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Three Left Turns to Nowhere
Three strangers heading to a convention in Toronto are stranded in rural Ontario, where a small town with a subtle kind of magic leads each to discover what he’s been searching for.
Ed Sinclair and his friends get stuck in Hopewell after their car breaks down. It’s snark at first sight when he meets local mechanic Lyn, but while they’re getting under each other’s skin, the town might show them a way into one another's hearts.
Rome Epstein is out and proud and clueless about love. He’s hosting a giant scavenger hunt at the convention, but ends up in Hopewell. When the town starts leaving him clues for its own scavenger hunt, he discovers a boy who could be the prize he’s been searching for.
Fielding Roy has a gift for seeing the past. His trip to reunite with friends hits an unexpected stop in Hopewell, but a long-lost love letter and two local boys give him a chance to do more than watch the past. This time, Fielding might be able to fix the present.
Ed Sinclair and his friends get stuck in Hopewell after their car breaks down. It’s snark at first sight when he meets local mechanic Lyn, but while they’re getting under each other’s skin, the town might show them a way into one another's hearts.
Rome Epstein is out and proud and clueless about love. He’s hosting a giant scavenger hunt at the convention, but ends up in Hopewell. When the town starts leaving him clues for its own scavenger hunt, he discovers a boy who could be the prize he’s been searching for.
Fielding Roy has a gift for seeing the past. His trip to reunite with friends hits an unexpected stop in Hopewell, but a long-lost love letter and two local boys give him a chance to do more than watch the past. This time, Fielding might be able to fix the present.
242 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2022
1 person is currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Ricker
26 books54 followersJeffrey Ricker is the author of Detours (2011), the YA fantasy The Unwanted (2014), The Final Decree (2020), and co-author (with ’Nathan Burgoine and J. Marshall Freeman) of Three Left Turns to Nowhere. His stories have appeared in Foglifter, Phoebe, Little Fiction, The Citron Review, The Saturday Evening Post, and others. A 2014 Lambda Literary Fellow and recipient of a 2015 Vermont Studio Center residency, he has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches creative writing at Webster University.
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August 25, 2023Edit: August 25th, 2023: Bold Strokes Books is having a "Clear the Shelves" paperback sale until August 27th. For shipping to the US or Canada, you can get a lot of trade paperbacks at $3.99, including trade paperbacks of Three Left Turns to Nowhere. Go check it out, and check out all the other titles on sale, too!
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155-4-12 169-4-36 169-5-22, 160-18-8 155-4-12 170-8-23 176-5-2.
February 15th, 2022: Today is the day! As of this morning, Three Left Turns to Nowhere is released widely, meaning not just the Bold Strokes Books webstore but your preferred e-tailer or retailer of choice.
January 24th, 2022: I blogged about writing in ciphers and how it plays a part in "Hope Echoes," and how cryptography was something completely intertwined with my own queerness as a youth on my block today. You can read it here.
January 11th, 2022: I blogged today on my novella for this trio, "Hope Echoes," and how the last couple of years helped me build Fielding's background. You can check it out here. Also, you can now request a digital review copy on NetGalley! If you'd like to nab a copy to review a month early, that's the way to go!
I blogged about how—and why—"Hope Echoes" doesn't have a romance plot for Fielding over on my blog. It comes with awesome bonus art.
*
This one is due February 2022, and yep, it's a shared world with two other authors, Jeffrey Ricker and J. Marshall Freeman, and I'm really excited to return to YA again.
My story in this one is the third mentioned there, about Fielding, "Hope Echoes," and the gift in question is a quirk that lets him sometimes see events from the past replay themselves, which leads him to finding a long-lost love letter between two women.
Fielding gets it in his head that while he's stuck in Hopewell, maybe he could deliver it. It's not a romance—it's more of a mystery, if anything, as he tries to figure out who wrote the letter, who it was for, and how to get it where it should have been all along.
And, once again, check out the amazing cover from Inkspiral Design.
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155-4-12 169-4-36 169-5-22, 160-18-8 155-4-12 170-8-23 176-5-2.
February 15th, 2022: Today is the day! As of this morning, Three Left Turns to Nowhere is released widely, meaning not just the Bold Strokes Books webstore but your preferred e-tailer or retailer of choice.
January 24th, 2022: I blogged about writing in ciphers and how it plays a part in "Hope Echoes," and how cryptography was something completely intertwined with my own queerness as a youth on my block today. You can read it here.
January 11th, 2022: I blogged today on my novella for this trio, "Hope Echoes," and how the last couple of years helped me build Fielding's background. You can check it out here. Also, you can now request a digital review copy on NetGalley! If you'd like to nab a copy to review a month early, that's the way to go!
I blogged about how—and why—"Hope Echoes" doesn't have a romance plot for Fielding over on my blog. It comes with awesome bonus art.
*
This one is due February 2022, and yep, it's a shared world with two other authors, Jeffrey Ricker and J. Marshall Freeman, and I'm really excited to return to YA again.
My story in this one is the third mentioned there, about Fielding, "Hope Echoes," and the gift in question is a quirk that lets him sometimes see events from the past replay themselves, which leads him to finding a long-lost love letter between two women.
Fielding gets it in his head that while he's stuck in Hopewell, maybe he could deliver it. It's not a romance—it's more of a mystery, if anything, as he tries to figure out who wrote the letter, who it was for, and how to get it where it should have been all along.
And, once again, check out the amazing cover from Inkspiral Design.
March 16, 2022
TFW you try to look up the book you're reading on GR but can't remember how many left turns there are or where they're going
This is an adorable set of three short stories that all have a similar premise: a boy in his late teens is driving to Toronto for a con, and gets sidetracked in the small town of Hopewell for a short period during the same weekend. Hopewell is a lovely little town with pieces of magical realism, and the residents are kind and friendly.
As a young adult book with main characters around 18 years old, everyone's in that period of transition between high school and “real life”. Each of the travelers is bringing their own baggage that they are hoping to take a break from during their trip to the con, each of them get waylaid from their trip and get “stuck” in the town, and each of them find some semblance of peace and resolution during their stay in Hopewell.
My favorite part is that even though all three boys are similar in age, travel destination, and sexuality, they never actually interact with each other. Fielding (Hope Echoes) sees Ed (Roadside Assistance) but actively avoids him out of awkwardness! When the boys pass by similar places, such as the nursing home, this made me smile so goofily. The stories are very charming! It feels like the writers wrote down the lore and layout of the town ahead of time so that the stories would match up, and they did this very well!
The stories of Ed, Rome, and Fielding are the perfect cozy Saturday morning read.
Here's my favorite (aka most relatable) quotes:
The Scavenger Hunt
Hope Echos
This is an adorable set of three short stories that all have a similar premise: a boy in his late teens is driving to Toronto for a con, and gets sidetracked in the small town of Hopewell for a short period during the same weekend. Hopewell is a lovely little town with pieces of magical realism, and the residents are kind and friendly.
As a young adult book with main characters around 18 years old, everyone's in that period of transition between high school and “real life”. Each of the travelers is bringing their own baggage that they are hoping to take a break from during their trip to the con, each of them get waylaid from their trip and get “stuck” in the town, and each of them find some semblance of peace and resolution during their stay in Hopewell.
My favorite part is that even though all three boys are similar in age, travel destination, and sexuality, they never actually interact with each other. Fielding (Hope Echoes) sees Ed (Roadside Assistance) but actively avoids him out of awkwardness! When the boys pass by similar places, such as the nursing home, this made me smile so goofily. The stories are very charming! It feels like the writers wrote down the lore and layout of the town ahead of time so that the stories would match up, and they did this very well!
The stories of Ed, Rome, and Fielding are the perfect cozy Saturday morning read.
Here's my favorite (aka most relatable) quotes:
The Scavenger Hunt
“I believe you can do the drive, Rome. You’ll go the speed limit, get out at rest stops and go for a walk. You’ll remind yourself you’re a careful and competent driver.”literally me everytime I get on the highway
“But I can’t control everyone else!” He imagines some drifting drunk or someone incoherent with road rage slamming into him, sending the car into a fiery crash.
Hope Echos
He wasn’t going to read this book. Who had time for books about straight people?this is also me lmao
February 9, 2022
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an advanced ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This is an anthology with three stories that are completely separate but also happening simultaneously in the same small town. All the stories are about queer teens traveling to a sci-fi convention who end up stuck temporarily in this small town because of car/road trouble.
The town itself is believed by the townspeople to have a touch of magic that often brings people together or helps people find what they need, but each story also included a bit of a more explicit fantasy/magical element, however small. It's a cute anthology idea.
These are all novella or novelette length more than shorts, and I was glad for that because it meant there was enough time for me to actually get to know the characters a bit and get into their stories.
I enjoyed them all, and since there are only three, I'll give my thoughts for each.
"Roadside Assistance" by Jeffrey Ricker - Ed, recently moved to Canada, still struggling with missing home, is driving through with two friends when their car breaks down. He ends up bonding with the 18-year-old mechanic helping to fix his car, and they go chasing after a mysterious apparition together. This was a cute start to a romance between two boys who were both missing something in their lives. Both Ed and Lyn seemed sweet, despite the slightly bad start they got off to.
"Scavenger Hunt" by J. Marshall Freeman - Rome goes to visit his grandmother in the hospital but has to get back home because he's planning a scavenger hunt for an upcoming convention, and he has to make the trip by himself. Unfortunately, he has car trouble and, while in the town, he ends up on a sort of magical scavenger hunt of his own when clues start appearing. This one captured that feeling of being an older teen and wanting that feeling of independence and adulthood, but also having some anxiety about it. Especially so in this case, because of the danger being out and proud could pose to Rome. This one had a lot of that was touched upon but not explored in depth (including the MC being Jewish, the other character having an Indigenous mother, and different feelings toward sex). There is a hint of something that could potentially turn into romance, but I don't think romance was the point of this one. To me, it was more about the experience of queerness, that transitional phase between teen and adult, and embracing yourself, your identity, and your passions.
"Hope Echoes" by 'Nathan Burgoine - Fielding is on his way to hang with friends and attend the convention, but a fallen tree causes him to take a bit of a break from driving and head into town. For a couple years now, he's had the ability to see echoes of the past (sort of brief replays of someone doing something, not ghosts), but this town has a lot of echoes, and he ends up trying to solve a mystery and use his ability to do something good, with the help of two boys he meets. This was the story that made me feel the most. I felt for Fielding and how much he was struggling and how alone he felt with his burdens. I loved how sweet and supportive Joshua and Logan were (and also how cute they were together). I loved the friendships that started forming. And though I love romance in stories, I loved that this wasn't about the main character wanting or finding romance, but rather about finding joy and beauty in knowing about other queer relationships that exist or have existed. This was a sweet story about a character realizing his strange ability could be a gift instead of a burden, friendship, and, much as the title suggests, hope.
Overall, this was a calm, low-key, sweet novella anthology about queer teens just living their lives and finding something unexpectedly good in a magical small town.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes novellas/novelettes, small towns, sweet queer YA stories, and a touch of magic.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an advanced ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This is an anthology with three stories that are completely separate but also happening simultaneously in the same small town. All the stories are about queer teens traveling to a sci-fi convention who end up stuck temporarily in this small town because of car/road trouble.
The town itself is believed by the townspeople to have a touch of magic that often brings people together or helps people find what they need, but each story also included a bit of a more explicit fantasy/magical element, however small. It's a cute anthology idea.
These are all novella or novelette length more than shorts, and I was glad for that because it meant there was enough time for me to actually get to know the characters a bit and get into their stories.
I enjoyed them all, and since there are only three, I'll give my thoughts for each.
"Roadside Assistance" by Jeffrey Ricker - Ed, recently moved to Canada, still struggling with missing home, is driving through with two friends when their car breaks down. He ends up bonding with the 18-year-old mechanic helping to fix his car, and they go chasing after a mysterious apparition together. This was a cute start to a romance between two boys who were both missing something in their lives. Both Ed and Lyn seemed sweet, despite the slightly bad start they got off to.
"Scavenger Hunt" by J. Marshall Freeman - Rome goes to visit his grandmother in the hospital but has to get back home because he's planning a scavenger hunt for an upcoming convention, and he has to make the trip by himself. Unfortunately, he has car trouble and, while in the town, he ends up on a sort of magical scavenger hunt of his own when clues start appearing. This one captured that feeling of being an older teen and wanting that feeling of independence and adulthood, but also having some anxiety about it. Especially so in this case, because of the danger being out and proud could pose to Rome. This one had a lot of that was touched upon but not explored in depth (including the MC being Jewish, the other character having an Indigenous mother, and different feelings toward sex). There is a hint of something that could potentially turn into romance, but I don't think romance was the point of this one. To me, it was more about the experience of queerness, that transitional phase between teen and adult, and embracing yourself, your identity, and your passions.
"Hope Echoes" by 'Nathan Burgoine - Fielding is on his way to hang with friends and attend the convention, but a fallen tree causes him to take a bit of a break from driving and head into town. For a couple years now, he's had the ability to see echoes of the past (sort of brief replays of someone doing something, not ghosts), but this town has a lot of echoes, and he ends up trying to solve a mystery and use his ability to do something good, with the help of two boys he meets. This was the story that made me feel the most. I felt for Fielding and how much he was struggling and how alone he felt with his burdens. I loved how sweet and supportive Joshua and Logan were (and also how cute they were together). I loved the friendships that started forming. And though I love romance in stories, I loved that this wasn't about the main character wanting or finding romance, but rather about finding joy and beauty in knowing about other queer relationships that exist or have existed. This was a sweet story about a character realizing his strange ability could be a gift instead of a burden, friendship, and, much as the title suggests, hope.
Overall, this was a calm, low-key, sweet novella anthology about queer teens just living their lives and finding something unexpectedly good in a magical small town.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes novellas/novelettes, small towns, sweet queer YA stories, and a touch of magic.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
June 3, 2022
I'm not usually a fan of anthology-style story collections, but for some reason I thought these three stories were going to be more connected. They were not, or at least not in a way that increased my enjoyment, so that was my mistake. The characters in the first two stories also feel a little younger than I usually like to read.
All three stories are tied together by Magical Realism, a genre I usually love, but it felt like everyone was buying into the town's spooky mechanisms too easily.
This whole collection was definitely written for the youth, and I do not think it was a coincidence that my favorite scene involved a character's "hot dad" intentionally embarrassing his son! It was hilarious.
>Roadside Assistance by Jeffrey Ricker -- 2 stars
This was a new to me author, and I didn't love the writing style. It was slow-moving, and the characters also felt very immature.
>The Scavenger Hunt by J. Marshall Freeman -- 3 stars
Also a new to me author, but probably my favorite of the bunch. (I'm biased towards romances :)
The MC felt so, so young, but also realistic. He was extremely annoying at times, like most 17-year-olds, but in a pretty enlightening way if you can look past the teenager of it all. It touched on the universal nature of otherness in a clever, subtle way. I especially enjoyed what read to me as one of the most realistic depictions of teenage demisexuality I've seen yet, but the story felt more incomplete than the others and the demisexual aspect was one of the things I would have really liked to read more of. I liked the dynamic between the MCs and really wanted to know where they went from here.
>Hope Echoes by 'Nathan Burgoine -- 3 stars
Not a romance, which I may not have minded if the previous story hadn't left me wanting more on that front. Josh and Logan felt like such fully fleshed out, likeable characters that I kept wishing this was their origin story instead!
It's lovely on its own, though. This author wrote one of the more successful anthologies I've read recently (Of Echoes Born), and this story would have fit perfectly there.
**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**
All three stories are tied together by Magical Realism, a genre I usually love, but it felt like everyone was buying into the town's spooky mechanisms too easily.
This whole collection was definitely written for the youth, and I do not think it was a coincidence that my favorite scene involved a character's "hot dad" intentionally embarrassing his son! It was hilarious.
>Roadside Assistance by Jeffrey Ricker -- 2 stars
This was a new to me author, and I didn't love the writing style. It was slow-moving, and the characters also felt very immature.
>The Scavenger Hunt by J. Marshall Freeman -- 3 stars
Also a new to me author, but probably my favorite of the bunch. (I'm biased towards romances :)
The MC felt so, so young, but also realistic. He was extremely annoying at times, like most 17-year-olds, but in a pretty enlightening way if you can look past the teenager of it all. It touched on the universal nature of otherness in a clever, subtle way. I especially enjoyed what read to me as one of the most realistic depictions of teenage demisexuality I've seen yet, but the story felt more incomplete than the others and the demisexual aspect was one of the things I would have really liked to read more of. I liked the dynamic between the MCs and really wanted to know where they went from here.
>Hope Echoes by 'Nathan Burgoine -- 3 stars
Not a romance, which I may not have minded if the previous story hadn't left me wanting more on that front. Josh and Logan felt like such fully fleshed out, likeable characters that I kept wishing this was their origin story instead!
It's lovely on its own, though. This author wrote one of the more successful anthologies I've read recently (Of Echoes Born), and this story would have fit perfectly there.
**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**
April 2, 2022
3 novellas/short stories from three authors using the same setting/locale. One of my favorite authors, 'Nathan Burgoine caps off the book with his story about a high school boy traveling to see some friends at a Toronto convention. He stops in a small town where he sees people who are not there. Not ghosts, but echoes from the past. A great twist on the ghost story trope, 'Nathan brings his sweet writing magic to the fictitious town of Hopewell. The best part is the story combines a contemporary story with young characters discovering a letter and a story from long ago which connects the people through the decades. Lovely.
March 4, 2022
Three Left Turns to Nowhere is a collection of three novellas set in the same universe over the same couple of days by three different authors: Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman, and ‘Nathan Burgoine. Each story follows a different set of characters involved in Toronto SciCon who are made to stop in Hopewell, a small town in rural Ontario, on their way. There’s a sense of magic in the town that brings each of them to something that they were missing in life, and two of them to romance.
I loved each of the stories of this book. The first one was sweet, the second felt very real in terms of what it is like to be a young queer person today, and the final one explored grief and holding on to the past in such an incredible way. I was expecting the three stories to converge at the end, but whilst it’s clear that some of the characters will meet – Ed in the first dating Lyn who is best friends with the couple Logan and Josh in the final story, for instance, and hints at seeing other characters in passing in the second – there is no finale to tie the three together, and I enjoyed that in how it reflects life. There are people who you will be similar to who you will potentially cross paths with, but who equally may just pass you by in close proximity.
I also loved the magic of Hopewell and the way it’s just how Hopewell is to the residents – although it’s not without its sceptics, such as Lyn. It was interesting to see how it manifested in different ways in the different stories, and I especially loved the idea of the Echoes that Fielding can see and how the story unfolds around them. The epilogue of the final story can still make me cry thinking about it, and it’s that story that elevated the book to a five star review for me (it was a solid 4.5 stars before that).
I would say there is one risk that you take in reading this book: I guarantee at the end that you will be craving a grilled cheese sandwich, sad about the fact that you will never experience Hopewell’s most famous delicacy.
Thank you to Boldstroke Books for the ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved each of the stories of this book. The first one was sweet, the second felt very real in terms of what it is like to be a young queer person today, and the final one explored grief and holding on to the past in such an incredible way. I was expecting the three stories to converge at the end, but whilst it’s clear that some of the characters will meet – Ed in the first dating Lyn who is best friends with the couple Logan and Josh in the final story, for instance, and hints at seeing other characters in passing in the second – there is no finale to tie the three together, and I enjoyed that in how it reflects life. There are people who you will be similar to who you will potentially cross paths with, but who equally may just pass you by in close proximity.
I also loved the magic of Hopewell and the way it’s just how Hopewell is to the residents – although it’s not without its sceptics, such as Lyn. It was interesting to see how it manifested in different ways in the different stories, and I especially loved the idea of the Echoes that Fielding can see and how the story unfolds around them. The epilogue of the final story can still make me cry thinking about it, and it’s that story that elevated the book to a five star review for me (it was a solid 4.5 stars before that).
I would say there is one risk that you take in reading this book: I guarantee at the end that you will be craving a grilled cheese sandwich, sad about the fact that you will never experience Hopewell’s most famous delicacy.
Thank you to Boldstroke Books for the ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2023
Three novellas about gay youngsters getting stranded in a small town of Hopewell on their way to SciCon in Toronto. These are all pretty well written stories about youth and the life changes happening at that time. The friendships and insecurities of queer teenagers are present, and all the stories also handle the theme of romance with some sprinkles of humour.
The stories are happening around the same time and the characters even briefly meet each other but there’s very little interaction between them, so the connections are more like easter eggs. The first two stories are written by new-to-me authors.
Roadside Assistance by Jeffrey Ricker
A cute budding romance takes place with some help from friends and family – and a ghost. It’s a nice one and a good starter but not one to linger after reading the other two.
The Scavenger Hunt by J. Marshall Freeman
The title says it, this one is about a scavenger hunt – or two, actually. The magical one is happening in Hopewell while the main character is organising another for the SciCon, while also avoiding his boyfriend. That relationship was the part I least liked about this story. We see way too little about it to know what’s going on: both are blaming the other for some heavy stuff and things aren’t cleared up. The narrator is an entertaining neurotic mess and he meets a local artist during his Hopewell scavenger hunt.
Hope Echoes by 'Nathan Burgoine
The story that stands out the most is ‘Hope Echoes’. The romance doesn’t happen to the main character and he’s not just stumbling into Hopewell to encounter the weird, the existing weird just gets cranked up to eleven in there. It’s also told in past tense unlike the other two.
I’ve read In Memoriam from Burgoine before and completely adored it. He’s a great story teller for sure. This is a lovely story about two queer couples and also about non-romantic kind of love. It’s the best of the three which means something, because I really do prefer my MCs to experience the romance themselves.
The stories are happening around the same time and the characters even briefly meet each other but there’s very little interaction between them, so the connections are more like easter eggs. The first two stories are written by new-to-me authors.
Roadside Assistance by Jeffrey Ricker
A cute budding romance takes place with some help from friends and family – and a ghost. It’s a nice one and a good starter but not one to linger after reading the other two.
The Scavenger Hunt by J. Marshall Freeman
The title says it, this one is about a scavenger hunt – or two, actually. The magical one is happening in Hopewell while the main character is organising another for the SciCon, while also avoiding his boyfriend. That relationship was the part I least liked about this story. We see way too little about it to know what’s going on: both are blaming the other for some heavy stuff and things aren’t cleared up. The narrator is an entertaining neurotic mess and he meets a local artist during his Hopewell scavenger hunt.
The window is just big enough for a skinny person to escape out of, which is, admittedly, a weird way to measure its size. But that’s what this strange cabin out in the woods looks like: a serial killer’s death house. Inside, corpses are piled five high. Or maybe there’s a miniature maze lined with razor traps. He pictures a man with pointed metal teeth, a swastika tattooed on his forehead, rasping through a tracheostomy amplifier: “You have twelve minutes to solve the maze before I release the gas, Jew.”
Hope Echoes by 'Nathan Burgoine
The story that stands out the most is ‘Hope Echoes’. The romance doesn’t happen to the main character and he’s not just stumbling into Hopewell to encounter the weird, the existing weird just gets cranked up to eleven in there. It’s also told in past tense unlike the other two.
He wasn’t going to read this book. Who had time for books about straight people?
I’ve read In Memoriam from Burgoine before and completely adored it. He’s a great story teller for sure. This is a lovely story about two queer couples and also about non-romantic kind of love. It’s the best of the three which means something, because I really do prefer my MCs to experience the romance themselves.
On a scale of one to completely humiliating, realizing he’d been sobbing while two strangers hugged him turned out to be not that bad, really. A three. Maybe a four.
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February 15, 2022Three Left Turns to Nowhere is a captivating, charming collection of queer short stories. It's constantly surprising, and wonderfully empathetic to the experience of being a teenager. Each story's hints of magic are unique, really cool, and felt meaningful. In this fictional small-town called Hopewell, the secondhand shop plays a major role (long live secondhand stores!), grilled cheese is legendary, the town's mayor is bi / pan, sooo many adults are supportive of the queer teens in their lives, and the town seems to have a mind (and magic!) of its own to bring people together when they need each other most. It could definitely have the alternate title 'There's Something About Hopewell.'
I did feel like the story had way too many specifically-mentioned-as-white people (especially for a book written by three white men. Like, at least don't mention their race and let me imagine these people are POCs! Why specifically say allll these people —even random side characters— are white.) but overall, this was a great read! I made a lil graphic about the book, and below are my thoughts on each story:
"Roadside Assistance" by Jeffrey Ricker
This is a really sweet opening story, and the perfect one to start with for readers like me who love a spark of romance to pull the story along. In "Roadside Assistance", a boy sees ghosts around town while he's waiting for his car to be fixed, and decides to follow them. His friend group is perfectly nerdy and supportive; the introduction to Hopewell and its characters (the mechanic shop! the diner! THAT grilled cheese!) welcoming and fun. I understood where each of the characters were at in their lives, and especially loved when the two boys connected. The way Ricker writes about their first kiss is !!! yellow sparkle emoji !!!
I always adore when fictional characters take each other to their favourite places. In this story, we get to read "Whenever I just need some peace and quiet, this is where I come. I've fallen asleep under that tree a zillion times." And then they fall asleep under the tree together!!! Another line I loved: "Sometimes, a coincidence is just a coincidence. Things happen without any explanation other than blind luck. People meet or don't meet, fall in love or don't, live or die. Even seeing a ghost on a semi-regular bases doesn't make that any less true."
I had a smile on my face at the end, and would totally read a follow-up story about the couple post-Hopewell meet-cute!
Content warning: mention of a parent who died in a car accident.
"Scavenger Hunt," by J. Marshall Freeman
This story was the most compelling from the start; The characters are so sharp and vibrant, coming to life, bounding off the page. It made me giggle, made me say "wow, bars" out loud (the line "you only ever hold my hand as a political statement" is woah), and certainly evoked a visceral response from me. Eventually, though, that got to be too much. I couldn't get through this story. I've tried to go back a few times, and maybe I will eventually, but I found it too jarring and raw and unpleasant an experience for the type of stories I'm able to read right now. (This is very much about a personal preference and level of comfort.) I was intrigued by the mysterious scavenger hunt clues, and didn't get far in enough to grasp the Discord situation (and would have really liked to!).
I am alll for unlikable characters, and especially queer characters, but I really couldn't get into this one. At first, it was the blatant use of homophobic slurs that turned me off, but as I continued reading, it escalates into a kind of story I simply don't enjoy. Many other reviewers have reflected that this is a refreshing take on being queer at a certain age, and so I'm sure it will connect with many readers. The protagonist here is also Jewish, which may appeal to readers looking for more Jewish queer rep.
Content warnings, bearing in mind that I only read part of this: Mentions and descriptions of violent, brutal homophobia. Homophobic slurs. At one point, the protagonist sees someone and decides they're Chinese (instead of simply saying Asian) and then later says someone else has "a brown, South Asian face" which made it feel even more questionable that he said "Chinese" earlier. Visiting a family member in hospital after they've had a stroke. Casual, almost frivolous, mention of pedophiles.
"Hope Echoes" by 'Nathan Burgoine
"What? You've never walked up to someone and delivered a long-lost lesbian love letter to their grandmother before?" This story is my favourite of the lot! I've deeply enjoyed and appreciated Burgoine's stories in the past, and it's mainly his blog posts and tweets about the main character of this story, Fielding, that drew me to read this book. "Hope Echoes" was filled with all the wonderful details I expected: the feeling of significant, serendipitous magic; seriously hopeful boys; and shining with queer history. Also the Mustang on the cover of this book is a huge part of this story, and it never stops being cool!
There's so much heart in this story, so much tangled emotion —and "the grilled cheese is good company." Even the descriptions of basic things like his hoodie blowing in the wind brings the story to life for me in ways that made me appreciate Burgoine's writing. True to the heart of what is part of 'Burgoine's mission when he writes, it's absolutely radiant with "insistent history." While reading "Hope Echoes", you can't help but be filled with the encouraging knowledge that queer people have existed all along, and that there have always been people who loved them back, and people who came together to support them and allow them to thrive.
Fielding sees "echoes" of people —not ghosts, but replays of memories from moments when emotions were strong, all throughout time: A joyful mailman waving at people while delivering letters, two women in love on the swing of their porch, a girl crying while holding a letter she couldn't deliver. It's happened a few times before, but it's happening way more since he arrived in Hopewell. I love these descriptions of what he sees:"She wove together in twists of light at first, as though where she stood was drenched in sunlight, and it made the girl brighter than the world around her. The real world." "Everywhere he looked, moments were blooming, replaying, and then wilting away in front of him. It was incredible."
I loved Fielding! Genuinely, so much. I wrote about the many ways I connected with him in my blog post here, where I expand on how much I adored this short story specifically. The way Joshua (a wonderful, and wonderfully-written autistic character with an adorable and also very hot boyfriend) takes Fielding under his wing is the best. And Fielding's overthinking the way they interact with him —also relatable! ("How had Joshua known he could mention his boyfriend to him Or did he do that with everyone?")
The book ciphers were such a cool, clever aspect of mystery to unfold in their adventure. (I'm currently watching the CW show '4400' where this small detail plays an important part for one of my favourite characters, so it was especially timely for me!) And pheeew, when they translate the key and we're hit with the line "My love for you is as precious as air." Literal intake of breath reading that! Also, Fielding draws all the people he sees throughout the town, and at the end of this story he initiates a project that would be SO cool to happen in real life. Fielding is a wonderful, brilliant character, and I hope this story gets to reach many teenage boys —he'd inspire them.
This story is also funny! There are moments of humor, mostly about Fielding's tendency to say out loud when people are hot (once again, he just like me fr!). There's a lovely old-age home visit. And oh man, when Fielding has his crushing emotional moment, it is FULLY heartbreaking. I wrote a Kindle note that reads: "So fucking heart-filled and encapsulates the shattered brilliance and ache of being a teenager —the shards of heartbreak lingering on the edges, the ever-present worry, the big quiet wishes." But his moment of pain blooms into something even lovelier than you could hope for.
But 'Nathan, what's the reason Fielding never got a reply to his texts from his friends back home? I need to know!
Content warnings: several mentions of Fielding's uncle having had a heart attack ("but he got a pacemaker, and he's going to be okay"), and his mom having reduced hours at work which led to Fielding not going to uni yet. Family member away on a military mission, who they haven't heard from in a while and do not know if they're alive (left unresolved). Mention of a couple struggling with infertility, in the context of celebrating them eventually having a child. (Logan's dad says he has "defective loins" and tries to tell the story of Logan's conception with an air of both celebration and driving home that infertility is common and should not have shame surrounding it.) Panic attack. The unfortunate case that a family member is named Brian Landry.
(If I had to give a rating, I'd give the first story four stars, and the third story five stars, but my troublesome experience with the story in the middle would pull the rating down, so I've left the rating blank.)
I received an advanced copy for review.
I did feel like the story had way too many specifically-mentioned-as-white people (especially for a book written by three white men. Like, at least don't mention their race and let me imagine these people are POCs! Why specifically say allll these people —even random side characters— are white.) but overall, this was a great read! I made a lil graphic about the book, and below are my thoughts on each story:
"Roadside Assistance" by Jeffrey Ricker
This is a really sweet opening story, and the perfect one to start with for readers like me who love a spark of romance to pull the story along. In "Roadside Assistance", a boy sees ghosts around town while he's waiting for his car to be fixed, and decides to follow them. His friend group is perfectly nerdy and supportive; the introduction to Hopewell and its characters (the mechanic shop! the diner! THAT grilled cheese!) welcoming and fun. I understood where each of the characters were at in their lives, and especially loved when the two boys connected. The way Ricker writes about their first kiss is !!! yellow sparkle emoji !!!
I always adore when fictional characters take each other to their favourite places. In this story, we get to read "Whenever I just need some peace and quiet, this is where I come. I've fallen asleep under that tree a zillion times." And then they fall asleep under the tree together!!! Another line I loved: "Sometimes, a coincidence is just a coincidence. Things happen without any explanation other than blind luck. People meet or don't meet, fall in love or don't, live or die. Even seeing a ghost on a semi-regular bases doesn't make that any less true."
I had a smile on my face at the end, and would totally read a follow-up story about the couple post-Hopewell meet-cute!
Content warning: mention of a parent who died in a car accident.
"Scavenger Hunt," by J. Marshall Freeman
This story was the most compelling from the start; The characters are so sharp and vibrant, coming to life, bounding off the page. It made me giggle, made me say "wow, bars" out loud (the line "you only ever hold my hand as a political statement" is woah), and certainly evoked a visceral response from me. Eventually, though, that got to be too much. I couldn't get through this story. I've tried to go back a few times, and maybe I will eventually, but I found it too jarring and raw and unpleasant an experience for the type of stories I'm able to read right now. (This is very much about a personal preference and level of comfort.) I was intrigued by the mysterious scavenger hunt clues, and didn't get far in enough to grasp the Discord situation (and would have really liked to!).
I am alll for unlikable characters, and especially queer characters, but I really couldn't get into this one. At first, it was the blatant use of homophobic slurs that turned me off, but as I continued reading, it escalates into a kind of story I simply don't enjoy. Many other reviewers have reflected that this is a refreshing take on being queer at a certain age, and so I'm sure it will connect with many readers. The protagonist here is also Jewish, which may appeal to readers looking for more Jewish queer rep.
Content warnings, bearing in mind that I only read part of this: Mentions and descriptions of violent, brutal homophobia. Homophobic slurs. At one point, the protagonist sees someone and decides they're Chinese (instead of simply saying Asian) and then later says someone else has "a brown, South Asian face" which made it feel even more questionable that he said "Chinese" earlier. Visiting a family member in hospital after they've had a stroke. Casual, almost frivolous, mention of pedophiles.
"Hope Echoes" by 'Nathan Burgoine
"What? You've never walked up to someone and delivered a long-lost lesbian love letter to their grandmother before?" This story is my favourite of the lot! I've deeply enjoyed and appreciated Burgoine's stories in the past, and it's mainly his blog posts and tweets about the main character of this story, Fielding, that drew me to read this book. "Hope Echoes" was filled with all the wonderful details I expected: the feeling of significant, serendipitous magic; seriously hopeful boys; and shining with queer history. Also the Mustang on the cover of this book is a huge part of this story, and it never stops being cool!
There's so much heart in this story, so much tangled emotion —and "the grilled cheese is good company." Even the descriptions of basic things like his hoodie blowing in the wind brings the story to life for me in ways that made me appreciate Burgoine's writing. True to the heart of what is part of 'Burgoine's mission when he writes, it's absolutely radiant with "insistent history." While reading "Hope Echoes", you can't help but be filled with the encouraging knowledge that queer people have existed all along, and that there have always been people who loved them back, and people who came together to support them and allow them to thrive.
Fielding sees "echoes" of people —not ghosts, but replays of memories from moments when emotions were strong, all throughout time: A joyful mailman waving at people while delivering letters, two women in love on the swing of their porch, a girl crying while holding a letter she couldn't deliver. It's happened a few times before, but it's happening way more since he arrived in Hopewell. I love these descriptions of what he sees:"She wove together in twists of light at first, as though where she stood was drenched in sunlight, and it made the girl brighter than the world around her. The real world." "Everywhere he looked, moments were blooming, replaying, and then wilting away in front of him. It was incredible."
I loved Fielding! Genuinely, so much. I wrote about the many ways I connected with him in my blog post here, where I expand on how much I adored this short story specifically. The way Joshua (a wonderful, and wonderfully-written autistic character with an adorable and also very hot boyfriend) takes Fielding under his wing is the best. And Fielding's overthinking the way they interact with him —also relatable! ("How had Joshua known he could mention his boyfriend to him Or did he do that with everyone?")
The book ciphers were such a cool, clever aspect of mystery to unfold in their adventure. (I'm currently watching the CW show '4400' where this small detail plays an important part for one of my favourite characters, so it was especially timely for me!) And pheeew, when they translate the key and we're hit with the line "My love for you is as precious as air." Literal intake of breath reading that! Also, Fielding draws all the people he sees throughout the town, and at the end of this story he initiates a project that would be SO cool to happen in real life. Fielding is a wonderful, brilliant character, and I hope this story gets to reach many teenage boys —he'd inspire them.
