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Right Where I Left You
"Smart, swoony, and pitch-perfect, Right Where I Left You is ideal for every reader who’s just as likely to geek out over a new issue of Son of Kal-El as they are the quintessential meet-cute.”— LEAH JOHNSON , bestselling author of You Should See Me in a Crown and Rise to the Sun
School’s out, senior year is over, and Isaac Martin is ready to kick off summer. His last before heading off to college in the fall where he won't have his best friend, Diego. Where—despite his social anxiety—he’ll be left to make friends on his own. Knowing his time with Diego is limited, Isaac enacts a foolproof snatch up a pair of badges for the epic comic convention, Legends Con, and attend his first ever Teen Pride. Just him and Diego. The way it should be. But when an unexpected run-in with Davi—Isaac’s old crush—distracts him the day tickets go on sale, suddenly he’s two badges short of a perfect summer. Even worse, now he’s left making it up to Diego by hanging with him and his gamer buddies. Decidedly NOT part of the original plan. It’s not all bad, though. Some of Diego’s friends turn out to be pretty cool, and when things with Davi start heating up, Isaac is almost able to forget about his Legends Con blunder. Almost . Because then Diego finds out what really happened that day with Davi, and their friendship lands on thin ice. Isaac assumes he’s upset about missing the convention, but could Diego have other reasons for avoiding Isaac?
School’s out, senior year is over, and Isaac Martin is ready to kick off summer. His last before heading off to college in the fall where he won't have his best friend, Diego. Where—despite his social anxiety—he’ll be left to make friends on his own. Knowing his time with Diego is limited, Isaac enacts a foolproof snatch up a pair of badges for the epic comic convention, Legends Con, and attend his first ever Teen Pride. Just him and Diego. The way it should be. But when an unexpected run-in with Davi—Isaac’s old crush—distracts him the day tickets go on sale, suddenly he’s two badges short of a perfect summer. Even worse, now he’s left making it up to Diego by hanging with him and his gamer buddies. Decidedly NOT part of the original plan. It’s not all bad, though. Some of Diego’s friends turn out to be pretty cool, and when things with Davi start heating up, Isaac is almost able to forget about his Legends Con blunder. Almost . Because then Diego finds out what really happened that day with Davi, and their friendship lands on thin ice. Isaac assumes he’s upset about missing the convention, but could Diego have other reasons for avoiding Isaac?
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2022
86 people are currently reading
11351 people want to read
About the author
Julian Winters
21 books1,156 followersJulian Winters is the author of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award-winning Running With Lions; the Junior Library Guild Selections How to Be Remy Cameron and The Summer of Everything; and the forthcoming Right Where I Left You. A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta, where he can be found reading or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews
May 13, 2022
friends to lovers never had a bad track. “practice kissing” SLAPS. “friendship cuddles while secretly dying inside” BANGER. “teasing each other and holding eye contact for a little too long” KILLS ME. and don’t even get me STARTED on “why can’t i stop thinking of you when i’m with someone else.”
isaac and diego have been best friends since forever. fresh off graduation, isaac grapples with going to college soon, a future where diego won’t be by his side. knowing their time together is limited, he concocts a plan for their summer - tickets to a comic convention. however, an unexpected run-in with his old crush davi leaves him two tickets short of a perfect summer. as isaac and davi grow closer, diego grows distant.
there’s something about books set around graduation that just hit differently. there’s the bittersweetness, the nostalgia, the feeling of teetering on the cusp of something new - exciting and yet terrifying. the realisation that time is not endless. the uncertainty of heading down a new path - at times alone - only to turn back and realise that you’ll still have each other’s backs even if from a distance.
it’s also just. so refreshing seeing fandoms being portrayed so joyously !! i grew up in many fandoms, incorporated them into my personality, found myself in those communities, but also sometimes felt really weird about it - what’s it like to consume a piece of media normally & not hyperfixate? what’s it like to be chill about your interests?
this book shows you how delightful fandoms can be; how the friends you first know through shared passions help you grow into who you are, how these can be the friends who let you in, let you just /be/, and love you for that. and that is good. that fandoms are built on such creative minds, fanartists and fanfic writers. how so much of that shared passion overlaps with how life changing it is to finally see yourself in media.
and when the world says no, you say “then i'll do it”.
“he’s more than my best friend - he’s my compass on this journey toward being the version of myself i want to be. all of this is less terrifying when he’s by my side.”
isaac and diego have been best friends since forever. fresh off graduation, isaac grapples with going to college soon, a future where diego won’t be by his side. knowing their time together is limited, he concocts a plan for their summer - tickets to a comic convention. however, an unexpected run-in with his old crush davi leaves him two tickets short of a perfect summer. as isaac and davi grow closer, diego grows distant.
there’s something about books set around graduation that just hit differently. there’s the bittersweetness, the nostalgia, the feeling of teetering on the cusp of something new - exciting and yet terrifying. the realisation that time is not endless. the uncertainty of heading down a new path - at times alone - only to turn back and realise that you’ll still have each other’s backs even if from a distance.
it’s also just. so refreshing seeing fandoms being portrayed so joyously !! i grew up in many fandoms, incorporated them into my personality, found myself in those communities, but also sometimes felt really weird about it - what’s it like to consume a piece of media normally & not hyperfixate? what’s it like to be chill about your interests?
this book shows you how delightful fandoms can be; how the friends you first know through shared passions help you grow into who you are, how these can be the friends who let you in, let you just /be/, and love you for that. and that is good. that fandoms are built on such creative minds, fanartists and fanfic writers. how so much of that shared passion overlaps with how life changing it is to finally see yourself in media.
and when the world says no, you say “then i'll do it”.
May 25, 2022
This is yet another one of my most anticipated 2022 releases that ended up missing the mark. Having read and enjoyed Julian Winters' The Summer of Everything I went into this expecting something cute & wholesome only to be confronted with a generic coming of age ya about characters who are just out of high school and went to spend one more summer together. Miscommunication and the possibility of a love triangle drive the narrative, but these elements lacked oomph, and I found my attention wavering more than once. This kind of novel should make for a breezy read but my reading experience seemed closer to a chore. I debated DNFing this but decided against it hoping to see some character growth or for the story to pick up a bit but those things didn’t really happen. We get a lot of samey scenes that are angsty but in a rather vanilla way. The banter and chemistry between the various characters came across as forced, and sometimes even out of touch (despite its attempts The writing was okay, in a fanfiction-y sort of way but sometimes we get these subpar metaphors or lines of dialogues that really took me out ("I know she’s unaware that her words cut sharper than one of those handcrafted swords forged by Hattori Hanzō in Kill Bill." / "Imaginary Isaac is a boss. But that’s not who I am." / "My organs shift, realigning under my skin. " / "Queer people don’t have to prove anything. We are who we are." / "Little wrinkles like on the surface of Memorial Park’s lake crease his brow. " / "We’re quiet for so long. Alix grabs her phone and starts typing. Holy Nightwing " / "We’re not friends, but maybe we’re not really enemies either." / "My mouth opens, then closes. I’m confused and sad and oddly relieved. Maybe Diego is my first Crush Syndrome. Maybe he’s my One True Disaster.").
Right Where I Left You follows Isaac Martin an avid fan of a superhero comic a la young avengers. He ardently ships two characters (in a way that reminded me of the mc from rainbow rowell's fangirl…which uhm…not my kind of character) and is very much a self-identifying nerd with social anxiety. He happens to have one single friend, Diego. They’ve been bff for the longest time and they spend most of their time together. Although Diego is more outgoing and is really into gaming the two always find stuff to talk about. But their paths will divide once summer is over, with Isaac going to college and Diego taking a gap year. An oversight on Isaac’s part results in them not getting tickets to go to Legends Con. Isaac feels guilty about it and plans to make it up to Diego. Here I thought that the story would follow Isaac finding a way into Legends Con but it doesn’t. We have a few scenes strung together featuring this very generic group of ‘friends’, most of whom are friends of Diego really. While I appreciated how inclusive this group was they ultimately seemed very much the embodiment of that meme (‘every friend group should include…’). They deliver these lines that were pure cringe in that they were trying desperately to make the characters sound cool and unproblematic but just made them sound inauthentic ( (ppl who talk like that exist only on tumblr and possibly certain twitter spaces. it's not quite live-action-powerpuff-girls levels of bad but...). I can see these characters working for fans of Casey McQuiston, and I just happen to prefer messier young adults, such as the ones by Mary H.K. Choi. It didn’t help that what drove the story was this milquetoast jealousy subplot (as opposed to the legends con plot) where Isaac becomes sort of involved with Davi and Diego, for some ‘bizarre’ reason, starts to avoid him. It annoyed me that Isaac uses more the once the term mansplaining...as if he was ever on the receiving end of that.
There is an attempt at giving Isaac daddy issues because his dad cheated on his mom or something but that whole subplot is handled in such a daytime tv kind of way as to be utterly risible.
The humor and banter were painfully cringey, and Isaac was such an annoying main character. He was very much a clichè, and I become tired of the constant references to comic books…we get it, the boy is a nerd, we don’t need to be reminded every page or so, especially when said reminders come across as contrived. Diego is a boring friend and meh love interest. I couldn’t help but compare their dynamic to the one Felix has with Ezra in Felix Ever After. These two books share quite a few similarities (friends to lovers, summer setting, pride) and Right Where I Left You lacked the character growth and engaging storytelling that made Felix Ever After into such a compelling read. Even Winters' The Summer of Everything (which is also a coming-of-age/friends to lovers type of affair) is far more enjoyable and nuanced than Right Where I Left You. Here the characters are so one-note as to be wholly uninspiring.
