Manchester District Library Book Club discussion

Please share your thoughts.

I am about a third of the way through the book and while I appreciate both the inclusive subject matter and the historical setting to me, so far, it is an average romance novel. Perhaps the "coming of age" part will develop as I read further. I have it shelved as a "historical romance" on my GoodReads shelves.

I gave the book 3 stars. Here is my full review:
I read this book because the author grew up in the small town I currently live in and he is coming to speak at our library. I have trouble categorizing this book and even deciding how to rate it. The beginning reads like a traditional first love romance with the added dimension they are a same-sex couple in the nebulous time between the late 50s and early 60s. It could be an emotional story about a group of friends except most of the friends' characters are not fleshed out enough for that. For the longest time I couldn't keep track of the girls in Kyle's friend group because not enough was said about them. Even quick descriptions of how they looked would have helped me form a picture and know who was who. It could be a great coming of age family drama but that storyline also seems to fall short. About two-thirds of the way through it becomes a road trip story with a lot of heartbreak which all felt a bit rushed. The story basically ends as a tragedy with the main character pining away for lost love. While I appreciate Jones's ambitious undertaking I think trying to put too much into the book diluted the storylines. There were anachronisms that pulled me out of the story, particularly in regards to Kyle's car. For the time period, I would not expect a convertible automobile to be an automatic and I also would not expect its teen occupants, who seem to care little for their well-being, to be wearing seatbelts. I do look forward to hearing the author speak and hearing any insights he gives about his writing process.