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Brown Boy Nowhere
Welcome to Nowhere, kid. Life starts here.
What’s the problem? Sixteen-year-old Filipino American Angelo Rivera will tell you flat out. Life sucks. He’s been uprooted from his San Diego home to a boring landlocked town in the middle of nowhere. Behind him, ocean waves, his girlfriend, and the biggest skateboarding competition on the California coast. Ahead, flipping burgers at his parents’ new diner and, as the only Asian in his all-white school, being trolled as “brown boy” by small-minded, thick-necked jocks.
Resigned to being an outcast, Angelo isn’t alone. Kirsten, a crushable ex-cheerleader and graffiti artist, and Larry, a self-proclaimed invisible band geek, recognize a fellow outsider. Soon enough, Angelo finds himself the leader of their group of misfits. They may be low on the high school food chain, but they’re determined to hold their own.
Between shifts at the diner, dodging bullies, and wishing for home, Angelo discovers this might not be nowhere after all. Sharing it can turn it into somewhere in a heartbeat.
What’s the problem? Sixteen-year-old Filipino American Angelo Rivera will tell you flat out. Life sucks. He’s been uprooted from his San Diego home to a boring landlocked town in the middle of nowhere. Behind him, ocean waves, his girlfriend, and the biggest skateboarding competition on the California coast. Ahead, flipping burgers at his parents’ new diner and, as the only Asian in his all-white school, being trolled as “brown boy” by small-minded, thick-necked jocks.
Resigned to being an outcast, Angelo isn’t alone. Kirsten, a crushable ex-cheerleader and graffiti artist, and Larry, a self-proclaimed invisible band geek, recognize a fellow outsider. Soon enough, Angelo finds himself the leader of their group of misfits. They may be low on the high school food chain, but they’re determined to hold their own.
Between shifts at the diner, dodging bullies, and wishing for home, Angelo discovers this might not be nowhere after all. Sharing it can turn it into somewhere in a heartbeat.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2021
418 people are currently reading
2737 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 112 reviews
July 7, 2021
DNF - I made it almost 200 pages through this story, but the dialogue was too painful for me to continue. Also, the characters were gross stereotypes, the plot was slow and dull, and I found myself putting the book aside because I was bored.
July 17, 2021
I wanted to like it (how many YA novels about Filipino American kids are out there?) but couldn’t make it too far in. The dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy and the characters seemed really one-dimensional.
August 23, 2021
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Julia B
As a Filipino-American myself, reading Brown Boy Nowhere was a relatable and eye-opening experience. It was an emotional read and addressed so many important topics that we as humans face today. Angelo is a character who embodies not just Filipino-Americans, but all other Asian Americans as well. Racism was an ongoing theme throughout this book. The bullies, of course, were nonetheless high school jocks who were the big boys on campus who are willing to do anything to grab the attention of anyone, even if it means destroying the new guy in town. Hearing the term, “Brown Boy” was both strong and quite triggering at the same. This term alone was relatable to me since Filipinos are often recognised for their darker skin tones, but triggering because of its outstanding racial prevalence.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
As a Filipino-American myself, reading Brown Boy Nowhere was a relatable and eye-opening experience. It was an emotional read and addressed so many important topics that we as humans face today. Angelo is a character who embodies not just Filipino-Americans, but all other Asian Americans as well. Racism was an ongoing theme throughout this book. The bullies, of course, were nonetheless high school jocks who were the big boys on campus who are willing to do anything to grab the attention of anyone, even if it means destroying the new guy in town. Hearing the term, “Brown Boy” was both strong and quite triggering at the same. This term alone was relatable to me since Filipinos are often recognised for their darker skin tones, but triggering because of its outstanding racial prevalence.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
July 25, 2021
Sixteen year old Angelo Rivera had a great life in San Diego. He had good friends, a pretty girlfriend, and was planning to enter a skateboarding competition in the fall. But none of that matters now because his parents' Filipino restaurant went under and they've decided to move to the middle-of-nowhere, Texas to start again. And being the only Filipino kid in a school of white kids isn't easy, especially when no one else skates.
