reminded me of when my hometown put on their inaugural Pride event in 2018. While Columbus isn't the tiny town Thompson Mills is, we did receive a lot of national attention and support due to the fact that it is also the hometown of Vice President Pence, who doesn't support LGBTQ+ rights. I would love a third book in the series to see how things go for Jack in college.
July 19, 2019
I really didn't know what to expect when I began reading, The Stone Rainbow but was quickly swept up in its sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring story line. As a YA novel, I think this is an important one. I can't tell you how desperately I had wished for books and stories like this when I was a teen... to know others were dealing with and overcoming great challenges associated with 'being different', just like I was.
I really appreciated the viewpoint and the character sketches created by Liane Shaw. NO, the characters aren't perfect and don't make perfect decisions. Just like real life. They struggle, they fall, they succeed, they grow. It's the imperfections of the characters that make this book so perfect.
This book stayed very close to me, in my thoughts, way beyond the pages. As clear and delicately as it is told, Shaw still left plenty of room in the story, for the reader to imagine or daydream; living beyond the pages.
I think The Stone Rainbow perfectly shares how, as individuals, we often don't see ourselves as others do... how we are much stronger than we think we are... and how there is the potential greatness in us all.
I hope Jack and Ben receive another 'chapter' as their journey through life and love continues.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for and an honest review.
I really appreciated the viewpoint and the character sketches created by Liane Shaw. NO, the characters aren't perfect and don't make perfect decisions. Just like real life. They struggle, they fall, they succeed, they grow. It's the imperfections of the characters that make this book so perfect.
This book stayed very close to me, in my thoughts, way beyond the pages. As clear and delicately as it is told, Shaw still left plenty of room in the story, for the reader to imagine or daydream; living beyond the pages.
I think The Stone Rainbow perfectly shares how, as individuals, we often don't see ourselves as others do... how we are much stronger than we think we are... and how there is the potential greatness in us all.
I hope Jack and Ben receive another 'chapter' as their journey through life and love continues.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for and an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews