What do you think?
Rate this book
The Boy Who Steals Houses #2
The Kings of Nowhere
Avery Lou has given up stealing houses — now he’s meant to build them. Forced to stay with the De Lainey family until Sam’s return from juvie, Avery feels like he’s drowning. He hates that Sam chose the De Laineys instead of running away with him. And he hates working in their construction company while Vin, the thief who hurt Sam, still walks free. Avery wants revenge.
Swapping the sharp-edged world of burglary and car theft for the homey chaos of big family life is a wild adjustment, and Avery’s determined to sabotage his time with the De Laineys and get locked up with Sam instead. Avery just has to stay immune to Jeremy’s charming shenanigans. Easy…sort of. But Avery’s war against Vin has brought trouble to the De Lainey door and he can’t survive this fight alone.
Swapping the sharp-edged world of burglary and car theft for the homey chaos of big family life is a wild adjustment, and Avery’s determined to sabotage his time with the De Laineys and get locked up with Sam instead. Avery just has to stay immune to Jeremy’s charming shenanigans. Easy…sort of. But Avery’s war against Vin has brought trouble to the De Lainey door and he can’t survive this fight alone.
400 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2022
About the author
C.G. Drews
14 books28k followersCG Drews is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In, Hazelthorn, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the B&N 2025 YA Book Awards, and are also Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books. Find on Instagram as @paperfury and TikTok as @cgdrews or at cgdrews.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
March 5, 2026
paperfury? more like paperfluffy
oh wait...
HEY I GET YOU'RE ANGRY BUT WHAT DID US POOR READERS DO TO YOU
STOP TORTURING US
i am so unwell.
what did i say in my review of the boy who steals houses? accurate, realistic, and raw representation of the human experience.
primarily i only had time to read this in my english class at school (we still get a bit of free-reading time), and my classmates frequently heard me giggling or exhaling those little breaths of laughter as i witnessed the de lainey siblings' entertaining fights. they probably thought i was reading some funny comedy. then they listened to me wail about how
"THIS AUTHOR IS EVIL!!!!! EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL--"
"freefall what"
"BUT THE AUTHOR IS EVILLLL whYDOTHEYDOTHISTOUS"
anyone will tell you that i'm the epitome of nonchalance. the image of tranquility.
somehow, and almost every other writer i've read doesn't do this, c.g. drews balances so eloquently slices of life with avery's mental health and autism, the messiness of crime, and—miraculously—manages to make the ROMANCE good.
a romance subplot??? being good??? being satisfying??? while being a SLOWBURN???????i swear i use a normal amount of punctuation usually
i am just so impressed with the way the story is well-paced, fleshed out, and bursting with humanity and light.
the characters absolutely destroyed me. it stands out to me how mr. de lainey, the father of the family, is written as a kind, gentle man, but when someone he cares about—avery, despite the amount of times he's tried to hurt the de laineys (for purely selfless reasons), mr. de lainey's willing to throw hands to protect them.
moxie's role in the kings of nowhere is far less major than hers in book one, but she remains our darling. i felt like in this one, her personality was diluted to center the focus on jeremy, jack, and avery. she also seemed to be closer to mr. de lainey than she was in book 1.
there is something so charming about jeremy. the way he cares so tenderly and considerately for avery, and how accepting the whole family is towards his autism. jeremy and everyone else go so far to, as he puts it, "strangle avery in kindness."
i honestly never really felt connected to jack the same way i liked jeremy. this is because jack was a way bigger asshole, did NOT strangle avery in compassion, and was—ew—straight (i say this as a straight person HAHAHA).
it's a real shame, however, through all of this, that dash's character is never really expanded on. the only thing we really know about her is that she's ten years old and obsessed with her elves. compared to how everyone else, even the babies, even grady, are so three-dimensional, it's a shame that dash is so far in the background.
I HATE VIN YOU HOE ASS BITCH I AM GOING TO FINISH WHAT AVERY DIDN'T AND DISMEMBER YOU FIGURATIVELY WITH A FIGURATIVE CROWBAR SINCE MURDER IS ILLEGAL AND I'M A LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN I'M GOING TO FUCKING SIC YOUR PARENTS ON YOU AND BURN YOUR OTHER CARS DOWN YOU'RE A DISGUSTING HORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING AND YOU DON'T DESERVE RED HAIR OR CUTE SHOES DIE DIE DIE HATE IS A STRONG WORD BUT IT'S NOT! STRONG! ENOUGH!
i don't want to elaborate on the v*n-related parts of the plot because her character disgusts me so much. she's a very flat villain with no explanation of her motives, but this is understandable. we do not have all-knowing narrators. i guess through the flashbacks we get a sense of her complex villain tactic or something like that?
i don't even know how to start on the character of avery. if sam is a ball of tangled thread, avery is a mountain of it. so we're gonna skip avery because i'm too devastated over the trauma this sweet summer child has.
i keep meaning to talk about the plot, and it's so character-driven so we're gonna scream more about the characters and how much i love or hate them.
even the minor characters managed to be complex. evans (the social worker) from avery's initial perspective is a cold, uncaring person, but at the end, we realize just how much he cares about avery and sam.
ahh...i miss sam. he wasn't present in the story, but his role in it drove it forward very much.
one last note: i was downloading my pdfs and ebooks from a digital library that i assumed was legal, since it's pretty well-known, but from c.g. drews's patreon, which explains why their books are only on patreon (to prevent pirating and for the author to actually receive income from their works), i doubt oceanofpdf was given license or permission to distribute pdfs of the kings of nowhere or any of drews's books. i did not know i was engaging in pirating and i would like to apologize.
--
all reviews of c.g. drews books
hazelthorn
don't let the forest in
a thousand perfect notes
the boy who steals houses
the kings of nowhere
you did nothing wrong
--
want to read/pre-read:
ripping out my split ends and sobbing i hate vin im gonna eat her
oh wait...
HEY I GET YOU'RE ANGRY BUT WHAT DID US POOR READERS DO TO YOU
STOP TORTURING US
i am so unwell.
what did i say in my review of the boy who steals houses? accurate, realistic, and raw representation of the human experience.
primarily i only had time to read this in my english class at school (we still get a bit of free-reading time), and my classmates frequently heard me giggling or exhaling those little breaths of laughter as i witnessed the de lainey siblings' entertaining fights. they probably thought i was reading some funny comedy. then they listened to me wail about how
"THIS AUTHOR IS EVIL!!!!! EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL--"
"freefall what"
"BUT THE AUTHOR IS EVILLLL whYDOTHEYDOTHISTOUS"
anyone will tell you that i'm the epitome of nonchalance. the image of tranquility.
somehow, and almost every other writer i've read doesn't do this, c.g. drews balances so eloquently slices of life with avery's mental health and autism, the messiness of crime, and—miraculously—manages to make the ROMANCE good.
a romance subplot??? being good??? being satisfying??? while being a SLOWBURN???????
i am just so impressed with the way the story is well-paced, fleshed out, and bursting with humanity and light.
the characters absolutely destroyed me. it stands out to me how mr. de lainey, the father of the family, is written as a kind, gentle man, but when someone he cares about—avery, despite the amount of times he's tried to hurt the de laineys (for purely selfless reasons), mr. de lainey's willing to throw hands to protect them.
moxie's role in the kings of nowhere is far less major than hers in book one, but she remains our darling. i felt like in this one, her personality was diluted to center the focus on jeremy, jack, and avery. she also seemed to be closer to mr. de lainey than she was in book 1.
there is something so charming about jeremy. the way he cares so tenderly and considerately for avery, and how accepting the whole family is towards his autism. jeremy and everyone else go so far to, as he puts it, "strangle avery in kindness."
i honestly never really felt connected to jack the same way i liked jeremy. this is because jack was a way bigger asshole, did NOT strangle avery in compassion, and was—ew—straight (i say this as a straight person HAHAHA).
it's a real shame, however, through all of this, that dash's character is never really expanded on. the only thing we really know about her is that she's ten years old and obsessed with her elves. compared to how everyone else, even the babies, even grady, are so three-dimensional, it's a shame that dash is so far in the background.
i don't want to elaborate on the v*n-related parts of the plot because her character disgusts me so much. she's a very flat villain with no explanation of her motives, but this is understandable. we do not have all-knowing narrators. i guess through the flashbacks we get a sense of her complex villain tactic or something like that?
i don't even know how to start on the character of avery. if sam is a ball of tangled thread, avery is a mountain of it. so we're gonna skip avery because i'm too devastated over the trauma this sweet summer child has.
i keep meaning to talk about the plot, and it's so character-driven so we're gonna scream more about the characters and how much i love or hate them.
even the minor characters managed to be complex. evans (the social worker) from avery's initial perspective is a cold, uncaring person, but at the end, we realize just how much he cares about avery and sam.
ahh...i miss sam. he wasn't present in the story, but his role in it drove it forward very much.
one last note: i was downloading my pdfs and ebooks from a digital library that i assumed was legal, since it's pretty well-known, but from c.g. drews's patreon, which explains why their books are only on patreon (to prevent pirating and for the author to actually receive income from their works), i doubt oceanofpdf was given license or permission to distribute pdfs of the kings of nowhere or any of drews's books. i did not know i was engaging in pirating and i would like to apologize.
--
all reviews of c.g. drews books
hazelthorn
don't let the forest in
a thousand perfect notes
the boy who steals houses
the kings of nowhere
you did nothing wrong
--
want to read/pre-read:
ripping out my split ends and sobbing i hate vin im gonna eat her
Want to Read
January 9, 2022Before I start this new sequel, I promise I’ll read TBWSH again! 😌
Read The Kings of Nowhere on the author's patreon! I highly recommend checking out their other books, too.
Read The Kings of Nowhere on the author's patreon! I highly recommend checking out their other books, too.
April 8, 2022
Incredibly emotional, as always, and a wild ride.
*please note that books from the general market may contain content I don't necessarily recommend or endorse for my readership. Feel free to message me if you have any questions regarding a book on my shelves!
*please note that books from the general market may contain content I don't necessarily recommend or endorse for my readership. Feel free to message me if you have any questions regarding a book on my shelves!
March 3, 2023
“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.”
This book deserves all the stars!!
How do I even begin to describe what this book made me feel - I was broken, put back together, broken again and hugged. C.G. Drews not only wrote a story that's THE PERFECT example of found family, but the characters are my heart!! I want more of them, I want a daily dose of De Laineys. The Kings of Nowhere is the sequel to The Boy Who Steals Houses and is exclusively available on the author's Patreon. Please do subscribe as the author has shared short stories about the characters. These stories are the gems in the crown that is The Kings of Nowhere. Be sure to read The Boy Who Steals Houses first, in order to get to know these characters fully.
"𝙷𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚍, 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚖, 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜."
The writing is absolutely beautiful, the characters are loveable and the story is memorable. The way people feel about Heartstopper is the way I feel about these characters. I'm looking forward to the third and final book in the series, I don't think I'll ever be ready to say goodbye to Sam and Avery. I don't want to go into detail about this book to avoid spoilers, but this is Avery's story. Sam is currently in juvie and we get to see how Avery handles the De Laineys and how they take his broken pieces and fit them together with theirs.
"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸'𝚖 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞."
I'm forever grateful to the author for writing this story, I have never come across two brothers I love more. With all the different emotions, the heartbreaking and happy moments, this is a story that you won't forget. I highly recommend reading this!
*Be sure to check the TW.
Endless thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book deserves all the stars!!
How do I even begin to describe what this book made me feel - I was broken, put back together, broken again and hugged. C.G. Drews not only wrote a story that's THE PERFECT example of found family, but the characters are my heart!! I want more of them, I want a daily dose of De Laineys. The Kings of Nowhere is the sequel to The Boy Who Steals Houses and is exclusively available on the author's Patreon. Please do subscribe as the author has shared short stories about the characters. These stories are the gems in the crown that is The Kings of Nowhere. Be sure to read The Boy Who Steals Houses first, in order to get to know these characters fully.
"𝙷𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚍, 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚖, 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜."
The writing is absolutely beautiful, the characters are loveable and the story is memorable. The way people feel about Heartstopper is the way I feel about these characters. I'm looking forward to the third and final book in the series, I don't think I'll ever be ready to say goodbye to Sam and Avery. I don't want to go into detail about this book to avoid spoilers, but this is Avery's story. Sam is currently in juvie and we get to see how Avery handles the De Laineys and how they take his broken pieces and fit them together with theirs.
"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸'𝚖 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞."
I'm forever grateful to the author for writing this story, I have never come across two brothers I love more. With all the different emotions, the heartbreaking and happy moments, this is a story that you won't forget. I highly recommend reading this!
*Be sure to check the TW.
Endless thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Want to Read
April 4, 2022UM...HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS?
I am eagerly waiting for this novel to be published because I don't have the Patreon subscription or whatever but asafslkjaslf
I am eagerly waiting for this novel to be published because I don't have the Patreon subscription or whatever but asafslkjaslf
August 7, 2023
All the stars in the fucking galaxy wouldn't even begin to be enough. The universe is supposedly still expanding (what into? Who knows, but the official lore of the universe says that it is and who am I to question that), yet no matter how much it does so, it'll never have enough celestial bodies in it to give this masterpiece a proper rating.
"The Kings of Nowhere" picks up right where "The Boy Who Steals Houses" left off, but from a different perspective; Avery Lou's, Sammy's brother who finds himself without his tether and living with the family Sam has come to love as his own. As he tries to navigate living with a found family that's Sam's, not his, without his brother, Avery starts realising that maybe, perhaps, there's room for him too in other people's hearts.
So. As I was saying. Not enough celestial bodies. This book grabs your heart and jumps back and forth between beating it up in a dirty alley wearing rings on all its fingers, and cuddling on the couch with a pint of ice cream while watching the fire. One of the things about C.G. Drews' writing that fascinates me the most is the way she makes writing look easy. She grabs a stream of emotion and weaves into a neat little paragraph, and even when it's broken and messy, you just know that it's supposed to be there and look like that and give you these exact feelings in this exact way, and honestly I don't even know how to describe how brutally underrated her work is. Her prose is raw, brutal, unapologetic, and yet sweet and smooth, and by god, it's a literal crime that some people out there haven't read her books yet.
One of the main focuses in this book is Avery's experience as an autistic boy that's been in and out of trouble with the system during most of his life. The book does not flinch as it depicts the many ways in which ableism hurts autistic people, although you might as you try to keep your lunch down, and it does not apologise either. Just like the Lou brothers, this story hasn't been made to bury its head in the sand. Instead it's a brutally honest, raw, and heartfelt outcry at the system, at a neurotypical-oriented society that hurts people who are different every single day with a thousand papercuts.
Another one is Jeremy De Lainey's struggle with anxiety (and, in my humble opinion, with undiagnosed ADHD, like. I know my people when I see them) and the unprocessed grief over the loss of his mother. No matter how much he tries to be everyone else's silver lining, Jeremy hasn't been okay for a while now, and this depiction of anxiety was so genuine and well done that I can't believe that Jeremy is a fictional character. The subtle ways in which anxiety creeps in and poisons Jeremy's life in a seemingly capricious way will give you the shivers, and his silent battle against it will leave you in tears. Because Jeremy is far from the first person who tries to spare everyone the pain of his anxiety, and he's far from the last person who will try.
I just can't ever hope to convey how much these books, and this second one in particular, mean to me, how close they are to my heart, how they make me want to go get them tattooed all over my skin and my soul so that everyone knows how much they mean to me and how they're a part of my soul forever.
Go read these books.
***
Rep: ADHD (potentially, not canon or explicitly stated), autism (diagnosed and undiagnosed both), anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, stuttering and non-verbal episodes
TWs:
"The Kings of Nowhere" picks up right where "The Boy Who Steals Houses" left off, but from a different perspective; Avery Lou's, Sammy's brother who finds himself without his tether and living with the family Sam has come to love as his own. As he tries to navigate living with a found family that's Sam's, not his, without his brother, Avery starts realising that maybe, perhaps, there's room for him too in other people's hearts.