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February 13, 2022
I think I may have gone into this with the wrong expectations. It's being pitched as a best-friends-to-lovers romance, and it is....but it leans hard into being a general coming of age story with the romance as more of a side plot. This is kind of like the difference between adult romance and women's fiction where the latter is mostly contemporary fiction, with a strong romantic subplot. That's what you get here. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what I expected and that might have contributed to me finding parts of the book very slow to get through.
I love that there are geeky elements, found family, pining, and a joyful celebration of gay boys of color. All of that is wonderful. I do wish we had spent more time on the actual relationship though because they really only get together at the very end of the book because of a love triangle and lack of communication. And given how much the description talks about them trying to get badges to this comic con, I was really hoping they would actually get to go and we would get some convention scenes! Alas, no dice. Though we do get a lot of content about the comic the main character is obsessed with. Isaac is painfully shy and probably has social anxiety, so we see him pushed out of his comfort zone as new people come into his life when all he wanted was to spend the summer before college with his best friend Diego.
I think there are readers who could LOVE this and feel really seen by it. Isaac is Afro-Latinx which is great to see represented and I loved how much his family and their cultural food was represented in the story. I loved that we have a gay MC with two bisexual love interests. Basically I love a lot of what this was doing and if I was a bigger fan of general contemporary YA stories, I might have enjoyed my time with it a lot more. So I want to set expectations for readers. That said, if you know going in, you may be very charmed by the romance! I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
I love that there are geeky elements, found family, pining, and a joyful celebration of gay boys of color. All of that is wonderful. I do wish we had spent more time on the actual relationship though because they really only get together at the very end of the book because of a love triangle and lack of communication. And given how much the description talks about them trying to get badges to this comic con, I was really hoping they would actually get to go and we would get some convention scenes! Alas, no dice. Though we do get a lot of content about the comic the main character is obsessed with. Isaac is painfully shy and probably has social anxiety, so we see him pushed out of his comfort zone as new people come into his life when all he wanted was to spend the summer before college with his best friend Diego.
I think there are readers who could LOVE this and feel really seen by it. Isaac is Afro-Latinx which is great to see represented and I loved how much his family and their cultural food was represented in the story. I loved that we have a gay MC with two bisexual love interests. Basically I love a lot of what this was doing and if I was a bigger fan of general contemporary YA stories, I might have enjoyed my time with it a lot more. So I want to set expectations for readers. That said, if you know going in, you may be very charmed by the romance! I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
April 13, 2022
maybe my fave of julian winters’ books?? a hit!! i love oblivious best friends to lovers
full rtc maybe idk what is content
full rtc maybe idk what is content
March 21, 2022
This is a super nerdy queer coming of age story that is also a slow burn m/m friends to lovers romance.
If you’re a Felix Ever After fan then this story is definitely for you!
The characters from this book were amazing (loved Isaac and Diego and well as the entire The Six friend group). I loved the diverse representation from ethnicity and race to the exploration of different queer labels.
I also loved seeing BIPOC being able to just nerd out and getting excited over fandoms and gaming.
This is definitely one of those feel good summer books.
Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not affect my review. All opinions are my own.
If you’re a Felix Ever After fan then this story is definitely for you!
The characters from this book were amazing (loved Isaac and Diego and well as the entire The Six friend group). I loved the diverse representation from ethnicity and race to the exploration of different queer labels.
I also loved seeing BIPOC being able to just nerd out and getting excited over fandoms and gaming.
This is definitely one of those feel good summer books.
Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not affect my review. All opinions are my own.
March 22, 2022
This was just as fluffy as I was expecting, so I'm happy to have found a new comfort read! I especially loved the focus on friendship!
January 27, 2023
Did someone say best friends to lovers?
May 30, 2025
this book = joy
*biggest thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
My brain can not keep up with my thoughts right now, so I’m going to be reviewing in list form.
- this is friends-to-lovers EXCELLENCE! this level of pining, obliviousness, and perfectness is the best execution of the trope i think i’ve read. like, ever.
- the characters. they deserve their own bullet point because *insert screaming*
- friendship! friendship! friendship! is it new? yeah. is it messy? also, yes. but is it exactly what it needs to be? 1000%, yes.
- summer vibes! geekery to the extreme! amazing voice! everything! love it!
- sidenote: i’m obsessed with how Winters incorporated the different user tags as characters and references to different books. it was a fun and incredibly nerdy touch that i am SO here for
4.5 rounded up! I have absolutely zero complaints about this book, it is absolute brilliance. The pacing is smooth, the characters are vibrant, and my mind is utterly consumed with the absolute glory that unfurls. It is the sort of book that will have you grinning along and nodding your head to all the geeky joy within. It is the sort of book that you need in your hands asap.
*biggest thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
My brain can not keep up with my thoughts right now, so I’m going to be reviewing in list form.
- this is friends-to-lovers EXCELLENCE! this level of pining, obliviousness, and perfectness is the best execution of the trope i think i’ve read. like, ever.
- the characters. they deserve their own bullet point because *insert screaming*
- friendship! friendship! friendship! is it new? yeah. is it messy? also, yes. but is it exactly what it needs to be? 1000%, yes.
- summer vibes! geekery to the extreme! amazing voice! everything! love it!
- sidenote: i’m obsessed with how Winters incorporated the different user tags as characters and references to different books. it was a fun and incredibly nerdy touch that i am SO here for
4.5 rounded up! I have absolutely zero complaints about this book, it is absolute brilliance. The pacing is smooth, the characters are vibrant, and my mind is utterly consumed with the absolute glory that unfurls. It is the sort of book that will have you grinning along and nodding your head to all the geeky joy within. It is the sort of book that you need in your hands asap.
March 31, 2022
So. Stinking. Cute.
2 BIPOC best friends + massive nerds in their own rights ( 1 w/video games, 1 w/comics) = fun, cute read
2 BIPOC best friends + massive nerds in their own rights ( 1 w/video games, 1 w/comics) = fun, cute read
April 25, 2022
SO CUTE !!
May 2, 2022
Given that this is my second book from this author that I give 3-stars, I'm starting to think that maybe the author's writing style isn't for me.
However, the issues I had with Right Where I Left You weren't the same ones with The Summer of Everything . The Summer of Everything suffered from a terrible ending, a pessimistic, gloomy and relatively sad finale.
This book's ending is great. I enjoyed it, I was happy to read it. The problem is everything else.
This book follows comic fan Issac in the last summer before he goes to college. His only friend is Diego, with who he spends almost all of his free time together. Diego is an avid gamer who decided to take a gap year to puruse his game designer dream career. We're introduced to Diego's gamer friends and Isaac's comic book acquaintances, as well the two boys families. And here start the problems:
- The characters aren't really relatable and I didn't feel for them. Issac is whiny and socially awkward and not in a cute way. His parents divorce is supposedly to blame for his trust issues (quite a stretch), him being for some reason (never fully explained) unable to socialize with people, and miscomuunicating even with his best friend.
- Diego is an overall nice person, caring, nerdy, dealing with his mother's pressure to go to college in quite a mature way, but suddenly, when Isaac tries to date Davi, he turns into an absolute jerk. Yeah, jealousy old trope, but the writing of the book made it look as if Isaac was at fault for not...guessing that Diego liked him despite Diego never saying anything? I'm serious, even when they got together, it was Isaac who did the talking and the move in the end.
- Davi appeared nice and very flirty, and the writing was definitely implying he wanted to date Isaac, until suddenly we get told that he only wanted to be friends. Not sold.
- "Practice kiss" is the most ridiculous trope I've ever seen. Sorry.
- Most of the banter and the pop culture references would appeal only to 15-years-olds. I found it borderlie cringe.
Overall, it's a book that has solid premises, but the path it takes relies heavily on miscommunication, jealousy, characters who act in a weird way with no reason, past family trauma (it appears to be a thing with Julian Winters books) affecting the present and of course the comic nerds world (no objections here).
I was expecting something better to be honest, so it gets the rating I give to books I didn't dislike, but didn't exactly captivate me either.
However, the issues I had with Right Where I Left You weren't the same ones with The Summer of Everything . The Summer of Everything suffered from a terrible ending, a pessimistic, gloomy and relatively sad finale.
This book's ending is great. I enjoyed it, I was happy to read it. The problem is everything else.
This book follows comic fan Issac in the last summer before he goes to college. His only friend is Diego, with who he spends almost all of his free time together. Diego is an avid gamer who decided to take a gap year to puruse his game designer dream career. We're introduced to Diego's gamer friends and Isaac's comic book acquaintances, as well the two boys families. And here start the problems:
- The characters aren't really relatable and I didn't feel for them. Issac is whiny and socially awkward and not in a cute way. His parents divorce is supposedly to blame for his trust issues (quite a stretch), him being for some reason (never fully explained) unable to socialize with people, and miscomuunicating even with his best friend.
- Diego is an overall nice person, caring, nerdy, dealing with his mother's pressure to go to college in quite a mature way, but suddenly, when Isaac tries to date Davi, he turns into an absolute jerk. Yeah, jealousy old trope, but the writing of the book made it look as if Isaac was at fault for not...guessing that Diego liked him despite Diego never saying anything? I'm serious, even when they got together, it was Isaac who did the talking and the move in the end.
- Davi appeared nice and very flirty, and the writing was definitely implying he wanted to date Isaac, until suddenly we get told that he only wanted to be friends. Not sold.
- "Practice kiss" is the most ridiculous trope I've ever seen. Sorry.
- Most of the banter and the pop culture references would appeal only to 15-years-olds. I found it borderlie cringe.
Overall, it's a book that has solid premises, but the path it takes relies heavily on miscommunication, jealousy, characters who act in a weird way with no reason, past family trauma (it appears to be a thing with Julian Winters books) affecting the present and of course the comic nerds world (no objections here).