This story is also funny! There are moments of humor, mostly about Fielding's tendency to say out loud when people are hot (once again, he just like me fr!). There's a lovely old-age home visit. And oh man, when Fielding has his crushing emotional moment, it is FULLY heartbreaking. I wrote a Kindle note that reads: "So fucking heart-filled and encapsulates the shattered brilliance and ache of being a teenager —the shards of heartbreak lingering on the edges, the ever-present worry, the big quiet wishes." But his moment of pain blooms into something even lovelier than you could hope for.
But 'Nathan, what's the reason Fielding never got a reply to his texts from his friends back home? I need to know!
Content warnings: several mentions of Fielding's uncle having had a heart attack ("but he got a pacemaker, and he's going to be okay"), and his mom having reduced hours at work which led to Fielding not going to uni yet. Family member away on a military mission, who they haven't heard from in a while and do not know if they're alive (left unresolved). Mention of a couple struggling with infertility, in the context of celebrating them eventually having a child. (Logan's dad says he has "defective loins" and tries to tell the story of Logan's conception with an air of both celebration and driving home that infertility is common and should not have shame surrounding it.) Panic attack. The unfortunate case that a family member is named Brian Landry.
(If I had to give a rating, I'd give the first story four stars, and the third story five stars, but my troublesome experience with the story in the middle would pull the rating down, so I've left the rating blank.)
I received an advanced copy for review.
August 23, 2022
This was extremely enjoyable! Three separate stories that centered around this one little town on the Canadian countryside, and all equally memorable! I loved the characters and how the different authors handled their characters and stories, and I was worried it would become repetitive at some point but it did not. Overall, I had fun, and that’s what matters most.
February 23, 2022
The contents of “Shared World” short story or novella anthologies, with multiple authors working ostensibly in the same setting, can be notoriously hit/miss depending on factors as varied as the depth and breadth of the world-building before the authors start on their own stories, how all of that information is communicated from editors to authors, faithful to the shared setting the individual authors are. Typically, the more writers working in the setting the more likely it is to find “outlier” stories that don’t fit the setting or match the mood of the majority of the stories in the anthology. I’m happy to be able to say that Three Left Turns to Nowhere, a collection of novellas all set in the magical small town of Hopewell, is far more hit than miss despite, or perhaps because of, the quite different tones of the novellas. What all three stories have in common is the set-up of a slightly grumpy out-of-towner stranded in Hopewell meeting a local (or locals) who help lift the out-of-towner’s mood.
Jeffrey Ricker’s “Roadside Assistance” is a great lead-off: a sweet meet-cute of a romance between the grumpy out-of-towner (Ed) and a friendly local mechanic (Lyn) that doesn’t let the grumpy guy stay grumpy for too long. The attraction between the characters is clear from the start and nudged along by forces both human (Lyn’s BFF Josh) and not (a local ghost that only Lyn can see). I could try to count the number of times I found myself smiling at a geeky exchange or adorable moment, but there were too many. Ricker also does a wonderful job setting up the shared world in which these stories operate: by the end of the story I had a solid mental image of the “downtown” of Hopewell, a good sense of the character of the townspeople as a whole, and a total acceptance of the town’s subtle magic and how it works.
“The Scavenger Hunt” by J. Marshall Freeman is still a romance, but not as sweet meet-cute as Ricker’s. It’s a bit darker – homophobia rears its ugly head early in the story and stays a threat throughout in a way that doesn’t quite fit with the other two stories herein – but still centers a budding romance between an out-of-towner (activist Rome) and a local (artist Darcy). I liked the pacing of the story, I liked the way the town’s magic expresses itself (by sending Rome on the same type of scavenger hunt he’s designing for the Con all these out-of-towners are on their way to), and I loved Darcy’s found-object sculpture art. In fact, I loved Darcy – awkward, artistic, possibly neurodivergent Darcy – from the moment he’s introduced. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Rome, who I found self-centered beyond likeability even at the end of the story. (Your opinion, of course, may vary.)
The third novella, “Hope Echoes” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, doesn’t center romance for the lead character at all but still hinges the plot on one. The out-of-towner in the equation is Fielding, who can see echoes of the past, and the locals are adorable boyfriends who show him around town and help him resolve a mystery he’s stumbled into thanks to the echoes he can see. The romance is one that occurred well before any of the young men in the story were born, and I won’t spoil how the mystery of the love letter is resolved other than to say there’s a happy conclusion for all involved. The fun of this story is Fielding’s growing friendship with Josh and Logan, a nice interpretation of the way the town’s magic works. The town recognizes that what Fielding needs isn’t a boyfriend or romance – it’s supportive friends and a way out of his depression.
As one would expect, characters from one story pop up in the background or are mentioned in the other stories. But the authors also do an excellent job populating the story with interesting local characters: bed and breakfast owner Candace, used good store owner Mrs. Tremblay; Lyn’s mother; Josh’s father; Logan’s grandmother and her fellow residents at a nursing home; and auto shop owner Sloan and her wife the town Mayor. They make the shared setting of the stories consistent.
I do hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of the magical town of Hopewell. In fact, I’m putting in a request right now for a second anthology with perhaps a focus on lesbian characters – and please, Bold Stroke Books, let one of those be the story of how Sloan and Dina met!
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jeffrey Ricker’s “Roadside Assistance” is a great lead-off: a sweet meet-cute of a romance between the grumpy out-of-towner (Ed) and a friendly local mechanic (Lyn) that doesn’t let the grumpy guy stay grumpy for too long. The attraction between the characters is clear from the start and nudged along by forces both human (Lyn’s BFF Josh) and not (a local ghost that only Lyn can see). I could try to count the number of times I found myself smiling at a geeky exchange or adorable moment, but there were too many. Ricker also does a wonderful job setting up the shared world in which these stories operate: by the end of the story I had a solid mental image of the “downtown” of Hopewell, a good sense of the character of the townspeople as a whole, and a total acceptance of the town’s subtle magic and how it works.
“The Scavenger Hunt” by J. Marshall Freeman is still a romance, but not as sweet meet-cute as Ricker’s. It’s a bit darker – homophobia rears its ugly head early in the story and stays a threat throughout in a way that doesn’t quite fit with the other two stories herein – but still centers a budding romance between an out-of-towner (activist Rome) and a local (artist Darcy). I liked the pacing of the story, I liked the way the town’s magic expresses itself (by sending Rome on the same type of scavenger hunt he’s designing for the Con all these out-of-towners are on their way to), and I loved Darcy’s found-object sculpture art. In fact, I loved Darcy – awkward, artistic, possibly neurodivergent Darcy – from the moment he’s introduced. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Rome, who I found self-centered beyond likeability even at the end of the story. (Your opinion, of course, may vary.)
The third novella, “Hope Echoes” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, doesn’t center romance for the lead character at all but still hinges the plot on one. The out-of-towner in the equation is Fielding, who can see echoes of the past, and the locals are adorable boyfriends who show him around town and help him resolve a mystery he’s stumbled into thanks to the echoes he can see. The romance is one that occurred well before any of the young men in the story were born, and I won’t spoil how the mystery of the love letter is resolved other than to say there’s a happy conclusion for all involved. The fun of this story is Fielding’s growing friendship with Josh and Logan, a nice interpretation of the way the town’s magic works. The town recognizes that what Fielding needs isn’t a boyfriend or romance – it’s supportive friends and a way out of his depression.
As one would expect, characters from one story pop up in the background or are mentioned in the other stories. But the authors also do an excellent job populating the story with interesting local characters: bed and breakfast owner Candace, used good store owner Mrs. Tremblay; Lyn’s mother; Josh’s father; Logan’s grandmother and her fellow residents at a nursing home; and auto shop owner Sloan and her wife the town Mayor. They make the shared setting of the stories consistent.
I do hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of the magical town of Hopewell. In fact, I’m putting in a request right now for a second anthology with perhaps a focus on lesbian characters – and please, Bold Stroke Books, let one of those be the story of how Sloan and Dina met!
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
February 8, 2022
THREE LEFT TURNS TO NOWHERE is made up of three short stories, bound together by the same other-worldly setting. Hopewell, a town so small it's at risk of being missed by a blinking driver, lures three boys separately to its realm. There, they stumble upon mysteries that engage their hearts as furiously as their minds.
The first story in the collection, Jeffrey Ricker's 'Roadside Assistance', is by far the shortest of the three. Coincidentally, it's also the one that appears the most imbued with romantic sentiments. A teenage attraction blossoms across its pages, replicating the fierce mortification and hunger that make first times so memorable. A little juvenile and theatrical at times, it nevertheless presents an interesting concept.
Hopewell, sometimes regarded as "enchanted", other times simply as "cursed", offers glimpses of spirits as it maintains a higher power over its inhabitants. And yet, this feature is far from chilling. Interlacing the mortal and spiritual realms, the story urges Lyn, the protagonist, to take the chance that bares itself before him. The fact that it finds its embodiment in a boy named Ed is an incidental miracle.
Marshall Freeman's 'The Scavenger Hunt' follows on the heels of the first story, but offers slightly more snark, wit, and comedic timing. With a dazzling boy named Rome at the helm of the narrative, the story dives slightly deeper into the theme of otherness. The Jewish protagonist's sense of disconnection is magnified when he meets Darcy, a boy that represents the thwarted culture of his Indigenous mother.