So. As I was saying. Not enough celestial bodies. This book grabs your heart and jumps back and forth between beating it up in a dirty alley wearing rings on all its fingers, and cuddling on the couch with a pint of ice cream while watching the fire. One of the things about C.G. Drews' writing that fascinates me the most is the way she makes writing look easy. She grabs a stream of emotion and weaves into a neat little paragraph, and even when it's broken and messy, you just know that it's supposed to be there and look like that and give you these exact feelings in this exact way, and honestly I don't even know how to describe how brutally underrated her work is. Her prose is raw, brutal, unapologetic, and yet sweet and smooth, and by god, it's a literal crime that some people out there haven't read her books yet.
One of the main focuses in this book is Avery's experience as an autistic boy that's been in and out of trouble with the system during most of his life. The book does not flinch as it depicts the many ways in which ableism hurts autistic people, although you might as you try to keep your lunch down, and it does not apologise either. Just like the Lou brothers, this story hasn't been made to bury its head in the sand. Instead it's a brutally honest, raw, and heartfelt outcry at the system, at a neurotypical-oriented society that hurts people who are different every single day with a thousand papercuts.
Another one is Jeremy De Lainey's struggle with anxiety (and, in my humble opinion, with undiagnosed ADHD, like. I know my people when I see them) and the unprocessed grief over the loss of his mother. No matter how much he tries to be everyone else's silver lining, Jeremy hasn't been okay for a while now, and this depiction of anxiety was so genuine and well done that I can't believe that Jeremy is a fictional character. The subtle ways in which anxiety creeps in and poisons Jeremy's life in a seemingly capricious way will give you the shivers, and his silent battle against it will leave you in tears. Because Jeremy is far from the first person who tries to spare everyone the pain of his anxiety, and he's far from the last person who will try.
I just can't ever hope to convey how much these books, and this second one in particular, mean to me, how close they are to my heart, how they make me want to go get them tattooed all over my skin and my soul so that everyone knows how much they mean to me and how they're a part of my soul forever.
Go read these books.
***
Rep: ADHD (potentially, not canon or explicitly stated), autism (diagnosed and undiagnosed both), anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, stuttering and non-verbal episodes
TWs:
September 29, 2022
How did I go so long without this achingly beautiful book in my life? Every chapter in this book is a damn masterpiece. I knew I had zero chill for the week by week chapters, but I had intended to binge this the second it was finished. And I did indeed binge it, because once you start this book, you cannot stop reading, it sucks you. Then holds you down for a three count while punching a few ribs behind the ref’s back.
This picks up on Avery’s life, after the end of The Boy Who Steals Houses. Avery’s guardianship has been passed to Mr De Lainey, because in a household of seven children, what’s one more? The delightful chaos that is this house is everything. I could fall in love with them all with a literal fly on the wall book of their breakfast table. Completely mesmerising.
Assuming we’re all here because we read the first book, you know these boys’ dark pasts. And even the happy family has their own tragic backstory as they’ve been struggling since Mrs De Lainey died. So prepare for an emotional wringing, because the hits Did. Not. Stop. Coming.
I don’t know if the serial format it was published in dramatized it more to keep subscribers hooked, or if the other books walloped so much all the time and I didn’t pay as much attention to when it happened, but literally every chapter had something that stirred my emotions. The sweetest of moments, the lowest of lows, the broken-est of broken boys. My little heartstrings were plucked, tugged, and tied into a cargo net. And I would go through it all again in a heartbeat.
This picks up on Avery’s life, after the end of The Boy Who Steals Houses. Avery’s guardianship has been passed to Mr De Lainey, because in a household of seven children, what’s one more? The delightful chaos that is this house is everything. I could fall in love with them all with a literal fly on the wall book of their breakfast table. Completely mesmerising.
Assuming we’re all here because we read the first book, you know these boys’ dark pasts. And even the happy family has their own tragic backstory as they’ve been struggling since Mrs De Lainey died. So prepare for an emotional wringing, because the hits Did. Not. Stop. Coming.
I don’t know if the serial format it was published in dramatized it more to keep subscribers hooked, or if the other books walloped so much all the time and I didn’t pay as much attention to when it happened, but literally every chapter had something that stirred my emotions. The sweetest of moments, the lowest of lows, the broken-est of broken boys. My little heartstrings were plucked, tugged, and tied into a cargo net. And I would go through it all again in a heartbeat.
Want to Read
April 4, 2022IM GOING TO SUBSCRIBE TO HER PATREON OR WHATEVER JUST TO READ THIS WHY DIDN'T SHE PUBLISH IT FOR REAL IM DYINGGGGGGGGGG
ljhsdbglshdbf;iuahs;diubDSGB;SKJDBF;KAJBF;KHB;JHB;Khvfrljhgdgiuwhljgyakghcvlsjhgb;iU'INK/LNhb
ljhsdbglshdbf;iuahs;diubDSGB;SKJDBF;KAJBF;KHB;JHB;Khvfrljhgdgiuwhljgyakghcvlsjhgb;iU'INK/LNhb
January 24, 2023
i have been heartbroken and made whole again. incredible 😭
April 24, 2026
a 6 star read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ , C.G Drews is gonna become my new favorite author.
I thought I loved the first book (which I absolutely do) but this one did a lot o things to me.
I wanna throw hands for how underrated this masterpiece is. it was, frustrating, heartwarming, heartbreaking, sweet, sad, funny and everything.
nothing ground breaking happens but the things that everyone is dealing with feel so much heavier than any fantasy fight or war.
I love every single character and Jeremy and Mr. Reece grew on me so much in this book,
Avery's actions looked selfish for almost every part of this book but I totally get where all of that was coming from and the end.......I was sobbing tears of joy so much
WE ALL MISS YOU SAM
Sam and Avery deserve the world that is the Delainy house 🏡🏡🧈🧈🦋🦋☀️☀️☀️
I thought I loved the first book (which I absolutely do) but this one did a lot o things to me.
I wanna throw hands for how underrated this masterpiece is. it was, frustrating, heartwarming, heartbreaking, sweet, sad, funny and everything.
nothing ground breaking happens but the things that everyone is dealing with feel so much heavier than any fantasy fight or war.
I love every single character and Jeremy and Mr. Reece grew on me so much in this book,
Avery's actions looked selfish for almost every part of this book but I totally get where all of that was coming from and the end.......I was sobbing tears of joy so much
WE ALL MISS YOU SAM
Sam and Avery deserve the world that is the Delainy house 🏡🏡🧈🧈🦋🦋☀️☀️☀️
July 28, 2026
1000/1000 😭🥹
Want to Read
April 4, 2022OH MY FREAKING HEAVENS! WHAT THE HECK THIS IS CHANGING MY LIFE I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!
July 9, 2022
If C.G Drews has one million fans, I am one of them. If C.G Drews has only one fan, then that is me.
This book left me feeling the same exact way when I read The Boy Who Steals Houses: heartache. I’ve never loved an authors writing as much as I love C.G Drews. Her character’s are so, so real. When I first read The Boy Who Steals Houses, I was blow away. The second time I read it? I was left with a sense of understanding. And now, reading The Kings of Nowhere, I’ve come to understand exactly why I understand these two siblings so very well. It’s heartbreaking, it’s gut wrenching, and all you want to do is give the entire family (including Sam) a hug. I would go through hell and back for them, personally. These few years after reading TBWSH, I am happy to have finally gotten Avery’s point of view. An enjoyable read, truly. The autistic representation, among other things, was beautiful. The blanks of Avery pasts and traumas are filled in and bandaged up by the De Lainey’s. We follow Avery’s journey of healing, of self-acceptance, and support. Your heartstrings are pulled every which way and you have to thank C.G Drews for that. It was an overall enjoyable read and I cannot wait until The Kings of Nowhere is published! I will be buying it, for sure.
This book left me feeling the same exact way when I read The Boy Who Steals Houses: heartache. I’ve never loved an authors writing as much as I love C.G Drews. Her character’s are so, so real. When I first read The Boy Who Steals Houses, I was blow away. The second time I read it? I was left with a sense of understanding. And now, reading The Kings of Nowhere, I’ve come to understand exactly why I understand these two siblings so very well. It’s heartbreaking, it’s gut wrenching, and all you want to do is give the entire family (including Sam) a hug. I would go through hell and back for them, personally. These few years after reading TBWSH, I am happy to have finally gotten Avery’s point of view. An enjoyable read, truly. The autistic representation, among other things, was beautiful. The blanks of Avery pasts and traumas are filled in and bandaged up by the De Lainey’s. We follow Avery’s journey of healing, of self-acceptance, and support. Your heartstrings are pulled every which way and you have to thank C.G Drews for that. It was an overall enjoyable read and I cannot wait until The Kings of Nowhere is published! I will be buying it, for sure.
April 30, 2023
Gut-wrenching—in a good way. Oh man, this book! It will have you crying your eyes out one minute and chuckling in the next. MCs Avery and Jeremy are struggling HARD, and watching them navigate their troubles was addictive. Plus I loved the autism and anxiety rep, and C.G. Drews' writing is just magical!!
September 12, 2022
I loved this so much and the end hat me SOBBING.
September 13, 2024
5🌟
I’m literally crying 😭😭😭😭😭 I love the found family trope sooo much. avery was my fave character from the first book so I was really excited to read this one - it did not disappoint. At all.
avery & jeremy are so gentle and lovely together, their personalities just blend like watercolours on a page and it was so nice to read. The same can be said for all remaining characters in the book, including the delaney siblings & dad, who each had their own traits/personalities which shone. avery and dash bonding over the elven book was one of my fave moments (cuties for real). jack slowly warming up to avery, and avery slowly warming up and opening his heart to moxie and the delaney family. all the siblings making a caramel sweet heart and Jeremy’s ‘love’ note with moxie’s hand sewn patchwork hoodie for Avery made me CRY. vin is a spiteful, vindictive psycho, so reading all the interactions with the delaney family and her made me sick - I’m so glad there is an end to her diabolical idiocy !!!
I guess if there’s one thing to nitpick, is the disappearance/lack of mention of sam- I think we read just one or two phone calls, so it defo would have been nice to get a few more sam mentions. The acknowledgments in the book say that there’ll be a 3rd book so I’m sure that’s where we’ll get even more collective delaney family moments, including sam & avery!!!
I actually was close to tears many times, and spent the whole day itching to find out what would happen next
will be buying physical copies of this series.
I’m literally crying 😭😭😭😭😭 I love the found family trope sooo much. avery was my fave character from the first book so I was really excited to read this one - it did not disappoint. At all.
avery & jeremy are so gentle and lovely together, their personalities just blend like watercolours on a page and it was so nice to read. The same can be said for all remaining characters in the book, including the delaney siblings & dad, who each had their own traits/personalities which shone. avery and dash bonding over the elven book was one of my fave moments (cuties for real). jack slowly warming up to avery, and avery slowly warming up and opening his heart to moxie and the delaney family. all the siblings making a caramel sweet heart and Jeremy’s ‘love’ note with moxie’s hand sewn patchwork hoodie for Avery made me CRY. vin is a spiteful, vindictive psycho, so reading all the interactions with the delaney family and her made me sick - I’m so glad there is an end to her diabolical idiocy !!!
I guess if there’s one thing to nitpick, is the disappearance/lack of mention of sam- I think we read just one or two phone calls, so it defo would have been nice to get a few more sam mentions. The acknowledgments in the book say that there’ll be a 3rd book so I’m sure that’s where we’ll get even more collective delaney family moments, including sam & avery!!!
I actually was close to tears many times, and spent the whole day itching to find out what would happen next
will be buying physical copies of this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2022
I'm contentedly sighing, having finally recovered from sobbing. Drews had such a gift for writing characters that worm their way under my skin and into my heart! I love the De Lainey family, and Sam and Avery make my heart ache with sadness. I'm so glad they all found each other.
I also must say that these are the best-written descriptions of persons with autism and anxiety and PTSD that I've read. Again, my heart breaks and yet is full because there is so much love in these pages.
I'm working my way through the short stories and eagerly anticipating the final book of this trilogy, although I will hate to say goodbye!
I also must say that these are the best-written descriptions of persons with autism and anxiety and PTSD that I've read. Again, my heart breaks and yet is full because there is so much love in these pages.
I'm working my way through the short stories and eagerly anticipating the final book of this trilogy, although I will hate to say goodbye!
August 26, 2026
drews' ability to write three-dimensional, faceted, relatable, flawed, yet likeable characters is unparalleled. by anyone. there i said it
August 4, 2026
★ 5 stars
👾.❤︎₊˖✦₊˖˚಄⊹₊ “You are a full time job. The best full time job.”
perfection. no notes, many compliments. this is such a beautiful sequel to the equally stunning the boy who steals houses. it has everything i could’ve wished for, plus bucketloads of physical and mental trauma because it’s by c.g. drews. i yearn for it to be a printed book one day so i can bleed my thoughts all over the paperthe same way the lou brothers and the de laineys are constantly bleeding for each other. the kings of nowhere is a personal, raw, unflinching knife of a novel that explores what it means to heal, trust, and find a family who will pick you up off of the floor and bandage your bruises time and time again.
the story is ultimately one of softness and warmth, as it mostly takes place in a wholesome butter yellow house, but it is not without its sharp edges. the darkness comes when we leave this sanctuary and enter the shadowed corners of avery’s past, which is woven with crime and running away and skidding down streets in a sleek car, leaving behind a trail of smoke that lingers over everything and pursues him wherever he goes. this series has such a prevalent emotional core, and it made a mess of me multiple times here. i need it sewn into my veins.
i love c.g. drews’s obsession with houses. drews is great at creating unique settings that mold the characters and events, ones that play an active role in the story rather than serving as a backdrop, whether it’s fantasy or contemporary. as mentioned, the de lainey home is the primary setting. its atmosphere feels so cozy and lifelike. it’s impossible not to get attached to it, with its rooms full of trinkets and toys and laundry piled all over the sofa. the writing is excellent, as always. it’s not overly embellished; the more abstract turns of phrase and metaphors are clever and vivid, but the simpler quotes are equally as impactful. so many sentences and paragraphs to highlight. had to stop myself from quoting the entire book in this review.
so, this is not a light book (obviously). though it’s about mental health, it doesn’t follow the protagonist through school or treatment centers and focus mainly on internal conflict, like some narratives do. rather, it contains an added layer of suspense and dread due to the knowledge that vin (the antagonist from the first book, who stabbed avery’s brother and got away with it) is still lurking, waiting to rip whatever safety avery has gained to shreds. some chapters detail this cat and mouse chase, which i always found interesting, not because i wanted to see avery hurt but because of the aftermath, seeing how this violence affected everyone and even brought them closer together. vin is a real threat, and there is so much blood spilled.
additionally, the occasional flashbacks to avery’s past tie all the threads together and fill in the picture. it is particularly heartbreaking getting to see chapters from the first book from avery’s point of view instead and realizing just how limited sam’s perspective was, how these boys were both fighting separate battles. each of these elements make the book impossible to put down (though i hesitated to pick it back up sometimes because i didn’t want to start sobbing). it’s quite well-plotted.
the representation is so thoughtful and careful too, as expected. avery is autistic and has high support needs—he has a lot of trauma from past “caretakers” who dismissed, talked down to, and abused him, so he’s unwilling to trust the de laineys. their real effort to learn about and support him is so great, and his whole inner monologue is such a heartfelt portrayal of being on the spectrum. his journey from being extremely closed off to feeling free to stim and ramble whenever he wants and indulge in his special interest (cars) is very deeply cathartic.
the other main character, jeremy, has anxiety and frequent panic attacks (i personally read him as having adhd as well). he hasn’t told anyone about this and works overtime to cover it up, presenting as cheerful and upbeat. he’s the class clown of the family. i don’t see depictions of anxiety like this often, so i found it refreshing. with the dual perspective storytelling, both of their struggles are explored with nuance and depth. sam is also revealed to be autistic—his autism is closer to how mine manifests—and i appreciate this diversity in the cast.
avery lou 🛠️
i love him an unhealthy amount, actually. i couldn’t always connect with avery in the boy who steals houses. now that i’ve seen what’s going on in his head, i fear i’ll never get over him. freefall described him as a mountain of tangled thread in her amazing review, which is accurate. he is so damaged. he’s suffered endless abuse from his father and aunt, been forced to work for vin, and on top of that, worked relentlessly to save sam from vin’s clutches and be the older brother for once, while receiving no credit for it at all. again, his character development here is remarkable. he finally gets to be himself: endearing, chaotic, considerate, with a wicked sense of humor and a low regard for the law. most of the plot is just seeing how many more bad decisions this boy has in him (a lot. so many. he is a whirlwind.) he is wonderfully eccentric, and i adore him.
jeremy de lainey 🔦
absolute heart of gold. i love “misunderstood” characters whose external personalities don’t always match their internal ones, and jeremy is a study in faking it until you make it (or fall apart). he’s seen as peter pan, a kid who doesn’t want to grow up, but the truth is he’s been paralyzed in a state of anxiety that renders thinking about his future plans impossible. their mother’s death broke all of the siblings in different ways, and it’s made him terrified to lose someone else close to him. on the outside, he’s charming, extroverted, incapable of taking things seriously. a baker extraordinaire. he just requires a bit more attention than he sometimes gets, and he’s definitely more sensitive than he appears. i really enjoyed learning about him.
jack plays a role in the story as jeremy’s twin brother and eventually, avery’s friend. he’s less likable, but he grew on me as time passed. he and jeremy both perform to hide their true emotions—he acts tough, while jeremy acts upbeat. their sibling dynamic means a lot to me. moxie is still my beloved, stitched together by lemony frowns and sewing projects, but you can really see her growing and maturing here. she’s quite perceptive and emotionally intelligent. dash is the embodiment of all fandom-obsessed teenagers. i love her and avery’s bond and that she finally has someone in the family to talk to about thirteen elven kingdoms of war. grady is very minor, but i probably relate to him the most out of the de laineys (since he’s the oldest and a bookworm), so i hope to see more of him next book.
another thing drews excels at: crafting characters who probably wouldn’t exist in the real world but still feel realistic. mr. de lainey genuinely seems too good for this earth. he’s so unfailingly gentle and kind to avery, to all of his kids, no matter the mistakes they make or the literal crimes they commit. he tries his best to be a decent father figure all of the time. even evans, avery and sam’s social worker (who initially appears cold and dismissive) clearly wants the best for them, though he somehow can’t stand to be around them for more than five minutes. and of course, sam, though physically absent, has so much to do with the events in this book. he’s inextricable from the messes that are avery and the de laineys. i miss him.
avery and jeremy are so cute together. i predicted in book one that they’d become a couple, and they work so well. they’re both so attentive toward each other, with avery noticing jeremy’s panic attacks when no one else does and giving him fidget toys and jeremy being incredibly understanding of avery’s actions, even when they hurt him. avery just wants to be held, and jeremy will hold him! they have a somewhat agonizing slowburn, and i mean it when i tell you i devoured this romance subplot. they’re so tender. they have been through hell together. struggled very hard picking just one quote to represent their relationship.
avery and sam are still the brothers at the heart of the story, even with one of them in jail. i loved what little interaction they had over the phone. it is particularly heartbreaking getting to see chapters from the first book from avery’s point of view instead and realizing just how limited sam’s perspective was, how these boys were both fighting separate battles (for example, avery’s reasons for wanting to leave everything behind). avery missing sam so much he’s willing to destroy his entire life just to be with him is painful. he longs for him viscerally—as moxie points out, they have never learned to survive without each other, to live without being each other’s entire worlds. it’s also interesting seeing how differently sam and avery adapt to the de laineys and, consequentially, how the de laineys see them. sam is seen as a scrawny teen who can fit in with the crowd, while avery is made of darkness and sharp glass. in reality, it’s probably the other way around.
avery and moxie are an unexpected but welcome friendship, united by their love for sam and its tendency to land them in tricky situations. i’m glad they finally talked and worked out avery’s jealousy of moxie. moxie is so patient with him, even when he wants nothing to do with her, which is funny when recalling her multiple immediate rejections of sam. they’re both pretty guarded, and they make a great duo. there’s a scene in which avery sits by the phone all night waiting for sam to call, and moxie sits by him, and they both fall asleep in the kitchen. they’re so pure.
overall? harrowing, honestly. this one is probably even more devastating than the first, and it should come with a warning label. stars, the beach, fast driving, and shattering your spirit into tiny pieces. this book is rather ambitious, i think, considering its large, eclectic cast of characters and just how much it tries to accomplish, but it more than succeeds. it’s a triumph of the young adult contemporary genre, the kind i am always looking for. with its hopeful ending, i hope wounds will at last begin to heal, and the situation will get lighter (if not in emotional weight, then in amount of bloodshed). on to the house for lost things.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
꩜ c.g. drews
⤿ don’t let the forest in ꒱ 5★
⤿ hazelthorn ꒱ 5★
⤿ you did nothing wrong ꒱ 4★
⤿ scorpion deep ꒱ tbd
⤿ #1 the boy who steals houses ꒱ 4.5★
⤿ #2 the kings of nowhere ꒱ 5★
⤿ #3 the house for lost things ꒱ tbd
⤿ a thousand perfect notes ꒱ 3.75★
👾.❤︎₊˖✦₊˖˚಄⊹₊ “You are a full time job. The best full time job.”
perfection. no notes, many compliments. this is such a beautiful sequel to the equally stunning the boy who steals houses. it has everything i could’ve wished for, plus bucketloads of physical and mental trauma because it’s by c.g. drews. i yearn for it to be a printed book one day so i can bleed my thoughts all over the paper
the story is ultimately one of softness and warmth, as it mostly takes place in a wholesome butter yellow house, but it is not without its sharp edges. the darkness comes when we leave this sanctuary and enter the shadowed corners of avery’s past, which is woven with crime and running away and skidding down streets in a sleek car, leaving behind a trail of smoke that lingers over everything and pursues him wherever he goes. this series has such a prevalent emotional core, and it made a mess of me multiple times here. i need it sewn into my veins.
i love c.g. drews’s obsession with houses. drews is great at creating unique settings that mold the characters and events, ones that play an active role in the story rather than serving as a backdrop, whether it’s fantasy or contemporary. as mentioned, the de lainey home is the primary setting. its atmosphere feels so cozy and lifelike. it’s impossible not to get attached to it, with its rooms full of trinkets and toys and laundry piled all over the sofa. the writing is excellent, as always. it’s not overly embellished; the more abstract turns of phrase and metaphors are clever and vivid, but the simpler quotes are equally as impactful. so many sentences and paragraphs to highlight. had to stop myself from quoting the entire book in this review.
so, this is not a light book (obviously). though it’s about mental health, it doesn’t follow the protagonist through school or treatment centers and focus mainly on internal conflict, like some narratives do. rather, it contains an added layer of suspense and dread due to the knowledge that vin (the antagonist from the first book, who stabbed avery’s brother and got away with it) is still lurking, waiting to rip whatever safety avery has gained to shreds. some chapters detail this cat and mouse chase, which i always found interesting, not because i wanted to see avery hurt but because of the aftermath, seeing how this violence affected everyone and even brought them closer together. vin is a real threat, and there is so much blood spilled.
additionally, the occasional flashbacks to avery’s past tie all the threads together and fill in the picture. it is particularly heartbreaking getting to see chapters from the first book from avery’s point of view instead and realizing just how limited sam’s perspective was, how these boys were both fighting separate battles. each of these elements make the book impossible to put down (though i hesitated to pick it back up sometimes because i didn’t want to start sobbing). it’s quite well-plotted.
the representation is so thoughtful and careful too, as expected. avery is autistic and has high support needs—he has a lot of trauma from past “caretakers” who dismissed, talked down to, and abused him, so he’s unwilling to trust the de laineys. their real effort to learn about and support him is so great, and his whole inner monologue is such a heartfelt portrayal of being on the spectrum. his journey from being extremely closed off to feeling free to stim and ramble whenever he wants and indulge in his special interest (cars) is very deeply cathartic.
the other main character, jeremy, has anxiety and frequent panic attacks (i personally read him as having adhd as well). he hasn’t told anyone about this and works overtime to cover it up, presenting as cheerful and upbeat. he’s the class clown of the family. i don’t see depictions of anxiety like this often, so i found it refreshing. with the dual perspective storytelling, both of their struggles are explored with nuance and depth. sam is also revealed to be autistic—his autism is closer to how mine manifests—and i appreciate this diversity in the cast.