I was expecting something better to be honest, so it gets the rating I give to books I didn't dislike, but didn't exactly captivate me either.
March 21, 2022
Trigger Warnings: Masturbation, cheating, cursing, drugs, underage drinking, past death of a grandparent, hospital
Representation: POC: Puerto Rican, Gay, Afro-Latinx: Black-Mexican, Bisexual, They/Them pronouns, Autism
Right Where I Left You is the story of Isaac during his last summer before leaving for college. His grand plan to attend his first con and then Pride with his best friend, Diego, is thwarted when a cute boy distracts him from buying passes. The summer continues to get rocky as Diego grows distant and Isaac is forced to step out of his comfort zone to mingle with new friends.
This was a great book! I’m a sucker for a happy ending and love friends to lovers! The story tackles difficult emotions and I loved the main character’s growth throughout. I also loved all of the references to other queer books! Isaac was very relatable and truly authentic. His coming of age was portrayed much better than other YA novels I have read! Winters truly is one of my favorite YA authors!
Representation: POC: Puerto Rican, Gay, Afro-Latinx: Black-Mexican, Bisexual, They/Them pronouns, Autism
Right Where I Left You is the story of Isaac during his last summer before leaving for college. His grand plan to attend his first con and then Pride with his best friend, Diego, is thwarted when a cute boy distracts him from buying passes. The summer continues to get rocky as Diego grows distant and Isaac is forced to step out of his comfort zone to mingle with new friends.
This was a great book! I’m a sucker for a happy ending and love friends to lovers! The story tackles difficult emotions and I loved the main character’s growth throughout. I also loved all of the references to other queer books! Isaac was very relatable and truly authentic. His coming of age was portrayed much better than other YA novels I have read! Winters truly is one of my favorite YA authors!
February 22, 2023
this book is everything
April 26, 2022
it's just....so adorable
March 23, 2022
Okay this book was just *sunshine, friends to lovers, family (blood and found), geekiness* and I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!!
April 12, 2022
For someone named Winters the author really loves writing about summers a lot. Just like in The Summer of Everything this book is about the summer between high school and college for a queer and poc young man. But that's where the similarities end. Our main character Isaac's plans for the future are set and he's anxious about all the changes to come. So he wants to make the most of the “last summer” with his best friend and his family.
I love Julian Winters' writing style and the characters and worlds he creates in his books. A lot of people didn't like the ambiguous and somewhat downer ending of the last book. This book has all the happy endings you can ask for. It's almost a little too much this time.
In conclusion: I love this book and can't wait for the next books from Julian Winters.
I love Julian Winters' writing style and the characters and worlds he creates in his books. A lot of people didn't like the ambiguous and somewhat downer ending of the last book. This book has all the happy endings you can ask for. It's almost a little too much this time.
In conclusion: I love this book and can't wait for the next books from Julian Winters.
April 16, 2022
Julian Winters delivers another heartwarming contemporary that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with.
October 31, 2023
I liked this a lot. It had a lot of bitter-sweetness and that feeling of "oh you idiot teenager" kept rolling around in my head. But, isn't not knowing how you feel such a real thing? I liked the family dynamics a lot as well. Very sweet.
February 28, 2022
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Right Where I Left You follows Isaac Martin, he's just graduated high school and has one last summer until he's headed off to college. Isaac should be excited, except his best friend, Diego, isn't coming with him. Isaac doesn't know what he'll do without Diego to help him. He wants to have the best summer ever with Diego before they're separated. The two plan to go to Legends Con, but when Isaac is distracted by a cute boy and misses getting tickets, their summer plans are derailed. Instead Isaac is made part of The Six, the crew Diego games with. Isaac is wary, cue the social anxiety, but Diego's friends are all bad.
This was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed Isaac as a character. His social anxiety is different from mine, but damn was it still relatable. I loved how Isaac explores his family relationships during this book. The way he reconnects to his older brother really pulled on my heart strings.
Then there are the fandom elements! Isaac is a comic fan and Diego is a gamer. Between the two of them there are tons of fandom references, and even though it's a made up fandom for the book, I loved it! I loved how Charm and Reverb's story plays out alongside Isaac's, it was such a great way to parallel the book.
I absolutely adored The Six. I was immediately a fan of Alix and Zelda, because they're the coolest. I also have a thing for quiet girls with cutting words (Alix). I really liked seeing Isaac branch out. He has a hard time letting people in, but by the end of this he has made other friends besides Diego. I really loved watching him grow!
Rep: Afro-Latine gay cis male MC, bisexual Iranian-American cis male side character, bisexual Puerto Rican gus male side character, BIPOC queer nonbinary side character with two dads who are drag queens, questioning white male side character, asexual white female side character, autistic Puerto Rican male side character, various Black and Latine side characters.
CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), parental abandonment. Minor: homophobia/homomisia, racism.