Together, they explore the element of disunion in physical intimacy that is rarely addressed in literature, much less embraced so warmly. Skimming the spectrum, Freeman draws attention to asexuality, honoring its many complex forms. With that being said, the dialogue feels a little too affected at times, and the narration a bit too choppy, to provide a silky reading experience.
The last, and longest, story in the collection is 'Nathan Burgoine's 'Hope Echoes'. The central mystery transcends time and feeling as it sends Fielding, Logan and Joshua on a mission to deliver a letter, composed entirely of book ciphers, to its rightful addressee. The "echoes" depicted in the story, which are the result of an emotional imprint left on a place, are a compelling notion, and give the story a uniquely transcendent feel.
Burgoine's tale also binds all three stories together, placing them on a shared timeline so that they form narrative echoes of their own. And yet, the plot carries an undeniably saccharine undertone, overpowering the subtle intrigue formed by the sum of the story’s other parts.
The first story in the collection, Jeffrey Ricker's 'Roadside Assistance', is by far the shortest of the three. Coincidentally, it's also the one that appears the most imbued with romantic sentiments. A teenage attraction blossoms across its pages, replicating the fierce mortification and hunger that make first times so memorable. A little juvenile and theatrical at times, it nevertheless presents an interesting concept.
Hopewell, sometimes regarded as "enchanted", other times simply as "cursed", offers glimpses of spirits as it maintains a higher power over its inhabitants. And yet, this feature is far from chilling. Interlacing the mortal and spiritual realms, the story urges Lyn, the protagonist, to take the chance that bares itself before him. The fact that it finds its embodiment in a boy named Ed is an incidental miracle.
Marshall Freeman's 'The Scavenger Hunt' follows on the heels of the first story, but offers slightly more snark, wit, and comedic timing. With a dazzling boy named Rome at the helm of the narrative, the story dives slightly deeper into the theme of otherness. The Jewish protagonist's sense of disconnection is magnified when he meets Darcy, a boy that represents the thwarted culture of his Indigenous mother.
Together, they explore the element of disunion in physical intimacy that is rarely addressed in literature, much less embraced so warmly. Skimming the spectrum, Freeman draws attention to asexuality, honoring its many complex forms. With that being said, the dialogue feels a little too affected at times, and the narration a bit too choppy, to provide a silky reading experience.
The last, and longest, story in the collection is 'Nathan Burgoine's 'Hope Echoes'. The central mystery transcends time and feeling as it sends Fielding, Logan and Joshua on a mission to deliver a letter, composed entirely of book ciphers, to its rightful addressee. The "echoes" depicted in the story, which are the result of an emotional imprint left on a place, are a compelling notion, and give the story a uniquely transcendent feel.
Burgoine's tale also binds all three stories together, placing them on a shared timeline so that they form narrative echoes of their own. And yet, the plot carries an undeniably saccharine undertone, overpowering the subtle intrigue formed by the sum of the story’s other parts.
February 16, 2022
Thankyou to NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books for providing me with an arc of this book.
Roadside Assistance - Ed and Lyn seem to be on a mission to injure themselves at every single opportunity. How none of them ended up in a&e will never not suprise me, but maybe that's got to do with the magic of Hopewell? Anyways, this was an insanely sweet queer romance, which went from them hating each other for no apparent reason, to being completely in love with each other in less than 24 hours. Would definitely love to read more about Ed and Lyn, but I think it just being such a short snippet of how they find each other is what makes it so special.
The Scavenger Hunt - Rome is horny and a drama queen. That's it. That's literally the plot of this story. Pahaha, in all seriousness, this one was really good as well! It perhaps ended a bit too open ended and 'unfinished' for me, but that's just me personally needing a neat bow wrapping up every story to feel completely satisfied with them. This one was less of a romance than Roadside Assistance, which I think is partially why I prefered that to this. Still a really good read though, I enjoyed it a lot.
Hope Echoes - Out of the three stories this is the one I was looking forward to the least, simply because I'm not a huge fan of ghost/spiritual stories, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This was less romancy than the other two for the MC, but the main plot was this sweet old sapphic romance and the two other MCs were in a relationship so it was still very much a queer romance if that's what you're looking for(MC is gay as well). I also loved the crossover with Roadside Assistance and seeing Ed and Lyn from a passerbys perspective and I like to think that Fielding eventually meets up with them as well what with Joshua being Lyn's best friend and all.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book a lot more than I though I would. I always enjoy reading queer books that aren't focused on the romance, but the characters are just gay and vibing, because it's not something that's often written. Overall this was a really good and well thought out story, definitely going to check out all the authors other work and would 100% recommend picking up Three Left Turns to Nowhere
Roadside Assistance - Ed and Lyn seem to be on a mission to injure themselves at every single opportunity. How none of them ended up in a&e will never not suprise me, but maybe that's got to do with the magic of Hopewell? Anyways, this was an insanely sweet queer romance, which went from them hating each other for no apparent reason, to being completely in love with each other in less than 24 hours. Would definitely love to read more about Ed and Lyn, but I think it just being such a short snippet of how they find each other is what makes it so special.
The Scavenger Hunt - Rome is horny and a drama queen. That's it. That's literally the plot of this story. Pahaha, in all seriousness, this one was really good as well! It perhaps ended a bit too open ended and 'unfinished' for me, but that's just me personally needing a neat bow wrapping up every story to feel completely satisfied with them. This one was less of a romance than Roadside Assistance, which I think is partially why I prefered that to this. Still a really good read though, I enjoyed it a lot.
Hope Echoes - Out of the three stories this is the one I was looking forward to the least, simply because I'm not a huge fan of ghost/spiritual stories, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This was less romancy than the other two for the MC, but the main plot was this sweet old sapphic romance and the two other MCs were in a relationship so it was still very much a queer romance if that's what you're looking for(MC is gay as well). I also loved the crossover with Roadside Assistance and seeing Ed and Lyn from a passerbys perspective and I like to think that Fielding eventually meets up with them as well what with Joshua being Lyn's best friend and all.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book a lot more than I though I would. I always enjoy reading queer books that aren't focused on the romance, but the characters are just gay and vibing, because it's not something that's often written. Overall this was a really good and well thought out story, definitely going to check out all the authors other work and would 100% recommend picking up Three Left Turns to Nowhere
February 15, 2022
Coming of age but in the best way.
These are all little tidbits of a particular coming of age story. Hopewell is an adorable town with a great back story. Each story shows you a different angle of Hopewell that you don't get just from the little pieces you learn at the beginning and it further enforces for me the need to find a town like this.
Ed is sort of lost in his own life, living how he pleases not really happy with his life. Not really happy with the way things are going and right now he's even more upset that they aren't headed directly to the Con he's been looking for. Lyn is a mechanic happy in his particular life but sort of wondering how he's going to find someone for himself. They form an unexpected alliance of sorts and head on a journey that leads to self discovery on both their parts. Ed is probably my favorite of the three main characters.
Rome might be out and proud as the description states but he's struggling with things under the surface. He's sure when it comes to things that are within his control but when his car breaks down on the road to a Con he's forced to make some time to take a step back and slow down. Another story of discovery of oneself and growth. I loved Rome's style, that he's unapologetically him for the world to see.
Fielding is trapped in Hopewell due to the fallen tree on the main highway. He's not looking forward to being trapped in town, not looking forward to not knowing what's waiting for him. Fielding seems a little bit troubled and a little bit lost in life, but as a character in this book he's very well rounded. I super enjoyed the way his brain worked, and the things he paid super close attention to.
Loved the grilled cheese, the little glimpses into the other stories. Really enjoyed how well written the town of Hopewell was, all of it's intricacies that at the start of the story the main characters aren't in the least bit excited to explore.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
These are all little tidbits of a particular coming of age story. Hopewell is an adorable town with a great back story. Each story shows you a different angle of Hopewell that you don't get just from the little pieces you learn at the beginning and it further enforces for me the need to find a town like this.
Ed is sort of lost in his own life, living how he pleases not really happy with his life. Not really happy with the way things are going and right now he's even more upset that they aren't headed directly to the Con he's been looking for. Lyn is a mechanic happy in his particular life but sort of wondering how he's going to find someone for himself. They form an unexpected alliance of sorts and head on a journey that leads to self discovery on both their parts. Ed is probably my favorite of the three main characters.
Rome might be out and proud as the description states but he's struggling with things under the surface. He's sure when it comes to things that are within his control but when his car breaks down on the road to a Con he's forced to make some time to take a step back and slow down. Another story of discovery of oneself and growth. I loved Rome's style, that he's unapologetically him for the world to see.
Fielding is trapped in Hopewell due to the fallen tree on the main highway. He's not looking forward to being trapped in town, not looking forward to not knowing what's waiting for him. Fielding seems a little bit troubled and a little bit lost in life, but as a character in this book he's very well rounded. I super enjoyed the way his brain worked, and the things he paid super close attention to.