avery lou 🛠️
⁀ ⊹ ₊ He slams his foot on the accelerator hard and the car lurches forward with a blast of power. Avery is made of agony and burning fever, and he can’t see for the tears. The brick wall of the workshop rushes to meet him and he doesn’t know what he’s doing he doesn’t understand why he’s done this he wants everything to stop please help him please come help him can someone hear can someone just—
hold me.
i love him an unhealthy amount, actually. i couldn’t always connect with avery in the boy who steals houses. now that i’ve seen what’s going on in his head, i fear i’ll never get over him. freefall described him as a mountain of tangled thread in her amazing review, which is accurate. he is so damaged. he’s suffered endless abuse from his father and aunt, been forced to work for vin, and on top of that, worked relentlessly to save sam from vin’s clutches and be the older brother for once, while receiving no credit for it at all. again, his character development here is remarkable. he finally gets to be himself: endearing, chaotic, considerate, with a wicked sense of humor and a low regard for the law. most of the plot is just seeing how many more bad decisions this boy has in him (a lot. so many. he is a whirlwind.) he is wonderfully eccentric, and i adore him.
jeremy de lainey 🔦
⁀ ⊹ ₊ He was sixteen when the cancer came back. When she died. When he failed. He hadn’t worked hard enough, that was it. He hadn’t loved his family enough, kept their spirits up, kept them tied tight together so the fractures wouldn’t show. He had to do better. He couldn’t let his dad die, or Grady or Jack or Moxie or Dash or Toby or the baby. Jeremy couldn’t lose anyone else, he couldn’t survive it.
absolute heart of gold. i love “misunderstood” characters whose external personalities don’t always match their internal ones, and jeremy is a study in faking it until you make it (or fall apart). he’s seen as peter pan, a kid who doesn’t want to grow up, but the truth is he’s been paralyzed in a state of anxiety that renders thinking about his future plans impossible. their mother’s death broke all of the siblings in different ways, and it’s made him terrified to lose someone else close to him. on the outside, he’s charming, extroverted, incapable of taking things seriously. a baker extraordinaire. he just requires a bit more attention than he sometimes gets, and he’s definitely more sensitive than he appears. i really enjoyed learning about him.
jack plays a role in the story as jeremy’s twin brother and eventually, avery’s friend. he’s less likable, but he grew on me as time passed. he and jeremy both perform to hide their true emotions—he acts tough, while jeremy acts upbeat. their sibling dynamic means a lot to me. moxie is still my beloved, stitched together by lemony frowns and sewing projects, but you can really see her growing and maturing here. she’s quite perceptive and emotionally intelligent. dash is the embodiment of all fandom-obsessed teenagers. i love her and avery’s bond and that she finally has someone in the family to talk to about thirteen elven kingdoms of war. grady is very minor, but i probably relate to him the most out of the de laineys (since he’s the oldest and a bookworm), so i hope to see more of him next book.
another thing drews excels at: crafting characters who probably wouldn’t exist in the real world but still feel realistic. mr. de lainey genuinely seems too good for this earth. he’s so unfailingly gentle and kind to avery, to all of his kids, no matter the mistakes they make or the literal crimes they commit. he tries his best to be a decent father figure all of the time. even evans, avery and sam’s social worker (who initially appears cold and dismissive) clearly wants the best for them, though he somehow can’t stand to be around them for more than five minutes. and of course, sam, though physically absent, has so much to do with the events in this book. he’s inextricable from the messes that are avery and the de laineys. i miss him.
avery and jeremy are so cute together. i predicted in book one that they’d become a couple, and they work so well. they’re both so attentive toward each other, with avery noticing jeremy’s panic attacks when no one else does and giving him fidget toys and jeremy being incredibly understanding of avery’s actions, even when they hurt him. avery just wants to be held, and jeremy will hold him! they have a somewhat agonizing slowburn, and i mean it when i tell you i devoured this romance subplot. they’re so tender. they have been through hell together. struggled very hard picking just one quote to represent their relationship.
“I thought…” Jeremy swallows. “I thought autistic people didn’t like to be touched.”
Avery grips Jeremy like he’s a boy, falling, and his words come thick with unshed tears. “I’m n-n-not autistic people. I’m Avery.”
That lands with a sting, and Jeremy winces, but he deserves it. How often does he assume? How often do any of them ask Avery what he wants? Half the things Avery was yelling were irrational hysteria, sure, but he was right about that.
Jeremy tilts his head so his cheek rests against Avery’s soft hair. “So do you want…anyone to hold you like this?”
“No.” Avery sounds worn through, but his voice is soft and aching and full of want. “Just you. I just want you.”
avery and sam are still the brothers at the heart of the story, even with one of them in jail. i loved what little interaction they had over the phone. it is particularly heartbreaking getting to see chapters from the first book from avery’s point of view instead and realizing just how limited sam’s perspective was, how these boys were both fighting separate battles (for example, avery’s reasons for wanting to leave everything behind). avery missing sam so much he’s willing to destroy his entire life just to be with him is painful. he longs for him viscerally—as moxie points out, they have never learned to survive without each other, to live without being each other’s entire worlds. it’s also interesting seeing how differently sam and avery adapt to the de laineys and, consequentially, how the de laineys see them. sam is seen as a scrawny teen who can fit in with the crowd, while avery is made of darkness and sharp glass. in reality, it’s probably the other way around.
And Avery says, “We could leave town,” even though he knows it will be the hardest thing in the world.
You. And me. We.
They are the kings between nowhere and the end of the world, both of them made of broken edges so sharp that anyone who touches them will be cut. They are all each other has. And it’s not enough.
The only thing on Sam’s face is betrayal, and he is all clenched fists with unshed tears hot and bright in his eyes as he tells Avery this is a stupid plan.
Avery can only stand there while hurricanes rip him from inside out and his mouth fills with the memory of blood and grief and ruin. He can’t keep doing this, he can’t survive, Sam. Please please let’s go please let’s run please save me I need you to save me I need—
“No,” Sam snaps. “No.”
avery and moxie are an unexpected but welcome friendship, united by their love for sam and its tendency to land them in tricky situations. i’m glad they finally talked and worked out avery’s jealousy of moxie. moxie is so patient with him, even when he wants nothing to do with her, which is funny when recalling her multiple immediate rejections of sam. they’re both pretty guarded, and they make a great duo. there’s a scene in which avery sits by the phone all night waiting for sam to call, and moxie sits by him, and they both fall asleep in the kitchen. they’re so pure.
“I’m lost.” Avery doesn’t mean to say it out loud.
Moxie resettles herself there beside him, as if she plans to stay all night. “I know where you are, Avery Lou.”
overall? harrowing, honestly. this one is probably even more devastating than the first, and it should come with a warning label. stars, the beach, fast driving, and shattering your spirit into tiny pieces. this book is rather ambitious, i think, considering its large, eclectic cast of characters and just how much it tries to accomplish, but it more than succeeds. it’s a triumph of the young adult contemporary genre, the kind i am always looking for. with its hopeful ending, i hope wounds will at last begin to heal, and the situation will get lighter (if not in emotional weight, then in amount of bloodshed). on to the house for lost things.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
꩜ c.g. drews
⤿ don’t let the forest in ꒱ 5★
⤿ hazelthorn ꒱ 5★
⤿ you did nothing wrong ꒱ 4★
⤿ scorpion deep ꒱ tbd
⤿ #1 the boy who steals houses ꒱ 4.5★
⤿ #2 the kings of nowhere ꒱ 5★
⤿ #3 the house for lost things ꒱ tbd
⤿ a thousand perfect notes ꒱ 3.75★
February 2, 2024
I was very excited to discover a sequel to what I consider one of the best books I have ever read: the Boy Who Steals Houses. And I am pleased to say that it is another brilliant book.