Right Where I Left You follows Isaac Martin, he's just graduated high school and has one last summer until he's headed off to college. Isaac should be excited, except his best friend, Diego, isn't coming with him. Isaac doesn't know what he'll do without Diego to help him. He wants to have the best summer ever with Diego before they're separated. The two plan to go to Legends Con, but when Isaac is distracted by a cute boy and misses getting tickets, their summer plans are derailed. Instead Isaac is made part of The Six, the crew Diego games with. Isaac is wary, cue the social anxiety, but Diego's friends are all bad.
This was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed Isaac as a character. His social anxiety is different from mine, but damn was it still relatable. I loved how Isaac explores his family relationships during this book. The way he reconnects to his older brother really pulled on my heart strings.
Then there are the fandom elements! Isaac is a comic fan and Diego is a gamer. Between the two of them there are tons of fandom references, and even though it's a made up fandom for the book, I loved it! I loved how Charm and Reverb's story plays out alongside Isaac's, it was such a great way to parallel the book.
I absolutely adored The Six. I was immediately a fan of Alix and Zelda, because they're the coolest. I also have a thing for quiet girls with cutting words (Alix). I really liked seeing Isaac branch out. He has a hard time letting people in, but by the end of this he has made other friends besides Diego. I really loved watching him grow!
Rep: Afro-Latine gay cis male MC, bisexual Iranian-American cis male side character, bisexual Puerto Rican gus male side character, BIPOC queer nonbinary side character with two dads who are drag queens, questioning white male side character, asexual white female side character, autistic Puerto Rican male side character, various Black and Latine side characters.
CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), parental abandonment. Minor: homophobia/homomisia, racism.
January 12, 2022
HAVE YOU EVER READ A BOOK THAT MADE YOU SMILE COVER TO COVER? IF NOT, THEN READ THIS WHEN IT COMES OUT. LET ME TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, IT IS FLAWLESS, AMAZING, WONDERFUL, JUST THE BEST THING I'VE READ SO FAR, AND DEFINITELY A CONTENDER FOR MY TOP 5 AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
Two best friends have one last summer before they part ways: one off to college and the other, well the other off to chase his dreams. They’ve planned out the summer and are ending it off with their first Pride… but what they didn’t plan was new friends along the way and new people taking up their time. When the summer ends, will everything ever be the same between them again?
I don’t even know where to start or what to say. Isaac is the absolute love of my life. I got three pages into the book and immediately clicked with him. Diego is just so, so kind and amazing and I love him to pieces. Something I love seeing in books is friendship and this book had that. Another thing I love is joy, we also had that. Something I don’t see very often, but love very much, is references to other books AND LET ME TELL YA, WE HAD EM. Not to spoil anything but “JulianDiazLuvsYadz” was probably my favorite username ever. I read it and was caught between wanting to reread Cemetery Boys all over again and laughter. That’s another thing I loved about this book: I laughed cover to cover. There were so many moments that just made me stop, shut the book for a minute and smile.
This book starts off with a dedication to queer black and brown people who haven’t seen themselves represented. And then it goes on to represent so many people. Charm and Reverb added so much to this book for me. (I’D LOVE A PART TWO WITH JUST THEM, PLS AND TY, MR. WINTERS). As a brown queer kid, yeah I don’t see myself represented often in literature or in movies, especially growing up, but now, thanks to authors like Julian Winters, I feel represented. I feel seen.
Anyway, the point is, this book is insanely, wonderfully amazing and if you haven’t ordered it yet, do so ASAP bc trust me, you will thank yourself.
Two best friends have one last summer before they part ways: one off to college and the other, well the other off to chase his dreams. They’ve planned out the summer and are ending it off with their first Pride… but what they didn’t plan was new friends along the way and new people taking up their time. When the summer ends, will everything ever be the same between them again?
I don’t even know where to start or what to say. Isaac is the absolute love of my life. I got three pages into the book and immediately clicked with him. Diego is just so, so kind and amazing and I love him to pieces. Something I love seeing in books is friendship and this book had that. Another thing I love is joy, we also had that. Something I don’t see very often, but love very much, is references to other books AND LET ME TELL YA, WE HAD EM. Not to spoil anything but “JulianDiazLuvsYadz” was probably my favorite username ever. I read it and was caught between wanting to reread Cemetery Boys all over again and laughter. That’s another thing I loved about this book: I laughed cover to cover. There were so many moments that just made me stop, shut the book for a minute and smile.
This book starts off with a dedication to queer black and brown people who haven’t seen themselves represented. And then it goes on to represent so many people. Charm and Reverb added so much to this book for me. (I’D LOVE A PART TWO WITH JUST THEM, PLS AND TY, MR. WINTERS). As a brown queer kid, yeah I don’t see myself represented often in literature or in movies, especially growing up, but now, thanks to authors like Julian Winters, I feel represented. I feel seen.
Anyway, the point is, this book is insanely, wonderfully amazing and if you haven’t ordered it yet, do so ASAP bc trust me, you will thank yourself.