Okay, so the plot is nothing new or novel - it's your basic fish out of water with a racism twist thrown in. Still, it was a fun read and I really liked the ending - a good ending can make up for a lot of writing sins as far as I'm concerned - and the ending wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be (well, in general, yes, but not specifically). As for the writing, it could have used a little more work. A lot of the white characters are very stereotypical and flat - they're "racist" even when they think they aren't. (It's still a good message, however.) The dialog sometimes sounded a bit off considering this is YA. The author also uses the same phrases repeatedly throughout the book. I started highlighting every time someone 'bit the inside of their cheek' and almost did the same for every time it said something like 'if they think that, they've got another thing coming.' I know a lot of people say "another thing coming" but I always thought it was supposed to be "another think coming." "Thing" makes no sense, whereas saying "if you think [that], you've got another think coming" makes more sense - to me, anyway. Aren't editors supposed to catch things like that? Anyway, I digress... like I said, a good ending makes up for a lot as far as I'm concerned, and I liked the ending. I read a book like this to be entertained, after all, and I certainly thought it was entertaining (I read about the last 3/4 of it all in one day).
Okay, so the plot is nothing new or novel - it's your basic fish out of water with a racism twist thrown in. Still, it was a fun read and I really liked the ending - a good ending can make up for a lot of writing sins as far as I'm concerned - and the ending wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be (well, in general, yes, but not specifically). As for the writing, it could have used a little more work. A lot of the white characters are very stereotypical and flat - they're "racist" even when they think they aren't. (It's still a good message, however.) The dialog sometimes sounded a bit off considering this is YA. The author also uses the same phrases repeatedly throughout the book. I started highlighting every time someone 'bit the inside of their cheek' and almost did the same for every time it said something like 'if they think that, they've got another thing coming.' I know a lot of people say "another thing coming" but I always thought it was supposed to be "another think coming." "Thing" makes no sense, whereas saying "if you think [that], you've got another think coming" makes more sense - to me, anyway. Aren't editors supposed to catch things like that? Anyway, I digress... like I said, a good ending makes up for a lot as far as I'm concerned, and I liked the ending. I read a book like this to be entertained, after all, and I certainly thought it was entertaining (I read about the last 3/4 of it all in one day).
Want to read
June 24, 2021I get Johnny Tsunami vibes from this story description. I can't wait to read it!
August 6, 2021
This was quite possibly the worst book I’ve ever forced myself to finish reading. Based on the title and that the author is Filipina-American, I was hoping this novel was going to explore teens navigating through overt racism and/or micro aggressions. What I got instead was cringe-worthy, boomer-trying-to-talk-like-a-zoomer dialogue, wrapped up in a ‘Footloose’-meets-‘90s teen sport movie’ nothing of a story. The jock/bullies called the protagonist “brown boy” a couple of times, then…nothing! Just moved on. Even the skateboarding stuff comes across as someone who knows absolutely nothing about skateboarding, and just googled “skateboarding tricks” and clunkily stuck a new skateboard word anywhere they could. And, I’m nitpicking now, but the names of some of the characters and places were so stupid. The town is named Ocean Pointe, even though it’s in the middle of nowhere—har har, so fUnNy! The teenaged friend’s name is Larry—he goes by a name no teenager anywhere goes by because he’s such a socially inept NERD! GeT iT?! Har har! …Ugh!
It felt like I was reading a story written by a middle school child. If I could give it negative stars for wasting my time, I would!
It felt like I was reading a story written by a middle school child. If I could give it negative stars for wasting my time, I would!
August 6, 2021
I loved this book! I love reading about skating (even though i don’t skate) and found family, and this book had both. with the main character being Filipino American, it dealt a lot with the topic of racism and micro aggressions. i also loved all the characters and how they were all very different from each other but still found friendship with each other
July 20, 2021
Great concept, but the clunky dialogue, lack of description, and undeveloped characters were too much to overcome. The main character will give in to bullies in one scene and lecture someone else in the next scene for the same choice.