This one focuses in Avery - Sam's brother. It is a beautiful look at a very not beautiful thing - the impact of continual abuse and neglect of a child with ASD. The De Lainey family are front and centre this time too - not just the wonderful Moxie, but her older twin brothers Jack and Jeremy, her father, and the rest of the kids.
it is Jeremy who begins to unravel the barbed wire that has Avery in knots, while he himself is unravelling, masking his panic attacks at his failure to continue to be the heart and soul of everything with the smile his family loves. If I had anything about the book it would be this:
But it is a beautifully written book, with a lot of deep understanding of complex issues, complex characters and the power of love.
Just such astounding imagery.
This one focuses in Avery - Sam's brother. It is a beautiful look at a very not beautiful thing - the impact of continual abuse and neglect of a child with ASD. The De Lainey family are front and centre this time too - not just the wonderful Moxie, but her older twin brothers Jack and Jeremy, her father, and the rest of the kids.
it is Jeremy who begins to unravel the barbed wire that has Avery in knots, while he himself is unravelling, masking his panic attacks at his failure to continue to be the heart and soul of everything with the smile his family loves. If I had anything about the book it would be this:
But it is a beautifully written book, with a lot of deep understanding of complex issues, complex characters and the power of love.
He was nine years old when they found his mother had cancer, when he understood the size of death and how it could fit its arms around his whole family
Just such astounding imagery.
April 19, 2026
it was so cool how this book was told from avery's point of view. in the first book, we followed sammy and only got glimpses of avery's life, but here we dive deep into everything he went through. you really see his dependency on sammy, and how the roles are totally reversed so sammy, as the youngest, basically has to be the parent figure of the two.
i loved jeremy so much in this book and his chemistry with avery was great. the whole de lainey family is just so wholesome, so fucking funny, and lovable, there literally wasn't one of them that i didn't love.
and don't even get me started on the dad, mr. de lainey. he was the father who stepped UP! he was the perfect parent and i'm not even kidding, so patient, kind, and gentle. that man was almost a saint with how sweet he was to avery, even though avery was sabotaging himself every step of the way, which was so frustrating by the way. all of his kids absolutely adore him, and most importantly, they respect him so much and value his opinion. the way he was a father figure to sammy in the first book and then gained avery's trust through sheer kindness? chef's kiss. i want him as my dad please and thank you.
i loved jeremy so much in this book and his chemistry with avery was great. the whole de lainey family is just so wholesome, so fucking funny, and lovable, there literally wasn't one of them that i didn't love.
and don't even get me started on the dad, mr. de lainey. he was the father who stepped UP! he was the perfect parent and i'm not even kidding, so patient, kind, and gentle. that man was almost a saint with how sweet he was to avery, even though avery was sabotaging himself every step of the way, which was so frustrating by the way. all of his kids absolutely adore him, and most importantly, they respect him so much and value his opinion. the way he was a father figure to sammy in the first book and then gained avery's trust through sheer kindness? chef's kiss. i want him as my dad please and thank you.
December 18, 2025
I *devoured* this book. Chapter by chapter on Patreon, and it has my whole entire heart.
That being said. Most of the people following me on Goodreads would probably not like this book for certain reasons. So this is a review for me and only me. (Please read The Boy Who Steals Houses, though.)
Mr De Lainey might just be my favorite fictional dad ever. The De Lainey siblings, especially Jeremy and Moxie, are people I would so dearly love to know in real life. And Avery... oh, Avery. I resonated with him more than I can say.
I loved the conversations had around Avery's autism. I loved how the De Laineys accepted him fully for HIM, only him. I loved how Avery talked about the parallels between his autism and Sam's undiagnosed autism, that the De Lainey siblings read up on autism to support Avery and also thereby realized and accepted Sam's autistic traits too. I would pay to know a family like the De Laineys, and I'm so glad there's one more book for me to read because I don't want to say goodbye to them.
That being said. Most of the people following me on Goodreads would probably not like this book for certain reasons. So this is a review for me and only me. (Please read The Boy Who Steals Houses, though.)
Mr De Lainey might just be my favorite fictional dad ever. The De Lainey siblings, especially Jeremy and Moxie, are people I would so dearly love to know in real life. And Avery... oh, Avery. I resonated with him more than I can say.
I loved the conversations had around Avery's autism. I loved how the De Laineys accepted him fully for HIM, only him. I loved how Avery talked about the parallels between his autism and Sam's undiagnosed autism, that the De Lainey siblings read up on autism to support Avery and also thereby realized and accepted Sam's autistic traits too. I would pay to know a family like the De Laineys, and I'm so glad there's one more book for me to read because I don't want to say goodbye to them.
July 17, 2022
I have so many feels... so many! CG Drews has a way with words and deserves all the publishing contracts. Alas, this will remain a patreon only for now. I didn't think I would love to read about Avery this much, but it turns out I might relate to him more than I did to Sam (no worries I continue to love Sam and am very distressed at his current situation). I just want more of these disaster brothers and would die for them too fyi. The autism rep is AMAZING too!
June 1, 2025
the more that I think about this book, the less I think I liked it. especially compared to the first one. my main problem was between Jeremy and Avery. I just felt no chemistry at all between them and was completely blindsided when it was revealed that Jeremy liked Avery because I didn't get that at all. I was really looking forward to a brotherly bond between them, especially when I realized we'd be getting both points of view. that was a really big letdown and diminished the book a lot for me
April 11, 2022
I just love everything CG Drews writes! Her prose is stunning and the way she writes emotion is just so visceral - and not to mention characters you can't help but fall in love with. They have my whole heart and I already want to reread this and TBWSH and also need all the books about them please!
Everyone needs to read this series so I have more people to scream about it's amazingness with <3
Everyone needs to read this series so I have more people to scream about it's amazingness with <3
May 17, 2026
This is a MASTERFUL book. If you thought that “The Boy Who Steals Houses” was beautiful, then you are IN FOR IT. Avery is such a complicated, intricate, multi-faceted character. He is wounded, but still loving. He is scared, but still tries. He is angry, but still gentle. I loved seeing the book from both Jeremy and Avery’s perspective. Jeremy is equally complex, carrying the family’s happiness on his shoulders, and secretly breaking down because of it. Both Avery and Jeremy are in pain and scarred, but they fit together beautifully. It was just heartwarming to see them slowly fall in love. There is no emphasis on the physical side of their relationship outside of kissing, which was really refreshing. They loved each other purely. It broke my heart in the best way when Avery got Jeremy sour skittles and fidget toys to help him with his panic attacks. The fact that the one other wounded person could recognize it in others, or as Avery says “takes one to know one”, is beautiful.
The De Lainey's have a deep, unlimited love and forgiveness for Avery. He is overwhelmed by this and doesn’t understand it. He has always been treated like he is nothing and now believes it. His new family show me that he is wrong. I also loved that the clothes that Jeremy picked for Avery didn’t trigger him :)
I want to take a minute to applaud C.G. Drews’ writing style. She uses such creative, visceral visuals to describe emotions. This stuck out to me in the first book, but she really amped it up for this one. It really helps capture the neurodivergent mind. With phrases like “crabs nested in his gut”, “his vision was tinted with black ice”, and “he feels stitched up with stones”, you get a much deeper idea of how they’re feeling. Instead of “he was sad” or “he felt angry”, you get this beautiful, poetic, deep, picture.
I also appreciate the lack of punctuation and capitalization when Drews describes inner spiraling.
Finally, the thing that really punched me in the heart and set it on fire (in a good way), was when Jeremy was beat within an inch of his life, laying in a sea of glass, when Avery finds him. He runs over to him and says “Jeremy. Jeremy, wake up. I found you. I found you. If you were lost, I’d come find you. I’d always come find you.” He uses Jeremy’s words from the past to try to keep him holding on. Then Vin orders Avery to jump off of the lighthouse balcony, and Jeremy, using all of the strength that he has left, grabs his wrist and keeps him from going. This saves his life.
The De Lainey's have a deep, unlimited love and forgiveness for Avery. He is overwhelmed by this and doesn’t understand it. He has always been treated like he is nothing and now believes it. His new family show me that he is wrong. I also loved that the clothes that Jeremy picked for Avery didn’t trigger him :)
I want to take a minute to applaud C.G. Drews’ writing style. She uses such creative, visceral visuals to describe emotions. This stuck out to me in the first book, but she really amped it up for this one. It really helps capture the neurodivergent mind. With phrases like “crabs nested in his gut”, “his vision was tinted with black ice”, and “he feels stitched up with stones”, you get a much deeper idea of how they’re feeling. Instead of “he was sad” or “he felt angry”, you get this beautiful, poetic, deep, picture.
