Land On Me

by Matthew R. Corr

WINNER OF THE 2022 BEST INDIE CHOICE AWARD FROM QUILL HAWK PUBLISHING.

Landon Griffin has everything going for him. He’s a high school senior on the brink of receiving a football scholarship, his dad is running for mayor of Madison, Texas, and his future with his girlfriend looks bright. But his simple life shatters when feelings spark for a guy he’s never met.

Giving the stranger the codename Mystery Boy, Landon hesitates to step out of his comfort zone to solve the mystery. Living in a conservative town, he struggles to hide his new obsession while trying to figure out where he fits within the spectrum of sexuality. Can he dodge the constant questions from his friends and find answers before the escalating anxiety becomes too much to handle?

Genres: M M Romance, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, High School, Coming Of Age

440 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2021

About the author

Matthew was born and raised in beautiful New England. Growing up in his small town fueled his big city dreams. Matthew moved to New York City, where he earned a musical theatre degree. After countless performances on stages across the country, his passion for writing finally stepped into the spotlight. Matthew is a huge fan of film and everything Marvel-related. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.  Matthew’s debut novel Land On Me soared to #1 on Amazon and launched a new career. His novel then went on to win Quill Hawk Publishing's Best Indie Choice Award. To learn more about Matthew and the release of his next book, please visit www.matthewrcorr.com or @matthewrcorr

Reviews

[NicoleR.M.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars.

First of all: I have to say I love this cover! It just has something that pulls me in, that makes me curious about the story that's behind it. And I'm just so happy it intrigued me, because this book was one of the most beautiful, genuine coming of age books I have read.

From the first pages I was hooked. I immediately felt a connection with Landon, the mc's whose pov we are reading. He's 18 years old, attending high school. Lost his mother 6 months ago and is left with his father, who is running for mayor in the small Texas town they live in. He has a girlfriend, plays football on a decent level, has a best friend since childhood. Everything is looking good for him on the outside.
But he doesn't have real conversations with his dad. Landon is still grieving for the loss of his mother, but he doesn't talk with his father about how he feels. He doesn't understand that his father doesn't seem to share the same feelings of loss and missing.

"My dad likes to say grief is just love with nowhere to go," I said. "So I understand feeling stuck. I've felt stuck for the last six months.

The same goes for the schools he applies to. His father hopes he'll be offered a scholarship, Landon wants to go to NYC to become a writer.
And then, one day, he sees a shirtless guy cleaning graffiti off a wall at school, and he can't stop thinking about him. It throws everything he thought he knew about himself, out of the window.
It confuses him. Why can't he stop thinking about the guy? Why is he suddenly curious to find out how it would feel to touch a guy, to kiss him while he has the best and sweetest girlfriend he could wish for?

I loved the genuine highschool vibe this story has. The confused teenager we all can relate to. The real life worries, the teenage conversations and behavior - like a messy room, where clothes are lingering that make the room smell.
I also loved how the mystery surrounding Caleb was done. Just like Landon, we as a reader, are given bits and pieces of information to form a picture. Caleb's life has been all but an easy ride. I felt for him, wanted to make things better for him. Not that he truly needed that - he was well capable of taking care of himself and the only family member he cares about, Parker, but still...at times I really wanted to hug him.

"I loved kissing you," I said before turning around. Caleb's hand was on the doorknob but hadn't pulled it open. He just stood there with his back to me. "I've never felt happier kissing anyone in my life. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but I know that when I'm with you, I finally feel free."

While Landon's confusion consumes him, we also feel the longing for Caleb, and at the same time his fear for hurting Lauren, his girlfriend, which leaves him making decisions that are not for his best interest, but very understandable.
His grief for his mother, his sadness was palpable. It made me tear up when he was in his dad's room and looking at her picture, remembering and missing her. A very emotional, touching scene! It made me feel all the emotions.

The secondary characters are really interesting; all of them are just as dimensional as Landon and Caleb. Genuine, real life teenagers, with typical teenager thoughts and problems.
One of them is Steven, a guy who Landon used to be friends with. I felt for him, the way he was bullied for being gay. And still he tried to be himself, brave enough to not hide who he was.