July 16, 2021
Stiff and dull dialogue made me give up halfway through as the characters can’t seem to decide if they speak like real teenagers or adults writing an after-school special featuring teenagers
July 27, 2021
3.5/5.0 - Cute and predictable
This was a well written novel and followed a predictable arc with mostly stereotypical characters. Even still, it was an good read with great depictions of Asian family culture. The best part of this book was how it tackled the diversity and racism aspects, more in a teaching style than a blaming style, excellent read for the middle school bunch to expose them to these concepts.
This was a well written novel and followed a predictable arc with mostly stereotypical characters. Even still, it was an good read with great depictions of Asian family culture. The best part of this book was how it tackled the diversity and racism aspects, more in a teaching style than a blaming style, excellent read for the middle school bunch to expose them to these concepts.
July 24, 2021
I really liked how the main character addressed issues with the people in his life (whether friends or bullies) such as casual racism, treating women right, and expressing feelings. That was really refreshing to read in a YA book.
What didn’t work for me is how paint-by-numbers the plot was. I predicted EVERYTHING that happened. If you have read literally any YA book, you will be able to as well. The characters are also pretty flat and don’t really experience any growth throughout the story.
In the end, I can only give this one 3⭐️.
What didn’t work for me is how paint-by-numbers the plot was. I predicted EVERYTHING that happened. If you have read literally any YA book, you will be able to as well. The characters are also pretty flat and don’t really experience any growth throughout the story.
In the end, I can only give this one 3⭐️.
May 26, 2022
To be honest, first time i flipped through the pages, the story made me bored a bit. I could feel that the plot was going slowly. But luckily eureka, my mood was going back soon when the main character Angelo stood up after being bullied by his new schoolmates and breaking up from his girlfriend.
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Bullying, racism, the loners, new schoolmates, self-proving are the premises of the story generally i found in many books i've read so far. Predictable-ending of LDR love. But kind of what an interesting thing in this book that made me cozy to finish it was about skateboarding. I was so excited of the high enthusiasm of the loners practising skateboarding and their planning to hold their own major competition. And don't forget how Angelo sacrificed his will to San Diego for the safety of his family's business and the integrity of his own family.
Trigger Warning : Bullying, Racism, Physical Hurt
Instagram : @edirbooks
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Bullying, racism, the loners, new schoolmates, self-proving are the premises of the story generally i found in many books i've read so far. Predictable-ending of LDR love. But kind of what an interesting thing in this book that made me cozy to finish it was about skateboarding. I was so excited of the high enthusiasm of the loners practising skateboarding and their planning to hold their own major competition. And don't forget how Angelo sacrificed his will to San Diego for the safety of his family's business and the integrity of his own family.
Trigger Warning : Bullying, Racism, Physical Hurt
Instagram : @edirbooks
August 17, 2021
Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
I'm all for the representation and thought it kind of fun to read about someone with cultural similarities, but it was a bit... stereotyped? The way characters acted seemed a bit cartoonish and cheesy, and it gave me anime vibes, but not in a good way.
I felt like the characterization was accurate, especially culturally, but I still had trouble liking the protagonist. Also, a lot of plot points are brought up but aren't actually addressed.
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book or its ending (especially the ending), but I felt that it could have been more than what it was. It wasn't a bad read, just one that I have been consistently unsure about
I'm all for the representation and thought it kind of fun to read about someone with cultural similarities, but it was a bit... stereotyped? The way characters acted seemed a bit cartoonish and cheesy, and it gave me anime vibes, but not in a good way.
I felt like the characterization was accurate, especially culturally, but I still had trouble liking the protagonist. Also, a lot of plot points are brought up but aren't actually addressed.
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book or its ending (especially the ending), but I felt that it could have been more than what it was. It wasn't a bad read, just one that I have been consistently unsure about
November 5, 2021
2.0
TITA SHEERYL WHY
I don’t know how I feel about this. I liked it for the representation but I was definitely not the target audience for it. I picked this up to support a Filipino author and was slightly disappointed 😞
Angelo is just annoying but then again he is 16 (or 17?) so I can’t fault him for that. But idk, he lets people walk all over him and he doesn’t have the best taste in girls (Kirsten was just that classic white girlfriend of an Asian man and she really took too much control over Angelo which I found a little weird, you know what I mean?). Despite that, he’s a good friend and a good guy deep down, I just wish he had better options 😂
Solid story. I would have definitely loved this if I was a teen, it was something I would have loved, but as an adult all I want to do is scold the characters.
TITA SHEERYL WHY
I don’t know how I feel about this. I liked it for the representation but I was definitely not the target audience for it. I picked this up to support a Filipino author and was slightly disappointed 😞
Angelo is just annoying but then again he is 16 (or 17?) so I can’t fault him for that. But idk, he lets people walk all over him and he doesn’t have the best taste in girls (Kirsten was just that classic white girlfriend of an Asian man and she really took too much control over Angelo which I found a little weird, you know what I mean?). Despite that, he’s a good friend and a good guy deep down, I just wish he had better options 😂
Solid story. I would have definitely loved this if I was a teen, it was something I would have loved, but as an adult all I want to do is scold the characters.
July 26, 2021
Thanks Goodreads for my free copy!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I honestly couldn’t put it down and read half of it at 1am. I love a good story about the “losers” forming their own group and finally feeling like they belong, and that is just what this book is. I loved the pining between Angelo and Kirsten, and I think I smiled through the entire beach scene.
My few issues that kept me from giving it 5 stars:
1. I hated the epilogue. It felt like the end of a Disney movie where the narrator cheesily wraps up the last few months of their life. Angelo was talking directly to us and it was just weird.
2. The whole book seemed to perpetuate the idea that marginalized people are responsible for teaching about racism. Angelo literally said he was going to keep teaching Grayson over and over why the things he said/did were racist. I would hate for a young person to read that and think that they are solely responsible for educating white people.
3. Amanda was unnecessarily mean? I don’t understand the “FU Loser!” text and why Angelo didn’t dump ALL of his California friends after she talked to him that way.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I honestly couldn’t put it down and read half of it at 1am. I love a good story about the “losers” forming their own group and finally feeling like they belong, and that is just what this book is. I loved the pining between Angelo and Kirsten, and I think I smiled through the entire beach scene.
My few issues that kept me from giving it 5 stars:
1. I hated the epilogue. It felt like the end of a Disney movie where the narrator cheesily wraps up the last few months of their life. Angelo was talking directly to us and it was just weird.
2. The whole book seemed to perpetuate the idea that marginalized people are responsible for teaching about racism. Angelo literally said he was going to keep teaching Grayson over and over why the things he said/did were racist. I would hate for a young person to read that and think that they are solely responsible for educating white people.
3. Amanda was unnecessarily mean? I don’t understand the “FU Loser!” text and why Angelo didn’t dump ALL of his California friends after she talked to him that way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2022
This is a cute YA story. I feel like there aren't many YA books about BIPOC young men so it was refreshing. If you enjoy stories about skateboarding, finding your way in a new place after moving, and seeing teens balance their interests, their family commitments, and school, you'll enjoy this. A bit repetitive at times, but ultimately worth the read.
July 9, 2021
This story embraces a lot of the issues we are faced with daily. It was done in a way that was engaging and entertaining. We’re all nobodies in one way or another.
Read
July 20, 2025this was way too cringe and forced for me im so sorry i really tried to stick it out :(
July 21, 2021
Not the greatest writing but the story was good. It addressed racism but not an in your face way.
It also addressed social groups within the HS and bullying. BUT it was done as a story not an in your face. I had a problem with the language. It is not pertinent to the story.
It also addressed social groups within the HS and bullying. BUT it was done as a story not an in your face. I had a problem with the language. It is not pertinent to the story.
July 27, 2021
Cute. I wanted to like it more, but the dialogue was kind of weird/unrealistic and so was the pacing.
June 21, 2021
I LOVED this book! It made me cry. It's fun and engaging, yet serious and so important. Amazing! I highly recommend!
August 5, 2021
Nobody talks like the dialogue in this book...
July 25, 2021
Excellent fish out of water story for YA
Adults can learn from it as well.
Angelo has lived in San Diego all of his life, skateboarding, surfing, helping out a bit here and there with the family restaurant, visiting aunts and uncles, friends of all ethnicities all around him. Sam Diego has become a tourist trap, but it hasn't benefitted the family restaurant.
So Angelo finds himself in a farm town, 3 hours away from the shore, where his oarents have decided to move and take over a fast food restaurant in a gas station. Their forst visitor as they're setting up is a woman who owns a consignm3nt shop and basically says they'll never succeed because of the diner on Main St. that serves burgers, fries, and more. The 2nd visitior is a teen Angelo's age asking for water. Angelo spends his days training for burger flipping & fries frying, and his oay is being saved up for an event, a Thanksgiving skatebiard competition. He has a girlfroend who just passes him off to another friend or spends a little time on generalities and hangs up. Slowly she stops texting (until much later, when it causes massive problems for Angelo). Of course, they break up.
There is one black girl and him, the only 2 POC in the school. The town and school are football crazy and the football players can, it seems, do no wrong.
Ober time, he makes 2 friends, both of whom ask him to teach them to skateboard. He teaches them, and at one point, Larry, the skinny tuba player, stands up to back Angelo up as he describes to the head football "god" about racism and what a hate crime is, how much trouble it can get him into...the player says there's no one whoddare wotness against him...but Larry recorded the whole thing, and when the other bullies try to take it away, Larry tells them he has a copy in the cloud, so stealing the phone would do no good. They attract 3 more to the group, and try to teach them skating, try to have a skating contest, but things go wrong. Then the restaurant is vandalized badly. Eventually, the perp, the head football "god" confesses to what everyone knew but couldn't prove...his guilt.
The ending is happy, the action is good, and it shows racism and how it affects the 2 POCs in the school. It explains why saying you don't see color is bad (something no one has ever explained to me before), and more. Any adult or child can.lear from this...BUT THERE IS SOME VERY ROUGH LANGUAGE IN PLACES, so I'd say let okder teens on up read it for themselves if they like, but if you have a family reading time, be aware you'll lokely have to tpne those words down for younger kids.
Adults can learn from it as well.
Angelo has lived in San Diego all of his life, skateboarding, surfing, helping out a bit here and there with the family restaurant, visiting aunts and uncles, friends of all ethnicities all around him. Sam Diego has become a tourist trap, but it hasn't benefitted the family restaurant.
So Angelo finds himself in a farm town, 3 hours away from the shore, where his oarents have decided to move and take over a fast food restaurant in a gas station. Their forst visitor as they're setting up is a woman who owns a consignm3nt shop and basically says they'll never succeed because of the diner on Main St. that serves burgers, fries, and more. The 2nd visitior is a teen Angelo's age asking for water. Angelo spends his days training for burger flipping & fries frying, and his oay is being saved up for an event, a Thanksgiving skatebiard competition. He has a girlfroend who just passes him off to another friend or spends a little time on generalities and hangs up. Slowly she stops texting (until much later, when it causes massive problems for Angelo). Of course, they break up.
There is one black girl and him, the only 2 POC in the school. The town and school are football crazy and the football players can, it seems, do no wrong.
Ober time, he makes 2 friends, both of whom ask him to teach them to skateboard. He teaches them, and at one point, Larry, the skinny tuba player, stands up to back Angelo up as he describes to the head football "god" about racism and what a hate crime is, how much trouble it can get him into...the player says there's no one whoddare wotness against him...but Larry recorded the whole thing, and when the other bullies try to take it away, Larry tells them he has a copy in the cloud, so stealing the phone would do no good. They attract 3 more to the group, and try to teach them skating, try to have a skating contest, but things go wrong. Then the restaurant is vandalized badly. Eventually, the perp, the head football "god" confesses to what everyone knew but couldn't prove...his guilt.
The ending is happy, the action is good, and it shows racism and how it affects the 2 POCs in the school. It explains why saying you don't see color is bad (something no one has ever explained to me before), and more. Any adult or child can.lear from this...BUT THERE IS SOME VERY ROUGH LANGUAGE IN PLACES, so I'd say let okder teens on up read it for themselves if they like, but if you have a family reading time, be aware you'll lokely have to tpne those words down for younger kids.
September 7, 2021
from a brown girl
I think this book is definitely for teens but with a unusual twist by combining culture and understanding micro aggressions.
I think I mostly kept reading bc I live in San Diego very near Mira Mesa (aka Manila Mesa!). My BFF is Filipino with immigrant parents. I was familiar with nearly ALL REFERENCES of San Diego as well as the words in Tagalog and the cultural family values common in Asian families.
I’m half block and half Asian (Thai) and my dad immigrated to the US. My mom is from the Deep South! I pretty much grew up here jn San Diego, however I been to the Deep South and that was quite a learning experience!
I enjoy that this book had multiple layers and stories intertwined… moving to a new town that’s not used to outsiders let alone people of color, moving from a very diverse and inclusive area, love loss, love made, gossiping, creativity, adjusting, bringing in new ideas and so on.
The only reason that I gave it 4/5 stars is because I believe that if you aren’t from San Diego or been here at the very least, plus not familiar with Tagalog, it will be a lot more difficult to relate.
Not a lot of Tagalog is in the book but mostly pet and terms of endearment. They primarily aren’t explained and although you can piece together the context, it’s definitely different and unique.
I really love that the book has this name and themes regarding culture, race and ethnicity. How Many books do that? Not enough!!! Just like media, most books focus on the white experience. Or if ethnic minorities are involved, it’s based on negative associations like slavery, refuges, immigration and other common hardships. This book was a great balance of bringing attention to racism more specifically, micro aggressions but also full of normalized behaviors and activities without emphasis on race but more like emphasis on people.
I’m glad that I bumped into this book although I didn’t realize it was more of a adolescent book! Adolescent literature Is often great but it best to be in the mood for it!!
I think this book is definitely for teens but with a unusual twist by combining culture and understanding micro aggressions.
I think I mostly kept reading bc I live in San Diego very near Mira Mesa (aka Manila Mesa!). My BFF is Filipino with immigrant parents. I was familiar with nearly ALL REFERENCES of San Diego as well as the words in Tagalog and the cultural family values common in Asian families.
I’m half block and half Asian (Thai) and my dad immigrated to the US. My mom is from the Deep South! I pretty much grew up here jn San Diego, however I been to the Deep South and that was quite a learning experience!
I enjoy that this book had multiple layers and stories intertwined… moving to a new town that’s not used to outsiders let alone people of color, moving from a very diverse and inclusive area, love loss, love made, gossiping, creativity, adjusting, bringing in new ideas and so on.
The only reason that I gave it 4/5 stars is because I believe that if you aren’t from San Diego or been here at the very least, plus not familiar with Tagalog, it will be a lot more difficult to relate.
Not a lot of Tagalog is in the book but mostly pet and terms of endearment. They primarily aren’t explained and although you can piece together the context, it’s definitely different and unique.
I really love that the book has this name and themes regarding culture, race and ethnicity. How Many books do that? Not enough!!! Just like media, most books focus on the white experience. Or if ethnic minorities are involved, it’s based on negative associations like slavery, refuges, immigration and other common hardships. This book was a great balance of bringing attention to racism more specifically, micro aggressions but also full of normalized behaviors and activities without emphasis on race but more like emphasis on people.
I’m glad that I bumped into this book although I didn’t realize it was more of a adolescent book! Adolescent literature Is often great but it best to be in the mood for it!!
May 18, 2025
2.5 stars on the blog.
About forty percent of this book was over the top eye-rolling corn with immature elementary school level humor. Another twenty percent was repetitive content to the point of boredom. And then there was the cheesy romance. Really cheesy romance. Cheesy even for YA. There is only so long one can keep reading about how they trailed their lips over each other's necks and faces in the same pattern. Ha! It's too bad because the diversity messages in the story were engaging, but not enough time and focus were spent on them.