Loved the grilled cheese, the little glimpses into the other stories. Really enjoyed how well written the town of Hopewell was, all of it's intricacies that at the start of the story the main characters aren't in the least bit excited to explore.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 14, 2022
As much as I love novels, every once in a while I find myself craving a shorter story or two so when I came across this book and read the description I was intrigued. It's a trilogy of interlocking stories about three young men on their their separate ways to a SF convention, but find themselves diverted to the town of Hopewell. Hopewell is billed as a magical place by its residents and gradually these three visitors find that the boasts are not exaggerated as these three different authors use modest touches of magic realism to upend their characters' lives.
In "Roadside Assistance", by Jeffrey Ricker, Ed Sinclair finds himself stranded in Hopewell with two of his friends after their car has mechanical issues. He meets Lyn, one of the local mechanics, and finds himself clashing with the young technician, but is it dislike or something else? It's a cute romantic story that's well written, with the town itself, in a sense, serving as another character and an engaging sense of wistfulness. I'd rate this one four stars.
From there we go to "Scavenger Hunt", by J. Marshall Freeman. There were some interesting facets to this story, especially the characters, including the main protagonist, Rome. However, the story had quite a jarring turn in tone from "Roadside", turning a bit darker than I expected. It was almost as if Hopewell was recast as a town from a David Lynch film. Freeman writes well, but I felt this story didn't fit in with the others. 3 stars.
Finally, "Hope Echoes", by 'Nathan Burgoine, my favorite of the three stories. Fielding finds himself stranded in Hopewell, where a certain gift he has is magnified to a stronger level. He embarks on a quest of sorts when he finds a letter meant to be sent from one lover to another. With the help of local residents Joshua and Logan, Fielding solves the mystery and forms new friendships while learning to accept his gift. It's a very hopeful story and I found myself enchanted with it. 4.5 stars.
I hadn't read any of the authors before so I was very happy to discover how much I enjoyed the stories. While I didn't connect with Freeman's story I'll definitely be following up with more from Ricker and Burgoine.
In "Roadside Assistance", by Jeffrey Ricker, Ed Sinclair finds himself stranded in Hopewell with two of his friends after their car has mechanical issues. He meets Lyn, one of the local mechanics, and finds himself clashing with the young technician, but is it dislike or something else? It's a cute romantic story that's well written, with the town itself, in a sense, serving as another character and an engaging sense of wistfulness. I'd rate this one four stars.
From there we go to "Scavenger Hunt", by J. Marshall Freeman. There were some interesting facets to this story, especially the characters, including the main protagonist, Rome. However, the story had quite a jarring turn in tone from "Roadside", turning a bit darker than I expected. It was almost as if Hopewell was recast as a town from a David Lynch film. Freeman writes well, but I felt this story didn't fit in with the others. 3 stars.
Finally, "Hope Echoes", by 'Nathan Burgoine, my favorite of the three stories. Fielding finds himself stranded in Hopewell, where a certain gift he has is magnified to a stronger level. He embarks on a quest of sorts when he finds a letter meant to be sent from one lover to another. With the help of local residents Joshua and Logan, Fielding solves the mystery and forms new friendships while learning to accept his gift. It's a very hopeful story and I found myself enchanted with it. 4.5 stars.
I hadn't read any of the authors before so I was very happy to discover how much I enjoyed the stories. While I didn't connect with Freeman's story I'll definitely be following up with more from Ricker and Burgoine.
August 21, 2022
This book is a short anthology of novellas, all revolving around the fictional town of Hopewell, Ontario, where the lives of three separate characters are interrupted, landing them in the town.
To start, it isn't fair to rate this book as a whole, though I was forced to do so. Of the three stories, the final one by 'Nathan Burgoine, "Hope Echoes", was far superior to the others. The vibe was playful and fun, with just the right amount of emotion without being too heavy-handed. And who can resist a paranormal mystery and a She-Ra reference? Not this girl.
The first story, "Roadside Assistance", was likewise a pleasant diversion. The characters were fun and the sit-com scenarios enjoyable. Although the writing was stilted in places, and Lyn's mother was written in a way that, unfortunately, made her seem like two entirely different people, this story also successfully encapsulated the vibe of Schitt's Creek.
The main concern is the middle story, "The Scavenger Hunt" by J. Marshall Freeman, which simply didn't belong in this anthology. The subject matter is entirely valid and well-written; however, there is some distinctly triggering content in this story, which appeared with no warnings whatsoever. For an anthology whose goal was clearly to showcase and celebrate queer joy, this story fell short. It was so disruptive and potentially harmful to teens who might be expecting a different experience that I would not be able to safely recommend it to my teen students without a warning in place.
In addition, it is clear that "The Scavenger Hunt" is meant for adults and not for teens. Having teen characters doesn't automatically make a story YA. The narrative voice and much of the dialogue were distinctly adult. Again, this story, as necessary, interesting, and engaging as it is, did not belong here, and missed the mark for its target audience.
To start, it isn't fair to rate this book as a whole, though I was forced to do so. Of the three stories, the final one by 'Nathan Burgoine, "Hope Echoes", was far superior to the others. The vibe was playful and fun, with just the right amount of emotion without being too heavy-handed. And who can resist a paranormal mystery and a She-Ra reference? Not this girl.
The first story, "Roadside Assistance", was likewise a pleasant diversion. The characters were fun and the sit-com scenarios enjoyable. Although the writing was stilted in places, and Lyn's mother was written in a way that, unfortunately, made her seem like two entirely different people, this story also successfully encapsulated the vibe of Schitt's Creek.
The main concern is the middle story, "The Scavenger Hunt" by J. Marshall Freeman, which simply didn't belong in this anthology. The subject matter is entirely valid and well-written; however, there is some distinctly triggering content in this story, which appeared with no warnings whatsoever. For an anthology whose goal was clearly to showcase and celebrate queer joy, this story fell short. It was so disruptive and potentially harmful to teens who might be expecting a different experience that I would not be able to safely recommend it to my teen students without a warning in place.
In addition, it is clear that "The Scavenger Hunt" is meant for adults and not for teens. Having teen characters doesn't automatically make a story YA. The narrative voice and much of the dialogue were distinctly adult. Again, this story, as necessary, interesting, and engaging as it is, did not belong here, and missed the mark for its target audience.
June 2, 2022
Three individual, but connected stories centered around the charming and subtly magical town of Hopewell in Ontario. Every story starts with a different character getting stranded in Hopewell while on their way to Toronto. The stories were each unique and showcased different sides to the strange town. By the end of all three, you will definitely be craving some life-changing grilled cheese sandwiches.
I broke down my ratings for each story:
1 - Roadside Assistance: 2.5 stars
This was my least favorite story. It was a romance between Ed, an American whose car broke down near Hopewell, and Lyn, a mechanic in the town. Ed was a hard character to like; he was rude to Lyn and his own friends for a lot of the story. The romance itself was very sudden and not believable.
2 - The Scavenger Hunt: 3 stars
This story focuses on Ed, who is stuck in Hopewell and gets involved in a magical scavenger hunt where he eventually meets Darcy. It showed a darker side of Hopewell than the other stories, with a lot of homophobia and racism. The scavenger hunt was cute and Ed and Darcy were both compelling characters.
3 - Hope Echos: 3.5 stars
This story is about Fielding, who sees echoes of people's past memories and finds a letter belonging to a women from one of the echos in a second-hand shop in Hopewell. Fielding unravels the mystery around the letter with the help of his new found friends Logan and Joshua. This was my favourite story; the characters were great and the letter mystery was sweet.
I broke down my ratings for each story:
1 - Roadside Assistance: 2.5 stars
This was my least favorite story. It was a romance between Ed, an American whose car broke down near Hopewell, and Lyn, a mechanic in the town. Ed was a hard character to like; he was rude to Lyn and his own friends for a lot of the story. The romance itself was very sudden and not believable.
2 - The Scavenger Hunt: 3 stars
This story focuses on Ed, who is stuck in Hopewell and gets involved in a magical scavenger hunt where he eventually meets Darcy. It showed a darker side of Hopewell than the other stories, with a lot of homophobia and racism. The scavenger hunt was cute and Ed and Darcy were both compelling characters.
3 - Hope Echos: 3.5 stars
This story is about Fielding, who sees echoes of people's past memories and finds a letter belonging to a women from one of the echos in a second-hand shop in Hopewell. Fielding unravels the mystery around the letter with the help of his new found friends Logan and Joshua. This was my favourite story; the characters were great and the letter mystery was sweet.
February 8, 2022
I received an advance copy from Bold Stroke Books via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Roadside Assistance - Jeffrey Ricker
4⭐️
This is a really cute story with Lyn, a local of Hopewell who has no plans of leaving town, and Ed, an American come to Canada and trying to make it to SciCon with his friends. I loved the elements of mysticism and mystery with the ghost and the friendship between Ed, Curtis, and Siobhan. I would have liked to see more of Lyn with his friends, but this was still a cute romance.
The Scavenger Hunt - J Marshall Freeman
3.5⭐️
This one feels complicated and kind of hard to determine how I feel about it. I liked the queer Jewish aspects and addressing influence of colonialism on Native history. But this was also rough with . I did like the way it worked out in the end and the way scavenger hunt clues brought Rome and Darcy together.
Hope Echoes - ‘Nathan Burgoine
4.5⭐️
‘Nathan Burgoine is the only author from this collection I’m familiar with, and I really enjoyed this story. I loved the mystery and hope of finding an old love letter and wanting to find the intended in order to make sure the love isn’t lost to time. I loved the way it all worked out, and the dynamic between Fielding, Logan, and Joshua. This was so fun and sweet, and absolutely brightened my day to read.
Roadside Assistance - Jeffrey Ricker
4⭐️
This is a really cute story with Lyn, a local of Hopewell who has no plans of leaving town, and Ed, an American come to Canada and trying to make it to SciCon with his friends. I loved the elements of mysticism and mystery with the ghost and the friendship between Ed, Curtis, and Siobhan. I would have liked to see more of Lyn with his friends, but this was still a cute romance.
The Scavenger Hunt - J Marshall Freeman
3.5⭐️
This one feels complicated and kind of hard to determine how I feel about it. I liked the queer Jewish aspects and addressing influence of colonialism on Native history. But this was also rough with . I did like the way it worked out in the end and the way scavenger hunt clues brought Rome and Darcy together.
Hope Echoes - ‘Nathan Burgoine
4.5⭐️
‘Nathan Burgoine is the only author from this collection I’m familiar with, and I really enjoyed this story. I loved the mystery and hope of finding an old love letter and wanting to find the intended in order to make sure the love isn’t lost to time. I loved the way it all worked out, and the dynamic between Fielding, Logan, and Joshua. This was so fun and sweet, and absolutely brightened my day to read.
February 18, 2022
"More like enchanted. People say the town has a way of looking out for people and nudging them in the right direction."
Three Left Turns to Nowhere is a breezy collection of companion stories touched by magical realism. Written by different authors, each revolves around the same small town in rural Canada that somehow collects people on their way to a SciFi convention in Toronto. Maybe coincidence, or maybe the town really does know what people need. All the stories feature main characters in the moments surrounding the precipice of adulthood: what to do upon graduation when everyone else has other plans or life is dictating for them.
Even though much can be seen in the underlayer of the stories, the on page action is light enough for a wide audience. While “ghosts” feature in two of the stories, they motivate other action rather than taking center focus. The stories continue to be realistic fiction in spite of those interactions. While I wanted more depth and story development, I am not the target audience for this book. The book centers queer perspectives while serving up what feels like a serialized sitcom, repeating events in a now familiar place. I believe many readers will appreciate the short vignette style, the addressing of issues without wholesale solutions, and the message to be yourself and live your truth. For readers who enjoy small towns with Gilmore Girl vibes, m/m romance, and short stories this will be popular.
Three Left Turns to Nowhere is a breezy collection of companion stories touched by magical realism. Written by different authors, each revolves around the same small town in rural Canada that somehow collects people on their way to a SciFi convention in Toronto. Maybe coincidence, or maybe the town really does know what people need. All the stories feature main characters in the moments surrounding the precipice of adulthood: what to do upon graduation when everyone else has other plans or life is dictating for them.
Even though much can be seen in the underlayer of the stories, the on page action is light enough for a wide audience. While “ghosts” feature in two of the stories, they motivate other action rather than taking center focus. The stories continue to be realistic fiction in spite of those interactions. While I wanted more depth and story development, I am not the target audience for this book. The book centers queer perspectives while serving up what feels like a serialized sitcom, repeating events in a now familiar place. I believe many readers will appreciate the short vignette style, the addressing of issues without wholesale solutions, and the message to be yourself and live your truth. For readers who enjoy small towns with Gilmore Girl vibes, m/m romance, and short stories this will be popular.
February 15, 2022
What a great collection of stories! Three individual stories about three strangers each on their way to a convention in Toronto. Each one is temporarily stuck in a rural small town named Hopewell, where strange events lead them to the answers they didn’t even really know they were searching for.
Each story flows nicely and is not contrived or forced. Hopewell weaves its magic in each of the lives we encounter. From a snarky Doctor Who fan, to a man confident in his identity but clueless about love, to a man seeing the past via spirits around him. Each one is treading a pretty lonely road in their personal lives, but they find hope in Hopewell.
I’m a new reader for J. Marshall Freeman and Jeffrey Ricker, but I’ve loved everything by ‘Nathan Burgoine. I knew if ‘Nathan was involved, it was going to be great. I’m glad to know I was right, and I look forward to reading more from the other two authors.
I’d love to live in Hopewell. Or just even visit for the amazing grilled cheese sandwiches!
Each story flows nicely and is not contrived or forced. Hopewell weaves its magic in each of the lives we encounter. From a snarky Doctor Who fan, to a man confident in his identity but clueless about love, to a man seeing the past via spirits around him. Each one is treading a pretty lonely road in their personal lives, but they find hope in Hopewell.
I’m a new reader for J. Marshall Freeman and Jeffrey Ricker, but I’ve loved everything by ‘Nathan Burgoine. I knew if ‘Nathan was involved, it was going to be great. I’m glad to know I was right, and I look forward to reading more from the other two authors.
I’d love to live in Hopewell. Or just even visit for the amazing grilled cheese sandwiches!
February 15, 2022
Three Turns Left to Nowhere includes three separate short stories, all of them involving the tiny rural town of Hopewell, a sort-of otherworldly location where each of the protagonists finds something they need. I most enjoyed the second story of the three, although this one also includes some darker elements. I think I struggled to invest in any of the characters or feel emotionally attached to their journeys - I always felt somewhat kept at arm's length while reading. Perhaps it might have been different if the three narratives converged at some point but being kept separate in that way left me wanting something a bit more. There's nothing I can put my finger on that I didn't like specifically, it just didn't particularly stand out for me unfortunately. I think readers who enjoy slightly eerie short fiction might enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of Three Turns Left to Nowhere. These opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of Three Turns Left to Nowhere. These opinions are my own.
August 13, 2022
While this is my first time reading Jeffrey Ricker and J. Marshall Freeman, I have read some of ’Nathan Burgoine's stories. I truly enjoyed all three stories in this book! All three authors drew me into their world and made me love their characters! And I absolutely loved how all three authors referenced each other's characters in their own story! The setting of the story brought back memories of driving through many northern Ontario towns when I went up there to visit my grandmother over many summers. While the romance in 'Nathan Burgoine's story was told in a slightly different way than the other two, it was just as sweet. And it reminded me of his story collection, Of Echoes Born. Made me shed a couple tears, too. I recommend this story collection and look forward to reading more from all three authors!
March 15, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I quite enjoyed this trio of YA novellas -- I'd say it's two romances and a romance-adjacent friendmance. In each story a kid (or kids) on their way to an SFF con gets temporarily stranded in Hopewell, a small town that has a way of bringing people into contact with who or what they need. Each has supernatural elements -- definitely warm, cozy, wants you to have hot cocoa and all the snuggles supernatural, not creepy, scary supernatural.
Recommended for teens who like warm fuzzy love stories, especially ones who want to see their geeky, geocaching, discord-chatting selves reflected on paper.
I quite enjoyed this trio of YA novellas -- I'd say it's two romances and a romance-adjacent friendmance. In each story a kid (or kids) on their way to an SFF con gets temporarily stranded in Hopewell, a small town that has a way of bringing people into contact with who or what they need. Each has supernatural elements -- definitely warm, cozy, wants you to have hot cocoa and all the snuggles supernatural, not creepy, scary supernatural.
Recommended for teens who like warm fuzzy love stories, especially ones who want to see their geeky, geocaching, discord-chatting selves reflected on paper.
March 29, 2022
slightly my worst nightmare considering right off the bat there’s references to pop culture. ignoring that, except not really because thats. my biggest ick, my least favorite thing ever, but anyway. all things considered the stories itself were cute enough but the characters i found bland and uninteresting. i didnt really have any particular attachment to any of the stories but i enjoyed the third one the most. it was the least romance centered out of the three and i think that did it justice
April 21, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books for providing me with an arc of this book.
I couldn't put this down!
At first, I assumed all three short stories would seem rather repetitive, but that was mos definitely not the case. Each was compelling in its own way despite having some similarities.
I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and hope to read more from the author in the future.
I couldn't put this down!
At first, I assumed all three short stories would seem rather repetitive, but that was mos definitely not the case. Each was compelling in its own way despite having some similarities.
I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and hope to read more from the author in the future.
December 29, 2024
What I liked about his book was that it was three short stories that all incorporated the same small town. And some of the stories gently intertwined with the odd character from another story making a brief appearance, though each story stands on its own. I thought that was a unique twist to the short-story genre.
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October 15, 2025Three interconnected novellas about a town that draws people to it so they may find healing through the connection with new friends or lovers. Generally the stories were sweet, but in many ways didn't contain enough meat to fill a novella and would probably have succeeded more if they were shorter stories.
March 16, 2022
I really wanted to like these three stories, but they were just mediocre and the characters were not really fleshed out. I liked the practical magic type atmosphere of the town. The last story was the most interesting.
February 5, 2022
Roadside Assistance - 4*
The Scavenger Hunt - 4*
Hope Echoes - 3.5*
The Scavenger Hunt - 4*
Hope Echoes - 3.5*
March 31, 2022
Three charming stories about three travelers, all needing something, and a town that nudges them...
June 5, 2022
Interesting "variation" on the same theme! Hopewell is the center of 3 great stories. Would like to visit Hopewell myself! Particularly loved 'Nathan Burgoine's version: Hope Echoes.
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