February 5, 2022
DNF
I said this last time too, but I mean it this time, this time i really mean it I won’t read another Julien Winters book. I liked Running with Lions. But all his books since then are pretty much same and boring. It not a terrible book so don’t think its worthy of one star, but I found it bland and so repetitive of his past books
I said this last time too, but I mean it this time, this time i really mean it I won’t read another Julien Winters book. I liked Running with Lions. But all his books since then are pretty much same and boring. It not a terrible book so don’t think its worthy of one star, but I found it bland and so repetitive of his past books
December 12, 2021
CWs:
Brief references to infidelity and divorce, some descriptions of social anxiety, some exploration of depression and mental health, and some exploration of emotional trauma and family estrangement.
January 26, 2024
This was so cute, I need a sequel
January 26, 2022
4.25 Stars
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
Isaac wants to spend his whole summer break hanging out with his best friend, going to cons and pride, before he goes off to college next year and his friend stays home. But they are torn apart by a crush and a mistake and have to find ways to reconcile what's happening. And then there is love.
This was so cute! Honestly the whole time I was begging the narrator to see what was right in front of him, but I guess that is part of the trope. I liked the character development but what I really loved was the focus on cons and comics and video games and queer inclusive spaces and found family and ALL OF THAT!
Honestly was really jealous of the teen pride event though, like...I wish I had had that when I was a teen.
I felt like not all of the tension between the two characters was resolved at the end of the book and that was upsetting for me. Like I feel like more apologies/recognition of wrongdoing would have gone a long way for me at the end!
I also felt like....not enough was happening for most of the book, and then everything got crowded into one little chunk of space? I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I really loved lots of aspects of this book! But those were a few of my thoughts.
Pub date: March 15, 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
Isaac wants to spend his whole summer break hanging out with his best friend, going to cons and pride, before he goes off to college next year and his friend stays home. But they are torn apart by a crush and a mistake and have to find ways to reconcile what's happening. And then there is love.
This was so cute! Honestly the whole time I was begging the narrator to see what was right in front of him, but I guess that is part of the trope. I liked the character development but what I really loved was the focus on cons and comics and video games and queer inclusive spaces and found family and ALL OF THAT!
Honestly was really jealous of the teen pride event though, like...I wish I had had that when I was a teen.
I felt like not all of the tension between the two characters was resolved at the end of the book and that was upsetting for me. Like I feel like more apologies/recognition of wrongdoing would have gone a long way for me at the end!
I also felt like....not enough was happening for most of the book, and then everything got crowded into one little chunk of space? I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I really loved lots of aspects of this book! But those were a few of my thoughts.
Pub date: March 15, 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
June 27, 2022
edit: we actually gonna give this a 4.5 cuz I woke up feeling happy lol. this book was so cute 😭 we love happy endings for queer poc. Like I just wanna give all the characters a hug
October 23, 2022
I loved this. Adorable nerdyness, highly relatable characters, sweet focus on friendship that becomes more. Also great queer friend group.
June 6, 2022
Okay, good things
- Absolutely loveable cast, especially MC/LI
- The fluffiest best type of friends-to-lovers, with all the good tropes and familiarity and closeness
- A failed LI that doesn't get demonized - the Real Ship doesn't happen bc the other option turns out to be Evil or anything
- Awesome diversity that makes the already loveable cast even better
- The nerdiness of the group was handled pretty well I think, and I was quite caught up in the Charm/Reverb mini plotline lol
Not so good things
- Literally nothing HAPPENS for like 70% of this book. The initial premise of "failed tickets to a con, he must make up for it!1!"? doesn't get touched until the end again. Both blurb and initial set up rather make it seem like that'd be most of the plot, but it's not. Instead half the story happens in the MC's house and his own room, and a lot of the story just... seems to happen, with no real plot structure to push it along or anything to hold it together beyond that it's happening to the same people
- Some of the family conflicts seem to be too neatly wrapped up w/o any actual developments to back them up - but I'll give that one a half-pass, it's a story, it can be a fantasy of what-if-we-all-made-up just fine.
WHY WOULD YOU EVER
- Why, why, WHY is the MC a self-declared art reposter!?!? In a book that's full of fandom geeks and references, with an MC whose life is changed partially because of his love of these comics, his fandom activity, his ships, why on EARTH would he happily comment how he's always disrespecting artists this way? Is it supposed to be a quirky thing or something? What a sore spot for an otherwise perfectly fluffy, cute book.
- Absolutely loveable cast, especially MC/LI
- The fluffiest best type of friends-to-lovers, with all the good tropes and familiarity and closeness
- A failed LI that doesn't get demonized - the Real Ship doesn't happen bc the other option turns out to be Evil or anything
- Awesome diversity that makes the already loveable cast even better
- The nerdiness of the group was handled pretty well I think, and I was quite caught up in the Charm/Reverb mini plotline lol
Not so good things
- Literally nothing HAPPENS for like 70% of this book. The initial premise of "failed tickets to a con, he must make up for it!1!"? doesn't get touched until the end again. Both blurb and initial set up rather make it seem like that'd be most of the plot, but it's not. Instead half the story happens in the MC's house and his own room, and a lot of the story just... seems to happen, with no real plot structure to push it along or anything to hold it together beyond that it's happening to the same people
- Some of the family conflicts seem to be too neatly wrapped up w/o any actual developments to back them up - but I'll give that one a half-pass, it's a story, it can be a fantasy of what-if-we-all-made-up just fine.
WHY WOULD YOU EVER
- Why, why, WHY is the MC a self-declared art reposter!?!? In a book that's full of fandom geeks and references, with an MC whose life is changed partially because of his love of these comics, his fandom activity, his ships, why on EARTH would he happily comment how he's always disrespecting artists this way? Is it supposed to be a quirky thing or something? What a sore spot for an otherwise perfectly fluffy, cute book.
July 15, 2023
I think maybe Julian Winters just knows how to give readers a good summer teen story 🥹
This book gave me friendships and family, it gave me pining and angst, it gave me fandoms and geeks, and it gave me precious best friends-to-lovers trope.
I related to a lot of things in this book, and more often than not, I found myself relating to Isaac and his social anxiety/awkwardness, but also his desire to belong. Romance had lots of pining and angst which was a surprise for me somehow?? 😂 And the lack of communication gave me a bit of a headache, but it's a good one 😆
Overall, I just really enjoyed reading this.
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
Marking this book as part of reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2023.
This book gave me friendships and family, it gave me pining and angst, it gave me fandoms and geeks, and it gave me precious best friends-to-lovers trope.
I related to a lot of things in this book, and more often than not, I found myself relating to Isaac and his social anxiety/awkwardness, but also his desire to belong. Romance had lots of pining and angst which was a surprise for me somehow?? 😂 And the lack of communication gave me a bit of a headache, but it's a good one 😆
Overall, I just really enjoyed reading this.
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
Marking this book as part of reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2023.
May 23, 2022
This book is an ODE. An ode to fandom, to comics, to friendship, to queer people, to people of colour, to family. Honestly, it feels like Julian picked my brain for all my comfort tropes and decided to wrap them up into a single novel and I am so thankful for it.
And how wonderful it is! Not only does the writing excel as always, but there’s so many details to everything – including references to other YA books (that had me yelling already when Adib Khorram first posted about it, but actually experiencing and understanding pretty much ALL of them was breathtaking). I love how this book balanced both the main plot and the tiny looks we got into the fandom side of the comic Isaac is obsessed with; as someone who is pretty active in comic-based fandom, including writing and reading fanfics and doing theories, I can’t tell y’all how real it was, haha.
Plus, the characters!!! Isaac was a GREAT main – so authentic that you were always onboard with him, no matter what. You felt with him and only realized his mistakes at the very same time as he did, which is quite the feat to pull off when it comes to teen characters. I felt so much for him, and I love the glimpses into what a struggle and joy being biracial can mean. I just adored him and his interactions with his family (including a grandparent which, as y’all know, is Ultimate Yas Life), and so many of his feelings pulled right on my heart ;A;
I fell in love with Diego right off the bat, he’s so wonderful. Besides, if there’s one thing I love it’s a couple of childhood besties where one is shy and the other outgoing. The BEST dynamic. And the rest of the friend group!!! The various kinds of diversity were so wonderful, especially how they’re both casual and meaningful at the same time, just because they WERE.
Honestly, this is the ultimate pick-me-up for me. This book was so wonderful all around, exactly what I wished it was when I first saw it announced, and I am so freaking happy!
And how wonderful it is! Not only does the writing excel as always, but there’s so many details to everything – including references to other YA books (that had me yelling already when Adib Khorram first posted about it, but actually experiencing and understanding pretty much ALL of them was breathtaking). I love how this book balanced both the main plot and the tiny looks we got into the fandom side of the comic Isaac is obsessed with; as someone who is pretty active in comic-based fandom, including writing and reading fanfics and doing theories, I can’t tell y’all how real it was, haha.
Plus, the characters!!! Isaac was a GREAT main – so authentic that you were always onboard with him, no matter what. You felt with him and only realized his mistakes at the very same time as he did, which is quite the feat to pull off when it comes to teen characters. I felt so much for him, and I love the glimpses into what a struggle and joy being biracial can mean. I just adored him and his interactions with his family (including a grandparent which, as y’all know, is Ultimate Yas Life), and so many of his feelings pulled right on my heart ;A;
I fell in love with Diego right off the bat, he’s so wonderful. Besides, if there’s one thing I love it’s a couple of childhood besties where one is shy and the other outgoing. The BEST dynamic. And the rest of the friend group!!! The various kinds of diversity were so wonderful, especially how they’re both casual and meaningful at the same time, just because they WERE.
Honestly, this is the ultimate pick-me-up for me. This book was so wonderful all around, exactly what I wished it was when I first saw it announced, and I am so freaking happy!
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