The book was about thirty percent too long. By seventy percent I felt it should have been wrapping up and I started dreading picking the book back up to finish it. And yes, I am going to say it again... the story could have been wonderful with the help of a good editor because it had good bones.
The characters weren't fleshed out enough. The secondary characters were more like flat characters. I really didn't feel much of anything about any of them, not even the main character. There was zero Filipino culture woven into the story and that was a shame. It was a lost opportunity to make the story more interesting.
Another concern of mine is the reading level was definitely MG, and with the cover art I can see that age group (7/8-12/13) picking up this book. It has a lot of obscenities in it and steamy sexual attraction and make-out scenes.
And just a side thought... what happened to that unwritten guideline among Young Adult authors about capping off using the eff-word at three times?
About forty percent of this book was over the top eye-rolling corn with immature elementary school level humor. Another twenty percent was repetitive content to the point of boredom. And then there was the cheesy romance. Really cheesy romance. Cheesy even for YA. There is only so long one can keep reading about how they trailed their lips over each other's necks and faces in the same pattern. Ha! It's too bad because the diversity messages in the story were engaging, but not enough time and focus were spent on them.
The book was about thirty percent too long. By seventy percent I felt it should have been wrapping up and I started dreading picking the book back up to finish it. And yes, I am going to say it again... the story could have been wonderful with the help of a good editor because it had good bones.
The characters weren't fleshed out enough. The secondary characters were more like flat characters. I really didn't feel much of anything about any of them, not even the main character. There was zero Filipino culture woven into the story and that was a shame. It was a lost opportunity to make the story more interesting.
Another concern of mine is the reading level was definitely MG, and with the cover art I can see that age group (7/8-12/13) picking up this book. It has a lot of obscenities in it and steamy sexual attraction and make-out scenes.
And just a side thought... what happened to that unwritten guideline among Young Adult authors about capping off using the eff-word at three times?
February 21, 2025
Angelo's parents move the three of them from San Diego to a place in the middle of the country just before Angelo's junior year of high school. He leaves his friends, girlfriend (yeah, we all know where that relationship is going), other family members, and a place for skating.
Being Filipino, he's targeted for his skin color (by bullies and by people who become friends), his parents' burger joint (a very weak reason to move) suffers because people in the town down't like new things, and his new friend Kirsten causes him to get into trouble (accidentally, but then she doesn't accept his desires to not break his parents' rule later so IDK how I feel about her even by the end).
I don't like how all the parents are. The Biggest Bully's (Kirsten's ex) father is the sheriff and is vindictive when making his son happy, Kirsten's father is the real estate agent and his dominating in controlling her future, and Angelo's parents don't listen to his suggestions to potentially get more customers.
I like how Angelo eventually makes friends, brings up macro and micro aggressions with both friends and others, and finds a way to skate again/more.
I don't like how vague things are. The event he and his friends come up with has "pros" but none step in when the cops come. There is mention of "a favorite punk song" but I don't know why it isn't mentioned. Something didn't fully feel right to me about the overall presentation.
Being Filipino, he's targeted for his skin color (by bullies and by people who become friends), his parents' burger joint (a very weak reason to move) suffers because people in the town down't like new things, and his new friend Kirsten causes him to get into trouble (accidentally, but then she doesn't accept his desires to not break his parents' rule later so IDK how I feel about her even by the end).
I don't like how all the parents are. The Biggest Bully's (Kirsten's ex) father is the sheriff and is vindictive when making his son happy, Kirsten's father is the real estate agent and his dominating in controlling her future, and Angelo's parents don't listen to his suggestions to potentially get more customers.
I like how Angelo eventually makes friends, brings up macro and micro aggressions with both friends and others, and finds a way to skate again/more.
I don't like how vague things are. The event he and his friends come up with has "pros" but none step in when the cops come. There is mention of "a favorite punk song" but I don't know why it isn't mentioned. Something didn't fully feel right to me about the overall presentation.
July 8, 2021
Angelo Rivera had just been uprooted by his parents to leave the one home he has always known. What could be worse than leaving his friends, girlfriend, everything in San Diego? Moving to the middle of nowhere. Now Angelo is stuck in the middle of nowhere as the new kid and helping his parents run a diner. Angelo soon realizes his family is no longer in San Diego, and this town does not like change, let alone new comers. Angelo has to save up enough money to get back to San Diego to his life and the biggest skateboarding competition ever. Angelo just has to get through the long days at school and his parents diner, where bullies from his school call him Brown Boy. When he's given the opportunity to leave will Angelo stay in the middle of nowhere or run back to San Diego? Besides Angelo has found friends in the new town that aren't small minded jerks and outsiders just like him.
I love this book! It was great to see the main character Filipino. You get to see what him and his parents go through when they move to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Especially how people treat them at first. I also like how Angelo is into skateboarding. It was nice to see that his new group wanted to be apart of his world, and not follow the norm that football is life. This is a great summer read and coming of age book. I enjoyed this book!
I love this book! It was great to see the main character Filipino. You get to see what him and his parents go through when they move to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Especially how people treat them at first. I also like how Angelo is into skateboarding. It was nice to see that his new group wanted to be apart of his world, and not follow the norm that football is life. This is a great summer read and coming of age book. I enjoyed this book!
January 11, 2023
DNF - I should have payed attention to the bad reviews for this book but I fell for the cover art. I thought, how bad could it be? I should know better by now.
My expectation was a raw authentic story of a young boys experience of moving to a small town, battling racism and coming of age. Instead it feels like race was a general theme included in the story as a total afterthought. Which it saddens me to even write because we need more stories about young people, for young people that speak openly about the issues of race and racism.
I cringed a lot when the author spoke about his girlfriend and honestly that was one of the things that most annoyed me about the writing. Rather than "young love" it was written more like an obsession of sorts. That was odd. Additionally, I am pretty sure the author doesn't remember what it's actually like to be a teenager, and I don't think they've ever visited a small town. Teenagers are extremely intelligent and much more emotionally complex than what is written in these pages. A whole lot of stereotypical "teenage" behavior was included in a cut and paste kind of way. But overall this book is filled with stereotypes.
After several pages I found myself not being able to even root for the main character and I had no interest in following along with his story. I figured it was time to put the book down so I did.
My expectation was a raw authentic story of a young boys experience of moving to a small town, battling racism and coming of age. Instead it feels like race was a general theme included in the story as a total afterthought. Which it saddens me to even write because we need more stories about young people, for young people that speak openly about the issues of race and racism.
I cringed a lot when the author spoke about his girlfriend and honestly that was one of the things that most annoyed me about the writing. Rather than "young love" it was written more like an obsession of sorts. That was odd. Additionally, I am pretty sure the author doesn't remember what it's actually like to be a teenager, and I don't think they've ever visited a small town. Teenagers are extremely intelligent and much more emotionally complex than what is written in these pages. A whole lot of stereotypical "teenage" behavior was included in a cut and paste kind of way. But overall this book is filled with stereotypes.
After several pages I found myself not being able to even root for the main character and I had no interest in following along with his story. I figured it was time to put the book down so I did.
July 23, 2021
Let me start by saying this is not the kind of book I typically read, but someone gave me the book and I enjoyed it! I passed it on to my 13 Y.o. son and he is really enjoying it. The story is very sweet, with a great message about the different kinds of racism: from overt to “institutionalized”. The author does a great job of presenting this group of disgruntled teens in a very realistic light, in terms of their conflicts and issues. The lead character was very kind and mature in his handling of his own difficulties. I was rooting for him and his gang of misfits throughout the story and appreciated how these mature topics on sex and racism were written for kids as young as my son. I’d recommended this to preteens, all the way through high school, and their parents, to spur important conversations. As a 40-something reader I might give it 3 stars (which means ‘good’) for its sweet but rather simple story telling, but I gave it 4 stars, because that’s how my son would rate it, and he is the ideal audience for this story.
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