"Look at you. We're very different, Landon," Steven said with a small chuckle. "You're a jock, you blend in with the crowd. I'm a fem boy who practically sweats glitter, it's obvious. No one suspects you because you have a deep voice and the clothes you wear are normal."

There is so much more to this story than Landon finding out his sexuality. Trigger warnings should be read and taken seriously. There's bullying, use of drugs, (internalized) homophobia, loss of a parent, mention of suicide, domestic violence. All of that brings so many layers to this story that it makes it a lot more than just a young adult, coming of age novel. It perfectly unravels the complications that is the teenagers world.

"What do you want me to say?"
"You tell me," he said flatly.
I closed my eyes, sitting there thinking. All I could see behind my eyelids was Caleb's face. I felt a collection of butterflies fill my stomach and took a deep breath.
"I'm..." I hesitated. "...gay," I whispered.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"...I'm gay," I said a little louder with my eyes still closed.
"I couldn't hear you, speak up, please."
"I'm gay," I said, with a raised voice. I could feel the butterflies building as they pushed their way up to my chest.
"One more time for the people in the back!"
The butterflies forced their way to my throat, and I squeezed my eyes and let them escape. "I'M GAY!" I screamed toward the roof of the car, releasing the butterflies into the air with my words of affirmation. My chest felt like I lifted an anvil off of it.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. The writing is so good. Flawless. And the dialogues are perfect (and I'm a sucker for those). I think everyone should read this book, though I can also understand that not everyone wants to be reminded of one of the most complicated periods in human life - the misunderstandings, the insecurity's, the confusion about who you are and who you want to be, where you want to go with your life. The search for answers to questions that are not always so easy to answer. In the end the basics for who you turn out to become, for which course your life will take, is set in those complicated teenage years, and I think the author did an extremely good job to make you, as a reader, relive and relate again.

This book is not perfect, hence the 4,5 stars. I had a bit of an issue with the things that happened after the prom. I got that Dan was changing. I also think I understood where he was coming from. His internalized homophobia was like this growing tumor that he could not overcome. Assuming it was his internalized homophobia, because even though the author points in that direction, we never really get Dan's confirmation. But I think it's quite a long way from bullying by calling names and punching, to what Dan did in the end. But that might be me.

I highly recommend this book and truly feel like you are missing out on something beautiful if you let this one pass.

I kindly received an ARC and this is my honest, unbiased review

[Ryan Buckby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to the author Matthew who reached out and gave me a free copy of his book for a review. All my opinions are my own and are not influenced in anyway.

Land on Me is a coming of age story about Landon Griffin who has it all a girlfriend, popular and is on the brink of a football scholarship. However he soon starts having a spark of feelings for a guy who he's never met at all which soon leads him to question his sexuality.

I found the writing style of this book really well done and i felt like i was going through all the emotions of the main character during the course of the story which made the book go extremely fast. I did however find some of the pacing a little choppy in some parts and it was a small inconvenience that really didn't bother me to much but i'm glad for the most part it the book flew rather well.

I loved the interactions with Landon and the mystery guy throughout the book and it was good to see Landon going through his thought processes during these meetings and to see them change over the course of the book. The exchanges between the two really left me wanting to know more and see this relationship expanded even more. Building on this i feel like watching Landon's journey of self discovery was such a beautiful thing to watch because he goes through so many stages with his friends questioning him and himself questioning his sexaulity to allowing his heart to open up and become more open to himself.

Matthew also tackled some good topics during the course of the book including Homophobia, toxic masculinity and suicide. The topics were all tackled incredibly well and were done in such a way that it wasn't over the top. I am glad that more and more YA books are writing more openly about these issues because there still relevant to society today.

All the side characters as well i really loved however i would have loved to gotten to know some of them more as there personalities really shown through in the little amount of time they got but i still loved them all nonetheless.

Matthew has written a fantastic debut YA novel that focuses on queer-to-queer relationships and the issues surrounding coming out and the effects that is has on teenagers today. He has written it in a way that was real and honest with a lot of people who are apart of the LGTBQ+ community can really relate. I also once again would like to thank Matthew for giving me the opportunity in reviewing his book and with how good this book was i cannot wait to see what he comes out with next! he is definitely an author to watch for!

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** I received an eArc from the author in exchange for an honest review.***

I greatly enjoyed reading this Debut novel detailing the complicated process of discovering your identity while overcoming your fears, confusion in a small town. Landon is a complex main character who is struggling with many emotions during his senior year of high school.

Throughout his senior year, you witness many moments and relationships drastically change due to his acknowledging and realizing his deeply hidden true feelings regarding his sexuality.

Another wonderfully crafted aspect of this story besides the sexual discovery is the slow-burn friendship to romance between Caleb and Landon. What initially was just an infatuation and crush builds into a meaningful connection that cannot be denied. Caleb and Landon are perfect for one another, but due to complications, their relationship encounters many obstacles that result in a shocking conclusion.

I loved reading this story and cannot wait for the next installment in Landon and Caleb's story. So thrilled to have read this wonderful story of self-acceptance and personal growth.

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

LAND ON ME by Matthew Corr is a queer coming-of-age story that has quite a bit packed inside. I instantly felt connected to the main character and a lot of his pressures/struggles. While I may have graduated high school almost 20 years ago, you can't help but recall certain feelings and emotions when you read about someone going through similar situations with a lot of the same outside elements at play. Corr totally captures the internal struggle of our main character, Landon, as he tries to understand who he is, what he wants, and how things and people in the world around him might be holding him back. It also plays on the opposite: those things and people that can propel you forward and help you on your journey. And Landon's journey is not always easy or comfortable as you read along. There's a lot of what you might expect to encounter: bullying, homophobia, hate speech, etc. This book broke my heart at times and also made me hopeful. Something I am most hopeful for is that there are authors out here like Corr telling these stories that I never had the chance to read when I was going through the same things. LAND ON ME is truly something special.

Also, how am I just now realizing that the main character's name, Landon, is comprised of the first two words of the title of the book? Is this a coincidence or planned?! Either way, Land On Me is a great debut and I am looking forward to the sequel already!

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3.5 stars ✰

“I’ve never felt happier kissing anyone in my life. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like, but I know that when I’m with you, I finally feel free.”

Ah, I really wanted to like Land on Me - I really did. And for a debut novel, it did start off very strong and kept my interest - but as the plot continued, as multiple story-lines were introduced, my interest in Landon's story started failing. The pacing became very choppy - multiple points in the story were happening simultaneously - without any relation to each other! It became difficult for me even to care about Landon and Caleb's romance, despite the two of them having their cute moments.

I just felt that Matthew Corr was trying to cover too much in one story - grief over a death of a parent - gay awakening amidst bullying - homophobia - school shootings and gun control - child abuse - just to name a few. And I respect that he wanted to address these issues, but if the plot doesn't flow - when things happen erratically and without any preamble - then, I can't appreciate it.

“I just never pictured any of this. Since we lost my mom it’s felt like I’ve been endlessly falling with nowhere to land.”

Caleb slid his hands to the side of my neck. I felt his thumbs against my jaw.

He looked me in the eye and said, “Well, I’m here now. You can land on me.”

I'll admit that there were some enjoyable layers to it. I liked how Landon and Caleb's relationship progressed, even if it was a secretive one, at first. As Landon was experiencing his first bouts of attraction for the same gender, it was interesting being inside of his head and how he struggled in vain to find out his true identity, while inwardly gushing about his attraction for this mysterious stranger. Caleb had a maturity to him that was also nice to see - and his appearance at Landon's prom was such a sweet scene - despite, what shockingly and unexpectedly transpired after. 😔😔

There was also a heart-warming and honest approach to how Landon worked up the courage to talk about his sexuality with his father and how they finally had the chance to finally grieve together for the loss of his mother. It was in those light subtle scenes that the writing stood out for me the most. But for the most part, it was just too much, with too little time to properly and respectfully expand on each side story-line - for me to really enjoy it or even consider re-reading it. 😞

It does end with the intent of a sequel, which centers more on Caleb's family, which if the author ever releases, I would be very much interesting in reading. ✨✨

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leaving a lower rating on a book like this is difficult to do. I liked the story idea, some of the characters, and several of the scenes brought the feels (touching moments between Landon and his dad for one). The coming out process is different for everyone. Some are very difficult and living in Texas made how complicated this was sort of believable.

Landon is such a complex character who did make some typical teenage mistakes over and over. Caleb was a good mystery boy for Landon to obsess over, and then he even grew in complexity. He was actually more interesting than Landon. I worried for Parker and kept wondering when his mom would come looking for them, as would be expected for a drugged out mom. She would come to ruin any hope of stability, but that storyline ended strangely.

The best character in the book was Steven, but that led to one of the biggest conflicts for me in liking this. He suffered and still found a way to be fabulous and amazing. And then he goes to his bully’s party? I just found it hard to swallow.

And now my criticisms, which are just my opinions.

Landon was an idiot for most of the book. He made awful choices which made him unlikeable for large portions of the story, which is a problem. I cannot imagine Steven going to Dan’s house for a party, especially comfortable enough to dress as a sexy angel. Not after what happened. And how Landon could be friends with Dan after what happened is beyond my ability to care too much about him.

Then there’s the obvious football knowledge mistakes that happened in the descriptions (all the way to the 70 yard line?) And the type-o’s that pulled me out of this world. And the privileged white savior of the poor person trope. Caleb’s key side story is dropped completely until the free sequel snippet? The constant anti-gay violence, bullying, and threats of violence that go unchecked until a massive violent moment turns this into a tragedy? A scene which was confusing and poorly described.

This book tried to do way too much, but with all that, I still think there were good things and I more or less liked it.

With some more tightly focused editing this could have been a really good book. I don’t think I’ll continue on but I wish Caleb and Landon all the best.

[Alex Blades · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even begin with this story? Land on Me shows the true danger in not being able to truly accept and love yourself, and tackles so many important topics ranging from losing loved ones, bullying, and internalized homophobia. Without giving too much away, it was interesting to see the different dynamics of different coming out stories and how no one experience is the same. There are some scenes that are so brutally real that it can be hard to get through, but they’re topics that need to be talked about. The characters are easily relatable and have so much depth, which made the story that much more compelling. It’s a true test of courage, friendship, family, and self-love. If you’re looking for a compelling and beautiful roller coaster ride of emotions, then this book is for you. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

[Pablito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a debut novel.

[Chase Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really terrific high school coming-out story, this time about the star football player. Sharply drawn characters and a beautiful sense of the milieu (small-town Texas, with its heat and unrelenting sun) help to make this a remarkable debut novel.

c.t.h.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
Landon Griffin is a senior in his small town Texas high school, star football player, and has the perfect girlfriend. So why does he feel so confused when he spots a mysterious boy that he’s never seen before on school grounds? Caleb is the town’s newest bad boy, sent to do community service at the high school and the rumors about him start flying, but are any of them true? The two boys find themselves drawn to each other, but is Landon willing to risk everything??

Pros:
-I love a good story centered around a first gay panic and figuring yourself out, I think a lot of YA readers will be able to relate to Landon in that regard
-it also felt very much reminiscent of early 2000’s CW teen drama shows like Friday Night Lights, One Tree Hill, etc. Which are all shows I love! It totally fit that vibe.
-I like how the author wasn’t afraid to tackle big and heavy topics, like losing your parents or being bullied.


Cons:
-The main character seemed so naive and just kinda let things happen to/around him, and it got old after a while.
-the pacing felt a little off, like some scenes would drag on with a lot of unneeded detail and then there’s be a choppy flashback or two tossed in randomly, and the ending got very intense very fast.
-I also felt like there were just too many different side plot lines going, like there was too much going on for one book.


Overall thoughts:
I like where the author was going with this, and while some things weren’t my favorite, I’m looking forward to seeing what he writes in the future! This was a quick read that I’d recommend to anyone who wants to read an intense indie lgbtq fiction book!


TW: homophobia and bullying, homophobic slurs, suicide, a school shooting drill, loss of a loved one, drug abuse, cheating, child abuse, gun violence

[Shalev Alkulumbre · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Land on Me by Matt Corr tells the story of 18-year-old Landon Griffin, who׳s trying to come to terms with his sexual orientation and it׳s not so easy when you have a loving girlfriend, your best friend is a homophobe bully and your republican dad is running for mayor. When Caleb, the new, hot janitor arrives at his school, Landon develops an obsession that leaves him no choice but to face the truth about himself, a truth he can’t even say out loud - he’s gay.

The first half was very enjoyable, it even made me laugh out loud at some parts. Corr sure knows how to write funny (may I say slapstick) scenes and Landon׳s voice, with all of his flaws and clumsiness, was relatable and fun to read. In the second half of the book, Landon turned from relatable and funny to annoying with the choices and the mistakes he made. While I know how hard it must be to live in a toxic and homophobic environment, and to feel the pressure from society's expectations, it still doesn’t give you the right to be a douche.

Another problem I had with the second half was the overload of events, some of them felt a bit random and all over the place and when they happened they got solved too fast so that the book could move on to the next event. I feel like Corr tried to go with so many directions and it was just a lot for one book.

Still, this book kept me entertained and interested the whole time and I am curious to read the sequel!

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sweet🥰

[Astrid Inge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek wilde maar niet opschieten, maar dat bleek aan mijzelf te liggen; ik had blijkbaar deel 1 en 2 gelijk gedownload. Beide boeken gelezen dus. Deel 1 (Land on me) is het verhaal van een gay awakening, met een beetje veel drama, homofobie en een HEA. Deel 2 (Land on him) begint leuk maar ontspoort daarna volledig. Een wereldvreemde MC, een ongeloofwaardige (maar wel sexy) redder in nood en vervolgens maffia-achtige taferelen die zo bizar zijn dat het bijna komisch wordt. Ook het cliché einde geeft me kromme tenen. Kortom, Land on me is bij vlagen cute (3 sterren) en Land on him is waanzinnig over de top (2 sterren). 

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “bad boy” for the win.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a minute to get into. I'm seeing some reviews state this is YA, so maybe that's why the writing is a bit simplistic.

The story really takes off at 25% in when our two MCs finally get to know each other. There are a lot of ups and downs, and reading the sample for the follow-up novel shows we are in for even more. But this is a good story, if a bit like Love, Simon with some violence thrown in. The cast of characters were interesting and I would love to read more about Stephen..

Overall a very good debut novel that I enjoyed enough to read straight through past midnight, remarkable when I'm normally in bed 4 hours earlier!

[Itzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story.
The first paragraph was one hell of a way to start a story, and damn was I shocked when I read the full scene.
I knew Dan was a prick, but for some reason I was convinced he was going to change. After all the horrible stuff he did I guess I shouldn't be surprised he didn't change. I'm still shocked at what he did. Was that really due to internalized homophobia? I know it can be a bitch to deal with, but the thing he did was absolutely horrific and nothing can excuse it.
The love story was cute. I thought Caleb's crime was going to be a lot worse than it actually was.

[Liza Broadaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great coming of age story. Landon and Caleb shouldn’t work but they do. Landon is an 18 year old senior and Caleb is 19-21( can’t remember) who is at his school doing community service hours. Landon is struggling with his sexuality and the pressures of coming out but believes in doing the right thing to. Caleb comes from a rough background and takes care of his younger brother.

This book is low spice and filled with a lot of homophobia and internal struggles. The ending is a little iffy for me but overall I did like the book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable coming of age, figuring one’s self out story.

[DaShay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal! I can’t wait for the sequel that’s coming out later this month!

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever hear the song Mr. Tanner by Harry Chapin? It’s a song about a man who runs a dry cleaning business but who enjoys classical singing. Encouraged by his friends and neighbors, he arranges for a hall in NYC and performs – only to have his dreams shattered by a newspaper critic so badly that he never openly sings again, except, late at night in his basement when pressing clothes. 😭😭😭

So why do I bring this up? There’s always a fine line between be an honest and helpful critic and being “that guy from the Mr. Tanner song” I don’t want to be “that guy.”

This is Matt’s debut novel and it would be a mistake for him to stop now. He tells an interesting story with some very likable characters, but he does need to work on his storytelling. Perhaps he could start by explaining his title a bit more?

He also needs to write more about what he knows. There were so many “little glitches” that kept jolting the “movie in my head” to a stop. Examples? 1) A guy walking from one “small Texas town” to the next town over. In my mind when someone in Texas says “It’s just down the road a piece” that means about 50 miles. 2) A guy wearing his high-school football uniform home after a game rather than changing with the guys? 3) A school safety drill where they allow options? That’s just NOT how those things work. 4) Two high school football teams playing against each other twice in one regular season? Not at all common.

That said, the story of a clueless high school athlete coming to the realization that he might be gay is an evergreen theme that I’ll always be interested in. Landon is a likable enough protagonist for a repressed questioning teen jock. His coming out process resonated with truth despite the over-abundant incidents leading up to it. There were some great bits as well, the “vomitorium bit” was laugh out loud funny, the whole exploring Grindr bit was nice, even the scenes where Landon first meets Dan, and when Landon meets Stevie it’s great. There are the beginnings of a lot of great characters here. Stevie and Landon needed more page-time, ditto for background on Landon and Dan. I also wanted more face-time with Landon’s father. Chris and Dan’s stories needed to be include more as well.

It felt as if the author was not confident enough in his major story elements and kept adding more (unrelated) things in. For the most part the “additions” felt incomplete and actually ended up detracting from the main story-line.

There is a lot to like here, but only a mother would not see the flaws. As much as I wanted to like this one, it’s really in need of a bit of a rewrite to bring it up to snuff.

I’m willing to bet that even Mr. Tanner practiced a bit before going on stage and maybe even hired a voice coach.

Trigger Warnings: suicide, death of parent, parent with terminal illness, violence, homophobia, bullying, gun violence, domestic violence/abusive parents, drugs/alcohol, outing

[Chelsea White · Rating 5 out of 5]

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I felt truly honoured when Matt reached out to me and asked if I would want to read his “debut gay coming of age novel”. ⁣
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And I am SO GLAD he did because I bloody loved it!⁣
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I went through so many emotions reading this book. ⁣
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I laughed, felt scared and worried, was left speechless and I also sobbed my little heart out- both happy and sad/scared tears!⁣
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All the characters are complex and going through their own teenage angst and you root for them to have their happy ending; I’m sure like me you will see parts of yourself in them all. ⁣
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This book tackles some hard hitting subjects but in such a delicate and wonderful way. I honestly could not put it down!⁣
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Release date is the 26th August and you have to get it!!⁣
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Already cannot wait to see what else Matt can come up with!🥰⁣
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Description:😍⁣
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Landon Griffin has everything going for him. He’s a high school senior on the brink of receiving a football scholarship, his dad is running for mayor of Madison, Texas, and his future with his girlfriend looks bright. But his simple life shatters when feelings spark for a guy he’s never met. Giving the stranger the codename Mystery Boy, Landon hesitates to step out of his comfort zone to solve the mystery. Living in a conservative town, he struggles to hide his new obsession while trying to figure out where he fits within the spectrum of sexuality. Can he dodge the constant questions from his friends and find answers before the escalating anxiety becomes too much to handle? ⁣
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TW: homophobia, suicide, death, abuse, drug addiction.

[Jayrald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me crying so hard, but in a good way. The story felt so real, especially the parts with all the hatred and homophobia. When Landon’s dad finally accepted him, it just made me tear up. His dad’s words were so powerful, something I wish I could hear from my own family. This story was honest, emotional, and really hit home.


Also, there are so many typos in the Kindle version, and it’s kind of annoying.

[CT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. The mix of likable characters and diverse storyline were engaging. I did find a lot of typos. Not minor ones. I don’t know how they weren’t caught be a simple spell check. For example Caleb was spelled “ca;eb” which threw me.

[PaperMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most notable thing for me is the clever use of the MC's name in the title. Otherwise - nothing really stood out with this YA coming-of-age offering. The flipping back and forth between past and present is a personal bugbear so an entire star was deducted. There is a sequel available but I'm rather hesitant to go on with the series.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a coming-out story but WOW! This starts in Texas and ends up in New York City, and it's wonderfully wonderfully complicated. Absolutely, positively worth reading. And for a first book, even better! More, please.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another draft or two and a firm editor would’ve made this book tolerable.

[Susmita Ghosh Sau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content - Landon Griffin, a final year school student whose life is going on smoothly. He is good at sports as well as in studies, his father is running for mayor of Madison, Texas and he has a stable girlfriend, Lauren. All is going good for him until one day when he saw a mysterious boy in his school premises. The waves of feelings sparked in him for that boy made him do all the crazy and unbelievable things he had never done before. His known world seems unknown for him and the new boy is taking a huge part in his life. Living in a conservative town, he is unable to express his feelings to anyone and simultaneously he was trying to figure out his position within the span of sexuality. Though he finds out about his 'Mystery Boy', Caleb and they are having a pretty good friendship, what is going to be the future of this relationship?
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Read the book to get to the climax.
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My Views - The book is what we call as warm, cozy , feel-good book. The story starts with a 'love at first sight' kind of situation (though only the back) but it was exciting to read how Landon was head over heels for this unknown boy and would do anything to know his "Mystery Boy's" identity. The author portrayed different emotions of a teenager going through a confused phase about his life, career, sexuality , which is very relatable. The author has also portrayed other deep emotions as well like love, loss, anger, depression, rage and all of them were portrayed beautifully leaving you emotional.
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The narration is to the point and the language is also easy. All the characters are presented beautifully.
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Overall it's definitely a heart-warming, emotional yet cozy read. Congratulations to the author for such an amazing debut book.

[Candice Woolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart thumper.

I did find some typos in here, but oh my goodness, I sat and read the whole book in 4 hours. My heart fluttered, my eyes cried, and it definitely gave me the giggles more than once. So much emotion, good and bad. Whew, if you're looking for a fantastic story, this one is worth the read. It's so raw and such a true storyline. I felt like I was living it while I was reading. Bravo.

[Margaret Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standoud read of 2021

I just finished this book in one sitting and I swear I went through every emotion known to man.
This was a truly beautiful, emotional story of friendship, strength and the power of love worthy of every one of the five stars I gave it.
Landon and Caleb are like two halve of a whole that just belong together, and the storytelling genius that is Matthew R Corr needs to know how amazing this book is. I can't believe this is his debut novel and I'm proud to be able to say I'll be here from the beginning of his journey.

[Cameron (readsandwritesbyc) · Rating 5 out of 5]

**A thousand thank you’s to Matt for reaching out to me and gifting me an e-book ARC of “Land On Me!” I’m forever grateful for having this story land in my lap!**

“Land On Me” is described as a coming-of-age story, and that is exactly what it is—and more. The story follows Landon Griffin, a high school senior living his life as he awaits an impending football scholarship to college, his father’s election as Mayor of their largely conservative small town of Madison, Texas, and the continued bliss with his girlfriend, Lauren. However, Landon’s life and feelings of self shift when a guy he’s never met, codenamed ‘Mystery Boy,’ shows up at his high school as the new janitor. Prompted by the physical allure and overall mystery of ‘Mystery Boy,’ Landon finds himself questioning who he is and what direction his unearthed desires are pointing him towards. With his anxiety mounting and the questioning from his friends, Landon attempts to arrive at his own reckoning with identity and sexuality while pursuing the one his heart is so strongly pining for.

Things I loved:
•The coming-of-age aspect is so accurately and consistently portrayed throughout the novel! I found myself relating to Landon’s questioning, his stumbles and his follies when I was his age in high school.
•Landon and ‘Mystery Boy’s’ interactions. Packed full of intrigue, desire, zest, all that good stuff!
•I loved having Steven as a character to mirror the simultaneous anxiety and carefree nature that Landon could also have as an emerging queer person.
•PARKER. Sweet, innocent, I-just-want-to-squish-him little Parker!
•Incredible balance of heavy subjects like addiction, toxic masculinity, homophobia, and suicide. All of these subjects were a part of the story at some point, but were all handled carefully and respectfully.
•The fact that the last third of the book is so engrossing and heart-pounding that I couldn’t put it down at all!

The only real thing I wish I had gotten more from out of this book is getting to deeply know some of the side characters like Tasha, Miguel, and the other queer characters from the club. You get a sense of their personalities, but they are all more or less in and out of the scene and I found myself wanting to know more about them!

Altogether, Matthew Corr has written an incredible tour de force of a debut novel. It blends a coming-of-age tale with the harsh realities of the world and the personal struggles and traumas that queer and queer-questioning teens face constantly.

Huge thank you to Matt for giving me this opportunity; I definitely need to grab a physical copy which comes out on August 26th! I can’t wait to see more from Matt!