I also appreciate the lack of punctuation and capitalization when Drews describes inner spiraling.
Finally, the thing that really punched me in the heart and set it on fire (in a good way), was when Jeremy was beat within an inch of his life, laying in a sea of glass, when Avery finds him. He runs over to him and says “Jeremy. Jeremy, wake up. I found you. I found you. If you were lost, I’d come find you. I’d always come find you.” He uses Jeremy’s words from the past to try to keep him holding on. Then Vin orders Avery to jump off of the lighthouse balcony, and Jeremy, using all of the strength that he has left, grabs his wrist and keeps him from going. This saves his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2022
With Sam locked up in juvenile detention, Avery is left with no one, until the De Lainey family step in to offer him a home. Yet a home is the last thing Avery wants, and certainly not with the people he blames for Sam's imprisonment. Determined to be reunited with Sam, Avery sets about wrecking their lives and proving himself utterly unlovable. But Avery might have met his match in his new foster brother Jeremy, and the rest of the De Lainey family. Until an old enemy shows up looking for revenge.
'The Kings of Nowhere' has easily sealed its position as one of my favourite reads of the year. The only question is whether it will beat its predecessor, 'The Boy Who Steals Houses'. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, the second is essential reading. We say goodbye to Sam, and take up the narrative reins with wildly reckless yet utterly loveable Avery, the sometime criminal and big kid who never got a chance to experience the family who took in his little brother in the first book.
This book will hurt. your. heart.
I read it on Patreon, and kept my thoughts in my mind with chapter by chapter updates on Goodreads. Looking through those updates, it's a feels festival. Avery shattered my heart. Mr De Lainey is the father we all need. I miss Sam! Avery and Jeremy are a wonderful pairing. The autistic rep is incredible. The found family vibes are off the scale. It's a crime this wasn't picked up by the author's publisher, and I can't wait until it's available to purchase independently, because there should be more books like this in the world.
C. G. Drews writes with such emotion, never sparing her characters devastation, but always with the hope that there is love and redemption waiting for you, if you have the bravery to place your trust in those who love you for who you are. This series will hurt and heal. I can't recommend it highly enough.
'The Kings of Nowhere' has easily sealed its position as one of my favourite reads of the year. The only question is whether it will beat its predecessor, 'The Boy Who Steals Houses'. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, the second is essential reading. We say goodbye to Sam, and take up the narrative reins with wildly reckless yet utterly loveable Avery, the sometime criminal and big kid who never got a chance to experience the family who took in his little brother in the first book.
This book will hurt. your. heart.
I read it on Patreon, and kept my thoughts in my mind with chapter by chapter updates on Goodreads. Looking through those updates, it's a feels festival. Avery shattered my heart. Mr De Lainey is the father we all need. I miss Sam! Avery and Jeremy are a wonderful pairing. The autistic rep is incredible. The found family vibes are off the scale. It's a crime this wasn't picked up by the author's publisher, and I can't wait until it's available to purchase independently, because there should be more books like this in the world.
C. G. Drews writes with such emotion, never sparing her characters devastation, but always with the hope that there is love and redemption waiting for you, if you have the bravery to place your trust in those who love you for who you are. This series will hurt and heal. I can't recommend it highly enough.
July 12, 2025
I’m tired of crying!! But this book has me sobbing like a little baby! Watching someone who hates themselves and thinks they’re unlovable be unconditionally accepted is so powerful and obviously sob-worthy. Poor Avery can’t catch even a second of a break.
Furthermore, though, it was intriguing reading Avery from a perspective outside of Sammy, especially his own POV. Almost every action or decision he makes is misinterpreted by other characters. We see Avery doesn’t necessarily need protected like Sammy believes, but he does crave the connection of people. Also, I was slightly shell shocked to find out Sammy is also autistic. I mean, the signs were there all along, but I guess I’m so used to reading diversity in books where each person has a different unique label that it didn’t occur to me that the author could write two characters who were autistic. And frankly, she does it masterfully, because while these characters have characteristics in line with autism, Sammy and Avery couldn’t be more different. And that’s the best part, these characters are real and human instead of a walking, talking set of symptoms. The quote below says it best.
“”I thought..” Jeremy swallows. “I thought autistic people didn’t like to be touched.” Avery grips Jeremy like he’s a boy, falling, and his words come thick with unshed tears. “I’m n-n-not autistic people. I’m Avery.””
Furthermore, though, it was intriguing reading Avery from a perspective outside of Sammy, especially his own POV. Almost every action or decision he makes is misinterpreted by other characters. We see Avery doesn’t necessarily need protected like Sammy believes, but he does crave the connection of people. Also, I was slightly shell shocked to find out Sammy is also autistic. I mean, the signs were there all along, but I guess I’m so used to reading diversity in books where each person has a different unique label that it didn’t occur to me that the author could write two characters who were autistic. And frankly, she does it masterfully, because while these characters have characteristics in line with autism, Sammy and Avery couldn’t be more different. And that’s the best part, these characters are real and human instead of a walking, talking set of symptoms. The quote below says it best.
“”I thought..” Jeremy swallows. “I thought autistic people didn’t like to be touched.” Avery grips Jeremy like he’s a boy, falling, and his words come thick with unshed tears. “I’m n-n-not autistic people. I’m Avery.””
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2025
Diversity: Mc with autism, bipoc mc , sc and bcs , panic attacks ,
Queerness: Gay mc , Queer mc
Associated song : Hireath by sanaa
Content warning: Gun violence
I swear these books have crack in . Its probably the found family aspect and my own yerning need for it but OH MY GOD
I thought ATPNs had found family, the de laineys saw that and said "hold my beer"
This book hit me hard. While I have never stolen houses , the themes of this book is related heavily as a kid who grew up in the foster system , how you push those buttons , how you do it to see where that snapping point is. Its the quickest way to see who will give up on you
Somwtimes it just takes one person to recognise that and say no. To show that they aren't going anywhere
It just takes one person to believe.
I also loved that we got two points of view from avery and Jeremy and the before but from averys point of view up till the point of the first book ! I look forward to reading the third book ! And most likely have my heart broke
The song i chose is called hireath - while also being my dnd characters name , it also has a very relevant meaning
Queerness: Gay mc , Queer mc
Associated song : Hireath by sanaa
Content warning: Gun violence
I swear these books have crack in . Its probably the found family aspect and my own yerning need for it but OH MY GOD
I thought ATPNs had found family, the de laineys saw that and said "hold my beer"
This book hit me hard. While I have never stolen houses , the themes of this book is related heavily as a kid who grew up in the foster system , how you push those buttons , how you do it to see where that snapping point is. Its the quickest way to see who will give up on you
Somwtimes it just takes one person to recognise that and say no. To show that they aren't going anywhere
It just takes one person to believe.
I also loved that we got two points of view from avery and Jeremy and the before but from averys point of view up till the point of the first book ! I look forward to reading the third book ! And most likely have my heart broke
The song i chose is called hireath - while also being my dnd characters name , it also has a very relevant meaning
April 2, 2022
I'd been awaiting this sequel since finishing The Boy Who Steals Houses, and feel so privileged to have read it on Patreon. I hope to buy a physical copy whenever it's available! Drews' writing continues to be witty, soft, whimsical, and heart-wrenching in turns. Her personable, engaging writing style and complex, chaotic, fully realized characters are always a joy. I found myself rooting for Avery and Jeremy as much as or more than I did for Sam in the previous book, and I particularly enjoyed the portrait of Mr. DeLainey as a kind, trustworthy adult who truly "gets it" amidst this pile of lovable yet traumatized teenagers. Reading about such a loving parent who in turn creates an equally incredible (yet thoroughly imperfect) family is truly heartwarming. As an American, it was also really interesting to get a perspective on modern Australian life, and look up new-to-me terms like snake lollies or Scotch fingers. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves love, and especially young adults looking for quality autism spectrum rep.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews